NQTC Mock Draft 1-11
Okay, so this isn’t the first time I’ve attempted a mock draft, but it’s damn close. The Bears don’t have a first rounder, but I’ll take a look at what kind of player they’ll be looking at in the second round in the second half of this fiasco. Keep in mind, I’m going to pick the player I think teams should take, not how I think it will play out. Let’s get to it.
1. Detroit: Jason Smith, OT Baylor- Yeah, yeah, they need a quarterback, but what good is a QB if the rest of your team is awful? The fact is, the things the Lions need most are defensive players and a tackle, and the Smith pick sets them up best for that strategy. Plus, I’ve seen some very disturbing numbers on Stafford and all the mocks have him going first, so let’s see what happens if he doesn’t.
2. St. Louis: Eugene Monroe, OT Virginia- I swear, Virginia has more picks at the top of the draft than any mediocre program out there. In this case, the Rams are looking for someone to replace Orlando Pace (where did he go again?) and Monroe is the guy now that Andre Smith left the combine and Michael Oher, well, I don’t know why he slipped. There has been some talk of Sanchez here, but I think the Rams are employing some deception.
3. Kansas City: Aaron Curry, OLB Wake Forest- I really think Curry is the best talent in this draft and would really love it if he went off the board at #1. The Chiefs could also use a tackle, so if one of those two are still around (which they will be after those idiots draft Stafford at 1) then it will be a tough choice between Curry and Monroe here.
4. Seattle: Michael Crabtree, WR Texas Tech- Seattle could do just about anything here. They could take one of those top tackles if one slips, they could take Sanchez also as the QB of the future. I’m going to go with Crabtree here because it would be hard to resist giving Hasselbeck the weapons. I know they added Houshmazilli in free agency, but TJ has always had Chad Johnson by his side and it would be great for the Seahawks to add Crabtree to help him out.
5. Cleveland: Brian Orakpo, DE/OLB Texas- Fresh off being pissed that Crabtree is gone (he’s the pick if available), the Browns will look to bolster that defensive line, which was awful last year. Orakpo makes sense here because he will provide a dominant pass-rushing presence for a team that only got 17 sacks last year. 17 sacks? The Texans used to give that up in one game.
6. Cincinnati: BJ Raji, DT Boston College- This would have been a lock had he really failed that drug test, but there is still hope as long as the Bengals are concerned. The Bengals would love and offensive tackle though and could spring for Andre Smith here. I guess if you can’t get a criminal, get a lazy bum. I say they should go with neither and take Raji.
7. Oakland: Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR Maryland- Soon I’ll pick a player outside of the Big 12 and ACC, but not yet. Oakland needs a wideout badly and there isn’t much chance they take something different. I guess you could be concerned with the Millen-esque draft strategy (QB, RB, WR in consecutive first rounds), but the Raiders have actually been good on defense, so they need this upgrade and someone for Russell to overthrow. But that could be difficult since Darrius runs like a 2.5 40 or something.
8. Jacksonville: Matthew Stafford, QB Georgia- So, from one to eight I guess. Stafford’s potential is unquestioned. He has a cannon for an arm and has shown the ability to make all the throws. The question is the accuracy, which hit at around 61% at Georgia (103 points lower than fellow SEC QB Tim Tebow). Garrard is not the long term answer for the Jags under center, and if no one has traded up for one of the QBs by now, they’ll take one.
9. Green Bay: Aaron Maybin, DE/OLB Penn State- The Packers would be happy with any of the defensive linemen off the board so far, so they’ll just go ahead and grab the next best one here. Hey, Penn State had a lot of legal trouble this year, so maybe the Bengals will go for Maybin earlier. I guess Andre Smith could be an option here also, but I think I’ll be saying that for a few picks in a row.
10. San Francisco: Mark Sanchez, QB USC- Bit of a gift here for the 49ers that probably won’t happen in the real deal. In this case though, they can’t possibly pass on the California boy when they’ve had such an embarrassing QB situation for the last few seasons. When Stafford does go first, they’ll probably be looking at Maybin here.
11. Buffalo Bills: Andre Smith, OT Alabama- After trading Peters the other day, the Bills go offensive tackle here. The blubbery one has had his share of problems since his suspension from Bama’s bowl game, but he is an undeniable talent and the Bills should take a risk with him here.
So that’s the first 11 the way it should be. Again, I know Stafford will probably go first and change this all up, but I’m going by what I think teams should do.
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