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Green Bay Takes Brooks Reed With 32nd Pick

Brooks Reed has been one of those prospects who slowly rises up the draft boards, getting more notice until he goes from a third-round pick to a legitimate first-round prospect.

For the Packers, Reed represents a great pickup at this slot. He is a talent they can not pass up who will not only bring his considerable talents to the Packers defense, but allow Clay Matthews to make more plays.

When scheming to block both of these guys, what would you do? Reed will be a great addition to any team, but on the Packers, it is a home run for both sides.

Reed had a great Combine, running the fastest 10-yard split of all the defensive linemen. his 10-yard split was only 0.05 seconds slower than Clay Matthews, and that is quite impressive considering how successful Matthews has been in his short career.

With Reed and Matthews, the Packers could become almost unstoppable on defense. Throw A.J. Hawk into the mix and the Packers could claim title to the best defense in the NFL in 2011.

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Mike Pouncey Would Help Give Steelers A Great Offensive line

The Pittsburgh Steelers draft 31st in this year's draft, and the guy they will want the most, Mike Pouncey, probably won't last that long. I'm mocking Pouncey here because I believe the Steelers will trade up to get him.

The Steelers do have two big needs going into the draft, though, so there are options beyond Pouncey. The team does need a new cornerback.

The Steelers probably will have to jump ahead of the New York Giants if they want to secure Pouncey, but a lot of things could happen on draft day. It all will come down to how much the team will be willing to pay to move up.

The Steelers drafted his twin brother Maurkice last year and he has become the best player on the offensive line and one of the most popular players in the locker room.

Drafting his twin is the top priority for this team. Not only will it fill a position of need, but the chemistry between the two brothers already is there and there will be no questions about character. This is a "can't miss" pick, and the Steelers will do what they have to do to get this guy on their squad.

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The Jets Defensive Line Gets A Boost With First Pick

When Rex Ryan starts guaranteeing things, you know it is going to be a very entertaining year. The New York Jets just missed the Super Bowl the last two years, and Ryan does not want a letdown in year three.

The Jets will not use their first pick on any part of the offense because the offense is pretty set. All it needs is some new contracts once the lockout is lifted. If the Jets can not sign everybody, that raises a whole different set of problems, but I digress.

The New York Jets have a very good defense, but Phil Taylor will be the future anchor of the Jets defense. Taylor has a lot of talent, and if not for some marks against him from his time at Penn State, Taylor might have been considered a Top 10 pick.

Ryan won't care about that one bit and will be happy to take Taylor with the 30th pick. With so many free agent questions, Taylor fits a need that doesn't involve a veteran waiting to sign a contract. Plus he will be a playmaker on the defense, which you can't have enough of when you play the Patriots twice a year.

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The Bears One Offensive Line Away From Super Bowl In 2010

Jay Cutler got sacked a lot in 2010 and the line looked overwhelmed in many games. The Chicago Bears adjusted as the season went on, but the damage was done and this team can not go into the 2011 season with what they put on the field last year.

The awfulness of the Bears offensive line was covered up somewhat by different schemes implemented as the season went on, but all that did was put a band-aid on a very bad situation.

The first step toward rebuilding that line is by drafting Gabe Carimi. Carimi will help reduce the 60 sacks the line allowed in 2010. With Carimi, you stop talking about if Cutler was healthy enough to come back in the game because Cutler isn't getting the crap kicked out of him.

If the Bears don't address their line at the top of the draft, it should be an offense worthy of termination for every person in that front office.

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The Patriots Take A Downfield Threat With Their Second Pick

The New England Patriots have a lot of picks in the first three rounds of this year's draft. Bill Belichick took care of his pass rushing problem with the first pick in this mock draft. With his second pick, he will make Tom Brady a happy guy.

Titus Young is an explosive wide receiver who can make an instant impact with the Patriots. Along with Wes Welker, it gives Brady two deep receivers to throw to and will help stretch defenses out so they can not crowd the line like they did in the playoffs last year.

The Patriots went 14-2 in what was supposed to be a rebuilding year. With the "rebuild" now almost done, the plethora of picks the Patriots have will smooth things out and make the Patriots a 16-0 threat again in 2011.

The only other "need" the Patriots have is offensive lineman, which Belichick can fill with the 33rd pick at the top of the second round.

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The Falcons Need Speed And Youth In Their Secondary

The Atlanta Falcons had one of the most complete teams in the NFL for most of the 2010 season, but Green Bay's depth proved to be superior in the playoffs. To repeat as division champions in 2011, the Falcons have to retool the defense so they do not fall into the same traps they did at the end of last year. 

The Falcons have a big choice in front of them on draft day. Roddy White is the only big threat they have at wide receiver, but they need another corner and a pass rusher as well.

This is a coin toss and I'm choosing pass rusher. There are a lot of good wide receivers between this pick and when they come up again, but the quality of the cornerbacks is going to start really dropping after the top of the second round, so they take Cameron Jordan, who slips several spots from my last mock and becomes a great value with this pick.

Jordan was a dominant player in 2010, and his fall to the 27th pick is more a matter of circumstance than any red flags. The Falcons will be very happy to see Jordan still on the board this late in the first round.

With Jordan, the decision to take a pass rusher over a corner becomes a very easy one.

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The Baltimore Ravens Give Joe Flacco Another Weapon

Joe Flacco may not be happy about his contract situation, but the front office will make his on-field situation better if they draft a wide receiver.

Going with a wide receiver is the best move the Baltimore Ravens can make with this pick. Torrey Smith will help stretch the defenses in 2011. It will be a good pick when facing the Steelers for the third time in a season in the playoffs again.

The Steelers were able to hold off the Ravens in the playoffs last year because they were able to keep pressure on Joe Flacco. Flacco is a good quarterback, and the Ravens need to give him more weapons.

Flacco just didn't have a legitimate enough wide receiver downfield to keep defenses like the Steelers from creeping up on him. The Ravens also need a new center to replace the aging Matt Birk, who will be 35 years old when the 2011 season begins. But everyone has said that for the last two years, so don't hold your breath.

If the Ravens take a center, I'm now convinced they won't do it any earlier than the third round.

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The Seattle Seahawks Take Justin Houston, Wait On QB

The Seattle Seahawks are a tricky team to mock for because they have so many needs, they draft low in the first round, and they could take a quarterback.

If Jake Locker still was on the board, I might mock him here. On the other hand, the Seahawks seem to want to keep Matt Hasselbeck around for one more year, which would suggest if they draft a quarterback, it will be no higher than the second round.

In this mock, Cam Newton, Blaine Gabbert and  Locker all are off the board and there really are no quarterbacks you take at this slot anyway, although I would not be surprised if Colin Kaepernick and Christian Ponder go on to have great NFL careers.

Justin Houston still is on the board and becomes the Seahawks pick here. Houston fills a position of need and is a great talent. The Seahawks need a guy who can get to the quarterback and Houston looks like he can be that guy.

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The Saints Have Needs On The Defense

The New Orleans Saints defense got exposed at the end of the 2010 season, and the Seahawks exploited it in the Wildcard game. The Saints had no answers as the game went on and the Seahawks advanced as a result.

The Saints need to acquire better run defenders, which was made quite obvious by Marshawn Lynch in the playoffs. The Saints also have to improve a few other areas of their defense, and Muhammad Wilkerson is a great prospect shooting up draft boards.

In addition to not being able to stop the run, the Saints did not put enough pressure on the quarterback and the Seahawks offense ran very smoothly.

The Saints have to use their first-round pick to shore up the defense. While arguments can be made for other positions, the defensive is the team's biggest need right now.

Wilkerson is a good pass rusher, so the Saints get good value out of this pick. Wilkerson has a reputation for hard work and will be a great addition to the Saints roster.

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Protecting Michael Vick  Will Determine How Eagles Draft In 2011

The Philadelphia Eagles are playing poker this offseason by indicating they are willing to trade Kevin Kolb.

When Michael Vick is on your roster, you have that luxury of trading away two starting quarterbacks in two years. Andy Reid is set to do such a thing once normal business resumes.

The Eagles will be putting the franchise in the hands of Vick, who will be signing a fat new contract at some point. He will get this huge contract despite being injured twice during the course of the 2010 season. That is just how good Vick is, and it shows why the Eagles have to do everything they can to protect Vick in 2011.

Enter Derek Sherrod. Sherrod is the kind of raw offensive line talent Andy Reid can plug right in and have him start in Week 1. Sherrod is big and athletic and should be able to make the transition to the pros in short order.

The Eagles gave up 52 sacks last year, so Sherrod's job will be to reduce that number significantly and protect the franchise.

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The Colts Will Draft To Protect Peyton Manning This Year

The Indianapolis Colts have a lot on their plates this offseason. The Colts usually make protecting Peyton Manning a priority, but they screwed it up last year. The Colts will have to get it right this year or face losing out on the postseason.

Manning spent a lot of time in 2010 not throwing the ball because he was running for his life. This has to change in 2011, or the Colts may miss the playoffs for the first time since Prohibition. At least it seems like that long.

Manning will sign a huge new contract at some point before the 2011 season starts, and he isn't getting any younger. Manning has been very resistant to injury throughout his career, but how long can that last? Brett Favre really wasn't a victim of the injury bug until he passed the age of 40, but you can't just say Manning will be the same way.

Colts fans hope he'll be as healthy as ever, but a lot of that depends on protection. The Colts changed up the offensive line last year and it didn't work, so it's back to the drawing board and the Colts will welcome Anthony Castonzo into the fold.

Castonzo can have an immediate impact on the game, allowing Manning to do his job while opening holes for Joseph Addai.

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Akeem Ayers A Good Fit For Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs went from drafting ahead of the Cleveland Browns in 2010 to making the playoffs. The Chiefs opened a lot of eyes in 2010, but they did have a relatively easy schedule.

Easy schedule aside, the Chiefs still had a very good year. They need to keep improving if they want to have another good year in 2011.

The Broncos and Chargers were competing against each other to see who could torpedo their season faster and the Raiders just are not a playoff team yet. So the Chiefs had enough talent and enough good coaches on the sideline to bring the 2010 season together.

In 2011 Akeem Ayers gives the Chiefs a great option for the defense and still is one of the best players available. The Chiefs could go to other positions on the defensive line, but I'm going with Ayers this week.

The Chiefs also could try and find another wide receiver to play opposite Dwayne Bowe with this pick, but the Chiefs front office knows they still can fill that role in the second round. Wide receivers are plentiful in this draft and there is plenty of talent to be found after the first round.

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Adrian Clayborn A Good Fit For Tampa Bay

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will use the draft to tinker with the team. The 2010 season turned out to be more productive than anyone (except the Bucs) thought it was going to be.

They were very close to making the postseason in 2010, so this year's first-round pick will be weighed against the potential of having enough impact to make a difference his rookie year.

Adrian Clayborn can be that guy. He has a few red flags and his production dropped his senior year, but Clayborn also faced a lot more double teams.

The Bucs had no pass rush against the Falcons at the end of the season, and they're not going to go far in the NFC South against the Falcons and Saints if they can't get to the quarterback. The Bucs saw all their flaws exposed down the stretch, so this is their best opportunity to plug those holes.

With Matt Ryan and Drew Brees in the division, it's the same problem the Jags and the Texans face. If you have dominant quarterbacks in your division, you have to build a defense that can put pressure on the quarterbacks and take them out of their game.

Clayborn showed great speed and agility at the Combine, which will serve to keep him in the first round on draft day.

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The Giants Fill A Need With Smith's Selection

The New York Giants need a lineman like Tyron Smith, but they might take a running back in this year's draft. They do not in this mock, but if the Dolphins pass on Mark Ingram, he could go here.

Ahmad Bradshaw is a free agent and Brandon Jacobs is not getting any younger. That being said, the Giants need a serious upgrade at left tackle and Tyron Smith is on the board here, so Smith becomes a Giant.

For those wondering, I think the Steelers trade up to No. 18 to take Mike Pouncey to avoid the chance of the Giants drafting him.

With that in mind, even if the Steelers do not trade up, I think the Giants would choose Smith over Pouncey anyway given Smith's size and talent. Pouncey projects more as a center or guard while Smith is more ideal as a tackle.

Smith is a big guy who weighed in at 307 at the Combine. Scouts note he has tremendous talent and should be a first-year starter.

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The Chargers Have A Few Upgrades To Make This Season

The San Diego Chargers do not intend on missing the playoffs in 2011. They had an offense and defense ranked in the top five in just about every major category in 2010.

That did not mean too much at the end of the day because their special teams unit was awful and the Chargers missed the playoffs.

One area the Chargers can improve on is their pass rushing unit. Cameron Heyward is the guy they will turn to to fix that. Muhammad Wilkerson is a fast-rising candidate who also could go here, but if the decision comes down to one of these two guys, I think Heyward wins that argument.

The Chargers defense will have an extra facet for other teams to worry about due to this pick, and the Chargers very well could make the playoffs in 2011 if they can fix the little things that kept them out of the postseason in 2010.

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