Daryl's 2010 Mock Draft

1. St. Louis Rams: *Jimmy Clausen, QB, Notre Dame- Looks like the Rams will finally be the bride instead of the perpetual bridesmaid at the draft table. After drafting for singles the last couple years, spending picks on both lines, the Rams need to finally try and hit a home run. There’s no better way to breathe life back into a stale franchise than drafting a QB. Bradford could be the choice, but Clausen is the hotter prospect at the moment.

2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska- Despite finally getting their first win, things should still work out pretty good for the Bucs. They are in the perfect position to reap a substantial windfall from this pick, either by picking the best player in football (just ask the AP who that is) or trading the pick to a team that wants Bradford.

3. Detroit Lions: *Gerald McCoy, DT, Oklahoma- Detroit needs impact players nearly across the board and selecting this standout DT is a great way to continuing stocking the cupboard. An OT like Okung or Bulaga is a possibility as well, but this team finally realizes that it needs to invest in its’ front lines.

4. Kansas City Chiefs: Russell Okung, OT, Oklahoma State- I’ve been saying for 2 years now that Brandon Albert is no NFL LT and it seems people are finally beginning to agree with me after Albert has pretty much struggled through an awful 2009 season. Drafting Okung allows the Chiefs to slide Albert over to RT or back inside where he belongs. I had them taking Terrance Cody and that’s still a possibility. They need a NT to do what they want to do and they don’t have that on their roster right now.

5. Cleveland Browns: *Eric Berry, SS, Tennessee- I still don’t fully believe the Browns will draft a QB. They need talent almost all over the board and may choose address QB in round 2 with a guy like Tony Pike or the rising Sean Canfield. Berry would be too good to pass up here.

6. Washington Redskins: *Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma- The Redskins would crap themselves if it worked out this way. Things just haven’t worked out for Jason Campbell in DC and it’s in the best interest of both to part ways.

7. Oakland Raiders: Terrance Cody, NT, Alabama- Cody will never, ever, ever be mistaken for a workout warrior but he will put up strength numbers that will make people drool. That could be enough to get him a ticket to Oakland. Putting someone like Jason-Pierre Paul, Carlos Dunlap, Bruce Campbell or whatever other workout warrior specimen you can think of is a cop out.

8. Seattle Seahawks: *Jonathon Dwyer, RB, Georgia Tech- Seattle will likely be looking to put future pieces in place in their backfield come draft time. With Hasselbeck on his last legs and the RB chart looking rather uninspiring, the Hawks would get an instant boost from this tough runner.

9. San Francisco 49ers (from Carolina Panthers): Jerry Hughes, DE/OLB, TCU- The Niners need more than the 10 sacks top rushers Parys Haralson and Manny Lawson have provided this year. I see pass rushing OLB being a top priority for this Mike Singletary-led team.

10. Buffalo Bills: *Bryan Bulaga, OT, Iowa- The Bills need a new QB, again, but if there isn’t one available the Bills could do a lot worse than taking a top o-lineman. This team has 18 players on IR this year and it sure seems like 17 of them are lineman. Bulaga is no lock to enter the draft.

11. Denver Broncos (from Chicago Bears): Ricky Sapp, DE/OLB, Clemson- This is a gift pick for the Broncos, who through trades managed to swap their 1st round pick, in essence, for the Bears 1st round pick. With the Broncos inching to the play-offs and the Bears floundering, it seems to have worked out very well. Sapp is dangerous, a guy who will make hay in the pros and end up being a better pro than college player.

12. Pittsburgh Steelers: Dan Williams, DT, Tennessee- The Steelers have done a good job of preparing for the future at LB and with 2009 1st round pick Ziggy Hood in the mix at DE, taking Casey Hampton’s replacement and depth at CB are next on the list.

13. San Francisco 49ers: *Anthony Davis, OT, Rutgers- On the other side of the ball, the Niners need to plug some holes on the o-line. Davis is a Boston College product with great size, very good athleticism and through the roof potential.

14. Tennessee Titans: Brandon Graham, DE, Michigan- Tennessee’s d-line just hasn’t been the same this year and could use some more oomph. Graham’s breakout season has come during on the darkest periods in Wolverine history but he could be another LaMarr Woodley. He’s thought to have potential at LB as well.

15. Houston Texans: *Derrick Morgan, DE, Georgia Tech- Houston hasn’t gotten the return expected from their defensive line despite the presence of Mario Williams, whose chugging along with 8 sacks. Morgan will be very appealing as a do-it-all type of end with the potential to be great.

16. Atlanta Falcons: *Greg Romeus, DE, Pitt- It’s been a generally disappointing season for the Falcons. DE John Abraham is wearing down, 2009 1st round pick DT Peria Jerry has been hurt all year and 2007 1st round pick DE Jamaal Anderson has been a colossal disappointment. Enter the steady Greg Romeus. He has the size, speed and athleticism to make people drool and has very quietly been just as good Morgan and Griffin and better than Dunlap.

17. Jacksonville Jaguars: Brandon Ghee, CB, Wake Forest- CB Rashean Mathis has played well when healthy but the Jags secondary is not exactly to be feared, especially at CB. Ghee is another prospect that has quietly been very good this year. Expect him to make noise come draft time.

18. NY Giants: Brandon Spikes, LB, Florida- The Giants season has nearly collapsed with the team looking anything but on the same page at all times, save for the thrashing of the Redskins on MNF. They don’t have any major needs except better health and focus. Spikes is one of the best players available at this point and would give the G-Men a future replacement for Antonio Pierce.

19. Baltimore Ravens: Mardy Gilyard, WR, Cincinnati- Joe Flacco needs targets to throw too and Demetrius Williams’ performance against the Bears in Week 14 aside, their current collection of receivers is lacking. Gilyard is a special player. He may not measure quite as well as Dez Bryant and he’s a little thin but he has that “it” factor about him. That pulse, that feel that he could be a special player. Either way his abilities as a receiver and return man will have him in high demand come April.

20. NY Jets: Corey Wootton, DE, Northwestern- Give the Jets their due already. They’re starting a rookie QB (a guy who had only 16 starts in college), they have the league’s #1 defense in yards and points allowed and they’re at an even .500. This is a team on the right path for next year. If they keep the defence stocked and add a piece or two along the o-line. Wootton is a perfect fit in a Rex Ryan defence as he can line up inside or out, rush the passer and stop the run.

21. Miami Dolphins: *Dez Bryant, WR, Oklahoma State- The Dolphins need a gamebreaking receiver for Chad Henne and Bryant has all the skills he needs to become just that. Could go anywhere from top 5 to 2nd round.

22. Dallas Cowboys: Charles Brown, OT, USC- Lots of OT talent will be available and the Boys will certainly be targeting some of that talent in the draft. If they go for it in round 1 Brown could be a target as the best of the second tier of OTs’.

23. Seattle Seahawks (from Denver Broncos): *Joe Haden, CB, Arizona- Despite some big names and high picks at CB, the Seahawks aren’t that great at the position. Their secondary in general needs an infusion of talented youngsters and getting Haden at this point would be a boon.

24. Green Bay Packers: Jason Fox, OT, Miami- Pass protection has been a liability and Aaron Rogers has proven dangerous with a little time to throw the ball. Adding more pieces to the defence will be in order but the o-line should be the priority. Fox is a veteran of 35 games for the Hurricanes and could even go higher than this.

25. Arizona Cardinals: *Bruce Campbell, OT, Maryland- The Cards depth will be tested with Mike Gandy out. Their key to success is keeping Kurt Warner upright and flinging the ball around and that means investing in lineman. Campbell has the makings of a franchise LT but is considered a workout warrior with raw skills. He might be the best of the bunch left, unless Nate Solder from Colorado declares.

26. New England Patriots: CJ Spiller, RB, Clemson- Getting Spiller at this point for a team whose leading rusher, Laurence Maroney, has all of 735 yards and a 3.9 avg is a complete steal. Concerns that Spiller may not be big enough to handle the lion’s share of carries will keep from being a top 10 pick.

27. Philadelphia Eagles: Navorro Bowman, LB, Penn State- Some of the Eagles young talent at LB has either struggled to stay healthy, hasn’t performed to expectations or both. Picking up Will Witherspoon was shrewd and getting Stewart Bradley back healthy next year will help, but just in case the Eagles may look to add another LB as insurance.

28. Cincinnati Bengals: Jared Odrick, DT, Penn State- Despite their surprise season, the Bengals have needs before reaching elite status and making multiple play-off runs. Finding a Pro Bowl-calibre DT is high on the list. Odrick finally started to put things together this year and could sneak into the first round. He has the athletic ability to wow in workouts.

29. Minnesota Vikings: *Earl Thomas, S, Texas-The Vikings have gotten exactly 1 INT out of safeties Madieu Williams and Tyrell Johnson. Getting this playmaker would make a staunch defence even better.

30. San Diego Chargers: Mike Iupati, OG, Idaho- One of the Chargers biggest needs is RT. Iupati is nimble enough to kick out to the right or stay inside and develop into one of the league’s best interior lineman.

31. New Orleans Saints: Dennis Pitta, TE, BYU- Pitta’s production, while inflated, is tough to ignore. He stepped up as BYU’s top pass catcher after losing WR Austin Collie to the draft to lead the team across the board in all receiving categories. He has never missed a game and is a very mature, intelligent person. He’s too good to ignore for the Saints.

32. Indianapolis Colts: Syd’Quan Thompson, CB, Cal- While Cal’s disappointing season has put a damper on his draft prospects, Thompson turned in a fine season as one of Cal’s best players. The Colts could look at the o-line talent but Thompson is a Colt type of player.