The Football ERA Mock Draft

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By Erik Laurinovics, "The Rambling Gambler"
Contributions from:
Shaq, Editor-in-Chief
Oscar Suggs 
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It's been a long, gloomy off-season so far, with nothing but talk of a lock out and fans left wondering if the 2012 season is in jeopardy. Without Free Agency and March OTAs, we haven't had much to discuss or look forward to, but the draft is now just around the corner! We here at The Football ERA decided to celebrate by putting together a mock draft. You'll get my analysis on every pick in the first round as well as some commentary from the brains behind The Football ERA, our Editor-in-Chief, Shaq.


We'll be posting this column in a series of three posts over the weekend and in the week leading up to the draft, with a post of the full draft on Wednesday, 4/27. Today, we're taking a look at picks 11-20--and on Tuesday--picks 1-10. We'll be having a repost of the mock draft in its entirety, 1-32, on Wednesday.


Lets get drafting!

11.       Houston Texans – Prince Amukamara, CB

While many mocks have Houston taking a pass-rusher here, I don’t see how the team ranked dead-last in passing defense can pass up the second best CB in the draft. He had a very strong combine and his measurables were very similar to Patrick Peterson’s. Houston is transitioning to a 3-4 defense and does need to add pass rushers, but shoring up the secondary should be a top priority for the Texans.

SHAQ:  Da’Quan Bowers stock continues to fall so Houston may very well take Robert Quinn whose stock is rising.

  12.       Minnesota Vikings –  
  Jake Locker, QB

  The Vikings have a huge need at QB, unless you think Joe Webb is the QB of the future. Locker will be a highly controversial pick, with pundits either pointing to his poor statistics at Washington, or to being a great QB plagued by a bad offensive line and receivers. Regardless, Minnesota has expressed interest, and they are not shy about pulling the trigger on the players they want (Adrian Peterson and Randy Moss are two examples of draft picks that didn’t go over well on draft day). Da’Quan Bowers will be a temptation for Minnesota in this spot, but ultimately I think they’ll nab their next QB.

  SHAQ:  The Vikings might feel they have Quaterback needs, but how do they pass on Da’Quan Bowers if he falls to them at number 12.  With Ray Edwards due to be a free agent, the Vikings don’t miss this opportunity to take a top rated defensive lineman.

13.       Detroit Lions – Nate Solder, OT

With Prince Amukamara off the board, the Lions will focus on protecting fragile franchise QB Matthew Stafford. He’s yet to play 16 games in a season and no doubt a shaky offensive line has contributed to his injury problems. Solder is quite the prospect, standing 6’8” and weighing in between 310-320. Some analysts even have him pegged as the top tackle prospect in this year’s draft. With no one on the roster looking like a long-term starter at tackle, I expect the Lions to fill that need in the first round.

SHAQ:  I agree with the Rambling Gambler that the Lions will go offensive line, having settled their defensive line with Ndamukong Suh last year.    However, the offensive lineman they choose will be Tyron Smith.

14.       St. Louis Rams – Da’Quan Bowers, DE
There is no greater wild card on day one than
Da’Quan Bowers. With so much misinformation being spread in April, it’s impossible to get a definitive report on the health of his knee. A poor performance at his pro-day only created cause for more concern, and as such, a player once consider to be a possible top pick may fall out of the top 10 all together. Some still think he may be a top 3 pick, but I think most of the teams drafting the first ten picks would rather play it safe and can address their needs with a different top prospect. The Rams want A.J. Green or Julio Jones, but they won’t pass on an elite pass-rusher with the 14^th pick, injury concerns or not.

SHAQ:  California’s Cameron Jordan’s stock has been steadily rising, and the Rams don’t pass up the opportunity to take a shot at the Golden Bear.

15.       Miami Dolphins – Ryan Mallet, QB

The Dolphins were a disappointing team last year… After failing at an attempt to replace head coach Tony Sparano, Chad Henne will be the next in line to lose his job. I don’t think the Dolphins are willing to let Henne struggle again this season, and with Pennington suffering an injury during this offseason,  I think they go quarterback here. Having expressed a desire to have a vertical offense, I think they may give Ryan Mallet a shot. His arm is considered to be one of the best in this QB class, if not the best. The concerns about Mallet are regarding his character and ability to lead, but with recent reports coming out to the contrary, you have to wonder how much pre-draft smoke-screening is going on here. Mallet has visited the Dolphins twice so far leading up to the draft.

SHAQ:  The Dolphins would love to have one of the top two quarterbacks on the board fall to them—no chance.  So do they go Jake Locker or Ryan Mallett even though he is pre-draft stock has been questioned.  Either is a gamble, but they go for the big arm in Mallett.

16.       Jacksonville Jaguars – Aldon Smith, DE

If Locker falls, I suspect the Jaguars may draft him with this pick, but in my mock they’re left with Aldon Smith. The Jags ranked 30^th in sacks last year, generating only 26. While they have several positions of need, a pass rusher has to be a top priority. Smith has been drawing comparisons to Demarcus Ware and Willie McGinest, and can play DE in the Jaguars 4-3 defense. Smith may very well go higher in the draft, in which case Jacksonville would likely look to J.J. Watt or Ryan Kerrigan.

SHAQ:  Either Aldon Smith or Ryan Kerrigan would be the perfect pick for the Jags.  Just for argument’s sake,  Jacksonville picks Kerrigan.

  17.       New England Patriots -
   Ryan Kerrigan, DE/LB

  Kerrigan played as a DE in college, but at 6’3” 267, he is being projected as a line-backer in 3-4 defenses. Several 3-4 teams have had interest in Kerrigan, and he should be available when the Patriots make their first pick of the round. Kerrigan would provide a good outside-backer to go with ILB Jerod Mayo and shore up the front 7. While the Patriots don’t have many immediate needs, the futures of Matt Light and Logan Mankins are uncertain at this point, so getting some additional depth on the offensive line may be considered here.

  SHAQ:  Its no secret that Logan Mankins was not happy with the Patriots lack of commitment to him, so New England takes Anthony Castonzo out of Boston College.

18.       San Diego Chargers – J.J. Watt, DE

While the Chargers may have had one of the best defenses on paper last year, it was clear that they need another pass-rushing presence at DE or LB, and I really don’t expect them to stray from either of those positions in the first round. The Chargers have been strongly linked to Ryan Kerrigan; Brooks Reed could be a possible candidate here as well.

SHAQ:  Aldon Smith is too good to pass up and falls to San Diego.

  19.       New York Giants –
   Anthony Castonzo, OT

   It’s not even clear who the Giants start would be at left tackle right now, and that’s a very bad thing. With a deep crop of first round tackle prospects this year, I fully expect the Giants to draft the best available. In this mock, it’s Castonzo, though he very well could be gone. If so, the Giants would probably end up with Gabe Carimi or Derek Sherrod.

   SHAQ:  Mike Pouncey is taken by the New York Giants to bolster their aging offensive line.

20.   Tampa Bay Buccaneers –  Jimmy Smith, CB

The Bucs are another team seeking a pass-rusher, with most analysts having DE as their top need. I think Tampa would be thrilled if Bowers, Smith, or Watt somehow fell to them at 20. With those prospects gone, I’m going to go out of a limb and say they go for Jimmy Smith. Ronde Barber is 36 years old, and Jimmy Smith is talented enough to take over when the time comes. While there have been many reports raising red flags about his character, Jimmy Smith turned in a combine performance that was right up there with Patrick Peterson’s; not a bad spot for the Bucs to take a risk on that kind of talent.

SHAQ:  The Bucs desperately want a great pass rushing defensive end.  Then Aqib Talib goes and gets himself arrested—for murder no less.  Tampa Bay nabs Jimmy Smith.