2011 NFL Mock Draft: Could Suspended Robert Quinn Edge Out Andrew Luck?
2011 NFL mock draft is in and it's time to break down as to how this spring's draft is going to shake out.
Buffalo currently has the first draft pick and where do they go? There's plenty of options for the Bills and inside I'll tell you where the Bills go and how the other 31 draft picks are going to shake out.
Any thoughts? Leave them in the comments.
No. 1: Buffalo Bills — Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford
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Why He Goes Here
The Bills really need a quarterback and Luck is the best pro prospect in college football right now. It's really a match made in heaven.
How He Fits In
Luck would likely start in Week 1 or at the very worst have competition with Ryan Fitzpatrick for the starting job. I don't think it would be a formality that he starts for the Bills. Fitzpatrick has put up good numbers this season.
How He Rose
It's really been obvious that if the Bills got this pick, it would be a quarterback. He's the best guy on the board at the position. It's a no-brainer really.
No. 2: Dallas Cowboys — Patrick Peterson, CB, LSU
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Why He Goes Here
The Cowboys' secondary is a mess and it's been thrown all over all season long. Aaron Rodgers tore it apart on Sunday night.
How He Fits In
He'll automatically be in there starting from Week 1. Dallas is desperate for help in the secondary and anything is an addition and an improvement at this juncture.
How He Can Rise
With Andrew Luck likely being the top player taken overall, Patterson really has no shot to rise in the draft order.
No. 3: Carolina Panthers — A.J Green, WR, Georgia
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Why He Goes Here
The Panthers need a ton of help across the board, but if you're going to try and groom Jimmy Clausen, you need to give him more targets. Steve Smith can't do it himself and guys like David Gettis aren't going to turn into all pros.
How He Fits In
He'd automatically be the guy behind Steve Smith. He'd help solid, but not great, wideouts like Gettis make plays down the field. He's a beast.
How He Can Rise
This is the first slot where Green would make a lot of sense for a team. None of the other teams above him are really pining for a wideout. He can only fall from here.
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No. 4: Denver Broncos — Robert Quinn, DE, North Carolina
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Why He Goes Here
The Broncos have been gashed by opposing teams, especially at the line of scrimmage in the running game. While injuries have a lot to do with that, it also reveals a lack of depth for the Broncos. Something needs to change.
How He Fits In
Quinn would likely be getting a lot of snaps Week 1 for the Broncos, especially in blitz packages. Denver could certainly use the help.
How He Can Rise
If the Panthers decided that they'd like to bolster the defensive line, which is a possibility with the holes that Carolina has to fill, there's no reason to think that he couldn't go there.
No. 5: Detroit Lions — Marcell Dareus, DE, Alabama
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Why He Goes Here
The Lions will be in a tricky spot here and will probably just go with a defensive player to go along with defensive guru Jim Schwartz's philosophy. There is always the option of trading down as well.
How He Fits In
An athletic defensive end in a Jim Schwartz defense? I think he would fit in pretty well to say the least in Detroit.
How He Can Rise
With the teams that could use linemen higher up, it could send Dareus up the draft board a couple of spots if they like what they see.
No. 6: San Francisco 49ers — Prince Amukamara, CB, Nebraska
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Why He Goes Here
You'd think that Jake Locker would go here, but with the way Locker's year has gone, I don't think it's going to happen here. San Fran won't want to repeat the Alex Smith mistake and will go corner instead.
How He Fits In
San Francisco's secondary isn't exactly what you'd call a formidable one. Amukamara is one of the best corners in the draft and would be an excellent fit for the 49ers.
How He Can Rise
He would really have to outplay Patrick Peterson down the stretch and I'm not sure that's going to happen. Peterson is a stud.
No. 7: Cincinnati Bengals —Ryan Mallett, QB, Arkansas
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Why He Goes Here
If you've seen Carson Palmer play, it's clear that he's no longer the answer at quarterback for the Bengals. He makes terrible decisions and he's been a mess out there this year. He's one of the reasons Cincy has struggled as much as it has.
How He Fits In
He would likely not see the field much for the first year or so because he's not going to send Palmer to the bench overnight. Nor would the team cut bait with Palmer just like that. I think there would be a grooming process.
How He Can Rise
I'm not sure there's any way he can rise, unless the 49ers opt for a quarterback in the first round and take Mallett there.
No. 8: Arizona Cardinals — Brandon Harris, CB, Miami
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Why He Goes Here
The Cardinals are one of the worst pass defenses in the league if you didn't notice. Brett Favre torched the Cardinals all day long on Sunday.
How He Fits In
Even as a rookie, he can't be worse than what Arizona has had out there this season. He'd start in Week 1 easily and for the rest of the year.
How He Rises
Harris seems firmly stuck at third on the cornerback big board and would have to really wow scouts for him to rise up the board.
No. 9: Minnesota Vikings — Jake Locker, QB, Washington
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Why He Goes Here
The Vikings are going to need a quarterback. That's obvious. Brett Favre is falling apart in front of our eyes and I'm pretty sure he won't be back next year. Maybe.
How He Fits In
Locker would be competing with Tarvaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels for the starting quarterback job but it wouldn't surprise me to see the rookie sit on the bench.
How He Could Rise
With the way Locker's season has gone, there's really no room up. If the Vikings pass on Locker here, it could be a tumble down the draft board.
No. 10: Cleveland Browns — Julio Jones, WR, Alabama
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Why He Goes Here
The Browns really need a target for Colt McCoy in the worst way. Josh Cribbs is a nice player but he's not a top wideout in this league.
How He Fits In
Jones is an automatic fit in the Browns' lineup and would help open things up for Cleveland's running game, which has been the focal point of the offense this year.
How He Rises
I'm really not sure it's possible that he can pass A.J. Green on the board in terms of wideouts. This is a good spot for him but he could fall down the board slightly after here.
No. 11: San Diego Chargers —Allen Bailey, DE, Miami
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Why He Goes Here
The Chargers could really use a pass rusher and Bailey is the best man on the board at this spot. San Diego has to do something about its defensive line.
How He Fits In
With the way the line has played this year, Bailey would be playing plenty of snaps from Week 1 on and could move around the line in certain packages.
How He Could Rise
Bailey would really have to impress scouts and have a monster finish to his season at Miami in order to hop some of the bigger names on the defensive line.
No. 12: Seattle Seahawks — Derek Sherrod, OT, Mississippi State
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Why He Goes Here
Seattle has had one heck of a time protecting the quarterback. Just ask Matt Hasselbeck, who missed last week's game with an injury. It's not fun back there in Seattle.
How He Fits In
He would be a starter for the Seahawks from the jump and would help anchor that line a bit and maybe keep Matt Hasselbeck upright, even if he's not the quarterback of the future, a position that really needs to be addressed.
How He Could Rise
He's the first lineman taken off of the board so it's unlikely that he'll move further up the board. He'd really need to do something amazing in his workouts to change things but he seems to top out right about here in the draft.
No. 13: Houston Texans — Janoris Jenkins, CB, Florida
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Why He Goes Here
Houston is by far the worst pass defense in all of football. Philip Rivers tore the Texans to shreds on Sunday and so has every other team that has gone up against them. It's a horrible, horrible unit to watch play.
How He Fits In
He would be an instant upgrade over anything that is currently on that roster. Houston really needs to do something at corner and Jenkins is the answer.
How He Could Rise
He's really not going to rise. Unless a team is really enamored with him that's in need of a corner, he's going to be a middle round type of guy. There's a lot of possibilities at this part of the draft for him.
No. 14: Jacksonville Jaguars — Ryan Kerrigan, DE, Purdue
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Why He Goes Here
The Jaguars could really use a pass rusher and are not getting any pressure on opposing quarterbacks this season. Jacksonville's secondary isn't nearly good enough to make up for that.
How He Fits In
He would be a Week 1 starter in Jacksonville and would be a welcome addition to a unit that is one of the weaker groups in the entire league.
How He Could Rise
He's having a strong year, but would really have to tear it up down the stretch and have solid workouts to rise up the draft board.
No. 15: Miami Dolphins — Mark Ingram, RB, Alabama
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Why He Goes Here
The Dolphins clearly need a running back with the way Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams have produced and Ingram could be just the burst of energy the Dolphins need.
How He Fits In
He would get touches in Miami, even if he would be splitting time out on the field. Ingram could get more and more touches as the year goes on if he starts producing.
How He Could Rise
Ingram really can't rise much higher. This is the first logical place that he could be taken in the draft. Dallas might trade down to get him but I don't see that happening.
No. 16: Washington Redskins — Christian Ponder, QB, Florida State
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Why He Goes Here
He goes here because he has the cardiovascular endurance that Mike Shanahan seems to be so big on these days.
How He Fits In
It seems like the Donovan McNabb experiment in Washington is going to be a one year thing before he leaves in free agency and Ponder is going to compete for the starting job and has a good chance of starting early.
How He Could Rise
Look, I'm not sure Ponder is first-round talent, this could easily be Jake Locker if he slides further down the draft board and would be a great fit for the Redskins. However, Washington really needs a quarterback so they either take him or here or trade down to where they can get him.
No. 17: New England Patriots (Via Oakland) — Ryan Williams, RB, Virginia Tech
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Why He Goes Here
The Patriots have no running game. New England never really has been a team to pound the ball but the Pats could use a running back badly.
How He Fits In
Williams would likely start or at the very least start out in a platoon with New England's group of running backs that are currently on the roster.
How He Could Rise
Williams will not rise. In fact, the Patriots would be reaching on him a bit at this point of the draft as it is. Williams may go much lower than this spot.
No. 18: Chicago Bears — Adrian Clayborn, DE, Iowa
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Why He Goes Here
Julius Peppers could use a running mate in Chicago and Clayborn seems like just the guy to bring in and groom as a stud lineman.
How He Fits In
Defenses will have their hands full trying to block Peppers and Clayborn coming off of the edges and would create a lot of trouble for opposing quarterbacks.
How He Could Rise
Clayborn is part of a solid group of defensive linemen and depending on what happens between now and then, Clayborn could find himself further up on some team's draft boards.
No. 19: Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Travis Lewis, OLB, Oklahoma
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Why He Goes Here
It's really only one of the few positions that would make sense for Tampa Bay at this point in the draft. He'd be an instant upgrade on the outside.
How He Fits In
As I said, Lewis would be an upgrade over what's currently on the roster and would help make the unit deeper as a whole. It'd be hard to pass on him at this juncture of the draft.
How He Could Rise
This is the first linebacker to go off the board so a team would really need to develop some sort of need or move up the board for Lewis to go earlier.
No. 20: Tennessee Titans — Akeem Ayers, OLB, UCLA
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Why He Goes Here
The Titans are really thin at the linebacker position and Ayers would make a big impact with a unit that isn't really that solid of a group.
How He Fits In
Ayers would likely see significant playing time right now and would be competing for a starting job among the current group in Tennessee.
How He Could Rise
If Tampa Bay is higher on Ayers than Travis Lewis, I could see the Bucs taking a shot on him and moving him slightly up the draft board.
No. 21: St. Louis Rams — Jonathan Baldwin, WR, Pittsburgh
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Why He Goes Here
The Rams have no targets for Sam Bradford to throw to. Donnie Avery isn't bad and neither is Mark Clayton, but you can do better than that. Baldwin would give Bradford another young player to throw to and develop a bond with.
How He Fits In
He would make a huge impact in St. Louis, who is desperate for a wideout. Danny Amendola is a nice player, but he's not a long-term solution on the depth chart.
How He Could Rise
Baldwin isn't going to go much higher on the chart with A.J. Green and Julio Jones in front of him. Baldwin should be a later first-round pick.
No. 22: Kansas City Chiefs — Justin Houston, OLB, Georgia
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Why He Goes Here
The Chiefs could use a solid pass rusher and seeing as Houston can go between the line and linebacker positions, he seems like a solid fit.
How He Fits In
Outside of Tamba Hali, there aren't many impact players in the pass rush for the Chiefs and Kansas City would love to have a player like him there and would make an impact from the start.
How He Could Rise
He's in a bit of a logjam with players of his skill set and a good combine and workout sessions could send him up the draft board slightly.
No. 23: Philadelphia Eagles — Aaron Williams, CB, Texas
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Why He Goes Here
If you saw what Kenny Britt did to the Eagles' secondary, you'd know why Philadelphia has to look at a corner in this year's draft. It was embarrassing.
How He Fits In
Williams would likely slide right in and take over for Ellis Hobbs, who has been abused this season. I mean, you can't be worse than what we've seen from him this season.
How He Could Rise
He would have to some serious work to get up over Janoris Jenkins on most team's draft boards. It's possible, but not probable.
No. 24: Indianapolis Colts — Joseph Barksdale, OT, LSU
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Why He Goes Here
A spot will be opening up at left tackle in the offseason and it seems like it would just be better to get a young player in there to fill the gap. Charlie Johnson isn't exactly an elite lineman.
How He Fits In
Barksdale is going to make an impact and learn from a lot of great players on that Colts team. He'd become a starter right away and the Colts would go from there.
How He Could Rise
Barksdale is pretty much stuck as being a late first-round pick so I don't see much changing for him in the near future.
No. 25: New Orleans Saints — Von Miller, OLB, Texas A&M
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Why He Goes Here
The Saints have struggled to pressure the quarterback and will look to try and get someone who can turn up the pressure on opposing offenses.
How He Fits In
Seeing as New Orleans has a bit of trouble when it comes to pressuring quarterbacks, Miller would be a welcome addition to the defense.
How He Could Rise
Like I've said about other players at his position, there seems to be a big logjam down at the bottom of the first round and he could be moving up or down depending on his workouts after the season.
No. 26: New York Jets — Bruce Carter, OLB, North Carolina
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Why He Goes Here
The Jets love to turn the pressure up on opposing quarterbacks and Carter is just the type of player to help the Jets add youth to the team.
How He Fits In
New York is a very veteran team and Carter would add some depth to the linebacker and defensive end units and could be a player that Rex Ryan could move around in formations.
How He Could Rise
It all depends on workouts for a player like Carter. I really can't stress that enough. There's just too many players like him at this point in the draft.
No. 27: New England Patriots — Cameron Heyward, DE, Ohio State
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Why He Goes Here
The Patriots need an end for that defense and Heyward is the best player available to do just that for New England.
How He Fits In
It's a position of need so I wouldn't be shocked to see Heyward get into camp early, get coached up and make an impact for the Patriots early on.
How He Could Rise
There aren't many teams that are in the market for Heyward at this point, but if a team really likes him, I can see him going up a spot or two.
No. 28: Atlanta Falcons — Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame
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Why He Goes Here
Atlanta could really use a second wideout to help open up more looks for Roddy White in the passing game and Floyd would make a whole lot of sense here.
How He Fits In
He's an upgrade over a lot of the guys in Atlanta's lineup and could turn into a big time player for Matt Ryan to use in the passing game.
How He Could Rise
Floyd is really destined to be drafted around this slot. He's not better than the other wideouts in the draft that I already listed and will likely be a late first or early second-round pick.
No. 29: Baltimore Ravens — Stefen Wisniewski, C, Penn State
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Why He Goes Here
The Ravens could use some help on the offensive line and Wisniewski is the best center on the board and in the draft.
How He Fits In
Wisniewski is a good offensive lineman who can also play at the guard position and that flexibility can help him adjust to the pro level.
How He Could Rise
There's really not much room for the big guy to rise up the board. He's a late first or early second at best.
No. 30: Green Bay Packers — Ras-I Dowling, CB, Virginia
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Why He Goes Here
The Packers have struggled against the pass this year and just let Al Harris go, so they could clearly use an upgrade at the cornerback position.
How He Fits In
He would fit in well in Green Bay and would be able to come in and play right away for the Packers. They could use some help.
How He Could Rise
There isn't much room for him to rise in the draft as a lot of the other corners went higher up in the draft and he's not an early first-round pick.
No. 31: New York Giants — Brandon Burton, CB, Utah
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Why He Goes Here
The Giants could always use more cornerback depth to help bolster that group while the defensive line does its normal damage.
How He Fits In
He would add some quality depth to the team and could eventually work his way into the lineup, especially if there's an injury.
How He Could Rise
There's a few corner prospects in this area and depending on the rest of the season and the combine, we could be seeing him rise up a couple of spots.
No. 32: Pittsburgh Steelers — Jimmy Smith, CB, Colorado
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Why He Goes Here
Bryant McFadden has struggled, if you couldn't tell by last night's game, and the Steelers could use a young player to try and take that spot over.
How He Fits In
Like I said, he could come in and challenge for a starting spot right away and will certainly be groomed by a great staff to make him into a productive player.
How He Could Rise
There's plenty of corners in this area of the draft and while Smith is projected as a second rounder in some mocks, I think Pittsburgh could make a reach at him if they feel the position requires the attention.
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