2012 NFL Mock Draft: Grading Todd McShay's Latest 1st Round Mock

Todd McShay has his faults, but in his latest 2012 NFL mock draft, he did a solid job.

I'll admit that I'm not the biggest fan of McShay, but when it comes to his latest mock, he got more right than he did wrong.

With that said, McShay always falls victim of hyping a player more than he should, and that's once again visible with how high he has some of the players going. Just like he absurdly overhyped Ryan Tannehill in the past month by saying that he has better tools than USC's Matt Barkley, he's made a few bone-headed decisions and statements.

Having known that, I commend McShay for not getting too crazy and putting together a commendable mock draft.

What McShay Nailed

McShay's Top 10 picks are flawless. From the Minnesota Vikings choosing Matt Kalil with the No. 3 selection to the Miami Dolphins selecting Ryan Tannehill at No.8 to the Carolina Panthers picking Fletcher Cox at No. 9, McShay went the safe route, which in turn is the smart route.

No team is likely to trade with the Vikings, and though they're not sold out on drafting Kalil, it's the smart pick and the pick that they will make when the time comes.

McShay has the Cleveland Browns taking Trent Richardson at No. 4, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers taking Mo Claiborne with the fifth pick and the St. Louis Rams drafting Justin Blackmon at No. 6. No surprises there.

His pick of Cox going to the Panthers at No. 9 was spot on, because when it comes down to it, Cox is a better athlete than Dontari Poe.

Another pick McShay hit a home run with was the Denver Broncos selecting Michael Brockers with the No. 25 pick. The Broncos have to fill the hole that Broderick Bunkley left at defensive tackle and Brockers is a lengthy, athletic defensive tackle that will have a very successful career in the NFL.

When it comes to McShay, you have to take the good with the bad, and these are the picks that weren't as glamorous.

What McShay Missed

As I said before, I loved Mcshay's first ten picks, but his 11th pick had me scratching my head. McShay had the Kansas City Chiefs selecting Luke Kuechly instead of filling their biggest need at nose tackle  and selecting a player like Poe, who will most likely still be available.

Then McShay had the Dallas Cowboys selecting Poe at No. 14, instead of Mark Barron, whom the Cowboys are in love with. Poe is a great athlete, but the Cowboys have to get some much needed help in their secondary before adding strength to their defensive line.

And the last pick that really caught my eye was the New York Jets grabbing Chandler Jones with the 16th pick. Look, I know the Jets are unpredictable. They traded for Tim Tebow for the love of everything holy, but Jones going at No. 16 is too high.

Yes, he's a great athlete that has been rising the draft boards lately and he's the UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and Baltimore Ravens Arthur Jones brother, but No. 16 is jumping the gun.

Verdict

Coming from a McShay hater, his mock draft really isn't bad. When I heard he was updating it, I originally thought he would have Tannehill going third and have more picks for me to scrutinize, but with the exception of a few, he pretty much nailed it on the head.

It's nice to see McShay use his brain rather than getting caught up in the hype and emotions that the NFL draft generates, and for that, I praise McShay's latest mock draft.

Grade: B