Post-Combine Mock Draft W/ Comments

[paulomac77]

1. Miami Dolphins- Jake Long OT Michigan- Parcells brought in a whole new coaching staff that believes in running the ball and Long makes an already improving line much better by moving Carey back to the right side.

2. St.Louis Rams- Chris Long DE Virginia- The Rams go with a DE for the second year in a row but can't pass on Long's potential to be an anchor on the D line for years.

3. Atlanta Falcons- Darren McFadden RB Arkansas- The Falcons probably have the best position in the draft in terms of trading down with their pick. However, McFadden is the real deal and Atlanta won't be able to get this much talent anywhere else in the draft so they wait to take a QB.

4. Oakland Raiders- Glenn Dorsey DT LSU- Dorsey fills the spot left but Sapp's retirement and the Raiders are happy to get a monster for the middle at #4.

5. Kansas City Chiefs- Ryan Clady OT Boise St.- KC needs to go OL and they take the second best prospect in the draft with Clady. Similar to last year when Arizona "reached" for Levi Brown, KC has to fill a big need.

6. New York Jets- Vernon Gholston DE/OLB Ohio St.- Mangini makes this selection simply based on who he thinks the Pats would draft. And Gholston would could terrorize the Jets for years so he gets picked. I have yet to see a mock with the Jets taking Matt Ryan but i considered him at this spot.

7. New England Patriots /via SF- Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie CB Tennessee St.- Many might think this is pretty early for DRC but he has the most potential of what is starting to look like a very deep class at CB. The Pats need help in the secondary after losing Samuels.

8. Baltimore Ravens- Matt Ryan QB Boston College- The Ravens are happy Ryan falls this far and starts would could be a great draft for a franchise that has to feel they're better than they're record indicates.

9. Cincinnatti Bengals- Sedrick Ellis DT USC- The defense has failed to improve and it appears that the Bengals have moved from competing for a conference championship to starting a rebuilding phase. Ellis is the best DT on the board and the drop-off after the top 2 is significant.

10. New Orleans Saints- Leodis McKelvin CB Troy- May not fall past the Pats at #7 but the Saints are happy to take another diamond in the rough from Troy.

11. Buffalo Bills- Mike Jenkins CB South Florida- The Bills hope to improve their pass defense with Jenkins who many consider the best CB in the draft. Keith Rivers is another possibility.

12. Denver Broncos- Brandon Albert OG Virginia- A star is born when the Broncos take Albert higher than anyone expected but he is a huge interior linemen (6'7 315) that could be opening up holes in Denver for a long time.

13. Carolina Panthers- Jeff Otah OT Pittsburg- Carolina needs help on the OL and he is the best linemen available plain and simple.

14. Chicago Bears- Jonathon Stewart RB Oregon- The Bears consider OL hard here but dont have enough faith in Benson anymore to pass on Stewart. Would be a boost to the running game that can find OL help later.

15. Detroit Lions- Chris Williams OT Vanderbuilt- Williams helped himself at the combine and might have impressed his was past other tackles. I expect a lot of tackles selected in the first round even though the class isn't that deep.

16.Arizona Cardinals- Rashard Mendenhall RB Illinois- Edgerain's days are number and Mendenhall could be an every down back at the next level. There would be a huge expectation for Mendenhall if this were the situation he was drafting into.

17. Minnesota Vikings- James Hardy WR Indiana- I've been preaching Hardy's name since the summer and he didn't let anyone down at the combine by running in the 4.5's. Vikings have to like the idea of having Peterson at RB and Hardy at WR and if Hardy keeps improving his game he could be an All-Pro wideout down the road.

18. Houston Texans- Kenny Phillips S Miami- Houston keeps going with the trend of drafting defense in the first round, Mario Williams, Demeco Ryans, Amobe Okoye. Phillips could fill a huge need for there secondary.

19. Philadelphia Eagles- Malcolm Kelly WR Oklahoma- The Eagles get Kolb some weapons for the future. Kelly could be a great compliment to the recievers they already have.

20. Tampa Bay Buccanneers- Quentin Groves DE/OLB Auburn- The Bucs go d line for the second year in a row but feel lucky to get a player of Groves' caliber here. If not for an injury this year, Groves could have been in the top 10.

21. Washington Redskins- Derek Harvey DE Florida- Washington needs a pass rush bad and Harvey is one of the best in the draft.

22. Dallas Cowboys- Chris Johnson RB East Carolina- The 4.2 he ran in the forty made him all kinds of cash. The Cowboys get the perfect compliment to Barber with Johnson who can be the home run hitter Barber isn't. Might be a reach but he's got first round potential.

23. Pittsburg Steelers- Gosder Cherrilus OT Boston College- This guy is huge and showed he's a little athletic for his size and has good feet. Pittsburg needs OL help after losing Faneca.

24. Tennessee Titans- Keith Rivers OLB USC- Probably not going to fall this far but somebody does every year and Tennesse takes advantage and fills a big need at linebacker.

25. Seattle Seahawks- Sam Baker OT USC- Best linemen available might be able to help Shaun Alexander's career out.

26. Jacksonville Jaguars- Deshaun Jackson WR Cal- The Jags need a speedy wideout to go along with the big wideouts they have, with his return ability he might not fall pass the top 20.

27. San Diego- Reggie Smith S Oklahoma- They might have the least amount of holes to fill of any team so they could really go anywhere with this pick but they could use help in the secondary.

28. Dallas Cowboys- Aqib Talib CB Kansas- Talib is the biggest corner in the draft and he might have the best ball skills of anyone. Good value with this pick.

29. San Francisco /via IND- Calais Campbell DE Miami- This huge DE could make SF defense great for years with the combination of patrick willis and manny lawson being good pick in recent drafts. Campbell played his way out of the top of round 1 but has good value this late in the first.

30. Green Bay Packers- Limas Sweed WR Texas- Sweed would be a good addition to a young and improving offense.

31. Forfeited

32. New York Giants- Dan Connor OLB Penn St.- The Giants biggest need is at linebacker and Connor makes a lot of sense here.

I'll post the second round with comments tommorow.

 

[Majpain]

Not a bad mock. Good work.

Though I think Chris Johnson is early for a 1st rounder.

 

[paulomac77]

2nd Round
33.Miami Dolphins- Brandon Flowers CB Virginia Tech- Might be the last really good CB available in a deep class so the Dolphins fill another need. One thing Flowers can do is tackle, he was like another linebacker for the Hokies on running plays, makes a lot of plays at and around the line similar to Bob Sanders.
34.St.Louis Rams- Anthony Collins OT Kansas- Rams pick the OT here after taking a DE in the first and hope to start winning in the trenches.
35.Oakland Raiders- Chilo Rachel OG USC- (Shee-lo Ra-Shell) decided to come out early to help his family's financial situation and is a product of southern California. Could be a first round selection maybe even as high as the top 20.
36.Kansas City Chiefs-Tracy Porter CB Indiana- Porter might have a flash-in-the-pan career if he gets to be a returner somewhere, something he had success with at Indiana. A team will likely draft him high solely based on potential.
37.New York Jets- Phillip Merling DE Clemson- They might not go this route if they select Gholston in the first but the truth is Miami probably couldn't pass on Merling if he makes it out of the first. Kiper has Merling going much higher, top 10 in fact but somebody's got to "fall" so he loses out because he came out early.
38.Atlanta Falcons- Brian Brohm QB Louisville- Atlanta would have a dream draft if they landed McFadden in the first and Brohm in the second. I don't have Brohm going higher simply because I think this years class of QB is being overrated. Although with so many teams in need of a QB someone may take Brohm anywhere in the top 20. He's someone I see falling until someone trades up to get him.
39.Baltimore Ravens-Kentwan Balmer DT North Carolina- Another guy not expected to be this far but this draft class is being built up quite a bit so there will be good players falling and Baltimore needs help on the DL
40.San Francisco 49ers- Mario Manningham WR Michigan- Didn't have the best combine and McShay even said he had the worst of any player, so he might slip a little lower despite previously being first round talent.
41.New Orleans Saints- Curtis Lofton LB Oklahoma- Good middle linebacker that fills a need for them, Saints keep the focus on defense, where they need alot of help.
42.Buffalo Bills- Phillip Wheeler LB Georgia Tech- The Bills fill a spot open at linebacker with Wheeler.
43.Denver Broncos- Shawn Crable LB Michigan- I'm personally suprised that Crable is talked about more, with his rare blend of size and speed he might be the best blitzing linebacker of this class.
44.Carolina Panthers- Thomas Decoud S Arizona St.- A good player that benifits from the lack of talent at safety.
45.Chicago Bears- Joe Flacco QB Delaware- The Bears re-signed Grossman so they will compete for time, Flacco might be the slowest to adapt to NFL game speed being from a D-I AA team but he's got the biggest arm in the draft and is compared to Big Ben. If Flacco falls to the third I hope the Dolphins take him.
46.Detroit Lions- Felix Jones RB Arkansas- Great back that will have to prove he can carry the load after splitting time with McFadden. Jones is a steal this late in the draft.
47.Cincinnatti Bengals- Fred Davis TE USC- A pass catching TE that can stretch the field vertically and will be a mismatch against linebackers. Could put Cincy's offense back into the talk of leagues best.
48.Minnesota Vikings- Trevor Laws DT Notre Dame- Laws had a great Senior Bowl week and a real good combine, so he shoots up the board past bigger DT simply because he has a great motor.
49.Atlanta Falcons /via HOU- Carl Nicks OT Nebraska- With three picks in the top 49, Atlanta finally has something to feel good about in the post-Vick era. McFadden, Brohm, and a stud tackle in Nicks would bolster a struggling and aging offensive unit.
50.Philadelphia Eagles- Erin Henderson OLB Maryland- Might go a lot higher, he is one hell of backer who made all kinds of tackles. Probably would've been a top LB taken in the 09 draft.
51.Arizona Cardinals- Oniel Cousins OT UTEP- More depth for the O-Line.
52.Washington Redskin- Andre Caldwell WR Florida- WR are usually taken higher than their value is indicated and I wouldn't be suprised if Caldwell is long gone by now. The skins need defense.
53.Tampa Bay Bucs- Andre Woodson QB Kentucky- The once Heisman candidate is considered a great value pick at this point.
54.Pittsburg Steelers- Devin Thomas WR Michigan St.- Somewhat of an unknown, but caught a lot of passes at State and has an athletic build to go along with experience.
55.Tennessee Titans- Martellus Bennett TE Texas A&M- Titans need a TE for Young to get to another level and Bennett could be a steal if he falls this far.
56.Seattle Seahawks- Mike Hart RB Michigan- If the Seahawks don't get a RB in the first they'll be tempted to take on here and Hart has everything you look for in a back except break away speed.
57.Cleveland Browns- Pat Sims DT Auburn- With this being the Browns first pick they will look to fill an immediate need. Crennel hopes Sims can be run stuffer for years to come.
58.Miami Dolphins /via SD- Red Bryant DT Texas A&M- Huge DT that can compete for time with the young guys already there. Someone hopefully can step up at this position, it could really be helpful for whoever ends up being the Fins MLB to have a big body up front to take on blockers.
59.Jacksonville Jaguars- Antoine Cason CB Arizona- Could be first round talent, but in a deep class of corners, Cason is the one that falls this far.
60.Indianapolis Colts- Tavares Gooden OLB Miami- Indy's first pick will most likely be defense, and LB is a big team need as well as the d line. Gooden can be a faster version of Cato June in Dungy's defense that prides themselves with great draft picks.
61.Green Bay Packers- Beau Bell OLB UNLV- A good linebacking core can be great if they find someone to play along side Hawk and Barnett.
62.Dallas Cowboys- Marcus Harrison DT Arkansas- Get depth on the d line makes the most sense for a team that doesn't have a ton of needs.
63.New England Patriots- Early Doucett WR LSU- Doucett is a complete player that won't take plays off for the Pats and could thrive in a system run by Tom Brady.
64.New York Giants- Heath Benedict OT Newberry- The Giants would like to add depth on their o line and this small school prospect could pay off.

 

[Mile High Fin]

Nice job.


So, who's our pick at #65???

 

[Backer85]

I like the Jake Long pick, then it leaves Taylor a spot on D if we sign Pace. I just hope your wrong about the Giants pick. I want him to fall one more pick to us.

 

[paulomac77]

Remaining Dolphins Mock

3. Kendall Langford DE Hampton
4. Wesley Woodyard OLB Kentucky
6. Kerry Brown OG Appalacian St.
7. Kevin O'Connell QB San Diego St.