The Leading Authority of the NFL Draft

Mock Draft Monday: Ross "Rosstradamus" Mandel
Written by Ross Mandel    Monday, 08 March 2010 10:38    PDF Print E-mail

Every Monday we will bring you a new mock draft from one of our staff writers. This week’s mock draft comes courtesy of NFL Draft Bible Editor-In-Chief Ross "Rosstradamus" Mandel.

1.    St. Louis Rams— Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska. What do you get the team that needs everything? Ndamukong Suh, that’s what. Those who nitpick about his lack of pass rush ability and so-so athleticism are delusional. There are no flaws here—he’s big, athletic, disruptive, strong, and can take over a game at any time. Taking a QB here would be a reach and the Rams would be wise to wait until the second round, or even the 2011 draft, to do so.

2.    Detroit Lions—Gerald McCoy, DT, Oklahoma. The former Sooner is going to be a pass-rushing force in Detroit. He’s a terrific athlete that is quick off the snap and possesses wide variety of NFL-ready moves. Even though he’s going to jump in and make a name for himself, there remains some upside. Like Suh, he’s a solid character guy. No worries for Detroit here.

3.    Tampa Bay Buccaneers—Eric Berry, S, Tennessee.
Tampa needs help everywhere on defense, but they should begin with the playmaker from Tennessee. His tackling has improved and the ubiquitous comparisons to Ed Reed are fair ones.

4.    Washington Redskins—Russell Okung, OT, Oklahoma St. The Redskins have plenty of problems, but quarterback is a bit down the list. Besides, you must first protect the quarterback and there’s no one better suited to do so right away than Okung.

5.    Kansas City Chiefs—Anthony Davis, OT, Rutgers.
Although he’s a bit less polished than Okung, Davis’ upside might be higher. The Rutgers man possesses strength, athleticism, and the ability to block effectively in the run and pass games.

6.    Seattle Seahawks—Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma. Seattle needs a quarterback…now. Matt Hasselbeck is contracted through this season, but the writing has been on the wall for some time—this team isn’t going anywhere with him. Pete Carroll has a choice to make here, but it’s between players at the position. Bradford will not disappoint.

7.    Cleveland Browns—Jimmy Clausen, QB, Notre Dame. Shocking? Not really if you think about it. Brady Quinn has been anything but impressive and Mike Holmgren is going to want his own guy manning the position. Clausen is football smart, can make all of the throws, has an abundance of moxie, and played well despite the lack of a supporting cast. Sounds like a perfect fit.  

8.    Oakland Raiders—Bruce Campbell, OT, Maryland. No one buys combine hype like Al Davis and Campbell is sure to soar up the Raiders’ board after his outstanding performance in Indy. His reach, strength and 40-time will be too much for Davis to pass up.

9.    Buffalo Bills—Bryan Bulaga, OT, Iowa. The Bills would be wise to trade up for a quarterback, but they won’t. Instead, they’ll choose a player that can protect the quarterback and Bulaga can certainly do that.

10.    Jacksonville Jaguars—Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, South Florida.
He’s a bit raw, but has enough athleticism to get to NFL quarterbacks. Jacksonville needs massive pass rush help and the USF man will provide at least some of it.

11.    Denver Broncos—Dez Bryant, WR, Oklahoma St. The new Brandon Marshall (complete with some of the diva qualities?) arrives in the Mile High with deep-threat ability and the size to frustrate even the best NFL corners. He doesn’t have elite speed, but getting open is more important and Bryant can do it better than anyone in the draft.

12.    Miami Dolphins—Dan Williams, NT, Tennessee. The Fish need a nose man and here’s where they’ll have to take one. Williams will take up a tremendous amount of space and help Miami’s mediocre run defense.   

13.    San Francisco 49ers—Joe Haden, CB, Florida.
The Niners will be fortunate to have the best corner in the draft fall to them, but they’ll certainly take him. Haden’s outstanding cover skills and body control should have him higher than this, but teams will no doubt be scared off by his sluggish 40-time at the combine. It will be their mistake.

14.    Seattle Seahawks—Charles Brown, OT, USC.
Seattle needs help protecting the quarterback, and Pete Carroll is quite familiar with the athletic lineman out of Southern Cal. He needs to put on some weight and play a more physical game, but he can pass block now and will only get better once he bulks up.

15.    New York Giants—Rolando McClain, LB, Alabama. The perfect Giants player—heady, strong-willed, and a leader. The lack of linebacking talent in Gotham makes this a pretty easy pick. Yeah, he might be better initially in a 3-4 scheme, but the man is a ‘baller. He’ll be fine.

16.    Tennessee Titans—Derrick Morgan, DE, Georgia Tech.
Jeff Fisher’s crew needs a pass-rushing end, and they’ll be overjoyed to have Morgan land in their laps. He’s an explosive and athletic player with an array of moves and the ability to stuff the run.

17.    San Francisco 49ers—Trent Williams, OT, Oklahoma.
He measured in with acceptable height, weight, and wingspan at the combine, but there remain doubts about his ability to man the left side. He may get there eventually, but he’ll be better suited on the right. The Niners need him there.

18.    Pittsburgh Steelers—Mike Iupati, OG, Idaho. It’s no secret that the Steelers need offensive line help and with the big man from Idaho, they’ll get it. Iupati struggled at tackle during the Senior Bowl, but he did make the effort to play a relatively new position. Pittsburgh will figure out how best to use him.

19.    Atlanta Falcons—Everson Griffen, DE/OLB, USC. He has nice size, adequate speed…but will he be able to deliver on a consistent basis? Atlanta will say “yes” to that, and hope that Griffen will help them increase their sack total from 2009 (28).

20.    Houston Texans—Earl Thomas, S, Texas. The Texans secondary was shaky last season, and now they’ve lost Dunta Robinson to Atlanta. However, reaching for a CB here would not be wise; instead, they’ll grab Thomas. A ball-hawking safety would start the rebuilding process in the secondary with a bang.

21.    Cincinnati Bengals—C.J. Spiller, RB, Clemson.
He’ll be shocked to fall this far, but the bottom line is Spiller isn’t a franchise running back. However, he IS a terrific outside complement to Cedric Benson. In the ever-evolving two-back scheme, he’s a great get at this point.  

22.    New England Patriots—Brandon Graham, DE/OLB, Michigan. If he’s here, there’s no way the Pats pass on him. They need a pass rusher and some youthful energy on the defensive side of the ball. Graham’s knack for making big plays and his overall talent outweighs his so-called lack of size.

23.    Green Bay Packers—Sean Weatherspoon, LB, Missouri. There are a lot of well-known names at the linebacking spot for Green Bay, but some of those names are just that. Weatherspoon is a productive all-around player; he might not be the best at penetrating into the backfield or dropping into coverage, but he does both very well. Drafting a corner here would be a reach.

24.    Philadelphia Eagles—Taylor Mays, S, USC. Philly needs a safety and their fans may actually cheer a draft pick with this selection. Mays can lay the wood and looks the part with his physique…but despite his big-time reputation, there is still some work to be done here. He’ll be one of the more interesting players to follow in 2010.

25.    Baltimore Ravens—Jermaine Gresham, TE, Oklahoma. It’s enough with Todd Heap already. Gresham’s health has held up and the Ravens will complete their two-man offensive overhaul (Anquan Boldin) when they call his name. Adding a smooth route runner with excellent after-the-catch skills would be enough, but the former Sooner can block too.

26.    Arizona Cardinals—Sergio Kindle, OLB, Texas. The former Longhorn fills a major need at linebacker for the Cards. His athleticism and pass-rushing skills will be a welcomed addition.

27.    Dallas Cowboys—Maurkice Pouncey, C/OG, Florida.
Versatile, quick, and intelligent, Pouncey will bring much-needed help to the Dallas offensive line. He also has that nasty streak which coaches love.

28.    San Diego Chargers—Jared Odrick, DT, Penn St.
Versatile enough to play in either a 3-4 or a 4-3, Odrick’s strength/speed combo is what will ultimately make the Chargers pleased with this pick. Running back is a need, but that can be addressed later in this draft.  

29.    New York Jets—Carlos Dunlap, DE, Florida. He’s got plenty of red flags, but a coach like Rex Ryan may see that as a challenge, especially when dealing with someone with Dunlap’s talent. To Ryan, he’s worth the risk. Dunlap has strength aplenty as well as a quick initial burst…but he’ll have to be more consistent with his effort. Expect Ryan and the rest of the Jet D to make sure he is.

30.    Minnesota Vikings—Brian Price, DT, UCLA. Tough and athletic, Price will help the Vikes get a bit younger on the defensive line, something they must do if they’re going to remain among the elite teams in the NFL. Price’s sub par combine showing is what caused him to drop this far after lofty expectations just a few months ago. He’s the type of player that will take that personally and make those who passed on him live to regret it.

31.    Indianapolis Colts—Devin McCourty, CB, Rutgers. Corner help is needed in Indy and with his fluid hips, football smarts, and overall cover ability, the former Scarlet Knight will bring it. In addition to being a solid cover man, McCourty is a willing run supporter and can play special teams as well…the latter being something the Colts desperately need.

32.    New Orleans Saints—Navorro Bowman, LB, Penn St. The Saints are hurting at linebacker other than Jonathan Vilma so expect Bowman to be one of at least two ‘backers selected by the champs. Bowman’s 40-time may scare some teams away, but it must be noted that he added some bulk, which is at least partly responsible for his slow time (4.72). Bowman will bring quickness and solid tackling ability to New Orleans. He blitzes well, too, which will allow him to fit right in.

* * * * *

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*The All Access Football ninth annual 2010 NFL Draft Bible Package Is Now Available! Click Here To Learn More…

Photo Courtesy of Dennis Hubbard, College Press Box

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written by odendin, March 10, 2010
So tired of KC taking a LT at 5. Albert will not move over to RT. New coaches, switching to the ZBS midseason... they all explain his play. Look at the final 6 games (minus the BUF game). He played like an All-Pro. Give us a SS, NT, or MLB... well, not at 5... MLB maybe... Or Dez.

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