March 3, 2011 - 5:43pm
Michigan Daily's 2nd Annual NFL Mock Draft, Graham taken at No. 16
BY RYAN KARTJE AND TIM ROHAN
For the second year running, especially after last year's success, the Michigan Daily football beat will be taking a look at the level where college and pro football meet -- the NFL Draft.
And with the draft coming to your television tomorrow night in primetime, the Daily jumps on the bandwagon with its own NFL Mock Draft (minus any possible trades).
1. St. Louis Rams- Sam Bradford, Oklahoma QB
St. Louis took its left tackle at the No. 2 pick in last year's draft. The Rams have no one at quarterback and even though Ndamukong Suh was the understood top pick about two months ago, St. Louis can't pass up on picking the best quarterback prospect in the draft. With Marc Bulger gone, the Rams have to put the final crucial piece of the offense together with Bradford to complement Steven Jackson and Jason Smith.
2. Detroit Lions- Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska DT
Labeled as one of the best defensive prospects in the last decade coming into the Draft, Suh looks like a sure thing no matter where he goes. The Lions have been chatting with the Redskins about possibly acquiring Albert Haynesworth, and if that happens, Russell Okung is the pick here. But Suh should sure up a budding wrecking crew on the Detroit D-Line and the Lions grab another great prospect.
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Gerald McCoy, Oklahoma DT
Earlier this month, McCoy made an appearance on NFL Network and was on with one of their analysts, Warren Sapp. McCoy made it so clear his admiration of Sapp and how he played the defensive tackle position, he said that had Sapp been at his recruiting trip at Miami (Fl.), McCoy would've been a Hurricane instead of a Sooner. That's exactly what Tampa Bay is getting now, an explosive sack artist, who is in the mold of Warren Sapp.
4. Washington Redskins- Russell Okung, Oklahoma St., OT
Of course, if the Lions see stars with Albert Haynesworth, Okung will be gone, but otherwise, the Redskins need someone to protect their shiny new quarterback, Donovan McNabb. The Redskins seem to be on the cusp of getting an offense together, and a powerful left tackle like Okung could elevate them to that level. This pick seems like another sure thing.
5. Kansas City Chiefs- Bryan Bulaga, Iowa, OT
Apparently Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz has a good relationship with Chiefs' higher-up Scott Pioli. Pioli has Branden Albert to play one of the tackle spots, but needs a big body to fill the other whether that's left or right tackle. Bulaga fits the bill and is a member of that group of tackles considered to be near the top of the draft.
6. Seattle Seahawks- Trent Williams, Oklahoma, OT
The Seahawks' long-time left tackle Walter Jones has been gone for awhile, and it's about time the Seahawks go about replacing him. Williams might not be Jones, but he's a mauler and could be the best player to protect Matt Hasselbeck's blindside (someone sure needs to).
7. Cleveland Browns- Eric Berry, Tennessee, S
Berry is hands-down the best defensive back prospect in the draft and has been for a while. Cleveland has had to face the Pittsburgh Steelers' Troy Polamalu twice a year, the Browns know what kind of impact a safety can have. And if need be, they can slide him over to the cornerback spot as most have speculated he could do. Cleveland needs an impact player on its defense, Berry can be that guy for years and years.
8. Oakland Raiders- Anthony Davis, Rutgers, OT
In one of the strongest offensive tackle classes that we can remember, the Raiders take the draft's fourth left tackle. Al Davis loves big strong athletic guys, and plus for all we know, Davis could be intrigued by the similarity of their names. This pick is where the Draft gets nuts though, so anything could happen.
9. Buffalo Bills- Jimmy Clausen, Notre Dame, QB
Buffalo had an upheaval this offseason, the Bills hired a new coach and brought in a new general manager. And they need a quarterback too. Buffalo hasn't had a quarterback to be excited about for a while now, and with whispers of the Bills moving to Toronto after owner Ralph Wilson dies they need something to rally around. They need someone the team, and the city of Buffalo, can win with and hang their hat on. The Bills are hoping Clausen can be their saving grace and franchise quarterback, no matter how cocky he may be.
10. Jacksonville Jaguars- Earl Thomas, Texas, S
This guy is a monster when you watch him on film. With some of the best pursuit skills in college football, Thomas is going to make whoever drafts him happy. Of course, everyone in Jacksonville is clamoring for Tim Tebow, but watch the second round for the Heisman winner.
11. Denver Broncos- Rolando McClain, Alabama, ILB
Josh McDaniels is continuing to build his 3-4 defense in Denver. And by picking up the best interior linebacker in the draft, that's just another playmaker on that side of the ball. McClain wreaking havoc in the middle could free up Elvis Dumervil even more on the outside. McClain fills a need and makes sense for Denver.
12. Miami Dolphins- Dan Williams, Tennessee, NT
This pick really is a toss-up with ultra-athletic specimens in Jason Pierre-Paul and Derrick Morgan also on the board. But Williams is just too strong of a value pick in this position to be ignored.
13. San Francisco 49ers- Mike Iupati, Idaho, G/T
Iupati's versatility and possibility of being able to play offensive tackle in the NFL has his stock rising high as the draft approaches. San Francisco is in the market for good offensive lineman and with Iupati he can play probably four of the five offensive line positions, and play well too.
14. Seattle Seahawks- C.J. Spiller, Clemson, RB
With a pretty pathetic backfield in Julius Jones and Justin Forsett topping the depth chart for the Seahawks, Pete Carroll would love to have a home run threat, X-Factor type player. C.J. Spiller is exactly that guy. Spiller brings a whole new type of player to complement Jones, and maybe, just maybe, spice up a Seahawk offense that is simply not exciting to watch.
15. New York Giants- Derrick Morgan, Georgia Tech, DE
GM Jerry Reese loves taking the best player available, and starting running back Brandon Jacobs will be relieved to see Spiller already off the board. But Morgan probably shouldn't have slid this far, so Reese will be happy to again sure up one of the best defensive lines in the NFL.
16. Tennessee Titans- Brandon Graham, Michigan, DE/OLB
The Michigan defensive end could jolt the Titans pass rush off the edge in their 4-3 defense. There are concerns about Graham's height and length, but his leverage and motor make up for that. He might be an ideal fit to be an outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense, but he thrived as a defensive end at Michigan. Graham will provide pressure that Tennessee couldn't generate consistently without Albert Haynesworth last year.
17. San Francisco 49ers- Joe Haden, Florida, CB
San Francisco needs another cover guy in the secondary to line up on the other side from Nate Clements. Haden is the top rated cornerback in the class and the 49ers would be happy to have him fall into their laps at the 17th pick.
18. Pittsburgh Steelers- Maurkice Pouncey, Florida, G/C
Kind of strange to see an interior offensive lineman drafted this high, but a lot of teams are high on Pouncey. With the Steelers internal problems with Ben Roethlisberger's suspension, new first-day starter Dennis Dixon would love to have as much protection as he can get.
19. Atlanta Falcons- Jason Pierre-Paul, South Florida, DE/OLB
Atlanta will be ecstatic if Pierre-Paul falls this far in the draft. The Falcons need someone to line up on the other side of John Abraham to provide pressure on the quarterback. They drafted a defensive end a few years ago, Jamaal Anderson, but he is clearly looking more and more like a bust. This is the Falcons chance to take an athletic freak with big upside to dominate the other offensive tackle on the opposite of Abraham.
20. Houston Texans- Kyle Wilson, Boise State, CB
Wilson had success at Boise State and the Texans need someone to fill Dunta Robinson's shoes on their defense. Houston has nice pieces in Mario Williams, Brian Cushing and Demeco Ryans. The Texans just need more good palyers in the secondary, and Wilson is a the best cornerback or safety available at this point in the draft.
21. Cincinnati Bengals- Jermaine Gresham, Oklahoma, TE
Gresham is far and away the top TE in a strong class for TE's. He's definitely an injury concern after being knocked out before the season with an ACL, but there's no denying his talent. Plus, the Bengals haven't had a tight end since well...ever.
22. New England Patriots- Dez Bryant, Oklahoma St., WR
We know what you're thinking. This is nuts that he fell so far. But Bryant's character issues are very real, and a lot of teams are passing on him because of it. There's no denying how good this guy is though with an NFL-ready body that has him looking like the next Calvin Johnson. Let's just say there won't be many receiving corps in the NFL that can contend with Randy Moss and Dez Bryant on the outside and Wes Welker in the slot.
23. Green Bay Packers- Charles Brown, USC, OT
Green Bay had poor play on the offensive line last season, including two match-ups against their rivals, the Minnesota Vikings, and Jared Allen. The Packers need to add another tackle into the mix to possibly play on either side of the line. Brown is the next best available tackle, even though he might not be as good as those tackles in that top group.
24. Philadelphia Eagles- Sean Weatherspoon, Missouri, OLB
Philadelphia could package picks to move up to take a safety. The Eagles just picked up former-Lions outside linebacker Ernie Sims in a three-team trade, but linebacker is still a need. And Witherspoon is one of the best 4-3 outside linebackers in the draft.
25. Baltimore Ravens- Jared Odrick, Penn State, DT/DE
As one of the best five-technique defensive linemen in the Big Ten last season, Odrick should fit in really well with Baltimore. With Haloti Ngata on the inside, the two could form a huge and strong combo on the inside.
26. Arizona Cardinals- Jerry Hughes, TCU, DE/OLB
Arizona lost Karlos Dansby this past offseason to the Dolphins and need someone to fill his shoes. The Cardinals defense has played up and down the last couple of years and Hughes could provide a pass-rush and athleticism to their linebacker unit.
27. Dallas Cowboys- Kareem Jackson, Alabama, CB
Usually, it's a safe choice that the best CB on the National Champions is going to be a pretty solid pick, and Jackson is no different. Jerry Jones loves winners, and Jackson is exactly that. His cover skills make him very obvious as a late first-round selection.
28. San Diego Chargers- Ryan Mathews, Fresno State, RB
This is about as easy as it gets as far as late first-round selections. Ladainian Tomlinson is gone. Darren Sproles is a midget speedster. So with a big, strong, between-the-tackles type guy, the Chargers should be very happy with Mathews. Plus, he won't be expected to catch the ball as much with Sproles in the offense, so that should benefit him.
29. New York Jets- Sergio Kindle, Texas, DE/OLB
The Jets are not quite ready to say that Vernon Gholston is a bust yet, but New York can keep on improving their outside linebacker position with Kindle. The Jets did just sign Jason Taylor, but he won't be around for long, and Rex Ryan can't have enough pass rushers on his team. Kindle would fit nicely.
30. Minnesota Vikings- Taylor Mays, USC, S
Minnesota has had average safety play for a while now, and the Vikings biggest weakness for the past eight years had been the defensive secondary. And Minnesota could be looking for a cornerback, but an upgrade at safety would be easier to make than at cornerback and impact corners could be had in the second round. Mays will step right in a start, and he will provide the in-the-box style that the Vikings are missing, but Mays can cover too.
31. Indianapolis Colts- Brian Price, UCLA, NT
Indianapolis has had several guys try and fill the defensive tackle position over the years. Price is a prototypical 4-3 defensive tackle who can step into a rotation for the Colts and contribute right away. Notorious for their lack of run defense, Price can help sure that up immediately and offer some pass rush too.
32. New Orleans Saints- Sean Lee, Penn State, OLB
After battling injuries throughout his career, Lee could've had a more valuable stock come the Draft, but he'll make the best out of it in a great situation in New Orleans. Lee was a big-time LB in College Park, and we have a good feeling about his potential.
