Jeff’s 2011 NFL Mock Draft
1. Carolina Panthers – Cam Newton QB, Auburn – This is no longer a pick of what I think the Panthers should do, but rather what they will do. Ron Rivera and the Panthers have publicly been impressed by Newton and the Auburn Tiger is expected to be drafted No. 1 overall.
Jimmy Clausen is not the answer. He was not a winner in college and has a terrible attitude. He may get his chance somewhere else, but the Panthers should rid themselves of that mistake.
2. Denver Broncos – Marcell Dareus DT, Alabama – The Broncos need both a dominant interior lineman and pass rusher; with the amount of pass rushers there are in this class they can afford to wait until Round 2 to get one.
3. Buffalo Bills – Patrick Peterson CB, LSU – Peterson was unbelievable at the combine and the Bills need help all over the place on defense. It could be Von Miller here since he had an incredible combine as well, but I think the Bills will take a best available option here.
4. Cincinnati Bengals – AJ Green WR, Georgia – Green may not have had the type of combine that Julio Jones had, but he already was miles ahead of everyone else in the class and has the game film to prove it. He will be an instant star for whoever lines up at QB for the Bengals.
5. Arizona Cardinals - Von Miller OLB/DE, Texas A&M – One of the most celebrated athletes coming out of this class, Von Miller has an incredible combination of speed and strength that will help him become one of the best rush linebackers in the NFL.
6. Cleveland Browns - Nick Fairley DT, Auburn – Fairley showed up at his Pro Day eight pounds heavier and just as athletic as he was at 291. He put on muscle and looked amazing in his drills. He is still a top 10 prospect and the Browns need someone to play defensive tackle with the switch to the 4-3 defense.
If AJ Green were to fall I expect he would be the pick, it all depends on if the Bengals would take Gabbert.
7. San Francisco 49ers - Blaine Gabbert QB, Missouri – Gabbert show cased his under the radar athleticism at the combine and smartly did not throw with the other QBs. He has been called a special player by several and the fact that the 49ers may not get to sign any free agents until a CBA is agreed upon could force their hand.
Harbaugh was one of the coaches who attended Gabbert’s Pro Day and he looked great for the coach, completing 49 of 52 passes with two drops. His down the field accuracy was incredible and he proved to be able to make the short throws that Jim Harbaugh’s offensive system needs.
He recruited Gabbert to come to Standford, maybe he’ll get a chance to coach him in the pros.
8. Tennessee Titans – Robert Quinn DE, North Carolina – The Titans are another team that could use both a pass rusher and a defensive tackle, but none of the tackles left are worth it at this point, so why not get the second best pass rusher?
9. Dallas Cowboys - J.J. Watt DE, Wisconsin – With Anthony Spencer testing the free agent waters, the Cowboys will need to fill a hole at defensive end, and Watt had such an incredible combine that I am willing to bet Jerry Jones will ignore a need in the secondary to take Watt.
10. Washington Redskins - Julio Jones WR, Alabama – The Redskins like to place an emphasis on the combine workouts, and who had a better one than Jones? He may have sneaked in to the top 10 with his workout, and the Redskins have been dying for a big play wide receiver for a long time.
11. Houston Texans - Prince Amukamara CB, Nebraska – What a dream scenario for the Texans, they have one of the best players in the draft fall to them and fill a desperate need that allows them to move Glover Quinn to free safety where he is more comfortable.
I could care less that the Texans took a corner last year, they need a safety but there are no first rounders. They had the WORST pass defense in the league…I’m tired of people telling me they don’t need a corner. I was at the Giants game in person, Eli Manning ate that secondary alive.
12. Minnesota Vikings - Tyron Smith OT, USC – I originally thought the Vikings were going to go defense here and take a defensive end, but with how much Smith has improved his stock over the past few weeks I’m inclined to believe there is no way he gets past Minnesota. They may not have a franchise QB anymore, but they will have a dominant LT for plenty of years to come, and that always makes your QB better.
13. Detroit Lions - Nate Solder OT, Colorado – Considered to be the next Tony Boselli (before he joined the Texans), the Lions will be getting a very talented asset to protect their franchise QB. Matt Stafford’s injury really hurt the Lions last year and they have stated publicly they plan to address the need for a young tackle to protect Stafford.
14. St. Louis Rams - Aldon Smith DE/OLB, Missouri – Aldon Smith is just another elite pass rusher we have in this draft. While the Rams would love for Julio Jones to fall here, Steve Spagnuolo loves his pass rushers. With both top wide receivers gone they will have to wait to find weapons for Sam Bradford.
15. **TRADE** Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Cameron Jordan DE, California – According to several sources with the Bucs, they may trade up to get one of either Robert Quinn, JJ Watt, Cameron Jordan, or Ryan Kerrigan. Jordan is the better prospect of he and Kerrigan.
The Dolphins will look to get some value out of this pick considering they do not have a second round pick. According to the Draft Value chart, the 15th pick is worth 1050 points and the 20th pick is worth 850 points. The Bucs could either trade their 1st and 3rd, and 5th to move up and just swap positions in the first round. The Bucs would then be contributing 850, 170, and 32.3 points, which adds up to 1052.3
Or, if the Dolphins are adamant about getting a second round selection, they could get the 20th and 51st picks from Tampa Bay, worth 850 and 390 respectively (1240 points), and trade Tampa Bay the 15th pick and the 79th pick, which are worth 1050 and 195 points, respectively (1245 points).
Actually, it seems like Miami would benefit more from the first scenario because they would be giving up one pick and receiving three, but you never know. They could be coveting someone in the 2nd round.
I firmly believe the Dolphins will trade here, and the Bucs have expressed an interest in trading up for a defensive end prospect. Jordan is one of the best for a 4-3 scheme in the class.
16. Jacksonville Jaguars - DaQuan Bowers DE, Clemson – Jags were one of the worst pass rushing teams in the NFL and will address that in the first round with so many elite pass rushers in the class. If Bowers falls from potentially being the No. 1 pick to here, I believe the Jags will make the mistake of drafting him. They reached for a defensive lineman in the first round last year, and Bowers has just been terrible in the draft process.
His knee is still clearly bothering him, he looked terrible in the workouts at his Pro Day, and was fatigued early on in the workout. The Jags typically have not been a great drafting team and it continues with this pick.
17. New England Patriots – Ryan Kerrigan DE, Purdue – The Pats need help at the 5-technique defensive end spot, as well as a pass rusher and an interior offensive lineman now that Stephen Neal is retiring. They may trade down to get some extra picks, but they have two first rounders, two second rounders, and two third rounders. Do they really need MORE picks?
18. San Diego Chargers – Muhammed Wilkerson DE/DT, Temple – Wilkerson is a perfect fit for the 3-4 defensive end spot that the Chargers have to fill; he was another defensive prospect who impressed at the combine, running a 4.99 40 at 6’4”, 315 lbs.
19. New York Giants – Mike Pouncey OG, Florida – Yea I know, I’m back to putting Pouncey here, but with Miami trading down that reduces the threat of him getting taken before the Giants pick. They need to address the interior offensive line with several of their starters and premier backups coming off major surgery.
20. **TRADE** Miami Dolphins – Mark Ingram RB, Alabama – I really feel like the Dolphins can trade back and still get Ingram. Even if they do trade and Ingram is picked, they can potentially trade down again to get Mikel LeShoure, or just take him with this pick. They need a running back with Ricky Williams aging and both he and Ronnie Brown being free agents.
21. Kansas City Chiefs - Phil Taylor DT, Baylor – The Chiefs need a true nose tackle to clog up the middle and Taylor can be that guy for them. He has lost weight since the end of the season and gotten down to 334 lbs; despite that size he still ran a 5.18 40. He has great athleticism for his bulk and was very impressive at the Senior Bowl, consistently beating the supposed top offensive line prospects. I’m not sure if that is good for Taylor or bad for the teams that need an offensive lineman.
22. Indianapolis Colts - Anthony Castonzo OT, Boston College – Castonzo is a perfect fit for the Colts because he is an elite pass blocker and has incredibly quick feet. He is not much of a run blocker, but the threat of Peyton Manning’s arm could disguise that. The Colts are tired of Manning having to get rid of the ball so quickly and will look to give him some more time with this pick.
23. Philadelphia Eagles – Gabe Carimi OT, Wisconsin – Carimi was another winner at the combine and forced my hand to make him a top 25 pick. The Eagles were one of the worst at protecting the passer last season so they need to get someone who can keep Michael Vick’s jersey clean.
24. New Orleans Saints - Corey Liuget DT, Illinois – With how much hype Liuget is getting after a great Combine and Pro Day, it would be a surprise to see the Saints pass up an opportunity to get a run stopping threat like Liuget. They have needs at defensive end, cornerback, and outside linebacker as well, but can address those problems later
25. Seattle Seahawks - Brandon Harris CB, Miami – No change here, the Seahawks had a terrible pass defense and need to improve their ability to cover on the outside.
26. Baltimore Ravens - Cameron Heyward DE/DT, OSU – Recently, sources in Baltimore claim that if Cameron Heyward is available at No. 26, they will not be passing on the outstanding talent from Ohio State. They need help at the defensive end position since Corey Redding has been a disaster.
27. Atlanta Falcons - Justin Houston DE, Georgia – I previously noted a need for the Falcons to get another weapon for Matt Ryan, but I believe they can do that in round 2. They did not get much production opposite John Abraham, who turns 33 in May by the way. They need someone to play the strong side end for the time being and take over when Abraham retires.
28. New England Patriots – Akeem Ayers OLB, UCLA – The Pats might just stick it out here and take Ayers because they know the Jets would love to have him. Also, the game against the Jets proved that the Pats need help rushing the quarterback, something Ayers would be able to do from the 3-4 OLB spot.
The Pats have a young defense that will be getting even younger, but more talented next season.
29. Chicago Bears – Derek Sherrod OT, Mississippi State – If Chicago doesn’t take an offensive tackle their whole front office needs to be fired.
30. New York Jets – Brooks Reed DE/OLB, Arizona – The Jets love their pass rushers and will get a very good one in Reed, whose stock has been rising since the combine. He ran the fastest 10-yard split of all the defensive lineman, meaning he has incredible explosiveness and his first step will give him an advantage over slower lineman.
He dominated at the Senior Bowl, but was outshined by a couple other dominate defensive end performances from Von Miller and Cameron Jordan.
31. Pittsburgh Steelers - Jimmy Smith CB, Colorado – The Super Bowl exposed the Steelers’ secondary as being very average, and getting a talent like Jimmy Smith here would be fantastic. He is considered top 20 talent, but has some character issues to be concerned about.
The Steelers are a high class organization and that alone could encourage Smith to get his act together and just play football. His size and athleticism make him a very dangerous weapon at the line of scrimmage in press coverage, something the Steelers love to do they bring the house at the QB.
32. Green Bay Packers - Torrey Smith WR, Maryland – You might think wide receiver is the last thing the Packers need, but Donald Driver is getting old and James Jones is a free agent. Smith had a great combine and a brilliant Pro Day. With so many teams needing to improve their defense, good offensive players like Smith are sure to slip farther than they should.
Smith would light it up in the Packers offense.
