2010 NFL Mock Draft 2.0

A few moves have been made and as such, a new mock draft is here for you to sink your teeth into. Does Brady Quinn getting traded have an effect? Will Tomlinson change what the Jets do in April? What does the Seattle trading for Charlie Whitehurst mean for Matt Hasselbeck? Only one way to find out! Welcome to Version 2.0.

1. St. Louis (1-15)- Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma – The writing is on the wall. The Rams have to take a quarterback. I’m going to continue to believe until they either trade for a guy like Matt Hasselbeck, or do something colossally stupid like… not take a quarterback in the draft.

2. Detroit (2-14)- Russell Okung, OT, Oklahoma St– The Lions traded for Corey Williams and are rumored to be looking at Anthony Hargrove to add some depth along the defensive line. It seems like the Lions are leaning toward taking someone to protect Matthew Stafford.

3. Tampa Bay (3-13)- Ndamukung Suh, DT, Nebraska – Even though Gerald McCoy might seem like a better fit for Tampa’s system, Suh is a great player and apparently an even better person. He’ll work hard to fit into Raheem Morris‘ defensive schemes.

4. Washington (4-12) – Trent Williams, OT, Oklahoma – The Skins could also take Jimmy Clausen but I disagree with that. I think Mike Shanahan should work with Jason Campbell rather than come in and clean house. Plus I think with the retirement of Chris Samuels, they’ll need a left tackle to protect the quarterback and they’ll have to choose. Do they want the guy that makes the plays or the guy that protects the guy that makes plays?

5. Kansas City (4-12)- Bryan Bulaga, OT, Iowa – Scott Pioli is a smart general manager and he knows how to build a team. I think this would be a little high to take Bulaga but he’s a solid offensive lineman and the second best in the draft.

6. Seattle (5-11) – Anthony Davis, OT, Rutgers – It makes no sense to me why Seattle feels Charlie Whitehurst is a good enough replacement for Matt Hasselbeck. I don’t know what they see in him but I also don’t think that they’d trade away picks for Whitehurst and then still draft a quarterback.

7. Cleveland (5-11) – Eric Berry, S, Tennessee – Joe Haden would be a good pick here but Cleveland is going to be wary of his slow 40 yard dash time (4.57) so Eric Berry is a good pick here. Berry is a leader, a hard hitter and has good instincts in the secondary.

8. Oakland (5-11) – Gerald McCoy, DT, Oklahoma – Its possible that Tampa Bay could take McCoy earlier in the draft because he seems to fit their scheme. If that happens, Suh could fall here. Either way, it looks like the Raiders could either go offensive or defensive line.

9. Buffalo (6-10) – Jimmy Clausen, QB, Notre Dame – Realistically, the Bills best bet is to take an offensive lineman here but Clausen is a potential franchise quarterback and as we’ve seen in the past few years with Matt Ryan, Joe Flacco, and Mark Sanchez, quarterback really is the most important position on the field.

10. Jacksonville (7-9) – Derrick Morgan, DE, Georgia Tech – Morgan is hands down the best edge rusher in the draft. Putting him on the other side of Aaron Kampman improves one of last season’s worst pass defenses that came away with a whopping 12 sacks.

11. Denver – from Chicago (7-9) – Dez Bryant, WR, Oklahoma St – Now that Denver has brought in Brady Quinn, the Broncos should get him another option to throw to.

12. Miami (7-9) – Sergio Kindle, OLB, Texas – Kindle is the same type of player than Brian Orakpo is for the Washington Redskins. He can play both defensive end and outside linebacker, he rushes the passer and you’ll hear a lot of experts talk about his “motor”.

13. San Francisco (8-8) – Joe Haden, CB, Florida – The Niners need to add some depth in the secondary and Haden silenced a few of the doubters by running a better 40 yard dash during his pro day.

14. Seattle – from Denver (8-8) – Bruce Campbell, OT, Maryland – So now that the Seahawks have their guy under center, who’s protecting him? Campbell had a great combine and I think he’ll do well there in Seattle.

15. New York Giants (8-8) – Rolando McClain, LB, Alabama – There’s no question the Giants want to bolster their linebacking corps especially with the release of Antonio Pierce. McClain won’t be able to replace Pierce’s leadership abilities and I don’t think he’ll make an immediate impact.

16. Tennessee (8-8) – Earl Thomas, CB/S, Texas – Thomas’ versatility makes him an attractive pick here.

17. San Francisco – from Carolina (8-8)- Taylor Mays, S, USC– Mays makes too much sense here. Mike Singletary is a defensive guy, Mays is a monster at safety and he’s a local guy having played at Southern Cal.

18. Pittsburgh (9-7) – Mike Iupati, OG, Idaho – The Steelers’ offensive line hasn’t been the same since they let Alan Faneca go to the Jets, and they’ve just been getting better and better. They could use an upgrade on the interior line.

19. Atlanta (9-7) – Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, South Florida – Pierre-Paul could be brought in as a guy who can rotate with Abraham and Anderson on the defensive line. Another option for them is Brian Price from UCLA. They do need help in the secondary, but there’s some depth there and they could grab someone in the second round.

20. Houston (9-7) – CJ Spiller, RB, Clemson– The Texans are going to need a complement for Steve Slaton. Splitting carries worked very well for Carolina.

21. Cincinnati (10-6) – Demaryius Thomas, WR, Georgia Tech – The Bengals have to keep with the Ravens after their acquisition of Anquan Boldin. Pairing Thomas with Ochocinco gives the Bengals a threat they lost when Chris Henry passed away. This kid made a huge jump on everyone’s big board at the combine. He’s really physically gifted, and his stock is still rising.

22. New England (10-6)- Jermaine Gresham, TE, Oklahoma – The Patriots don’t just have a gaping hole at tight end, they have a bottomless pit. And what’s worse? They let Ben Watson sign somewhere else. Gresham isn’t particular great as a blocker but he’s faster than a lot of linebackers and bigger than most cornerbacks. He can give the Pats a new dimension they’ve never really had.

23. Green Bay (11-5) – Charles Brown, OT, USC – Brown is more of a later first round/early second round pick to me but its a solid pick here. Rodgers put up decent numbers and led the Packers to the postseason while playing most of the season on his back. Chad Clifton isn’t very good anymore.

24. Philadelphia (11-5) – Kyle Wilson, CB, Boise St – I was tempted to say that the Eagles would take a chance on Ryan Matthews from Fresno State but I don’t think they would take a running back in the first round two years in a row. I think Wilson is a sold pick here.

25. Baltimore (9-7) – Kareem Jackson, CB, Alabama – Its amazing to me that the Ravens were able to pull off a trade for one of the league’s best receivers and still keep their first round pick. As crazy as it might sound, the Ravens should bolster their defense a little, specifically in the secondary.

26. Arizona (10-6)- Sean Weatherspoon, LB, Missouri – Weatherspoon is a great linebacker. He racks up tackles and he’ll be an adequate replacement for Karlos Dansby.

27. Dallas (11-5) – Devin McCourty, CB, Rutgers– As good as the Cowboys defense was last year, its one weakness was in the secondary. Newman did a better than average job, and they’re still waiting for Mike Jenkins to come into his own, but there isn’t too much depth after Orlando Scandrick.

28. San Diego (13-3)- Jahvid Best, RB, California – Its hard to imagine that at this point in the draft only two running backs have been taken but I don’t think this crop of running backs is as impressive as usual but its still a deep class.

29. New York Jets (9-7) – Brian Graham, DE, Michigan – Graham was one of the few bright spots on a less than stellar Michigan team. He works hard and Rex Ryan is getting a valuable player than can replace Marques Douglas.

30. Minnesota (12-4) Brian Price, DT, UCLA – Pat Williams can’t play forever and Brian Price is really underrated. He’s got skills and in the meantime, he can learn from watching Pat and Kevin Williams do some damage.

31. Indianapolis (14-2) – Maurkice Pouncey, C, Florida – While we’re on the topic of taking players that will benefit from watching, Mike Pouncey is good enough to play right now, but Jeff Saturday isn’t done yet. I also think it would be great idea for them to draft his twin brother Mike. Keeping this tandem together would be a coup.

32. New Orleans (13-3) – Everson Griffen, DE, USC – Griffen can get a little lazy but he’s still a valuable pick here for the Saints.

Thats my first mock draft. There are a few question marks for me. I’m still waiting to see how the pro days go to see how things shake out. There are a few guys, namely Brandon Spikes, who hurt themselves by not running at the combine but I’m hoping some of these guys come to their senses and do everything at their pro days. I’d like to see more from Sam Bradford so that more people can see the difference between him and Clausen. Any questions or comments? Email me at s_talouis@yahoo.com.