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Thursday, April 28, 2011

2011 Mock NFL Draft

This is my only chance to use this.  I present to you: Jaime Edmondson.

I can't be much worse than the "experts" at predicting draft choices (last year I picked four selections correctly, so I'm kind of awesome at this), so here goes nothing.


1. Carolina Panthers
Cam Newton - QB - Auburn
I'm only putting Newton here because everyone under the sun thinks the Panthers will choose him.  I would never in a million years draft Newton #1, and they just spent a first round pick on Jimmy Clausen.


2. Denver Broncos
Marcell Dareus - DT - Alabama
Dareus is widely considered to be the top defensive lineman in the draft, and the Broncos could use some stoutness in the middle.  I wouldn't use this high of a pick on a guy who probably won't be able to produce much of a pass rush, but I'm just a guy on the internet.


3. Buffalo Bills
Blaine Gabbert - QB - Missouri
The Bills would be reaching to get Gabbert this high, but the team needs a franchise quarterback.  Teams don't win in the NFL without good quarterbacks, and Gabbert's hair is luscious, so he's got that going for him.


4. Cincinnati Bengals
A.J. Green - WR - Georgia
The Bengals could use a guy to complement and eventually replace Chad Ochocinco.  And it might serve to help convince Carson Palmer to stick around Cincinnati for a little while longer.


5. Arizona Cardinals
Patrick Peterson - CB - LSU
In my opinion, Peterson is the best player in the entire draft.  He's a steal if he's still around when the Cardinals pick.


6. Cleveland Browns
Julio Jones - WR - Alabama
Well, the Braylon Edwards experiment didn't work.  Time to try again with a wide receiver.


7. San Francisco 49ers
Prince Amukamara - CB - Nebraska
Just a guess.


8. Tennessee Titans
Nick Fairley - DT - Auburn
I actually like Auburn, mainly because Bo Jackson was my favorite athlete as a kid.  However, I hate both of Auburn's top two prospects, Newton and Fairley.  But the Titans lost Albert Haynesworth recently, so they need another a****** defensive tackle.

9. Dallas Cowboys
Tyron Smith - OT - USC
The Cowboys won Super Bowls in the '90's by having the league's best offensive line, so it would behoove Dallas to rebuild that line.  Smith looks like the best tackle in the draft.


10. Washington Redskins
Von Miller - OLB - Texas A&M
The Redskins need a quarterback, but this is too high to take Jake Locker.  I could see them trading back to take Locker, Ponder, or Dalton later in the first round.  However, I think they'll take Quinn if they stay at #10.


11. Houston Texans
J.J. Watt - DE - Wisconsin
I just have a gut feeling (probably an incorrect one) that the Texans will draft another Badger.


12. Minnesota Vikings
Jake Locker - QB - Washington
The Vikings need a quarterback, and the guys on the current roster certainly aren't the answer.  This is too high for Locker, too, but I think somebody will take a chance on him, inaccurate though he may be.


13. Detroit Lions
Anthony Castonzo - OT - Boston College
Please, please, please . . . draft an offensive lineman.  I do not like Jeff Backus at left tackle, and the Lions always seem to pass on linemen in favor of skill players.


14. St. Louis Rams
Corey Liuget - DT - Illinois
I don't know.


15. Miami Dolphins
Robert Quinn - DE - North Carolina
My friend, who's a big Dolphins fan, thinks the team will draft Quinn.  I have no reason to disagree.


16. Jacksonville Jaguars
Ryan Kerrigan - DE - Purdue
The Jaguars took a couple athletic busts in the first round a couple years ago (Derrick Harvey, Quentin Groves), so maybe it's time to draft a steady, powerful end.  Bill Parcells likes him, and that's good enough for me.


17. New England Patriots
Gabe Carimi - OT - Wisconsin
The Patriots need to strengthen their offensive line and keep Tom Brady healthy.  Carimi would seem to fit the profile of New England offensive linemen.


18. San Diego Chargers
Muhammad Wilkerson - DT - Temple
There's always some small-school guy who sneaks up on you.


19. New York Giants
Nate Solder - OT - Colorado
The Giants offensive line is getting old.  And maybe a good offensive line will make Eli Manning not suck quite so much.


20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Da'quan Bowers - DE - Clemson
Bowers should probably go higher based on talent, but I keep hearing about his knee issue.  Somebody will probably take a chance on him in the first round, though.


21. Kansas City Chiefs
Aldon Smith - LB - Missouri
A lot of people think Smith will go higher, but I just couldn't find where he would fit.


22. Indianapolis Colts
Derek Sherrod - OT - Mississippi State
Just like the Giants, the Colts have a patchwork offensive line and could use some help there.  They could go in a lot of directions, though - particularly anywhere on defense except DE.


23. Philadelphia Eagles
Jimmy Smith - CB - Colorado
The Eagles have always seemed to be good at the cornerback position, going back to the mid-'90's.  And that's worked well for them, so they might as well try to continue the tradition.


24. New Orleans Saints
Akeem Ayers - LB - UCLA
The Saints have been weak at linebacker for a few years.  Maybe they'll finally address the need.


25. Seattle Seahawks
Marvin Austin - DT - North Carolina
The Seahawks have a serious need at tackle, and Austin has first round talent.


26. Baltimore Ravens
Cameron Heyward - DT - Ohio State
I hope Heyward drops from the first round to, say, the CFL.  Probably a pipe dream, though.


27. Atlanta Falcons
Justin Houston - DE - Georgia
He's from Georgie, see?  And Atlanta's from Georgia, too.  It's a match made in Georgia.


28. New England Patriots
Mark Ingram - RB - Alabama
I don't think Ingram is going to be a great NFL running back, but he's one of those guys who just gets the job done.  And those are the types of players that New England seems to like.


29. Chicago Bears
Danny Watkins - OG - Baylor
Is there any team more boring than the Bears?


30. New York Jets
Adrian Clayborn - DE - Iowa
Clayborn seems like he would be a good fit in the 3-4 scheme, and I can't see him falling out of the first round.  I almost put Phil Taylor here.  I wonder if I'll regret that decision.


31. Pittsburgh Steelers
Aaron Williams - CB - Texas
The Steelers secondary sucks.


32. Green Bay Packers
Mikel Leshoure - RB - Illinois
I don't think the Packers want to rely so heavily on Aaron Rodgers to win games for them for the rest of his career.  He's great and everything, but it would be nice to be able to run the ball once in a while, too.

8 comments:

  1. Jimmy Clausen was a 2nd round pick. But good job. These things are harder to come up with than they look.

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  2. jimmy was a 2nd round pick. also, the panthers are run by a bunch of morons if they take cam newton. probably a safe bet that they give him a raise tho.

    -horn

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  3. It sucks that Fairley and Newton are both going to end up going in the top ten as I despise both of them. Fairley may even be more despicable than Newton, if that is possible.

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  4. Clausen should be considered a sunk cost, but I wouldn't take Newton either. If you're going to take a risk like that I'd rather go with Ryan Mallet's upside than Newton. The smart move to Carolina is to move down, which everyone says, but they won't do it because the value chart that everyone uses is wrong and (I believe) doesn't consider salary obligation as a negative. Just ask for a 3rd or 4th rounder and move down to the Lions pick and you'd be better off Carolina.

    "Teams don't win in the NFL without good quarterbacks"
    Eh...Trent Dilfer, Brad Johnson, and Rich Gannon took teams to super bowls. It happens.

    -Lankownia

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  5. Packer fan here,
    James Starks came on strong in the playoffs last year, Mike McCarthy loves him and Ryan Grant is coming back off of an injury. Everyone seems to pick us taking a running back and the only point in the draft that I see that happening is in the later rounds on a third down back.

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  6. @ Yak and horn

    It's true that Clausen was a 2nd round pick. For some reason, I thought they took him at the end of the first round last year.

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  7. @ Lankownia 1:23 p.m.

    I think the game has changed since Brad Johnson, Trent Dilfer, etc. went to the Super Bowl. The passing game is exploding in the NFL, so I think the QB is more valuable now than it was around 2000. Of course, it could revert to more of a running league by the time Gabbert, Newton, Ponder, etc. finish their careers, but for now, that doesn't seem to be the case.

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  8. Jeff Backus has been graded out as an above average LT in the league last season and was considered to be one of the top LT in the NFC based on his play for the last two season. He's not nearly as bad as people make him out to be.

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