First Quarter Mock

As we hit the first quarter mark of the NFL season, it’s never too early to start projecting for next April.  Well, actually it is too early but it is still a lot of fun.  Remember so much will change with teams before April with coaches getting fired, players getting moved, and underclassmen declaring.  This is simply a snapshot of what it might look like if the season ended today.

1. San Francisco: Andrew Luck QB Stanford…the next great franchise QB. Will impact the future of a team on par with what Peyton did for Indy.

2. Detroit: Prince Amukamara CB Nebraska…a shutdown corner that will help Detroit in the pass happy NFC North.

3. Carolina: Cameron Heyward DE Ohio State….replacement for Julius Peppers.

4. Cleveland: Mark Ingram RB Alabama. True franchise back that will remind many of Emmitt with speed.

5. Buffalo: DeMarcus Love OT Arkansas….the Bills need a franchise QB but no one is worthy of the #5 spot unless Locker picks up his game significantly. Instead they get to improve the line for Spiller.

6. New England (via Oakland): Adrian Clayborn DE Iowa..Coach Belichick needs to improve his defensive line and where better to turn then to his former assistant Kirk Ferentz’s Iowa team and their star player.

7. Washington: A.J Green WR Georgia..need a strong WR but missed bad with Thomas and Kelly a few years ago. A.J and Santana Moss would have a great duo.

8. St. Louis: Julio Jones WR Alabama….Improve targets for Bradford will mean improved results.

9. San Diego: Bruce Carter OLB North Carolina…Might be “Lights Out” for a certain player soon so they’ll need to address the opening. Remember Turner and Butch Davis coached together.

10. NY Giants: Anthony Castonzo, OT, Boston College…long term future of the franchise is keeping Eli safe. Can’t go wrong with those OL from Boston College.

11. Minnesota: Marvin Austin DT North Carolina..The Williams boys are getting older and it doesn’t appear a long term replacement is on the roster.

12. Jacksonville: Christian Ponder QB Florida State…Jags are a sad situation with no real marquee player outside of Maurice Jones Drew and grabbing Ponder here while considerably too early should generate some excitement with their fans. They do have fans right?

13. Denver: Robert Quinn DE North Carolina…need to improve the talent on the defensive line and immediately Quinn becomes their best linemen.

14. Dallas: Nate Solder OT Colorado. Dallas could go a few directions but with Colombo on his last legs and nothing much behind him (Alex Barron..yikes) the best move would be to grab OT first and look other directions later.

15. Tennessee: Stephen Paea DT Oregon State…Still look to replace Haynesworth’s push and Paea would be a step in the right direction to fill that void.

16. Tampa Bay: Allen Bailey DE Miami (Fla.)…special player who will elevate the Bucs line and push to start early in his career.

17. Seattle: Marcel Dareus DT Alabama..a steal at this point for a guy who has had to sit out some but is a heck of a talent and will work well it Coach Carroll’s system.

18. Philadelphia: Patrick Peterson CB LSU ..top talent who can be groomed as a shutdown corner for this team and eventually replace Asante Samuel.

19. NY Jets: Von Miller OLB Texas A&M….perfect addition to this ever growing defensive force that Rex has brewing in NY. Miller can slide into an OLB spot and keep it for 12 to 15 years.

20. New Orleans: Derek Sherrod OT Mississippi State…. Could never invest enough picks to keep your franchise QB safe.

21. New England: Jonathan Baldwin WR Pittsburgh..need to develop a young go to WR as Randy and Wes are getting younger.

22. Miami: Greg Jones ILB Michigan State…When Bobby Carpenter and a few others are part of your linebacking group you can always look to add a talent like Jones to the fold.

23. Indianapolis: Gabe Carimi OT Wisconsin. Protecting the health and welfare of your entire franchise has to be top priority and after missing on a few linemen they’ll need to hit a homerun with this one.

24. Houston: Jerrell Powe DT Mississippi…The Texans need to get their defense on the same talent level with the offense and the first thing would be to provide a stronger push in the middle of the defense.

25. Green Bay: DeMarco Murray RB Oklahoma..Ryan Grant’s long term health is too questionable to not invest a top pick on their future lead tailback. Initially Murray can act as a 1-2 punch for the Packers but should Grant continue with the injuries the Packers will be in a much better spot with Murray in the fold.

26. Cincinnati: Ryan Mallett QB Arkansas….Great time to grab the next franchise QB for your team and let him sit, learn, and watch for a few years (see Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay) before taking over the reins.

27. Baltimore: Mark Herzlich OLB Boston College…Great addition to the defense and as always a great story. Is it just me or does Ozzie do an incredible job with drafting, free agency and running a franchise.

28. Atlanta: Kyle Rudolph TE Notre Dame…..The perfect replacement whenever Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez decides to hang it up.

29. Arizona: Da’Quan Bowers DE Clemson…Most obvious need would be QB but after four weeks it’s unclear if the Wiz is really behind the rookies and would pass on a future signal caller. If so Bowers would give them a great third end and eventually major contributor to the defense.

30. Pittsburgh: Jake Locker QB Washington….I think the most popular sport among “draftniks” is to bang on Locker. While granted his season has been far from perfect something tells me Jake will prove those “experts” wrong who’ve turned on him and fly back up the charts. At this point this would be a colossal steal for the Steelers and drive home the point to Little Ben that he has zero margins for error.

31. Chicago: Michael Floyd WR Notre Dame …Bears clearly need to upgrade WR to match Cutler and Floyd is the best guy on the board at this point (grant at this point in October).

32. Kansas City: Greg Romeus DE Pittsburgh…injuries this season will lower stock but I certainly think if he shows that’s behind him at the combine and workouts Greg will be a nice grab at this point for the Super Bowl loser.

Well, there you have it. Love to hear comments, thoughts and intelligent opinions. Remember a trade of Logan Mankins, Vincent Jackson or Albert Haynesworth this off-season certainly changes everything but for now that’s the way I see it.