Draft Central
- Before you dive into my mock draft, and subsequently mock me after Im wrong, watch this video of Suh getting ready for the draft.
http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fsports.yahoo.com%2Fvideo%2Fplayer%2Fnfl%2FY_Sports_NFL%2F19251773%23nfl%2FY_Sports_NFL%2F19251773&h=c6711
- As I said last week, I am providing to you (free of charge) a first round 2010 NFL Mock Draft. Lets face it, even Mel Kiper is right about 1/2 of the time, and he does this for a living, so if I get a 1/4 right, I will be happy. *Note: there is absolutely no proven equation for picking these, it is, for lack of a better term, a crap shoot.* This is not taking account any trades that may happen, as those are too unpredictable to assess. Here goes nothing.
- 1) St. Louis Rams: Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma.
- The Rams need a franchise cornerstone, and Bradford is their guy from all reports. Suh is the best player available, but doesnt fit their needs.
- 2) Detroit Lions: Ndamunkong Suh, DT, Nebraska.
- Best prospect in the draft, by far. Will be a perennial all-pro if he remains healthy. Beastly.
- 3) Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Gerald McCoy, DT, Oklahoma.
- Widely considered to be the #2 prospect behind Suh, McCoy is the ideal DT in a Tampa 2 defense.
- 4) Washington Redskins: Russell Okung, OT, Oklahoma State.
- After acquiring Donovan McNabb via trade, the ‘Skins pick up his insurance policy in the best OT available.
- 5) Kansas City: Eric Berry, Safety, Tennessee.
- Best safety prospect since Ed Reed in 2001, Berry is an instant impact for a struggling Chiefs D.
- 6) Seattle Seahawks: Trent Williams, OT, Oklahoma.
- Williams is strong and agile, but Pete Carroll will get a raw talent who needs polishing. Has all the tools though.
- 7) Cleveland Browns: Kyle Wilson, Cornerback, Boise State.
- This pick provides the Browns 2 possible all-pro type lockdown corners for the tough AFC North.
- 
Oakland Raiders: Bruce Campbell, OT, Maryland.
- The Raiders are smitten with workout warriors and Campbell is the best from the combine.
- 9) Buffalo Bills: Jimmy Clausen, QB, Notre Dame.
- The Bills need a QB. Clausen comes with pro instruction from Charlie Weis.
- 10) Jacksonville Jaguars: C.J. Spiller, RB, Clemson.
- The Jags need a DE, but Spiller provides them with speed they need out of the backfield.
- 11) Denver Broncos: Rolando McClain, ILB, Alabama.
- Denver needs a true inside linebacker, and McClain at 11 is the best value in the draft.
- 12) Miami Dolphins: Jerry Hughes, OLB, TCU.
- Miami is replacing rush ends Jerry Porter and Jason Taylor with the lightning fast and powerful Hughes.
- 13) San Francisco 49ers: Joe Haden, CB, Florida.
- 9ers need a lockdown corner to upgrade a defense that is improving.
- 14) Seattle Seahawks: Derrick Morgan, DE, GT.
- This pick allows Seattle to have a compliment to DE Patrick Kearney.
- 15) New York Giants: Bryan Bulaga, OT, Iowa.
- Bulaga is a very raw talent, but has great potential to help this year with some off-season work.
- 16) Tennessee Titans: Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, South Florida.
- Best DE prospect in the draft. Tennessee needs to replace all-pro Kyle Vanden Bosch, now with Detroit.
- 17) San Francisco 49ers: Dan Williams, DT, Tennessee.
- Upgrading DT is another need for the 49ers, and they meet it in a big way with Williams.
- 18) Pittsburgh Steelers: Maurkice Pouncey, Center, Florida.
- An aging O-line for the Steelers means that they start to upgrade with Pouncey, who can dominate at times.
- 19) Atlanta Falcons: Earl Thomas, DB, Texas.
- The Falcons need a DE, but Thomas is too versatile of a player to pass up at 19.
- 20) Houston Texans: Ryan Matthews, RB, Fresno State.
- at 230, Matthews is a bruising RB with speed. He will compliment Steve Slaton perfectly.
- 21) Cincinnati Bengals: Taylor Mays, Safety, USC.
- Freak athlete that can run with anyone. Needs better coverage skills, but gives Cinci a physical Lott-type safety.
- 22) New England Patriots: Dez Bryant, WR, Oklahoma State.
- Best WR in the draft. New England will help eradicate his off the field issues.
- 23) Green Bay Packers: Mike Iupati, Guard, Idaho.
- GB needs to help an aging offensive line that gave up too many sacks last year.
- 24) Philadelphia Eagles: Anthony Davis, OT, Rutgers.
- Davis needs work, but with time will become an insurance policy for new-stater Kevin Kolb at QB.
-25) Baltimore Ravens: Brandon Graham, OLB, Michigan.
- The Ravens draft defense like nobody else. They will develop Graham to compliment Terrell Suggs.
- 26) Arizona Cardinals: Sergio Kindle, OLB, Texas.
- Kindle will aid a Defense that lost Karlos Dansby to Miami.
- 27) Dallas Cowboys: Charles Brown, OT, USC.
- OT is a need for a stacked Cowboys team. Brown is athletic enough to protect a scrambling Romo.
-28) San Diego Chargers: Terrence Cody, DT, Alabama.
- Mount Cody will replace all-pro Jammal Williams who left for Denver. Cody has lost weight and is more explosive off the ball.
- 29) New York Jets: Jared Ordrick, DT, Penn State.
- With the injury to Kris Jenkins last year, the Jets need depth at DT. Ordrick is a good project for Rex Ryan.
- 30) Minnesota Vikings: Devin McCourty, CB, Rutgers.
- Coverage will improve will McCourty who has a great burst and covers well in space.
- 31) Indianapolis Colts: Brian Price, DT, UCLA.
- With the Colts system, Price should be allowed to show his insane athletic ability.
- 32) New Orleans Saints: Sean Witherspoon, ILB, Missouri.
- Gives the Saints added depth and a leader at middle linebacker.
* Back to the meat of the blog now
- Ben Rothelisberger was handed a 6 game suspension by Roger Goodell on Wednesday, with a possibility that it be shortened to 4 with good behavior. He must also go through “attitude counseling.” I was the first one to call Ben out as being stupid, but this punishment is way too much. Sure, the NFL wants to be the moral compass that the PGA wasnt with Tiger, but 4-6 games basically takes Pittsburgh out of playoff contention. I guess that is why they signed Byron Leftwich. There is also a rumor they are shopping Big Ben for a top-10 draft pick. 1 word: ridiculous.
- Red-White game recap: ITS A GLORIFIED SCRIMMAGE. We didnt find out anything groundbreaking.
- 1) Taylor Martinez is fast. Everyone knew that. He still cannot throw.
- 2) Cody Green is a physical tough runner. Everyone knew that. He still has trouble grasping the offense.
- 3) Ndamukong Suh, if he wasnt before Saturday, is a legend now. Donating 2.6 million dollars to the University was an awesome PR move for Suh. What I really liked was that 600,000 of it went to the Engineering College for scholarships. He obviously has his head on straight and will be Nebraska’s biggest recruiting tool for years to come. Stay healthy big man.
- Tiger Woods has signed up to play the AT&T Invitational Tournament, the very sponsor that dropped him 3 months ago. Im sure he would love to wear a Verizon polo while receiving his trophy.
- The NBA Playoffs have been lackluster so far. My Miami over Boston pick is looking REAL stupid right now too, huh? Boston looks like they are on a mission. We could also being seeing the last of D-Wade in Miami if they play as bad as they did in Boston the rest of the series.
- Congrats to OKC Thunder coach Scott Brooks for winning NBA coach of the year. The job he did taking the Thunder from the worst team in the league by far, to making the playoffs was outstanding. They are giving the Lakers a very tough series too. Best fans in the NBA are in OKC. Mark it down.
- My favorite celebrity Chad OchoCinco is still on Dancing with the Stars. Go get em Chad. Although, just dancing with Cheryl Burke makes me think he has won already. Da-yum.
- Soccer update: Chelsea got manhandled by Tottenham last week to open the Premier League title race back up again. Currently my Blues are up 1 point over Manchester United with 3 games to play. In Champions League action Bayern Munich beat Lyon 1-0 on Wednesday. Inter Milan destroyed defending champions Barcelona 3-1 in Milan. Jose Mourinho had a great post game press-conference too about how Barca cant complain about the refs after “his boys Chelsea” got screwed last year. Classic “Special One.”
- The Lupe Fiasco concert on Sunday was absolutely great. Lupe was on for about 1.5 hours and rocked the stage. When his new album drops, Ill dedicate an entire blog to his good works. The world needs to know.
- Funny clip of former Nets coach Lawrence Frank cussing on ESPN’s First Take:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85FwSxM1H-k&feature=player_embedded
- Have to see SNL’s parody of the Shake Weight:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/18/shake-weight-snl-video_n_541956.html
- Must watch clip: John Stewart blasts fox news like never before.
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-april-20-2010/bernie-goldberg-fires-back
Quote of the week: “Comedians do social commentary through comedy. That’s how it’s worked for thousands of years. I have not moved out of the comedian’s box into the news box. The news box is moving towards me.” – John Stewart
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