With Shake posting his yesterday, I wanted to make sure to get in on the action before all of the tests start. Right now it is just the weigh-ins (which I have not seen yet), so I still have some time. I'm going to do the first 3 rounds since up to the Saints' pick at the bottom of the third will be the order with no comp picks or anything of the sort to mess it up. Looking over Shake's mock draft, the things we agree on are about nothing except we all want the same guys for the Colts. I'm not as high on Washington (like every other middle linebacker) as he is, but I would not be opposed to taking him.
In this draft, the Colts get a left tackle, another target for Peyton Manning, and a kick returner. Who are these future Colts? Well, click the link below and find out. Let's just say it is a bitter sweet first round pick and a brilliant second and third round. Also, the Broncos had a terrible draft, the Raiders continue to draft for speed, the Messiah went down to Florida, and the Patriots had enough second rounders to draft an entire new team. Yes, the next 8 weeks are going to be long yet very fun. Hopefully the Colts can be this successful on draft day. And maybe Charles Brown will fall. Please?
The draft starts after the jump.
Round 1
| Pick | Team | Player | Position | School | Comments |
| 1. | St. Louis Rams | Sam Bradford | QB | Oklahoma | I can not see how a competent team could take a defensive tackle over a franchise QB like Sam Bradford or Jimmy Clausen. Of course, there is a reason why the Rams won just 6 games over the past 3 years. I prefer Jimmy Clausen over Sam Bradford, but they can't go wrong with either guy. |
| 2. | Detroit Lions | Ndamukong Suh | DT | Nebraska | With the Lions picking up their franchise QB in the 2009 NFL Draft, they need to work on their defense. Brady Quinn picked apart this defense. They need all the help they can get. Reportedly, the Lions will take the best non-quarterback available. I can't see how anyone other than Suh is that guy. |
| 3. | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Gerald McCoy | DT | Oklahoma | The Buccaneers have got to take McCoy if he is left on board. The Bucs' biggest need is on the defensive line, so to find a great tackle in the first round is incredible luck. The Bucs have a bright future on offense, but the defense is a problem. |
| 4. | Washington Redskins | Jimmy Clausen | QB | Notre Dame | This should be an easy pick. Clausen is going to be an absolutely amazing NFL quarterback, and the Redskins are lucky that he fell to them. Clausen is a taller Drew Brees. His production last year was the best by a pro style QB in college football history. That's unbelievable. |
| 5. | Kansas City Chiefs | Russell Okung | OT | Oklahoma State | At this point, I don't see how this pick isn't spent on an offensive tackle. Pioli loves positional value, and there is no bigger need on the Chiefs than offensive tackle. Okung would be able to play left tackle and let Brandon Albert move back to his more comfortable position of right guard. |
| 6. | Seattle Seahawks | Bruce Campbell | OT | Maryland | With the top quarterbacks off of the board, the Seahawks are in a tough spot. Left tackle is easily the biggest need for the 'Hawks, but Eric Berry is left on the board. I think Carroll will decide to go with the new left tackle. Eric Berry is a great player, but it is too early to draft a safety, especially when it's not a position of need. |
| 7. | Cleveland Browns | Eric Berry | SS | Tennessee | Could the football gods ever let the Browns be this lucky? Berry is going to be a superstar. Even if safety isn't their biggest need nor is it a position where players should be going in the top 7, he is too good to pass up at this point in the draft. |
| 8. | Oakland Raiders | Carlos Dunlap | DE | Florida | Bruce Campbell seems to be the consensus in a lot of mocks, but he is long gone in this mock. Dunlap seems like a logical choice for the Raiders. He has a high bust potential, amazing size, and will blow up the Combine. |
| 9. | Buffalo Bills | Anthony Davis | OT | Rutgers | The Bills are in the same exact situation as the Seahawks were. The Bills really need a new quarterback, but Clausen and Bradford are off the board. That means offensive tackle should be the focus. Davis is going to be very good, but I'm not sure if he can be a left tackle in the NFL. That could be his downfall. |
| 10. | Jacksonville Jaguars | Derrick Morgan | DE | Georgia Tech | I can't see Jason Pierre-Paul going right here. He's very talented, but he has so many question marks that it would be a wasted pick. On the other hand, Morgan is going to be a very good pro even if he struggled in the Orange Bowl. Never judge a player off of one game, good or bad. |
| 11. | Denver Broncos | Rolando McClain | ILB | Alabama | I've had Dez Bryant going here for a while, but I do not think that McDaniels would go for a wide receiver in the first round even if Brandon Marshall is traded. McClain is the best player left available, and he fills a position of need. |
| 12. | Miami Dolphins | Joe Haden | CB | Florida | With McClain off the board, this pick comes down to 3 players: Dez Bryant, Dan Williams, and Joe Haden. I don't see a run-based team going wide receiver, and it's too high to take Williams. Haden forms an amazing combo with Vontae Davis, one of the best rookie corners last year. |
| 13. | San Francisco 49ers | Bryan Bulaga | OT | Iowa | With Davis off the board, Bulaga becomes the most highly-regarded tackle on board. Bulaga can play both left tackle and right tackle and is a fantastic run blocker. |
| 14. | Seattle Seahawks | CJ Spiller | RB | Clemson | The Seahawks get lucky that Spiller falls to them. He is a dynamic returner and a big play man. He could easily be what people thought Reggie Bush would be. If the 'Hawks don't get a quarterback, the next best thing is to get weapons for Jake Locker or Ryan Mallett next year. |
| 15. | New York Giants | Brian Price | DT | UCLA | This is a very popular pick. The Giants have major problems with their defensive tackles, and Price is perfect for a 4-3 defense. |
| 16. | Tennessee Titans | Jason Pierre-Paul | DE | South Florida | The Titans won't draft Pierre-Paul because he has great potential and defensive end is their top position of need, but because they like players who can't read. See Vince Young. |
| 17. | San Francisco 49ers | Brandon Graham | DE | Michigan | After an amazing Senior Bowl, Graham's stock has skyrocketed. The Niners need another pass rusher. After taking their tackle earlier to keep their QB standing, they need a player who can put the opposing QB on his backside. |
| 18. | Pittsburgh Steelers | Dan Williams | NT | Tennessee | Even though Hampton was re-signed, he's still 33 years old and the Steelers need to look for a replacement. |
| 19. | Atlanta Falcons | Sean Weatherspoon | OLB | Missouri | Weatherspoon is a great player who showed why he should be a top 20 pick at the Senior Bowl. The Falcons do have a need at outside linebacker with Mike Peterson being at risk of dying from old age. |
| 20. | Houston Texans | Earl Thomas | FS | Texas | The Texans need to improve their secondary. Right now they do not have a quality safety to play next to Bernard Pollard. Cornerback is also a big need but it is a little early for McCourty or Wilson. |
| 21. | Cincinnati Bengals | Dez Bryant | WR | Oklahoma State | With the Broncos passing on him, Bryant free falls all the way down to number 21. The Bengals get a steal of the century. |
| 22. | New England Patriots | Jerry Hughes | OLB | Texas Christian | The Patriots really need some rush linebackers. The defense is still ancient. Hughes should be a fantastic rush linebacker for the Patriots. If they can't get Graham, Hughes should be next on their list. |
| 23. | Green Bay Packers | Charles Brown | OT | Southern California | This sucks. Brown weighed in at 303 pounds. He may be gone before the Packers. Maybe the Colts should trade up. |
| 24. | Philadelphia Eagles | Everson Griffen | DE | Southern California | The Eagles do need another defensive end to partner up with Trent Cole. Griffen is the best left on board. He's a project, but he has the opportunity to be a stud. |
| 25. | Baltimore Ravens | Golden Tate | WR | Notre Dame | The Ravens need to give Flacco a target other than Derrick Mason. Tate is a big play guy who would fit the offense perfectly. It's either Golden or Gresham here. |
| 26. | Arizona Cardinals | Kyle Wilson | CB | Boise State | The Cardinals should consider trading up or down. They are in a tough space. Luckily Kyle Wilson fell to them. DRC-Wilson would be a formidable small school duo. |
| 27. | Dallas Cowboys | Mike Iupati | OG | Idaho | You see this pick a lot. It makes a lot of sense. The Cowboys like big linemen and need a guard, so it seems obvious. A little too obvious... |
| 28. | San Diego Chargers | Jonathan Dwyer | RB | Georgia Tech | The Chargers need a new running back. LT is gone and Sproles could be on his way out as well. Even if they re-sign Sproles, he is not a number one running back. This pick has to be Dwyer or Jahvid Best. |
| 29. | New York Jets | Donovan Warren | CB | Michigan | Warren is the best cornerback left on board in my opinion. I don't know why some people have him as a third rounder. Warren is a solid corner who played well despite Rich Rodriguez being his head coach. I wouldn't mind seeing the Colts take him. |
| 30. | Minnesota Vikings | Devin McCourty | CB | Rutgers | Rutgers has been sending out some solid players. McCourty is looking to follow in the steps of Ray Rice and Kenny Britt (not to mention Gary Brackett and Eric Foster) and be a starter early in his career. With the mediocre Vikings secondary, it should occur very early. |
| 31. | Indianapolis Colts | Jermaine Gresham | TE | Oklahoma | Right now if Gresham is off the board, I would want the Colts to trade down or trade away this pick for a first rounder next year. However, with the Ravens taking Golden Tate over him, the Colts stay and draft a top tight end. Gresham has a very good chance of being the next Tony Gonzalez. He is a wide receiver in a tight end's body who has enormous potential as a blocking tight end as well. I'm a big fan even if he is coming off of an injury. |
| 32. | New Orleans Saints | Jared Odrick | DT | Penn State | The Saints need a defensive end, but all of the top ones are off the board. However, Odrick is a solid pass rusher from the defensive tackle position and would definitely help the defensive ends. |
Summary: It sucks that Charles Brown is off the board before the Colts pick, but that's what happens when you are constantly picking at the bottom of rounds. Gresham is going to be a phenom wherever he goes. He would be one of Peyton's top targets and has a chance to be a better receiver and blocker than Clark. Once he polishes his route running and blocking he could be the best tight end in the league. At the worst, he is just another target for Peyton. I still think Jimmy Clausen is better than Bradford, but taking either of them is a lot better than taking another defensive lineman. There is no reason to believe Clausen and Bradford won't be studs in the pros. Even if Suh is the next Warren Sapp, the Rams should be satisfied with the pick if the QB they pick turns out well.
Round 2
| Pick | Team | Player | Position | School | Comments |
| 33. | St. Louis Rams | Trent Williams | OT | Oklahoma | After drafting a QB in the first round and the left tackle of the future in 2008, the Rams should go after their right tackle. Williams did a great job in 2008 of blocking for Bradford from the right side of the line. |
| 34. | Detroit Lions | Brandon Ghee | CB | Wake Forest | The Lions got their pass rush with Suh in the first round, and now they get their pass defense in the second round. Ghee was one of many standout corners at the Senior Bowl. He should be a quality starter almost immediately. |
| 35. | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Damian Williams | WR | Southern California | The Bucs are lucky Williams fell all the way to the second round. He should be a number one receiver in the NFL and a nice target for Josh Freeman. |
| 36. | Kansas City Chiefs | Terrence Cody | NT | Alabama | Cody is a big man. Like disgustingly big. He is going to bust, but Pioli loves positional value so much that he won't care. |
| 37. | Washington Redskins | Jahvid Best | RB | California | Clinton Portis is done. I doubt he is ever a starter-worthy back ever again. The 'Skins need to find a replacement. If Best recovers from his injury, he would be the perfect pick. |
| 38. | Cleveland Browns | Sergio Kindle | OLB | Texas | This is the same coach who took Vernon Gholston. Kindle is his man. At least this is only a second round pick this time. I don't think Kindle will amount to much in the pros, but he does have big time potential. |
| 39. | Oakland Raiders | Selvish Capers | OT | West Virginia | Believe it. Al Davis will take the huge project left tackle with the great 40 time. Is it a reach? For Al Davis, nothing is a reach. |
| 40. | Seattle Seahawks | Chad Jones | SS | Louisiana State | This is a tough one. There really are no defensive ends worth being taken here except for maybe Corey Wootton, but the 'Hawks need a pass rusher. Jones is a ballhawking safety who could be great. |
| 41. | Buffalo Bills | Cam Thomas | NT | North Carolina | The Bills are moving to the 3-4. When making this change, a team needs to find a nose tackle. Thomas is the best bet in this round for being a top NT. |
| 42. | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Patrick Robinson | CB | Florida State | The Buccaneers have Aqib Talib who is a thug but a damn talented thug. Ronde Barber is about finished. They need to find his replacement. Robinson is a solid pick at this point. |
| 43. | Miami Dolphins | Ricky Sapp | OLB | Clemson | The Dolphins have the oldest rush linebackers in the league with Taylor and Porter. With Porter bound to get cut, it only enhances this need. |
| 44. | New England Patriots | Arrelious Benn | WR | Illinois | The Patriots need another wide receiver to go along with Moss. They will take the chance on Benn and hope he doesn't drop as many passes as he did in college. |
| 45. | Denver Broncos | Alex Carrington | DE | Arkansas State | Carrington's stock went through the roof after his awesome Senior Bowl week. Josh Mishandles will take him in a reach. |
| 46. | New York Giants | Daryl Washington | MLB | Texas Christian | With the Giants cutting Antonio Pierce, they have a huge hole at middle linebacker. Washington will be a very good 4-3 middle linebacker. This is a little bit of a reach though. |
| 47. | New England Patriots | Corey Wootton | DE | Northwestern | The Patriots will go for the smaller but more athletic 3-4 defensive end. Wootton would be a solid 3-4 or 4-3 defensive end. It's too bad he will be a Patriot. |
| 48. | Carolina Panthers | Brandon LaFell | WR | Louisiana State | The Panthers have Steve Smith, a top receiver, but they need another target for Matt Moore if they plan on having a passing game. LaFell would be a great big target. |
| 49. | San Francisco 49ers | Vladimir Ducasse | OG | Massachusetts | If Alex Smith is ever going to be a successful NFL QB, he is going to need an offensive line. Ducasse would be a great addition on the line next to Trent Williams. |
| 50. | Kansas City Chiefs | Maurkice Pouncey | C | Florida | The Chiefs need a center. Pouncey is the best center left. With the Chiefs and Pioli, it's just that simple. |
| 51. | Houston Texans | Perrish Cox | CB | Oklahoma State | Again, more help for the secondary. Cox is a solid cornerback and a fantastic returner. |
| 52. | Pittsburgh Steelers | Brandon Spikes | ILB | Florida | James Farrior is over the hill. Since they couldn't snag Rolando McClain, the go for the next best thing in the 2nd round. |
| 53. | New England Patriots | Ryan Matthews | RB | Fresno State | Laurence Maroney is a major bust. They need to get another RB, and Matthews should be a stud. Great pick by the Patriots. |
| 54. | Cincinnati Bengals | Taylor Mays | SS/OLB | Southern California | Even though he is bound to have a good Combine, scouts know that he is horrendous in coverage. If the Bengals didn't love anyone who came from USC he could have fallen farther. |
| 55. | Philadelphia Eagles | Navorro Bowman | OLB | Penn State | The Eagles need an outside linebacker as much as they need a defensive end. Even though Bowman was arrested (much like every other current and former Penn State player over the past few years), he is still a stud. |
| 56. | Green Bay Packers | Kareem Jackson | CB | Alabama | I'm not sure if Jackson is as good as Javier Arenas, but the Packers do not have a huge need at returner so they should lean towards Jackson. |
| 57. | Baltimore Ravens | Aaron Hernandez | TE | Florida | Yeah, Flacco still needs more targets. If they are ever going to get passed the Colts or Chargers, they will need to be able to score points. |
| 58. | Arizona Cardinals | Kyle Calloway | OT | Iowa | The Cards will have to block better for Matt Leinart than they did with Kurt Warner. Leinart doesn't have the quick release of Warner, so Leinart needs all the help he can get. |
| 59. | Dallas Cowboys | Nate Allen | FS | South Florida | The Cowboys have a huge need in the secondary. I think Allen would be the right pick after years of notoriously bad drafting for the secondary. |
| 60. | San Diego Chargers | Lamarr Houston | DE | Texas | The Chargers have a huge need on the defensive line. Houston is a minor steal at this point in the draft. |
| 61. | New York Jets | Eric Norwood | OLB | South Carolina | After grabbing a corner in round 1, the Jets grab their biggest need, a rush linebacker. Norwood is a nice pick here. He's not Brandon Graham but he is solid. |
| 62. | Minnesota Vikings | Morgan Burnett | FS | Georgia Tech | The Vikings continue to improve their secondary. Age is starting to catch up to the Vikings. |
| 63. | Indianapolis Colts | Javier Arenas | CB | Alabama | I don't see him making it all the way to the third round. The Colts would be wise to pick up an amazing returner and a solid nickelback at this point. The Colts offense would be even more explosive with good field position. |
| 64. | New Orleans Saints | A.J. Edds | OLB | Florida State | The Super Bowl champs need to get younger on defense. Edds is a solid SAM linebacker who would be able to contribute immediately, something early Saints picks have not done in a while. |
Summary: We saw a lot of great players go off the board. The Colts never even got a chance to look at Corey Wootton or Daryl Washington. Javier Arenas is not slouch however. I am a huge fan of him and I think he will be one of the best returners in the league. Selvish Capers was the only left tackle to go in this round, and he was a horrible reach by Al Davis. The third round is the last one I will do. It should be interesting.
Round 3
| Pick | Team | Player | Position | School | Comments |
| 65. | St. Louis Rams | Greg Hardy | DE | Mississippi | The Rams need a DE, but this is a risky pick. Hardy is a bit lazy. |
| 66. | Detroit Lions | Dexter McCluster | RB/WR/RS | Mississippi | The Lions need a playmaker to go with Pettigrew and Johnson. Stafford needs all the help he can get. |
| 67. | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Reshad Jones | SS | Georgia | The Bucs are in need of a safety to go alongside Jackson. |
| 68. | Kansas City Chiefs | Jordan Shipley | WR/RS | Texas | Cody is a big man. Like disgustingly big. He is going to bust, but Pioli loves positional value so much that he won't care. |
| 69. | Oakland Raiders | Akwasi Owusu-Anash | CB | Indiana University (PA) | This is the first good pick by Al Davis. The Raiders need some depth at cornerback, and Owusu-Anash is a very talented corner. Luckily he will have a good 40 time. |
| 70. | Philadelphia Eagles | Jared Veldheer | OT | Hillsdale | Veldheer has ridiculous potential coming from a small school. He's absolutely massive at 6-9, 321 and could be the left tackle of the future for the Eagles. |
| 71. | Cleveland Browns | Dominique Franks | CB | Oklahoma | This is a bit of a steal. Franks is a solid cover corner who could be gone a lot earlier if it weren't for the just incredible depth at cornerback in this draft. |
| 72. | Buffalo Bills | Dan LeFevour | QB | Central Michigan | The Bills need a new QB. Sadly, they didn't get Bradford or Clausen, but LeFevour is a decent consolation prize. He's mobile and has a lot of potential. |
| 73. | Miami Dolphins | Torrell Troup | NT | Central Florida | The Dolphins could consider Dan Williams in the first, but if they do not pull the trigger, they must get a nose tackle quickly. Jason Ferguson is old and almost finished. |
| 74. | Jacksonville Jaguars | Tim Tebow | QB | Florida | You know what's funny about this pick? The Jaguars fans will get excited because they drafted 15, but then they will realize what a terrible pro he will be and that he will never play. They won't show up and the Jags will move to London anyways. |
| 75. | Chicago Bears | Mike Johnson | OG | Alabama | The Bears traded their first pick to the Broncos for Jay Cutler. That hasn't worked out so far. Then they traded their second pick to the Bucs for Gaines Adams. He died tragically and now this is the earliest pick for the Bears. This should make up for a tough first two rounds. |
| 76. | New York Giants | Darrell Stuckey | SS | Kansas | The Giants-Eagles game in December last year was ridiculous. New York was torn apart by Donovan McNabb and DeSean Jackson. It was ridiculous. Stuckey should help keep that from happening again. |
| 77. | Tennessee Titans | Amari Spievey | CB | Iowa | The Titans need to get a cornerback here. Harper is old and finished. Finnegan needs someone across from him to cover. Spievey is the best bet at this point in the draft. |
| 78. | Carolina Panthers | Mike Neal | DT | Purdue | Even after signing Big Ed Johnson, they will still need more help assuming Johnson eats his way out of the Panthers like he did with the Colts. Neal fits Meek's Tampa-2 perfectly. |
| 79. | San Francisco 49ers | Myron Rolle | SS | Florida State | In today's NFL, we see teams draft thugs and morons. The Niners break this disturbing trend by drafting Myron Rolle, a smart and incredible person. Singletary will love him. |
| 80. | Denver Broncos | Colt McCoy | QB | Texas | I thought it was weird in the national championship game when they said McCoy couldn't come back because "he could only throw the ball 7 yards." That hadn't stopped him from playing the first four years of his college career. Josh Mishandles likes his quarterbacks to have the arms of 7 year old girls. |
| 81. | Houston Texans | Joe McKnight | RB | Southern California | The Texans had major problems running the ball last year. Steve Slaton is a good back in a 2 back set but he will never carry the full load. Throw Joe McKnight in there and they may be able to complement their outstanding aerial attack. |
| 82. | Pittsburgh Steelers | Jerome Murphy | CB | South Florida | The Steelers cornerbacks are a mix between old and over the hill and young and underachieving. Murphy should help a lot. |
| 83. | Atlanta Falcons | Brandon Lang | DE | Troy | The Falcons really messed up by taking Jamaal Anderson a while back. He's a certified bust and they need a replacement. |
| 84. | Cincinnati Bengals | Rob Gronkowski | TE | Arizona | Here's another target for Carson Palmer. Gronk is a great receiving tight end who is a decent blocker as well. He will replace the failed Ben Utecht experiment. |
| 85. | Oakland Raiders | Tyson Alualu | DT | California | Sub 5.0 40 time from a defensive tackle? Check. Slight position of need? Check. He's a Raider alright. |
| 86. | Green Bay Packers | Jon Asamoah | OG | Illinois | This is a pick to give the Packers some more depth at offensive line. The Packers are really good and should be the team of the 2010s, so they don't have many needs. |
| 87. | Philadelphia Eagles | Major Wright | FS | Florida | The Eagles did not have a replacement for Brian Dawkins when they cut him. Oops. Wright should be the guy. He won't be as amazing as Dawkins was, but he will be serviceable. |
| 88. | Baltimore Ravens | Arthur Jones | DT | Syracuse | Trevor Pryce is about finished with his great career, so it is time for the Ravens to start looking for his replacement. Jones is a good start. |
| 89. | Arizona Cardinals | Jermaine Cunningham | OLB | Florida | He outplayed Carlos Dunlap last season. He's an underrated pass rusher who fills a position of need. |
| 90. | Dallas Cowboys | Linval Joseph | NT | East Carolina | Jay Ratliff is great, but he's a better fit at 3-4 defensive end rather than nose tackle. |
| 91. | San Diego Chargers | Larry Asante | S | Nebraska | Asante was a main part of the fantastic Cornhuskers defense last year. He can play both safety positions and would provide some depth for the Chargers. |
| 92. | Cleveland Browns | Mardy Gilyard | WR | Cincinnati | Although Brady Quinn was really bad last year, you can't say he had the receivers on the other end he needs. Gilyard was a big target for Tony Pike who could very well end up a Brown later in this draft. |
| 93. | Minnesota Vikings | Mitch Petrus | OG | Arkansas | Anthony Herrera is not a great right guard. Petrus is the guy who opened lanes for Felix Jones and Darren McFadden. He should be a strong run blocker on the next level. |
| 94. | Indianapolis Colts | Rodger Saffold | OT | Indiana | And the Colts take the local product. Saffold only gave up one sack last year, and that is going against the solid defensive ends of the Big Ten. He has started 41 straight games and is perfect for a zone blocking scheme. This would be a quality pick that I doubt could bring back the 3rd round curse. |
| 95. | New Orleans Saints | Austen Lane | DE | Murray State | Lane is a big time prospect. He's absolutely massive and can rush the passer as well as stop the run. This would be a great pickup. |
Summary: The Colts ended up coming out of the first two days pretty well. They got the best tight end in this draft who could be the next Tony Gonzalez. They got a nickelback who is going to be a great returner. They got a left tackle who should be solid. It is impossible to find an All-Pro left tackle after the early second round, but Saffold should be an improvement upon Charlie Johnson and a boost for the entire offensive line. Now we wait until after the Combine when the stock changes have occurred and we get a better image of what's to come.