2010 NFL Mock Draft 3.0

It is time to release the third and final edition of our 2010 NFL Mock Draft.

Mock Draft 1.0 – January 28^th, 2010

Mock Draft 2.0 – April 6^th, 2010

As the draft misinformation season enters the home stretch, it is best to follow the advice of Benjamin Franklin:

“Believe none of what you hear and half of what you see.”

Disclaimer: This is how we think the draft will unfold based on team needs and preferences.  It will not reflect our own player rankings.

1.  St. Louis Rams: Sam Bradford, QB – Oklahoma

Jimmy Clausen is the better quarterback, but no matter what team picks here on draft day will select Bradford.  Cleveland says the price tag is too heavy.  The Rams might settle for less, it appears they are not completely sold on Bradford.

2.  Detroit Lions: Ndamukong Suh, DT – Nebraska

Despite their need for a left tackle, Ndamukong Suh is the top rated prospect on many boards.  The Lions could move their second rounder for a late first to pick Charles Brown, Anthony Davis, Bruce Campbell, or Rodger Saffold.

3.  Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Gerald McCoy, DT – Oklahoma

I previously had Eric Berry here, but McCoy is a better prospect and actually fills a bigger need for the Bucs.  The Bucs will be thrilled to have whichever defensive tackle falls on their lap at pick three.

4.  Washington Redskins: Trent Williams, OT – Oklahoma

I have caught some heat in the past for being so high on Williams and with confidence I project him to be the first tackle off the board.  He is extremely athletic and will be a favorite of Coach Shanahan and his zone-blocking scheme.  Most importantly, Williams will protect their latest investment in Donovan McNabb.

5.  Kansas City Chiefs: Russell Okung, OT – Oklahoma State

Matt Cassell was successful in New England because he had plenty of weapons, good coaching, and plenty of time.  He has decent weapons and great offensive coaching in Kansas City, but absolutely no time to throw.  Russell Okung would help solve that problem.

6.  Seattle Seahawks: Bryan Bulaga, OT – Iowa

Pete Carroll has some job security in his first season in charge of the franchise.  I don’t see Carroll drafting Jimmy Clausen, but rather protect his future quarterback with a strong pick on the offensive line.  If Whitehurst doesn’t play well, the Seahawks record will reflect that and they will be in position to draft Locker in 2011.  This pick can drastically change the entire mock draft depending on what direction the Seahawks choose to go in.

7.  Cleveland Browns: Eric Berry, S – Tennessee

If they don’t trade up for Bradford, they will draft Berry or move down in the draft.  Holmgren is not sold on Clausen and would rather draft Colt McCoy in round two.  Buffalo could leapfrog Oakland for Clausen, which would still allow Cleveland to draft Berry or Haden and add additional mid-round picks.

8.  Oakland Raiders: Bruce Campbell, OT – Maryland

He had a great combine and what else do you need to know about an Al Davis selection?  If you do need more insight just read my Mock Draft 1.0.

9.  Buffalo Bills: Jimmy Clausen, QB – Notre Dame

If the Rams and Browns don’t complete a deal for the first overall pick, the Bills will most likely benefit the most.  That would leave them in great position to land Jimmy Clausen.  Rumor has Jason Campbell or Mike Vick coming to town, and Clausen should be the pick here regardless.

10.  Jacksonville Jaguars: Derrick Morgan, DE – Georgia Tech

Tim Tebow?  Tebow might put fans in the seats early on, but the fact remains this team needs a change in management.  Garrard is a solid quarterback, however, Jack Del Rio is not a good coach.  Instead of putting pressure on Tebow at pick 10, the Jaguars should put pressure on the opposing quarterbacks by pairing Kampman with Derrick Morgan.

11.  Denver Broncos (Chicago Bears): Rolando McClain, ILB – Alabama

This pick comes down to Earl Thomas and McClain.  Safety is a deeper position than inside linebacker this year so McClain becomes the more obvious choice.  They just traded Brandon Marshall and Dez Bryant also has character issues surrounding him.  Denver won’t take the chance on him and would rather wait until the second round where they have two picks to select a wide reciever.

12.  Miami Dolphins: Dan Williams, DT – Tennessee

Jason Ferguson has been Bill Parcells’ nose tackle for the last decade and they must find his replacement.  Earl Thomas is an option but nose tackle is a greater need.  Trading down is also an option for teams who are looking at drafting Joe Haden.

13.  San Francisco 49ers: Joe Haden, CB – Florida

Outside of an offensive tackle, cornerback is their biggest need.  The 49ers benefited from Haden having an average combine as he was slotted as a sure-fire top 10 selection.  This is an absolute steal if Haden drops to 13.

14.  Seattle Seahawks (Denver Broncos): C.J. Spiller, RB – Clemson

The Seahawks have many holes, therefore, I can see them trying to trade down to stockpile more picks.  Spiller, Charles Brown, Earl Thomas, Taylor Mays, Jason Pierre-Paul, and Everson Griffen are all options here.  If they do keep the pick, the pick will be Spiller so Carroll can have his Reggie Bush-type running back.

15.  New York Giants: Earl Thomas, S – Texas

They signed Antrel Rolle and Deon Grant at safety because of the uncertainty of Kenny Phillips.  The Giants have proved in the past that they draft best available player and Thomas fits that description.  They got torched in the secondary last year and they would then become very versatile at that position if they take Thomas.  Thomas can also play corner if needed.  Pierre-Paul, Anthony Davis, Dez Bryant, Brian Price, Jared Odrick, and Sean Weatherspoon can also be considered.

16.  Tennessee Titans:  Jason Pierre-Paul, DE – South Florida

Jason Pierre-Paul has tremendous upside and fills a huge need for the Titans.  Under Jeff Fisher, he could easily be what Jevon Kearse was early in his career.  Everson Griffen is the only other option here.

17.  San Francisco 49ers (Carolina Panthers): Anthony Davis, OT – Rutgers

Alex Smith and David Carr are both former number one picks that haven’t exactly panned out.  With protection at least one of them could succeed.  Davis can play both tackle positions and would be an upgrade on their current line from day one.

18.  Pittsburgh Steelers: Maurkice Pouncey, C – Florida

Pittsburgh’s line is not very good and Pouncey can play pretty much anywhere needed.  Whether it is Big Ben or someone else, they need to do a better job at protecting the quarterback.  Cornerback is also an option here, but they need to be able to run the ball and control the clock to be successful.

19.  Atlanta Falcons: Dez Bryant, WR – Oklahoma State

The Falcons won’t pick a defensive lineman two years in a row, especially with Mike Smith at coach.  Smith can coach up a lesser defensive player and take a shot on Dez Bryant at receiver.  Just imagine Matt Ryan, Michael Turner, Roddy White, Tony Gonzalez, and Bryant all on the field at the same time.

20.  Houston Texans: Kyle Wilson, CB – Boise State

After losing Dunta Robinson, cornerback became the teams’ biggest need.  Their main competition in the AFC South is the Colts and they need to contain Peyton Manning.

21.  Cincinnati Bengals: Taylor Mays, S – USC

They must choose between Mays and Jermaine Gresham.  The deciding factor will be that Mays is from USC.

22.  New England Patriots: Mike Iupati, OG – Idaho

Tom Brady is the face of the franchise and they must protect him, especially, knowing the Jets are going to be looking to destroy Brady.  They drafted a guard in the first 5 years ago and will do so again here.

23.  Green Bay Packers:  Charles Brown, OT – USC

Aaron Rodgers is the key to the Packers success.  If they continue to have the unreliable Chad Clifton protect him, it could be disastrous.  Clifton is no match to stop Jared Allen or Julius Peppers in the NFC North.

24.  Philadelphia Eagles: Sean Weatherspoon, OLB – Missouri

They can go in many directions here, especially now that they have acquired pick 37 in the second round.  I would say cornerback is the obvious choice here, but any one of Devin McCourty, Kareem Jackson, Patrick Robinson, and Brandon Ghee could be there at 37.

25.   Baltimore Ravens: Jermaine Gresham, TE – Oklahoma

Joe Flacco did a good job last year and he virtually had nobody to throw the ball to.  They have since added Anquan Boldin and will look to add more offensive weapons for Flacco.  There are solid options at cornerback in round two.  As long as Lewis and Reed are around, they will help develop mid round players on defense.

26.  Arizona Cardinals: Sergio Kindle, OLB – Texas

The losses of Berry and Dansby create a huge void at the linebacker position.  Kindle is best suited as a 3-4 rush linebacker and should land here or with the Jets at pick 29.

27.  Dallas Cowboys: Jared Odrick, DE – Penn State

Tackle is a major need now for the Cowboys but I can’t see them making Rodger Saffold a first round pick.  Odrick isn’t the perfect fit for the Cowboys, but he certainly would make a solid addition to their front line.  I think Jerry Jones is hoping that Campbell, Davis, or Brown slips down to them.  Trading up or down is also an option depending how the first 17 picks pan out.

28.  San Diego Chargers: Ryan Mathews, RB – Fresno State

We should just pencil this pick in now.  Then again, it may be so obvious that it does not even happen.  Sproles cannot carry the load by himself, but Mathews can certainly handle 20 carries a game.  On a fantasy note, Mathews landing here would almost certainly make him the top fantasy rookie of 2010.

29.  New York Jets: Everson Griffen, DE/OLB – USC

This pick comes down to Odrick or Griffen assuming the Jets are still drafting at this spot on Thursday.  Griffen has lots of potential and could go on to have a nice career under Rex Ryan.  He could be the next Terrell Suggs or the next Vernon Gholston.

30.  Minnesota Vikings: Devin McCourty, CB – Rutgers

I’d like to mock Colt McCoy here, not because I like him but because it would make sense to have McCoy sit for a year or two under Favre, much like Rodgers did.  That won’t happen though, Favre would be mad if they drafted a quarterback and the Vikings don’t want to make him upset.  They want to win now and that means drafting a corner to replace the injured Cedric Griffin.

31.  Indianapolis Colts: Rodger Saffold, OT – Indiana

This is a bit high for Saffold, but the Colts need a young left tackle.  They know they can’t move down with the Lions picking 3 spots behind them either.  Defensive tackle Brian Price is an option here, but keeping their offense at a highly productive level is crucial to their success.

32.  New Orleans Saints: Brandon Graham, OLB – Michigan

Jerry Hughes and Brian Price are also options here, but ultimately it comes down to which one is on the board come Thursday.  Hughes can play both DE and LB, but Brandon Graham is more of a pure 4-3 end.  Graham is a steal at this point.