2011 NFL Mock Draft: Can Cam Newton and Blaine Gabbert Both Crack Top 10?
Who is going to save your NFL franchise? With the NFL Combine next week, we're getting closer and closer to finding out what players NFL teams will pick to do just that.
The position most credited with saving teams is quarterback. Quarterbacks get their hands on the ball more than any other player and are burdened with leading the team.
There are some good quarterback prospects this year, and there is major need in the NFL for franchise quarterbacks. Auburn's Cam Newton has shot up draft boards, and Missouri's Blaine Gabbert is reaping the benefits of Stanford's Andrew Luck returning to school.
Can both of them make it into the top-10 of the draft?
Here's a 2011 NFL mock draft to find out.
1. Carolina Panthers: Da'Quan Bowers, DE, Clemson
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Nick Failey or Da'Quan Bowers? Run defense or pass rush?
Carolina can't get its prized Andrew Luck, and it is highly unlikely that anyone will trade up for the No. 1 spot.
Fairley can provide both rush defense and pass rush, but Carolina is in more need of an immediate and more dominant pass rush force. Picking Bowers, who is a pass rush monster, can help with that.
2. Denver Broncos: Nick Fairley, DT, Auburn
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Bowers and Nick Fairley are going one and two; it's just a matter of the order.
What Fairley is getting after it, you don't want to be "it". He's as dominant of player coming out of college this year, and there is when his head is in it.
The Broncos need help with their 31st-ranked rush defense. And they amounted the NFL's least sacks in 2010. Fairley can help with both.
3. Buffalo Bills: Von Miller, LB, Texas A&M
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Buffalo needs help at nearly every position. Is the best move for the Bills taking the best available player or taking the player most ready to contribute immediately? Similar picks, but slightly different.
In steps Von Miller and his sideline-to-sideline range, coverage skills and tremendous pass rush. He can provide a little bit of everything for defense that really needs help after everybody ran the ball all over them.
Patrick Peterson might be the best available, but Miller is the most ready to contribute the most for the Bills.
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4. Cincinnati Bengals: A.J. Green, WR, Georgia
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It feels like Carson Palmer's temper tantrum is nearing its end. Cincinnati is making plays—namely hiring offensive coordinator Jay Gruden—to make Palmer want to stay with the Bengals.
The situation will be sorted out by April 28, the first day of the draft. Even if it's not and Cincinnati feels close to luring Palmer back, picking A.J. Green could be the move to put Palmer over the top.
Let Terrell Owens go to free agency, replace him with Green and Palmer should love to come back.
5. Arizona Cardinals: Cam Newton, QB, Auburn
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Cam Newton is tall, strong, mobile and has a tremendous arm. The biggest concerns surrounding the Heisman Trophy winner are his inexperience under center and reliance on his dual-threat ability in college.
Arizona needs a quarterback. Max Hall, Derek Anderson and John Skelton are a trio of not-good-enough. But the Cardinals need one of those three to step up as at least a puppet quarterback for the first few weeks of the season.
Newton isn't ready to step in right now. He has great potential, but positive and negative.
6. Cleveland Browns: Marcell Dareus, DT, Alabama
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Cleveland needs loads of help along the defensive line. New Browns defensive coordinator Dick Jauron will use a 4-3 scheme, which Dareus will fit into nicely. The nice thing about Dareus is his versatility. He can play on the interior but could flex to a defensive end in a 3-4.
Slowed by injury and suspension in 2010, Dareus' numbers aren't off the charts. But he's phenomenally disruptive.
The Browns had the 27th worst rush defense in the NFL in 2010. Dareus is the first step in fixing that.
7. San Francisco 49ers: Patrick Peterson, CB, LSU
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Alex Smith nor Troy Smith are the answer for San Francisco at quarterback. But do 49er fans really want their franchise to take another chance on a quarterback in the top-10?
San Francisco can find someone to compete for the starting role in the second or third round and get a guarantee with its first pick.
Patrick Peterson is ready to start in the NFL right away. He's fast, agile and has supreme ball skills. He has safety size (6'1", 225 lbs.) and corner coverage abilities.
8. Tennessee Titans: J.J. Watt, DE, Wisconsin
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J.J. Watt is ready to go in the NFL, plain and simple. He may not be the defensive end with the most upside available—North Carolina's Robert Quinn comes to mind—but he is the defensive end most ready to impact a team as a rookie.
Tennessee could lose defensive ends Jason Babin and Dave Ball—who combined for 19.5 sacks in 2010—to free agency. Watt would help offset that loss.
The Titans would take a long look at Blaine Gabbert here but would be better served finding a quarterback in free agency.
9. Dallas Cowboys: Prince Amukamara, CB, Nebraska
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Dallas needs help along its 3-4 front, but Robert Quinn looks more like an outside linebacker than a five-technique in that scheme. The Cowboys are set at outside linebacker. There isn't another defensive lineman left worth taking this high, especially with a player of Prince Amukamara's skills ripe for the picking.
Honestly, it might be best for Dallas to trade down and address its need for a five-technique. But for the sake of a mock draft, Amukamara is the pick.
He might be the most athletic player in the draft pool. His work ethic has impressed scouts. You really can't go wrong adding him to the roster.
10. Washington Redskins: Blaine Gabbert, QB, Missouri
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There's the answer to the question: yes, Cam Newton and Blaine Gabbert can crack the top-10. Gabbert seems a better fit for Arizona and Newton a better fit for Washington. But Newton has the most to gain from now until the draft, and he's gaining.
If a team is going to reach on any quarterback with top-five pick, it will reach for Newton and his potential. We know more about Gabbert at this point. He has plenty of promise, but won't be able to keep up with Newton's incredible ascension.
Washington: keep Donovan McNabb and let Gabbert develop.
11. Houston Texans: Robert Quinn, DE/LB, North Carolina
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Houston needs help in its secondary, first and foremost. Corners Kareem Jackson and Glover Quin should improve in 2011, but it's not hard to improve from being the most-picked-on secondary in the league.
The Texans would love to Prince Amukamara available here—what would they give Dallas to move up one spot?—but Robert Quinn can help as well.
While many scouts see Quinn as a 4-3 defensive end, I can also see him as an outside linebacker in new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips' 3-4. A strong pass rush can help out struggling corners.
12. Minnesota Vikings: Cameron Jordan, DE/DT, Cal
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Let's see: Cam Newton and Blaine Gabbert are gone. So are Von Miller, J.J. Watt and Robert Quinn. Minnesota should run for the hills and a later draft spot, right?
Maybe so. But it wouldn't hurt to pick up Cameron Jordan here. It might be a reach, but Jordan provides versatility for an aging defensive line facing potential free agency defections.
In a 3-4 scheme, Jordan fits best as a five-technique defensive end. But to help Minnesota, Jordan slides down to defensive tackle for the 4-3. Jordan helped himself at the Senior Bowl by showing that he can get the job done inside.
13. Detroit Lions: Nate Solder, OT, Colorado
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Detroit's defense showed life last season considering its youth and the offense's ineffectiveness. The Lions can add pieces to it in later rounds.
Helping the offense is first priority. Getting quarterback Matthew Stafford back from injury will be a huge boost. Keep Stafford back from injury will be Nate Solder's job.
He may struggle early and require patience for his development, but Solder has the size and footwork to become a reliable tackle to keep Stafford grass stain-free.
14. St. Louis Rams: Julio Jones, WR, Alabama
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Head coach Steve Spagnuolo and quarterback Sam Bradford will be sitting with eyes closed and hands clenched repeating, "Please don't pick Jones, please don't pick Jones..." while every other team is on the clock after Georgia's A.J. Green is selected.
Julio Jones is just barely behind Green in terms of ability, but he will be several picks behind thanks to team needs. St. Louis is the first team with wide receiver needs that outweigh any other, so obviously that they need to pick Jones.
He's got the size, speed and strength. He needs help on his routes and his hands are at times unreliable. But Jones is too good to pass up for St. Louis.
15. Miami Dolphins: Mark Ingram, RB, Alabama
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Miami, much like St. Louis, is a team in great need at an offensive skill position outside of quarterback. Some would argue that the Dolphins need a quarterback as well, but they won't stretch for Jake Locker here.
That's because they can't pass up on Mark Ingram. With both Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams facing free agency—and diminished production—the Dolphins need to address running back.
Ingram isn't going to blow anyone away with his speed or his power or his explosion. But he does it all well enough to make him the best running back available. His abilities combine to make him a pro-ready back.
16. Jacksonville Jaguars: Aldon Smith, DE, Missouri
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Aldon Smith may be a product of the NFL's Collective Bargaining Act proceedings. If rookies are going to be subjected to a pay scale, it is worth it to Smith to forgo a potentional top-10 pick in 2012 to get paid now as a top-20 pick.
He has the physical tools: size, length and athleticism. But Smith needs to fill out his frame and improve his technique.
Aaron Kampman would make a fine tutor.
17. New England Patriots (from Oakland): Adrain Clayborn, DE, Iowa
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Adrian Clayborn has experience as a defensive end in a 4-3 at Iowa, but it's hard to see such a strong player not finding success in a 3-4 with New England.
Clayborn's strength helps him take on offensive linemen to either free up other players or beat them himself.
His pass rush moves need work. Is there a better place in the NFL to learn than Foxboro, Mass.?
18. San Diego Chargers: Tyron Smith, OT, USC
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It's rare to find someone so athletic at offensive tackle. Tyron Smith has great footwork and lateral movement to go along with the type of size that provides natural leverage.
Smith can pack on muscle weight to become an NFL starter. San Diego is in need of a defensive end as well, but as Smith ascends the draft boards, it's harder and harder to see the Chargers stretching for the likes of Ryan Kerrigan.
19. New York Giants: Gabe Carimi, OT, Wisconsin
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With Nate Solder and Tyron Smith off the board, New York might look into moving back a couple of spots in the first round.
But if it can't find any suitors for a trade, the Giants can still find an offensive tackle, even if it is a bit of a stretch. Gabe Carimi is known for his run blocking. But his physical tools provide potential for him to become an elite pass blocker.
His versatility as either a tackle or a guard gives New York options for shuffling the deck up front to find the best protection for Eli Manning possible.
20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Ryan Kerrigan, DE, Purdue
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Tampa Bay needs help on the defensive line. Gerald McCoy and Brian Price have the interior taken care of. But defensive end is an area of concern.
Ryan Kerrigan would fit seamlessly into the Tampa defense and boost the pass rush. It's cliche, but Kerrigan is a defensive lineman with a great motor. He just doesn't quit.
Tampa Bay is turning into a force in the NFC South.
21. Kansas City Chiefs: Akeem Ayers, OLB, UCLA
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This is a rare case of a team's need matching just about perfectly with the best player available. Maybe the best player is Colorado cornerback Jimmy Smith. Maybe it's Illinois defensive tackle Corey Liuget. No, it's UCLA outside linebacker Akeem Ayers.
Ayers' tremendous athleticism creates a versatile player that contribute to the pass rush and in coverage in Kansas City's 3-4 defense.
The Chief's could use some help at outside linebacker. Ayers can give it to them right away.
22. Indianapolis Colts: Anthony Castonzo, OT, Boston College
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Anthony Castonzo's abilities mirror that of the Indianapolis Colts' offense: he is strong in the passing game and needs improvement in the running game.
Castonzo has the frame and footwork to pass protect right away. He'll be served well by bulking up and getting coached up for the running game, but both of those are very doable.
He's a smart kid that can absorb information. He'll fit nicely into the complex Colt offense.
23. Philadelphia Eagles: Corey Liuget, DT, Illinois
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Philadelphia would love to pick up an offensive tackle, but Tyron Smith, Nate Solder, Gabe Carimi and Anthony Castonzo—the only first-round worthy offensive tackles in the draft—will all be gone.
The good (or bad?) news for the Eagles is that offensive tackle isn't the only area of need. Interior defensive line ranks up there. Corey Liuget could well be gone at this point as well, as his draft stock continues to rise.
If he's still here, Philly should swoop in and grab him.
24. New Orleans Saints: Justin Houston, OLB, Georgia
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New Orleans needs a true defensive end, but who is worth reaching for? Cameron Heyward? There isn't anyone that matches Justin Houston's upside left in the draft pool.
Heyward may be more ready to play right now, and Houston may not be as good of a fit for the Saints' defense, but Houston has extreme potential.
His athleticism fits better in a 3-4 defense rushing off the edge, but he can still find ways to impact in a 4-3.
25. Seattle Seahawks: Jake Locker, QB, Washington
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It would make for quite the story, wouldn't it, for the hometown hero to lead the Seahawks back to the Super Bowl in a couple of seasons?
Jake Locker needs time to develop. Matt Hasselbeck can give him at least a year to do that. Locker has the arm and the mobility to become a pro quarterback, but he's going to need coaching.
26. Baltimore Ravens: Jimmy Smith, CB, Colorado
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Jimmy Smith falling this far would be surprising considering his talent. But the Ravens would happily take him to Baltimore to bolster their aging defense.
Smith is 6'2", which makes him a sizable challenge to the NFL's wide receiver. He's smooth and quick, ready to lock down receivers in coverage and back up the run defense.
27. Atlanta Falcons: Mike Pouncey, C/G, Florida
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Atlanta needs help on the interior offensive line. Mike Pouncey could help at center and guard, both of which he played in college.
Atlanta could use an edge pass rusher, but there won't be one worth this pick. Grab Pouncey and hope that he turns into the player that his older brother, All-Pro Maurkice, has with the Steelers in his rookie year.
28. New England Patriots: Torrey Smith, WR, Maryland
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Torrey Smith is shooting up draft boards thanks in great part to his speed. The Patriots needs a player to stretch the field.
Neither Deion Branch and Wes Welker are deep threats. Randy Moss is gone, and Smith can fulfill that role and hope to become a big play threat.
29. Chicago Bears: Muhammad Wilkerson, DT, Temple
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I can't see Chicago filling its need at offensive tackle with Ben Ijalana from Villanova in the first round. And there isn't a wide receiver valuable enough to spend this pick on, either.
So the Bears defer to their third area of need and pick up Muhammad Wilkerson. He's capable of fitting into both a 4-3 or 3-4 defense.
30. New York Jets: Cameron Heyward, DT/DE, Ohio State
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Cameron Heyward moved around on the defensive line for Ohio State thanks to his strength and quickness. He is versatile and seasoned.
New York needs to replenish its defensive line, especially with Shaun Ellis an unrestricted free agent. Heyward has less perceived upside than other players taken before him, but is just as ready to play right now.
31. Pittsburgh Steelers: Dan Watkins, T/G, Baylor
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Pittsburgh needs to add depth to its offensive line. The Steelers have talent up front but could stand for some insurance in the form of a player to develop for the future.
Dan Watkins is a bit off the radar right now, but his stock is rising. He played tackle at Baylor but is seen by many as an interior lineman at the next level.
32. Green Bay Packers: Rahim Moore, S, UCLA
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Green Bay ends up in a weird spot at the end of the first round. There isn't a player that really fits their needs, thanks in large part to their limited needs.
Green Bay goes with the best available player and fills a future need at the same time by picking up safety Rahim Moore. Nick Collins and Charlie Peprah are both 27 years old. Collins looks like a solid fit for a few years to come, but putting the heat on Peprah might not be a bad idea.
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