First Round Mock (with trades)

by astrazz2 on Mar 6, 2011 3:29 PM EST

The Panthers need to get better on offense but they chose to go with the safe pick over a QB here. In a division filled with stud QB’s they need to get improve their pass rush, and Bowers provides a long term answer for the void left by Julius Peppers’ departure.

Arizona Cardinals (f/DEN)- Blaine Gabbert

Arizona wants to jump Buffalo and Cincinnati to get their guy at QB, and Denver decides to trade back knowing they can still grab an elite defensive player at #5. Blaine Gabbert provides an upgrade at the most important position on the field and is a potential long term answer as a franchise QB.

Buffalo Bills- Patrick Peterson

With no QB worth taking at #3 the Bills decide to sure up the defense. Dareus is a strong consideration here, but with the depth available on the defensive line they chose to add the stud CB to play opposite to McGee/McKelvin and address the DL in the 2nd.

Cincinnati Bengals- Nick Fairley

The Bengals could go any number of directions with this pick, but Fairley is a perfect fit to slow down the strong ground games in the AFC North.

Denver Broncos (f/ARI) – Marcell Dareus

The Broncos desperately need a defensive lineman and Dareus will provide a big, athletic presence in the middle.

Cleveland Browns- AJ Green

Cleveland needs a WR bad, and AJ Green is too talented to pass up.

San Francisco 49ers- Robert Quinn

Quinn is one of the most talented players in the draft and will instantly improve a lackluster pass rush.

Tennessee Titans- Von Miller

The Titans chose to simply go with the best player available here, and Von Miller would be a great addition to any defense.

Dallas Cowboys- Prince Amukamara

Dallas has a lot of issues in the secondary and Prince will provide an immediate impact as a starter.

Washington Redskins-Julio Jones

Washington decides to put a big body opposite to Santana Moss and sure up a shaky WR corps.

Jacksonville Jaguars (f/ HOU)- Cam Newton

Jacksonville wants to jump Minnesota and Miami to grab Newton and Houston happily steps back a few slots and picks up some extra picks.

Minnesota Vikings- Cameron Jordan

With Newton off the boards Minnesota grabs a DE to play opposite to Jared Allen.

Detroit Lions- Ryan Kerrigan

With Suh drawing double teams in the middle Kerrigan will provide some pressure from the outside.

St. Louis Rams- Anthony Costonzo

With Jones off the board St. Louis takes the durable, reliable OT to help protect their franchise QB.

Miami Dolphins- Mark Ingram

The Dolphins had their eye on Cam Newton, but now turn to Mark Ingram to fill the void at RB

Houston Texans (f/JAC)- JJ Watt

JJ Watt provides great value here and is a great fit for Wade Phillips 3-4 system.

New England Patriots- Aldon Smith

The Patriots can afford to take the chance on the super athletic OLB and gain a rusher off the edge.

San Diego Chargers- Brandon Harris

Bob Sanders provides an upgrade at safety, and now the Chargers add an athletic CB to further improve their secondary.

New York Giants- Phil Taylor

While some may think this is too high for Taylor he is a great fit in NY. He provides a big body in the middle and his stamina won’t be an issue as they frequently use defensive sets with 3-4 DE’s on the field on passing downs.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Nate Solder

Tampa can go a number of directions with this pick but ultimately decide to add a OT to help protect Freeman.

Kansas City Chiefs-Stephen Paea

LB is a consideration here, but the Chiefs want to add some quality depth to their DL and Paea can effectively play the 0-technique in their 3-4.

Tennessee Titans (f/IND)- Jake Locker

The Colts start receiving a lot of phone calls from teams trying to move up for Locker and decide they can move back and fill a couple different needs. Meanwhile Tennessee grabs a QB that they can build around.

Philadelphia Eagles- Justin Houston

The Eagles land an athletic OLB who can put some pressure on opposing QB’s.

New Orleans Saints- Jimmy Smith

The Saints sure up their weak secondary by taking an athletic CB.

Seattle Seahawks- Adrian Clayborn

Seattle chooses an big, athletic DE who can play against the run and pass.

Baltimore Ravens- Kyle Rudolph

Todd Heap is past his prime and Rudolph will allow the Ravens to use more 2 TE sets much like the Patriots did this past season.

Atlanta Falcons- Rahim Moore

Aaron Williams is also an option but the Falcons are thin at Safety and Moore is an instant upgrade at the position.

Dallas Cowboys (f/NE)- Cameron Heyward

Dallas addressed there secondary earlier in the round and now wants to move up to grab a DL to stop the run. New England is always happy to move back and grab more picks.

Chicago Bears- Tyron Smith

Chicago grabs an athletic OT to help protect Jay Cutler.

New York Jets- Jonathan Baldwin

Akeem Ayers is an option to replace Jason Taylor here, but with the future of Holmes and Edwards uncertain the Jets decide to address the offensive side of the ball and grab a talented WR.

Pittsburgh Steelers- Gabe Carimi

Mike Pouncey is also an option, but the Steelers chose to add a RT to give Roethlisberger better protection up front.

Green Bay Packers-Martez Wilson

Hawk may have been retained, but the Packers still chose to add a big, athletic ILB to their talented front 7.

Just another great fan opinion shared on the pages of BuffaloRumblings.com.

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Comments

There are some really interesting scheme decisions in here, but I think they all work.

Cameron Jordan to a 4-3 team, Von Miller in the 4-3, Paea in the 3-4, Phil Taylor in the 4-3 and Justin Houston in the 4-3 are all fits given the specific teams you have them going to.

The only two picks that I think don’t work are Costanzo to the Rams and Smith to the Saints.

The Rams have taken an OT in the first two picks two years in a row. They’ve got a lot of money invested in Jason Smith and will be patient with him. He was advertised as an athletic, but raw player coming out of school and the Rams won’t draft somebody to replace him or Saffold for at least a couple seasons.

The Saints took a CB in the first round last year in Patrick Robinson and paired up with Greer and Tracy Porter, they’re set at CB. Malcolm Jenkins is another first round DB selection, so they’re set at safety as well.

Other than that, I think this is a really solid mock with some intriguing selections that I probably wouldn’t have considered, but make a lot of sense.

"You mean @TWHITNER. It’s how he prefers to be referenced." - Jon Harrington

by kaisertown on Mar 6, 2011 3:56 PM EST reply actions

can see that...

i understand what your saying, i dont pay a ton of attention to those teams so i guess i misjudged their needs…

as for players who are drafted out of their ideal schemes i agree some seem unusual, but i think good players will produce regardless.. just to back up my thinking a bit:

I think any team who grabs Von Miller is getting a great football player, and he is athletic enough to play OLB in a 4-3.. Jordan is an ideal 5-tech but would be very solid in the 4-3, especially with Jared Allen on the other side drawing attention (he may never be a sack artist, but he will produce).. I think Paea could effectively play the nose, he may not be as big as most 0-tech players but he is extremely strong and difficult to move of the ball.. I think Taylor only works in the 4-3 for the giants because they have so many pass rushers and they often replace DT’s with DE’s on passing downs, so taylors main responsibility would be plugging gaps.. As for justin houston i think he can play the postion effectively, especially the eagles sin a blitz heavy defense (i think he can play a lot like kiwianka is used for the g-men)

by astrazz2 on Mar 6, 2011 6:16 PM EST up reply actions

I think this may be among the worst mocks I have viewed.

So that means it is probably closer to happening than any mock I would make.

Kudos.

With pick #195 the Buffalo Bills select Michael Jasper (6'4" 395 lbs) Bethel University.
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The right (draft) move sometimes might be to strengthen a strength. Filling holes in the 1st round leads to grabs and busts..

by Buffalo for Eternity on Mar 6, 2011 5:50 PM EST reply actions

Disagree with 3

I think that with both Dareus and Fairley available at this point, the Bills would grab one of them, preferably Dareus. The Bills biggest problem on D, was not having the right personnel to stop the run, and with Dareus having a history of doing that at ’Bama with his surprising speed, the Bills would be stupid to pass him up. That being said, I feel that Denver would grab him before then and not trade with Arizona, although if Dareus is gone then, I hope the Bills can orchestrate a trade somewhere even if its just one more second or third round addition.

by DynamicHero22 on Mar 6, 2011 6:13 PM EST reply actions

Nice Job

One of the better mocks I’ve seen, really.

Ryan FitZpatrick - The Inconvenient Truth.

by kgun201 on Mar 6, 2011 8:26 PM EST reply actions

Maretez Wilson

This one is not a nit-pick. I don’t think there’s any chance of him falling down this far.

Ryan FitZpatrick - The Inconvenient Truth.

by kgun201 on Mar 6, 2011 8:27 PM EST up reply actions

many have had him not in the 1st at all

he could fall, he is the best ILB in a relatively week class

"The Buffalo Bills have just exploded all over the Cincinnati Bangles"
-Steve Tasker-

by billsoferie on Mar 6, 2011 9:25 PM EST up reply actions

I love Peterson, but

If the Bills select a pass rusher (Miller) our pass defense becomes better

by Winnie33 on Mar 7, 2011 10:18 AM EST reply actions

if the bills take a shutdown cb...

our defense becomes better… if they take dareus our defense becomes better… any way you cut it if you take a defensive player at #3 your defense should get better, so why not take the best one? in my opinion we need a cb wayyyyy more than we need an olb anyway

by astrazz2 on Mar 7, 2011 11:23 AM EST up reply actions