2011 NFL Mock Draft, Pre-Senior Bowl Edition: Jake Locker, Andy Dalton to Rise?
"2011 NFL Mock Draft" is a term you'll hear quite often now that it's NFC and AFC Championship week, with the Super Bowl not far away.
Only the New York Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers, Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers remain in the playoffs, and the rest of the NFL is focused on the offseason and targeting the best players in college football in the 2011 NFL draft.
Many of the top prospects (including all underclassmen) won't participate in the Senior Bowl, but guys like Washington quarterback Jake Locker, TCU quarterback Andy Dalton and Oklahoma running back DeMarco Murray will participate, looking to boost their stock for draft day.
The Senior Bowl rosters can be found here.
But before the game takes place January 29, 2011, here's my Pre-Senior Bowl 2011 NFL Mock Draft, projecting the entire first round.
1. Carolina Panthers: Nick Fairley, DT, Auburn
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Fairley is this year's version of Ndamukong Suh. This draft lost its Sam Bradford (Andrew Luck), so Fairley should slide up to No. 1, just as Suh would have if Bradford hadn't enter last year.
This is a safe pick, yet still one with upside.
2. Denver Broncos: Patrick Peterson, CB, LSU
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Champ Bailey is likely gone, and cornerback was a need even with him in town.
Peterson is a shutdown corner and when you factor in his explosiveness in the return game, this is even more of a no-brainer.
3. Buffalo Bills: Marcell Dareus, DT/DE, Alabama
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Dareus would be a perfect fit in Buffalo as a 3-4 DE to shore up the NFL's 32nd ranked run defense.
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4. Cincinnati Bengals: Da'Quan Bowers, DE, Clemson
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Bowers might be the best defensive player in the draft.
With Carlos Dunlap turning into a solid pass-rusher, the Bengals will be strong in that area for the considerable future.
Plus, they already know he looks good in orange.
5. Arizona Cardinals: Robert Quinn, DE, UNC
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Quinn hasn't played football in over a year, but he has as much upside as almost any player in the draft.
And while quarterback is a need here, the Cardinals will be gun-shy on missing on a high first round pick after the Matt Leinart experiment failed miserably.
6. Cleveland Browns: A.J. Green, WR, Georgia
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Assuming Pat Shurmur thinks Colt McCoy can be the team's franchise quarterback, he needs to surround Colt with weapons.
Green is a tremendous athlete, route runner and pass catcher.
7. San Francisco 49ers: Prince Amukamara, CB, Nebraska
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San Francisco struggled defending the pass, and adding a potential shutdown cornerback would be the smart move here.
Jim Harbaugh may not have the patience for any of these rookie quarterbacks and he may try to swing a trade for a guy like Kevin Kolb.
8. Tennessee Titans: Von Miller, OLB, Texas A&M
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This is a tough one. The Titans need a quarterback, but since Jeff Fisher is on the hot seat, he'll probably opt to sign or trade for a veteran.
Miller will infuse some youth into the Titans' pass rush.
9. Dallas Cowboys: Derrek Sherrod, OT, Mississippi State
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There's no lineman truly worthy of the No. 9 pick, but that has to be the direction the Cowboys go and Sherrod is probably the most NFL-ready lineman in the draft.
10. Washington Redskins: Ryan Mallett, QB, Arkansas
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I'm convinced that Mike Shanahan will fall in love with Mallett's cannon arm like he did with Jay Cutler's.
11. Houston Texans: Brandon Harris, CB, Miami
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With Janoris Jenkins returning to school, Harris moves up and becomes the third best cornerback on the board.
And the Texans desperately need a cornerback.
12. Minnesota Vikings: Rahim Moore, S, UCLA
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Again, no quarterback here because Leslie Frazier has a playoff-caliber team and will likely want a guy like Donovan McNabb at the helm rather than a rookie.
Safety is a major need for Minnesota and Moore is the best out there. He picked off 10 passes just one season ago.
13. Detroit Lions: Jimmy Smith, CB, Colorado
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Smith has been overlooked in the draft process so far, but he's a talented corner who will rise up quickly on draft boards come April.
14. St. Louis Rams: Julio Jones, WR, Alabama
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Jones is a great receiver and a physical specimen, exactly what the Rams need to provide Sam Bradford with. His weapons in the passing game are currently inexcusable as a young quarterback's primary options.
15. Miami Dolphins: Mark Ingram, RB, Alabama
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Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams will likely leave during the offseason, making running back a huge need. Ingram is the best running back out there.
16. Jacksonville Jaguars: Greg Jones, MLB, Michigan State
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This is a little high for a middle linebacker, but the Jaguars showed last year why it makes sense to pick the guy you want rather than a guy who has the most overall value. Tyson Alualu worked out pretty well for Jacksonville last year, despite all of the mocking his selection induced.
17. New England Patriots: Ryan Kerrigan, DE/OLB, Purdue
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Kerrigan is one of the best defensive talents in the draft, the only concern is his lack of upside. But he is pretty good now, so that shouldn't scare teams away.
18. San Diego Chargers: Akeem Ayers, OLB, UCLA
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Ayers is a great athlete who will help San Diego's pass rush tremendously.
19. New York Giants: Gabe Carimi, OT, Wisconsin
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Carimi is a mammoth at 6'7", 323 lbs. and will be ready to succeed, especially as a run blocker, right away.
20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: J.J. Watt, DE, Wisconsin
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The Bucs desperately need a 4-3 DE and if they think Watt is the best out there (I do), he's a no-brainer pick here.
21. Kansas City Chiefs: Torrey Smith, WR, Maryland
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Jon Baldwin of Pitt may be the better prospect, but the smaller and faster Smith is a better complement to Dwayne Bowe.
22. Indianapolis Colts: Stephen Paea, DT, Oregon State
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The Colts are extremely weak (talent-wise) in the middle of the defensive line. Paea might be the strongest player in the draft (in terms of pure strength).
23. Philadelphia Eagles: Anthony Castonzo, OT, Boston College
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The Eagles need to do whatever it takes to protect Michael Vick.
Castonzo was rated as the top offensive lineman going into the year by many experts for good reason.
24. New Orleans Saints: Drake Nevis, DT, LSU
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Nevis is a bit undersized, but he is an explosive defensive tackle who would help shore up New Orleans' biggest weakness, its interior defensive line.
25. Seattle Seahawks: Cam Newton, QB, Auburn
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If teams like San Francisco, Tennessee and Minnesota ultimately decide not to draft a quarterback, Newton could fall right into Pete Carroll's hands.
This would be a steal for Seattle.
26. Baltimore Ravens: Mike Pouncey, G/C, Florida
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The Ravens are a good team, but their offensive line is a bit shaky.
Pouncey is almost the same player as his brother Maurkice, but perhaps a bit worse. Nonetheless, he's a first round prospect
27. Atlanta Falcons: Jon Baldwin, WR, Pitt
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Baldwin was inconsistent this year (mainly due to quarterback issues), but comparisons between him and former Pitt receiver Larry Fitzgerald aren't (that) far off.
Atlanta could use a good receiver not named Roddy White.
28. New England: Adrian Clayborn, DE, Iowa
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If the Patriots indeed add Clayborn and Kerrigan, they'll come out of the draft with two of the best defensive players in the Big Ten. And trust me, that's a good thing.
Clayborn and Kerrigan are great players who are currently being undervalued.
29. Green Bay Packers: Nate Solder, OT, Colorado
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Solder is a bit raw, but he is a tremendous athlete at 6'9", 315 lbs. and has great potential.
Pair him with Bryan Bulaga on the line and Aaron Rodgers won't have as much trouble staying upright as he used to.
30. New York Jets: Aldon Smith, OLB, Missouri
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He's very unproven, but has a ton of upside, a la Jason Pierre-Paul last year. NY would be smart to take a flier on him.
If he pans out, Rex Ryan will finally get the dominant pass rusher that he needs to perfect his defense.
31. Chicago Bears: Tyron Smith, OT, USC
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He's a bit undersized and underrated, but he'll rise on draft boards come April. The Bears desperately need offensive line help.
32. Pittsburgh Steelers: Brandon Burton, CB, Utah
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The Steelers have a dominant defense, but are weak at cornerback.
Adding the underrated Burton would be a tremendous boost to an already great unit.
Matt Rudnitsky is a student at the University of Michigan and a Featured Columnist/writing intern at Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Mattrud
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