With the combine starting this week, it's time to finally dive in to the NFL draft. I'll start of by doing a full mock draft, first doing a detailed report on my top 5 picks. This is more about what I think the teams SHOULD do, rather than what they will do. Most of the teams in the with the first 10 picks are run by complete morons (see: Davis, Al), so hopefully they'll see my post between now and April to realize what they should do.
#1-St. Louis Rams- QB Jimmy Clausen
I do believe that Ndomukong Suh is the best player in the draft, but is he the best player for the Rams? I don't think so. First, they have absolutely nothing at quarterback. Marc Bulger sucks, Kyle Boller sucks, and Keith Null is so bad that he handed me a fantasy win by throwing five interceptions against the Titans. They're also picking in the top 2 picks for the 3rd straight here. That's beyond awful, and can only mean that the entire franchise is in disarray and needs a big change. Safe picks like Chris Long and Jason Smith don't offer that, but Jimmy Clausen does. Many people doubt his ability, but I truly believe that Clausen will be a great QB in this league. He has a great arm, is pin-point accurate, possesses good pocket awareness, and is a true leader. He's also worked in a NFL offense under Fatass Weis, making it an easy transition for him to the NFL. Sam Bradford could also be the pick here, but I'm really unsure whether or not his shoulder is going to be a problem in the NFL. Nobody wants to take damaged goods with the first overall pick, so Clausen becomes the best option.
#2-Detroit Lions- DT Ndomukong Suh
The Lions have an easy decision here. If Suh is available, you take him. If not, you take Gerald McCoy. It's that simple. Their defense might as well have been invisible last year, so adding Suh would be the first step to turning the team into a competitor. Suh is dominant at the point of attack, and can occasionally toss lineman around like rag dolls. He's not an elite pass rusher like McCoy, but he can still cause huge disruptions in the running game and control the line of scrimmage. He would be a perfect fit with the Lions. There's also an option for Detroit to take Russel Okung with this pick. Jeff Backus is terrible, no matter what their front office says, and they need somebody at LT who can protect Matt Stafford and keep him from getting hurt. But there might be a chance that Charles Brown falls to them in round 2, so they will probably gamble on that chance and take Suh with this pick.
#3-Tampa Bay Buccaneers- DT Gerald McCoy
Poor Bucs. They won a meaningless game against the Saints at the end of the season and took themselves out of the #2 pick, leaving them only to pray that the Rams take a QB. Otherwise, they'll only be able to watch as 2 of the best DT prospects in a long time come off the board before they pick. And the best part? Defensive tackle is the team's No. 1 need. Ooooooops. There's a few rumors that they could swap picks with the Rams, but there's no way it happens. If they're left without a DT to pick, then they'll probably go with Eric Berry or trade back and select Brian Price.
#4-Washington Redskins- OT Russell Okung
For some reason, people seem to think that Jason Campbell sucks. The problem is that they've probably never even watched a Redskins game. The problem is that Campbell has pressure in his face almost as soon as he hikes the ball. Somehow he still managed to play decently, which raises the question of how he would play with some actual protection. Russell Okung had an incredible year in 2009, recording only 2 pressures. That's insane. He would be an immediate upgrade to the Redskins O-Line and would give Campbell some actual time to make reads and throws.
#5-Kansas City Chiefs- Trade back or S Eric Berry
In this situation, I could see this pick being traded. Kansas City has a lot of needs, but there's no real elite prospects left that could warrant being picked at #5 by them. If they managed to swing a trade for somebody looking to select Sam Bradford, a la the Jets and Mark Sanchez in 2009, they could probably get a few more picks and still get a great player. My bet is that the Broncos decide that Kyle Orton is not a franchise QB and trade up to get Bradford, giving the Chiefs the 11th pick as well as their 2nd and 4th round picks. The Chiefs would then have their take of either Rolando McClain, Dez Bryant, and Bryan Bulaga. However, if they do get stuck with the 5th pick, they'll likely take Eric Berry. He would give them an instant playmaker on defense which they so desperately need.
More to come in the next few days, but tell me what you think in the comments.
