2010 NFL Mock Draft: Defense Is Good Edition (Round Two)

While most pre-draft scouting reports focus on the first round for obvious reasons, who a team takes in the second round can be just as important to the team’s future as their first round pick.

Only 32 guys are off the board at this point, and there still are plenty of quality football players out there waiting for their names to be called. While the Senior Bowl has come and gone, the Combine still lies in the future, so any and all picks are subject to change.

For my First Round Mock, click here for picks 1-16; for picks 17-32, click here.

33. St. Louis Rams

I took the quarterback in Round One, so the Rams draft someone for him to throw to in Round two. Notre Dame wide receiver Golden Tate gets the call.

34. Detroit Lions

Lions, still celebrating the Ndamukong Suh pick, go with an offensive line upgrade to protect their franchise quarterback. Mike Iupati, offensive guard out of Idaho, goes here.

35. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Looking for more help on the corners, Tampa Bay takes Dominique Franks, cornerback out of Oklahoma.

36. Kansas City Chiefs

Chiefs also will go with a cornerback, Perrish Cox, out of Oklahoma State. This is the defensive draft class that keeps on giving.

37. Washington Redskins

I also had the Redskins taking a quarterback in the first round; now they’ll move to give Sam Bradford a weapon with running back Jahvid Best.

38. Cleveland Browns

Even if the Browns decide they need a quarterback, Colt McCoy is the only guy I could see them going for in this spot. But I have McCoy gone already, so they stick to the defense and take Corey Wootton, defensive end out of northwestern.

39. Oakland Raiders

Assuming Al Davis hasn’t pulled a Mike Ditka to get Ndamukong Suh and they still have this pick, the Raiders go Sergio Kindle, outside linebacker out of Texas.

40. Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks need to improve their running game if they’re going to stick with Matt Hasselbeck, who is starting to show his age. Ryan Matthews out of Fresno State goes here.

41. Buffalo Bills

Using the same theory as the Rams, now that they have a franchise quarterback, the Bills give him somebody to throw to, taking Demaryius Thomas out of Georgia Tech.

42. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Having already gone defense this round, the Bucs look offense, taking LSU wide receiver Brandon LeFell.

43. Miami Dolphins

Dolphins use their pick to take a chance on Terrance Cody, the run-stuffing, buffet-destroying nose tackle out of Alabama.

44. New England Patriots.

The only player still on the board worth taking at this point for the Patriots is Ricky Sapp, defensive end out of Clemson. The rebuild in New England continues.

45. Denver Broncos

The Broncos will look to best player available here, but they do have a few options, settling for Vladimir Ducasse, offensive guard out of Massachusetts.

46. New York Giants

The Giants collapsed in ugly fashion last year. Taking Nate Allen, safety out of South Florida, will help their secondary greatly.

47. Carolina Panthers

If the Panthers do lose Julius Peppers to free agency, they’ll need to replace him. No defensive ends left on the board are ranked high enough to take a risk here, so they go with cornerback Devin McCourty out of Rutgers.

48. New England Patriots

With Randy Moss at the tail end of his career and Wes Welker rehabbing an ACL and MCL tear for the first part of the season, Bill Belichick grabs wide receiver Dexter McCluster out of Mississippi.

49. San Francisco 49ers

Frisco also goes defense, taking defensive tackle Arthur Jones with their pick.

50. Kansas City Chiefs

Continuing to upgrade their offensive line, center Maurkice Pouncey out of Florida becomes a steal at this pick.

51. Houston Texans

With tight end Rob Gronkowski still on the board, the Texans don’t pass up a chance to add another offensive playmaker to the team.

52. Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers defense also is in need of a rebuild, although don’t be surprised if their second pick goes offensive line as well. That being said, cornerback Javier Arenas out of Alabama joins the black and gold.

53. New England Patriots.

Returning to his defense, safety Chad Jones becomes Belichik’s latest acquisition.

54. Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals lost one of their best wide receivers when Chris Henry was tragically killed. Taylor Price, wide receiver out of Ohio, might be a bit of a jump, but he may not be there in the third round, so the Bengals grab him here.

55. Philadelphia Eagles

The popular pick on some of the mock drafts I’ve seen here is Sean Weatherspoon, outside linebacker out of Missouri. Who am I to disagree?

56. Green Bay Packers

Packers go with the defense again, taking OLB Jerry Hughes out of TCU.

57. Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens go with Brandon McGhee, cornerback out of Wake Forest.

58. Arizona Cardinals

Matt Leinart will need protection, and Selvish Capers, offensive tackle out of West Virginia, will be tapped for those duties.

59. Dallas Cowboys

Eric Norwood, linebacker out of South Carolina, would be a good pick for the Cowboys here.

60. San Diego Chargers

Safety Reshad Jones becomes one of the best-ranked players on the board, making this an easy pick for the Chargers.

61. New York Jets

Anthony McCoy, tight end out of Tennessee, will give Mark Sanchez another weapon to wield on offense because Sanchez certainly can't rely on Braylon Edwards.

62. Minnesota Vikings

D’Anthony Smith, defensive tackle out of Louisiana Tech, is a safe pick here in the second round.

63. New Orleans Saints

Jason Worilds, defensive end out of Virginia, will step into a good situation in New Orleans. Saints can’t go wrong with this pick here.

64. Indianapolis Colts

Sean Lee, inside linebacker from Penn State, will add more depth to the Colts line in 2010.

There you go, the first two rounds of the NFL draft as I see it right now. Prepare for some big changes after the combine because I’m already re-arranging my first round mock after Senior Week.

In the meantime, there’s this little game called the Super Bowl happening this weekend. I don’t think the NFL hypes it enough.