1. 1. Carolina Panthers—Cam Newton, QB, Auburn
Ø Too great of a talent and too much potential to pass on
2. 2. Denver Broncos—Marcell Dareus, DT, Alabama
Ø Explosive off the line, can stop both run and pass effectively
3. 3. Buffalo Bills—Patrick Peterson, CB, LSU
Ø Can make plays in the secondary and on special teams; going to be a force at both for years to come
4. 4. Cincinnati Bengals—A. J. Green, WR, Georgia
Ø Bengals have many needs, but Gabbert isn’t enticing enough at No. 4, so they “settle” for a stellar WR
5. 5. Arizona Cardinals—Von Miller, LB, Texas A&M
Ø Pass rushing was the Cards’ biggest weakness on D last year and Miller is probably the safest pick in the draft
6. 6. Cleveland Browns—Julio Jones, WR, Alabama
Ø Browns need a playmaker and Green is off the board; Bowers surgery is too much of a concern at No. 6
7. 7. San Francisco 49ers—Da’Quan Bowers, DE, Clemson
Ø The niners had virtually zero pass rush last year for the exception of Patrick Willis and they aren’t sure if they want to give up on Alex Smith quite yet
8. 8. Tennessee Titans—Blaine Gabbert, QB, Missouri
Ø Kerry Collins isn’t under contract, Rusty Smith struggled last season, and Vince Young’s future is still uncertain; Gabbert is as close to a sure thing as it gets
9. 9. Dallas Cowboys—Robert Quinn, DE/LB, UNC
Ø “America’s Team” wasn’t very good on the defensive side of the ball last year and DeMarcus Ware needs a partner in crime
10. 10. Washington Redskins—Prince Amukamara, CB, Nebraska
Ø Ran a great 40 at the combine and showed the skills necessary to be an elite DB for years to come
11. 11. Houston Texans—Tyron Smith, OT, USC
Ø Texans need to give Schaub more time in the pocket to be the elite quarterback he has shown at times
12. 12. Minnesota Vikings—Mike Pouncey, C, Florida
Ø With an aging O-Line, the Vikes need a fresh anchor to their line
13. 13. Detroit Lions—J.J. Watt, DE, Wisconsin
Ø Detroit surprised some people with a 6-10 record last year, with a big weakness being defense; continued improvement means more wins and respect
14. 14. St. Louis Rams—Nick Fairley, DT, Auburn
Ø One game away from the playoffs last season, the Rams need just a little more pass rush and they find a steal in Fairley
15. 15. Miami Dolphins—Mark Ingram, RB, Alabama
Ø Aging RB’s who have been a non-factor the past two seasons, Ingram is a game changer who falls to 15.
16. 16. Jacksonville Jaguars—Cameron Jordan, DE, California
Ø Some weren’t happy with Alualu being picked so high last year, but beefing up a D-line with Aaron Kampman returning this season looks promising
17. 17. New England Patriots (from Oakland)—Anthony Costanzo, OT, Boston College
Ø Aging O-Line, Pats can address with a sure thing with their 1st of 2 first round picks
18. 18. San Diego Chargers—Corey Liuget, DT, Illinois
Ø Chargers D was a primary reason for their absence from the playoffs, Liuget is a steal at 18
19. 19. New York Giants—Nate Solder, OT, Colorado
Ø Eli got sacked too much last year; D is solid enough to wait till 2nd round to find someone
20. 20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers—Adrian Clayborn, DE, Iowa
Ø Some considered him a top 10 pick last year, decided to stay and is going to be a big help for a young defense
21. 21. Kansas City Chiefs—Gabe Carimi, OT, Wisconsin
Ø Drafted D the past 4 years and are starting to come along on D side; Cassel came on strong last year, needs a little protection
22. 22. Indianapolis Colts—Akeem Ayers, LB, UCLA
Ø A very poor D the last few seasons, especially rushing the quarterback, Ayers is a perfect fit in a struggling D
23. 23. Philadelphia Eagles—Jimmy Smith, CB, Colorado
Ø Secondary suffered a lot of injuries last season, could go either CB or trade up for a D-Line
24. 24. New Orleans Saints—Ryan Kerrigan, DE, Purdue
Ø Saints D was their kryptonite last season and pass rush is where they need to start transforming their D
25. 25. Seattle Seahawks—Jake Locker, QB, Washington
Ø I can see Locker being over picked, but if picked by Seattle give him a year behind Hasselbeck and he’ll be a quality Q for years to come
26. 26. Baltimore Ravens—Jonathan Baldwin, WR, Pitt
Ø Baldwin is an absolute freak when the ball is in the air and Joe Flacco is no slouch; point being, Ravens need to take some pressure off Boldin
27. 27. Atlanta Falcons—Kyle Rudolph, TE, Notre Dame
Ø If ATL doesn’t trade up for a WR, then I see Rudolph being mentored by Gonzalez. Not a bad mentor I’d say
28. 28. New England Patriots—Mikel Leshoure, RB, Illinios
Ø Woodhead nor the law firm are starting running back material, although they did provide a spark last season; Leshoure will give Brady more flexibility in the passing game
29. 29. Chicago Bears—Rahim Moore, S, UCLA
Ø The Bears D definitely improved last year but their secondary was suspect; Moore is the best option at safety coverage wise in my opinion
30. 30. New York Jets—Aldon Smith, DE, Missouri
Ø Injuries and an under-performing D-Line forces NYJ to draft a DE to rebuild their already solid defense
31. 31. Pittsburgh Steelers—Aaron Williams, CB, Texas
Ø Secondary help is necessary because Polamalu can’t be everywhere on the field although it seems at times he is; Williams is my 2nd best CB after Smith and slips to the Steelers
32. 32. Green Bay Packers—Muhammad Wilkerson, DE, Temple
Ø Haven’t seen much on Wilkerson but GB has some holes on the D front and Wilkerson is best available
