Sunday, April 4, 2010

What's in Your Easter Basket? My NFL Mock Draft (Part 2)

Part 2, hopefully, will be a little shorter. Great apologies on the delay.

(17) San Francisco 49ers - Jimmy Clausen
While the 49ers don't desperately need a QB, I can't imagine anyone really thinks Alex Smith is going to get them close to the playoffs either this year or in the future. The biggest question is whether Clausen would be available, but as we've seen, there just aren't that many teams who can afford spending a first rounder on a QB (STL, BUF, maybe WAS and OAK) with all the other needs they have. The 49ers would likely take Earl Thomas if Clausen's not there.

(18) Pittsburgh Steelers - Mike Iuapati
Iupati's a guy who will need some seasoning at the pro level, but he's got a ton of potential and the Steelers need to get bigger and tougher in their offensive line.

(19) Atlanta Falcons - Sergio Kindle - DE
They'd love to get a shot at Graham since they can't get any pass rush as things stand. I like Kindle here because he can either end up as a pass rusher from the DE or OLB spot.

(20) Houston Texans - Earl Thomas - SS
They need a lot of help in the defensive backfield. I was torn between Thomas and Kyle Wilson form Boise State, but in the end I figured they'd like the local kid a little better. Don't mess with Texas, or some reasoning like that.

(21) Cincinnati Bengals - Dez Bryant - WR
Maybe it's just because I want to see what happens, maybe it's because Cincy doesn't care what's on your rap sheet, and maybe because it's a fanstastic matchup of prospect, value, and need. I lovd Bryant here in this situation, and he really can help the Bengals a ton.

(22) NE Patriots - Jared Odrick -DE
I've really gone back and forth on this pick. My final stance is that the order they'd like to get is Pierre-Paul, Jared Odrick, Graham, Jerry Hughes. The biggest question on Odrick is whether he can make the switch from DT in the 4-3 at Penn State to the 3-4 DE he'd be for the Pats. He has the size and seems more like the 3-4 type anyways, so it would probably work fine. They need a long term replacement for Seymour, and he seems to fit the bill. The Pats can probably wait a little and get a 2nd rounder to play the OLB spot, maybe a guy like Ricky Sapp or Hughes if he drops to 44. I actually could see NE trading either up to get a guy like Pierre-Paul if he drops to somewhere near 11 at Denver, or also if they dropped and took one of these guys closer to 27. I just don't think they're real excited to get the OLBs who are under 6'2".

(23) Green Bay Packers - Kareem Jackson - CB

(24) Philadelphia - Taylor Mays - S
While I'm not a huge Mays fan, he does provide some elements Philly can use. They need safety help and even if he's mostly stays in the box, that's a huge help in the NFC East. The main knock on him is that he can't turn and run like you'd want to see in a safety, which is concering since he's the last line of defense. He can probably turn into a Rodney Harrison type, and be focused on run support and covering tight ends like Witten and Cooley.

(25) Baltimore Ravens - Demaryius Thomas -WR
I love Thomas for the Ravens, since he can be a big play receiver down the road, and provide at least a threat right now. I'm not a big fan of the TE option here, since you can find someone in the 2nd who can do what they need.

(26) Arizona Cardinals - Anthony Davis - OT
Davis, despite the concerns over his heart, is the best talent left at this point and fills a position of need. I doubt they'll reach to get a linebacker when you can find those guys in the middle rounds.

(27) Dallas Cowboys - Nate Allen - FS
They'd probably grab David if he was available, but it's a pretty iffy proposition that he would be.

(28) San Diego - Ryan Matthews - RB
For a team with a fair amount of talent, they have some serious gaps. Both lines are pretty shaky and the running back situation is a mess. Matthews gives them a legit running back with power to pair with Sproles. Some people might argue Terrence Cody here, but the fact that he probably is only a 2-down guy and may eat himself out of the league in 2 years both are major red flags.

(29) NY Jets - Arrelious Benn - WR
Probably looking to the offensive side of the ball, they'd really help Sanchez a ton getting a decent wideout.

(30) Minnesota Vikings - Devin McCourty - CB
If Clausen dropped this far they'd grab him. They might actually move up a bit if he started to get near 20. As it is, they need to start adding young players to the defense. If you're a contender in the NFC, you've got to be able to defend the pass, so the pick should be a corner. Probably McCourty or Patrick Robinson, depending on who they like better.

(31) Indy - Brian Price - DT
They need help on both fronts. Likely the better pick here is a thick DT. Price seems to fit well as a one-gap defender. They could also grab an OL if someone good were to be available, but there's a pretty marked dropoff after Iupati and Davis.

(32) New Orleans - Sean Weatherspoon - LB
Good fit for the Saints, who need help after Scott Fujita left town as a free agent.

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