Round One (1-16)
2010 NFL Draft Coverage
Mock Drafts: Round One (1-16) | Round One (17-32) | Round Two
Draft Prospects: Big Board – Top 32 | Position Rankings
As everyone knows, pegging draft picks this early is a crap shoot at best, but we’re giving it a go anyway. Feel free to chime in with your thoughts on the selections, along with your own picks in the comment section!
The order for the 2010 NFL Draft is based on the final win/loss standings. All tiebreakers were determined by the strength of schedule, as posted here. Playoff teams are denoted by * and the final order for those teams will be determined once the postseason is complete.
* Updated on 01/19/10
** Jake Locker has decided to stay in school, and is no longer in this mock
1. Jimmy Clausen (Quarterback – Notre Dame)
Passing on taking Suh here may come back to bite the Rams in a bad way, but I think the need to get a franchise QB is too great to ignore. Clausen has all the ability to become an elite talent at the next level, and should fare well if St. Louis gives him enough weapons to work with.
Previous pick: Same
2. Ndamukong Suh (Defensive Tackle – Nebraska)
There is almost no way that the Lions would not select Suh if they get the chance, as he could potentially be the savior of the franchise with his amazing skill level and talent. He would immediately upgrade both the pass rush and the run defense up front, making things much easier for Detroit’s secondary.
Previous pick: Same
3. Eric Berry (Safety – Tennessee)
With Suh off the board, the Bucs would be wise to turn their attention towards Gerald McCoy, who could become the premier DT that they’ve been missing ever since Warren Sapp jumped ship for Oakland. But Berry could end up being too enticing for Raheem Morris to pass on, and who can blame him for that?
Previous pick: Gerald McCoy (DT)
4. Russell Okung (Offensive Tackle – Oklahoma State)
Okung may not be the sexy pick that a lot of fans want, but if there’s one thing Mike Shanahan is known for having, it’s a solid offensive line taking care of business in the trenches. The rebuilding project has to start somewhere, and it might as well be there.
Previous pick: Same
5. Joe Haden (Cornerback – Florida)
The Chiefs have one side of the field locked down with Brandon Flowers, but the other side of things isn’t so good. A pick of Haden here would rectify that issue in a hurry though, given his tremendous speed, athleticism, and ball skills.
Previous pick: Eric Berry (S)
6. Taylor Mays (Safety – USC)
Now that Pete Carroll’s running around town, a selection of one of his former star pupils wouldn’t surprise me, even with major needs at other key positions. Then again, Mays has the talent to become an elite safety at the next level, and that makes him worth a pick here.
Previous pick: Same
7. Bruce Campbell (Offensive Tackle – Maryland)
John St. Clair isn’t the solution at right tackle, and while I think the Browns biggest issues are on defense, a selection of Campbell would give them two of the best young tackles in the league today with Joe Thomas manning the left side of the line.
Previous pick: Same
8. Gerald McCoy (Defensive Tackle – Oklahoma)
This move makes far too much sense for Al Davis to ever let it happen, but that said I’d be shocked if the Raiders didn’t take McCoy if he’s still on the board here. McCoy would be a great fit for their defense, and would be a big help in stopping the run from day one.
Previous pick: Joe Haden (CB)
9. Rolando McClain (Linebacker – Alabama)
The Bills need to upgrade their offensive line in a bad way, but with McClain still on the board, there’s no way they can pass on him here. McClain is super intelligent, relentless in his pursuit, and strong enough to fight through blocks on a consistent basis, all of which seem to be in short supply in Buffalo.
Previous pick: Same
10. Dez Bryant (Wide Receiver – Oklahoma State)
Jacksonville has been adamant that they won’t allow marketing efforts to sway their decision on who to draft next spring, and if that holds true, the Jags will likely pass on taking Tim Tebow here. That said, their offense still needs an upgrade, and adding Bryant definitely won’t hurt in that regard.
Previous pick: Same
11. Sam Bradford (Quarterback – Oklahoma)
* From CHI - Bradford has a lot of work to do if he wants to go higher than this, but his style of play matches what Josh McDaniels expects from his quarterbacks and as such, would be hard to pass by here.
Previous pick: Same
12. Dan Williams (Defensive Tackle – Tennessee)
The Dolphins could go several ways with this pick, but I just can’t see them passing on a talented DT like Williams at this point, as he has the tools to be a successful nose tackle at the next level. And if there’s one thing a 3-4 defense needs more than anything else, a big man in the middle to shut down the run is it.
Previous pick: Same
13. Trent Williams (Offensive Tackle – Oklahoma)
The 49ers had some trouble with their line last year, enough so that a selection of Williams makes too much sense to not happen if things play out this way. San Francisco can afford to play Williams on the right side for a time as well, letting him develop before making the switch to the left.
Previous pick: Joe Haden (CB)
14. Charles Brown (Offensive Tackle – USC)
* From DEN - It won’t help him out much in the credibility department, but somehow I doubt that Carroll lets Brown slide by the Seahawks here. Brown is a perfect fit for the new zone blocking scheme that Seattle is going to, with his athleticism and versatility.
Previous pick: Ryan Mallett (QB)
15. Derrick Morgan (Defensive End – Georgia Tech)
The previously vaunted defensive line in New York has played poorly all season long, giving opposing quarterbacks too much time to dissect the secondary and move the ball down field. Adding an excellent pass rusher like Morgan won’t fix that overnight, but it will go a long way towards to motivating the current crew in place.
Previous pick: Same
16. Sean Weatherspoon (Linebacker – Missouri)
With Keith Bullock on the downside of his career, I think the Titans would be best served to take a stud LB like Weatherspoon here, to upgrade the position before things get out of hand.
Previous pick: Same
— Forward to Round One (17-32)
Re draft order: Cleveland & Detroit play this weekend so one of them must win Game 2 (although, a tie would be wonderful). I don’t know if Tampa Bay will win again in 2009, & I am a Bucs fan.
I am drooling over Suh!!
Seattle will select Locker if still there, they need a QB more then anything.
Cleveland has a quarterback . The Browns need other offensvie players like right o-linemen, receivers and runnig backs.
When they get those you young guys will see how much better a quarterback can be. A quarterback will always look bad if he
has no support. Other than that the Browns need 5 defensive backs and 3 linebackers and Suh.
I couldn't agree more Erich, but I think the Browns will see it differently next spring, especially if Mangini is still around. He hates Quinn and Anderson sucks, so the logical thing is to pick a QB. Even if he gets fired, a new coach isn't likely to stake his claim with Quinn as the starter, so drafting Clausen or Locker may be the best bet regardless.
I would be interested in your thought s now that Holmgren is on board
How do you know he supposedly hates Quinn? And last I saw, Quinn pretty much sucked as much as Anderson. What do you guys see in Quinn? Holy cow, he's no better than DA! I'd take Tony Pike or that QB from Central MI in the second or third round and sign a real QB to start for a year or two. Then you'd have upgraded the position.
But Erich, it's funny how you use all those excuses for Quinn…..yet say you can't use them for DA. And five defensive backs? What the…..?
This draft is a little confusing, you have Danario Alexander (Wide Receiver – Missouri) going #16 to the Jets but not in the top 32 big board? And how is he the second wr off the boards if you have Dez Bryant, Eric Decker and Brandon Lafell ranked higher?
Thanks for your question HBA… Alexander isn't on the big board because that list only has senior prospects on it. Once the declaration deadline is past, I will update that page to reflect the top players regardless of whether they're an underclassman or not. My true WR prospect list would have Alexander ranked second behind Bryant, followed by LaFell in round one.
Hope that helps… cheers
With the depth at DT in the 2010 draft, this may be the way for Tampa to go, picking up a tackle top of Rd. 2 & then a corner or wideout with the Bears' pick.
How does all this change not that Locker is not coming out?
Hate to break it to you, but Danario Alexander is a senior.
I stand corrected. Every now and then we do make mistakes. This is one for sure. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. I'll add him in to the Big Board asap.
Are you kidding me? Simply adding Suh will make the Lions D a force to be reckoned with? You must have watched absolutely no Lions games this year. That defense is horrendous. They need more than a rookie DT to even make that defense mediocre. You are way off!
Roary… thanks for your comment. Yes I do think that adding Suh will make the Lions D a force to be reckoned with. That doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll be a top ten defense or anything close, but having a player of his caliber on the field will make everyone around him better instantly. Especially when Schwartz gets his hands on him… Suh will be 10x the player that Haynesworth ever was or will be… look at the impact he had in Tennessee.
That’s my opinion. Obviously, I could be wrong. But I’ll stick with it for the time being, and I would add that if you want to share your own opinion, at least try to do so next time without the smack talk.
It wouldn't hurt for you to research the teams a little bit before making your mock. Oakland wouldn't draft Mays cuz safety is not a position of need for Oakland. Not with the emergence of Branch and Huff. Mike Mitchell was starting to play pretty good and was getting better towards the end of the season. I got my money on McClain or Gerald McCoy if he falls. If both are gone, then Oakland is gonna draft the best OT or DT available. I would love for them to trade down to accumulate more picks, but that ain't gonna happen… If Mount Cody really is available in the 2nd, easy pick for Oakland. Our run defense has been bad, McCoy and Cody in the middle helps tremendously….
Hey Jedi… thanks for your comment. Just so you know, I do research the teams quite a bit before I prognosticate on who they'll pick in the draft. Obviously, I'm not an expert (or I would be posting my thoughts at ESPN a la Kiper or McShay) and I do get things wrong. That's all part of making mocks… they change a lot.
I get where you're coming from on the Raiders not needing a safety, and that would definitely be the case if a normal human being was drafting for them in April. But as we all know, Al Davis is not normal in any sense of the word, and as such he focuses on size, speed, and freakish ability when he picks his players in the draft (see Heyward-Bey in 2009). Mays has all three things Davis loves and while a MLB like McClain or stud DT would be better choices for filling needs, that's not how Al operates. Thus my selection of Mays… thanks again for the comment and drop back in anytime. I update the mock twice a week and will keep your thoughts in mind next time.
Nice mock, but Cleveland has far too many defensive needs to draft another OT, especially if it isn't Okung. John St. Clair played much, much better as the year progressed, and the team should look to add depth to the line through free agency and the later rounds of the draft. To bypass a quality bpa defensive player or Sam Bradford–Quinn isn't the answer and has proven absolutely nothing in this league–for Bruce Campbell would be a huge mistake.
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