For some unknown reason, the Bills have failed to address their quarterback and left tackle position. Those decisions will probably come back to haunt them and give them the honors to select with the number 1 overall pick. Could be the year that they finally get somebody to lead their franchise? Locker should be the first quarterback taken, heck he probably would have been the #1 overall pick if he would have come out for the 2010 NFL Draft. He is a big kid who has a huge arm, who can run a 4.4 40 yard dash time. In his first year under Head Coach (and QB guru) Steve Sarkisian and his pro style offense, Locker made leaps and bounds. A second year will only help his development even more.
#2) Kansas City Chiefs- Andrew Luck (QB Stanford)
If the Chiefs are pick here that probably means that they struggled on both offense and defense and Matt Cassell had another bad year. Why they paid him the 3rd highest salary of Quarterbacks after one decent year is beyond me. If they are picking second they probably need to cut ties and move in a different direction. Luck is only going to be a redshirt sophomore, but in his first year in Jim Harbaugh's pro style offense Luck flourished and led the up and coming Cardinals to some big wins. Now that Toby Gerhart is gone, Luck will be looked to use his strong arm and good accuracy in converting from a run heavy offense to more of an air attack. If Luck has a great year, he could even surpass Locker as the top QB in the draft.
#3) St Louis Rams- Robert Quinn (DE North Carolina)
The Rams much like the Lions a couple of years ago are in a rebuilding mode. Their roster was depleted because of poor personal decisions that caused them to be picking in the top 3 for three straight years. But with a new coaching staff and a couple of solid drafts, they are looking like an improved team. The defense though is missing some key pieces coach to run Steve Spanuoluo's aggressive defense, he needs to start with the D-Line. Last year the Rams took Sam Bradford #1 because they needed a franchise quarterback. Suh and McCoy were better players and probably would have been better choices, but this is a quarterback's league. Now that they have their guy, they can look at getting impact players.
#4) Cleveland Browns- Julio Jones (WR Alabama)
Cleveland a team that is devoid of any playmakers. They have solid receivers in Mohamed Massaquoi and Brian Robiskie, but nobody that is a true #1 receiver. Julio Jones was very high touted out of high school and has lived up to the expectations at Alabama. Starting as a true freshman and being their #1 receiver ever since. He is big, physical, Runs good routes, and has great hands. Jones is probably a better receiver prospect than Michael Crabtree or Dez Bryant.
Denver's defensive line last year was not very good. Beside NT Fields they really struggled. The Broncos fixed the problem by signing a lot of free agents, but that isn't a long term solution. Heyward is a talented lineman that has played both tackle and end for the Buckeyes. His ability to take on blockers and play two gaps makes him an ideal fit for the 3-4, 5 technique defensive end. Heyward compares very favorably to Richard Seymour.
#6) Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Da'Quan Bowers (DE Clemson)
The Buccaneers are going back to their roots of the Tampa 2 and need to get younger and impact players at key positions. Last draft they focused on getting their defensive tackles, and getting stronger up the middle, here they can get an impact defensive end to provide pressure from the edge. Bowers is a physical freak who is very athletic and a terror for left tackles.
#7) Jacksonville Jaguars- Ryan Mallett (QB Arkansas)
It was no secret that the Jaguars wanted to upgrade the quarterback position last year. The owner wanted Tim Tebow, but they decided that #10 overall was too early and went with the venerable Tyson Alualu (Ha!). David Garrard has had a decent career, but isn't a top flight quarterback. Mallett is a big bodied quarterback with a huge arm. He plays in a wide open offense where he can show off his physical skills. He has all the physical tools to be a good NFL quarterback, and is only a notch below Locker and Andrew Luck.
#8) New England Patriots (From Oakland)- Marcell Dareus (DE Alabama)
The Patriots received this pick as a part of their trade for Richard Seymour. Here the Patriots can get their replacement for Seymour in Dareus. Dareus has excelled in Nick Saban's 3-4 defense manning the 5 technique defensive tackle spot in their top five ranked unit. He is big and strong and does a good job of eating up blockers. Dereus is actually a pretty good athlete for his size which should help with their versatile defense.
#9) Detroit Lions- Adrian Clayborn (DE Iowa)
Detroit has had two very good drafts in a row under GM Martin Mayhew and Head Coach Jim Schwartz. They have went best player available and got some very good players that give them a foundation for the future. Even though they have had two straight good drafts, they still need to upgrade the level of talent on the team. Look for them to go best player available again and get somebody like Clayborn to help their defense. Clayborn dominated the Big 10 this year and is consistently disrupting the opponents backfield. He is strong against the run and the pass.
#10) Washington Redskins- Dont'a Hightower (ILB Alabama)
Washington will be unveiling their new 3-4 defense this year. But one area that is going to show some holes in at middle linebacker. London Fletcher-Baker is a very good middle linebacker in the 4-3, but he is going to struggled in the 3-4 where he has to take on bigger guards. His small stature will take a beating and he'll get overwhelmed and taken out of plays. Even if he does succeed, they need two inside linebackers and don't have anybody next to him. Big things were expected from Hightower before he got injured and missed most of last year. Many scouts like Hightower and think that he is even better than Rolando McClain. Hightower is very smart and has a ton of experience playing for Nick Saban and his 3-4 defense.
#11) Tennessee Titans- Prince Amukamara (CB Nebraska)
The Titans goal last draft was to help their defense in the passing game, they wanted to do that by getting a pass rushing defensive end and a corner back. They got in my opinion the best defensive end in the draft in Derek Morgan, but failed to land one of the top corners in the 2nd or 3rd round. Luckily for them they will have a chance to get one here in Amukamara. Prince is a great athlete that can play both man and zone. He has great speed and can change directions easily. This comes from his past as a running back and Arizona High School Offensive player of the year.
#12) New York Giants- Anthony Costanzo (OT Boston College)
The Giants were once the toast of the NFC, but have fallen on some hard times and their once proud power running offense is no longer that powerful. A big part of that is their offensive line, they are aging and need to get some players to help out. There was some talk that they might go after Mike Iupati, but decided to go with JPP instead. If they want to get back to their old ways, they are going to need to invest in their offensive line. Costanzo is a very talented lineman that is very good in the run and in pass protection. He could very well go much higher, but with the abundance of top level skill players and teams needs, he could slide to the early teens.
#13) Pittsburgh Steelers- A.J Green (WR Georgia)
Pittsburgh cut ties with Santonio Holmes because they were sick of his poor behavior, which leaves a big void in their passing game, add in the fact that Limas Sweed isn't living up to his potential and Hines Ward is nearing retirement and they clearly have some issues. They did draft Emmanuel Sanders, but he isn't a number one receiver and would work better as a #2 or in the slot. Green is a #1 type of receiver. Much like Julio Jones he is big physical and catches everything in sight. He has been a big time player for them as soon as he stepped foot onto campus. This would give the Steelers a go to receiver they desperately could use.
#14) Arizona Cardinals- Gabe Carimi (OT Wisconsin)
The Cardinals are going to take a step back with Kurt Warner no longer running the offense. They are also going to find out that they miss Warner's ability to get rid of the ball quick and Matt Leinart is going to get hit a lot. To help they are going to need to upgrade their line and give him more time. Mike Gandy has been solid, but he doesn't have the quickness he once had to mirror blockers. Carimi is a brute force that is very strong in the run game, yet has good pass protection skills.
#15) Chicago Bears- Marvin Austin (DT North Carolina)
Chicago actually has a first round pick for the first time in three years, for now. The Bears made a huge splash in free agency going after some big names. They will help, but the Bears still have a lot of holes that need to be fixed if they want to be contenders again. One of them is at defensive tackle. Tommie Harris is often injured and other times doesn't give them the play that they need from him. Austin is a very talented tackle that could have been a first round pick if he would have came out last year. But another year of seasoning and playing at a high level will make this ultra quick disruptive force more desirable to teams.
#16) Seattle Seahawks- Patrick Peterson (CB L.S.U)
The Seahawks have a good corner in Marcus Trufant, but opposite of him they have not had much success. Peterson has good size and speed, plus good ball skills that make him worthy of a first round grade.
As always, if you got a problem with our draft, or analysis feel free to contact us at NolanVasan@NFLDraftGeek.com or join the Forums to post your own Mock Draft and discuss others.
