Bradford Seems To Have Locked Down Top Spot

In past posts, I have expressed my distaste for the popular belief that any team looking for a quick fix should draft a quarterback. I still believe that a team with as many holes as the St. Louis Rams have shouldn’t be thinking about throwing an inexperienced quarterback onto the field. But apparently, the Rams think differently as they seem to be all but settled on taking Sam Bradford first overall in the upcoming NFL draft.

And that is certainly their decision to make. I won’t harp on an issue I have already spent so much time talking about, I’ll just wish both the Rams and Bradford luck if the pick is indeed him. I will also reflect Bradford’s selection to the Rams in my next mock draft, as there is no real point in projecting a mock that has little chance of happening.

If St. Louis does pick the Oklahoma product, the biggest beneficiary might be Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen. As of now, I have Clausen sliding to the bottom end of the first-round, and that might still be true. But if Bradford goes first, Clausen has a much better chance of going in the top-ten, and if not, going to a better team than the St. Louis Rams. The Redskins are one example of a team that may trade back into the first-round to snatch up Clausen if he is available.

Another beneficiary might be Eric Berry, as his stock seems to be soaring lately. Originally projected to go sixth overall to the Seahawks, Berry could now go as high as fourth, to the aforementioned Redskins. His playmaking and turnover skills are very appealing to a team which finished in the bottom of the latter category.

As always, the weeks leading up the NFL draft are interesting to watch, and more updates, as well as a new mock, are forthcoming in the next few days.

NFL Mock Draft: Picks 1-5

By now, my philosophies regarding the draft should be clear. So now there is not much left to write outside of who I think each team should do and why. Unlike most mock drafts, I will project trades as well. We’ll start with the first five picks of the first round.

1st Pick – St. Louis Rams – Gerald McCoy, DT, Oklahoma – I have already written enough on why the Rams should avoid the pitfalls of drafting a quarterback here. But one additional note should rest my case; the Rams were second-worst in the league in points allowed, giving up over twenty-seven points a game. The team isn’t going to win any games until they rectify that problem, and McCoy would go a long way in starting the healing process.

2nd Pick – Washington Redskins (traded from Detroit Lions) - Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma – If the Lions get to their pick with Bradford still on the board, they should be able to start a bidding war for him. Both the Cleveland Browns and Washington Redskins have expressed great interest in Bradford. The Seattle Seahawks are another team that could be interested in grooming a rookie quarterback.

Using ESPN’s draft pick value chart, the Lions could trade their 2nd overall pick for Washington’s 4th overall pick and their 2nd round pick, 37th overall. If they can make a deal to move back a few spots for an additional second-rounder, it should be a no-brainer.

As for the Redskins, they desperately need to upgrade their offense. They have given Jason Campbell chance after chance to show he can be a NFL starter and he has been mediocre at best. The Redskins have too good of a defense to continue giving away games because of no firepower. This is a team that could have a quick revival with good quarterback play, much like the Atlanta Falcons had with Matt Ryan, and so Bradford should be their primary focus.

3rd Pick – Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska – The Buccaneers would jump in joy if Suh was available at the third pick. He is a top-tier talent who could anchor their defense much in the same way Warren Sapp once did. And after giving up 25 points a game in 2009, they sure could use a player like Suh.

4th Pick – Detroit Lions (traded from Washington Redskins) – Russell Okung, OT, Oklahoma State – When you make an investment as big as the Lions did in 2009 in a quarterback, you should do everything you can to protect it. Matthew Stafford spent way too much time last season on his back, and twice suffered injuries that kept him out of games. And Detroit has almost no semblance of a running game to rely on either. With the offseason additions of Kyle Vanden Bosch and Corey Simon, Detroit can afford to focus on bolstering their offensive line. And Okung is the best player available to do that.

5th Pick – Kansas City Chiefs - Bryan Bulaga, OT, Iowa – Matt Cassel was sacked a whopping 42 times in 2009. The Chiefs have talent on offense with Cassel, Jamaal Charles, and Dwayne Bowe, but until they shore up their line they won’t see any consistent production. The Chiefs would probably be OK with trading down a few spots before making this selection, but don’t see any incentive for a team to trade up with Bradford already gone.

Rams Ponder Bradford, McCoy For Top Pick

At the end of the 2009 NCAA football season, Ndamukong Suh seemed to be the surefire pick for the top selection in the upcoming NFL draft. His stock had never been higher, as his play down the stretch in big games had impressed fans and scouts alike.

But with two months left before the draft, most reports seem to indicate that the Rams are going in another direction. St. Louis is one of the growing number of teams that feels that the best defensive tackle in the draft isn’t Suh, but rather Gerald McCoy from Oklahoma. And positive reports about Sam Bradford’s build have brought him back into the picture as well.

First things first, the Rams should not take Sam Bradford. Putting a quarterback in that offensive system would be a disaster. As described in my last post, teams that draft quarterbacks without having a solid foundation first often flounder with their selection.

As for the McCoy vs. Suh debate, I personally don’t know enough about either to choose between the two. My impression was that Suh had more upside, but now I’m reading McCoy is like “Warren Sapp only bigger and faster.” While I somehow doubt that McCoy is better than one of the best defensive tackles ever, I can see why the Rams would take him.

As a Lions fan, I’m happy to leave the tough decision to another team. And happy that no matter whether it is Suh or McCoy, Detroit’s defensive line will be bolstered by a unique talent (barring an unforeseen selection of Dez Bryant or Golden Tate, of course.)