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I don’t know what it is about this draft class but something just seems… off about it. Sure there are franchise players available at the top but the talent drop off seems to happen pretty early on this year. I can’t help but think this year sanity is going to go out the window a la the offensive tackle rush from 2008 with teams getting caught up in the new rookie wage scale and the talent drop off. With all that in mind I still thought it was necessary to take a shot at how the draft will play out.

Pick 1: Indianapolis Colts

Andrew Luck (QB – Stanford)

Pick 2: Washington Redskins

Robert Griffin III (QB – Baylor)

No surprises here as both teams get the two top players in the draft and hopefully their franchise quarterbacks for the next 10-15 years.

Pick 3: Minnesota Vikings

Matt Kalil (OT – USC)

Pick 4: Cleveland Browns

Trent Richardson (RB – Alabama)

Pick 5: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Morris Claiborne (CB – LSU)

Pick 6: St Louis Rams

Justin Blackmon (WR – Oklahoma St)

There is talk that Matt Kalil could be slipping but I don’t buy it, it seems like a smokescreen but they could leverage the Rams into a trade to get Justin Blackmon. Cleveland’s offense was crap last season so they take the best non-quarterback in the draft and help their running game knowing they can pick up a receiver later in the first round. Tampa becomes the first team to go defense with LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne being brought in to provide some stability in the event of Aqib Talib getting suspended again and Ronde Barber’s age catching up with him. St Louis meanwhile manages to luck into the player they need the most with Justin Blackmon being the last of the top players to be drafted by the Rams.

Pick 7: Jacksonville Jaguars

Melvin Ingram (DE – South Carolina)

Pick8: Miami Dolphins

Ryan Tannehill (QB – Texas A&M)

Pick 9: Carolina Panthers

Fletcher Cox (DL – Mississippi St)

Pick 10: Buffalo Bills

Riley Reiff (OT – Iowa)

This is where the talent in the draft begins to really drop off in the draft as we hit a glut of players that could be good but seem to lack superstar potential. Jacksonville bolsters their defensive line with Ingram unless someone blows them away with an offer to trade up and take Tannehill, while the Dolphins reach and take Ryan Tannehill if the order holds to hopefully be their quarterback of the future. Cox will give the Panthers a solid interior presence for teams to deal with because let’s face, most players would be an upgrade on that defense now while Buffalo solidifies their offensive line taking Riley Reiff the next best tackle prospect. Of course if the recent theories on PFT are to be believed then they may wind up lucking out and getting Kalil but that seems highly unlikely.

Pick 11: Kansas City Chiefs

Luke Kuechly (LB – BC)

Pick 12: Seattle Seahawks

Quinton Coples (DE – North Carolina)

Pick 13: Arizona Cardinals

David Decastro (G – Stanford)

Pick 14: Dallas Cowboys

Mark Barron (SS – Alabama)

Kansas is able to pick up the best true linebacker in the draft (i.e. not a tweener) and will add another solid leadership presence that will hopefully compliment the work that Eric Berry does in the backfield. Seattle looks for Robert Quinn’s former teammate in Coples to hopefully provide a relentless pass rushing threat off the edge. Arizona was a hard one to pick solely because they don’t have any glaring weaknesses that could be fixed in this spot so they take the safe route and pick up Stanford’s David Decastro while the Cowboys get that tough, physical safety they covet in Mark Barron.

Pick 15: Philadelphia Eagles

Michael Brockers (DT – LSU)

Pick 16: New York Jets

Courtney Upshaw (DE – Alabama)

Pick 17: Cincinnati Bengals

Michael Floyd (WR – Notre Dame)

Pick 18: San Diego Chargers

Cordy Glenn (OT – Georgia)

The Eagles really could use a linebacker here but with no value available at that position they add to their defensive line. Last year the Jets pass rush was mediocre and struggled to have any real impact so they raid the Alabama stock and take Courtney Upshaw to help them out. Cincinnati adds to their potent offense by bringing in Floyd who at one time in his college career was considered a number 1 overall pick and won’t be the featured option but rather a compliment to Green and Gresham. San Diego is put in a desperate position where they need help along the line and have to reach for Glenn here, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

Pick 19: Chicago Bears

Nick Perry (DE – USC)

Pick 20: Tennessee Titans

Stephon Gilmore (CB – South Carolina)

Pick 21: Cincinnati Bengals

Dontari Poe (DT – Memphis)

Pick 22: Cleveland Browns

Stephen Hill (WR – Georgia Tech)

Chicago is another team that could really use help along the offensive line but can’t find a decent option so they add another body on the defensive line (or trade but that just complicates things). Tennessee needed to replace Cortland Finnegan and Gilmore is the player who wins out on a coin toss between him & Kirkpatrick. Poe’s combine workout elevated him into the top 10 at one point but the tape dropped him much lower and the Bengals are the ones who take a risk on a player who is the definition of boom or bust meanwhile Cleveland gets that receiver their passing game desperately needs with Stephen Hill becoming the big bodied, number one option to take the heat off Josh Cribbs.

Pick 23: Detroit Lions

Dre Kirkpatrick (CB – Alabama)

Pick 24: Pittsburgh Steelers

Dont’a Hightower (LB – Alabama)

Pick 25: Denver Broncos

Vinny Curry (DE- Marshall)

Pick 26: Houston Texans

Kendall Wright (WR – Baylor)

An Alabama double feature leads off this section of the draft as the Lions add to their secondary after seeing them torched several times last year while Pittsburgh goes the traditional defensive route and adds a tough, physical presence in the middle with Dont’a Hightower. Denver brings in Michael Brockers to upgrade their interior line which was below par last season

Pick 27: New England Patriots

Courtney Upshaw (DE/LB – Alabama)

Pick 28: Green Bay Packers

Chandler Jones (DE/LB – Syracuse)

Pick 29: Baltimore Ravens

Peter Konz (C – Wisconson)

Pick 30: San Francisco 49ers

Kendall Reyes (DT – Connecticut)

Pick 31: New England Patriots

Harrison Smith (FS – Notre Dame)

Pick 32: New York Giants

Coby Fleener (TE – Stanford)

While I have been pulling most of these picks out of my ass at this point these Patriots picks coming up are the definition of an absolute guess because lets face it, nobody know what Bill Belichick is planning. Originally I had them taking Peter Konz however the re-signing of Dan Koppen and likely return of Brian Waters removes that area of need. My best guess is they take advantage of the Belichick-Saban connection and go for Courtney Upshaw but who the hell knows what they will do. Green Bay goes pass rusher again with the undersized Jones from Syracuse to provide some pass rush support for Clay Matthews. Baltimore gets a young center for Joe Flacco to put his hands under for the next 10 years with Peter Konz. San Francisco may look receiver here but there is no value here so they decide to go defensive line and add another body to that formidable front. Coming back to New England has them getting Harrison Smith to add a safety to that much maligned spot however this pick could be for sale if any team is desperate for a tight end, otherwise Coby Fleener will go to the Giants with the last pick of the round.