The draft is upon us once again. Tonight childhood dreams will be shattered by the realization they are not as good as they thought they were. Some men go high and become bust, while others go low and become legends. We put together a list of the top 6 guys, we think should get drafted in this particular order and why. We all know the first two names are going to be called.
1. Andrew Luck (QB, Stanford Cardinals)Andrew Luck didn't throw at the Combine, but his athleticism was terrific. He essentially posted the same 40, broad jump and vertical leap as Cam Newton. Many like to compare Luck to Peyton Manning because of the Indianapolis connection, but Luck is more like Aaron Rodgers - and he'll be extra dangerous on the Lucas Oil turf. The Colts announced that this pick will be Luck, so unless Jim Irsay suddenly has a vision that Robert Griffin can help him become a better tweeter, there won't be any drama to kick off Draft Day.
2. Robert Griffin III (QB, Baylor Bears)The Redskins will be a playoff-caliber team over the next 10 years because of this trade. They did not give up too much. No way. Three first round picks and a second-rounder is the correct price for a franchise quarterback - especially one whom you don't have to give $50 million guaranteed to right away. This was also a great trade for the Rams. They'll be in great position to improve their roster over the next few years with all of their first-round selections. In fact, the only losers in this deal are the Browns and teams in the NFC East, who will now have to deal with a quarterback who looks like he could be the next Steve Young.
3. Matt Kalil (OT, USC Trojans)This really is as much of a no-brainer as Andrew Luck to the Colts and Robert Griffin to the Redskins. Or at least it should be. While everyone agrees that picking Matt Kalil would be the obvious move - and it's undoubtedly the right one. Adam Schefter has repeatedly stated that Minnesota is not locked into the USC left tackle, and that general manager Rick Spielman is seriously considering Morris Claiborne in this spot. If Spielman drafts Claiborne, he should just change his name to "Matt Millen 2.0." Kalil is the best non-quarterback in this class, and Minnesota has a major need at left tackle, where the pedestrian Charlie Johnson has sucked all year. The Vikings absolutely need to make sure Christian Ponder is well protected. Giving him a lesser prospect is just stupid. If Spielman takes Claiborne, he should be fired right on the spot. Why the hell would a Cover 2 team spend such an early pick on a corner? Does Spielman not understand how football works?
Mel Kiper and Todd McShay both have Claiborne here, but I think this pick will be Kalil. For what it's worth, Bovada has Kalil to be a 250 favorite as of this writing. Claiborne is +120, while Justin Blackmon is +500. I'll admit that I'm pretty torn. There's a chance that the Vikings could be really stupid, but all of this speculation could be to get the Buccaneers to move up to No. 3 in order to secure either Trent Richardson or Claiborne.
4. Trent Richardson (RB, Alabama Crimson Tide)There appear to be four options here: Justin Blackmon, Morris Claiborne, Trent Richardson and Ryan Tannehill. Let's discuss them:Claiborne is the least likely to be chosen. The Browns really need to improve their offense. They already had a top-ranked pass defense last season, so how much more can it improve? Contracts also have to be factored in; should Cleveland select Claiborne, it'll have to pay top dollar to two cornerbacks in four years. Blackmon is a stronger option, but Mike Holmgren doesn't believe in drafting receivers this early. He did it once with Koren Robinson a long time ago, and that was only because Robinson was the top prospect on the board. Richardson projects to be a better player. Ryan Tannehill will be the pick if Cleveland thinks he can be a franchise quarterback. Thus, he's an even more probable option than Blackmon. It just depends on whether or not Holmgren believes Tannehill can be the face of his team. Based on recent reports, it doesn't seem like Holmgren will take the Texas A&M product. The favorite right now is Richardson. Holmgren went to the Super Bowl with the Seahawks because a first-round running back from Alabama carried his offense. Richardson is the best player available, and his pass-catching ability makes him a great fit in Cleveland's West Coast offense. Colt McCoy needs play-makers, and Richardson certainly qualifies as one.
5. Morris Claiborne (CB, LSU Tigers)Aqib Talib could be going to jail, while Ronde Barber is done. Oh, and Eric Wright sucks. The corner position is a dire need for Tampa. With LSU secondary coach Ron Cooper hired to be Tampa's defensive backs coach, Claiborne makes too much sense in this scenario. It also helps that Barber told a radio station in Tampa that Claiborne will be the pick.
6. Justin Blackmon (WR, Oklahoma State Cowboys)St. Louis has a huge need for a receiver. It brought in Brandon Lloyd for a fourth-round pick - a trade that would end up poorly for both teams involved - but Lloyd signed with New England recently. Blackmon measured in at 6-1 at the Combine, but he is a stud, and he plays much bigger than he is. There are contrarians in the media who want to downgrade Blackmon for some strange reason, but he's the top player available, aside from, perhaps...
Well, these are our picks on the 2012 NFL DRAFT. We are not experts by any means but what do you think about our predictions?
Well, these are our picks on the 2012 NFL DRAFT. We are not experts by any means but what do you think about our predictions?
