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1.  Indianapolis Colts – Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford

I would expect negotiations to begin any minute between the Colts and Andrew Luck.  At some point reality sets in that they aren’t gaming anyone and that Luck has been the pick since the day they secured the first overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.

2.  Washington Redskins – Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor

The Redskins traded the farm for Griffin and rightfully so.  He’s a special talent that is capable of beating teams in an assortment of ways.  Griffin’s game transitions to today’s NFL very well and due to that he has people buzzing about higher upside than Luck.  It really is splitting hairs…all I know is that both are going to be very good NFL QB’s.

3.  Minnesota Vikings – Matt Kalil, OT, Minnesota Vikings

I just can’t wrap my head around the Vikings passing on a franchise LT given their need.  Sure, Justin Blackmon or Morris Claiborne are needed but not at the expense of securing a blindside protector for Christian Ponder.

4.  Cleveland Browns – Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama

I really think this organization goes with an offensive playmaker with this pick and he won’t be named Justin Blackmon.  The only deal breaker will be if Heckert/Shurmur/Chilly fall in love with Ryan Tannehill.  This city doesn’t have the patience to wait on Tannehill’s development and the Heckert/Holmgren tandem know they won’t be around to see him develop.  Hence, the Richardson pick.

5.  Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU

This pick gets interesting if Richardson and Claiborne are on the board.  With TR going one spot ahead of them the decision becomes very easy.  The Bucs signed Eric Wright to a deal but he’s not the answer especially if Aqib Talib is suspended.  Ronde Barber is minutes away from retirement and this may be his last rodeo.  Claiborne gives the Bucs a legit No. 1 corner to pair with Wright/Talib for the long haul.

6.  St. Louis Rams – Fletcher Cox, DT, Mississippi St.

Remembering this is a mock draft which is a projection of what the team will do, not what I would do, I give you Fletcher Cox.  I have Cox rated ahead of Blackmon on my big board but I can’t see how the Rams pass on a pass catcher for Sam Bradford.  There is a lot of smoke with this fire and it seems Cox is the frontrunner if the Rams stay put at No. 6. Read the rest of this entry » «2012 NFL Mock Draft : Inching Closer to April 26th»

Wilson is capturing our attention, we'll see if he does the same for NFL scouts

The 2012 NFL Draft is quickly coming upon us.  With less than two weeks to go until Andrew Luck’s name is called by Roger Goodell, we will be offering our position-by-position rankings with final grades on most of the draftable prospects.

Today we look at the quarterbacks in the 2012 NFL Draft:

1. Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford

Height: 6034  Weight: 234

Luck has all the tools to be a great one.  With over a year as the top dog in this class many have tried to pick apart his game to no avail.  The reality is that Luck is/was/will be the best quarterback in this class.  He’s Indy bound.

2012 NFL Draft Projection:   No. 1

Final Grade: 7.5

2. Robert Griffin, QB, Baylor

Height: 6023  Weight: 223

Griffin wasn’t even a factor in the preseason draft rankings on most sites, except ours…admittingly had him as a second round pick.  That said, Griffin has elevated to the sure-fire second pick in this draft and is considered 1B in the 2012 class behind Andrew Luck.  In most years, Griffin would be the No. 1 pick but not with the Stanford signal caller sitting atop this draft.

2012 NFL Draft Projection:  No. 2 pick

Final Grade: 7.4 Read the rest of this entry » «2012 NFL Draft: Final Quarterback Rankings»

The 2012 NFL Draft is creeping up on us with the countdown officially set at 10 days.  With that in mind, we wanted to collaborate with our avid, informed reader’s on NFL’s Future to put together a mock draft.

The mock draft will be a pick a day with the final tally culminating at 6:00 a.m. EST the following day.  After the pick is in, that player will be off the board and the next selection will be up before 9:00 a.m. EST.  At the end we will put the mock together in anticipation of April 26th.

Thus far Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, Matt Kalil, Trent Richardson, Morris Claiborne, Justin Blackmon, Melvin Ingram, Ryan Tannehill, Fletcher Cox, Michael Floyd, David DeCastro, Luke Kuechly, Riley Reiff, Dontari Poe, Michael Brockers, Courtney Upshaw, Stephon Gilmore, Mark Barron, Kendall Wright, Quinton Coples, and Cordy Glenn are off the board and the Cleveland Browns are up.  So get voting and keep in mind the Browns drafted Trent Richardson with the 4th pick in our Reader’s Mock Draft:

Janoris Jenkins is putting on a clinic on how to turn off NFL teams looking to find reasons to take a talented but troubled player in the early stages of the NFL Draft.

The latest in the Janoris Jenkins saga comes via a report from NFL Network’s Albert Breer of continued marijuana use at North Alabama after his dismissal from the University of Florida.  Jenkins reportedly signed a “Zero Tolerance” policy at North Alabama after his three marijuana related arrests at Florida led Will Muschamp to dismiss him from the team.

Solely based on talent Jenkins could challenge to be cornerback 1B in this draft following LSU’s Morris Claiborne.  Unfortunately his inability to see his marijuana usage as a problem will cost him in April’s draft.

“Physically, he may be the best,” said an AFC college scout. “It’s either him or Claiborne. But if someone takes him in the first round, I’m telling you right now, I’m gonna think it’s a dumb move. … I wouldn’t touch him in the first round under any circumstance.” Read the rest of this entry » «How far will Janoris Jenkins fall after admission of continued drug use?»

The 2012 NFL Draft is creeping up on us with the countdown officially set at 11 days.  With that in mind, we wanted to collaborate with our avid, informed reader’s on NFL’s Future to put together a mock draft.

The mock draft will be a pick a day with the final tally culminating at 6:00 a.m. EST the following day.  After the pick is in, that player will be off the board and the next selection will be up before 9:00 a.m. EST.  At the end we will put the mock together in anticipation of April 26th.

Thus far Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, Matt Kalil, Trent Richardson, Morris Claiborne, Justin Blackmon, Melvin Ingram, Ryan Tannehill, Fletcher Cox, Michael Floyd, David DeCastro, Luke Kuechly, Riley Reiff, Dontari Poe, Michael Brockers, Courtney Upshaw, Stephon Gilmore, Mark Barron, Kendall Wright, and Quinton Coples are off the board and the Cincinnati Bengals are up.  So get voting and keep in mind the Bengals drafted Stephon Gilmore with the 17th pick in our Reader’s Mock Draft:

Interest in the fourth pick appears to be growing. Will Tannehill be a target of the Eagles?

Two (very) separate Cleveland sources are reporting an interest in teams looking to move up to the fourth pick.  Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer says “multiple teams have called the Browns about their No. 4 pick.”  Tony Grossi, formerly of the Plain Dealer and current ESPN Cleveland reporter offered a source citing that the Philadelphia Eagles are interested in trading up to the fourth pick, presumably for Ryan Tannehill.

Cabot’s report cites at least three or four teams in the top 20 looking to trade up for various targets.  She offers two teams in specific looking to deal for the fourth pick in the St. Louis Rams and Philadelphia Eagles.

Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher was a guest on “Mike & Mike” on Friday when he offered the Browns name as a possible trade partner.  This one is tough to wrap your head around because it’s not clear who the Rams would be targeting at four.  So, we went to one of the top sources for anything NFL related, Jason LaCanfora.  The question to LaCanfora was who would the Rams be targeting in a trade up to No. 4.  Here’s LaCanfora’s response:

@nflfuture I’d be pretty shocked if rams moved up

— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) April 14, 2012

We would concur with LaCanfora.  The only caveat would be if the Vikings passed on USC OT Matt Kalil which may intrigue the Rams with Jason Smith’s struggles to protect their franchise QB Sam Bradford.  Fisher was explicit in his introductory press conference as Rams HC that protecting Bradford would be priority No. 1. Read the rest of this entry » «Rumors swirl of Cleveland Browns trading out of the fourth pick»

The 2012 NFL Draft is creeping up on us with the countdown officially set at 12 days.  With that in mind, we wanted to collaborate with our avid, informed reader’s on NFL’s Future to put together a mock draft.

The mock draft will be a pick a day with the final tally culminating at 6:00 a.m. EST the following day.  After the pick is in, that player will be off the board and the next selection will be up before 9:00 a.m. EST.  At the end we will put the mock together in anticipation of April 26th.

Thus far Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, Matt Kalil, Trent Richardson, Morris Claiborne, Justin Blackmon, Melvin Ingram, Ryan Tannehill, Fletcher Cox, Michael Floyd, David DeCastro, Luke Kuechly, Riley Reiff, Dontari Poe, Michael Brockers, Courtney Upshaw, Stephon Gilmore, Mark Barron, and Kendall Wright are off the board and the Tennessee Titans are up.  So get voting:

The 2012 NFL Draft is creeping up on us with the countdown officially set at 13 days.  With that in mind, we wanted to collaborate with our avid, informed reader’s on NFL’s Future to put together a mock draft.

The mock draft will be a pick a day with the final tally culminating at 6:00 a.m. EST the following day.  After the pick is in, that player will be off the board and the next selection will be up at 9:00 a.m. EST.  At the end we will put the mock together in anticipation of April 26th.

Thus far Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, Matt Kalil, Trent Richardson, Morris Claiborne, Justin Blackmon, Melvin Ingram, Ryan Tannehill, Fletcher Cox, Michael Floyd, David DeCastro, Luke Kuechly, Riley Reiff, Dontari Poe, Michael Brockers, Courtney Upshaw, Stephon Gilmore, and Mark Barron are off the board and the Chicago Bears are up.  So get voting:

1. Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford. The safest top pick in a long time, Luck is an instant starter with the pedigree, athleticism, and intelligence to become a coveted franchise quarterback in little time. No question Luck is the #1 pick.

2. Washington Redskins (from STL): Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor. They didn’t give up all those picks for just anyone. RG3 is the man and they are already active in building around him. Griffin had more touchdowns than incompletions in Baylor’s first four games last year.

3. Minnesota Vikings: Matt Kalil, T, USC. The Vikings need help in a lot of areas, and offensive tackle is paramount amongst those needs. Contrary to popular opinion I do not believe that Kalil is a given here; the Vikings desperately need CB and WR help as well and could take Morris Claiborne or Justin Blackmon. They could also trade back and still wind up with one of those guys, and GM Rick Speilman has indicated he will listen to offers.

4. Cleveland Browns: Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame. This pick holds the key for so much of the rest of the top 10. Cleveland has myriad needs and ample talent from which to select to fill those needs here. While Trent Richardson, Claiborne, Ryan Tannehill, Melvin Ingram, or even David Decastro all make sense here, the Browns opt to upgrade their anemic cast at wide receiver…just not with the player that most suspect. After Floyd’s outstanding pro day and given his superior size and speed over Justin Blackmon, the Browns throw the curveball here and take Floyd.

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama. I know the Bucs have strong interest in Richardson, but there are two reasons why I would now carve this pick in granite if the dynamic Bama back is still on the board. First is that they signed Eric Wright and brought back Ronde Barber at corner, which makes that a less pressing need which can be addressed later in this very deep corner class. Second was how incumbent RB LeGarrette Blount reacted to the concept of Richardson threatening his gig, whining to the media about being disrespected. That immature crap might have flown with Raheem Morris, but new Head Coach Greg Schiano will not tolerate me-first knuckleheads. Richardson is an easy choice with Kalil gone. Read the rest of this entry » «Risdon’s 2012 NFL Mock Draft : Two Week Out Edition»

Ryan Tannehill

These two thinking of moving up to 3?

We are two weeks away from the 2012 NFL Draft and teams are working vigorously to lay their respective smoke screens.  With that in mind we are going to be attempting to clear some of the smoke so draft fans can get a clearer picture.

Yesterday brought about a flurry of rumors with the end all, be all being Ryan Tannehill taken with the 3^rd pick in the draft by the Cleveland Browns.  Let me go on record by saying that NFL’s Future will close its doors if the Browns trade up to No. 3 to take Ryan Tannehill.  As most of you know, I’m a fan of Tannehill’s so this is in no way a slap in the face of the Texas A&M signal caller rather a personal guarantee that the Browns are not taking Ryan Tannehill.  And definitely not trading up to No. 3 to do so.

The flurry began with an Adam Schefter report that Rick Spielman (Minnesota Vikings GM) was desperately attempting to trade down due to equal grades on Justin Blackmon, Morris Claiborne, and Matt Kalil.  It’s fair to say that every team, aside from Indianapolis and Washington, are looking at trade down possibilities on April 11^th.  So I have no doubts that Spielman is looking to do the same.

What also became clear on April 11^th was SI’s Don Banks is out of his gourd.  Banks offered his two cents on trading to No. 3 by suggesting the Browns could move up to Minnesota’s pick to take Ryan Tannehill.  Not happening.  Read the rest of this entry » «Clearing the Smoke»