2012 NFL Mock Draft 2 Rounds
By Editorial Staff
Round 1
1. Washington Redskins Andrew Luck QB Stanford Andrew Luck has to be the favorite to go #1 overall. Washington finished at the bottom of my 2011 NFL Power Rankings.
2. Miami Dolphins Matt Barkley QB USC Matt Barkley plays in a pro style offense at USC. His quick release made offensive lineman like Matt Kalil and Tyron Smith look better than they actually are. Barkley was the #1 recruit in the country coming out of high school and was the original favorite to go #1 overall back in 2009. Luck’s breakout year in 2010 before returning to school has now made Luck the favorite to go #1 overall, but I see both quarterbacks going early.
USC is bowl ineligible so Matt Barkley would be wise to jump ship to the NFL in 2012 and in the end that is what I believe he will end up doing.
3. Arizona Cardinals Matt Kalil LT USC I personally am not sold on Matt Kalil because I think Matt Barkley has such a quick release that he makes everyone around him USC better. The reality is Matt Barkley will be a top 5 pick because he is Ryan Kalil’s little brother and because Matt Kalil was a 5 star offensive tackle prospect straight out of high school in 2008 just like Tyron Smith. Kalil was a sophomore redshirt at left tackle and Tyron Smith was a junior at right tackle. There were talks that Kalil wouldn’t start as a sophomore redshirt after a sloppy spring game for the Trojans. Kalil silenced the critics who believed that by earning the starting left tackle spot at USC once Charles Brown left for the 2010 NFL Draft.
If Kalil doesn’t work out at left tackle you can move him to right tackle or plug him inside at guard, but I’m still not comfortable with taking Kalil in the top 5 if I’m an NFL GM.
Matt Kalil did a good job as Matt Barkley’s blinside in 2010, but his footwork is sloppy and he hasn’t put on much weight during his tenure at USC. Kalil was 281 pounds straight out high school running a 5.31 40 time in 2008. Kalil only is entering his 4th year and has only put on 9 pounds in 3 years now entering 2011. Unless Matt Kalil has a 40 time below 5 seconds I doubt he succeeds in the NFL and may even move inside to guard like Robert Gallery. Because if you don’t have the speed of a left tackle you have to have size and physical ability to make key blocks.
I don’t know much about Matt Kalil’s football IQ, but I’m assuming its very high because Matt Kalil is higher on Kiper’s 2012 big board than Barkley. Kalil is ranked 3rd while Barkley is ranked 5th overall.
Unless Arizona is in a position to obtain Luck or Barkley they will probably spend that #3 overall pick on an offensive lineman and right now every mock draft in the country has Kalil listed as the top offensive tackle drafted.
4. Buffalo Bills Donte Paige-Moss 3-4 ROLB North Carolina Before Robert Quinn was suspended Paige-Moss was a backup 4-3 left end to his teammate Quinton Coples who played left end in the 4-3 next to Quinn. When Quinn got kicked off the Tar Heels both players became starting pass rushers for the Tar Heels.
Quinton Coples was the 4-3 left end who filled in for Quinn by moving to 4-3 right end obtaining 10 sacks for North Carolina in 2010. Donte Paige-Moss was a backup who got bumped up to the 4-3 left end spot when Coples moved to right end.
Donte-Paige Moss is a 4-3 left end who has seen some snaps at right end. He weighs in at 235 pounds. He could add some weight in Chapel Hill and bulk up to 255 pounds, but that still won’t be enough to keep him in a 4-3 scheme in the NFL. Donte Paige Moss will have to become that weak side pass rusher on the right side in a 3-4 defense.
Its hard to tell if will be that good of SAM or a WILL linebacker in the 3-4 as an outside linebacker, but Buffalo continues to add integral pieces to their 3-4 defense. I don’t expect that to change in 2012 as Buffalo is a pass rusher away from having a quality defense if Donte Paige-Moss transitons to the 3-4.
5. Cincinnati Bengals Quinton Coples RE North Carolina Coples is a complete versatile pass rusher who racked up 10 sacks at the right end position in 2010 when Quinn left the Tar Heels. Quinton Coples can play right end or left end in the 4-3 and can move to rush linebacker in the 3-4 scheme if necessary.
The Bengals need a pass rusher like Coples to play across from Dunlap. Antwan Odom has trouble staying healthy at 4-3 right end while Michael Johnson and Dontay Moch are backup 4-3 left ends who may move to the 4-3 strong side linebacker spot at the left outside linebacker spot so there not long term 4-3 defensive ends on the right side who can get by a premium left tackle.
Coples stepped up and proved he could be that player when Quinn got kicked off the Tar Heels in 2010 and is listed as a top 5 pick so he should be the pick here. If Odom returned to full health he would make an excellent rotational end behind Coples.
6. Tennessee Titans Alshon Jeffery WR South Carolina Kenny Britt was once a promising wide receiver out of Rutgers and he still could be, but Britt only 13 started games over 2 seasons along with 2 arrests this offseason. Britt really makes me wonder if he’s the #1 wide receiver in the long term because of his limited playing time and legal issues off the field. The sad thing with Kenny Britt is in 7 games he got over 700 receiving yards and 9 receiving touchdowns. If he played a full 16 game season who knows what he could accomplish.
Nate Washington is throwing Locker under the bus questioning the accuracy of his deep passes and Kenny Britt isn’t showing any signs of consistency playing a full 16 game season. In fact, Britt has never even started 8 games in either of his first two seasons.
I contradicted the idea of Tennessee getting a receiver like Julio Jones in 2011 seeing as quarterback was the more pressing need, but now I believe getting Locker that #1 target will become a priority in Tennessee if Britt cannot play a 16 game season while avoid legal problems. Tennessee won’t cut Britt, but he hasn’t been consistent as a #1 wide receiver when starting games despite the amazing production and receiving yards along with the limited amount of 42 receptions during each of his first two seasons in 6 or 7 starts.
Plus imagine how sick this Titans offense would be with Jake Locker, Chris Johnson, a potent offensive line bookend tandem with Roos plus Stewart at offensive tackle, along with Alshon Jeffery and Kenny Britt as your wide receivers.
Tennessee has to take Jeffery here because if they don’t take him the Panthers will make sure he becomes Cam Newton’s #1 target because I have them picking next here. AJ Green had Andre Johnson’s size and Calvin Johnson’s talent. Jeffery has Calvin Johnson’s size and Andre Johnson’s talent.
7. Carolina Panthers Justin Blackmon WR Oklahoma State Blackmon is the 2nd best receiver in 2012 after South Carolina wide receiver Alshon Jeffery. Steve Smith is getting older and there were talks that Carolina would get AJ Green to be Jimmy Clausen’s #1 wide receiver. With Cam Newton in Carolina you have to believe the Panthers pursue Justin Blackmon in 2012.
8. Jacksonville Jaguars Dre Kirkpatrick CB Alabama Jacksonville will not be a very attractive coaching destination if Del Rio gets the axe in Jax. The reason I say that is because new coaches like bringing in their own quarterbacks. Jacksonville won’t be able to bring in that new guy at quarterback because they traded up for Blaine Gabbert in April’s draft.
Kirkpatrick is a coverage lockdown corner in man, zone, or press. Kirkpatrick has a good 40 time. He can tackle players, stuff the run, deliver hard hits and be that complete lockdown corner.
The one thing I believe Kirkpatrick could improve is his ability to react on the release. Kirkpatricks poor reaction timing on the release against South Carolina caused him to get schooled by Alshon Jeffery. I know Jeffery is a baller, but lockdown cornerbacks have to keep receivers with Jeffery’s skill set in check once they get to the NFL.
Dre Kirkpatrick is not the only talented secondary player on this Crimson Tide defense. Strong safety Mark Barron and free safety Robert Lester are also possible first round picks in 2012. Another thing to consider is 2010 top cornerback recruit DeMarcus Milliner decided to play for Alabama. Milliner is currently entering his sophomore year and could be the first cornerback taken in 2013.
Jacksonville really needs more talent to boost their secondary with a corner to compliment Mathis along with some quality safeties. Dre Kirkpatrick can become the Jaguars new #1 cornerback.
9. Seattle Seahawks Landry Jones QB Oklahoma If Whitehurst or Hasselbeck screws up Seattle will draft a quarterback here regardless of whether Pete Carroll sticks around because Seattle will need a quarterback. Landry Jones is the best quarterback available at this point.
Oklahoma runs a shotgun spread offense and besides Sam Bradford they haven’t managed to produce a factory of NFL quarterbacks. Bradford had a questionable arm due to his torn rotator cuff and had pinpoint accuracy when watching him on film.
With Landry Jones it is quite the opposite with Jones having a deadly arm, but very mediocre accuracy.
10. Oakland Raiders Robert Griffin QB Baylor Griffin was born in Japan. Griffin not only plays football, but he runs track while maintaining a 4.0 GPA. Stanford offered Griffin a scholarship, but Griffin turned them down to play for Art Briles. Griffin was 6 foot 3 200 pounds while running a 4.4 flat 40 time out of high school. Griffin is now 6 foot 3 220 pounds and could run as low as a 4.38 40 time when he decides to come out.
Griffin is a dual threat quarterback that can throw on the run or scramble out of the pocket. Griffin can even stay in the pocket too. Griffin has a good arm, nice accuracy, solid touch, adequate delivery, and proper mechanics when releasing the football plus his awareness and football IQ is really high with his 4.0 GPA.
Robert Griffin won freshman of the year honors as a freshman in 2008. Injuries kept Griffin off the field in 2009 which caused him to be sidelined. In 2010 Griffin got the Baylor Bears to their first bowl game as a sophomore redshirt.
Baylor was 7-2 with 3 games to go and was ranked in for the first time in school history. Baylor would have gone on to play in the Big 12 Championship if they finished what they started late in the year by winning their final 3 contests. Robert Griffin reminds me a lot of Michael Vick from his Virginia Tech days in terms of talent has the high character and competitive nature of a Warren Moon type quarterback.
If Cam Newton could go #1 overall than Robert Griffin can earn his stripes by taking the college football world by storm creeping up draft boards in 2011.
Al Davis loves fast quarterbacks so Oakland is great fit for Griffin at #10 overall.
11. Denver Broncos Jerel Worthy DT Michigan State Denver needs to draft a defensive tackle and Jerel Worthy is the best available defensive tackle with this pick.
12. Philadelphia Eagles DJ Fluker RT Alabama Fluker is a sophomore redshirt. He is eligible to declare this year, but may return to school in an attempt to establish himself as the top pick in 2013. Fluker was once 405 pounds. Now he is 6 foot 7 340 pounds and displays amazing footwork for an offensive tackle. Philadelphia needs a blindside. The Eagles are not replacing Jason Peters at left tackle and the right tackle is Michael Vick’s blindside since Vick throws the football with his left hand. Fluker is a good fit for the Eagles with this pick.
Fluker probably won’t go pro in 2012, but he’s a better fit at offensive tackle in Andy Reid’s scheme than Jonathan Martin which is why he will probably go here. Plus another Alabama offensive tackle went before Gabe Carimi and Derek Sherrod in 2011. Fluker will stay at right tackle since Alabama got Cyrus Kouandjio at left tackle who is one of the top offensive tackle recruits in the country.
13. Minnesota Vikings Jonathan Martin LT Stanford Jonathan Martin has top 5 talent. If he falls to #13 the Vikings are going to become instant contenders in an NFC North Division. I really like Jonathan Martin as a left tackle and I personally believe he will be one of the main reasons why Luck’s numbers stay the same considering the fact that Stanford lost 3 of their 5 offensive lineman. Bryant McKennie was once an elite pass blocker and zone blocker but is better suited as a run blocker because he allowed nearly 16 sacks with Minnesota the last 2 seasons. McKennie will thrive at right tackle and the Vikings can move Phil Loadholt to right guard.
14. San Francisco 49ers Jayron Hosley CB Virginia Tech I’m not sold on Hosley. He has the speed and managed to record 9 interceptions. I don’t know if Hosley has #1 coverage ability with a corner. Hosley recorded 10 picks if you count the one he had against Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck in a Winter Scrimmage Game. Jim Harbaugh needs a corner and will draft him here because he managed to intercept Andrew Luck.
I’d go for the coverage corner in Stephon Gilmore rather than the ballhawk with a sick 40 time in Jayron Hosley because Hosley played next to Virgina Tech corner Rashad Carmichael and because the 49ers already have corners who record picks in Nate Clements and Shaunte Spencer. These corners make picks, but struggle in coverage. The 49ers need a corner who will excel in coverage more than a corner who can intercept passes.
15. Detroit Lions Stephon Gilmore CB South Carolina Gilmore is a lockdown corner who can shut down your teams best #1 wide receiver. He covers Alshon Jeffery every day at Steve Spurrier’s South Carolina practice sessions. Detroit is a shutdown corner, a left tackle, a middle linebacker, and a right outside linebacker who can play the weakside away from contending.
16. Cleveland Browns Vontaze Buflict MLB Arizona State Burlict can be a Ray Lewis or James Farrior type middle linebacker in the 4-3 or the 3-4. Cleveland takes the best available player who is considered to be a top 15 pick with top 10 talent.
17. San Diego Chargers Courtney Upshaw 3-4 ROLB Alabama Upshaw can play 4-3 defensive end on either side plus you can plug him into any linebacker role on the outside or the inside in the 4-3. He can play the strong side or the weak side. You can put Upshaw on the left or the right. Upshaw is a perfect fit for the San Diego Chargers that the San Diego Chargers can use for their defense. Upshaw led Alabama with 7 sacks. Upshaw can stuff the run, swat passes, or drop back into zone coverage as a Cover 2 or Tampa 2 linebacker.
18. Indianapolis Colts Trent Richardson RB Alabama Richardson’s value is just too good to pass up on at this point. I know you have Donald Brown and Delone Carter, but you need a plan B if Carter doesn’t work out. Trent Richardson would be that player plus you only have 2 backs on your depth chart with Brown and Carter. Adding one more doesn’t hurt here plus Richardson provides amazing value at #18.
19. Chicago Bears Luke Kuechly MLB Boston College Kuechly is a top 20 talent and it wouldn’t be a bad idea to take the best available player and groom him for the future behind Urlacher.
20. Dallas Cowboys Alfonzo Dennard CB Nebraska Dallas adds a cornerback to their secondary with this draft pick.
21. New England Patriots from New Orleans Saints Brandon Jenkins 3-4 ROLB Florida State Jenkins can play 4-3 defensive end on either side. He can do the same thing at outside linebacker in the 3-4. Jenkins recorded 13.5 sacks for Florida State. Belicheck gets his pass rusher here.
22. Houston Texans Matni Te’o 3-4 MLB Notre Dame Manti Te’o can play anywhere in the 4-3 at the SAM, MIKE, or WILL role plus he can play left outside linebacker, middle linebacker, or right outside linebacker.
Houston has the luxury of taking the best available player with this pick. That is exactly what the Texans will do with this pick.
23. New York Jets Devin Taylor 3-4 ROLB South Carolina Taylor can become a 3-4 weak side linebacker. Taylor can play the right or the left side and is a good piece to plug into the Jets defensive scheme.
24. Cleveland Browns from Atlanta Falcons Cliff Harris CB Oregon The Oregon cornerback will play across from Joe Haden. The Browns take Harris in round 1 with this late round pick.
25. Kansas City Chiefs Riley Rieff LT Iowa The Chiefs got a lot of criticism at first in 2010 for passing on Iowa left tackle Bryan Bulaga to take Eric Berry. Kansas City has a starting 5, but no backups for depth. Riley Rieff is a top 20 pick with top 10 potential that should go in the top 15. Because most teams with this draft order are set at left tackle Rieff falls to this pick and the Chiefs land a steal with Riley Rieff.
26. Pittsburgh Steelers David DeCastro RG Stanford In 2010 on my youtube channel I said that the Steelers would get Maukice Pouncey and he would be a pro bowl pick. Ironically that happened, but some Steelers fans got the homer syndrome and thought adding Mike next to him would be a good idea. I disagreed with that statement. Pittsburgh gets a pass blocking right guard who will be much better than Mike Pouncey and Kevin Colbert aces another first round pick.
Pittsburgh and Baltimore are very similar. Since the NFL is a pass first league both teams have 4 of 5 the 5 pieces with qb, lt, pass rusher, corner, and wide receiver. Both teams had needs at corner. Baltimore drafted a corner in the first round and got the #2 corner on the Longhorns depth chart in Chykie Brown. Pittsburgh got a nickel corner who they think is good enough to replace Ike Taylor with Curtis Brown who was the nickel corner at Texas while adding Cortez Allen in round 4. Jalil Brown, Brandon Burton, and Curtis Marsh were all better options at corner than Curtis Brown or Cortez Allen. Kevin Colbert drafted Keenan Lewis and Joe Burnett in 2009. He took William Gay in 2007. Colbert has a poor track record with obtaining corners in the NFL Draft. Baltimore drafted premium corners to put themselves in a position to get to the Super Bowl and Pittsburgh didn’t. That’s really what separates these two teams. Pittsburgh has a harder schedule than Baltimore so they probably get in as a wild card and lose to New England in a second round matchup.
27. New York Giants Kelechi Osmele LG Iowa State The Giants get Osmele with this pick and use him for depth because he has the size of a left tackle, but has the footwork of a guard. Osmele is a first round prospect so he makes tons of sense for the Giants late in round 1.
28. St. Louis Rams Marcus Forston DT Miami FL The Rams need a defensive tackle and Forston provides great value with this pick.
29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Zach Brown LOLB North Carolina The Buccaneers get a strong side linebacker who can play next to Mason Foster who will play that inside linebacker spot.
30. New England Patriots Michael Floyd WR Notre Dame Floyd played under former Patriots offensive coordinator Charlie Weis. The Patriots need a wide receiver who can be a deep threat. New England is stacked at wide receiver. Wes Welker and Deion Branch have expiring contract so the Patriots will probably draft a wide receiver. I’m aware that Floyd got arrested for some DUI incidents in the past, but Belicheck took Ryan Mallett and he had some character issues so I could see the Michael Floyd pick.
31. Baltimore Ravens Michael Brewster C Ohio State Michael Brewster is an Ohio State center who can sit behind Matt Birk for a year before becoming Joe Flacco’s center in Baltimore.
32. Green Bay Packers Kheeston Randall 3-4 RE Texas Lawrence Guy can play the 5 technique and the 3 technique. Same with Randall, but he’s better suited as a 5 technique end. Cullen Jenkins is a free agent so Green Bay should add someone like Randall with this pick.
Round 2
33. Washington Redskins Bobbie Massie RT Ole Miss Andrew Luck will need a blindside. Trent Williams is not the long term answer because he struggled in 2010. At the same time, you payed him too much money not to be the be blindside from a short term standpoint.
When Jamaal Brown left the Washington Redskins, it opened up a glaring hole at right tackle. Washington needs to address that weakness by drafting a right tackle in Bobbie Massie who could move into that left tackle spot the same way Roger Saffold earned a spot as Bradford’s left tackle forcing Jason Smith to move to right tackle. Washington may copy the Rams draft plan from 2010 with Bradford and Saffold by drafting Massie and plugging Trent Williams into a right tackle role that would better suit him. This would give Andrew Luck more time in the pocket giving him a better chance of hooking up with one of his receiving targets.
34. Miami Dolphins Chase Minnifield CB Virginia Minnifield was a nickel corner to Ras I Dowling and Chris Cook when he first got to Virginia. He will get to be the #1 corner again this year after Ras I Dowling went down with an injury. This should be the 3rd year in a row a Virginia corner goes near the very top of 2nd round.
35. Arizona Cardinals Robert Lester FS Alabama Arizona can use an upgrade from Kerry Rhodes and Lester provides great 2nd round value.
36. Buffalo Bills Jeff Fuller WR Texas A/M Fuller is a nice fit for the Buffalo Bills. Lee Evans is owed 4.8 million over the next two seasons. Jeff Fuller is a great round 2 receiving target for the Buffalo Bills.
37. Cincinnati Bengals Knile Davis RB Arkansas The Bengals need a rushing attack. They draft Knile Davis hoping he is the answer in round 2.
38. Tennessee Titans Andrew Branch LE Clemson Branch played left end his first two seasons and beat out Bowers for the right end job. In the end Bowers had the last laugh leading the NCAA in sacks. Tennessee drafted Derrick Morgan in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft. Tennessee will need an end who can play across from Derrick Morgan in case the Titans don’t resign Jason Babin.
39. Carolina Panthers Travis Lewis ROLB Oklahoma Cam Newton isn’t capable of being a franchise quarterback and I’m not foolish enough to give them a quarterback in my mock draft one year after drafting him. Carolina gets Lewis with this pick.
40. Jacksonville Jaguars Mohamed Sanu WR Rutgers Jacksonville drafts a new receiver for the new regime since they have too much money tied into Gabbert being the guy. Del Rio will get the Axe in Jax if the Jaguars have a top 10 pick.
41. Seattle Seahawks TJ McDonald SS USC I know Seattle added Kam Chancellor in 2010 who will replace Lawyer Milloy at strong safety, but if he doesn’t step up then the Seahawks will need someone who is ready. TJ McDonald went to USC which is the college that Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll used to coach.
42. New England Patriots from Oakland Raiders Kenny Tate FS Maryland New England may decide not to retain Brandon Meriweather when his contract is up. Tate has looked good in coverage and is an amazing pass rusher. He can be a two way safety. Bill Belicheck went for Meriweather who was a strong safety at Miami FL who could play some free safety. Patrick Chung played free safety at Oregon, but was a better fit at strong safety.
Tate can be the next two way safety plus he is is 6 foot 5 230 pounds and plays like a linebacker. He can even play the SAM linebacker spot in a 3-4 defense down the road if he bulks up. New England has a need at safety if Meriweahter leaves and they need more pass rushers. Bill Belicheck can kill two birds with one stone by taking Kenny Tate.
43. Denver Broncos Morris Claiborne CB LSU Denver needs a long term #1 corner down the road because Champ Bailey wants to move to strong safety in 2 years. Perrish Cox is a #2 corner at best, Rahim Moore is a free safety with the size of a nickel corner who will probably move into the nickel role, and Quinton Carter will start at free safety when Brian Dawkins retires.
There was buzz in Denver that the Broncos may consider taking Patrick Peterson in 2011. Denver wisely selected to ignore the buzz by addressing the bigger issues with getting a pass rusher or a run stuffer. Peterson is a good player, but the Broncos had bigger needs at corner that they managed to address.
44. Philadelphia Eagles Jared Crick DT Nebraska The Eagles take Crick as a defensive tackle for depth in round 2. Philadelphia has addressed their needs everywhere except right tackle. I say you take a chance and get another defensive tackle for depth.
45. Minnesota Vikings Baker Steinkuhler DT Nebraska There is no guarantee Ballard will stay at defensive tackle. There are talks that he will move to left end to rotate in with Brian Robison as a 4-3 left end.
46. San Francisco 49ers Ryan Broyles WR Oklahoma I feel like Ronald Johnson is a #5 to #6 wide receiver in terms of production at this point. Johnson still has more talent as a slot receiver than Ted Ginn at this point. Drafting Broyles as a #2 option and moving Josh Morgan to the slot role would give Colin Kapernick an array of receiving targets to throw to when he is expected to start in 2012.
47. Detroit Lions Mike Adams LT Ohio State Mike Adams is a left tackle only. He did a good job being Pryor’s blindside so he makes a lot of sense for Detroit who is desperate at finding a long term answer at left tackle.
48. Cleveland Browns Melvin Ingram RE South Carolina Everyone talks about Devin Taylor being a first round pick as a rush linebacker because he can play the 4-3 or the 3-4 while stuffing the run and dropping back into coverage. Taylor isn’t the top pass rusher on South Carolina when it comes to generating sacks.
Melvin Ingram is a 6 foot 2 271 pound right end who tallied 9 sacks for South Carolina in 2010 which was a team best. If his teammate Devin Taylor is being discussed as a late first round pick despite generating only 7.5 sacks then Ingram should be able to go in the 2nd round.
Ingram fits Cleveland’s 4-3 scheme plus they need another pass rusher so they can move Jabaal Sheard to the 4-3 left end role which is what he played at Pitt. Melvin Ingram is a true 4-3 right end which is why I believe the Browns take him in round 2.
49. San Diego Chargers Dwight Jones WR North Carolina San Diego usually drafts wide receivers for size. I feel like San Diego failed to do that with Vincent Brown. I like Brown as a receiver because of his speed and catching ability. San Diego usually goes for tall possession receivers with good size though.
50. Indianapolis Colts Nick Foles QB Arizona Foles has the potential to be a pro bowl quarterback. He struggled with some progressions on some 3 step and 7 step drops and he needs to improve his accuracy when throwing on the run, but the upside and potential for a quarterback like Nick Foles is there to succeed. He has the arm and the size. Foles has good delivery and can scramble if necessary. He comes into a very good situation with the Indianapolis Colts being able to sit behind Peyton Manning for a few seasons.
51. Chicago Bears LaMichael James RB Oregon I know the Chicago Bears have backs like Matt Forte and Chester Taylor in the backfield, but those backs are aging and Oregon produces a good factory of rushers at running back so taking one of the 2010 Heisman Finalists in LaMichael James is not a bad pick here.
52. Dallas Cowboys Brandon Lindsey 3-4 LOLB Pittsburgh Lindsey could be a quality 3-4 pass rusher that could come in and compete with Anthony Spencer at pass rusher.
53. New Orleans Saints Levy Adcock RT Oklahoma State Jermon Bushrod is gone at left tackle and Jonathan Stinchcomb did struggle some at right tackle in 2010. Adding a bookend tackle for 2010 2nd round pick Charles Brown isn’t such a bad idea for the New Orleans Saints.
54. Houston Texans Eddie Whitley FS Virginia Tech Whitley can play free safety and Houston could use some more help in their secondary on defense at safety despite adding two corners in Brandon Harris and Rashad Carmichael that should compliment 2010 1st round pick Kareem Jackson.
55. Atlanta Falcons Tanner Hawkinson LT Kansas Hawkinson can play left tackle in case Sam Baker screws up plus he can move to tight end if he doesn’t work out at left tackle.
56. New York Jets Billy Winn 3-4 LE Boise State The Jets need a 3-4 left end and Billy Winn is a good pick here.
57. Kansas City Chiefs Chris Polk RB Washington I really have high expectations for Washington back Chris Polk. He isn’t a first round prospect Jake Locker, but he could emerge as a first round sleeper. The Chiefs need a back who can compliment Jamaal Charles with Thomas Jones entering a contract year. Otherwise Charles will get 300 carries a season and ware down like Priest Holmes and Larry Johnson did.
58. Pittsburgh Steelers Shayne Skov 3-4 MLB Stanford Skov can be a 3-4 outside or inside linebacker. Skov can be a run stuffer or a pass rusher. Typical Steeler pick getting a player like Skov.
59. New York Giants William Vlachos C Alabama The Giants need to add some depth at center.
60. St. Louis Rams Kevin Zeitler RG Wisconsin The Rams guards struggled at pass blocking while left tackle Roger Saffold allowed the fewest sacks in the NFL at left tackle. That was one of the things that caused Bradford to have a breakout rookie campaign. Now that the Rams got Bradford his receivers they need to get him some guards. Jason Smith looked lost at times when defenders got by him in pass blocking so getting a right guard to play next to him and they can get that right guard in Kevin Zeitler.
61. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Janoris Jenkins CB Northern Alabama The Buccaneers need a #1 corner. Jenkins would have been a first round pick if he declared and stayed out of trouble. Jenkins falls to #61 with this pick.
62. New England Patriots Casey Heyward CB Vanderbilt Bill Belicheck has drafted a cornerback in the first 2 rounds every year since 2008. The silly thing is most mock drafts stopped giving Belicheck a corner in their mocks during the first 2 rounds and are wrong. I’m getting sick of Belicheck doing this so I’m going to keep mocking a corner in the first 2 rounds until Beliecheck stops. Bodden is a #2 corner when healthy and Ras I Dowling can be a #2 corner, but is a nickel corner when healthy. I can see New England continuing their search for a #2 corner.
63. Baltimore Ravens Donta Hightower 3-4 MLB Alabama The Ravens need another 3-4 middle linebacker to play across from Ray Lewis. Plus they needed someone to start when Lewis retires.
64. Green Bay Packers Vinny Curry 3-4 ROLB Marshall If the Packers are not sold on Ricky Elmore starting and Clay Matthews moving to the right side at outside linebacker they can take Vinny Curry with this pick by adding more depth to outside linebacker. Green Bay needs a pass rusher to play across from Matthews.