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The draft order is based on the current draft order as it is laid out on the site.
- Round 1
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1. Indianapolis Colts - Andrew Luck, QB, StanfordAssuming Peyton Manning comes back for 2012, Luck will be able to sit behind him for a year or two before they seemlessly hand off the offense to him. The only potential stumbling block here is if Luck's camp were to refuse to go to Indianapolis because he wants to play now. Luck appears to be Peyton Manning with athleticism and could be the best prospect since John Elway. -
2. Miami Dolphins - Matt Barkley, QB, Southern CaliforniaChad Henne and Tony Sparano are both on their way out of town, whether they are willing to admit it or not and the Dolphins desperately need to find a franchise quarterback. Matt Barkley brings a ton of game experience as well as experience in a pro style offense and might be able to start from the word go. -
3. St. Louis Rams - Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma StateAt some point, the Rams need to bite the bullet and get Sam Bradford a legitimate #1 threat. To this point, they have tried throwing mid round draft picks at the problem without having any success. Justin Blackmon has been unstoppable the past 2 years in college football -
4. Carolina Panthers - Morris Claiborne, CB, LSUCarolina does not have a playmaker in their secondary at this point and bringing in Claiborne allows Gamble to become their #2 corner and bolster both positions. Claiborne may not be quite at the level of Patrick Peterson, but he has been an absolute stud in his own right for LSU. -
5. Jacksonville Jaguars - Quinton Coples, DE, North CarolinaAnother year and Jacksonville has little or no production from their defensive end position. Coples would step in at left end and give them a dynamic defensive end to go with their great, young tandem of defensive tackles. -
6. Minnesota Vikings - Matt Kalil, OT, Southern CaliforniaIf Kalil somehow lasts to 6, it is a miracle and the representative from the Minnesota Vikings should run the card up to the podium as soon as humanly possible. After having great stability for about a decade with Bryant McKinnie, the Vikings had to bring in Charlie Johnson to try to protect the blindside of McNabb/Ponder. Kalil would give Ponder a blindside protector the caliber of Joe Thomas for the next decade and give them what could be a nice young nucleus along the offensive line -
7. Arizona Cardinals - Jonathan Martin, OT, StanfordLet me know if you have heard this one before. The Cardinals cannot protect their quarterback. 5 games into the season and Kolb has already been sacked 16 times. They hope to have their quarterback. They have a franchise receiver. They have Beanie Wells playing well this year. Give them more help up front with a left tackle. -
8. Denver Broncos - Trent Richardson, RB, AlabamaJohn Fox loves to run the football and has not been afraid to use 1st round picks on running back as illustrated with Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams in Carolina. Trent Richardson is a physical specimen that could make up for the ineffectiveness of Knowshon Moreno and help Tim Tebow or whomever else they have at quarterback in the future. -
9. Philadelphia Eagles - Manti Te'o, ILB, Notre DameThe Eagles run defense is painfully ineffective and they have a giant hole at linebacker, but moreso at middle linebacker. While the Eagles have shied away from taking linebackers in the 1st round, the enormity of the hole there as well as the talent potentially available in the 2012 draft may force them to address the position. They also need someone who can come in and be a leader on their defense and the maturity questions with Burfict could push them toward Te'o. -
10. Cleveland Browns - Vontaze Burfict, ILB, Arizona StateThe Browns have one very good linebacker in D'Qwell Jackson and two huge holes at outside linebacker with Chris Gocong and Scott Fujita. Burfict is the rare physical specimen that could be too good to pass up and infuse the Browns with a badly needed attitude on defense. Bringing him in could move Jackson to weak side linebacker and put Burfict behind the wall of Rubin and Taylor allowing him to flow all over the field. -
11. Kansas City Chiefs - Landry Jones, QB, OklahomaJust like with Miami, there is a good chance that neither Matt Cassel nor Todd Haley will be back in 2012. The Chiefs have a number of good pieces in place on offense but need a quarterback to bring it all together. Jones may not be quite as good as Bradford was intangibleswise, but he does bring more physical ability to the position than Bradford did. -
12. Seattle Seahawks - Robert Griffin III, QB, BaylorThe Seahawks need a quarterback and with their willingness to bring in Tarvaris Jackson in to run Darrell Bevell's offense suggests they could bring in another tremendous athlete at quarterback. Griffin has made leaps and bounds each year he has been at Baylor and shown good accuracy, but needs to continue developing in the NFL, where he has as much potential as virtually anyone in the draft. -
13. Dallas Cowboys - Janoris Jenkins, CB, North AlabamaJanoris Jenkins is probably the best pure cover corner in the draft and proved it when he played at Florida as a junior. However, the reason he is at North Alabama is continued issues with marijuana. The Dallas Cowboys are unlikely to let this stop them from taking such a tremendous talent and address an enormous hole in their secondary. -
14. Houston Texans - Jerel Worthy, DT, Michigan StateSince the Texans moved to their 1-gap 3-4, they have needed a real answer at nose tackle as Shaun Cody is not enough. Jerel Worthy brings the size of a traditional 2-gap nose tackle, but he also has the rare explosiveness of a 1-gap tackle that can get after the quarterback, which has given the Spartans one of the best pass rushes in the country. -
15. New York Jets - Courtney Upshaw, OLB, AlabamaWhile the Jets defense has been very effective and very talented, they have not had a pass rusher that could consistently pressure the quarterback without blitzing. Courtney Upshaw not only has the ability to rush the quarterback effectively, he can play the run pretty well, and has tons of experience in the 3-4 playing in Saban's system in Tuscaloosa. -
16. Cleveland Browns - Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, AlabamaWhile Joe Haden appears to have the tools to be an elite cornerback, the second cornerback, Sheldon Brown was supposed to a free safety and pressed into service back at cornerback when Eric Wright left. Brown has been continually torched this year; that is until Joe Haden went down and Dmitri Patterson was pressed into service, where the Raiders gave Brown a break and decided to pick apart Patterson. Kirkpatrick is unusually tall for a cornerback in this day and age in the NFL, but has demonstrated the hips to do so and plays physical which would match up well with Haden on the other side.
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17. Chicago Bears - Alshon Jeffery, WR, South CarolinaJay Cutler is as neglected a quarterback as there is in the NFL. The Bears finally decided to get him some help along the offensive line last year, but he still has virtually nothing as far as weapons go. The big question with Jeffery is his speed and whether or not he fits in what Martz does offensively, assuming they even care at this point. Cutler needs a premier receiver and Jeffery can go up and get the ball down the field. -
18. Washington Redskins - Michael Floyd, WR, Notre DameFloyd is as productive a receiver as there is in college football, but has some injury concerns and character concerns stemming from repeated issues with alcohol. Floyd is a hard worker and a receiver with a nose for the end zone in a similar mold as Dwayne Bowe that the Redskins desperately need, regardless of who is taking the snaps. -
19. Tennessee Titans - Brandon Thompson, DT, ClemsonDrafting in the trenches, especially along the defensive line is what the Titans love to do. They love to be able to dominate up front and with Jason Jones moving over to right end, it opens up a spot at the 3-tech defensive tackle position that Thompson would fill well and give them another athletic body that could penetrate up the middle. -
20. New York Giants - Luke Kuechly, ILB, Boston CollegeThis is precisely the scenario that could end up having one or two of the big inside linebacker prospects going back to school for their senior year. However, if they all do come out, the Giants would be more than happy to bring in an elite linebacker to man the middle in their defense. They love a big bodied linebacker that can really fill against the run and Kuechly more than fits the bill. -
21. Cincinnati Bengals - Alfonzo Dennard, CB, NebraskaLetting Jonathan Joseph walk uncontested was a huge misstep for the Cincinnati Bengals. While Leon Hall is effective, Nate Clements is a stop gap and they need another young corner to step up and fill the hole. Alfonzo Dennard has been an effective corner for the past couple seasons at Nebraska and while he may not be the cover corner Amukamara was, he plays a more physical brand of football. -
22. Pittsburgh Steelers - Alameda Ta'amu, DT, WashingtonCasey Hampton has been a stalwart nose tackle for over a decade, but his play has fallen off recently as he has gotten older and the Steelers do not have a real answer behind him. Ta'amu has been a consistently disruptive force this year for the Huskies and this would be a dream come true for the Steelers. This should end the overhaul of the Steelers defensive line with Ziggy Hood, Cameron Heyward, and now Ta'amu. -
23. New Orleans Saints - Michael Brewster, C, Ohio StateCurrently, the Saints have Olin Kreutz as their center, so unless they believe in the prospects of Matt Tennant, they have a hole and an opportunity at center. The Saints have quite possibly the set of guards in the NFL and adding a center of Brewster's caliber could give them an impressive interior line for years to come and improve their running game. -
24. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Zach Brown, OLB, North CarolinaThe Bucs have a lot of young talent on their defense and Mason Foster has been an effective player as a rookie, their linebacker position could use additional help. Brown would give them an upgrade of talent at one of the starting spots in the form of someone who might be able to play all three linebacker positions in their defense. -
25. Cincinnati Bengals - Riley Reiff, OT, IowaThe Bengals are currently protecting Andy Dalton with a pair of tackles better suited to play the right side. Unless they believe Andre Smith is going to turn into the player they hope, they need a purer left tackle and Reiff would definitely give them that as well as allow them to move Whitworth inside to guard, where he would be a better fit. Using the pick they got from Oakland to get their quarterback, they would be wise to use this pick to help make sure Dalton stays upright so he can continue his development.
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26. Buffalo Bills - Brandon Jenkins, DE, Florida StateThe Bills pass rush is pitiful, as they have a total of 4 sacks through 6 games. If they can find anyone that can put consistent pressure on the quarterback, it will improve their defense immensely. Jenkins is in the Florida State mold of undersized defensive linemen that can bring speed off the edge. -
While English had a one game splurge against the Dolphins, the current starting outside linebacker across from Shaun Phillips is journeyman Travis LaBoy. Last year, Irvin tabbed 14 sacks almost exclusively as a 3rd down pass rush specialist. While Irvin has not yet delivered on last year's results this year, his explosiveness off the line and his strength as a pass rush still keeps him in the 1st round at this point.
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28. Baltimore Ravens - Mike Adams, OT, Ohio StateCurrently, the Ravens have Bryant McKinnie as their left tackle and he is a stop gap at best. Unless they believe Oher can move over to left tackle permanently, finally, they need to bring in a more permanent solution. Mike Adams has a ton of potential in addition to a huge frame at 6'8" 320lbs and Ozzie Newsome loves to collect talented 300lbers. -
29. Detroit Lions - David DeCastro, OG, StanfordThe Lions would like to be able to add a left tackle of the future, but one does not appear available. However, the next best thing the Lions can do for the offense and keep Stafford and healthy is work to improve their struggling running game. DeCastro should be able to immediately come in and start. -
30. New England Patriots - Jared Crick, DT, NebraskaWhether the Patriots want to use 4 down linemen or 3, Crick can play in either system. He could play at the 5 technique in the 3-4 or as a 3-technique defensive tackle or even a power end in the 4-3. While he has played hurt this year, Crick has still been an effective player only really looking beatable against the 320lbers of Wisconsin. -
31. San Francisco 49ers - Josh Chapman, DT, AlabamaThe 49ers need to bring in a long term answer at nose tackle. Isaac Sapoaga is an incredibly strong player, but he has never been a terribly effective nose tackle and is better utilized at defensive end. Chapman has been playing nose tackle and excelled in Nick Saban's system at Alabama. -
32. Green Bay Packers - Billy Winn, DT, Boise StateRyan Pickett is not getting any younger, Mike Neal has not been able to stay healthy, and Jarius Wynn is not terribly impressive thus far in his NFL career. Bringing in another talented big body could help the Packers defense stay good enough to win another Super Bowl.
12 Comments-
Chris Raiden - 10-21-2011, 12:25 AMI would be absolutely thrilled to come away with those two players. Burfict and Kirkpatrick would massively upgrade the Cleveland defense and give us some junkyard dawgs to be proud of again. -
Peter Smith - 10-21-2011, 12:34 AMYes... while the offense is less effective at this point, the defense has the glaring holes. I would really appreciate Colt McCoy to get his head out of his ass, because I have plans for the first couple rounds that do not need to be ruined by quarterbacks.
Originally Posted by Chris Raiden
Having said that, this is where I am at... I really like the possibility of getting Vinny Curry in the second round to round our defensive line and maybe Matt Reynolds in the third to be our right tackle, but if we are forced to deal with quarterback talk, I have come around on Cousins.
I think Cousins went from overrated to underrated... I watched tape of him and I really like the way he runs an offense and his skillset translates well to the west coast offense. The only problem I can see with him is that his skillset may too closely resemble what we already have in McCoy, but I think Cousins' arm is stronger and he has tons of experience under center leading a pro style offense. The big thing with him is he just needs to be consistent with his mechanics, especially his footwork. -
Champ - 10-21-2011, 09:13 AMWould love for Dallas to take Jenkins, too bad i think they would probably target another position and continue to ignore our lack of secondary help. -
Hawkeye - 10-21-2011, 12:31 PMFirst off, I think you meant that John Fox drafted DeAngelo Williams, not Hall. Second, I don't agree that it would be wise to let Matt Cassel go so soon after giving him such a huge contract. Haley may be gone, but I don't think Cassel will be. Besides, they drafted Stanzi last year. Sure it's only a fifth round pick, but I don't see Pioli addressing that position at #11 when there are other ones that need more help.
I don't see Riley Rieff leaving early. Other than that, it doesn't look too bad. -
Peter Smith - 10-21-2011, 12:53 PMI don't see what else Reiff has to prove in college. He is a 1st round talent. If he stays, he will still be a 1st round talent, but I doubt he will become an elite tackle, so it is either be a 1st round talent this year or next year. So unless he wants to stick around for Iowa's team success next year, go get paid.
Matt Cassell is just not all that good and a new coach may want his own guy. Americanzi may be tempting, but I don't know if he is going to prevent anyone from drafting a 1st round quarterback if they are wanting to move on from Cassell -
Hawkeye - 10-21-2011, 01:05 PMWell, there is always another shot at a Big 10 title or maybe he will feel like Clayborn did in that he just likes college. Iowa doesn't have a lot of players leave early like other programs. Originally Posted by Peter Smith
Cassell is not bad either. He just threw 27 TDs to 7 ints last year. The kid has some skills. Did you see that playoff game last year? He was running for his life. They may want to think about improving protection or Landry Jones would have the same problem. -
The Gopher - 10-21-2011, 01:12 PMElite LT or Elite WR is what i want to see with the Vikings top pick. If they manage to win a few games, a corner or safety wouldn't be unreasonable, although I don't think this is the draft to be taking a safety early in the first round. -
Peter Smith - 10-21-2011, 01:15 PMPossibly, but I think Cassel's success last year had much more to do with their ability to run the football. 2,627 rushing yards last year compared to 3,116 yards from Cassel. Originally Posted by Hawkeye
Without Charles this year, they are a bottom feeder that were able to pick on the weak Colts and Vikings. -
Hawkeye - 10-21-2011, 03:45 PMYeah, but lack of a running game hurts most QBs......unless you're Brady, Manning or Rodgers. Originally Posted by Peter Smith
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Sascha - 10-22-2011, 06:50 AMI've been much more impressed with Griffin's skillset than I was with Cam Newton's. Obviously, Newton has shown he's a player, which makes me all that much more excited to see Griffen come into the league.
I don't think Cleveland can afford to go defense with both first rounders, especially if they end up picking fairly high in the 2nd. At some point, they have to provide a true #1 receiver, or at least a top level tight end, then go back to defense in the 2nd round.
Not sure I'd go LB so early in Tampa. Yes, Foster has played well, and so have Black and Hayes. Not saying they couldn't improve on the position, just thinking the first rounder may be better suited elsewhere. -
Peter Smith - 10-22-2011, 09:11 AMThe problems on the defense are so much easier to diagnose. The offense is behind the defense, but it has the glaring holes. Offensively, so much depends on what the Browns really think about some of these players. How happy are they with McCoy? Do they believe Greg Little can be their #1? We have a huge pile of pretty good tight ends and a crazy athlete they are developing on the bench too. Are they happy with the progress of our young guards? The only really obvious problem on the offense is the need for a long term answer at right tackle. They could address any of these positions in the 1st round or none of them. However, they desperately need to address linebacker and corner. Originally Posted by r5d3
Where else would you have looked? I considered corner, but the value was better with linebacker. Originally Posted by r5d3
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Sascha - 10-22-2011, 11:40 PM Originally Posted by Peter Smith
I suppose all of that about Cleveland is true, but I just don't believe in first rounders used on corners, especially #2 corners. If you have a pass-rush and a #1 in place, then the next guy should be found somewhere in Rounds 2-4.
As for Tampa, it's a bit of a wait and see. Right now, at this very moment, I would probably use it on a safety, or an upgrade at RT. Or maybe add a speedster out of the backfield to pair up with Blaunt.