2010 NFL Mock Draft: Defensive Talent Is Good Edition (Picks 1-16)

Draft Guru Mel Kiper put up his first mock draft last week, and needless to say, the Internet went crazy.

Kiper’s first mock draft went heavy on underclassmen and defensive linemen. This isn’t a bad theory, but like all good battle strategies, the first thing to go once the shooting starts is your plan.

However, Kiper has a point when he says this draft features some of the greatest depth at defensive talent he’s ever seen. Most of the Top 10 are going to feature defensive guys being taken. Other than Ndamukong Suh, the only question is the order.

Following is another look at who could go in the first round in picks 1-16. Picks 17-32 will follow tomorrow.

1. St. Louis Rams

Kiper has Ndamukong Suh going here, the consensus' most talented guy on the board. My mock draft last week had the Rams taking Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen due to their need for a franchise quarterback.

At this point, I’m not wavering on that.

The 1-15 Rams haven’t had a franchise quarterback since Kurt Warner and I think they’ll pass up Suh to get one. Kiper has the Rams trading for a quarterback later on, but I’m not sure that will happen right now.

2. Detroit Lions

Suh goes here as the Lions took their franchise quarterback last year. Kiper called Suh the most impressive defensive talent in the 32 years he’s been involved in this business. I can’t argue with that; Suh is a Lion.

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

With Suh gone, Gerald McCoy becomes the next best defensive talent on the board and so the Bucs will swoop in and grab McCoy here.

4. Washington Redskins and 5. Kansas City Chiefs

Kiper agreed with everyone else that the Redskins will go after a quarterback and take Sam Bradford. That was what I had last week, and I’m sticking with it this week.

Same goes for our shared pick of Russell Okung for the Chiefs. Matt Cassell needs protection and Okung will give the Chiefs a much needed upgrade in protection for their $60 million quarterback.

6. Seattle Seahawks

Kiper went with defensive end Derrick Morgan out of Georgia Tech, but I’m also sticking with my earlier pick of Everson Griffen from USC. Pete Carroll is going to reward his USC players and Griffen will be the first of several USC pickups.

7. Cleveland Browns

Joe Haden now is becoming the consensus first pick for the Cleveland Browns, but with Eric Berry still on my board, the Browns take the safety out of Tennessee. That being said, Haden is being touted as a “shutdown” corner, something the Browns desperately need. So either guy would be a good pick for the Browns.

8. Oakland Raiders

Dez Bryant will don the Raiders uniform next season. He’s got the kind of talent Al Davis loves in a wide receiver. The only reason Bryant is still on the board at this point is because of all the defensive talent being scooped up. Kiper picked offensive tackle, Anthony Davis, at this position.

9. Buffalo Bills

Colt McCoy goes off the board for me now with the Buffalo Bills. They also have no quarterback, and the best way to turn things around is a first round rookie. Kiper has Clausen going to Buffalo, but Clausen already is gone for me.

10. Denver Broncos

Broncos will go for the offensive line after their problems late in the season. Offensive tackle Anthony Davis should have an immediate impact on Denver’s line and give Kyle Orton more time to read the defense and throw the ball. Kiper had Dez Bryant going here.

11. Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars need a quarterback, but will they really mortgage the franchise for Tim Tebow? At this point in time, I’m going to say no.

Kiper agreed, having them draft Jason Pierre-Paul, a defensive end out of South Florida. This keeps with my theory the Jaguars will draft from a Florida college, so I’ll defer to Kiper here and take this pick.

12. Miami Dolphins

Kiper sticks to his defensive talent theory with the Dolphins taking Rolando McClain, a linebacker from Alabama. However, since Joe Haden still is on my draft board, I don’t see how the Dolphins could pass him up, Haden to Miami.

13. San Francisco 49ers

Kiper has the 49ers going with Trent Williams, an offensive tackle out of Oklahoma. I used the offensive lineman trump all theory a few weeks ago to reason out how Suh could possibly fall to the Browns.

Once again, I'll defer to Kiper on this one and go with Williams.

14. Seattle Seahawks

The big question here is whether or not Carroll continues to reward his former USC players entering the draft by taking two of them in the first round.

Kiper has them picking running back C. J. Spiller out of Clemson. I’ll go slightly different and have Carroll go with Rolando McClain since he’s still available on my board. The Seattle front office would really need a convincing argument from Carroll to do two straight USC players in the first round.

15. New York Giants

The Giants had several problems as the 2009 season came to a close: They couldn’t score points and they couldn’t stop other teams from scoring points. It’s the best formula for losing games. Kiper sticks to his defensive theory with Carlos Dunlap, a defensive end out of Florida. It makes as much sense at this point as any other mock draft, so I’ll concur.

16. San Francisco 49ers

Kiper goes with safety Earl Thomas out of Texas. The 49ers need to choose whether they either want more offensive weapons, or if their secondary is bad enough to need first round help. They also need to decide if Thomas is going to be worth the money at this draft position.

I’m going with defensive tackle Brian Price out of UCLA. Price is a big guy who can have immediate impact on the 49ers defense and appears to be less of a risk with this pick. 

For Part Two of my First Round Mock Draft, click here.