Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Alex's Mock Draft

Pick No. 1: Panthers: Cam Newton/QB/Auburn

I am personally not a Newton fan but short term this would help the Panthers exposure and sell a lot of tickets and jerseys. You would have people coming from all over the country to watch the Heisman Quarterback play.







Pick No. 2: Broncos: Marcell Dareus/DT/Alabama

John Fox likes to build his D by starting with the D-Line. Although there is a chance they go Fairley I think his Fairley’s one year wonder status will make them lean towards Dareus.







Pick No. 3: Bills: Von Miller/OLB/Texas A&M

I personally think the Bills should go offense but every mock draft I see has Miller to the Bills who would make a nice fit.








Pick No. 4: Bengals: A.J. Green/WR/Georgia

With the loss of T.O and the possible loss of Ochocinco the Bengals will be empty at WR. Green is the safest player in the Top 10. I think Green will bring that spark that was missing in the Bengals offense last year. Although Missouri’s Blaine Gabbert is a possible hear.







Pick No. 5: Cardinals: Blaine Gabbert/QB/Missouri

The Cardinals attempts to replace Kurt Warner failed last year and Fitzgerald basically said he is gone unless they get a Quarterback. Gabbert has a lot of potential and won’t have to change a whole lot since he came from the spread in college.







Pick No. 6: Browns: Robert Quinn/DE/North Carolina

Whatever the Browns move to 4-3 or 3-4 Quinn will be able to play in either one of them. Quinn’s stock would probably higher but he had the suspension in 2010 so he could fall a little further but his multi purpose play will tempt the Browns.







Pick No. 7: 49ers: Patrick Peterson/CB/LSU

Peterson could fall further because there are some Questions about his CB ability but I think the 49ers take the chance and get on him.







Pick No. 8: Titans: Nick Fairley/DT/Auburn

Because of his one year wonder status he could fall further but the Titans are still trying to replace Haynesworth and there isn’t another D-Lineman at this position unless the trade back.







Pick No. 9: Cowboys: Anthony Castonzo/OL/Boston College

It will either be Castonzo or Smith and I think it will be Castonzo mainly because he can play multiple spots on the O-Line.






Pick No. 10: Redskins: Julio Jones/WR/Alabama

Jones really impressed scouts with his combine workout and Redskins really need a WR.







Pick No. 11: Texans: Aldon Smith/DE/Missouri

The Texans will either use a 4-3 or 3-4 and Smith can play either one and Wade Philips would like to have a remake of Demarcus Ware.







Pick No. 12: Vikings: Da’Quan Bowers/DE/Clemson

With the possible loss of Ray Edwards and the Williams brothers the D-Line will be very weak. Bowers has a lot of talent and for a while was projected to be the No. 1 pick so Bowers at no. 12 would be a steal for the Vikings.







Pick No. 13: Lions: Prince Amukamara/CB/Nebraska

Amukamara’s Senior year was bad compared to his Junior year so there are a lot of questions about him being a one year wonder but I think the Lions will look past that and get a second consecutive Nebraska player in the 1st round.







Pick No. 14: Rams: Ryan Kerrigan/DE/Purdue

The Lions need a WR but if Smith and Green are gone they really need to upgrade the D-Line and Kerrigan shows a lot of potential in a both 4-3 and 3-4 schemes.







Pick No. 15: Dolphins: Ryan Mallet/QB/Arkansas

Although Mallet has Character issues I think the Dolphins make a reach and get the best arm in the Draft and finally get a QB.







Pick No. 16: Jaguars: Cameron Jordan/DE/California

The Jaguars are working on rebuilding the D-Line and Jordan would make a nice duo with Tyson Alualu.







Pick No. 17: Patriots: Tyron Smith/OT/USC

If Cameron Jordan would slip to them I think they would draft him but if Smith is still there at No. 17 it would be to tempting to grab him.







Pick No. 18.: Chargers: J.J. Watt/DE/Wisconsin

The loss of Jamal Williams had a lot bigger impact than the chargers expected. So I think they will be looking DL here and Watt is the best DL player available at No. 18.







Pick No. 19: Giants: Mike Pouncey/OL/Florida

The once great O-Line of the Giants is really getting old they really need some new faces and Pouncey can play multiple spots on the O-Line.







Pick No. 20: Buccanneers: Adrian Clayborn/DL/Iowa

McCoy won’t be able to do it by himself and Clayborn was projected to be a Top 10 pick last year till his senior year when his numbers began to slip but he still is a very good player.







Pick No. 21: Chiefs: Gabe Carimi/OL/Wisconsin

Although the sensible pick would be DL I think the Chiefs will improve the O-Line which because they are a run first team they really need a good O-Line.







Pick No. 22: Colts: Nate Soldier/OL/Colorado

The Colts were reminded last year how important it is to have a good O-Line when Manning had a lot of trouble in the pocket. Soldier is the only O-Line who can play LT which Indy is highly in need of.







Pick No. 23: Eagles: Jimmy Smith/CB/Colorado

Although he has character issues I think the Eagles will look past that and get a good CB to play opposite to Samuel.







Pick No. 24: Saints: Mark Ingram/RB/Alabama

Although Ayers is a possibility the Saints were without a RB last year. Ingram would be a nice pick at No. 24 and would fill that missing piece in the Saints Offense.







Pick No. 25: Seattle: Jake Locker/QB/Washington

Locker has great potential if he can work on his accuracy issues and the Seahawks are going to need someone to replace Hasselback.







Pick No. 26: Ravens: Torrey Smith/WR/Maryland

Smith’s Speed is the missing part of the Ravens offense and he and Bolden would make a nice duo.







Pick No. 27: Falcons: Marvin Austin/DL/North Carolina

The Falcons really need to work on the DL and drafting Austin would be a start.







Pick No. 28: Patriots: Justin Houston/OLB/Georgia

Mayo won’t be able to play all four positions at LB himself so I think the pats will draft Houston to give him some help Although Ayers is a possibility.







Pick No. 29: Jets: Cam Heyward/DL/Ohio State

The loss of Kris Jenkins in week 1 really set the Jets Defense back and besides Jenkins the DL is empty. So I think they add to the DL with Heyward who is the best Defensive lineman at that position.







Pick No. 30: Bears: Corey Liuget/DT/Illinois

The DT position for the Bears is weak and Peppers needs somebody to help him out on the D-Line.







Pick No. 31: Steelers: Aaron Williams/DB/Texas

The Steelers could draft Derek Sherrod here but I think CB is a more important problem. Williams will be able to fill that spot in Pittsburgh.






Pick No. 32: Packers: Akeem Ayers/OLB/UCLA

The Packers could go O-Line but they need someone to put opposite to Clay Matthews.


Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Draft Notes

The NFL Draft is now only a week away, so I wanted to talk about a couple of topics concerning it.



The Broncos have been interviewing most of the QB’s that will be considered in the 1st to 2nd round. People are now starting to wonder if they will pick a Quarterback with the No. 2 overall pick. I think there is a possibility that Denver could although I think they should stick with Tebow. My theory is that if they let Tebow start this year and he fails then the Broncos can get Andrew Luck next year, who Elway originally wanted. If he succeeds then they have a franchise. Another option I think would be smart to do is trade down to either the 49ers or Titans pick (since both is interested in drafting Missouri QB Blaine Gabbert, who will most likely not get to their picks), that way they could pick up a couple of extra picks and still could probably get either Dareus or Fairley.



I think the Panthers probably pick Newton with the No. 1 overall pick. I personally don’t think Newton has the tools or character to become a franchise QB, but I think the Panthers will take the chance, because if he does do well they have a franchise QB and if he doesn’t, he still sells a lot of jerseys and give the Panthers needed exposure.



Someone most haven’t been talking a ton about is Blaine Gabbert. Most think he will be a top 5 pick but their still isn’t much buzz about him. I think Gabbert has the best work ethic of any other QB in this draft, while I think accuracy wise he is second behind Ryan Mallet. Of all the QB’s in this class I think he has one of the top 3 strongest arms and he doesn’t have character issues, which helps since most of the QB’s that are better in other areas have major question marks when it comes to character. I personally would take Gabbert in the 5-15 range, but I still think he is the best QB in the draft class and I wouldn’t take any of the other QB’s higher then the 15th pick. I think the main problem for Gabbert will be being accurate deep which, given the right coach, I think he can fix.



Here is my updated top QB’s in this class

1. Gabbert: Good arm strength, good accuracy, great character, great work ethic, good potential and played in a spread offense.

2. Mallet: Great arm strength, great accuracy, bad character, decent work ethic, great potential and played in a pro style offense.

3. Ponder: Decent arm strength, good accuracy, good character, good work ethic, good potential and played in a pro style offense.

4. Newton: Good arm strength, bad accuracy, bad character, decent work ethic, great potential and played in a spread offense.

5. Locker: Great arm strength, bad accuracy, great character, great work ethic, great potential and played in a pro style offense.

6. Dalton: Good arm strength, good accuracy, good character, good work ethic, good potential and played in a Spread/Pro Style offense.

7. Kapernick: Great arm strength, decent accuracy, good character, great work ethic, great potential and played in a pistol offense.

8. Stanzi: Decent arm strength, decent accuracy, good character, good work ethic, decent potential and played in a pro style offense.

My 2011 NFL Mock Draft

First Round




1. Panthers: Cam Newton/QB/Auburn: I personally am not a Newton fan, but that won’t stop Jerry Richardson from seeing that whether or not Newton does well, it will bring in a lot of fans and sell a ton of jerseys.



2. Broncos: Marcell Dareus/DT/Alabama: John Fox is a conservative coach and so he goes with a safe player in Dareus who he can build his defense around.



3. Bills: Blaine Gabbert/QB/Missouri: I know this sounds wired with Fitzpatrick just coming off a good season, but they draft C. J. Spiller when both Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson had been coming off good seasons. The Bills have been looking for the next Jim Kelly ever since he retired and I think Buffalo can’t get themselves to pass on another QB after the success that Sanchez, Flacco, Bradford and Ryan have had.



4. Bengals: Da’Quan Bowers/DE/Clemson: As I said before, it sound wired since they need a wideout, but this kind of thing always happens in the draft. The Bengals need a dominate defensive end to help their defense out and the Bengals will look past the injury issues.



5. Cardinals: Von Miller/OLB/Texas A&M: Don’t be surprised if the Cardinals make a trade for a veteran like Kolb or someone with this pick, but Miller will be hard to pass up and will be the perfect player for the Cardinals new defensive coordinator to build his Pittsburgh type defense around.



6. Browns: A. J. Green/WR/Georgia: I think Holmgren likes Robert Quinn, but with Green slipping this far they can’t pass on a future pro bowler. Colt McCoy needs some help and Green can provide that right away.



7. 49ers: Robert Quinn/OLB/North Carolina: They think about Patrick Peterson, but with one of the premiere pass rushers still on the board they go with Quinn.



8. Titans: Nick Fairley/DT/Auburn: They have been trying to replace Albert Hayesworth and I think Fairley is the closest player to him in this draft. They are some character issues with Fairley, but I think they Titans will hope he can get over them and that his former college “D” line coach (who is now with the Titans) will be able to get as much production out of him as he did in college.





9. Cowboys: Patrick Peterson/CB/LSU: The Cowboys will be trying to trade down so they can get an offensive lineman and pick up some extra picks and expect the Cowboys to get a lot for this pick if Peterson is still on the board. Meanwhile, if they can’t trade down I doubt Jerry Jones can pass on Peterson who in some people’s minds is the best player in the draft.





10. Redskins: Mark Ingram/HB/Alabama: Ingram will fit perfectly in Shanahan’s rushing attack and will give Washington a player to build around on the offense. This is kind of high for Ingram, but as I said before these things always happen in the draft.





11. Texans: Aldon Smith/OLB/Missouri: Smith will remind Wade Phillips to much of DeMarcus Ware and that is why is get him here at 11. Smith is a raw player but is already showing that, even before he has developed that he can play at a pro bowl level. I think the potential of Smith will, be too hard to pass up here.



12. Vikings: Cameron Jordon/DE/California: The Vikings will think Locker, but I think instead they replenish their defensive line and get a huge defensive end in Jordon, plus, some say he is one of the more NFL ready players in the draft.



13. Lions: Prince Amukamara/CB/Nebraska: The Lions get a Nebraska player last year and you saw how that worked out, so they go with another on this year and begin to finish their quick turnaround of their defense.



14. Rams: Julio Jones/WR/Alabama: The Rams want another pass rushing defensive end, but they can’t ignore Bradford’s need for some guys to catch the ball. It will be funny to see Oklahoma QB passing to a Alabama Wide receiver and then a Texas QB (Colt McCoy) passing to a Georgia Wide receiver.



15. Dolphins: Ryan Mallet/QB/Arkansas: The Dolphins need help at QB very badly, so the Dolphins will look past Mallet’s character issues and hope he gets past them and can become their next franchise QB.



16. Jaguars: Ryan Kerrigan/DE/Purdue: The Jaguars like high motor players and that is exactly what they will get in Kerrigan. They started the revamping of their defensive line last year and will finish it off this year.



17. Patriots (from Raiders): J. J. Watt/DE/Wisconsin: I think the Patriots will look to draft down here, but if they can’t, with their effort to build a blue collar defense Watt will fit in perfectly.



18. Chargers: Anthony Castonzo/OT/Boston College: The Chargers are looking for some extra pass rush but with all the better defense ends and outside linebackers gone at this time they decide to upgrade their offensive line and give Phillip Rivers even more time to tarn defenses apart.



19. Giants: Tyron Smith/OT/USC: Eli Manning needs help and they will bring smith in to give Manning a little more time in the pocket to hopefully cut down on his interceptions.



20. Buccaneers: Adrian Clayborn/DE/Iowa: Clayborn will be a perfect fit for the Buccaneers and add yet another talented young player to their roster. Clayborn would have been a top ten pick if not for his injuries, so the so the Buccaneers will be thrilled to get him here.



21. Chiefs: Gabe Carimi/OT/Wisconsin: The Chiefs may go with a pass rusher here but with the improvement of Matt Cassel and with the No.1 rushing game in the league the Chiefs will want to continue that success and add another big guy to their offensive line.



22. Colts: Nate Solder/OT/Colorado: The Colts have been looking for a franchise left tackle ever since Glenn left and they will try to see if they can develop Solder into that guy to keep Manning upright.



23. Eagles: Mike Pouncey/OL/Florida: With the Eagles choosing to stick with Vick, they will need more guys to help Vick from getting banged up like he did last season. Jamaal Jackson has not played a full season in a long time and the Eagles will hope Pouncey will have as much success as his brother across the state.



24. Saints: Akeem Ayers/OLB/UCLA: The Saints need a linebacker and Ayers can be both a coverage linebacker and a pass rushing one, which will be nice for Greg Williams to get a versatile player.



25. Seahawks: Corey Liuget/DT/Illinois: The Seahawks need more help on the defensive line and with the news of Matt Hasselbeck wanting to return that will stop the Seahawks from at lease drafting a QB in the first round.



26. Ravens: Jimmy Smith/CB/Colorado: I think it will be a battle between Smith and Texas CB Aaron Williams, but I think Smith has too much potential to pass up.



27. Falcons: Torey Smith/WR/Maryland: Smith has great speed and can play in the slot or kick out to the No. 2 receiver spot. The Falcons need some more speed on the offense and Smith can bring that. Also the Falcons are another team that could go Aaron Williams.



28. Patriots: Danny Watkins/OL/Baylor: I think the Patriots will try to trade down one again here, but if they can’t Watkins would be the perfect player to step in immediately and play any position on the offensive line.



29. Jets: Muhammad Wilkerson/DE/Temple: The Jets need some more big men and some more pass rusher and Wilkerson can do both. Rex Ryan could look at an outside linebacker here, but there aren’t really any huge prospects here.



30. Bears: Derrek Sherrod/OT/Mississippi State: The Bears need someone to protect Jay Cutler so they get Sherrod here who I think it a bit of a reach here in the draft, but they need one too bad to pass on him.



31. Steelers: Aaron Williams/CB/Texas: Williams can play multiple positions which will be perfect for the Steelers defense. Ike Taylor is getting older so they need all the help they can get.



32. Packers: Justin Houston/OLB/Georgia: I think the Packers will try to trade down to a team trying to get a QB, but if they can’t Houston will still be a nice player to put opposite Clay Matthews.

Note: These are not the players I think they should draft, but the players I think they will draft.