Wednesday, April 27, 2011
2011 NFL Mock Draft: The Rest of The First Round
Due to some oversleeping on my part, I'm going to be able to continue the rest of my thrilling mock draft. The top 10 can be found here, as well as an analogy to poor children and ribbons that has apparently made some uncomfortable. Therefore, there are no creepy analogies today, but instead only imaginary, uninformed draft picks!
11. Houston Texans-Cameron Jordan, DE, California
With the Texans' switch to a 3-4, they're going to need some beef up front. Jordan can provide said beef.
12. Minnesota Vikings-Aldon Smith, DE, Missouri
Who would have ever guessed Missouri would have 2 top 12 draft picks? With Ray Edwards likely departing as a free agent (hopefully to Cleveland), and Jared Allen showing signs of slippage (despite his 11 sacks, he was a non-factor in more games than you would expect), Smith can get after the quarterback well and inject some youth into a defensive line that often looked aged and tired last season.
13. Detroit Lions-Prince Amukamara, CB, Nebraska
Prince joins his former Cornhusker teammate Ndamukong Suh as an oddly-named cornerstone of Jim Schwartz's fast-rising Lions defense.
14. St. Louis Rams-Mike Pouncey, OG/C, Florida
While not the sexiest pick, Pouncey should provide stability in the interior O-line for the next decade, while also making things easier for Steven Jackson up the middle. While Pouncey doesn't provide the direct benefit to Sam Bradford a receiver such as Julio Jones would, by taking pressure off the tackle next to him and allowing Jackson to produce as well as he's capable of should make Bradford's life a lot easier.
15. Miami Dolphins-Mark Ingram, RB, Alabama
This seems like the only lock of the first round, and I couldn't be more nonplussed. Ingram probably wasn't even the best running back on his own team last season (which actually says more about how awesome Trent Richardson is than it says anything negative about Ingram), and he certainly can't be expected to be much better than what Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams gave the Fins. While the rest of the league seems to have wised up to the fact that running backs can be found almost anywhere (like in a trade for Brady Quinn), Miami still feels the need to waste a 1st round pick on the next William Green (okay, that's probably a little harsh; maybe the next Marshawn Lynch?).
16. Jacksonville Jaguars-Ryan Kerrigan, DE, Purdue
Along with last year's surprise #1 pick Tyson Alualu and former Temple stud Terrence Knighton, Kerrigan should give the Jags one of the best young defensive front lines in football. (Kerrigan would actually probably move to outside linebacker in Jacksonville's 3-4, but his only job there would be to rush the passer, so I'm just going to continue to erroneously pretend that he's a defensive end.)
17. New England Patriots (from Oakland)-Anthony Castonzo, OT, Boston College
The Patriots are aging along their offensive line, so Castonzo can inject some youth while also continuing to play in front of the Massachusetts faithful.
18. San Diego Chargers-J.J. Watt, DE, Wisconsin
Watt should fit in well in the Chargers' 3-man front, which is more of an attacking style than the 3-4 employed by teams such as the Steelers, allowing Watt to utilize his pass rush ability (7 sacks in 2010).
19. New York Giants-Muhammad Wilkerson, DE, Temple
Wilkerson is an ultra-athletic monster (6-4, 315) who can move up and down the defensive line. Sounds like he'll fit right in in the Meadowlands alongside fellow freaks Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora.
20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Da'Quan Bowers, DE, Clemson
If Bowers's knee turns out to be fine, the Bucs may have a steal on their hands comparable to the Vikings getting Randy Moss at 21. For everyone's sake, let's hope things go better for Bowers than they went for the last Clemson DE Tampa Bay took, Gaines Adams (RIP).
21. Kansas City Chiefs-Phil Taylor, DT, Baylor
Taylor is exactly the sort of mass (6-3, 334) Romeo Crennel needs to clog up the middle of his 3-4.
22. Indianapolis Colts-Nate Solder, OT, Colorado
From the one scouting report I skimmed regarding Solder, it mentioned that he was smart as a whip, which I think is a necessity when you're playing o-line in front of the always-audibling Peyton Manning.
23. Philadelphia Eagles-Corey Liuget, DT, Illinois
With no obvious needs, the Eagles do what they always do: draft size up front.
24. New Orleans Saints-Adrian Clayborn, DE, Iowa
There are concerns about the paralysis that will occasionally strike Clayborn's right arm (seriously, this happens), but the Saints did alright the last time they took a chance on a guy teams avoided due to concerns about his injured wing (see: Brees, Drew).
25. Seattle Seahawks-Gabe Carimi, OT, Wisconsin
Logic and sentimentality dictate that the 'Hawks should go with with local boy Jake Locker here, but I say nay to both of those factors. The Seahawks' O-line was one of the worst in the league last season even with top 5 pick Russell Okung, so Carimi should be a welcome addition even if he costs the team Locker.
26. Baltimore Ravens-Jimmy Smith, CB, Colorado
Isn't just the Ravens' luck that questions about a player's character causes a top-15 talent at their weakest position to fall into their laps at the end of the first round? God, I hate them.
27. Atlanta Falcons-Danny Watkins, OG, Baylor
The Falcons will be upset if Smith goes only one pick before they have a shot at him. Still, a mauler such as Watkins is a pretty nice consolation prize.
28. New England Patriots-Brooks Reed, DE/OLB, Arizona
Reed will be the next in a long line of successors to Richard Seymour as the Pats primary pass-rusher. Hopefully Reed turns out better than Tully Banta-Cain.
29. Chicago Bears-Derrick Sherrod, OT, Mississippi State
The Bears somehow made the NFC Championship game without a single NFL-caliber tackle. Imagine what they can do if Sherrod is even half-decent.
30. New York Jets-Akeem Ayers, OLB, UCLA
For such a renowned defense, the Jets struggle to get to the quarterback off the edge. Ayers should help in that regard.
31. Pittsburgh Steelers-Aaron Williams, CB, Texas
After the show Aaron Rodgers put on against them in the Super Bowl, the Steelers need to fortify their secondary depth in order to deal with the plethora of teams that will likely be spreading the field against them this upcoming season.
32. Green Bay Packers-Mikel Leshoure, RB, Illinois
Even though Ryan Grant should be coming back from injury and James Starks showed signs of being a productive NFL back, the Packers have such tremendous depth that they can take a shot on Leshoure, who at 227 pounds has the size to be the workhorse the Pack lacked last season.
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