Miller Mock Draft 1.0

Wow. Welcome back to me. It’s been a while since I’ve blogged, but with NFL pre-season activity starting to heat up with the scouting combine, the draft and OTAs, I’m getting the fever.

With the NFL Draft now less than two weeks away, every expert and his two brothers are putting together mock drafts. Well, I’m no expert but I love football an awful lot, so I decided to throw something together. Cannot wait to see how it all unfolds starting April 26.

1. Indianapolis Colts – Andrew Luck, QB Stanford

There is no way Jim Irsay passes on the next great pocket passer. 

2. Washington Redskins (from Rams) – Robert Griffin III, QB Baylor

RG3 could end up being more successful than Luck. Shanahan hopes so.

3. Minnesota Vikings – Matt Kalil, OT USC

Protecting Christian Ponder has to be the top priority. Kalil has the bloodlines and the talent.

4. Cleveland Browns – Trent Richardson, RB Alabama

Colt McCoy needs offensive weapons. Cleveland desperately needs running back help. TRich is the most complete RB prospect since Adrian Peterson.

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Morris Claiborne, CB LSU

Ronde Barber can’t play corner forever. Claiborne is an elite talent. When need meets BPA (best player available), it’s a beautiful thing.

6. St. Louis Rams (from Redskins) – Justin Blackmon, WR Oklahoma State

Every expert in the known world has Blackmon going to the Rams. It makes sense, but who knows what Fisher and Co. will do. Lots of needs to meet.

7. Jacksonville Jaguars – Michael Floyd, WR Notre Dame

Blaine Gabbert looked terrible last season. He needs help. Floyd will be a significant upgrade at WR.

8. Miami Dolphins – Ryan Tannehill, QB Texas A&M

The kid is raw and inexperienced, but experts say his ceiling is high. Philbin and Sherman better hope so.

9. Carolina Panthers – Fletcher Cox, DL Mississippi State

Cox fits a team need on the D line, and he’s the best available.

10. Buffalo Bills – Riley Reiff, OT Iowa

Reiff is a solid lineman and will step into the starting lineup right away, probably at LT.

11. Kansas City Chiefs – Luke Kuechly, LB Boston College

KC comes into the draft with few gaping holes. Kuechly is a tackling machine, and will quickly be starting on the inside opposite Derrick Johnson.

12. Seattle Seahawks – David DeCastro, OG Stanford

DeCastro is ready to start right now, and Seattle is glad to see he’s still available. Matt Flynn says thank you.

13. Arizona Cardinals – Melvin Ingram, DE S. Carolina

They have needs at WR and OL but with the best prospects already taken, the Cards shift to D line concerns. Ingram is long and lean, and should make an impact in the pass rush game.

14. Dallas Cowboys – Mark Barron, S Alabama

Barron is a LB/Safety hybrid, and the Boys will plug him into situational defenses right away.

15. Philadelphia Eagles – Dontari Poe, NT Memphis

This kid impressed at the Scouting Combine, but his tape showed inconsistency against sub-par competition at Memphis. Needs time to develop.

16. New York Jets – Quinton Coples, DE N. Carolina

Rex loves the D line, and Coples has big talent. His potential to bust is higher than most due to his inconsistent motor.

17. Cincinnati Bengals (from Raiders) – Stephon Gilmore, CB S. Carolina

One of the team’s top needs is at corner, and Gilmore is rated as one of the best in this year’s class. Seems like a fit.

18. San Diego Chargers – Cordy Glenn, OT Georgia

The Chargers lost quite a bit this off-season, and I don’t see Gaither as a long-term fix at LT. This mammoth dude from Georgia is highly regarded.

19. Chicago Bears – Dre Kirkpatrick, CB Alabama

The Bears still have need at WR and on the O line, but I think they’ll go with this versatile athletic corner. He’s an upgrade and will start.

20. Tennessee Titans – Dont’a Hightower, LB Alabama

Tennessee is getting older on defense, particularly in the linebacking corps. Hightower is a hybrid LB/Safety and will make an impact in the middle.

21. Cincinnati Bengals – Kendall Wright, WR Baylor

Andy Dalton needs more weapons to complement A.J. Green. A running back could work here, but I think they’ll go WR here and get the RB later. Wright plays fast in pads.

22. Cleveland Browns (from Falcons) – Michael Brockers, DT LSU

23. Detroit Lions – Courtney Upshaw, LB Alabama

24. Pittsburgh Steelers – Jonathan Martin, OT Stanford

25. Denver Broncos – Janoris Jenkins, CB N. Alabama

26. Houston Texans – Stephen Hill, WR Georgia Tech

27. New England Patriots (from Saints) – Nick Perry, DE USC

28. Green Bay Packers – Chandler Jones, DE Syracuse

29. Baltimore Ravens – Kevin Zeitler, OG Wisconsin

30. San Francisco 49ers – Harrison Smith, S Notre Dame

31. New England Patriots – Andre Branch, DE Clemson

32. New York Giants – Mike Adams, OT Ohio State

Top 10 Storylines Heading into the NFL Season -- Part II

This is Part II of my look at the Top 10 Storylines heading into the 2011 NFL season. See yesterday’s post for the first half (Nos. 10-6).

5. Lead Lion: Will Matthew Stafford actually make it through an entire season? – Stafford has been highly regarded since being drafted first overall by the Detroit Lions in 2009. He set all kinds of passing records at the University of Georgia and has shown flashes of greatness since joining the league, but the problem has been keeping him on the field. He’s only played 13 games in two seasons, and his health is one of the keys to Detroit’s season. If he stays healthy, the Lions will make this year’s playoffs as a wildcard.

4. Show-Me Schedules: Can upstart teams like the Chiefs and Rams maintain their success in the face of tougher schedules? – These Missouri teams were two of the real surprises of the 2010 season. The Chiefs went 10-6, and made the playoffs as the AFC West division champs; the Rams finished 7-9, coming up one game short of the NFC West division title. The question for this upcoming season is whether the teams have improved enough to maintain their ascent in the face of tougher schedules. St. Louis faces the Eagles, Ravens, Packers, Saints and Steelers. Kansas City’s tough games include Colts, Chargers (twice), Patriots, Steelers, Jets and Packers. I see both teams battling down to the wire for division titles.

3. Kick-off Kraziness: How will the new kick-off rules affect offenses? – Through two weeks, the results are clear. The changes in the kickoff rules (moving it from the 30 to the 35 yard line) has significantly reduced teams’ opportunities for return yardage. The percentage of touchbacks has basically doubled from last season (jumping from 15 to 30 percent) and the most exciting play in football has basically been neutered. Offenses are definitely going to suffer, being forced to start drives at the 20-yard line or worse. It might be safer, but it’s definitely less exciting.

2. Houston’s Hurdle: Will this year be the year the Texans finally break through? – Year after year after year, the Houston Texans tease the football world with promises of this year being the year. And then every year they seem to come up short. Over the past five years, the team has finished 6-10, 8-8, 8-8, 9-7 and 6-10. The offense is always good, but the defense has been weak. With the addition of some secondary help and new Defensive Coordinator Wade Phillips, that is expected to change. They’ll make the playoffs this year, finally.

1. Hoodie Magic: Can Bellichick add Ocho and Albert to his list of rehab projects? – The Patriots latest shots at career reclamation projects are Chad Ochocinco (Bengals) and Albert Haynesworth (Redskins). Coach Bill Bellichick has previously turned around the troublemaker careers of such guys as Corey Dillon and Randy Moss. Ocho is probably going to be fine. He’s older, a step slower and his attitude seems to be a little more subdued this year. Haynesworth is another subject all together. I doubt he is even going to make the team.

BONUS – Who will win (or lose) the Andrew Luck sweepstakes? – Stanford Quarterback Andrew Luck is the consensus No. 1 pick for next year’s NFL Draft. So as we look at the season ahead, what team is lining up to be in the hunt to get him? I’m angling toward two franchises with the inside track: Buffalo and Denver. Either team will take him, no doubt.  The real interesting situation would be Denver. If they were to get him, Orton would move to No. 2 and Tim Tebow would be traded. That would the best thing possible for the team and for Tebow.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on what you think are the hot topics as we wait for the season to start.

Until next time, thanks for reading.

Steve