Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Patton's 2012 NFL Mock Draft v 1.0

By Patton Richard



Normally I don't feel comfortable doing mock drafts until I know the draft order, but I'm starting to get excited for the draft. I don't project trades in my mocks, and this isn't what I would do, but what I think makes sense for the teams given rankings of players.

1. Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford
There is no possible way the Colts trade out of this pick or don't take Andrew Luck. I think they hold onto Peyton Manning for at least one more year before Luck takes the reign.

2. Carolina Panthers: Matt Kalil, OT, USC
Matt Kalil is on the same level as Jake Long and Joe Thomas in terms of prospects coming out of college, and it doesn't hurt that his brother is the center for Carolina who just signed a long term deal.

3. Miami Dolphins: Matt Barkley, QB, USC
I have Matt Barkley only slightly below Andrew Luck in terms of overall ability. He reminds me so much of a stronger, more accurate, Matt Ryan.

4. St Louis Rams: Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State
St Louis needs wide outs who can actually catch the ball. Justin Blackmon has the largest upside out of any WR in the draft.

5. Minnesota Vikings: Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford
Minnesota is very disappointed that Kalil isn't available to them, but they take the next best OT to help their aging line.

6. Washington Redskins: Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor
The John Beck/Rex Grossman experience obviously isn't working, and Shanahan loves these toolsy QB types. Griffin's got incredible athleticism and throws the best deep ball in the class.

7. Arizona Cardinals: Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa
Arizona needs offensive line help however this seems like a reach. I think Reiff should be picked in the 15-20 range, but Arizona will reach to take the best OT on the board. This may playout like Levi Brown v2 (and missing on Adrian Peterson, or in this case, Trent Richardson).

8. Jacksonville Jaguars: Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU
Claiborne is the best CB in this draft and the Jaguars need a lot of help everywhere.

9. Philadelphia Eagles: Zach Brown, OLB, UNC
Eagles desperately need to improve their LB unit. Zach Brown has seperated himself from the rest of the OLB in this class.

10. Cleveland Browns: Landry Jones, QB, Oklahoma
The Colt McCoy experience has been a disaster, and although I'm not a fan of Landry Jones I think someone in the top 10-15 will reach for him. He does terrible in the face of pressure and I don't believe he has the arm strength to do everything he needs to do to succeed in the NFL.

11. Seattle Seahawks: Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama
Last year I mocked Mark Ingram to the Seahawks, and this year I'm mocking the next Alabama RB. Trent Richardson can run between the tackles, take a swing pass and go the distance, and run crisp routes. He's the purest RB I've ever scouted (moreso than Adrian Peterson), if this was 2003 Richardson might be the #2 overall pick, but the dynamic of the NFL has changed so much that Richardson drops. Marshawn Lynch hasn't been a disappointment (in my mind), but he is a free agent after this year and the Seahawks still lack playmakers on the offensive side of the ball. It was between Richardson and Quinton Coples.

12. Kansas City Chiefs: Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina
Kansas City is last in sacks in the NFL. Coples is the top DE in the draft, but he's puzzling to say the least. He loves to hit people super hard, but when he gets hit back he shuts down. He's very ineffective in about 50% of snaps I've seen, and I mean give up on the play level ineffective.

13. San Diego Chargers: Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama
Best player available, big physical corner who I would love to be on the Seahawks. I like him slightly more than Claiborne, however most people I talk to have Claiborne rated higher.

14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Alfonzo Dennard, CB, Nebraska
Alfonzo Dennard has been playing like the best CB in college football since he has returned from injury. Tampa will be drafting a CB in either round 1 or 2 of this draft.

15. Denver Broncos: Alshon Jeffrey, WR, South Carolina
Denver has many holes including WR. Eric Decker looks like he could be a probowler in the future, but Adding Alshon Jeffrey could give Tebow a chance to complete more than 2 passes a game.

16. Tennessee Titans: Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame
Tennessee needs another WR opposite of Kenny Britt. Some have Michael Floyd as the #2 WR in the class. His off the field troubles should go right along with Kenny Britt's.

17. Dallas Cowboys: Janoris Jenkins, CB, Northern Alabama
Janoris Jenkins would have been the #2 corner behind Patrick Peterson last year, but after getting kicked out of Florida and transferring to Northern Alabama his stock has dropped.

18. Cleveland Browns (From Atlanta): Luke Kuechly, ILB, Boston College
My favorite LB prospect, he's going to have over 200 tackles this year. He's very technically sound and rarely makes mistakes.

19. New York Jets: David DeCastro, OG, Stanford
We seem to hear that this years guard prospect is the best to come out in a long time. We heard it about Iupati, we hear dit about the Pouncey's, and now we're hearing it about DeCastro. I trust the scouts that say he's an all-pro waiting to happen.

20. Buffalo Bills: Vinny Curry, DE, Marshall
Vinny Curry has shown to be the most consistent pass rusher in the draft. I thought about him over Coples, but decided against it.

21. Cincinnati Bengals (From Oakland): Vontaze Burfict, OLB, Arizona State
Everyone's favorite crazy in Vontaze Burfict, he has the highest upside out of everyone left in the draft. He could be an all-pro in year one and I wouldn't be surprised.

22. New England Patriots: Courtney Upshaw, OLB/DE, Alabama
New England is going to be going very heavily on the defensive side of the ball this year and Upshaw is the next player from the SEC to join Belichick

23. Cincinnati Bengals: Chase Minnifield, CB, Virginia
Cinci takes the last CB I have a first round grade on.

24. Baltimore Ravens: Manti Te'o, ILB, Notre Dame
Baltimore is hard to read on who they want, I'm guessing at somepoint they'll need to address their line backing corps in the draft.

25. New York Giants: Dont’a Hightower, ILB, Alabama
The Giants have been looking for better linebackers for years, now they get one that falls to them in the draft.

26. Chicago Bears: Kelechi Osemele, OG, Iowa State
Chicago's offensive line is terrible, Osemele is an instant starter.

27. Detroit Lions: Mike Adams, OT, Ohio State
People thought the Lions would take an OT last year when they went with Nick Fairley, now they cannot wait any longer.

28. New England Patriots (From New Orleans): Mark Barron, S, Alabama
Mark Barron is the highest rated safety in what is considered the second consecutive week safety class. Barron is a hard hitter who can help that defense.

29. Pittsburgh Steelers: Jared Crick, DL, Nebraska
Jared Crick had a top 10 grade coming into the year, and then hurt himself and didn't end up showing that potential. Pittsburgh takes a chance on a big player with big upside.

30. San Francisco 49ers: Brandon Thompson, DT, Clemson
San Francisco has been the biggest surprise of the year, they'd love to get a CB, but Thompson could upgrade the DL that could use it.

31. Houston Texans: Alameda Ta'amu, DT, Washington.
The Houston Texans have made a seemless transition into a 3-4 defense. However, they really need a nose tackle to anchor that D. We are well aware of Ta'amu's inconsistencies, however he can dominate if he applies himself correctly.

32. Green Bay Packers: Peter Konz, C, Wisconsin
Konz would have been selected 10 picks earlier if he didn't injure himself last week. There seems to be one center prospect worth a first round pick every year, this year it's Konz.

Round 2:

1. Indianapolis Colts: Mohamed Sanu, WR, Rutgers

2. Carolina Panthers: Jeff Fuller, WR, Texas A&M

3. Miami Dolphins: Lamar Miller, RB, Miami

4. St Louis Rams: Dwight Jones, WR, North Carolina

5. Minnesota Vikings: Jerel Worthy, DT, Michigan State

6. Washington Redskins: Chris Polk, RB, Washington

7. Philadelphia Eagles (From Arizona): Andrew Datko, OT, Florida State

8. Jacksonville Jaguars: Stephon Gilmore, CB, South Carolina

9. Philadelphia Eagles: Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor

10. Cleveland Browns: Dontari Poe, DT, Memphis

11. Seattle Seahawks: Ryan Tannehill, QB, Texas A&M

12. Kansas City Chiefs: Bruce Irvin, OLB, West Virginia

13. San Diego Chargers: Zebrie Sanders, OT, Florida State

14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: TJ McDonald, S, USC

15. Denver Broncos: Nick Perry, DE, USC

16. Tennessee Titans: Cordy Glenn, OG, Georgia

17. Dallas Cowboys: Josh Chapman, DT, Alabama

18. Atlanta Falcons: Dwayne Allen, TE, Clemson

19. New York Jets: Brandon Jenkins, DE/OLB, Florida State

20. Buffalo Bills: Nick Toon, WR, Wisconsin

21. New England Patriots (From Oakland): Whitney Mercilus, DE, Illinois

22. New England Patriots: Omar Bolden, CB, Arizona State

23. Cincinnati Bengals: LaMichael James, RB, Oregon

24. Baltimore Ravens: Cyrus Gray, RB, Texas A&M

25. New York Giants: Marvin McNutt, WR, Iowa

26. Chicago Bears: Mike Brewster, OC, Ohio State

27. Detroit Lions: Levy Adcock, OT, Oklahoma State

28. New Orleans Saints: Ryan Broyles, WR, Oklahoma

29. Pittsburgh Steelers: Lucas Nix, OG, Pittsburgh

30. San Francisco 49ers: Robert Lester, S, Alabama

31. Houston Texans: Casey Hayward, CB, Vanderbilt

32. Green Bay Packers: Cliff Harris, CB, Oregon

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