With the draft order almost set here’s a premature mock draft. Since I don’t expect too much movement in free agency because of the current conditions in the CBA. But there could be some significant trades made so all of this is certain to change.

1. St. Louis Rams – Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska – Clearly the #1 guy on the draft board and fills a need for the Rams. Check & Checkmate. Done. I’d expect the Rams to try and sign him before the draft.
2. Detroit Lions – Gerald McCoy, DT, Oklahoma – The Lions could go OL but McCoy is a more special player than any of the top OLs. So unless they trade down it should be McCoy and possibly Eric Berry.
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Eric Berry, S, Tennessee – Since the Bucs play so many top running teams from the NFC South they would just love to have Suh or McCoy fall to them. But Eric Berry is a nice concession prize for a Secondary that needs some more youth and playmaking ability since Aquib Talib has had troubles on and off the field.
4. Washington Redskins – Jimmy Clausen, QB, Notre Dame – Mike Shannahan would like to get Clausen to put into his West Coast flavor offense. Sam Bradford is probably the highest rated QB but Clausen makes more sense for Mike.
5. Kansas City Chiefs – Russell Okung, OT, Oklahoma State – The Chiefs think they have their QB, RB, and WR set so it makes sense to get the top OL prospect to make sure those skill players become more effective.
6. Seattle Seahawks – Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma – The QB situation in Seattle is a mess and Bradford would go a long way to fixing those issues.
7. Cleveland Browns - Joe Haden, CB, Florida – Missed out on Clausen & Bradford so Mangini goes with his defense trying to find the next Darrell Revis and will try to steal a QB in the 2nd round.
8. Oakland Raiders – ???, ??, ??? – Anthony Davis, OT, Rutgers – To almost everyone the Raiders OL is a joke and should be addressed immediately. But who knows what’s going on in Al Davis’ whacked out mind.
9. Buffalo Bills – Brian Bulaga, OT, Iowa - They traded away Jason Peters and weren’t able to replace him. Although Dez Bryant is also very likely should they wanna say bye-bye to TO.
10. Denver Broncos (f/Bears) - Colt McCoy, QB, Texas – No secret that Kyle Orton wasn’t Josh McDaniel’s 2nd or 3rd or 4th choice to be his guy at QB. So look for them to get someone they can groom and keep Brandon Marshall happy.
11. Jacksonville Jaguars – Derrick Morgan, DE, Georgia Tech – I almost want to put Tim Tebow here cause I know how badly the owner needs to sell tickets. But the sensible pick would be the top pass rusher in the draft.
12. Miami Dolphins – Dez Bryant, WR, Oklahoma State – The Dolphins offense was missing a big time WR for most of the season. Dez will put a quick end to that problem.
13. San Francisco 49ers – Trent Williams, OT, Oklahoma – An OT that can play both sides would be very usefull for the 49ers who need to beef up their OL if they ever want their offense to become legit.
14. Seattle Seahawks (f/Broncos) – CJ Spiller, RB, Clemson - The Seahawks running game is not threatening at all. CJ Spiller would automatically change that. CJ would be Pete Carroll’s Reggie Bush to Sam Bradford’s Matt Lienart.
15. New York Giants – Rolando McClain, ILB, Alabama – The linebacker spot was troublesome for the Giants this past season. McClain is a force to be dealt with and will improve their group immediately.
16. Tennessee Titans – Jason Pierre Paul, DE, South Florida – Personally I think this guy belongs up there with Suh in terms of the impact he can bring to any 1 game. The Titans need help in the pass rush and pass coverage department. JPP defintelly has the talent to become a dominant pass rusher.
17. San Francisco 49ers – Taylor Mays, S, USC – The 49ers couldn’t stop passing teams from doing pretty much whatever they wanted. Taylor Mays will become a leader for that secondary and Mike Singletary will make sure Mays completes that defense.
18. Pittsburgh Steelers – Sergio Kindle, OLB, Texas – The Steelers defense relied too much on Troy Polamalu and needs more pressure on the QB to be a great defense again. Sergio would fit well in the Steelers system and would become a fan favorite for his non-stop motor.
19. Atlanta Falcons – Carlos Dunlap, DE, Florida – Would be a perfect strong-side compliment to sack-artist John Abraham. Has 3-4 DE size with speed to rush the QB. Will fix a lot of what’s wrong with the Falcons defense by stopping the run and making things a little easier on Abraham in the pass rush department.
20. Houston Texans – Jahvid Best, RB, California – If the Texans can’t acquire a RB they believe they can count on in free-agency/trades then they will go early on a RB to complete their offense. They got a few holes on defense but have enough playmakers to make up for it at this point in the draft.
21. Cincinnati Bengals – Golden Tate, WR, Notre Dame – Unless the Bengals somehow merc Terrell Owens for a season they will be looking to find a WR to make their passing game more potent. Golden Tate would be a nice compliment to Chad Ocho-Cinco. Chad usually doesn’t score that many TDs and Tate has a knack for it. He looks a lot like Miles Austin when he has the ball in his hands. Will need to polish up his route running to make it big in the NFL.
22. New England Patriots – Terrence “Mount” Cody, DT, Alabama – I’d think they realize what a mistake it was to trade Richard Seymour away and will try to add some beef up front to replace him.
23. Green Bay Packers – Ricky Sapp, OLB, Clemson – Clay Matthews is a keeper on one side of the defense, BJ Raji is a keeper in the middle, and Ricky Sapp should fit in nice on the other side where Aaron Kampman was not.
24. Philadelphia Eagles – Sean Witherspoon, OLB, Missouri – The Eagles LB situation was the weak spot on the team. They’ll be looking to remedy that. They have some other needs on the line of scrimmage but at this point of the draft LB gives them the most value.
25. Baltimore Ravens – Arrelious Benn, WR, Illinois – When Ray Rice is your most consistant threat in the passing game you need more punch in that department. Benn might be a bit of a stretch here but close enough for a need reach like the Ravens have.
26. Arizona Cardinals – Tony Pike, QB, Cincinnati – With Kurt Warner gone and Matt Lienart being a bust it’s about time to think of getting a real QB to go with your passing offense. They do need help on the OL but the NFL is a QB league now and Pike is everything the Cardinals could want in a QB.
27. Dallas Cowboys – Earl Thomas, FS, Texas – He’s the closest thing to Ed Reed that I’ve seen since. Is a fundamentally sound safety, is a real quick learner, a leader on the field, and is always making big plays. Should give us everything that Ken Hamlin did and much, much more. Could be the player to take this defense from one of the best to one of the greats.
28. San Diego Chargers – Jonathan Dwyer, RB, Georgia Tech – If the Chargers expect to replace LT’s production inside the redzone then Dwyer is their guy for sure. A productive RB with a nose for the endzone would be what they’re lookin for.
29. New York Jets – Corey Wooten, DE, Northwestern – The top 3-4 DE prospect in the draft. Would’ve likely been a Top 10 prospect if he didn’t have a serious injury in the bowl game of his Junior season. That gave him a slow start to his Senior season.
30. Minnesota Vikings – Dan Williams, DT, Tennessee – Thought it’d be funny to replace the 38-year old P at Williams with a Dan Williams to go next to Kevin Williams. QB is obviously a top need as well but I think they’ll try for a Jevan Snead in the 2nd round.
31. Indianapolis Colts – Brian Price, DT, UCLA – The Colts run defense was one of the worst in the league. They severely need to upgrade the middle of their defense since they can’t count on Bob Sanders to save the day every year.
32. New Orleans Saints – Bruce Campbell, OT, Maryland – Roughly the only thing keeping the Saints from having an unstoppable offense is their OL. Their pass protection broke down towards the end of the year. They could also go DB here since their CB depth was exposed.

Round 2

1. St. Louis Rams – Tim Tebow, QB, Florida – I figure someone will take a chance on him and the Rams can buy a few years to groom him. It’s a big gamble though for a rebuilding team.
2. Detroit Lions – Mike Iupati, OG/OT, Idaho – They need some help on the OL to open up running lanes and protect their big money QB. Iupati gives them some flexibility on where to play him.
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Jason Fox, OT, Miami – A big, big dude to retool their OL. Their QB will need all the help he can get.
4. Kansas City Chiefs – Jermaine Gresham, TE, Oklahoma – Never got to replace Tony Gonzales but they do now with the top TE in the draft.
5. Washington Redskins – Charles Brown, OT, USC – The Redskins OL was absolutely horrible. If Shannahan wants any success he’s got to upgrade his OL.
6. Cleveland Browns – Brandon LaFell, WR, LSU – Don’t think they’re totally ready to give up on Bradie Quinn so they’ll try to get him a big target to work with.
7. Oakland Raiders – Jared Odrick, DT, Penn State – Improving the run defense will be a priority. Odrick is a big beast of a man who could help next to Richard Seymour.
8. Seattle Seahawks – Patrick Robinson, CB, Florida State – CB got hit hard for the Seahawks and they need to improve the quality. Robinson is touted as the best CB to come from FSU since Deion Sanders.
9. Buffalo Bills – Morgan Burnett, S, Georgia Tech – Donte Whitner hasn’t had the impact Bills fans want and Chan Gailey may be looking to some of his college players to turn the Bills around.
10. New England Patriots (f/Jaguars) - Perrish Cox, CB, Oklahoma State – The Patriots got burnt on defense quite a bit last year. They’ll look to Perrish to help prevent as many big plays.
11. Miami Dolphins – Brandon Spikes, ILB, Florida – Had some issues off the field but Parcells has gambled on troubled LBers in the past and will look for Spikes to replace Joey Porter, whose been stuck in the doghouse, production.
12. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (f/Bears) – Arthur Jones, DT, Syracuse – Fits the mold of a Tampa DT to the letter. Average size with good burst.
13. Denver Broncos – Dominique Franks, CB, Oklahoma - The CB depth became an issue later in the season and they need some more youth in the Secondary.
14. New York Giants – Chad Jones, S, LSU – The only safety they had mentioning was Kenny Phillips and he was injured most the year. The Giants secondary got chewed up late in the year and Chad Jones should upgrade their unit.
15. Carolina Panthers – Damian Williams, WR, USC – They need someone other than Steve Smith to throw the ball to. QB is a need but they may wait for the 2nd rush on QBs to get one.
16. New England Patriots (f/Titans) – Ryan Matthews, RB, Fresno State – The Pats have been ignoring their running game of late and should try to improve it with some fresh legs.
17. San Francisco 49ers – Eric Norwood, ILB, South Carolina – To get a compliment like Norwood to play next to Patrick Willis would make the 49ers rush defense a formidable one.
18. Kansas City Chiefs (f/Falcons) – Maurkice Pouncey, C, Florida – The top center of the draft is a very large center. Would go a long way to improving the Chiefs OL.
19. Houston Texans – Kareem Jackson, CB, Alabama – One of the weak spots on the Texans D is their CB spot. Jackson is an experienced and solid choice for them.
20. Pittsburgh Steelers – Nate Allen, S, South Florida – Troy Polamalu is getting older and they could afford to upgrade over Ryan Clark.
21. Cincinnati Bengals – Kyle Wilson, CB, Boise State – The Bengals secondary can stand to use an upgrade. At worst Wilson provides quality depth.
22. New England Patriots – Daryl Washington, ILB, TCU – The Pats need to add some youth to the LB group and hopefully some more pressure on the QB.
23. Green Bay Packers – Vladamir Ducasse, OT, Massachusetts – Giving up almost 60 sacks is way too much. They need some help there.
24. Philadelphia Eagles – Jon Asamoah, OG, Illinois – Should shore up their interior line problems.
25. Baltimore Ravens – Larry Asante, S, Nebraska – If Ed Reed retires they’d have lost their starting safeties in back-to-back seasons.
26. Arizona Cardinals – Joe McKnight, RB, USC – Once again the Cards try to find a running game.
27. Dallas Cowboys – Dexter McCluster, RB/WR, Ole Miss – Is truly a hybrid of player in the mold of Reggie Bush. Good enough hands to be considered a WR but his vision and running skills are so good that using him at RB is an option. Mardy Gilyard is another option if you feel that Patrick Crayton’s time as a Cowboy is nearing an end. But I like the flexibility McCluster gives. Can step-in as a part-time RB, can split-out wide, can return kicks. He’ll be our Jack-of-all-Trades-Master-of-None type of player like Reggie Bush is for the Saints…but at a much cheaper price.
28. San Deigo Chargers – Major Wright, S, Florida – Big plays were a plauge for the Chargers. Safety or Corner help would go a long way in curing that plague.
29. New York Jets – Reshed Jones, S, Georgia – Brings some attitude to the secondary that Rex Ryan will only cultivate and put to good use.
30. Minnesota Vikings – Jevan Snead, QB, Ole Miss – They gambled and got Snead to take over the Favre era…which could be now for all we know.
31. Indianapolis Colts – Donovan Warren, CB, Michigan – Stopping the run and covering top WRs is the weakness of the Colts. Their top 2 picks should go towards upgrading those problem areas.
32. New Orleans Saints – Jerome Murphy, CB, South Florida – The depth at CB got tested and they’d like not to make that mistake again.

Round 3

Dallas Cowboys – OL – I got Dallas looking OL in the 3rd round. I believe the Cowboys have 1 good year, maybe 2, with their starting OL left and then it might be time to look for a change. Doug Free showed a lot of promise and if given time at his more natural LT spot he might can fill Flozell’s shoes. Robert Brewster will be back from rehab bigger and stronger and the knowledge of the playbook. So maybe he can fill in for Colombo when the time is right. Leonard Davis is fine. Andre Gurode is doing alright. Could stand to improve over Kyle Kosier but he’s got good chemistry so there’s no huge rush on that.

Some OL prospects in the 3rd round could be John Jerry, OG, Mississippi. He’s a big boy at 6′5″ 348. Andre Gurode would start lookin like a munchkin between him and Bigg Davis. Ciron Black, OT, LSU is a massive tackle at 6′5″ 320. Kyle Calloway, OT, from Iowa is a 6′7″ 318 project.

Other Needs:

Nose Tackle – Mount Cody is the premier NT of the draft. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t other massive space eaters that could help out Jay Ratliff. There’s Kade Wilson from Georgia who is 6′5″ 325. Or Cam Thomas from North Carolina who comes in at 6′3″ 330. Linval Joseph from East Carolina is another big boy at 6″6″ 322. Oklahoma’s DeMarcus Granger is 6′2″ 327.

Full Back – Toby Gerhart is the only one really worth mentioning. But I do think that Dallas did pretty well with another running FB from Stanford who can play a little RB. The last one was Moose Johnston. I couldn’t hate on a draft move like that if he’s still around in the 3rd round somehow.

Outside Linebacker – Dallas got lucky that Anthony Spencer & DeMarcus Ware were able to take almost every snap. While Victor Butler had his moments and there was a lot of hope for Brandon Williams you still gotta hedge your bet against the worst possible scenarios. I’m not sure who to look at right now in the later stages of the draft but from the 4th round on I’d expect to see a few LB’ers taken.

Defensive End – I didn’t see enough production from Marcus Spears and Jason Hatcher. I liked what Spears did in his contract season and would like to see him around for a lil while. But Hatcher was disappointing for me. Get someone in who can put a lil pressure on Hatcher and even Stephen Bowen…and maybe even take Spears’ starting job one day.

Cornerback – Probably like the 7th round type of deal where you’re rolling the dice that so-and-so can come in and be better than Alan Ball.

Wide Reciever – I only put this down as the Undrafted Free Agent category. I think the Cowboys are kinda happy with the WR group right now. Miles Austin is the #1 WR, Roy is the #2 for now and hopefully improves with Romo, Crayton is the #3 guy untill Kevin Ogletree is ready to step up, Sam Hurd is a reliable backup for all the WR spots. But you may want some more WRs to get some training camp reps.

Recap:

I find it kinda amusing that early in the football year Shango and I were talking about possible NT prospects for Dallas. I told him to watch out for Gerald McCoy and he said look out for Ndamukong Suh. And now they might go 1-2 in the draft. But as far as the Cowboys are concerned there are a couple of scenarios I could be happy with.

Trade MB3, 1st round pick, and a 3rd for the 49ers pick to take CJ Spiller. No doubt CJ could do everything Dexter McCluster could do for the Cowboys but also bring the size to realistically carry the load if needed.

Stay relatively put…maybe trade up or down a few spots…and go with a combination of Earl Thomas/Mount Cody & Dexter McCluster/Mardy Gilyard