Mock Draft 1.0

Updated October 25, 2011

At last, here is the first installment of our 2012 NFL Mock Draft. For the 1.0 edition, we did not give our reasons as to why each player would be picked there, because we will be doing editing throughout the next few months until our final mock draft. Our rankings on where each team will draft are based on where we project the team to finish based on record.

                                                       Blaise                                                  Brendan                                           

1.  Indianapolis Colts           Andrew Luck QB/Stanford            Andrew Luck QB/Stanford                                     

2.  Miami Dolphins                 Landry Jones QB/Oklahoma              Landry Jones QB/Oklahoma

3.  Seattle Seahawks           Trent Richardson RB/Alabama      Matt Kalil OT/USC

4.  St. Louis Rams                  Justin Blackmon WR/Oklahoma St.   Justin Blackmon WR/ Oklahoma St.

5.  Jacksonville Jaguars      Matt Kalil OT/USC                        Jonathan Martin OT/Stanford

6.  Minnesota Vikings             Quinton Coples RB/North Carolina   Morris Claiborne CB/LSU

7.  Denver Broncos           Dre Kirkpatrick CB/Alabama        Alshon Jeffery WR/South Carolina

8.  Carolina Panthers              Alshon Jeffrey WR/South Carolina     Riley Reiff OT/Iowa

9.  Cleveland Browns          Michael Floyd WR/Notre Dame    Michael Floyd WR/Notre Dame

10. Arizona Cardinals             Jon Martin OT/Stanford                    Quinton Coples DE/North Carolina                   

11. Kansas City Chiefs       Matt Barkley QB/USC                   Brandon Thompson DT/Clemson

12. Tennessee Titans              Devin Taylor DE/South Carolina       Luke Kuechly ILB/Boston College

13. Washington Redskins   Jerel Worthy DT/Michigan State   Matt Barkley QB/USC

14. Cincinnati Bengals            Janoris Jenkins CB/Northern Alabama      Trent Richardson RB/Alabama

15. Dallas Cowboys             Alfonzo Dennard CB/Nebraska     Dre Kirkpatrick CB/Alabama

16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers   Vontaze Burfict LB/Arizona State      Vontaze Burfict/ILB/ Arizona State

17. Buffalo Bills                   Cordy Glenn OG/Georgia             Alfonzo Dennard CB/Nebraska

18. Cincinnati Bengals(from OAK)  Jared Crick DT/Nebraska         Janoris Jenkins CB/North Alabama

19. San Francisco 49ers      Morris Claiborne CB/LSU            Jared Crick DE/Nebraska

20. New York Giants             Bradon Thompson DT/Clemson        Courtney Upshaw OLB/Alabama

21. Philadelphia Eagles       Luke Kuechly ILB/Boston College   Manti Te'o ILB/Notre Dame

22. Chicago Bears                 Andrew Datko OT/Florida State       Melvin Ingram DE/South Carolina

23. Cleveland Browns (from ATL) Chase Minnifield CB/Virginia  Cliff Harris CB/Oregon

24. San Diego Chargers         Michael Brewster C/Ohio State         Cordy Glenn OG/Georgia

25. Houston Texans            Donte Paige-Moss OLB/UNC       Mark Barron S/Alabama

26. New York Jets                 Riley Reiff OT/Iowa                          Kendall Reyes DT/Connecticut                        

27. Pittsburgh Steelers        Nate Potter OT/Boise State           Alameda Ta'amu DT/Washington

28. Detroit Lions                     T.J. McDonald S/USC                      Ronnell Lewis OLB/Oklahoma

29. New England Patriots (from NO) Courtney Upshaw OLB/Alabama  Michael Brewster C/Ohio St.

30. Baltimore Ravens              Jeff Fuller WR/Texas A&M              Bruce Irvin DE/West Virginia    

31. New England Patriots    David DeCastro OG/Stanford       Jerel Worthy DT/Michigan State

32. Green Bay Packers          Dont’a Hightower LB/Alabama          David DeCastro G/Stanford

Brendan Phillips' Early 2012 NFL Draft QB/RB/WR Rankings

Updated October 31, 2011

Top QB

1.       Andrew Luck, Stanford

                  2.       Landry Jones, Oklahoma University
3.              Matt Barkley, USC

    4.          Robert Griffin III, Baylor

    5.     Ryan Tannehill, Texas A&M

      6.    Kirk Cousins, Michigan State

     7.    Brandon Weeden, Oklahoma Stat
8.            Nick Foles, Arizona

           9.       Ryan Lindley, San Diego State

10.      Kellen Moore, Boise St.

Top RB

1.       Trent Richardson, Alabama

2.      Lamar Miller, University of Miami
3. Ray Graham, Pitt
4.       Lamichael James, Oregon

5.       Isiah Pead, Cincinnati

6.   Chris Polk, Washington   
7.       Andre Ellington, Clemson

8.       Chris Rainey, Florida

9.      Knile Davis, Arkansas
10.   Cyrus Gray, Texas A&M

Top WR

1.       Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma St.

2.       Alshon Jeffery, South Carolina

3.       Michael Floyd, Notre Dame

4.       Jeff Fuller, Texas A&M

5.       Juron Criner, Arizona

6.       Brian Quick, Appalachian St.

7.       Mohammad Sanu, Rutgers

8.       Dwight Jones, North Carolina

9.       Nick Toon, Wisconsin

10.   Greg Childs, Arkansas 

University of Florida Transfer Quarterback Not Named Cam Newton

A tall, athletic quarterback that started his collegiate career off at the University of Florida only to transfer to another school twice; No I’m not referring to Cam Newton, I’m talking about Josh Portis. Josh Portis is a name that not many people have ever heard of, but I consider him one of my sleepers at this year’s NFL Combine.

Here is a little background information on Josh Portis:

Portis is a 6’3, 211 pound, dual threat quarterback out of California University of Pennsylvania. Coming out of Taft High School in Los Angeles, California, Portis chose to attend the University of Florida. He was ranked by Rivals.com as the 4^th best dual-threat QB coming out of high school, and the 13^th best player in the state of California in 2005. After one year at the University of Florida due deep depth at quarterback, he decided to transfer. He ended up at the University of Maryland where he played sparingly in the 2008 season after having to sit out his 2007 season due to the transfer. After the 2008 season, Portis transferred to the Division II school, California University of Pennsylvania which is located just south of Pittsburgh, PA. Being from the Pittsburgh area, many students from my high school attend Cal U, but it’s not really known as an athletic powerhouse although their football team has been bery good in recent years. Portis dominated the Division II competition in 2010 when he set school records with 3421 passing yards and 36 total touchdowns. His domination continued into 2011 where he put up another set of impressive stats. And now he has received an invite to the 2011 NFL Combine.

Similarities to Cam Newton:

His collegiate football career resembles that of Cam Newton. They both started off at the University of Florida playing quarterback, and both saw limited action. Newton and Portis both ended up transferring to two more universities after Florida. Newton was a five star prospect coming out of high school according to Rivals.com and Portis was a four star. Portis was also involved in an academic cheating scandal while he was at the University of Maryland, just like Newton was at Florida. The similarities are there.

Portis at the NFL Combine:

This Sunday I am excited to see what Portis does at the NFL Combine. It was reported that he ran a 4.57 second 40 yard dash coming out of high school. If he could run under a 4.6 second 40 yard dash at the Combine, he would definitely turn heads. He has a strong arm, and the build to go along with it. He could gain some more weight but once he gets into a NFL weight training program, the pounds will come. He does have some off-the-field character issues, which most recently stem from a theft charge in 2010. But with time, maturity, and proper mentorship that could be cured. It also doesn’t hurt that Portis is the cousin of Washington Redskins runningback, Clinton Portis. So when watching the combine this weekend or hearing about it on ESPN, and you see that a quarterback from a small southwestern PA school puts up impressive numbers, you won’t be surprised if you took time to read this blog.

Blaise Taggart's Pre-Combine Top 5 QB's, RB's, WR's in the 2011 NFL Draft

This is the first publishing of Blaise Taggart's top 5 quarterbacks, runningbacks, and wide receivers for the 2011 NFL Draft. After the NFL Combine, I will publish an updated version of each of the lists.

Top 5 QB

1. Cam Newton, Auburn

2. Ryan Mallet, Arkansas

3. Blaine Gabbert, Missouri

4. Andy Dalton, TCU

5. Colin Kaepernick, Nevada

Quick Overview: Some people thought I was crazy when I said I had Cam Newton as my second overall quarterback right after the season concluded. Newton was second to Andrew Luck, who ultimately decided to stay another year at Stanford. After Newton's public workout, many people have elevated him to the top quarterback spot where I already had him. I am anxiously awaiting to see what Gabbert does at the NFL Combine. I am a huge fan of Mallet. At 6'7, Mallet has the frame and arm to be a great quarterback, although he does need to work on his footwork, but his arm strength makes up for the lack of footwork. Dalton is in my top 5, which you will not see in many other's top 5. Dalton's accuracy has caught my eye, and as everyone knows, he was a winner at TCU in college. An Kaepernick is such a great athlete, and he is also intelligent. With NFL coaching, he could become a solid NFL quarterback.

Top 5 RB

1. Mark Ingram, Alabama

2. Mikel Leshoure, Illinois

3. Ryan Williams, Virginia Tech

4. Daniel Thomas, Kansas State

5. Dion Lewis, Pittsburgh

Quick Overview: This list might change after the combine. Ingram is a great running back that makes great plays. His Heisman trophy just shows what kind of player he is. Leshoure reminds me of another Illinois runningback, Rashard Mendenhall. Williams has the most upside out of anyone on this list. He tore up the ACC, and has the athletic ability to be an all-pro in the NFL. Thomas is your prototypical NFL sized, explosive back who could climb up my top 5 runningbacks chart as the pre-draft process continues. Dion Lewis reminds me of MJD and Ray Rice. Lewis, who I have seen in person many times, is the most underrated runningback in this draft. His low center of gravity propels him to be successful in the NFL.

Top 5 WR

1. Julio Jones, Alabama

2. A.J. Green, Georgia

3. Jon Baldwin, Pittsburgh

4. Austin Pettis, Boise State

5. Greg Little, North Carolina

Quick Overview: People will go into shock when they read my top 5 wide receiver list. I believe that Julio Jones will be a better professional wide receiver than A.J. Green. You can quote me on that and talk to me in three years. Green has great athletic measurables, but I think that Julio Jones is such a rare combination of size and speed, and he knows how to win. Jones was the number 1 receiver coming out of high school, and I believe that is still the case. Baldwin is also a great combination of size and speed. I played Baldwin in high school, and he is quite the athlete. If he improves his route running ability, he could be just as good as Jones and Green in the NFL. Pettis is higher on my list then many other expert's lists but I believe he is solid wide out. His hands are one of the best pairs in the draft. Little is just like another UNC player, Hakeem Nicks, and Nicks has worked out in the NFL thus far.

NFL Conference Championships Set

If you wonder why the NFL is the most popular league in the United States, look no farther than this year's playoffs. Sunday's Jets/Patriots game capped of a great weekend of NFL football. Only four teams remain in the race for that elusive thing called the Lombardi Trophy.

On Saturday, the Steelers beat the Ravens by a touchdown, after being down 21-7 in the first half. Following that game, Aaron Rodgers and the Packers showed why they were pre-season favorites in the NFC as they demolished the 1st seeded Falcons. On Sunday, the Bears handled the Seahawks, finally ending Seattle's magical run to the Divisional playoff round. The last game on Sunday presented one of the most interesting games of the last decade, as the Jets knocked off their nemesis, the Patriots, 28-21.

This weekend has set up a pair of great conference championships. On Sunday at 3:00 p.m., the NFC Championship will contain another divisional rivalry as the Green Bay Packers come in to Soldier Field to face their rivals, the Chicago Bears. A classic clash of two historic franchises. My experience of NFC Championships has been bitter sweet. Being a Philadelphia Eagles fan, we have been there plenty of times in the last decade, but have only won once (1-4 under Andy Reid). In January of 2009, I actually attended the NFC Championship down in Glendale, Arizona. The Eagles ended up falling short of a Super Bowl birth as they lost 32-25 to the upstart Arizona Cardinals. Conference championship games are like any other game. Of course, the Super Bowl has more significance, but conference championships have a different feel to them. They signify one game away from, arguably, the most prestigious game in all of sports, the Super Bowl. Once your in the Super Bowl, your in the record books, win or lose, you were there. The emotion of being 60 minutes away from a Super Bowl birth is something that is unmatched in football. Only four teams a year get to experience it, but those four teams get to feel something unrivaled in modern sports. In the end, I, as an Eagles fan have taken NFC Championships for granted, I have come to expect to play in it every year, but its difficulty on getting their always ends up humbling me. For this game, in my opinion, it pretty much comes down to this: Jay Cutler vs. Aaron Rodgers. Although many people are not a fan of Jay Cutler, I have always liked his gunslinger mentality, but this mentality brings about inconsistency. Aaron Rodgers, on the other hand, is the definition of a professional quarterback. We all know both defenses are considered atop the NFC, but when it comes down to it, the quarterback that makes the most mistakes will lose their team the game. Cliche, but true. Any thing can happen on a snowy day at Soldier Field.

The AFC Championship is headlined by great defenses?...what's new. On Sunday, at 6:00 p.m., Heinz Field in Pittsburgh will once again hold an AFC Championship game, this time being between the New York Jets and the Pittsburgh Steelers. My experience of an AFC Championship in Pittsburgh was a memorable one. In January of 2002, I witnessed the huge underdog New England Patriots led by an unknown quarterback by the name of Tom Brady, come into town and shock the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship. After the game, my friend and I were two of the only fans to stick around in our seats as we watched the Patriots celebrate, just because we knew what a historic event had just taken place. As a huge Steelers fan, my friend was devastated but he knew the significance of what had just happened. The Steelers are on the road to their 7th Super Bowl title. Growing up in Pittsburgh, I learned to love the game of football. If the Steelers end up winning Super Bowl 45, they will go down undeniably as the best NFL franchise of all-time. For what the NFL has become, a hugely successful league, the city of Pittsburgh would be known as the home of the greatest football franchise in the world. Even if you do not like the Steelers, as many of my classmates here at the University of Cincinnati don't, you have to respect them. As for the Jets, they're the flashy team that talks the talk, but they walk the walk. I like the Jets, Rex Ryan, Antonio Cromartie, Darrelle Revis, and the whole bunch. Why not? It seems like they love what they do. Seeing Rex Ryan run down the sideline when Shonn Greene scored and pretty much ended the game was a great sight. Jets vs. Steelers, if you don't get excited for this game, you don't have a pulse.

Game Picks:

NFC Championship

Green Bay Packers 30 - Chicago Bears 21

AFC Championship

Pittsburgh Steelers 23 - New York Jets 16

In conclusion, I love football. These two games on Sunday will be what I am looking forward to all week. The magnitude of Conference Championships in the NFL is unlike any playoff game in any other sport, you have 60 minutes to reach the greatest game played in all of sports, the Super Bowl.

B-TAGG out.