BigCountry's 2nd Mock

1. Miami- Jake Long, OT Michigan (Parcells has to rebuild a franchise who, kindly speaking, is in transition, and had to have felt that Matt Ryan wasn’t good enough to give up on John Beck. Instead, he may get the next great blind side protector)

2. St. Louis- Glenn Dorsey, DT LSU (This pick will likely come down to Dorsey or Chris Long, but the Rams have been in love with Dorsey ever since his pro-day, and the rarity of a truly dominant inside pass rusher gives Dorsey the edge)

3. Atlanta- Matt Ryan, QB Boston College (The fact that there’s even a debate over this pick shows that the Falcons might still have some doubts over Ryan, but once Dorsey is gone Ryan is the logical choice. If Ryan can play within himself a little more, he has the physical tools and above all the mental makeup to be a franchise QB)

4. Oakland- Chris Long, DE Virginia (There have been rumors about McFadden going here but I have a very hard time seeing Al Davis pass on the pick that will headline the entire draf,t and the Raiders running game seemed to be picking up more steam as the past season went on, so they should be happy with what they have)

5. Kansas City- Vernon Gholston, DE Ohio State (Even if Jared Allen isn’t dealt before the draft, his days with the Chiefs are over, which makes this pick a pretty easy one. Ghoslton’s size will be less of an issue lining up at right end for a team that plays a Tampa 2 scheme)

6. N.Y Jets- Darren McFadden, RB Arkansas (Gholston and Ryan are off the board,
but the Jets get a nice consolation prize. Despite character questions, McFadden
will provide a huge boost to any offense he joins, and will fit nicely into one that
likes to move its running backs around and needs a shot in the arm)

7 New England (from SF)- Ryan Clady, OT Boise State (Ideally the Pats would like to trade out of this pick if McFadden and Long are gone but they have a need on the right side of offensive line and Clady will have an opportunity to start right away at tackle)

8 Baltimore- Mike Jenkins, CB Central Florida (At this point it comes down to which cornerback the Ravens prefer, as they are in desperate need of one. Jenkins may not have 4.3 speed, but he is physical and extremely technically sound, which is something the Ravens look for in their cover men)

9 Cincinnati- Sedrick Ellis, DT Southern Cal (The Bengals could also use a linebacker here but it’s hard to pass up on a guy that could be an anchor for your defensive line for years to come. Ellis isn’t as athletic as Dorsey but he’s excellent as collapsing the pocket, and this is an invaluable asset to a struggling defense)

10 New Orleans- Keith Rivers, LB USC (The Saints would love to get one of the two defensive tackles but they will have to do it via trade. If that doesn’t happen, Rivers is clearly their guy as their linebacking crops desperately needs an infusion of youth and athleticism)

11 Buffalo- Leodis McKelvin, CB Troy (The Bills have a need at CB and receiver, but the drop off to the second tire wideouts isn’t as steep as the drop to the second tier corners, and despite not playing in a major conference, McKelvin knows how to play the position and will start right away in a secondary that struggled last year)

12 Denver- Chris Williams, OT Vanderbilt (Williams is big and athletic with good hands, and is who the Broncos have been targeting for sometime)

13 Carolina- Derrick Harvey, DE Florida (The Panthers are also big fans of Jonathan Stewart and have a need there, but value wise with the retirement of Mike Rucker, they don’t pass up on a chance to plug in a player who is the prototypical 4-3 right defensive end)

14 Chicago- Branden Albert, OL Virginia (Simply put, a good offensive line can make an average running back look good, but a great running back can’t make a putrid offensive line look average. Albert has cometted up the board since his pro day and could start at a number of positions for the Bears)

15 Detroit- Dominique Rogers-Cromartie, CB Tenn State (With the Lions biggest need being a corner, they would gladly gamble on the most physically gifted CB in the draft)

16 Arizona- Jonathan Stewart, RB Oregon (The Cards see their player taken a pick before theirs, but they would gladly take Stewart, as their offensive line is starting to come together, and adding a back with size, speed and excellent vision to the weapons they already have could give the Cards the consistency they’ve been seeking for so long on offense)

17 Kansas City (from MIN) - Jeff Otah, OT Pittsburgh (Once the best in the league, the Chiefs offensive line is now perhaps their biggest weakness, and if Brody Croyle is to have any chance, he needs not only protection, but for Larry Johnson to go back to being Larry Johnson, and Otah helps on both accounts)

18 Houston- Rashard Mendenhall, RB Illinois (The Texans have a need at CB, but Mendenhall’s ability is hard to overlook at this point. He has an uncanny ability to find holes and blow through them, and will give the Texans a great weapon to consistently take pressure off their passing game)

19 Philadelphia- Kenny Phillips, S Miami Fl (Brian Dawkins isn’t getting any younger, and while he’s still playing at a high level, the Eagles could use an upgrade along side him. The Eagles could go in a few directions here, but the fact that Phillips was once considered a top 10 pick and could be the steal of the draft tips the scale to his direction

20 Tampa Bay- DeSean Jackson, WR Cal (Some may question this pick but the Bucs have exactly zero big play capability aside from Joey Galloway, who’s clock is beginning to wind down. Gruden will find ways to use Jackson and put him in positions to create after the catch. Jackson’s kick return ability will also help in a division that produces close game after close game every year)

21 Washington- Phillip Merling, DE Clemson (Dan Snyder lowering parking prices is more likely then Chris Williams or Branden Albert, the two players the Redskins really want, being available at this point, and that brings it down to Merling or Malcolm Kelly. With the Redskins having more at wide receiver then at defensive end, Merling is the guy and while he may be unspectacular, could give the Redskins a solid all around starter for years to come)

22 Dallas (From CLE)- Aqib Talib, CB Kansas (Besides Mexican get aways with semi-talented pop stars, this is the Cowboys only weakness, as after the loss of Jaque Reeves, their depth behind Terrence Newman and Anthony Henry is almost non existent. As well as addressing a need, the Cowboys get a player who’s future potential could well exceed the spot he was taken in.)

23 Pittsburgh- Kentwan Balmer, DL North Carolina (Brad Keisel and Aaron Smith are two of the most hard working, tough and gritty football players you’ll find, but the Steelers need some youth and athleticism on their front three. Balmer has the ability to play right end in the 3-4 and will give the Steelers more push from that position)

24 Tennessee- Limas Sweed,WR Texas (The signing of Alge Crumpler will help Vince Young bounce back, but he needs a target on the outside that can go up and get the ball, and even in their days together at Texas, Sweed was often Young’s go-to guy)

25 Seattle- Dustin Keller, TE Purdue (Keller blew scouts away at the combine with his speed and hands and solidified his first round status. Mike Holgrem loves good tight ends but hasn’t been able to find a consistent one in Seattle, and is hoping Keller, who seems like a perfect fit for that particular offense, will change that)

26 Jacksonville- Calais Campbell, DE Miami Fl (This is a risky pick for the Jags, but one they can afford and in many aspects must take. Campbell had a disappointing junior season and an even more disappointing combine but the ability is there, and a coach like Jack Del Rio should fancy himself as someone who can get Campbell’s light to turn back on. If he can, this is a steal)

27 San Diego- Jerod Mayo, LB Tennessee (Mayo is another player who has seen his stock rise, and San Diego desperately need to add some punch to their inside linebacker group, some which Mayo has plenty of)

28 Dallas- Felix Jones, RB Arkansas (Taking Jones here is a luxury pick the Cowboys are very happy they can afford, as his speed and burst can be a very dangerous complement to Barber wearing out defenses)

29 San Francisco (from IND)- Gosder Cherilus, OT Boston College (The Niners also like Quentin Groves a
lot, but we have yet to see what a healthy Manny Lawson can do. On the other hand, healthy or not, the 49ers QB’s have seen what the offensive line can do, which besides picking their signal callers up and picking the grass out of their facemask, isn’t much.

30 Green Bay- Brandon Flowers, CB Virginia Tech (The Packers love physical cornerbacks, and their duo of physical corners aren’t young and don’t have much behind them. Flowers was tailor made to play in this defense and will prove that stopwatches have less bearing on evaluating a football player then some scouts think)

31 X

32 N.Y Giants- Dan Connor, LB Penn State (The Giants let their two starting linebackers off a superbowl winning defense walk, and need to bolster the position. Conner can move to the outside and thanks to superior instincts and toughness, is ready to start right away)