My NFL Mock Draft

Author:
Evan Trimas
Publish date:
Jan 27, 2012

My predictions for the top five picks of April's NFL Draft...

1. Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck, quarterback, Stanford
Luck was always going to be the Number 1 pick. The Colts get their man to replace future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning. Luck has the prototypical size for an NFL quarterback (6’ 4”, 235 lbs.), plus the ability to throw football quickly and put very good velocity on all of his passes. Luck puts great touch on all of his passes, completing 70.3 percent. Many analysts say that Luck is one of the best quarterback prospects since John Elway.

2. St. Louis Rams: Matt Kalil, offensive tackle, USC
St Louis. needs to keep Sam Bradford upright (sacked 55 times this season). The Rams gets their man to protect him with this pick. Kalil has great height for his position (6’ 7”) and he is a great run blocker with excellent technique for pass blocking.

3. Minnesota Vikings: Morris Claiborne, cornerback, LSU
The Vikings defense gave up a lot of points and ranked 26th in pass defense in 2011. Claiborne possesses tremendous athletic ability and excellent ball skills. He has all the tools to be an elite corner in this league for a very long time.

4. Cleveland Browns: Robert Griffin III, quarterback, Baylor
The Browns can't pass on Griffin, and they would be lucky in this scenario if a team didn't trade ahead of them to take him. But, if RG3 does land here the Browns won’t hesitate to take him. Colt McCoy was not a huge investment for them (third-round pick in 2010). Griffin has tremendous ability to throw down the field and is a very mobile quarterback. He may be a very raw prospect, but if the Browns can develop him into a Cam Newton-type player then they shouldn’t have any problem winning games.

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Justin Blackmon, wide receiver, Oklahoma State
This season quarterback Josh Freeman did not play well, but you can’t blame him for everything. Freeman didn’t have any receivers that could get separation from cornerbacks. Blackmon has a tremendous ability to go up and get the ball in the air. He does a very good job running his routes, and while he may not have explosive speed, he can still get separation from defensive backs.