2012 NFL Mock Draft Continued
11. Kansas City Chiefs: David DeCastro, G, Stanford
The Chiefs are in great position now due to a really solid free agency period. They have very few needs and they could just go with the best player available. This pick, according to recent reports, is between Luke Kuechly, David DeCastro and Dontari Poe. I am going with DeCastro for two reasons. One, he is a better and safer prospect than Poe. Two, because he fills a bigger need than Kuechly. DeCastro could play right guard and move Rodney Hudson to center and suddenly the Chiefs would have arguably the best young defensive line in football.
DeCastro is an absolute stud. He is simply the best guard to come along in many, many years. He has no flaws in his game as he is a nasty run blocker and an amazing in pass protection. He rarely allows pressure to his quarterback and opens lots and lots of holes in the running game. And it is not too high for a guard if that guard is such a great player.
12. Seattle Seahawks: Luke Kuechly, ILB, Boston College
Seattle lost David Hawthorne to free agency so they have need at middle linebacker. They recently signed Barrett Ruud, but I do not think Ruud is anything more than a solid backup at this point of his career. The Seahawks cannot trust him to be their defensive leader after two awful seasons. This pick could also be a pass-rusher like Melvin Ingram, but I believe the Seahawks feel set at defensive end with Clemons and Red Bryant and they will not take a pass rusher until the second round.
I feel Kuechly like a much improved version of Barrett Ruud, so this is good fit. I cannot see Kuechly going any lower than this. He is easily the top linebacker in this class and definitely the best player on the board at this point. Kuechly has the best instincts I have seen in a linebacker out of college in a very long time and he has answered all his athleticism questions with an outstanding performance at the combine. I am sure we will see Kuechly in Hawaii really soon.
13. Arizona Cardinals: Melvin Ingram, OLB, S Carolina
If things happened this way, the Cardinals would certainly be in a tough situation because I believe they are targeting Riley Reiff, David DeCastro and Michael Floyd because it is likely that one of them could fall to 13. If things went this way, they would be all gone though, so they would have to focus on their next biggest need, which is a pass rusher. Fortunately for the Cardinals, Melvin Ingram is a steal at this point.
Taking Ingram would give a young promising pass-rushing rotation for years to come next to Sam Acho and O’Brien Schofield.
Ingram is not the prototypical pass rusher. His arms are extremely short, so that is definitely a concern. Other than that, Ingram has everything you would like in a pass rusher. He has outstanding explosion off the snap and uses his hands really well to beat tackles.
14. Dallas Cowboys: Mark Barron, SS, Alabama
This is a tough one between Mark Barron and Dontari Poe. The tie-breaker in this case, unfortunately, is the buzz. While Dontari Poe has been receiving tons of negative buzz the last days with some mocks projecting him to slip to the twenties, Mark Barron’s stocks only seems to go up. I have seen mocks with Barron in the top ten and many analysts have him as a top ten talent, so he is the pick. I believe Barron is a bit overrated because I am not completely sold on his cover skills yet and if you are a top 20 safety you should excel at both, coverage and run support.
This is a solid pick for the Cowboys tough. Mark Barron is arguably the best player on the board and he fills one of Dallas’ biggest needs. Dallas recently signed Brodney Pool, but that does not solve the problem at all. Barron would immediately shore up their secondary. Barron has great strength and aggressiveness along with nice instincts. This is a solid pick for the Cowboys.
15. Philadelphia Eagles: Dontari Poe, DT, Memphis
I wanted to drop Poe a bit further because of the recent rumors of him slipping on draft day, but then I imagined Jim Washburn’s face when knowing he will have a 350 pounds, 4.87 40 yards speed toy to play with and I just could not. Poe is every defensive line coach’s dream. He is big, fast, hiper-athletic and has a lot of upside to work on.
Poe is the most athletic prospect in this draft. Period. In fact, it is not even close. Poe belongs to the same category of super athletic freaks as Jason Pierre-Paul and Calvin Johnson, players that you do not find every year. This is the best situation for Poe; who would be coached by one of the best in the business. Every NFC East team should be afraid if the eagles are able to land Dontari Poe because even though he probably will not shine in his first two years, if coached correctly the sky is the limit for him.
16. New York Jets: Courtney Upshaw, OLB, Alabama
The Jets to go out of the draft with one, if not two upgrades at rush linebacker. There are some rumors that Upshaw may slip in draft day due to his lack of explosiveness; however, I believe that if the Jets are not able to land neither Melvin Ingram nor Mark Barron, Upshaw will be their main target. I can really imagine Rex Ryan falling in love with Upshaw, because it looks like he was made to play for Rex.
Upshaw does lack explosiveness and speed to be an elite pass-rusher, but he has great strength and aggressiveness to get to the quarterback and to excel in the run game. I do not think he will ever be a flashy player, but I believe he will be a very solid and reliable starter Rex Ryan’s defense. In fact, Upshaw reminds me of the former Alabama linebacker Jarret Johnson, who is great against the run, but not a flashy pass rusher.
17. Cincinnati Bengals (VIA OAK): Stephon Gilmore, CB, S Carolina
Stephon Gilmore is a really hot name right now. Some speculate that he could go as high as 7 overall to the Jaguar, so he is kind of a steal right here. The Bengals are reportedly selecting a cornerback with this pick no matter what, so I had to change it recently. And can you blame them? They have virtually nothing at cornerback position. They signed Jason Allen and Terrence Newman. And while, Jason Allen is solid, Terrence Newman is done so as Nate Clements could be. Besides, Leon Hall will not be ready to start the season. Mike Zimmer loves to have strong secondary, so he will definitely address the cornerback position.
Stephon Gilmore is a good fit. He would complement Hall really well and give Cincy a really solid pair of corners. Gilmore is great against the run and while he does not excel in coverage, he is really solid using his hands to knock receivers off their routes. Gilmore should become a much respected cornerback very soon.
18. San Diego Chargers: Cordy Glenn, G, Georgia
I know AJ Smith does not draft offensive linemen in the first round, but I just cannot see him going in any other directions if things unfold this way on draft day. San Diego has a glaring hole at guard form Kris Dielman’s retirement. Moreover, Glenn is the best player available who makes sense.
I have said it before, but the Chargers should not draft a rush linebacker until the third or fourth round. They signed Jarret Johnson; they have Shaun Phillips and Atwan Barnes (who had an unnoticed breakout yea). I would call that a pretty solid rotation.
Cordy Glenn is a bit overrated as a guard; however the fact that he carries his weight with such an easy and has good enough feet to be a tackle, really increases his value. Cordy Glenn could take over Jerome Clary depending on the circumstance.
19. Chicago Bears: Quinton Coples, DE, UNC
I do not know whether calling this a steal or not. Coples has all the talent in the world, but he could really slip on draft day. I have seen a number of mock with Coples going out of the top 20, so I imagine this is a realistic scenario. Chicago needs someone across from Julius Peppers since Israel Idonije will not be around for much longer. And who could be better than a player that has drawn so many comparisons with Peppers not only because of his college, but because of his frame and upside.
Coples has incredible, size, technique, burst and strength. He has everything you would want from a defensive end except a good motor. Coples lack of effort during his senior season is a real red flag and led to a really poor tape. 2010’s tape is dominant though. If the Bears are able to keep Coples motivated, they will be getting a steal with this pick, but that is a big if.
20. Tennessee Titans: Peter Konz, C, Wisonsin
Mike Munchak recently said he would not use a first round pick on an offensive lineman. Well, I do not believe a word of that, he has to be kidding. If the Titans do not retain Jake Scott they will need three out of three replacements on the interior of their offensive line, so they cannot afford to pass on a center or a guard at this point. In fact, I am heavily considering giving the Titans a second interior lineman in the second round. That is how urgently the position has to be addressed.
Konz is not the best player available, but he certainly fits the draft range as he is hands down the best center in this class and to me, worthy of a first round pick. Konz does not have great aggressiveness off the line to be an elite run blocker, but he does a solid job. I it is, however, in pass protection were Konz excels. He is an elite pass protector. The Titans could really use Konz as Eugene Amano is one of the worst centers in football.
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