Brandon Galvin - The first round of the 2011 NFL Draft was one of the most entertaining first rounds in the history of the event.
Due to the lockout, teams had several voids needed to be filled. We saw a ton of movement, reaches and surprises.
Atlanta traded up for Julio Jones, Tennessee grabbed Jake Locker, Jacksonville traded up for Blaine Gabbert and Minnesota took Christian Ponder.
We saw players fall in Da’Quan Bowers, Akeem Ayers, Brooks Reed and Andy Dalton.
Now, the race is on for Dalton in the second round. Will Cincinnati leap frog Buffalo to land the TCU signal-caller?
There is still a ton of top-level talent to be had in the second round. Here is who each team could be taking tonight.
Also check out the draft grades for all 32 first round picks.
33. New England Patriots (from Carolina): Brooks Reed, Arizona DE/OLB
A top-level pass rusher with elite work ethic and motor on the field. He could be the next Clay Matthews.
34. Buffalo Bills: Akeem Ayers, UCLA OLB
Buffalo passed on Von Miller but still need an outside pass-rusher. Ayers is a first-round talent who falls to the second.
35. Cincinnati Bengals: Andy Dalton, TCU QB
Bengals find Chad Ochocinco’s replacement in the first round and now Carson Palmer’s replacement in the second round. Cincinnati stands pat and gets their next two superstars.
36. Denver Broncos: Kyle Rudolph, Notre Dame TE
John Elway is officially backing Tim Tebow, which means he needs to provide him with a solid security blanket.
37. Cleveland Browns: Da’Quan Bowers, Clemson DE
It was reported recently that the Browns cleared Bowers’ knee. I thought they traded up with Kansas City to select him. With Phil Taylor up front, Bowers is worth a chance in the second round.
38. Arizona Cardinals: Martez Wilson, Illinois LB
Martez Wilson is the top-rated inside linebacker, but he has the speed to play on the outside. With an elite secondary behind him, the Cardinals grab a fine linebacker here.
39. Tennessee Titans: Marvin Austin, North Carolina DT
The Titans grab Locker in the first instead of defensive tackle Nick Fairley. Lucky for them one of the top DT’s in the class falls to them in the second.
40. Dallas Cowboys: Aaron Williams, Texas CB
Jerry Jones needs to upgrade his secondary and lands a risk-taking corner who can also play safety. Williams gets to stay in Texas.
41. Washington Redskins: Mikel Leshoure, Illinois RB
Leshoure is too good to pass up for the Redskins. He has first-round ability and won’t cough up the ball.
42. Houston Texans: Brandon Harris, Miami (FL) CB
Houston put out one of the worst secondary units in the history of the game last year. They need a new first-round talent at cornerback.
43. Minnesota Vikings: Benjamin Ijalana, Villanova OT
Minnesota selected Ponder in the first and now must show they are dedicated to protecting him.
44. Detroit Lions: Bruce Carter, North Carolina OLB
Lions need a cornerback, badly, but with Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley up front, Bruce Carter can also come off the edge to rush the passer. The front seven will greatly improve the Lions’ average secondary, which stars safety Louis Delmas.
45. San Francisco 49ers: Colin Kaepernick, Nevada QB
San Francisco lands their pass-rusher to pair with Patrick Willis in Aldon Smith. Passing on Blaine Gabbert works out just fine as Colin Kaepernick, who may be better than Gabbert, falls to them in the second.
46. Denver Broncos: Christian Ballard, Iowa DT
Passing on Marcell Dareus for Von Miller turns out just fine as they land Christian Ballard, who can play across the line. John Fox is building himself a great defense.
47. St. Louis Rams: Jabaal Sheard, Pittsburgh DE
Yes, the Rams need a wide receiver but they can find one in the third round. The Rams grab two great pass rushers in the first two rounds to greatly improve their defense.
48. Oakland Raiders: Rodney Hudson, Florida State OG/C
The Raiders want to run the ball with Darren McFadden and need to protect Jason Campbell. Hudson offers versatility at the interior position on the offensive line.
49. Washington Redskins (from Jacksonville): Stephen Paea, Oregon State DT
Albert Haynesworth should be gone this offseason with his on-field and off-field issues. Paea was a first-round talent back in January.
50. San Diego Chargers: Dontay Moch, Nevada OLB
Chargers need to continue bolstering their pass-rush and Moch is one of my favorite outside linebackers in the draft.
51. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Rahim Moore, UCLA S
The Bucs need to improve their secondary, which they began to do when they selected defensive end Adrian Clayborn in the first. Moore is the best safety in the class.
52. New York Giants: John Moffitt, Wisconsin OG
Giants go best player available in the first round, but desperately need to upgrade their offensive line. Gabe Carimi would have been a great fit for them, so they take his talented teammate to bolster the interior.
53. Indianapolis Colts: Ryan Williams, Virginia Tech RB
Colts can’t afford to bring back Joseph Addai. Ryan Williams is my No. 4 RB in the draft.
54. Philadelphia Eagles: Ras-I Dowling, Virginia CB
Eagles passed on Jimmy Smith for Danny Watkins in the first round. They need to improve their secondary and Ras-I Dowling is a first-round talent to many.
55. Kansas City Chiefs: Orlando Franklin, Miami (FL) OG
Chiefs reached for Jonathan Baldwin in the first round. They need to make sure Matt Cassel has enough time to throw the ball to him, Franklin will upgrade the interior.
56. New England Patriots (from New Orleans): Justin Houston, Georgia OLB
Justin Houston's stock dropped following his failed drug test. Bill Belichick couldn't care less as he grabs a talented pass-rusher.
57. Seattle Seahawks: Ryan Mallett, Arkansas QB
Seahawks reached for James Carpenter, but still land the strong-armed QB who can get the rock through the rain in Seattle.
58. Baltimore Ravens: Torrey Smith, Maryland WR
Ravens need to upgrade their receiving corps badly. Smith is a speedster and gets to stay close to home.
59. Cleveland Browns (from Atlanta): Titus Young, Boise State WR
The Browns traded down with Atlanta, passing on Julio Jones. They need to give Colt McCoy another option besides Peyton Hillis.
60. New England Patriots: Randall Cobb, Kentucky WR
Patriots love versatile players. Cobb can do it all—receiver, running back, special teams.
61. San Diego Chargers (from Jets): Leonhard Hankerson, Miami (FL) WR
Chargers must add depth to their receiving corps after upgrading their defense.
62. Chicago Bears: Mason Foster, Washington OLB
Combine Mason Foster with Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs and watch this linebacker corps dominate further. Bears landed a steal in the first round in Gabe Carimi, but must bolster the front seven.
63. Pittsburgh Steelers: Curtis Brown, Texas CB
Steelers need to upgrade their offensive line to protect Ben Roethlisberger, but Curtis Brown is too good to pass up for their weak secondary.
64. Green Bay Packers: Greg Little, North Carolina WR
I expect James Jones to bolt in free agency and Greg Little reminds me of a smaller version of Terrell Owens.
No comments:
Post a Comment