First thing is first, I had to move the old drafts to the archive, which you can access by clicking above. The page was getting entirely too large. The 2013 draft will also be updated in the next few days as well.
Now on to the actual draft and what we have seen this year. This was a crazy year for football in general. The offensive side of the ball dominated unlike any year I have ever seen in my time following the sport. The NFL has multiple guys nearing and breaking the 5,000 yard mark. College football has more 70 point games than I’ve ever seen. All that only means one thing… you better have a legitimate quarterback if you are going to compete on any level.
With that said, we have a nice selection of quarterbacks, and receivers that will be selected in round one. Matt Barkley will not be apart of that group as he is returning to school. The book is still out on Heisman winner Robert Griffin III but for the sake of this mock I will assume he is going to the league. Landry Jones has not announced a decision but I will assume he will enter because Oklahoma has a pretty good young quarterback behind him in Blake Bell.
With that said, here is my latest draft projections.
Updated 1-5-12:
| 1 |
Colts |
 |
QB from Stanford How hard does this pick get? Pick Andrew Luck. If you want to gamble, trade out and get 5 players. But you better be sure Peyton is 1000% ready, and I don’t think anyone in America would make that gamble. It’s Luck’s time. It’s time to finally rebuild in Indy. |
| 2 |
Rams |
 |
WR from Oklahoma State A lot of people will have USC OT Matt Kalil here. While I really like him as a prospect I absolutely love Blackmon. Not the fastest or strongest guy, but he absolutely is a beast the way he tears through slants. I have no doubt he will be the quicker, uninjured version of Michael Crabtree. |
| 3 |
Vikings |
 |
OT from USC Leslie Fraiser will be back, and he needs to rebuild around Ponder. First thing is first, grab a franchise LT to protect your QB. |
| 4 |
Browns |
 |
QB from Baylor The hype around RGIII is at an all time HIGH, and the Browns hold a golden selection for whoever wants the Baylor QB. Just last year they cashed in and traded down to allow Atlanta to get Julio Jones. I believe they could do the same here, but either way the 4th selection should be RGIII. |
| 5 |
Buccaneers |
 |
CB from LSU The Bucs have had a disastrous season. They showed no fire down the stretch, and because of that Raheem Morris is looking for a job. I believe the new regime keeps much of the offense in tact and goes to replace Ronde Barber. |
| 6 |
Redskins |
 |
DE from North Carolina This is a placeholder pick. I believe the Redskins will actually not exercise this selection and instead will swap selections with the Browns to get RG3. The Browns would then pick Coples. RG3 is a QB that does everything Shanahan likes- moves the pocket, throws accurate on the run, and can run himself. |
| 7 |
Jaguars |
 |
WR from South Carolina This is such a hard pick to figure out because of all the moving parts in Jacksonville. Since Blaine Gabbert will only be a second year player I dont think they will harm his development, and actually get him a decent WR. A DE could very well be the pick if they like someone enough to take 7. |
| 8 |
Dolphins |
 |
OT from Iowa There are many ways you can go here. I could easily put Landry Jones here, but Matt Moore has shown everything you want to see from a QB. Maybe they still grab Landry to learn for a year or so, but Reiff pays bigger dividends quicker and gives you bookends with Long as two of the best young tackles in the game. |
| 9 |
Panthers |
 |
WR from Notre Dame Cam Newton set records. We all know that, but Legadew Nene probably set a record for most first down catches dropped as well. I know, the Panthers need that DT and will get him later. For now you grab the explosive Floyd and put him with Steve Smith. |
| 10 |
Bills |
 |
DE from Illinois Buffalo always could use a pass rusher, but is Mercilus worthy of the 10th overall selection? If you are going to go forward with Fitzpatrick and presumably resign Stevie Johnson and tell him to stop dancing, you have to find a pass rusher to keep your defense off the field. |
| 11 |
Seahawks |
 |
QB from Oklahoma I don’t think that the Seahawks will wait for Matt Barkley. They are simply too talented a team to wait around to find a QB. Tavaris Jackson is a decent option but still breaks too many plays. You need a classic passer in this offense. That is Landry Jones who is one of the best QBs in the nation when he isnt under pressure. |
| 12 |
Chiefs |
 |
OT from Stanford If you are seriously starting Barry Richardson at RT for another year, you must want to lose. Has Kyle Orton done enough to garner another year? Possibly. Who knows. |
| 13 |
Cardinals |
 |
OG from Stanford Probably my favorite lineman in the draft, just a shame I cannot cheat and make him fall to Denver. Haha, the Cardinals need anyone on that line to block for… wait for it…. SKELTON. |
| 14 |
Cowboys |
 |
CB from Alabama The way Dallas’ DBs finished the season I fully expect 3/4th of their defensive backs to get walking papers this offseason. Enough is enough. |
| 15 |
Eagles |
 |
OLB from Boston College EVERY single Eagles pick should be a LB. Yes the 9-wide defense resulted in inflated stats for Justin Babin, but it did not stop anyone. The Eagles never figured out a solution to their LB woes |
| 16 |
Jets |
 |
WR from Baylor Didn’t expect this did you? The Jets are not going to replace Sanchez unless they can get Peyton Manning for a clearance rack kind of deal. It makes no sense to blame everything on Sanchez when (1) you don’t run the ball anymore (2) aren’t getting stops on defense and (3) have one wide receiver who doesn’t get along with anyone, and another fresh outta jail |
| 17 |
Bengals |
 |
RB from Alabama Running backs are such bad positional value in the first round. We have seen time and time again where 2nd and 3rd rounders out produce 1st rounders in the same draft… but hey, someone is going to invest a 1st in Richardson and they should get a Pro Bowl RB in return. |
| 18 |
Chargers |
 |
ILB from Alabama Paging Larry English, paging Larry English…. |
| 19 |
Bears |
 |
WR from North Carolina The #1 NEED for the Bears is to find someone who can hold a clipboard and actually complete passes in the NFL… but you don’t draft backup QBs in the first round. You do draft tall WRs. |
| 20 |
Titans |
 |
DT from Penn State Yes, CJ only got 1k. Yes you are probably going to start either an almost 40 year old QB or a 2nd year player in Locker, but that defense was simply getting leaned back like Fat Joe… you have to get someone who can penetrate the line and cause a little havoc. |
| 21 |
Broncos |
 |
CB from Virginia I am not going to lie, I wanted to shed tears watching Dwayne Bowe use and abuse Champ Bailey just last week to the tune of 5 catches and 98 yards- IN THE FIRST HALF. Champ is still very good, and is exactly the type of guy you want mentoring a young CB with potential to be a lockdown before it is too late. |
| 22 |
Giants |
 |
C from Wisconsin The Giants need an interior lineman. Some believe Konz can play guard on the next level, which would workout just fine for Eli. |
| 23 |
Bengals |
 |
CB from Florida
|
| 24 |
Texans |
 |
DT from Washington The 3-4 in Houston needs a true NT but priority #1 for them is resigning Mario Williams. |
| 25 |
Browns |
WR from Rutgers Sanu had a really good year this year, and should be picked in the first 40 picks or so. If you are going to keep Colt McCoy (remember I have them trading down with Washington and getting Coples) then you need to giving him weapons. |
|
| 26 |
Lions |
 |
ILB from Arizona State Every year some player falls out from a sure fire top 10 pick to the 20′s and this year it is Mr. Burfict. When he got benched a few days ago for Arizona State’s bowl game it pretty much sealed the “character issues” stamp on him. The Lions are no strangers to taking players with a mean streak and he fits right in with what they do, and fills a need. |
| 27 |
Steelers |
OT from Ohio State How many sprained ankles is Ben going to play with? He is probably the toughest QB in the league hands down, but you always want your QB as healthy as possible. |
|
| 28 |
Ravens |
 |
ILB from Alabama Ray Lewis is going to retire if the Ravens win the Super Bowl. He’s already made this public, so replace him now. |
| 29 |
Patriots |
 |
DT from Michigan State Some people like Worthy a lot more than others. I don’t think he will be a top 15 pick. The positional value simply isn’t there and there is a lot of DTs available in the 2nd round and beyond. Worthy is, worthy (ooh see what I did there) of a first rounder and will replace Albert Haynesworth in that rotation. |
| 30 |
49ers |
 |
CB from South Carolina Gilmore is a physical corner, and fits in just right with the 49ers. |
| 31 |
Patriots |
 |
OLB from North Carolina The Patriots have played a lot of 4 man fronts this year, and Brown is a 4-3 backer. But it really doesn’t matter what defense you play when you are the dead last ranked defense. You add talent when and wherever you can get it, and figure out how to best utilize the players later which is what they do so well on offense. |
| 32 |
Packers |
 |
RB from Miami I cannot remember if Montee Ball threw his name in the draft yet or not. The people of Wisconsin will probably want him as a Packer, but he simply is not as talented as Lamar Miller. Miller has legit home run speed which is something the Packers would love to add at the RB spot. |
Thanks to FootballFanSpot for including us in their draft database.
Also, thanks to FFToolbox.com for adding up to their draft database.
I wanted to thank you for this great read!! I definitely enjoying every little bit of it I have you bookmarked to check out new stuff you post…
You need to do some research Chris Polk from Washington is a far better NFL RB prospect than James is, James is the product of a gimmick offense, Polk runs over people and drags them for extra tough yards.
I’ve seen a lot of Polk from watching Locker. I like him as a prospect, but he doesn’t have the “anytime” ability James does. James is essentially Reggie Bush pt. 2 but has no chance in hell of being picked top 5 like Bush
Pingback: 2012 NFL Mock Draft January 5th Update!
Pingback: Alabama Defeats LSU 21-0 in BCS Championship
I don’t like Sanu for the Browns, hes just another greg little. Unpolished WR who can only work the underneath routes and supposedly dangerous after the catch. IMO Burfict or Zach Brown would be a better pick there. Also NO WAY Richardson fall to 17.
I think Richardson is going to go a lot later than people think. Remember DeAngelo Williams got a $30 M guaranteed contact, CJ got his big extension and what have they done this year? The value for RBs just isn’t great enough to justify a top 10 pick, and extending them for $30 mil plus guaranteed.
What do you think of the Coples/RG3 trade I have projected for the Browns?