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1. Su'a Cravens, Safety, California
2. Joey Bosa, Defensive Line, Florida
3. Jalin Marshall, Athlete/Wide Receiver, Ohio
4. Cameron Burrows, Cornerback, Ohio
5. Robert Foster, Wide Receiver, Pennsylvania
6. Jaylon Smith, Linebacker, Indiana
7. Kendall Fuller, Defensive Back, Florida
8. James Quick, Wide Receiver, Kentucky
9. Vernon Hargreaves III, Defensive Back, Florida
10. Ethan Pocic, Offensive Line, Illinois
11. Mackensie Alexander, Defensive Back, Florida
12. Derrick Green, Runningback, Virginia
13. Devon Allen, Wide Receiver, Arizona
14. JT Barrett, Quarterback, Texas
15. Alex Anzalone, Linebacker, Pennsylvania
16. Vonn Bell, Defensive Back, Georgia
17. Leon McQuay III, Defensive Back, Florida
18. Eli Woodward, Defensive Back, New Jersey
19. Billy Price, Defensive Line, Ohio
20. Shelton Gibson, Wide Receiver, Ohio
21. LaQuon Treadwell, Wide Receiver, Illinois
22. Ty Issac, Runningback, Illinois
23. Evan Lisle, Offensive Line, Ohio
24. Marcus Baugh, Tight End, California
25. Mike Heuerman, Tight End, Florida
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Ohio State Football Recruiting Target Rankings
The following is a list of the recruits Ohio State has given scholarship offers to ranked in order. The Buckeyes have 8 verbal commitments as of right now and these players will be included in the rankings as the commitments aren't official until signing day next February and a lot can change between now and then. These rankings are based on what video I could find and watch of these players.
Quarterbacks:
1. J.T. Barrett- Wichita Falls, Texas
2. Mitch Trubisky- Mentor, Ohio
3. Travon Chapman- Kent, Ohio
4. Bucky Hodges- Virginia Beach, Virginia
5. Darryl Richardson- Seffner, Florida
Runningbacks:
1. Ryan Green- St. Petersburg, Florida
2. Derrick Green- Richmond, Virginia
3. Ty Issac- Joliet, Illinois
4. Ezekial Elliott- St. Louis, Missouri
5. Dontre Wilson- DeSoto, Texas
6. Taquan Mizzell- Virginia Beach, Virginia
7. TJ Logan- Greensboro, North Carolina
8. Corey Clement- Glassboro, New Jersey
9. David Williams- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Wide Receivers:
1. Robert Foster- Monaca, Pennsylvania
2. James Quick- Louisville, Kentucky
3. Devon Allen- Pheonix, Arizona
4. LaQuon Treadwell- Crete, Illinois
5. Shelton Gibson- Cleveland, Ohio
6. Uriah Lemay- Matthews, North Carolina
7. Reggie Davis- Tallahassee, Florida
8. Marquez North- Charlotte, North Carolina
9. Travis Johnson- Tampa, Florida
10. RaShaad Samples- Dallas, Texas
11. Jordan Cunningham- Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
12. Richard Benjamin- Tampa, Florida
13. Jordan Fuchs- Middle Village, New York
14. Taivon Jacobs- District Heights, Maryland
Tight Ends:
1. Marcus Baugh- Riverside, California
2. Josh McNeil- Durham, North Carolina
3. Mike Heuerman- Naples, Florida
Offensive Lineman:
1. Laremy Tunsil- Lake City, Florida
2. Ethan Pocic- Lemont, Illinois
3. John Montelus- Everett, Massachussetts
4. Evan Lisle- Centerville, Ohio
5. Darius Latham- Indianapolis, Indiana
6. Khaliel Rodgers- Bear, Deleware
No Video- Marcell Lazard, Derwin Gray
Defensive Lineman:
1. Joey Bosa- Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
2. Elijah Daniel- Avon, Indiana
3. Billy Price-Austintown, Ohio
4. Derrick Calloway- Bradenton, Florida
5. Micheal Hill- Pendleton, South Carolina
6. Jordan Sherit- Tampa, Florida
7. Henry Poggi- Baltimore, Maryland
8. Donovan Munger- Shaker Heights, Ohio
9. Ebenezer Ogundeko- Brooklyn, New York
10. Maurice Hurst- Westwood, Massachussetts
11. Tracy Sprinkle- Elyria, Ohio
12. Issaac Rochell- McDonough, Georgia
Linebackers:
1. Jaylon Smith- Fort Wayne, Indiana
2. Alex Anzalone- Reading, Pennsylvania
3. Matt Rolin- Ashburn, Virginia
4. Courtney Love- Youngstown, Ohio
5. Peter Kalambayi- Matthews, North Carolina
Defensive Backs:
1. Su'a Cravens- Murrieta, California
2. Cam Burrows- Trotwood, Ohio
3. Kendall Fuller- Olney, Maryland
4. Vernon Hargreaves- Tampa, Florida
Mackensie Alexander- Immokalee, Florida
Dymonte Thomas- Alliance, Ohio
Vonn Bell- Roseville, Georgia
Leon McQuay III- Seffner, Florida
Marcell Harris- Orlando, Florida
Eli Woodward- Vorhees, New Jersey
Caleb Day- Hilliard, Ohio
Chris Worley- Cleveland, Ohio
Jalen Ramsey- Brentwood, Tennessee
Friday, February 10, 2012
Ohio State Football: Signing Day 2013
Stefon Diggs finally just announced that he is going to Maryland which means the class of 2012 is finally set for the Ohio State Buckeyes. Diggs would have been the icing on the cake in what turned out to be a stellar recruiting class for Urban Meyer. They loaded up on defensive lineman with speed and power and filled needs on the offensive line. The only other position they had a real need was a speedy WR to play that Percy Harvin type of slash roll and Diggs would have filled that spot.
Fear not Buckeye fans as Jalin Marshall who is a top 5 player in the country for 2013 is on the way next year. So is another 4/5 star player in Cam Burrows, a defensive back also from Ohio. It's way early and teenagers change their minds so things can and will change. I don't believe with these two as they are both big Ohio State fans, but with other possible recruits. Here is who I believe will be on their way to Columbus out of next year's class with 18 openings I believe:
Jalin Marshall, Athlete/WR, Middletown HS, Middletown, Ohio
Cameron Burrows, Defensive Back, Trotwood HS, Madison, Ohio
Malik Zaire, Quarterback, Archbishop Alter HS, Kettering, Ohio
Derrick Green, Runningback, Hermatige HS, Richmond, Virginia
Shelton Gibson, Wide Receiver, Cleveland Heights HS, Cleveland, Ohio
Billy Price, Defensive Line, Fitch HS, Austintown, Ohio
Jaylon Smith, Linebacker, Bishop Luers HS, Fort Wayne, Indiana
Eli Woodward, Defensive Back, Eastern HS, Vorhees, New Jersey
Caleb Day, Defensive Back, Darby HS, Hillard, Ohio
Robert Foster, Athlete/WR, Central Valley HS, Monaca, Pennsylvania
TJ Logan, Runningback, Northern Guilford HS, Greensboro, North Carolina
Evan Lisle, Offensive Line, Centerville HS, Columbus, Ohio
Chris Fox, Offensive Line, Ponderosa HS, Parker, Colorado
Ben Gedeon, Linebacker, Hudson HS, Hudson, Ohio
Lovell Peterson, Offensive Line, Wayne HS, Huber Heights, Ohio
Laquon Treadwell, Wide Receiver, Crete-monee HS, Crete, Illinois
Adam Breneman, Tight End, Cedar Cliff HS, Camp Hill, Pennsylvania
And a big Defensive Tackle for the 18th spot. This is a small class due to not that many Seniors on this year's team. Some more spots could open up due to attrition and they may want to address the Punter position. If any more spots are open I would look for them to go to the defensive side of the ball. I think with the scholarships they know they have open now they will go harder on the offense than the defense for two reasons. First they loaded up on defense in the 2012 class at all 3 position groups and 2nd now the bigger need is on offense. They especially need skill guys/athletes on offense. If they land anything close to this class which is a good possibility they will be a player in the national championship picture very soon.
Fear not Buckeye fans as Jalin Marshall who is a top 5 player in the country for 2013 is on the way next year. So is another 4/5 star player in Cam Burrows, a defensive back also from Ohio. It's way early and teenagers change their minds so things can and will change. I don't believe with these two as they are both big Ohio State fans, but with other possible recruits. Here is who I believe will be on their way to Columbus out of next year's class with 18 openings I believe:
Jalin Marshall, Athlete/WR, Middletown HS, Middletown, Ohio
Cameron Burrows, Defensive Back, Trotwood HS, Madison, Ohio
Malik Zaire, Quarterback, Archbishop Alter HS, Kettering, Ohio
Derrick Green, Runningback, Hermatige HS, Richmond, Virginia
Shelton Gibson, Wide Receiver, Cleveland Heights HS, Cleveland, Ohio
Billy Price, Defensive Line, Fitch HS, Austintown, Ohio
Jaylon Smith, Linebacker, Bishop Luers HS, Fort Wayne, Indiana
Eli Woodward, Defensive Back, Eastern HS, Vorhees, New Jersey
Caleb Day, Defensive Back, Darby HS, Hillard, Ohio
Robert Foster, Athlete/WR, Central Valley HS, Monaca, Pennsylvania
TJ Logan, Runningback, Northern Guilford HS, Greensboro, North Carolina
Evan Lisle, Offensive Line, Centerville HS, Columbus, Ohio
Chris Fox, Offensive Line, Ponderosa HS, Parker, Colorado
Ben Gedeon, Linebacker, Hudson HS, Hudson, Ohio
Lovell Peterson, Offensive Line, Wayne HS, Huber Heights, Ohio
Laquon Treadwell, Wide Receiver, Crete-monee HS, Crete, Illinois
Adam Breneman, Tight End, Cedar Cliff HS, Camp Hill, Pennsylvania
And a big Defensive Tackle for the 18th spot. This is a small class due to not that many Seniors on this year's team. Some more spots could open up due to attrition and they may want to address the Punter position. If any more spots are open I would look for them to go to the defensive side of the ball. I think with the scholarships they know they have open now they will go harder on the offense than the defense for two reasons. First they loaded up on defense in the 2012 class at all 3 position groups and 2nd now the bigger need is on offense. They especially need skill guys/athletes on offense. If they land anything close to this class which is a good possibility they will be a player in the national championship picture very soon.
Friday, January 27, 2012
The Bengals Bright Future
With all of the young talent on the Cincinnati Bengals and the fact that they robbed the Oakland Raiders of two high draft picks for Carson Palmer, the Bengals are set up to make a Super Bowl run in the near future. I don't think fans of the Bengals ever thought this day would be a possibility under the ownership of Mike Brown. 63
Cincinnati hit it out of the park in last year's draft landing AJ Green and Andy Dalton in the first two rounds. Steve Mariucci called them the best rookie Quarterback/Wide Receiver combination in the history of the NFL. I don't know if I would go that far, but they definitely look like they have bright futures at two of the most important positions on the field. With those two and Jermaine Gresham just finishing his second year, the passing game looks like it will be solid for years to come. 91
The defense also had a top ten finish for the second time in the last three years under Mike Zimmer. Zimmer will be back and so will most of the key pieces from this defense. Injuries hit and they kind of fell apart towards the end of the year and in the playoffs. There are some holes to fill, but the core is there for this unit as well. 69
Looking ahead to the off-season this team is in a position to do some big things. They have two first round picks and the team is so far under the cap that Mike Brown may have to spend some money in free agency this year to get the team's salary up to the required floor by 2013. With all of the young talent, Cincinnati may actually be a place that free agents want to come and play. 78
As of right now the biggest needs for the Bengals are Guard, Cornerback, Runningback, and a second Wide Receiver. Hopefully some of these needs can be met in free agency, especially at Guard where it looks like the team may need two new starters for next season. At Cornerback we won't know how big the need is until they see how Leon Hall is progressing and if Jones and Clements are brought back.
With five picks in the first three rounds of the draft a lot of holes can be filled and depth added to this roster. In today's NFL teams with explosive offenses are the teams that are consistently in the playoffs. Adding a player like Kendall Wright of Baylor would give this team that third elite skill player and he has the speed to take the top off of defenses. This would be a perfect compliment to Green and keep him from seeing so many double teams. Defenses can't focus both of their Safeties on Wright and Green and leave Gresham matched up against a Linebacker.
With a top half of the league defense and an explosive offense the ingredients would be there to make a Super Bowl run. Obviously no one knows how the draft will fall and free agency comes first so the needs for the draft will not be known. One thing that is known is it hasn't been this exciting to be a fan of the Cincinnati Bengals in over twenty years.
Cincinnati hit it out of the park in last year's draft landing AJ Green and Andy Dalton in the first two rounds. Steve Mariucci called them the best rookie Quarterback/Wide Receiver combination in the history of the NFL. I don't know if I would go that far, but they definitely look like they have bright futures at two of the most important positions on the field. With those two and Jermaine Gresham just finishing his second year, the passing game looks like it will be solid for years to come. 91
The defense also had a top ten finish for the second time in the last three years under Mike Zimmer. Zimmer will be back and so will most of the key pieces from this defense. Injuries hit and they kind of fell apart towards the end of the year and in the playoffs. There are some holes to fill, but the core is there for this unit as well. 69
Looking ahead to the off-season this team is in a position to do some big things. They have two first round picks and the team is so far under the cap that Mike Brown may have to spend some money in free agency this year to get the team's salary up to the required floor by 2013. With all of the young talent, Cincinnati may actually be a place that free agents want to come and play. 78
As of right now the biggest needs for the Bengals are Guard, Cornerback, Runningback, and a second Wide Receiver. Hopefully some of these needs can be met in free agency, especially at Guard where it looks like the team may need two new starters for next season. At Cornerback we won't know how big the need is until they see how Leon Hall is progressing and if Jones and Clements are brought back.
With five picks in the first three rounds of the draft a lot of holes can be filled and depth added to this roster. In today's NFL teams with explosive offenses are the teams that are consistently in the playoffs. Adding a player like Kendall Wright of Baylor would give this team that third elite skill player and he has the speed to take the top off of defenses. This would be a perfect compliment to Green and keep him from seeing so many double teams. Defenses can't focus both of their Safeties on Wright and Green and leave Gresham matched up against a Linebacker.
With a top half of the league defense and an explosive offense the ingredients would be there to make a Super Bowl run. Obviously no one knows how the draft will fall and free agency comes first so the needs for the draft will not be known. One thing that is known is it hasn't been this exciting to be a fan of the Cincinnati Bengals in over twenty years.
Elite Quarterbacks
In this country there are probably millions of boys that dream of being a Super Bowl winning Quarterback in the NFL. Thousands of these boys end up being high school Quarterbacks every year and hundreds go on to play QB in college. Of these players in college a select few are drafted or signed by NFL teams every year. Only 32 a year start for a team in the NFL, and only a handful are elite that can carry or lead a team to a Super Bowl Championship.
In today's pass happy NFL you almost certainly need a top notch, if not elite, QB to win the Super Bowl. Out of all of these players who aspire to be elite Quarterbacks in the NFL the odds of finding one for your team are slim to none. If you are running an NFL franchise what would you be willing to give up to have a chance to get one of these elite players?
The reason I ask this question is Andrew Luck is entering the NFL draft and he may be the most highly touted prospect at the position since Peyton Manning. He's a once in a generation type of talent. Luck will almost certainly be drafted with the number one pick that the Indianapolis Colts currently own and if I'm an NFL owner or General Manager I would offer a lot to have a chance to select him.
These Quarterbacks only come along about once in a generation and while there are no guarantees, he's about as close as you can get to being a sure fire top end player. I would make an offer of an entire draft like the Saints did to get Ricky Williams. I would offer my top 3 picks in this draft and next year's draft. The NFL is a Quarterback driven league and that is the first piece you have to have when trying to build a Super Bowl winning team. Within reason I would offer about anything I could to get the first pick. It's a given that the Colts are going to draft him, but if I'm any other team that doesn't have what they consider the guy to lead them to the Super Bowl, then I'm going to try to make the Colts an offer they can't refuse to get Luck. They may just accept what they consider a king's ransom because they may think they could build a team quickly with a ton of draft picks and keep Manning in Indy.
Take a look at the last 8 Super Bowl winners and their starters at Quarterback. It goes Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger, Eli Manning, Peyton Manning, and Tom Brady with Brady and Big Ben each winning it twice. All of these players are considered elite or close to being elite. The NFL is becoming even more of a passing league and this trend is going to continue. While giving all of those picks up may set your team back some, if you don't have a great QB you almost have no chance of winning the Super Bowl.
With free agency you can make up some ground on those missing draft choices. Also as long as Luck stays healthy he should play for at least a decade which will give you plenty of time to build the team around him. NFL teams should be on the phone right now doing everything they can to pry that pick away from the Indianapolis Colts. You can hang on to those picks and try to build the rest of your team, but what if you never find the guy at QB? Look at the Jets, they had maybe the most talented team in the NFL, but they could never get over the hump. If they had a QB comparable to any of these past Super Bowl Champs they likely would have won two in a row. This should be all the proof you need to know if you don't have the guy at Quarterback you have very little chance to win it all.
In today's pass happy NFL you almost certainly need a top notch, if not elite, QB to win the Super Bowl. Out of all of these players who aspire to be elite Quarterbacks in the NFL the odds of finding one for your team are slim to none. If you are running an NFL franchise what would you be willing to give up to have a chance to get one of these elite players?
The reason I ask this question is Andrew Luck is entering the NFL draft and he may be the most highly touted prospect at the position since Peyton Manning. He's a once in a generation type of talent. Luck will almost certainly be drafted with the number one pick that the Indianapolis Colts currently own and if I'm an NFL owner or General Manager I would offer a lot to have a chance to select him.
These Quarterbacks only come along about once in a generation and while there are no guarantees, he's about as close as you can get to being a sure fire top end player. I would make an offer of an entire draft like the Saints did to get Ricky Williams. I would offer my top 3 picks in this draft and next year's draft. The NFL is a Quarterback driven league and that is the first piece you have to have when trying to build a Super Bowl winning team. Within reason I would offer about anything I could to get the first pick. It's a given that the Colts are going to draft him, but if I'm any other team that doesn't have what they consider the guy to lead them to the Super Bowl, then I'm going to try to make the Colts an offer they can't refuse to get Luck. They may just accept what they consider a king's ransom because they may think they could build a team quickly with a ton of draft picks and keep Manning in Indy.
Take a look at the last 8 Super Bowl winners and their starters at Quarterback. It goes Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger, Eli Manning, Peyton Manning, and Tom Brady with Brady and Big Ben each winning it twice. All of these players are considered elite or close to being elite. The NFL is becoming even more of a passing league and this trend is going to continue. While giving all of those picks up may set your team back some, if you don't have a great QB you almost have no chance of winning the Super Bowl.
With free agency you can make up some ground on those missing draft choices. Also as long as Luck stays healthy he should play for at least a decade which will give you plenty of time to build the team around him. NFL teams should be on the phone right now doing everything they can to pry that pick away from the Indianapolis Colts. You can hang on to those picks and try to build the rest of your team, but what if you never find the guy at QB? Look at the Jets, they had maybe the most talented team in the NFL, but they could never get over the hump. If they had a QB comparable to any of these past Super Bowl Champs they likely would have won two in a row. This should be all the proof you need to know if you don't have the guy at Quarterback you have very little chance to win it all.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
2012 NFL Mock Draft
1. Indianapolis Colts- Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford
Everyone knows Luck is going to be the first pick in the draft. There's a chance that the Colts bring Manning back and trade this pick for a king's ransom, but it's unlikely. There's also a slim chance that Luck sits a year behind Manning. Most likely though Manning is done in Indy and will be released. If you are the Colts you have to do what's best for the franchise long term and that is to take Andrew Luck. As much as it's going to sting for Colts fans to see Peyton Manning playing somewhere else, they have to think about how lucky they are. There are QB's that are this touted that come along once in a generation. The last one was Manning, and now it's Luck and the Colts got both of them.
2. St. Louis Rams- Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State
The Rams could go offensive line here and take Matt Kalil. They have taken OT's early in the past few years including Jason Smith with the 2nd pick overall and whiffed. That was a different regime so those picks likely won't have any bearing on this pick. WR is a more pressing need though. The Rams can not expect Bradford to have any success if they trot out the same group of WR's that they did last season, minus Brandon Lloyd. They have to get their young QB a legit playmaker at WR and that is what Blackmon will give them.
3. Minnesota Vikings- Matt Kalil, OT, USC
The Vikings could go with Morris Claiborne here and I think CB is the more pressing need in Minnesota. That said, Kalil is the better talent and comes at the 2nd most valuable position, Left Tackle. This will give their young QB, Christian Ponder, insurance on his blind side and keep him protected. It also will benefit the best player on their team, Adrian Peterson with help up front in the run game.
4. Cleveland Browns- Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama
Everyone has the Browns pegged to take Robert Griffin, but I don't think they will. The Browns desprately need some playmakers on offense, at both RB and WR. Richardson is a special talent and though I'm not a big fan of RB's going this early he is worth the pick. McCoy has not had a fair chance because they don't have any playmakers on that offense. They can keep changing QB's if they want, but no one will succeed until they get some playmakers around the QB.
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU
The Bucs are almost certainly going to take a CB early in this draft. Ronde Barber has to be close to retiring and Aqib Talib may be in jail by the time the season starts. Claiborne is the best in this draft and is a top 5 talent that wasn't even the best in the secondary on his own team.
6. Washington Redskins- Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor
If Griffin falls past Cleveland there will probably be a trade up to get him, maybe the Redskins even trade up to number 3 and grab him themselves. Mike Shanahan isn't going to go into another season with Rex Grossman and John Beck as his only options at QB. They may go after Manning. Shanahan knows as well as anyone that you need a quality QB to win in the NFL as he hasn't won anything without John Elway.
7. Jacksonville Jaguars- Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina
The Jags signed Aaron Kampman a few years ago to give them a dominant pass rusher and he blew out his knee in the very first training camp in Jacksonville. They still haven't found that guy to be their pass rusher. Coples is the best 4-3 DE in this draft and will provide them with an elite pass rusher. When you are in a division with good QB's such as Manning/Luck and Matt Schaub you have to be able to rush the passer.
8. Carolina Panthers- Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa
With Dre Kirkpatrick getting busted for pot, the Panthers owner is all about character and will not draft him. I doubt they reach for Alfonzo Dennard here. Jeff Otah has been injured most of the season as of late and the Panthers have a shiny new toy at QB that they want to protect. They are going to do everything they can to protect Cam Newton as he's the face of their franchise.
9. Miami Dolphins- Ryan Tannehill, QB, Texas A&M
People may consider this a reach, but everyone rememebers what happened in last year's draft. If you have a need for a QB and can't trade back then you take the QB. Matt Moore finished the season playing decent for Miami, but they've been down that road before having a backup come in do a decent job and give him the starting job only to discover he plays like a backup. There will be a new head coach in Miami and he will want his own guy at the position.
10. Buffalo Bills- Courtney Upshaw, OLB, Alabama
Just about every mock I see has Upshaw going to the Bills. They have been trying to transition to the 3-4 defense for the past couple seasons and don't have the right personnel to play that defense. They took a step by getting Marcell Dareus in last year's draft. Upshaw is the top 3-4 edge pass rusher in this draft class and already has experience in this system coming from Alabama.
11. Kansas City Chiefs- Jonathon Martin, OT, Stanford
With the Chiefs just missing out on Upshaw they can turn to the offensive line and take Martin to play Left Tackle. This will allow them to move Brandon Albert inside to Guard where he is better suited and fix two positions with one pick. They really need that pass rusher, but there isn't another 3-4 guy worth this pick.
12. Seattle Seahawks- Melvin Ingram, DE, South Carolina
Ingram is one of the most underrated players in this draft and will add one of the only missing pieces to a good Seattle defense. The Seahawks were good against the run and have the pieces in place in the secondary and at LB.
13. Arizona Cardinals- Micheal Floyd, WR, Notre Dame
The Cardinals are in a tough spot here if all three of the OT's are gone by the time they pick. They could use a weapon across from Larry Fitzgerald to help take some of the coverage away from him. Teams rolled coverage to Fitzgerald every play this year because they knew the other WR's weren't likely to beat them. Plus with what they gave to get Kevin Kolb they are going to do everything they can to give him a chance to succeed.
14. Dallas Cowboys- Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama
Jerry Jones won't care about Kirkpatrick getting busted with some pot. He passed on Randy Moss several years ago and regreted it every since. If a talent like Kirkpatrick falls this far he will jump on taking him. Especially in a secondary that struggled all season. They are thin at CB. Terrance Newman is getting old and losing a step and Mike Jenkins is afraid to tackle anyone. That's something they won't have a problem with in Kirkpatrick, he's a big, physical CB that can cover and play the run.
15. Philadelphia Eagles- Luke Kuechly, LB, Boston College
The Eagles were soft up the middle on defense all season. Teams gashed them running the ball. Some blame the wide nine defense, but I blame it on them being soft. Kuechly will bring a toughness to the middle of that defense along with good leadership.
16. New York Jets- Devon Still, DE/DT, Penn State
Yes the Jets took Wilkerson, a DE, in last year's draft in the first round. Still would be one of the top prospects on the board and Rex Ryan is going to beef up the front of that defense and try to make it dominant once again. Still and Wilkerson at the two DE spots will help with both the run and can get in the backfield and provide penetration against the pass as well.
17. Cincinnati Bengals- David DeCastro, OG, Stanford
Winning football starts up front whether it's pop warner football or the NFL. If DeCastro is available with the 17th pick I hope the Bengals don't screw this up and take him. He's one of the best Guard prospects to come along in years and the Bengals have a huge need at Guard. Bobbie Williams is getting old and his contract is up, so is Nate Livings'. Livings play was below average and they made a mistake letting Mathis go and keeping Livings. He was penalized too many times both pre snap and holding. The holding penalties were because he was getting beat.
Unless the team fills both Guard spots via free agency then this would be my first choice for this pick. If they can land a quality Guard in free agency and get DeCastro the line would be set for years to come. With all the young talented skill players on offense, if they can make this happen the offense has a chance to become one of the elite offenses in the NFL. With the quality defense the team has a window could be open for a Super Bowl run.
18. San Diego Chargers- Nick Perry, OLB, USC
The Chargers have needed to upgrade their pass rusher coming off the edge every since they made Shawn Merriman stop taking steroids. They drafted Larry English a couple years ago and he hasn't lived up to his billing as a 1st round pick. Perry is a lot less likely to be a bust than English was, when they reached for him.
19. Chicago Bears- Peter Konz, OC, Wisconsin
The Bears have a lot of needs on offense. First and foremost they have to find a way to keep Jay Cutler protected. They were on a roll when Cutler got hurt and likely missed the playoffs because of this. Olin Kruetz left last year in free agency, then retired. I believe Center is the most important position on the line right after Left Tackle. All great offensive lines have a good Center.
20. Tennessee Titans- Vontaze Burfict, LB, Arizona State
The Titans group of LB's the last couple of seasons has been terrible. Really they haven't had a quality LB since Keith Bullock was in his prime. Burfict could be the best LB in this draft if he can fix his problem with taking bad angles. He has the talent, he just has to learn to play within the defense which is the case with a lot of college players. In college they are superior athletes, in the NFL everyone is a superior athlete.
21. Cincinnati Bengals- Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor
The Bengals need a number two WR that can keep teams from focusing all of their coverage on AJ Green. Wright is a smaller WR at 5' 10", but he is a burner with sub 4.4 speed. I believe he would be a perfect compliment to Green as Safeties couldn't focus on doubling him or Wright will burn them over the top. He has Mike Wallace type speed. Could you imagine Wallace on the same team as Green. Wright also does a great job when in space and can beat people with yards after the catch when working underneath. If the Safeties want to focus on taking away Green and Wright over the top, then that leaves Gresham one on one with a LB.
I know the defense has holes, but the offense has a lot of young talented peices and if this draft falls right the Bengals could make this offense set up to be one of the best for years and years to come. With the defense as is, if they can get Clements and Jones resigned and Hall comes back next year then add a 2nd round CB it will be quality enough. Especially if the Bengals land these two in the draft. Also doing this would allow Dalton, Green, Gresham, Wright, Hawkins, and Shipley all young players, to grow and develop togethter.
22. Cleveland Browns- Alshon Jeffrey, WR, South Carolina
Jeffrey may not be a burner, but is an absolute beast. I would mock him to the Bengals if I didn't think he was a similiar type of player to Green. The Browns have absolutely got to get one of these 1st round WR's in this year's draft and Jeffrey is a good fit to be their number one WR. Getting Richardson and Jeffrey would finally give McCoy some legit weapons then maybe you can give him a fair evaluation.
23. Detroit Lions- Alfonzo Dennard, CB, Nebraska
The Lions have gotten a lot better on defense, especially up front. They still need to add some pieces in the secondary. Eric Wright is a free agent. Dennard was a teammate with Suh at Nebraska which is a plus and is the top CB available and good value at this spot.
24. Pittsburgh Steelers- Cordy Glenn, OG, Georgia
Glenn had played both Guard and Tackle at Georgia. The Steelers have been mediocre on the line for the last few years and frankly I'm suprised they've won as much as they have. I guess that just shows how good Ben and the defense really are. Anyway fans in Pittsburgh are screaming for a Guard and the versatility Glenn brings only adds to his value as they've been injured often at Tackle as well.
25. Denver Broncos- Fletcher Cox, DT, Mississippi State
The Broncos have the two elite players at DE, but they are lacking at DT and teams were able to run on them pretty easily. Cox is one of the top players on the board at this point. John Fox loves to have a beefed up defensive line, he had one in Carolina for years and they won consistently.
26. Houston Texans- Mohamed Sanu, WR, Rutgers
I hope Houston doesn't let Andre Johnson go his entire prime of his career without ever getting a legit threat at WR across from him to take some pressure off of him. Could you imagine what Johnson could do with a threat of 1st round caliber like Sanu lining up across from him. Plus this is an ideal situation for any WR because you will hardly ever be doubled.
27. New England Patriots- Whitney Mercilus, OLB, Illinois
Mercilus is one of the tweener guys that plays DE in college and OLB in the NFL. Belicheck has never taken one of these guys in the 1st round. That's because he was the one who started taking these 2nd ard 3rd round DE's and putting them at OLB. Now that other teams are copying this these players are going higher and Belicheck hasn't adjusted. He's going to have to address the pass rush in this year's draft, isn't he?
28. Green Bay Packers- Mark Barron, SS, Alabama
It's hard to believe the Packers finished with the last ranked defense in the NFL after how good they were the year before. The secondary really struggled, especially at Safety. Barron is the only 1st round Safety in this draft and if he's available this is a no brainer pick. NE taking Mercilus really hurts GB because they could really use a pass rusher across from Matthews.
29. New York Giants- Zach Brown, LB, North Carolina
This pick would be a home run for the Giants and I'm sure in their fans minds as well. The Giants really need to upgrade the LB core, despite how good the defense has played in the playoffs. The line is basically carrying this defense. Brown has great speed and can fly around and make plays while that line takes up all the blockers. He's also very good in coverage which helps with a secondary that's been thin.
30. Baltimore Ravens- Andre Branch, DE/OLB, Clemson
This would be an excellent pick for the Ravens. They like to mix it up on defense playing both the 4-3 and the 3-4. Branch can play both DE in the 4-3 and OLB in the 3-4 and gives them that additional pass rusher across from Suggs.
31. San Francisco 49ers- Don'ta Hightower, LB, Alabama
This would be a great pick for SF having Hightower playing next to Patrick Willis on a defense that's already really good. Hightower would fit right in with this defense as a player that likes to hit people hard. The biggest need in SF is WR, but there isn't a player left at WR worth a 1st round pick, so why not go with the best player on the board and make a strength that much stronger.
32. New England Patriots- Michael Brockers, DE/DT, LSU
Really Brockers is the more talented of the two between Mercilus and himself, but with the way this draft falls getting the edge rusher 1st would be smart on the Patriots part. Because of who's picking after them Brockers would still likely be there. I'm suprised he came out, I think if he stayed he probably would've been a top ten pick next year.
2nd Round
33. St. Louis Rams- Zebrie Sanders, OT, Florida State
If the draft falls this way taking Blackmon instead of Kalil could be the smart pick because they still get their 1st round graded OT with the first pick of the 2nd round. These two picks would have Bradford on his way with an offensive line full of early round picks, plus Jason Smith can move in to Guard where he's better suited with his short arms.
34. Indianapolis Colts- Jerel Worthy, DT, Michigan State
The Colts have to completely rebuild their team. It was a team built all around Manning's talents. On defense they were built to defend the pass because they usually played with a lead and the offense was built around the passing game. They need to get better against the run and build their offense to run the ball. Worthy will help with that interior D line against the run.
35. Minnesota Vikings- Rueben Randle, WR, LSU
Randle could be one of the steals of this draft. His numbers weren't huge at LSU due to mediocre QB play, but he's very talented. The Vikings need another playmaker at WR besides Percy Harvin.
36. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Lavonte David, OLB, Nebraska
The Bucs have done a great job building that defensive line with all of the young talent they've drafted. The weak link of that defense is LB. They haven't had a quality LB in Tampa since Derrick Brooks.
37. Cleveland Browns- Dwayne Allen, TE, Clemson
This would be a hell of a draft as far as adding playmakers on offense. They would get a big three so to speak with Richardson, Jeffrey, and Allen. All three could end up being the top players at their position coming out in this draft. Richardson and Allen are already rated top at their position and Jeffrey was heading into this past season. If McCoy doesn't show signs of improvement after adding these players then it's time to look somewhere else and when they did the pieces would be in place around that QB. A draft like this would finally give Browns fans hope that the team is on the right track, even if McCoy isn't the answer when a new QB came in he would have some weapons to work with.
38. Jacksonville Jaguars- Nick Toon, WR, Wisconsin
Toon is another WR that I really like in this draft. The Jags have zero legit weapons at the WR position. Though Toon may not be a true number one WR, he's better than any options they currently have and if they do ever end up getting a number one, Toon would be a great WR2 in my opinion.
39. Washington Redskins- Dontari Poe, NT, Memphis
The Redskins wanted Haynesworth to play NT when Shanahan was hired and that started the drama with him in Washington. The Skins need a legitimate NT and Poe is the top in this draft class.
40. Miami Dolphins- Mike Adams, OT, Ohio State
Adams could end up being a very good RT for Miami as Bollman could never fully develop offensive lineman at Ohio State. That means there's a lot of room for growth with some real coaching. Adams and Long would form one of the best Tackle tandems in the NFL and help with the Miami run game while they break in a rookie QB.
41. Buffalo Bills- Dwight Jones, WR, North Carolina
The Bills need someone to step up across from Steve Johnson. Once teams took him away Ryan Fitzpatrick had nowhere to turn to, not that he had the time to turn anywhere else anyway. Teams caught on and after the Bills hot start they faded because there were no other weapons.
42. Carolina Panthers- Chase Minnifield, CB, Virginia
The Panthers couldn't stop anyone either on the ground or through the air last season. In a division with some explosive offenses they need to add some pieces on defense. With how well Cam Newton played, if the defense was just average they may have had a winning season.
43. Seattle Seahawks- Nick Foles, QB, Arizona
With Seattle missing out on the 1st round QB's they can opt to wait til the 2nd round and grab Nick Foles. Foles has the big arm and all of the tools to be an NFL QB. I doubt Pete Carroll wants to go into another season with Tavaris Jackson as his starter. Look for Seattle to be a possible landing spot for Peyton Manning, in which Foles could sit and learn behind him.
44. Kansas City Chiefs- Vinny Curry, DE/OLB, Marshall
With the Chiefs missing out on Upshaw in the 1st round the can opt for the speedy Curry from Marshall. Curry has excellent speed for his size and if he's available here would be a great value pick. Curry has the type of speed that if he runs well at the combine could put him in the 1st round.
45. Dallas Cowboys- Kelechi Osemele, OG/OT, Iowa State
Osemele's versatility makes him a valuable commodity. With rosters limited to 53 people, any lineman that can play about any of the spots on the line is a plus. He projects best at Guard which is where Dallas has it's issues on the line and needs an upgrade.
46. Philadelphia Eagles- Brandon Thompson, DT, Clemson
The Eagles add another piece to the middle of that defense, this time on the interior defensive line. Between Thompson and Kuechly that should help take care of their issues with being soft and getting gashed up the middle.
47. New York Jets- Ronnell Lewis, DE/OLB, Oklahoma
Rex Ryan is going to draft to make this defense dominant once again. He knows his QB isn't the type to carry a team so he's going to build a defense to carry the team and then work on fixing the running game on offense. Adding a pass rusher along with the stud DE they got in the first will just about fix that defense. Teams won't be able to run on them once again and if they get a pass rush with their excellent secondary they'll be tough to score on.
48. New England Patriots- Jayron Hosley, CB, Virginia Tech
The Patriots should go heavy on defense with all of these early picks they have. With Tom Brady at QB the offense is going to put up points. The Pats are probably going to win the Super Bowl this year and with all of these early round picks on defense will likely make them favorites to win it again.
49. San Diego Chargers- Coby Fleener, TE, Stanford
Antonio Gates is almost a lock to miss at least a quarter of the season every year, if not more than that. The Chargers need to get a competant back up, plus they can run those two TE sets like the Patriots when Gates is healthy. The Chargers need to hit on this draft, they haven't drafted well as of late.
50. Chicago Bears- Brandon Washington, OT/OG, Miami
The Bears need help just about everywhere on that line. Cutler has been getting killed in the pocket the past couple of years. Washington's ability to play both Guard and Tackle will make him valuable to Chicago.
51. Philadelphia Eagles- Jared Crick, DT/DE, Nebraska
Crick would be one of the top players on the board and would help toughen up that line against the run. With their explosive offense if they can sure up that front seven on defense they will not miss the playoffs again.
52. Tennessee Titans- Lamar Miller, RB, Miami
After giving all of that money to Chris Johnson he underperformed. He may be one of those players that once he gets paid he's never the same which is an effort thing. Either way the Titans need an insurance policy and Miller is good value at this point.
53. Cincinnati Bengals- Janoris Jenkins, CB, North Alabama
Jenkins keeps falling in mocks by NFL insiders which means some people are getting the scoop that teams are not wanting to spend any kind of early pick on Jenkins due to character concerns. My thinking is the only thing I know he did wrong was got busted twice with pot. Not a huge deal, but the fact it happened twice makes you question what his priorities are. At this point in the 2nd round it's worth the risk with his talent. Jenkins may be the best cover CB in this draft. Since he got kicked out of Florida he hasn't gotten in trouble again. Lets hope he learned his lesson and can be a valuable commodity and a steal for the Bengals in the 2nd round. If he is going to be there in the 2nd this could really open up the Bengals 1st round picks and that's why I had them go Guard and the speedy WR.
If Jenkins comes in and stays out of trouble the team once again has an elite duo at CB with Hall and Jenkins. Add to that if they bring back Jones and Clements they would have one of the best 1-4 group of CB's in the NFL. If the line can play like they did again this past season the defense will be top ten. Add a top ten defense to an offense that upgrades at Guard and adds a speedster threat at WR2 and you have a team that is a contender to go deep into the playoffs if not win it all.
54. Detroit Lions- Mike Brewster, OC, Ohio State
Fans in Detroit want the Lions to take a Center early and with good reason. The play at the position has been awful. When you have a bad Center it hurts the entire line. Remember when Eric Guicec was the Center for the Bengals, terrible. Brewster may end up being the best Center out of this class as he hasn't been fully developed with Bollman as his coach at Ohio State.
55. Atlanta Falcons- Stephon Gilmore, CB, South Carolina
It looks like Brent Grimes won't be with Atlanta next year as he and the coaching staff have had some differences. If that's the case Atlanta will need to take a CB with their first pick in this draft. They went all in to get Julio Jones thinking that'd get them to the Super Bowl. Well it didn't and now they don't have a 1st round pick and need a 1st round CB with the Saints in their division. Luckily for them this CB class is loaded.
56. Pittsburgh Steelers- Alameda Ta'amu, NT, Washington
Casey Hampton is getting old and can't stay healthy for an entire season. He also can't stay on the field for an entire game as he runs out of gas. The Steelers will likely take one of the three 2nd round NT's that are in this draft if one is available by the time they pick. Sometimes NT's go early as good ones are hard to come by.
57. Denver Broncos- David Wilson, RB, Virginia Tech
John Fox loves to draft RB's early and often. He took two RB's in the 1st round while he was in Carolina. I don't think Fox is sold on Moreno and will likely lobby Elway to get him a RB early in this draft.
58. Houston Texans- Josh Chapman, NT, Alabama
The Texans need an upgrade at NT and Wade Phillips prefers smaller more agile NT's like Chapman as opposed to the jumbo run stuffers. Chapman's experience in a 3-4 defense is also a plus coming from Alabama.
59. New Orleans Saints- Sean Spence, LB, Miami
The Saints have been awful at LB since their Super Bowl run. They have a decent line, if they had just average LB's they would be pretty good on defense. Spence is a hard hitting LB that will bring some intensity to the LB core in New Orleans.
60. Green Bay Packers- Bruce Irvin, DE/OLB, West Virginia
The Packers really need a pass rusher that isn't named Clay Matthews. Teams are doubling Matthews and no one is getting to the QB which is a big reason their defense finished 32nd in the NFL. I still can't believe they were one and done in the playoffs, but when you have no defense and all offense you aren't going to win in January.
61. New York Giants- Lucas Nix, OG, Pittsburgh
The Giants line has kind of been in transition the past two years. They had that veteran line that was together forever and then they got too old. They started to finally gel at the end of this season and now they are really playing well. That said they still need to upgrade at LG and Nix will be just that.
62. Baltimore Ravens- Josh Robinson, CB, Central Florida
The Ravens took a CB in the 1st round in 2011, but they could still use an upgrade at the nickel CB spot. Plus Robinson is an excellent return man which adds to his value. In today's NFL you can never have too many good CB's.
63. San Francisco 49ers- LaMicheal James, RB, Oregon
James would be an excellent change of pace back to Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter. He's the Sproles type that Harbaugh would love to have I'm guessing as a new toy in the passing game on 3rd down. Harbaugh is familiar with James and his speed.
64. New England Patriots- Jeff Fuller, WR, Texas A&M
Fuller would give the Pats the big WR that can stretch the field that they are missing. Sure they have an explosive offense, but you can sit on the short routes with their WR's as all of them are small and not really deep threats.
Everyone knows Luck is going to be the first pick in the draft. There's a chance that the Colts bring Manning back and trade this pick for a king's ransom, but it's unlikely. There's also a slim chance that Luck sits a year behind Manning. Most likely though Manning is done in Indy and will be released. If you are the Colts you have to do what's best for the franchise long term and that is to take Andrew Luck. As much as it's going to sting for Colts fans to see Peyton Manning playing somewhere else, they have to think about how lucky they are. There are QB's that are this touted that come along once in a generation. The last one was Manning, and now it's Luck and the Colts got both of them.
2. St. Louis Rams- Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State
The Rams could go offensive line here and take Matt Kalil. They have taken OT's early in the past few years including Jason Smith with the 2nd pick overall and whiffed. That was a different regime so those picks likely won't have any bearing on this pick. WR is a more pressing need though. The Rams can not expect Bradford to have any success if they trot out the same group of WR's that they did last season, minus Brandon Lloyd. They have to get their young QB a legit playmaker at WR and that is what Blackmon will give them.
3. Minnesota Vikings- Matt Kalil, OT, USC
The Vikings could go with Morris Claiborne here and I think CB is the more pressing need in Minnesota. That said, Kalil is the better talent and comes at the 2nd most valuable position, Left Tackle. This will give their young QB, Christian Ponder, insurance on his blind side and keep him protected. It also will benefit the best player on their team, Adrian Peterson with help up front in the run game.
4. Cleveland Browns- Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama
Everyone has the Browns pegged to take Robert Griffin, but I don't think they will. The Browns desprately need some playmakers on offense, at both RB and WR. Richardson is a special talent and though I'm not a big fan of RB's going this early he is worth the pick. McCoy has not had a fair chance because they don't have any playmakers on that offense. They can keep changing QB's if they want, but no one will succeed until they get some playmakers around the QB.
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU
The Bucs are almost certainly going to take a CB early in this draft. Ronde Barber has to be close to retiring and Aqib Talib may be in jail by the time the season starts. Claiborne is the best in this draft and is a top 5 talent that wasn't even the best in the secondary on his own team.
6. Washington Redskins- Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor
If Griffin falls past Cleveland there will probably be a trade up to get him, maybe the Redskins even trade up to number 3 and grab him themselves. Mike Shanahan isn't going to go into another season with Rex Grossman and John Beck as his only options at QB. They may go after Manning. Shanahan knows as well as anyone that you need a quality QB to win in the NFL as he hasn't won anything without John Elway.
7. Jacksonville Jaguars- Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina
The Jags signed Aaron Kampman a few years ago to give them a dominant pass rusher and he blew out his knee in the very first training camp in Jacksonville. They still haven't found that guy to be their pass rusher. Coples is the best 4-3 DE in this draft and will provide them with an elite pass rusher. When you are in a division with good QB's such as Manning/Luck and Matt Schaub you have to be able to rush the passer.
8. Carolina Panthers- Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa
With Dre Kirkpatrick getting busted for pot, the Panthers owner is all about character and will not draft him. I doubt they reach for Alfonzo Dennard here. Jeff Otah has been injured most of the season as of late and the Panthers have a shiny new toy at QB that they want to protect. They are going to do everything they can to protect Cam Newton as he's the face of their franchise.
9. Miami Dolphins- Ryan Tannehill, QB, Texas A&M
People may consider this a reach, but everyone rememebers what happened in last year's draft. If you have a need for a QB and can't trade back then you take the QB. Matt Moore finished the season playing decent for Miami, but they've been down that road before having a backup come in do a decent job and give him the starting job only to discover he plays like a backup. There will be a new head coach in Miami and he will want his own guy at the position.
10. Buffalo Bills- Courtney Upshaw, OLB, Alabama
Just about every mock I see has Upshaw going to the Bills. They have been trying to transition to the 3-4 defense for the past couple seasons and don't have the right personnel to play that defense. They took a step by getting Marcell Dareus in last year's draft. Upshaw is the top 3-4 edge pass rusher in this draft class and already has experience in this system coming from Alabama.
11. Kansas City Chiefs- Jonathon Martin, OT, Stanford
With the Chiefs just missing out on Upshaw they can turn to the offensive line and take Martin to play Left Tackle. This will allow them to move Brandon Albert inside to Guard where he is better suited and fix two positions with one pick. They really need that pass rusher, but there isn't another 3-4 guy worth this pick.
12. Seattle Seahawks- Melvin Ingram, DE, South Carolina
Ingram is one of the most underrated players in this draft and will add one of the only missing pieces to a good Seattle defense. The Seahawks were good against the run and have the pieces in place in the secondary and at LB.
13. Arizona Cardinals- Micheal Floyd, WR, Notre Dame
The Cardinals are in a tough spot here if all three of the OT's are gone by the time they pick. They could use a weapon across from Larry Fitzgerald to help take some of the coverage away from him. Teams rolled coverage to Fitzgerald every play this year because they knew the other WR's weren't likely to beat them. Plus with what they gave to get Kevin Kolb they are going to do everything they can to give him a chance to succeed.
14. Dallas Cowboys- Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama
Jerry Jones won't care about Kirkpatrick getting busted with some pot. He passed on Randy Moss several years ago and regreted it every since. If a talent like Kirkpatrick falls this far he will jump on taking him. Especially in a secondary that struggled all season. They are thin at CB. Terrance Newman is getting old and losing a step and Mike Jenkins is afraid to tackle anyone. That's something they won't have a problem with in Kirkpatrick, he's a big, physical CB that can cover and play the run.
15. Philadelphia Eagles- Luke Kuechly, LB, Boston College
The Eagles were soft up the middle on defense all season. Teams gashed them running the ball. Some blame the wide nine defense, but I blame it on them being soft. Kuechly will bring a toughness to the middle of that defense along with good leadership.
16. New York Jets- Devon Still, DE/DT, Penn State
Yes the Jets took Wilkerson, a DE, in last year's draft in the first round. Still would be one of the top prospects on the board and Rex Ryan is going to beef up the front of that defense and try to make it dominant once again. Still and Wilkerson at the two DE spots will help with both the run and can get in the backfield and provide penetration against the pass as well.
17. Cincinnati Bengals- David DeCastro, OG, Stanford
Winning football starts up front whether it's pop warner football or the NFL. If DeCastro is available with the 17th pick I hope the Bengals don't screw this up and take him. He's one of the best Guard prospects to come along in years and the Bengals have a huge need at Guard. Bobbie Williams is getting old and his contract is up, so is Nate Livings'. Livings play was below average and they made a mistake letting Mathis go and keeping Livings. He was penalized too many times both pre snap and holding. The holding penalties were because he was getting beat.
Unless the team fills both Guard spots via free agency then this would be my first choice for this pick. If they can land a quality Guard in free agency and get DeCastro the line would be set for years to come. With all the young talented skill players on offense, if they can make this happen the offense has a chance to become one of the elite offenses in the NFL. With the quality defense the team has a window could be open for a Super Bowl run.
18. San Diego Chargers- Nick Perry, OLB, USC
The Chargers have needed to upgrade their pass rusher coming off the edge every since they made Shawn Merriman stop taking steroids. They drafted Larry English a couple years ago and he hasn't lived up to his billing as a 1st round pick. Perry is a lot less likely to be a bust than English was, when they reached for him.
19. Chicago Bears- Peter Konz, OC, Wisconsin
The Bears have a lot of needs on offense. First and foremost they have to find a way to keep Jay Cutler protected. They were on a roll when Cutler got hurt and likely missed the playoffs because of this. Olin Kruetz left last year in free agency, then retired. I believe Center is the most important position on the line right after Left Tackle. All great offensive lines have a good Center.
20. Tennessee Titans- Vontaze Burfict, LB, Arizona State
The Titans group of LB's the last couple of seasons has been terrible. Really they haven't had a quality LB since Keith Bullock was in his prime. Burfict could be the best LB in this draft if he can fix his problem with taking bad angles. He has the talent, he just has to learn to play within the defense which is the case with a lot of college players. In college they are superior athletes, in the NFL everyone is a superior athlete.
21. Cincinnati Bengals- Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor
The Bengals need a number two WR that can keep teams from focusing all of their coverage on AJ Green. Wright is a smaller WR at 5' 10", but he is a burner with sub 4.4 speed. I believe he would be a perfect compliment to Green as Safeties couldn't focus on doubling him or Wright will burn them over the top. He has Mike Wallace type speed. Could you imagine Wallace on the same team as Green. Wright also does a great job when in space and can beat people with yards after the catch when working underneath. If the Safeties want to focus on taking away Green and Wright over the top, then that leaves Gresham one on one with a LB.
I know the defense has holes, but the offense has a lot of young talented peices and if this draft falls right the Bengals could make this offense set up to be one of the best for years and years to come. With the defense as is, if they can get Clements and Jones resigned and Hall comes back next year then add a 2nd round CB it will be quality enough. Especially if the Bengals land these two in the draft. Also doing this would allow Dalton, Green, Gresham, Wright, Hawkins, and Shipley all young players, to grow and develop togethter.
22. Cleveland Browns- Alshon Jeffrey, WR, South Carolina
Jeffrey may not be a burner, but is an absolute beast. I would mock him to the Bengals if I didn't think he was a similiar type of player to Green. The Browns have absolutely got to get one of these 1st round WR's in this year's draft and Jeffrey is a good fit to be their number one WR. Getting Richardson and Jeffrey would finally give McCoy some legit weapons then maybe you can give him a fair evaluation.
23. Detroit Lions- Alfonzo Dennard, CB, Nebraska
The Lions have gotten a lot better on defense, especially up front. They still need to add some pieces in the secondary. Eric Wright is a free agent. Dennard was a teammate with Suh at Nebraska which is a plus and is the top CB available and good value at this spot.
24. Pittsburgh Steelers- Cordy Glenn, OG, Georgia
Glenn had played both Guard and Tackle at Georgia. The Steelers have been mediocre on the line for the last few years and frankly I'm suprised they've won as much as they have. I guess that just shows how good Ben and the defense really are. Anyway fans in Pittsburgh are screaming for a Guard and the versatility Glenn brings only adds to his value as they've been injured often at Tackle as well.
25. Denver Broncos- Fletcher Cox, DT, Mississippi State
The Broncos have the two elite players at DE, but they are lacking at DT and teams were able to run on them pretty easily. Cox is one of the top players on the board at this point. John Fox loves to have a beefed up defensive line, he had one in Carolina for years and they won consistently.
26. Houston Texans- Mohamed Sanu, WR, Rutgers
I hope Houston doesn't let Andre Johnson go his entire prime of his career without ever getting a legit threat at WR across from him to take some pressure off of him. Could you imagine what Johnson could do with a threat of 1st round caliber like Sanu lining up across from him. Plus this is an ideal situation for any WR because you will hardly ever be doubled.
27. New England Patriots- Whitney Mercilus, OLB, Illinois
Mercilus is one of the tweener guys that plays DE in college and OLB in the NFL. Belicheck has never taken one of these guys in the 1st round. That's because he was the one who started taking these 2nd ard 3rd round DE's and putting them at OLB. Now that other teams are copying this these players are going higher and Belicheck hasn't adjusted. He's going to have to address the pass rush in this year's draft, isn't he?
28. Green Bay Packers- Mark Barron, SS, Alabama
It's hard to believe the Packers finished with the last ranked defense in the NFL after how good they were the year before. The secondary really struggled, especially at Safety. Barron is the only 1st round Safety in this draft and if he's available this is a no brainer pick. NE taking Mercilus really hurts GB because they could really use a pass rusher across from Matthews.
29. New York Giants- Zach Brown, LB, North Carolina
This pick would be a home run for the Giants and I'm sure in their fans minds as well. The Giants really need to upgrade the LB core, despite how good the defense has played in the playoffs. The line is basically carrying this defense. Brown has great speed and can fly around and make plays while that line takes up all the blockers. He's also very good in coverage which helps with a secondary that's been thin.
30. Baltimore Ravens- Andre Branch, DE/OLB, Clemson
This would be an excellent pick for the Ravens. They like to mix it up on defense playing both the 4-3 and the 3-4. Branch can play both DE in the 4-3 and OLB in the 3-4 and gives them that additional pass rusher across from Suggs.
31. San Francisco 49ers- Don'ta Hightower, LB, Alabama
This would be a great pick for SF having Hightower playing next to Patrick Willis on a defense that's already really good. Hightower would fit right in with this defense as a player that likes to hit people hard. The biggest need in SF is WR, but there isn't a player left at WR worth a 1st round pick, so why not go with the best player on the board and make a strength that much stronger.
32. New England Patriots- Michael Brockers, DE/DT, LSU
Really Brockers is the more talented of the two between Mercilus and himself, but with the way this draft falls getting the edge rusher 1st would be smart on the Patriots part. Because of who's picking after them Brockers would still likely be there. I'm suprised he came out, I think if he stayed he probably would've been a top ten pick next year.
2nd Round
33. St. Louis Rams- Zebrie Sanders, OT, Florida State
If the draft falls this way taking Blackmon instead of Kalil could be the smart pick because they still get their 1st round graded OT with the first pick of the 2nd round. These two picks would have Bradford on his way with an offensive line full of early round picks, plus Jason Smith can move in to Guard where he's better suited with his short arms.
34. Indianapolis Colts- Jerel Worthy, DT, Michigan State
The Colts have to completely rebuild their team. It was a team built all around Manning's talents. On defense they were built to defend the pass because they usually played with a lead and the offense was built around the passing game. They need to get better against the run and build their offense to run the ball. Worthy will help with that interior D line against the run.
35. Minnesota Vikings- Rueben Randle, WR, LSU
Randle could be one of the steals of this draft. His numbers weren't huge at LSU due to mediocre QB play, but he's very talented. The Vikings need another playmaker at WR besides Percy Harvin.
36. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Lavonte David, OLB, Nebraska
The Bucs have done a great job building that defensive line with all of the young talent they've drafted. The weak link of that defense is LB. They haven't had a quality LB in Tampa since Derrick Brooks.
37. Cleveland Browns- Dwayne Allen, TE, Clemson
This would be a hell of a draft as far as adding playmakers on offense. They would get a big three so to speak with Richardson, Jeffrey, and Allen. All three could end up being the top players at their position coming out in this draft. Richardson and Allen are already rated top at their position and Jeffrey was heading into this past season. If McCoy doesn't show signs of improvement after adding these players then it's time to look somewhere else and when they did the pieces would be in place around that QB. A draft like this would finally give Browns fans hope that the team is on the right track, even if McCoy isn't the answer when a new QB came in he would have some weapons to work with.
38. Jacksonville Jaguars- Nick Toon, WR, Wisconsin
Toon is another WR that I really like in this draft. The Jags have zero legit weapons at the WR position. Though Toon may not be a true number one WR, he's better than any options they currently have and if they do ever end up getting a number one, Toon would be a great WR2 in my opinion.
39. Washington Redskins- Dontari Poe, NT, Memphis
The Redskins wanted Haynesworth to play NT when Shanahan was hired and that started the drama with him in Washington. The Skins need a legitimate NT and Poe is the top in this draft class.
40. Miami Dolphins- Mike Adams, OT, Ohio State
Adams could end up being a very good RT for Miami as Bollman could never fully develop offensive lineman at Ohio State. That means there's a lot of room for growth with some real coaching. Adams and Long would form one of the best Tackle tandems in the NFL and help with the Miami run game while they break in a rookie QB.
41. Buffalo Bills- Dwight Jones, WR, North Carolina
The Bills need someone to step up across from Steve Johnson. Once teams took him away Ryan Fitzpatrick had nowhere to turn to, not that he had the time to turn anywhere else anyway. Teams caught on and after the Bills hot start they faded because there were no other weapons.
42. Carolina Panthers- Chase Minnifield, CB, Virginia
The Panthers couldn't stop anyone either on the ground or through the air last season. In a division with some explosive offenses they need to add some pieces on defense. With how well Cam Newton played, if the defense was just average they may have had a winning season.
43. Seattle Seahawks- Nick Foles, QB, Arizona
With Seattle missing out on the 1st round QB's they can opt to wait til the 2nd round and grab Nick Foles. Foles has the big arm and all of the tools to be an NFL QB. I doubt Pete Carroll wants to go into another season with Tavaris Jackson as his starter. Look for Seattle to be a possible landing spot for Peyton Manning, in which Foles could sit and learn behind him.
44. Kansas City Chiefs- Vinny Curry, DE/OLB, Marshall
With the Chiefs missing out on Upshaw in the 1st round the can opt for the speedy Curry from Marshall. Curry has excellent speed for his size and if he's available here would be a great value pick. Curry has the type of speed that if he runs well at the combine could put him in the 1st round.
45. Dallas Cowboys- Kelechi Osemele, OG/OT, Iowa State
Osemele's versatility makes him a valuable commodity. With rosters limited to 53 people, any lineman that can play about any of the spots on the line is a plus. He projects best at Guard which is where Dallas has it's issues on the line and needs an upgrade.
46. Philadelphia Eagles- Brandon Thompson, DT, Clemson
The Eagles add another piece to the middle of that defense, this time on the interior defensive line. Between Thompson and Kuechly that should help take care of their issues with being soft and getting gashed up the middle.
47. New York Jets- Ronnell Lewis, DE/OLB, Oklahoma
Rex Ryan is going to draft to make this defense dominant once again. He knows his QB isn't the type to carry a team so he's going to build a defense to carry the team and then work on fixing the running game on offense. Adding a pass rusher along with the stud DE they got in the first will just about fix that defense. Teams won't be able to run on them once again and if they get a pass rush with their excellent secondary they'll be tough to score on.
48. New England Patriots- Jayron Hosley, CB, Virginia Tech
The Patriots should go heavy on defense with all of these early picks they have. With Tom Brady at QB the offense is going to put up points. The Pats are probably going to win the Super Bowl this year and with all of these early round picks on defense will likely make them favorites to win it again.
49. San Diego Chargers- Coby Fleener, TE, Stanford
Antonio Gates is almost a lock to miss at least a quarter of the season every year, if not more than that. The Chargers need to get a competant back up, plus they can run those two TE sets like the Patriots when Gates is healthy. The Chargers need to hit on this draft, they haven't drafted well as of late.
50. Chicago Bears- Brandon Washington, OT/OG, Miami
The Bears need help just about everywhere on that line. Cutler has been getting killed in the pocket the past couple of years. Washington's ability to play both Guard and Tackle will make him valuable to Chicago.
51. Philadelphia Eagles- Jared Crick, DT/DE, Nebraska
Crick would be one of the top players on the board and would help toughen up that line against the run. With their explosive offense if they can sure up that front seven on defense they will not miss the playoffs again.
52. Tennessee Titans- Lamar Miller, RB, Miami
After giving all of that money to Chris Johnson he underperformed. He may be one of those players that once he gets paid he's never the same which is an effort thing. Either way the Titans need an insurance policy and Miller is good value at this point.
53. Cincinnati Bengals- Janoris Jenkins, CB, North Alabama
Jenkins keeps falling in mocks by NFL insiders which means some people are getting the scoop that teams are not wanting to spend any kind of early pick on Jenkins due to character concerns. My thinking is the only thing I know he did wrong was got busted twice with pot. Not a huge deal, but the fact it happened twice makes you question what his priorities are. At this point in the 2nd round it's worth the risk with his talent. Jenkins may be the best cover CB in this draft. Since he got kicked out of Florida he hasn't gotten in trouble again. Lets hope he learned his lesson and can be a valuable commodity and a steal for the Bengals in the 2nd round. If he is going to be there in the 2nd this could really open up the Bengals 1st round picks and that's why I had them go Guard and the speedy WR.
If Jenkins comes in and stays out of trouble the team once again has an elite duo at CB with Hall and Jenkins. Add to that if they bring back Jones and Clements they would have one of the best 1-4 group of CB's in the NFL. If the line can play like they did again this past season the defense will be top ten. Add a top ten defense to an offense that upgrades at Guard and adds a speedster threat at WR2 and you have a team that is a contender to go deep into the playoffs if not win it all.
54. Detroit Lions- Mike Brewster, OC, Ohio State
Fans in Detroit want the Lions to take a Center early and with good reason. The play at the position has been awful. When you have a bad Center it hurts the entire line. Remember when Eric Guicec was the Center for the Bengals, terrible. Brewster may end up being the best Center out of this class as he hasn't been fully developed with Bollman as his coach at Ohio State.
55. Atlanta Falcons- Stephon Gilmore, CB, South Carolina
It looks like Brent Grimes won't be with Atlanta next year as he and the coaching staff have had some differences. If that's the case Atlanta will need to take a CB with their first pick in this draft. They went all in to get Julio Jones thinking that'd get them to the Super Bowl. Well it didn't and now they don't have a 1st round pick and need a 1st round CB with the Saints in their division. Luckily for them this CB class is loaded.
56. Pittsburgh Steelers- Alameda Ta'amu, NT, Washington
Casey Hampton is getting old and can't stay healthy for an entire season. He also can't stay on the field for an entire game as he runs out of gas. The Steelers will likely take one of the three 2nd round NT's that are in this draft if one is available by the time they pick. Sometimes NT's go early as good ones are hard to come by.
57. Denver Broncos- David Wilson, RB, Virginia Tech
John Fox loves to draft RB's early and often. He took two RB's in the 1st round while he was in Carolina. I don't think Fox is sold on Moreno and will likely lobby Elway to get him a RB early in this draft.
58. Houston Texans- Josh Chapman, NT, Alabama
The Texans need an upgrade at NT and Wade Phillips prefers smaller more agile NT's like Chapman as opposed to the jumbo run stuffers. Chapman's experience in a 3-4 defense is also a plus coming from Alabama.
59. New Orleans Saints- Sean Spence, LB, Miami
The Saints have been awful at LB since their Super Bowl run. They have a decent line, if they had just average LB's they would be pretty good on defense. Spence is a hard hitting LB that will bring some intensity to the LB core in New Orleans.
60. Green Bay Packers- Bruce Irvin, DE/OLB, West Virginia
The Packers really need a pass rusher that isn't named Clay Matthews. Teams are doubling Matthews and no one is getting to the QB which is a big reason their defense finished 32nd in the NFL. I still can't believe they were one and done in the playoffs, but when you have no defense and all offense you aren't going to win in January.
61. New York Giants- Lucas Nix, OG, Pittsburgh
The Giants line has kind of been in transition the past two years. They had that veteran line that was together forever and then they got too old. They started to finally gel at the end of this season and now they are really playing well. That said they still need to upgrade at LG and Nix will be just that.
62. Baltimore Ravens- Josh Robinson, CB, Central Florida
The Ravens took a CB in the 1st round in 2011, but they could still use an upgrade at the nickel CB spot. Plus Robinson is an excellent return man which adds to his value. In today's NFL you can never have too many good CB's.
63. San Francisco 49ers- LaMicheal James, RB, Oregon
James would be an excellent change of pace back to Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter. He's the Sproles type that Harbaugh would love to have I'm guessing as a new toy in the passing game on 3rd down. Harbaugh is familiar with James and his speed.
64. New England Patriots- Jeff Fuller, WR, Texas A&M
Fuller would give the Pats the big WR that can stretch the field that they are missing. Sure they have an explosive offense, but you can sit on the short routes with their WR's as all of them are small and not really deep threats.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Cincinnati Bengals GM Report: Offseason Priorities List
Cincy Sports has given you the GM Report on the offense and defense and the state of both sides of the ball heading into the 2012 off season. This report is what the order of priorities for this team would be on filling the holes on the team. Filling these holes will hopefully make this coming season a better year than the 2011 season. Teams should always look to get better across the board. The better the 53rd guy is on your roster, the better your team will be.
The 2011 season was a pleasant suprise to most Bengals fans. Most pundits and even fans in this city thought this would be one of the worst teams in the NFL and might be the favorites to land Andrew Luck with the number one overall pick in the draft. Despite the good season, and abundance of talented young players on this team at key positions, there is still a long way to go if the ultimate goal of winning the Super Bowl is to be reached.
Since Free Agency happens before the draft here's a list of what players and positions need to be filled and the order in which I would go about filling them.
Free Agency:
1. LaRon Landry, Safety, Washington Redskins: Obviously you never know what free agents will be resigned by their former teams, but Landry would be a candidate to hit the open market. Safety is one of the tougher positions to fill via the draft in most years. The SS position needs to be upgraded. Chris Crocker was servicable for a few years, but he's getting old and we all saw how he struggled in the playoff game against the Texans. All the great defenses that are consistently great year in and year out have a top Safety. Like the Ravens and the Steelers have for years.
Landry is on his way to being one of the elite Safeties in this league. I'm usually not in favor of throwing big dollars at a free agent, but with this team's room under the cap and the talent of Landry I would make a strong push to get him here in Cincinnati. Wine and dine him, or whatever else you have to do. Getting Landry would go a long way in upgrading a secondary that really struggled the second half of the season. Since there is only one Safety with a 1st round grade, this would be my top priority in free agency.
2. The Guard Position: This may be a bigger hole than Safety, and a bigger need, but there isn't a player that is elite like Landry at this position. Plus the big name free agents seem to go quick so making a play at Landry would come before this.
The top two names at Guard in free agency are Carl Nicks from the Saints and Ben Grubbs from the Ravens. Guard is a position that is cheap compared to other positions on the offensive line. I think Nicks will be open for bidding because the Saints just paid Evans a lot of money last year and may not want to tie up that much money at one position. If Grubbs could be had that would be a double win taking him away from division rival the Ravens and filling a hole at the same time. The price would have to be right, but if either can be had I would make a play at them.
If you do sign Landry then you may have to look to cheaper options at this position because of the salary Landry will likely command. Derrick Dockery from Dallas, Ryan Diem from Indianapolis, and Will Montgomery from Washington would be three names to check into. Because of both positions being a need at Guard an early draft pick could be an option in addition to a free agent.
3. Runningback:
The first name I would look at here is Micheal Bush. He could probably be had relatively cheap and would be a perfect fit in this division with his power style in the physical AFC North. He's also a good compliment to Bernard Scott as he's about the exact opposite as far as style goes and would bring something completely different to the table. There's only one RB I would take with a 1st round pick and that's Trent Richardson. Since he's going to be long gone I think for this year free agency is the way to go to fill the RB position.
There are some big name RB's out there this year like Ray Rice and Matt Forte but odds are they end up back with their same teams. Rice for sure, Forte could be available based on his contract dispute with the Bears but he would carry a heavy price tag. You can't sign more than one or two big dollar free agents realistically. If the team is unable to get Landry or one of the top Guards would be the only way I could see going after someone like Forte.
There is also some names like Peyton Hillis, but I question his toughness with the whole strep throat thing. Either that or he got bad advice from his agent. Mike Tolbert would probably fall in the same dollar category as Hillis. He's an interesting name and if the dollars are available is another power back to take a look at. He can also catch the ball and pass protect very well and would be the next back I would look at after Micheal Bush.
If none of those players can be had you have Tim Hightower and Jason Snelling. Those would be players that could come in and compete, but would largely be backup plans. If it comes down to them taking a RB in the draft early would almost have to be on the table.
4. Cornerback:
The secondary really started their struggles when Leon Hall went down. This is a position depth must be upgraded. The draft is loaded at CB and going after that position in the first two rounds is a serious option, which is why this position isn't listed higher. However if a quality CB can be added along with Clements and Jones resigned then you don't have to take a CB very early in the draft.
Cortland Finnegan is the top name, but the CB position is pricey, and he would likely cost too much. Unless this team is unable to attract any top free agents, I wouldn't want to spend that kind of money. Especially since the draft is so loaded at the position and Hall will be back next year.
After Finnegan, names like Brandon Carr and Marcus Trufant should be intriuging to this team. They are both quality CB's who would add an instant upgrade to the depth in the secondary. If Jones and Clements are both brought back a CB group of Hall, Carr/Trufant, Jones, and Clements would be one of the better 1-4 CB groups in the NFL.
After that there are names like Eric Wright and Rashean Mathis that would add good depth to the position, but an early round CB would need to be added as well.
5. A 2nd Wide Receiver:
Jerome Simpson showed flashes over the last 4 games of 2010 and throughout 2011, but his play was not consistent enough. I don't know if he has the mental game. The team has it's WR1 and two good slot guys along with one of the most talented TE's in the NFL, WR2 is the missing piece. I wouldn't sign a free agent unless I thought they could bring more to the table than Simpson. Maybe drafting someone in the 1st round could be the way to go and have a WR group of Dalton and Green, along with the new WR that are all about the same age and could all develop together.
There are lots of big name WR's that are going to be free agents in 2012. How many resign with their old teams is yet to be determined, but there should be some big names out there.
Desean Jackson could be one of those names. He's not happy with what Philly has done signing all these big dollar contracts and not offering him one. Having Jackson to go across from AJ Green would give defensive coordinators headaches. Do you roll coverage to AJ and leave Desean one on one to beat you deep or do you cover deep and have a CB try to defend AJ Green one on one? Neither one of those would work. If you try to take both away then you have a LB trying to cover Jermaine Gresham. This would be a huge signing, but would likely cost a lot of money.
There are other names that could be available like Vincent Jackson or Brandon Lloyd. The most intruiging other name to me though is Robert Meachem. He has the ability to beat CB's deep and has shown he can get the job done when defenses try to take away teams better options like in New Orleans with Colston and Graham. Meachem also does a great job in the red zone which this team needs. He could be had at a reasonable price.
After that I would look to getting Simpson a 1 year deal and drafting his replacement.
6. Linebacker:
This is the most puzzling position on the team. There are plenty of good players at LB, but I don't know what to do about getting them in the right spots. Thomas Howard definitely needs to be brought back and be the starting Will LB in 2012, he played outstanding this season. Keith Rivers can either take a pay cut or play somewhere else, because he has lost his starting job. Can Rey play the middle? Some games he played like he owned the field and some he was out of place. I think giving him one more year in the middle is in order. This was new for him in the NFL and I think sometimes he was thinking too much instead of just playing because he had new responsibilities. I like Manny Lawson as well, but if it looks like Rey isn't working out early in next season he would go back to the strong side and Manny would be the backup. That would leave a hole in the middle then. Maybe Skuta could man the position or do you find a free agent that would start the season as a backup and then if Rey struggles he would be the starter.
Would London Fletcher assume that role at 36 years old? I seriously doubt it because despite his age he's still playing at a high level. The team could make the decision now to move Rey back to SAM LB and if Fletcher is willing to come here make him the starter. With his age injuries could be a concern, but if that happened Rey is better than any backup in the middle in the NFL and Skuta is more than servicable.
Looking at some lesser talented LB's is an option also because they can always contribute on Special Teams with their combination of size and speed.
The Draft:
Every team has a big board heading into the draft. This would be my big board of players this team would look to draft. When you see this big board you won't see Andrew Luck on there because he's not someone the team could realistically look at drafting. You will see Trent Richardson, now realistically the team probably won't get him because he'll be gone, but he fills a need and would be an option to trade up to get. So this big board is a big board of players that the team could go after.
1. Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama
2. Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State
3. Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU
4. Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina
5. Alshon Jeffrey, WR, South Carolina
6. Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama
7. David DeCastro, OG, Stanford
8. Janoris Jenkins, CB, North Alabama
9. Luke Kuechly, LB, Boston College
10. Mark Barron, SS, Alabama
11. Micheal Floyd, WR, Notre Dame
12. Alfonzo Dennard, CB, Nebraska
13. Cordy Glenn, OG, Georgia
14. Devon Still, DT, Penn State
15. Melvin Ingram, DE, South Carolina
16. David Wilson, RB, Virginia Tech
17. Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor
18. Whitney Mercilus, DE, Illinois
19. Lamar Miller, RB, Miami
20. Chase Minnifield, CB, Virginia
21. Kelechi Osemele, OG/OT, Iowa State
22. Chris Polk, RB, Washington
23. Dont'a Hightower, LB, Alabama
24. Jayron Hosley, CB, Virginia Tech
25. Stephon Gilmore, CB, South Carolina
26. Kevin Zeitler, OG, Wisconsin
27. Casey Heyward, CB, Vanderbilt
28. Markelle Martin, SS, Oklahoma State
29. Derek Wolfe, DT, Cincinnati
30. Mohamed Sanu, WR, Rutgers
31. Fletcher Cox, DT, Mississippi State
32. Dwight Jones, WR, North Carolina
33. Brandon Thompson, DT, Clemson
34. Ray Ray Armstrong, SS, Miami
35. Billy Winn, DT, Boise State
36. Ryan Miller, OG, Colorado
37. Cliff Harris, CB, Oregon
38. Isaiah Pead, RB, Cincinnati
39. Mike Brewster, C, Ohio State
40. Ben Jones, C, Georgia
That list of names should get them through three rounds. Again this is not a list of all the top players, just the players the team should have interest in.
The 2011 season was a pleasant suprise to most Bengals fans. Most pundits and even fans in this city thought this would be one of the worst teams in the NFL and might be the favorites to land Andrew Luck with the number one overall pick in the draft. Despite the good season, and abundance of talented young players on this team at key positions, there is still a long way to go if the ultimate goal of winning the Super Bowl is to be reached.
Since Free Agency happens before the draft here's a list of what players and positions need to be filled and the order in which I would go about filling them.
Free Agency:
1. LaRon Landry, Safety, Washington Redskins: Obviously you never know what free agents will be resigned by their former teams, but Landry would be a candidate to hit the open market. Safety is one of the tougher positions to fill via the draft in most years. The SS position needs to be upgraded. Chris Crocker was servicable for a few years, but he's getting old and we all saw how he struggled in the playoff game against the Texans. All the great defenses that are consistently great year in and year out have a top Safety. Like the Ravens and the Steelers have for years.
Landry is on his way to being one of the elite Safeties in this league. I'm usually not in favor of throwing big dollars at a free agent, but with this team's room under the cap and the talent of Landry I would make a strong push to get him here in Cincinnati. Wine and dine him, or whatever else you have to do. Getting Landry would go a long way in upgrading a secondary that really struggled the second half of the season. Since there is only one Safety with a 1st round grade, this would be my top priority in free agency.
2. The Guard Position: This may be a bigger hole than Safety, and a bigger need, but there isn't a player that is elite like Landry at this position. Plus the big name free agents seem to go quick so making a play at Landry would come before this.
The top two names at Guard in free agency are Carl Nicks from the Saints and Ben Grubbs from the Ravens. Guard is a position that is cheap compared to other positions on the offensive line. I think Nicks will be open for bidding because the Saints just paid Evans a lot of money last year and may not want to tie up that much money at one position. If Grubbs could be had that would be a double win taking him away from division rival the Ravens and filling a hole at the same time. The price would have to be right, but if either can be had I would make a play at them.
If you do sign Landry then you may have to look to cheaper options at this position because of the salary Landry will likely command. Derrick Dockery from Dallas, Ryan Diem from Indianapolis, and Will Montgomery from Washington would be three names to check into. Because of both positions being a need at Guard an early draft pick could be an option in addition to a free agent.
3. Runningback:
The first name I would look at here is Micheal Bush. He could probably be had relatively cheap and would be a perfect fit in this division with his power style in the physical AFC North. He's also a good compliment to Bernard Scott as he's about the exact opposite as far as style goes and would bring something completely different to the table. There's only one RB I would take with a 1st round pick and that's Trent Richardson. Since he's going to be long gone I think for this year free agency is the way to go to fill the RB position.
There are some big name RB's out there this year like Ray Rice and Matt Forte but odds are they end up back with their same teams. Rice for sure, Forte could be available based on his contract dispute with the Bears but he would carry a heavy price tag. You can't sign more than one or two big dollar free agents realistically. If the team is unable to get Landry or one of the top Guards would be the only way I could see going after someone like Forte.
There is also some names like Peyton Hillis, but I question his toughness with the whole strep throat thing. Either that or he got bad advice from his agent. Mike Tolbert would probably fall in the same dollar category as Hillis. He's an interesting name and if the dollars are available is another power back to take a look at. He can also catch the ball and pass protect very well and would be the next back I would look at after Micheal Bush.
If none of those players can be had you have Tim Hightower and Jason Snelling. Those would be players that could come in and compete, but would largely be backup plans. If it comes down to them taking a RB in the draft early would almost have to be on the table.
4. Cornerback:
The secondary really started their struggles when Leon Hall went down. This is a position depth must be upgraded. The draft is loaded at CB and going after that position in the first two rounds is a serious option, which is why this position isn't listed higher. However if a quality CB can be added along with Clements and Jones resigned then you don't have to take a CB very early in the draft.
Cortland Finnegan is the top name, but the CB position is pricey, and he would likely cost too much. Unless this team is unable to attract any top free agents, I wouldn't want to spend that kind of money. Especially since the draft is so loaded at the position and Hall will be back next year.
After Finnegan, names like Brandon Carr and Marcus Trufant should be intriuging to this team. They are both quality CB's who would add an instant upgrade to the depth in the secondary. If Jones and Clements are both brought back a CB group of Hall, Carr/Trufant, Jones, and Clements would be one of the better 1-4 CB groups in the NFL.
After that there are names like Eric Wright and Rashean Mathis that would add good depth to the position, but an early round CB would need to be added as well.
5. A 2nd Wide Receiver:
Jerome Simpson showed flashes over the last 4 games of 2010 and throughout 2011, but his play was not consistent enough. I don't know if he has the mental game. The team has it's WR1 and two good slot guys along with one of the most talented TE's in the NFL, WR2 is the missing piece. I wouldn't sign a free agent unless I thought they could bring more to the table than Simpson. Maybe drafting someone in the 1st round could be the way to go and have a WR group of Dalton and Green, along with the new WR that are all about the same age and could all develop together.
There are lots of big name WR's that are going to be free agents in 2012. How many resign with their old teams is yet to be determined, but there should be some big names out there.
Desean Jackson could be one of those names. He's not happy with what Philly has done signing all these big dollar contracts and not offering him one. Having Jackson to go across from AJ Green would give defensive coordinators headaches. Do you roll coverage to AJ and leave Desean one on one to beat you deep or do you cover deep and have a CB try to defend AJ Green one on one? Neither one of those would work. If you try to take both away then you have a LB trying to cover Jermaine Gresham. This would be a huge signing, but would likely cost a lot of money.
There are other names that could be available like Vincent Jackson or Brandon Lloyd. The most intruiging other name to me though is Robert Meachem. He has the ability to beat CB's deep and has shown he can get the job done when defenses try to take away teams better options like in New Orleans with Colston and Graham. Meachem also does a great job in the red zone which this team needs. He could be had at a reasonable price.
After that I would look to getting Simpson a 1 year deal and drafting his replacement.
6. Linebacker:
This is the most puzzling position on the team. There are plenty of good players at LB, but I don't know what to do about getting them in the right spots. Thomas Howard definitely needs to be brought back and be the starting Will LB in 2012, he played outstanding this season. Keith Rivers can either take a pay cut or play somewhere else, because he has lost his starting job. Can Rey play the middle? Some games he played like he owned the field and some he was out of place. I think giving him one more year in the middle is in order. This was new for him in the NFL and I think sometimes he was thinking too much instead of just playing because he had new responsibilities. I like Manny Lawson as well, but if it looks like Rey isn't working out early in next season he would go back to the strong side and Manny would be the backup. That would leave a hole in the middle then. Maybe Skuta could man the position or do you find a free agent that would start the season as a backup and then if Rey struggles he would be the starter.
Would London Fletcher assume that role at 36 years old? I seriously doubt it because despite his age he's still playing at a high level. The team could make the decision now to move Rey back to SAM LB and if Fletcher is willing to come here make him the starter. With his age injuries could be a concern, but if that happened Rey is better than any backup in the middle in the NFL and Skuta is more than servicable.
Looking at some lesser talented LB's is an option also because they can always contribute on Special Teams with their combination of size and speed.
The Draft:
Every team has a big board heading into the draft. This would be my big board of players this team would look to draft. When you see this big board you won't see Andrew Luck on there because he's not someone the team could realistically look at drafting. You will see Trent Richardson, now realistically the team probably won't get him because he'll be gone, but he fills a need and would be an option to trade up to get. So this big board is a big board of players that the team could go after.
1. Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama
2. Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State
3. Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU
4. Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina
5. Alshon Jeffrey, WR, South Carolina
6. Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama
7. David DeCastro, OG, Stanford
8. Janoris Jenkins, CB, North Alabama
9. Luke Kuechly, LB, Boston College
10. Mark Barron, SS, Alabama
11. Micheal Floyd, WR, Notre Dame
12. Alfonzo Dennard, CB, Nebraska
13. Cordy Glenn, OG, Georgia
14. Devon Still, DT, Penn State
15. Melvin Ingram, DE, South Carolina
16. David Wilson, RB, Virginia Tech
17. Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor
18. Whitney Mercilus, DE, Illinois
19. Lamar Miller, RB, Miami
20. Chase Minnifield, CB, Virginia
21. Kelechi Osemele, OG/OT, Iowa State
22. Chris Polk, RB, Washington
23. Dont'a Hightower, LB, Alabama
24. Jayron Hosley, CB, Virginia Tech
25. Stephon Gilmore, CB, South Carolina
26. Kevin Zeitler, OG, Wisconsin
27. Casey Heyward, CB, Vanderbilt
28. Markelle Martin, SS, Oklahoma State
29. Derek Wolfe, DT, Cincinnati
30. Mohamed Sanu, WR, Rutgers
31. Fletcher Cox, DT, Mississippi State
32. Dwight Jones, WR, North Carolina
33. Brandon Thompson, DT, Clemson
34. Ray Ray Armstrong, SS, Miami
35. Billy Winn, DT, Boise State
36. Ryan Miller, OG, Colorado
37. Cliff Harris, CB, Oregon
38. Isaiah Pead, RB, Cincinnati
39. Mike Brewster, C, Ohio State
40. Ben Jones, C, Georgia
That list of names should get them through three rounds. Again this is not a list of all the top players, just the players the team should have interest in.
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