First Round and Cards Mock: a surprise

Cbus cardsfan

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This is done with no trades, which we all know is highly unlikely.

1-Indy: Luck- no brainer
2-Was: RG III- no brainer, pt.2
3-Minn: Matt Kalil, OT- They may talk Claiborne but a franchise LT has too much value to pass.
4-Cleve: Trent Richardson, RB- Many think Tannehill is possible but Holmgren doesn't take QB's in round 1. With Hillis gone and Hardest hurting, TR is the pick.
5-TB: Morris Claiborne, CB- Like Peterson, Claiboren goes #5 and TB, like the Cards last year, gets arguably the best player(non-QB) in the draft.
6-St.Louis: David DeCastro, OG- First surprise. Everybody has Blackmon to the Rams but look at Fisher's teams and you'll see they are built from trenches out and on the running game. DDC is the 2nd best OL in the draft and will be a cornerstone of the Rams OL.
7-Jax: Quentin Coples, DE- This is a toss up between Coples and Blackmon. The need for a pass rusher and a deep WR draft pushes Jax to Coples.
8-Miami: Ryan Tannehill, QB- If I were running the Fish, Blackmon would be my choice and work on getting a QB next year. Blackmon has character issues that will cause him to drop and they just jettisoned problem child Marshall. Owner Ross wants a QB and Sherman was Tannehill's coach at A&M.
9-Car: Michael Brockers, DT- The Panthers need an inside force and Brockers could become the best DT,or DE, in the league within a few years.
10-Buff: Riley Reiff, OT- Buffalo addressed their defensive pass rush needs with Mario Williams and Mark Anderson. Reiff steps and fills the hole left by the departure of Demetrius Bell to Arizona.
11-KC: Dontari Poe, DT- After his combine performance, Pioli sees Poe as KC's version of Vince Wilfork.
12-Sea: Dre Kirkpatrick, CB- Seattle likes big CB's and Kirkpatrick will be nice replacement for the released Marcus Trufant.
13-Ari: Justin Blackmon, WR- The Cards will feel they have filled their OL via free agency and will have this pick come down to Melvin Ingram and Blackmon. Ingram fills a need but Blackmon is too good of a talent to pass at this point and Whiz just can't let that happen.
14-Dall: Mark Barron, SS- The Cowboys really want Kirkpatrick but will settle for his hard hitting teammate.
15-Phi: Fletcher Cox, DT- Andy Reid historically goes with size in round 1 and Cox is talented and fills a need.
16-NYJ: Melvin Ingram, DE/OLB- Ingram is just what the doctor ordered for Ryan's defense. They have had trouble getting after the QB and Ingram should have an immediate impact.
17-Cincy: Cordy Glenn, OG- The Bengals add another monstrous athletic piece to their OL. Glenn and Andre Smith could form an intimidating right side of the OL for years to come.
18-SD: Jonathon Martin, OT- SD needs a replacement for McNeil and Martin can step in on day 1.
19-Chi: Whitney Mercilus, DE- The Bears are looking for a pass rusher to pair with Peppers and go with the hometown kid.
20-Tenn: Stephon Gilmore, CB- The Titans lost Finnegan in free agency and Gilmore is a rising commodity on the draft boards.
21-Cincy: Janoris Jenkins, CB- The Bengals embrace players with off field issues. Jenkins is as talented as any CB in the draft but falls to 20 because of the off field issues.
22-Cle: Michael Floyd, WR- The Browns address their glaring hole at WR and now have addressed two major needs on the offensive side of the ball. This team needs playmakers, Richardson and Floyd give them two.
23-Det: Courtney Upshaw, OLB- Detroit is thrilled to get the very talented Upshaw at this point and he can eventually replace Justin Durant at OLB.
24-Pitt: Mike Adams, OT- I think this is a slam dunk pick for the Steelers. They need an OT and Adams fits their style.
25-Den: Devon Still, DT- The Broncos need a guy on the interior DL to collapse the pocket. Still was as good as DT I saw in college last year.
26-Hou: Kendall Wright, WR- Wright would be a great compliment to Andre Johnson and would make the Texnas passing attck even more dynamic. That offense will have more playmakers than they know what to do with.
27-NE: Nick Perry, DE/OLB- The Pats need to get some pass rushers and Perry provides a needed explosive edge rusher.
28-GB: David Wilson, RB- The Packers lack a homerun threat at the RB position and Grant/Starks don't scare anybody. Wilson has plus burst and speed and will be a perfect fit for GB's offense.
29-Balt: D'ontae Hightower, LB- Ozzie Newsome goes to his Bama ties to find Ray Lewis's replcement. He can play inside or out.
30-SF: Peter Kontz, C- SF is ground and pound and Kontz comes from colleges version of ground and pound, Wisconsin. Kontz will add another good, young linemen to SF's already very good young OL.
31-NE: Stephen Hill, WR- NE lacks a deep threat and Hill is the best deep threat in the draft. Hill can strecth the defense and open the defenses even more for Gronk, Hernandez, and Welker.
32-NYG: Luke Kuechly, LB- Coughling goes back to his BC roots. Kuechly will be a great pick for the Giants as they were playing with the likes of Chase Blackburn last year.


Cards other picks:
Round 3: Ronnell Lewis, OLB: hard hitting OLB that fits the Cards/Steelers mode for OLB's.
Round 4: Josh Norman, CB: Big, fast, athletic CB from small college Coastal Carolina.
Round 5: Brandon Taylor, SS: He was 3 year starter for LSU and is another hard hitter that can be groomed for AW's replacement.
Round 6: Ryan Miller, OT/OG: He's a big developmental type lineman that has the versatility the Cards like.
Round 6: Donta Paige-Moss, OLB: he is injured and has some attitude problems. However he is as gifted, talent-wise, as any DE/OLB in the draft. It's worth taking a shot at him in round 6 although he may very well go undrafted.
Round 7: Kheeston Randle, DL: The Texas product can provide depth along the DL much like Carter did last year.
 

HeavyB3

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I wouldn't believe that St. Louis or Jacksonville wouldn't try to help their young qb with a WR. It's a passing league, even Jeff will realize that.
 

Phrazbit

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I gotta think if St Louis decided to go for DeCastro they would just trade down again and try to pick him up in the 10-15 range.

I agree about Tannehill and Cleveland though. However, I could see them as a surprise Blackmon team.
 
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Cbus cardsfan

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i agree that someone would try and jump up and trade for Blackmon, possibly the Jets, but I didn't do trades. Still, DeCastro may not get past KC or Buff, so St. Louis can't trade back too far and, other than Jax, none of those teams are looking for a WR. Plus, every draft has a guy who drops and Blackmon has issues so he's a prime candidate.
 
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Cbus cardsfan

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I wouldn't believe that St. Louis or Jacksonville wouldn't try to help their young qb with a WR. It's a passing league, even Jeff will realize that.
Kenny Britt and Kevin Dyson are the only 1st round WR's that Fisher drafted in about 16 years. He only took 2 more in round 2 over that period of time too. I think it's very realistic that he takes, by far, the best OG in round 1 and then can get a guy like Sanu, Randle, Jeffery, or even Hill in round 2. Maybe they even get two WR in round 2 if they want with the pick from Wash.
 

Cardiac

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Very good read with well thought out explanations.

Since the new CBA has addressed the craziness of the cost ($) of the top ten picks it will be interesting to see what, if any, philosophies change.

So does it mean more teams will take RB's and OG's earlier than before. OG's rarely taken in top ten for decades now. RB's not going as early and in rd1 is a recent trend and still not a league wide trend. Even safeties were being taken earlier and more often in rd1 in the last ten or so years then previously.
 

Garthshort

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Cbus, nice job and while I'd love to get Blackmon, but can't see that happening. And in round four, scratch the CB, now that we signed William Gay. Possibly replace him with an OL person. VG job.
 

TigToad

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If this happens, it would be freakish. As nice as it would be to add Blackman, I'm not in the camp that says you need two #1 wide receivers. If this gift fell in my lap, I'd be on the phone adding another #1 next year and trading the pick away. He would garner a lot of value, probably more than the spot is worth.
 

JeffGollin

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Highly doubtful that Blackmon lasts til #13.

Fast riser on my board is Upshaw (of whom one scout - in reference to his lack of length - said something like:"I say 'OK', let him go to Pittsburgh and become a Pro Bowler").

That description made me think a wee bit about Ray Horton and "Pittsburgh West."
 
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Dr. Jones

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Highly doubtful that Blackmon lasts til #13.

Fast riser on my board is Upshaw (of whom one scout - in reference to his lack of length - said something like:"I say 'OK', let him go to Pittsburgh and become a Pro Bowler").

Upshaw never left my top 4. He is a victim of paralysis by analysis IMO. The guy was a stud for 2 straight years. The guy can seal the edge against anyone in the SEC. Love me some Upshaw.
 

Dr. Jones

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Say wuh? I rate Blackmon lower than Crabtree and look how he turned out.

Wow.....

Blackmon is way better than Crabtree was IMO. Crabtree was very "system" oriented and full of scheme related talents. The kid can catch anything but he was nowhere near tough enough to handle NFL CB's. Blackmon physically dominated the defensive secondary of every team he played. He takes slants to the house by bowling over DB's. The guy is on another planet than Crabtree IMO.

Blackmon will never make it to #13.
 

Pariah

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I don't know. I'm all over DeCastro as a top-talent, but I can't really see a G going that early. Could he go before the Cards pick? Heck yes. But at #6? Color me skeptical.
 

Dr. Jones

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I don't know. I'm all over DeCastro as a top-talent, but I can't really see a G going that early. Could he go before the Cards pick? Heck yes. But at #6? Color me skeptical.

Me too..... I really think it is a perfect storm for us at 13. The positional value of a guard is low. Also, the team will have a tough time explaining to their fans why that is the best way to use a top-10 pick.

The only 2 worries I have is a really smart front-office trading in front of us and our really poor front office repeating the "reach for a LT because we need one" strategy.

IMO Decastro is the 2nd best offensive lineman in the draft behind Kalil. Reiff, Martin, and the others have more gravitas due to the name "Left/Right Tackle" but not more talent.
 

vinnymac

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imo, the Cardinals still need to add to the offensive line. I believe they are going to go with o-line in the first round unless by some unexplained reason blackmon is still their when the Cardinals pick. I feel the Cardinals should draft Joe Adams, WR out of Arkansas. He is a good wr in the slot and a great return man.
 

joeshmo

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Ronnell Lewis, I kind of see him in the same light as Jeremy Beal, his former teammate. Lewis is far the superior athlete of course but like Beal I don't see him as a 3-4 OLB, I think he would make for a really good ILB though. Something about Oklahoma's system with their OLB just don't translate into the NFL IMO.
 

Duckjake

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Ronnell Lewis, I kind of see him in the same light as Jeremy Beal, his former teammate. Lewis is far the superior athlete of course but like Beal I don't see him as a 3-4 OLB, I think he would make for a really good ILB though. Something about Oklahoma's system with their OLB just don't translate into the NFL IMO.

I was all over getting Beal last year until he ran slower than offensive linemen at the combine. Does Lewis have heavy feet like that?

Keenan Robinson would be a better pick. Versatile linebacker who would fit well in Horton's defense where Horton moves guys all over the field.

And Texas defensive players are always better than Oklahoma players when they get to the NFL. :D
 
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Jetstream Green

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Say wuh? I rate Blackmon lower than Crabtree and look how he turned out.

Saw both guys play in college and Blackmon is a far more powerful WR, Crabtree is nowhere close to him athletically. I did not think too much of Crabtree in college and looked the part of a WR playing well because of the system, Blackmon is a stud that endorses any system he plays in.
 
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Cbus cardsfan

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I was all over getting Beal last year until he ran slower than offensive linemen at the combine. Does Lewis have heavy feet like that?

Keenan Robinson would be a better pick. Versatile linebacker who would fit well in Horton's defense where Horton moves guys all over the field.

And Texas defensive players are always better than Oklahoma players when they get to the NFL. :D
Lewis didn't bomb the combine like Beal, who I also liked prior to his awful showing, did last year. From Walter Football here are his numbers:

Ronnell Lewis*, OLB, Oklahoma
Height: 6-2. Weight: 253.
40 Time: 4.69. 10-Yd Split: 1.65.
Bench: 36.
Vertical: 31. Broad: 9-4.
Arm: 32 1/2.

3/20/12: Lewis did very well at the Combine, showing serious strength, speed and explosion. Also teams were impressed with how well he interviewed and explained his time in Norman.
 

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