The "How Your Team SHOULD Draft" Mock Draft (Version 3.0)

 

In my previous mock (version 2.0), it was with the understanding that it was how I believe said team WILL draft, and not how I think they SHOULD draft. This truncated version is just that, how they should address the draft come April. Keep in mind, still throwing out any free agency speculation at this point. Feel free to hit me up on Twitter , for praise or to tell me I'm insane.

 

1. Colts - Andrew Luck/QB Stanford

2. Browns (Trade w/ Rams) - Robert Griffin III/QB Baylor

3. Vikings - Matt Kalil/OT USC

4. Rams (Trade w/ Browns) - Michael Floyd/WR Notre Dame

5. Buccaneers - Morris Claiborne/CB LSU

6. Redskins - Ryan Tannehill/QB Texas A& M

7. Jaguars - Justin Blackmon/WR Oklahoma State

8. Dolphins - Quinton Coples/DE North Carolina

We know Luck is a lock, but Cleveland should move up to get RG3. If you have a potential game changer at QB available, you move Heaven and Earth for him. I don't buy other teams without the proper draft ammo clamoring to move up. Cleveland has the picks—they should win the RG3 Derby. Matt Kalil is special, and shouldn't fall past Minnesota. This one surprised me a bit, but Michael Floyd has me convinced he's ready to be a pro, and Jeff Fisher isn't afraid to take a risk with players with off the field concerns. Floyd is big, physical, and quick out of breaks. If you're convinced he's cleaned up his act, you take him over the smaller WRs like Blackmon and Wright. Morris Claiborne is a slam dunk at this point, you take a top corner if you have a need, and Greg Schiano knows top tier talent when he see it. Crazy right? Tannehill to Washington? Not if he's your guy and you think Miami is interested. Take your QB and don't get cute. The knock on Gabbert is he had no weapons in 2011. In 2012? No excuses, enter playmaker Justin Blackmon. Miami has two ways to stop the New England Patriots, score more points (which will take some major tooling), or get to Tom Brady and keep them from scoring. The Giants did it twice with a relentless pass rush. Coples gives you that...his motor is still a question mark, but you take him and hope he develops into the next Jason Pierre-Paul.

 

9. Panthers -Kendall Wright/WR Baylor

10. Bills -Courtney Upshaw/OLB Alabama

11. Chiefs - Dontari Poe/DT Memphis

12. Seahawks - Michael Brockers/DT LSU

13. Cardinals - Riley Reiff/OT Iowa

14. Cowboys - Dre Kirkpatrick/CB Alabama

15. Eagles - Luke Keuchly/ILB Boston College

16. Jets - David DeCastro/ OG Stanford

Ideally, a bigger, rangier target for Cam Newton would have been ideal, but you can't dismiss the talent of Kendall Wright. Paired with veteran speedster, Steve Smith, and the Panthers vertical attack just got scary. Back and forth on the Bills pick, but in the end, Courtney Upshaw is everything Shawne Merriman should have been: versatile, nasty, and in Tom Brady's backfield. No change in KC, Poe is their plugger. Michael Brockers is raw, but OH what upside. A big DT with long arms, he's a scary addition to an already impressive young defense on the upswing. The Cardinals need help all along the OL. While I considered DeCastro here, the blind side is priority #1. Riley Reiff has been taking some media criticism as of late, but turn on the tape. He's a mauler in the run game and an athletic technician in pass protection. The next man up after Kalil is Reiff, and a solid pick for Arizona. Dre Kirkpatrick didn't quite measure up to the advertised 6'-3", but pay that no mind. He's still long and rangy and apparently has been pretty honest about his OTF issues (via the beat in Indy). As far as need and value go, not a better match on the board for Dallas. The Eagles are a sieve in the middle and have been for years. Kuechly is plug and play, no need to overthink this one. Same as Mock 2.0, the Jets get a gift in DeCastro at #16. He’s an All-Pro caliber OG who can help Rex Ryan get back to the legit ground and pound of his first two seasons as HC.

 

17. Bengals - (via OAK) Trent Richardson/RB Alabama

18. Chargers - Cordy Glenn/ OL Georgia

19. Bears - Alshon Jeffery/WR South Carolina

20. Titans - Janoris Jenkins/CB North Alabama

21. Bengals - Stephon Gilmore/CB South Carolina

22. Rams - (via trade w/ CLE) Devon Still/DT Penn State

23. Lions - Mike Adams/OT Ohio State

24. Steelers - Melvin Ingram/DE/OLB South Carolina

The Bengals reclamation of Ced Benson may officially be over, and getting Trent Richardson in this spot is a gift. Not changing my Glenn to San Diego pick from my first mock draft. Need and match is damn near perfect. Yeah, Alshon Jeffery hasn't helped himself by not running the 40 at the Combine, but watch the tape. This kid can play. Can he stay in shape? Time will tell, but Cutler needs a reasonable facsimile of Brandon Marshall, and Jeffery fits the bill. Jenkins has more baggage than the Samsonite outlet, but he's an elite press corner, and with Finnegan likely gone in free agency, he fills a major hole for the Titans. Stephon Gilmore is a big rangy CB, and fills the void left by Jonathan Joseph when he left in free agency to the Texans. Jeff Fisher and the Rams continue their build (via a trade with Cleveland) by adding a 4-3 DT in Devon Still. A nice building block for Fish and Co. Matt Stafford had a breakout year, and avoided a "break" year. That said, Big Mike Adams is too big of a value at this point for Jim Schwartz to pass up, and adds a solid bookend to protect his franchise QB. Ingram, Ingram, Ingram! Top ten talent? Sure. Top ten fit? Not really. That's why the explosive and thickly built Ingram seems like a natural fit to Pittsburgh, where tweeners like Woodley and Harrison flourish. A year early is the Steeler way, where Ingram can be groomed as Harrison's replacement.

 

25. Broncos - Jerel Worthy/DT Michigan State

26. Texans - Mohamed Sanu/WR Rutgers

27. Patriots - (via Saints) Fletcher Cox/DT Mississippi State

28. Packers - Nick Perry/DE/OLB USC

29. Ravens - Mark Barron/S Alabama

30. Niners - Marvin Jones/ WR Cal

31. Patriots -Andre Branch/ OLB Clemson

32. Giants - Peter Konz/ C Wisconsin

Worthy is a nasty dude. He fits the John Fox prototype, and Worthy would help shore up the Denver interior DL. Sanu a surprise? Not to me. They already have the stud #1 WR in Andre Johnson, now you go out and get the #2 possession WR who runs clean, precise routes, and catches every damn thing thrown his way. Jones and Walter can take a seat on the bench where they belong. This pick for NE could be moved, but with a rookie cap in place, there's no reason for Belichick to pass on the great value of Cox, who can play up and down the DL. Nick Perry looks like a beast, but he's raw. I can see him eventually bookend former Trojan teammate Clay Matthews Jr. and develop into a solid pro. Ed Reed will retire at some point, and Mark Barron is easily the best safety on the board. A smart, Ozzie Newsome-type pick. Marvin Jones? Whuh? Huh? How about Combine Sweetheart, Stephen Hill? Check the tape. Jones is a sick outside the numbers WR, and would give the sluggish WR corp in SF an immediate boost. A great kid, Cal product. It just makes sense for Jim Harbaugh. The Patriots aren't worried about the elephant in the room... because he's a linebacker! Branch is a smooth pass defender, and a relentless pass rusher. What's not to love? We wrap up round one, with the Giants playing it smart, and adding a blue chip center in Konz to the mix.

Stay tuned for version 4.0 aftter Free Agency begins in March. Cheers!