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The 2012 NFL Draft is creeping up on us with the countdown officially set at 14 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, and Stephon Gilmore are off the board and the San Diego Chargers are up.  So get voting:

The 2012 NFL Draft is creeping up on us with the countdown officially set at 15 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, and Courtney Upshaw are off the board and the Cincinnati Bengals are up.  So get voting:

Summer practice will look much different for Tyler Wilson than the spring tune-ups

In case you live under a rock; Bobby Petrino has been ousted as head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks as of late last night.  Petrino’s motorcycle accident turned affair cover-up with a 25-year old female staffer is well documented.  What were interested in is how this affects the NFL prospects, most notably Tyler Wilson on this talented team.  Petrino leaves behind him an 11-2 team that returns a Heisman contending quarterback, a top running back talent returning from injury, and eight defensive starters.  For all intents and purposes this was to be Arkansas’ year to compete with the likes of LSU, Alabama, and Florida.

Tyler Wilson’s magical 2011 season had some pining for him to enter the 2012 NFL Draft and be selected in the top ten back in January.  Wilson spurned the NFL to return to Petrino’s pro-style offense for his senior season.  The 6’3”, 230-pound Heisman contender passed for 3,638 yards with 24 TD’s and just six INT’s in 2011 following in the footsteps of Ryan Mallett.

Wilson’s decision to stay at Arkansas appeared to be a good one despite his enormous talents and numbers.  With only one season as a full-time starter, Wilson could have used some more seasoning before taking his talents to the NFL playing field.  This assumption was before the possibility of playing in a new system under a new head coach reared its ugly head.  A possibility that sent Twitterverse on its collective head with the chance that Wilson could enter the NFL supplemental draft. Read the rest of this entry » «Will Petrino’s ousting affect Tyler Wilson’s future?»

The 2012 NFL Draft is creeping up on us with the countdown officially set at 16 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, and Michael Brockers are off the board and the New York Jets are up.  So get voting:

1.  Indianapolis Colts – Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford

Any hype of the Colts entertaining the notion of taking Robert Griffin III ahead of Andrew Luck will be squashed in a matter of weeks.  The Colts will open up negotiations with Luck very soon and this pick is probably done before the 26^th.  As much as I love RGIII, Luck has been and will be the draft’s top selection.  He’s as pro-ready as any QB in recent memory and I would argue ever.

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.  As good as Morris Claiborne is (and he’s real good) there’s not a chance Rick Spielman doesn’t come out of this draft with Kalil.  I say that with 90% confidence.

4.  Cleveland Browns – Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama

My head says Morris Claiborne but my heart says TR.  Come on, I’m a Browns fan; you know I’m going with my heart.  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. Read the rest of this entry » «2012 NFL Mock Draft : Three Rounds of NFL Draft Bliss»

Harrison Smith

Notre Dame

Ht. 6-2 Wt. 213

Pass Coverage:  Harrison Smith is an underrated athlete that has the skills to play centerfield, line up over tight ends, and could play the slot.  He played in man coverage at times at ND which gave NFL personnel a chance to check out his man skills.  Smith is tight-hipped and plays high but makes up for it with excellent instincts in the pass game.

Tackling:  Smith is one of many big hitters in this draft class from the secondary.  Unfortunately, he struggles at times to wrap and ensure the tackle is made.  He drops his head too often. Read the rest of this entry » «Harrison Smith Scouting Report»

The 2012 NFL Draft is creeping up on us with the countdown officially set at 17 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, and Dontari Poe are off the board and the Philadelphia Eagles are up.  So get voting:

Mark Barron     

Alabama

Ht. 6-1 Wt. 213

Pass Coverage:  Mark Barron wasn’t used a lot in man coverage at Alabama.  Primarily a box safety he has the attributes to line up over the TE’s and cover man-to-man.  Barron is a linear athlete that excels with the play in front of him making him an ideal zone-heavy safety.  He was the leader of a very good Alabama defense and has the football IQ to be the QB of the secondary.  He will need to work on his change of direction skills to stay with more athletic TE’s and slot receivers in the NFL.

Tackling:  For all intents and purposes, Barron is a strong tackler.  He delivers big hits that are capable of changing possession.  That said, he has a tendency to be overaggressive which causes him to miss some tackles.  Barron will have to remain more disciplined in his tackling technique to be worthy of where he will be drafted. Read the rest of this entry » «Mark Barron Scouting Report»

Could the Lions jump up to grab the RB they have sought since Barry Sanders?

When predicting the NFL draft, draft nicks tend to look for patterns.  The Detroit Lions have been trading up for running backs ever since Barry Sanders retired back in 1999.  You cannot fault the Lions for lack of effort.  This year will be no different.  Martin Mayhew has been aggressive to try and partner a running back with Calvin Johnson.

Some experts say that Martin Mayhew is beyond prediction with his BPA strategy.  While that may be true Mayhew has followed the premium on elite players and not on quantity.  Mayhew never wavered on trading down instead of drafting Stafford and Suh; since he felt both were the best players in that draft.  In 2011, Mayhew tried to trade up for Peterson with the Cardinals and then rejected a trade back with the Broncos when Fairley fell to him.  Both instances showed Mayhew coveted elite players over quantity.

What makes me feel that the Lions will try to acquire a running back in this draft?  I think Richardson is the best non-QB talent and Running Back is that elusive piece that has plagued Mayhew.  Let’s review the recent draft day trades involving a RB and the Lions.  In 2004 the Lions traded up for Virginia Tech RB Kevin Jones.  Kevin Jones was part of a dynamic duo for VT.  Jones had power, speed, and injury issues in college.  After a successful rookie season Kevin Jones ran into numerous injury problems that led the Lions to release him in 2007.  Read the rest of this entry » «Trent Richardson a “Lion” of a Running Back»

The 2012 NFL Draft is creeping up on us with the countdown officially set at 18 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, and Riley Reiff are off the board and the Dallas Cowboys are up.  So get voting: