Round 1 DT/DE Jared Odrick Penn State 6-5 305 The good mini Mel Kiper over my right shoulder won out over the evil mini-Mel who wanted the more flashy pick of Jahvid Best. Odrick is safe and sensible pick who will bring some much needed youth to the d-line. He is a rare prospect in that he has the potential to play the 5 technique in the 3-4. He is also a decent inside pass rusher with both a developing swim move and wannabe Dwight Freeney spin move. Round 2 FS/SS Reshad Jones Georgia 6-1 214 Highly touted coming out of high school had an OK collegiate career. I feel he is one of those guys that will end up being a better NFL player than college player. Dennis Thurman can make this guy into pro-bowler. The talent is there; it just needs to be honed and controlled a bit. The guy likes to lay the smack down WRs and RBs; that's already an improvement from Skerry Rhodes. I say he splits time w/ Pool for a year and takes on the starting spot by year 2. Round 4 DE/OLB Greg Hardy Mississippi 6-4 281 This might be a little bit of wishful thinking to think that he will be available this late but I've seen enough sites now projecting him this low to add him here. Everyone knows the story former 1st round lock prospect falling fast because of injuries, sub-par sr campaign, character questions, deep draft and more recently weight issues. All that said, the guy is still one of most natural gifted pass rushers in this draft. He managed to get 5 sacks in 9 games this pass season despite being a part time player. In the 4th round this would be a low risk high reward pick. Round 5 OG/OT Ciron Black LSU 6-5 327 At this stage he is better run blocker than he is a pass blocker. However, I think having played mostly at tackle in college should give him a leg up in the pass blocking department as he transition to the OG spot in the NFL. He is very smart player off the field who excels in the classroom. He has shown that he is versatile as his played both tackle positions at LSU. The guy is also extremely durable. He was a 4 year starter in the SEC; that says a lot. Good value in the 5th round. Round 6 WR/KR David Reed Utah 6-0 192 This guy is one of my sleepers and favorite prospects. Reed is quick, has great body control, soft hands and a surprisingly good route runner for a spread offense WR. You could compare him to Chanci Stuckey but I think he is a better prospect. He plays much faster than he is timed. I thought for sure he would run a sub 4.5 at the combine and his pro-day. He didn't so that should keep him flying under the radar. He is a threat once he has the ball in his hands which makes him an ideal NFL slot WR. He can also help you in the return game. Like former Utah WR Steve Smith he is deceptively strong for his size. He can go over the middle and bounce of would be tacklers to get you the 1st down or TD. Round 7 RB Javarris James Miami 6-0 212 Because of the recent run Miami had w/ producing great backs and being the cousin of Edgerrin James, expectations for Javarris were way too high. Although not specticular, James is a solid all around RB. He is your quintessential NFL 3rd string RB. A jack of all trades at the RB position but master of none. Because of this he is going to be more appreciated by NFL teams than he was at Miami. He's not going to be a full time RB or event part of a 1-2 punch combo but he can start for you if the guys ahead of him are hurt. Think Mewelde Moore and Mike Bell.
This is a decent mock. Please don't compare anything Jared Odrick does to Dwight Freeney. That's just wrong. I'd rather have Chad Jones over Reshad Jones. Greg Hardy in the 4th could turn out to be a steal. I don't think David Reed will get drafted. There will be better talent in the 6th. If we're going to go after a project receiver in this draft I'd like to take a flyer on App State's Armanti Edwards or UAB's Joe Webb. UCONN's Marcus Easley and Buffalo's Naaman Roosevelt are also good options. I wouldn't mind taking a back like James in the 7th.
Agree on most of it, Greg Hardy needs to prove he wants to play football but if he can get himself straightened out than he could be as good a pass rusher as anyone
I'm starting to lean towards Odrick in first too if he's available. He seems like a perfect fit at a position we need help at. I guess Hardy is worth the risk in the 4th round. Overall I'd be happy.
If Reed does not get drafted, some lucky team will get a pretty good undrafted free agent. I only picked players that I've actually seen play. Don't get much App State, UAB or Buffalo games out here in Chicago; not sure I would even want to watch those teams. Curious have you actually seen all these guys?
Yeah, I have. I've seen Joe Webb play numerous times. One of my teammates in summer b-ball and flag football leagues plays wideout for UAB: Roddell Carter. I've seen Armanti Edwards play in person three times and a lot on television. In my opinion, he's the best player in the FCS. Edwards is the main reason why App State has been somewhat of a dynasty over the past four seasons. I've only seen James Starks play a few times on TV. Turner Gill had a damn good Buffalo team in 2008. Starks and Naaman Roosevelt were a big part of their success. It doesn't surprise me that Buffalo took a step back with Starks out in 2009. If I were you, I'd check out some App State games if you can. They're a fun team to watch.
