CK’s Mock Draft v2.0 – 4/6/2010

by Chris Kouffman    

This is the second of three mock drafts for me. I try to limit myself to just three of them, so as not to keep updating them over and over again every time I get a new idea in my head. If you do about 15 different mock drafts then eventually you get to claim to have been right about everything that does end up happening. I do three, and I intentionally try and do my first one both before the Combine and before free agency.    

The Huddle Report does a mock draft scoring every year in order to keep track of the best mock drafters. Out of 99 mock drafts, my final mock here at Universal Draft scored 46 points under their scoring method, just below Michael Band of Draft Ace, Michael Abramowitz of The Football Expert, and Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, which would have left me tied in 4th place with Todd McShay.    

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1). Sam Bradford - QB - Oklahoma (Previous: DT Ndamukong Suh)

Well shut me up and call me Sally.  In my previous iteration I noted that I have always had Ndamukong Suh going #1 overall, one way or another, and I doubted that would change by draft day.  But Sam Bradford showed at his Pro Day that his shoulder is 100 percent, and that is enough to put him here.  I still have Suh rated above Bradford, but only just.  I had Sam Bradford pegged as the #1 overall pick 27 months ago, but the injury problems he went through were pretty vicious and as I am no doctor, I needed to see something significant before I could just dismiss them.    

2). Ndamukong Suh - DT – Nebraska (Previous: DT Gerald McCoy)

The Lions seem to be putting feelers out for a trade.  The only team I see that would be desperate enough to sell the farm to get Suh would be the Oakland Raiders, as I believe he is secretly in love with him.  But, Oakland just doesn’t have the ammunition.  The team is relatively bereft of talent, and they gave away their 2011 1st rounder already for Richard Seymour.  I think the Lions will end up having to make this pick and fellow Georgetown alum Jim Schwartz is no dummy.  He won’t ignore Ndamukong Suh while he’s on the board.  Personally, I wouldn’t even be listening to the trade offers unless they were unbelievable.  Suh is a rare talent.   

3). Russell Okung – OT – Oklahoma State (Previous: OT Russell Okung)

The Buccaneers are extremely cost-conscious due to their unmanageable debts related to Manchester United.  My guess is they will practically give this draft pick away to whoever comes in with the most reasonable bid.  The most likely trade actually seems to me to move one spot down with the Skins by showing their interest in Okung.  The Buccaneers would not demand high compensation, as they really would just like to save whatever money they can.  If forced to stay, I still believe they go with an offensive tackle because the contracts of premium offensive tackles most closely resemble the money they would be on the hook for at #3 overall.   

4). Trent Williams - OT – Oklahoma (Previous: QB Sam Bradford)

I don’t forecast trades in my mock drafts but if I did I would be tempted to move the Skins up one notch and take Russell Okung at the #3 pick.  They would not need to give the Buccaneers much in return.  The Skins now have the makings of both a good defense and a good offense, and the final piece of the puzzle would be a mobile tackle that can operate in their zone scheme.  They would have liked Sam Bradford here, and they still would love a crack at him, but they won’t get one and that was what the McNabb trade was about.  I’ve never bought their interest in Jimmy Clausen as he doesn’t fit Shanahan’s scheme, as I noted in my previous Mock.    

5). Bryan Bulaga - OT - Iowa (Previous: FS Eric Berry)

I find it hard to believe that Scott Pioli’s friend Tom Dimitroff really outed him when he told the press that Pioli doesn’t like taking safeties high.  I am not sure what to make of this rumor that the Chiefs covet Bryan Bulaga.  I believe the Seahawks covet him and the talk could be designed to try and get them to jump one spot up the order.  That may or may not work.  For now, I will go ahead and buy those rumors about Bulaga to the Chiefs.  Last year, Tyson Jackson was well rumored to be coveted by Pioli and the Chiefs, and if you combine that with Dimitroff’s looking to have been right about Eric Berry, obviously the Chiefs don’t operate a very tight ship information-wise.

See Full Mock Draft Here