NFL Draft 2011 Preview: A Fourth Look at Picks 17-32

Here’s a fourth look at the second half of the first-round of the upcoming 2011 NFL Draft.


17.  New England Patriots:  Tyron Smith, T, Southern Cal:  Predicting what Bill Belichick will do is virtually impossible, but assuming he won’t trade out of this spot, Smith makes too much sense. By acquiring Smith, the Pats won’t have to bring back Matt Light for big bucks.
Previous Pick: Tyron Smith, T, Southern Cal

18.  San Diego Chargers:  Ryan Kerrigan, DE, Purdue:  The Chargers don’t have many holes, but adding a defensive end makes a lot of sense as Jacques Cesaire and Travis Johnson are free agents.
Previous Pick: Ryan Kerrigan, DE, Purdue

19. New York Giants:  Anthony Castonzo, T, Boston College:  To keep the ground game humming and Eli off their back, the G-Men improve their offensive line.
Previous Pick: Anthony Castonzo, T, Boston College

20.  Tampa Bay Buccaneers:  J.J. Watt, DE, Wisconsin:  The Bucs have been filling their holes well in recent NFL Drafts. One area that needs to be addressed in this draft is an outside pass rush.
Previous Pick: J.J. Watt, DE, Wisconsin

21.  Kansas City Chiefs:  Nate Solder, T, Colorado:  The Chiefs were a major surprise last year, but if they want to continue their resurgence they’ll need help in their offensive line.
Previous Pick: Nate Solder, T, Colorado 

22.  Indianapolis Colts:  Gabe Carimi, T, Wisconsin:  Carimi is the third different offensive lineman I’ve suggested in these mocks, but the constant has been the Colts improving their offensive line.
Previous Pick: Gabe Carimi, T, Wisconsin

23.  Philadelphia Eagles:  Derek Sherrod, T, Mississippi State:  Jimmy Smith's character concerns force him to slide down the draft board. The Eagles need to protect Michael Vick
Previous Pick: Jimmy Smith, CB, Colorado

24.  New Orleans Saints:  Akeem Ayers, LB, UCLA:  It appears the Saints are committed to Pierre Thomas. That means they should turn their attention to improving their pass rush.
Previous Pick: Akeem Ayers, LB, UCLA

25.  Seattle Seahawks:  Mike Pouncey, G, Florida: While they need to improve their secondary, they also need offensive line help. Pairing Russell Okung and Pouncey gives the Seahawks a strong foundation.
Previous Pick: Mike Pouncey, G, Florida

26.  Baltimore Ravens:  Torrey Smith, WR, Maryland: Anquan Boldin needs a burner to stretch the field to make him more effective.
Previous Pick: Torrey Smith, WR, Maryland

27.  Atlanta Falcons:   Justin Houston, DE/LB, Georgia :  The Falcons had 31 sacks last year and 28 the year before. They need help in this department.
Previous Pick: Justin Houston, DE/LB, Georgia

28.  New England Patriots:  Muhammad Wilkerson, DE, Temple:  The Pats have made improvements on defense, but there is still work to do. Namely, improving their pass rush from the defensive end position.
Previous Pick: Muhammad Wilkerson, DE, Temple

29.  Chicago Bears:  Benjamin Ijalana, G, Villanova: The Bears can’t let Jay Cutler take the beating he did in 2010, so improving the line play is a necessity.
Previous Pick: Benjamin Ijalana, G, Villanova

30.  New York Jets:  Jon Baldwin, WR, Pittsburgh:  If Braylon Edwards bolts in free agency, Baldwin would be a nice replacement. He’d give the Jets a big target (6’5″, 230) to help Mark Sanchez continue his development.
Previous Pick: Jon Baldwin, WR, Pittsburgh

31.  Pittsburgh Steelers: Marcus Cannon, OT, TCU: Big Ben can’t continue to take the pounding he does every year. The Steelers need to upgrade at tackle. Cannon is a massive man (6'5", 358 lbs) that should fit the bill.
Previous Pick: Derek Sherrod, T, Mississippi State

32.  Green Bay Packers:  Cameron Heyward, DE, Ohio State:  The Packers are loaded, making an accurate prediction difficult. That said, they could use improvement at defensive end.
Previous Pick: Cameron Heyward, DE, Ohio State


Click here to see picks 1-16.