Jun

6

2010

“Way too early” first round mock – June 7th

Written by Aaron Aloysius


17. Pittsburgh Steelers

Jared Crick – DE/DT – Nebraksa

With Aaron Smith getting older and more injury-prone, the Steelers could use a talented long-term replacement. Crick is more than capable of filling that role, ensuring that Pittsburgh continues to dominate in the trenches.

18. Philadelphia Eagles

Ryan Williams – RB – Virginia Tech

The Eagles could use a more physical complementary back to LeSean McCoy, who wore down towards the end of last season. The organization brought in Mike Bell to fill that role, but he’s only under contract for one season, and Williams is much more talented than the journeyman RB.

19. New York Giants

Anthony Castonzo – OT – Boston College

The Giants have long contemplated moving Dave Diehl back inside to guard, and drafting Castonzo finally allows them to do so. If everything goes well, Castonzo and ’09 2nd rounder Will Beatty could be the Giants’ bookend tackles for the next ten years.

   

20. Houston Texans

Jerrell Powe – DT – Ole Miss

Houston could use a powerful plugger in the middle of their defense, and Powe appears more than capable of filling that role. At a surprisingly explosive 6’2", 330 lbs., Power could end up going much higher than this, but he’ll have to answer questions about his intelligence and work ethic.

21. Tennessee Titans

Kyle Rudolph – TE – Notre Dame

Bo Scaife appears to be wearing out his welcome in Tennessee, which could leave the Titans searching for a long-term solution at tight end. In Kyle Rudolph, the Titans get a potentially elite receiving TE who could stretch the middle of the field and help Vince Young progress as a passer.

22. San Francisco 49ers

Von Miller – OLB – Texas A&M

Manny Lawson is in the final year of his rookie deal, and the team could be in the market for a pass rush upgrade. Unless Ahmad Brooks impresses this year, the team will have to find a better complement to Parys Haralson next offseason, and Miller would be a very good addition.

23. Dallas Cowboys

Matt Reynolds – OT – BYU

The Cowboys like their linemen big and physical, and the 6’6", 320 pound Reynolds certainly fits the bill. Though he’s probably ideally suited as a right tackle, Reynolds could push Doug Free for the job of protecting Tony Romo’s blindside. Wherever he lines up, he’ll open up running lanes for the Cowboys’ running backs.

24. New England Patriots

Jonathan Baldwin – WR – Pittsburgh

With Randy Moss’s future in New England in doubt, the Patriots add another vertical threat for Brady in Jon Baldwin. The 6’5" receiver averaged close to 20 yards per catch last year, and he’s set to have an even bigger season this fall. However, he’ll need to answer questions about his commitment to the game and ability to beat press coverage. Ultimately, those concerns could dampen his draft stock, making him a very good risk/reward pick for the Patriots.


25. New York Jets

Allen Bailey – DE/DT – Miami

A physical freak who displays impressive straight-line speed and power, Bailey would fit nicely in Rex Ryan’s attacking defense. Though he needs to improve his hand play and work on being a more consistent force, Bailey couldn’t end up in a better situation than playing for the Jets.

26. Atlanta Falcons

Greg Romeus – DE – Pittsburgh

The Falcons could use a powerful defensive end who can be equally effective on running and passing downs. Enter Greg Romeus, whose 6’6", 270 pound frame and good explosiveness should make him a quality three down defender in Atlanta’s defense. Though he may never be an elite pass rusher, Romeus should help Falcons fans forget about big-time bust Jamaal Anderson.

27. Green Bay Packers

Aaron Williams – CB – Texas

Charles Woodson (33) and Al Harris (35) are getting up there in age, which makes adding a young, physical corner a priority for Green Bay. Aaron Williams could provide that presence, preventing the Packers from ever being burned as badly as they were in last year’s playoff game against the Cardinals.

28. Indianapolis Colts

Marvin Austin – DT – North Carolina

Considered by many to be a potential top ten pick, Austin may be knocked down by concerns about his work ethic and strength at the point of attack. But he’ll outplay his draft slot if he lands in Indy, where the penetrating d-tackle can explode upfield and make plays. 

29. New Orleans Saints

Greg Jones – LB – Michigan State

This offseason, the Saints failed to find a suitable replacement for Scott Fujita, but Greg Jones eventually could fill that void. The instinctive but undersized linebacker would be a great addition to the Saints’ defense; his ability as a blitzer would be an especially nice touch in Gregg Williams’ pressure defense.

30. San Diego Chargers

Bruce Carter – LB – North Carolina

Stephen Cooper may leave via free agency, leaving a whole in the middle of the Chargers’ 3-4 defense. The uber-athletic Carter could replace Cooper, making plays both on defense and as a special teams demon.

31. Minnesota Vikings

Christian Ponder – QB – Florida State

If 2010 is the final season of the Brett Favre saga, the Vikings will go into the offseason looking for a capable replacement. Fortunately, they have the opportunity here to nab Christian Ponder, whose skill set best fits the Vikings’ West Coast Offense. In addition, Ponder’s smarts could help him assume an immediate starting role.

32. Baltimore Ravens

Da’Quan Bowers – DE – Clemson

Bowers wasn’t consistently productive for the Tigers last year, and concerns about his consistency could weigh down his draft stock. But the Ravens haven’t been afraid of taking gambles on supremely talented prospects, and they do so again in taking Bowers here. If they’re lucky, he’ll turn out to be the defensive counterpart to Michael Oher.

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Aaron Aloysius

Aaron began closely following the draft in 2005. Since then, he’s overcome an Al Davis-like obsession with workout numbers, instead focusing on the qualities and traits visible on the players’ tape. To that end, he’s produced numerous prospect videos, as well as contributed articles and commentary to various draft sites.

Follow Aaron on Twitter @AaronAloysius. See all posts for

15 thoughts on ““Way too early” first round mock – June 7th”

  1. WARNING: Jake Locker will not be picked in the top 20. Steve Sarkisian’s playbook hides Locker’s flaw. Which is his decision making ability. He doesn’t look away from the primary target, and if he finds that his primary target isn’t available, then he’ll tuck and run. You won’t see him progressing many films when you watch his games from last year.

  3. Pingback: Tweets that mention Draft Breakdown -- Topsy.com

  4. @Niner Fan – I like bold predictions, but I’m afraid I don’t agree with this one.

    Locker still needs to improve in some areas: his pocket awareness and decision-making aren’t always perfect, and he doesn’t possess elite accuracy. But he made significant strides during his Junior year, closing out the season with a very impressive game vs. Cal.

    In my opinion, he made the right decision to stay in school; having passed on playing baseball this summer, I expect his focus & dedication will lead to even more growth in his second year in Sark’s system.

    Luck or Mallett could eclipse him as the #1 QB, but I doubt Locker slides out of the top 20. Josh Freeman had even bigger holes in his game, and he went 17th overall.

  5. Niner fan….for a minute there, I thought you were talking about Tim Tebow. Single read, then tuck and run. The same could be said about many, many college QBs. Barring a drastic injury, Locker should be in the top 20 without a problem.

  6. @Will Spencer — Tebow is flawed from snap to release. (Think about that for a second) And when the ball is released from his hand his accuracy is inconsistent. McDaniels wanted to take this gamble to show his greatness as a coach. a.k.a Josh McDaniels still has a big ego.

    @Spencer and Aloysius — The prediction isn’t all that bold. The advising committee didn’t have Locker ranked as a 1st rounder in the 10′ draft. Next years QBs are “suppose to be” more talented than this years[Clausen > 10' and 11'{unless someone really stands out}just sayin']. NOW THIS NEXT STATEMENT WILL BE BOLD…Next year the QB rankings will go as follows: 1. Mallet 2.DEVLIN (Check youtube in two days or so and I’ll have a highlight video MAYBE +++ ARM ++ LEGS +++Release) 3. Luck (Slight windup in his throwing motion) 4. Locker (Unless he really learns the offense, which Aloysius mentioned he could, Locker WILL NOT be picked in the top 20)

  8. Big fan of Pat Devlin. I actually liked him better than Daryl Clark at Penn State, but Clark was basically promised the spot. Devlin was a better pocket passer for their offense, but they wanted someone who could run around a bit. I wouldn’t be shocked at all to see Devlin shoot up draft boards. Similar situation to Joe Flacco, but he’ll need to play like Flacco this season at Delaware.

  9. 9′rs fan, this was Locker’s 1st year ever in a Pro-Style offense. Also he has improved his completion percenttage every year. Locker will be a top 5 draft pick next year

  10. You are on Crack if you think that Patriots will use any of their first round picks. The oakland pick will be traded for a #1 in 2012 and a 3 in 2011 for their own pick thats where they trade it for a 2nd and a 5th this year. The philosophy of the Patriots is to shop at the dollar store and have a lot of picks something has to stick to the wall with a bunch of picks. Its about time to start looking for Brady back up also and projected starting qb not a 5-6-7 round wonder. Pats got lucky once with brady look at their #1 picks Merriweather,#2′s Chung,Brace et al are not starters but back ups see the patriots outlook on their draft outlook. “More is better”

  12. I am a Tampa fan & honestly doubt they will be drafting in the top 5 in 2010. But, the position mocked here is likely correct, although I personally hate taking DEs in round 1 due to the high bust rate. CB or HB are also possibilities, I suppose.OT is not out of the question, either.

  13. The Bucs certainly have a lot of work today before they’re really a competitor. I have a lot of reservations about Freeman as their quarterback, but we’ll see what happens.

  14. Will… another DE in Baltimore? I know Ozzie is all about best player available, but I feel like the D-Line is the least of our worries.. You think the secondary problems (especially corner) are solved with Wilson?.. Our receivers aren’t getting any younger, either, and I’m not at all impressed with David Reed. D-Will and Clayton are both gone, Stallworth and TJ only have 1 year deals, and who knows if Mase will stick around… Depth along the OL might be needed as well, especially if Gaither walks, but like you said, this mock is “way too early.”

    I enjoy reading your stuff.. thanks again “Mod9″