2011 Mock #2

I took a quick break from my positional rankings/ thoughts, to write up a new mock. My last one had been completed a while back, so it was time for a new one. As well, the good people at rookiedraft.com wanted a new one to feature on their site!

Here she is:

1) Buffalo- Ryan Mallet, QB, Arkansas
Buffalo has no QB, one of the worst OLines (if not the worst) in the league, and a defense in transition. They’re as bad as a team can get. They need to start from the ground up. I was torn between Locker and Mallet, but in the end I have a feeling Mallet’s stock is going to soar. That combined with his arm being better suited for the tough New York climate gave him the nod.

2) St. Louis- AJ Green, WR, Georgia
Sam Bradford needs some weapons to have a chance. Green is the best deep threat to come out in a while.

3) Cleveland- Robert Quinn, DE/OLB, North Carolina
I’m not sure if Quinn is the best fit for the 34 defense, but some people do. And there’s no guarantee that the Browns will stick with that defense if they cut ties with Eric Mangini and company.

4) Jacksonville- Jake Locker, QB, Washington
David Garrard is mediocre at best. Locker offers a new dynamic to that offense, and brings a face to a struggling franchise.

5) Denver- Patrick Peterson, CB, LSU
Josh McDaniels has no problem cutting ties with veterans. That’s why many are predicting Champ Bailey to move on to a new team sooner or later. Alphonso Smith is not the answer at the #1 corner position, in fact he projects as a nickel back, and not much more. Peterson is the best pure corner to come out in years.

6) Kansas City- Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford
If the Chiefs are picking this high again, then it’ll be official: The Matt Cassell experiment
was a flop. If Luck comes out, he could compete with the other top QB’s to be the first overall pick, so Luck is good value here.

7) Chicago- Jonathon Baldwin, WR, Pittsburgh
The Bears need help in a lot of areas, but making sure Jay Cutler succeeds is priority #1. Baldwin is an underrated talent, and could be the #1 or #2 wide out in this class thanks to Julio Jones’ inconsistencies and Michael Floyd’s nagging injuries.

8) Detroit- Anthony Castonzo, OT, Boston College
It’s finally time to give the Lions a blind side protector. There’s no clear cut #1 OT this draft, but if one is going to emerge, I’d bet on Castonzo.

9) Seattle- Mark Ingram, RB, Alabama
Mark Ingram is a complete, workhorse type of back. If Charlie Whitehurst is going to be successful then the Seahawks need to get a running game going. Ingram would be a good step in that direction

10) Arizona- Prince Amukamara, CB, Nebraska
Across from DRC, the Cards have nothing at corner. In an ever growing pass first league, corner depth is a must. Amukamara is a top 10 talent in some minds, so this is a perfect fit for need and value.

11) Tampa Bay- Greg Romeus, DE, Pittsburgh
Defensive line is a major place of concern for the Bucs. They double dipped at DT last year in rounds 1 and 2. Now its time to go DE.

12) Philadelphia- Aaron Williams, CB, Texas
Almost everyone though the Eagles were going to go secondary in round 1 this past year. They didn’t. Their weak secondary could be their Achilles heel this year, so I can’t see them passing on a corner again.

13) New York Giants- Dont’a Hightower, ILB, Alabama
A talented man in the middle could do wonders for this Giants defense. Hightower is hard to place at this point, but with a good season and his expected good workouts, he could end up being the #1 LB in 2011.

14) Washington- Julio Jones, WR, Alabama
Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly have disappointed so far, so it’s time to bring in reinforcements at wideout. Jones is talented, athletic, and is a big time name from a big time program. Right up the Redskins ally.

15) Tennessee- Travis Lewis, OLB, Oklahoma
The Titans have needs in the secondary, but the value isn’t quite there, so I went with the best LB available in Travis Lewis. He would instantly bolster a fairly weak Titans linebacking corps.

16) New England (from Oakland)- Cameron Heyward, DE, OSU
I think Oakland is in for a decent year, so the Pat’s pick may be lower than expected. Fortunately for them in this draft, they get a top 10 talent in Cameron Heyward. Needs didn’t meet for the teams ahead of New England to take the top 34 DE in the class, but the Pats would run to the podium to scoop him up.

17) Cincinnati- Marcel Dareus, DE, Alabama
The Bengals don’t have too many needs, so I went with the best player available inMarcel Dareus here. He could play all over the DLine, and he offers big time athleticism that Cincy loves.

18) Pittsburgh- Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame
The Steelers need someone to step up beside Mike Wallace if their passing game will be as effective as it was during the Santonio Holmes era. Floyd is a better prospect then Holmes was, and he doesn’t come with the personal headaches.

19) Houston- Jared Crick, DT, Nebraska
Amobi Okoye has been a disappointment so far in his career, so if he has another bad season, it may be time to bring in a new DT. Crick is a prototypical UT, and would fit in nice on the Texans DLine.

20) Carolina- Rahim Moore, S, UCLA
A ballhawking free safety beside Charles Godfrey could make this Panthers secondary a lot better. Moore fits the bill. He’s my clear cut #1 safety this year.

21) San Francisco- Ras-I Dowling, CB, Virginia
Dowling is an underrated prospect. If he works out well and runs faster than expected, you’ll likely see his stock soar. The secondary is the weakest part of the 49ers roster right now.

22) Miami- Ryan Williams, RB, Virginia Tech
Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams may both be sent packing after the year so new blood at RB is a must. Ryan Williams is a talented young back who projects as an every down type of player.

23) Atlanta- Mike Pouncey, C/OG, Florida
The interior line of the Falcons isn’t that good, and they’re old to begin with. Pouncey isn’t quite as good a prospect as his brother was yet, but he’s close. He’d instantly bolster the Falcons line.

24) Indianapolis- Gabe Carimi, OT, Wisconsin
It was a major shocker the Colts ignored the OLine for the most part this past draft. With Peyton Manning getting older, they won’t be able to ignore that for much longer.

25) New York Jets- Adrian Clayborn, DE, Iowa
If the Jets have one area of weakness, it’s on the DLine, and specifically at DE. Clayborn is a top 10 talent in some minds, but falls due to team needs and some character issues. He’s well worth the risk at this point.

26) New Orleans- Jack Crawford, DE, PSU
Crawford would play OLB in a 34 scheme, but undersized DE’s for 43 teams are in right now (Aaron Maybin, Jerry Hughes for example). Crawford could start as a situational passrusher behind Alex Brown and eventually develop into a starter. For a team loaded with talent like the Saints, they can afford to play around a bit with their pick like this.

27) New England- Joseph Barksdale, OT, LSU
Sebastian Vollmer has one tackle spot of the future reserved, but the other is still up for grabs. Barksdale is big tackle who probably projects better to the right side. This could allow the Pats to finally ditch Nick Kaczur.

28) Dallas- Allen Bailey, DE, Miami (FL)
Marcus Spears is mediocre and may not be around much longer. Allen Bailey is a physical freak who actually has production to back it up. Unfortunately for him, this looks to be a pretty loaded 34 DE class, so he falls, but at this point in the draft he’s a very good investment.

29) Minnesota- Christian Ponder, QB, Florida State
Passing on Jimmy Clausen was a beyond stupid move by the Vikings, but lucky for them in this scenario, they get a similar QB prospect in Christian Ponder. Ponder’s underrated by most and could go higher then this depending on what QB’s come out and how good of a season he has.

30) San Diego- Jerrell Powe, NT, Ole Miss
Is Cam Thomas the answer? Maybe.. but he fell multiple rounds in the draft for a reason. If Jerrell Powe is available and Cam Thomas didn’t show much during the season, the Chargers may have to pull the trigger.

31) Baltimore- Brandon Harris, CB, Miami (FL)
Harris is a borderline first round talent, but he fills the teams biggest need by far. WR depth is another concern, but the value doesn’t line up, so Harris makes sense here.

32) Green Bay- Von Miller, DE/OLB, Texas A&M
Brad Jones is the starter opposite Clay Matthews currently, and while he’s a decent player, the Packers defense could really be taken up a notch with another talented passrusher like Von Miller who fits the system perfectly.