PETER KING'S MOCK DRAFT
It's the first three-day draft in NFL history—Round 1 this Thursday night, Rounds 2 and 3 on Friday night, and the final four rounds on Saturday—but that's not all that's different. Teams with the top picks are more tight-lipped about their plans than ever. Says NFL.com analyst Gil Brandt, the former Cowboys V.P. of player personnel, "This draft will have the most intrigue and the most 'I'm shocked' moments of any draft in the last 20 years."
1
Rams
Sam Bradford
Quarterback
Oklahoma
St. Louis needs a face of the franchise—and an accurate deep arm. Bradford offers the Rams both.
2
Lions
Ndamukong Suh
Defensive tackle
Nebraska
Coach Jim Schwartz had Albert Haynesworth in Tennessee. He thinks Suh's better.
3
Buccaneers
Gerald McCoy
Defensive tackle
Oklahoma
Easiest pick in this year's draft. For Tampa Bay, McCoy's value is twice that of any player left on the board.
4
Redskins
Trent Williams
Tackle
Oklahoma
I have a hunch Mike Shanahan wants to deal down and pick a quarterback. Crazy, but that's Shanahan.
5
Chiefs
Bryan Bulaga
Tackle
Iowa
Sinking on most boards, but Kansas City G.M. Scott Pioli gets his meat-and-potatoes LT for the next decade.
6
Seahawks
Russell Okung
Tackle
Oklahoma State
Seattle rejoices that he's available. A month ago Okung was the top tackle on most boards.
7
Browns
Eric Berry
Safety
Tennessee
If Williams or Okung is still around, this will be a very tough call for first-year G.M. Tom Heckert.
8
Raiders
Anthony Davis
Tackle
Rutgers
Athletic at 6'5" and 323, he's the chalk pick. But since when do the Raiders make the chalk pick?
9
Bills
Dan Williams
Defensive tackle
Tennessee
Nine is a little too high, but he's the only premier nosetackle around, and Buffalo can use one.
10
Jaguars
C.J. Spiller
Running back
Clemson
I know—Maurice Jones-Drew's already there. But the Jags think Spiller could be Chris Johnson II.
11
Giants (FROM BRONCOS)
Rolando McClain
Linebacker
Alabama
In dire need of a middle linebacker, New York makes a move up from No. 15 for McClain.
12
Eagles (FROM DOLPHINS)
Derrick Morgan
Defensive end
Georgia Tech
Failing to land Aaron Kampman or Julius Peppers in free agency, Philly trades up to snag the next best thing.
13
49ers
Joe Haden
Cornerback
Florida
Lucky night for San Francisco, getting the draft's best corner in the middle of the first round.
14
Seahawks
Jimmy Clausen
Quarterback
Notre Dame
One of Seattle's four candidates for the sixth pick is still there at 14? No way the Hawks can pass him up.
15
BRONCOS (FROM GIANTS)
Brandon Graham
Linebacker/end
Michigan
Denver would be happy with Kyle Wilson, Dez Bryant or Maurkice Pouncey here as well.
16
Titans
Jason Pierre-Paul
Defensive end
South Florida
The task of replenishing the defensive line one pass rusher at a time starts with this Jevon Kearse clone.
17
49ers
Mike Iupati
Guard
Idaho
I came close to putting Dez Bryant here. Imagine a Bryant--Michael Crabtree WR combo. Scary.
18
Steelers
Maurkice Pouncey
Center
Florida
The Pouncey fan club has been growing steadily. Any of six teams could take him by the early 20s.
19
Falcons
Earl Thomas
Safety
Texas
It would be manna from football heaven if Thomas drops this far. He could go seventh to Cleveland.
20
Texans
Kyle Wilson
Cornerback
Boise State
A physical force on the corner with good closing speed, Wilson is a steal this low in the first round.
21
Bengals
Jermaine Gresham
Tight end
Oklahoma
Watching on tape the way the 6'5", 261-pound Gresham runs, you think you're looking at a wideout.
22
Patriots
Dez Bryant
Wide receiver
Oklahoma State
"Coach Belichick? Dez Bryant's babysitter on line two." I don't care. I love the pick.
23
Packers
Sergio Kindle
Linebacker/end
Texas
New bookend for 2009 first-rounder Clay Matthews had 46 tackles for loss over the last two seasons.
24
Dolphins (FROM EAGLES)
Ryan Mathews
Running back
Fresno State
Just a guess. Miami would have loved Dan Williams but settles for its back of the future.
25
Ravens
Demaryius Thomas
Wide receiver
Georgia Tech
Anquan Boldin, Donte' Stallworth and now Thomas. A playoff team rebuilds at its weakest point.
26
Cardinals
Sean Weatherspoon
Linebacker
Missouri
Arizona has to replace all the defense it lost in the off-season, and add a serious pass-rushing threat.
27
Cowboys
Taylor Mays
Safety
USC
Dallas likes his speed, but I say the team will regret not picking up a franchise tackle here.
28
Chargers
Jared Odrick
Defensive tackle
Penn State
Ideal draft for San Diego would be Dan Williams in first, Stanford running back Toby Gerhart down the line.
29
Jets
Jahvid Best
Running back
California
Only makes sense if New York thinks Leon Washington and LaDainian Tomlinson are short-timers.
30
Vikings
Tim Tebow
Quarterback
Florida
A hunch, nothing more. Brett Favre lasts another year (two at the outside) while Tebow learns.
31
Colts
Rodger Saffold
Tackle
Indiana
Indianapolis nabs an athletic left tackle to fill a position at which the Colts have been weak for years.
32
Saints
Devin McCourty
Cornerback
Rutgers
Saints have two true positions of need—defensive line and corner. This begins to solve one.
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