http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/P...k-Draft-111411
It may only be mid-November, but it's never too early to talk NFL Draft.
If the season were to end this week and we went from records and tiebreakers alone, the 2012 NFL Draft order would be as found below. The Eagles would have the No. 8 overall pick, selecting before the Jaguars and Browns? The Chargers would have the first pick of all the AFC West teams? Umm, yes.
A lot can change between now and the end of the season, and even more will change between the end of the season and April's draft. But there's no harm in putting together an NFL Mock Draft right now. Who should you watch over the final few weeks of the college season and during bowl time? Here's my top 32 and the places I could see them ending up.
Note: This Mock assumes that all eligible players will be leaving for the draft, and thus available for selection come April.
1. Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford: As I addressed in my “Suck for Luck” column last week, the inevitable Andrew Luck media backlash is beginning to pick up steam, and Saturday’s pedestrian performance against Oregon in front of a nationally televised audience didn’t exactly help his cause.
Last week, Washington Huskies coach Steve Sarkisian came out and said if he were an NFL coach, he’d rather have Matt Barkley over Luck and on Monday, Todd McShay had a big “Why Andrew Luck’s Draft Stock is Slipping” column.
The Barkley (and Landry Jones) bandwagons will certainly gain plenty of new passengers right up until draft time, but Luck’s the guy. He’s been the guy since high school. He's been the guy since he stepped on campus. And he's been the guy with every throw he's made this season. I’m not sure if Peyton Manning’s in Indy next year, but if the Colts have the first pick — I know Andrew Luck will.
2. St. Louis Rams: Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State: It would take a few days to wipe the smile off Sam Bradford’s face if the Rams land Blackmon. Yes, St. Louis spent a few later round picks on receivers Greg Salas and Austin Pettis last year, but neither guy is an elite talent like Blackmon. For Bradford to fully develop, he needs a go-to, game-breaker on the outside. That guy’s Blackmon.
HONOR ROLL
Who deserves some hardware? Adam Schein is dispensing props with his Midseason Awards.
3. Miami Dolphins: Matt Barkley, QB, USC: The Dolphins have looked like a real-life NFL team the past two Sundays and can very well end up with a pick outside of the Top 10 if they continue to play the way have the past few weeks. But if the season were to end today, they’d have the third pick, and they’d have to go quarterback.
Barkley isn’t built like Luck or even Oklahoma gunslinger Landry Jones, but he’s a pro-style quarterback who’s been destined for greatness since he first hit the national scene as an eighth grader way back when.
I’m going with him over Jones at the moment, but as always, that's subject to change.
14. Kansas City Chiefs: Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor: Really?! Really. After two straight awful outings out of Matt Cassel, it’s becoming more and more apparent that he might not be the guy who’ll take the Chiefs to their first Super Bowl since the 1960's. RGIII has the goods to be an elite pro quarterback. Top 15?
Maybe that’s a stretch, but then again, who saw Christian Ponder going in the Top-15 at this time last year? Griffin's going to wow in workouts and he'll be the star of the combine.
This is a bit of a wild-card selection, but with the new rookie wage scale in place, it’s not the costly roll of the dice it would have been pre-2011.
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Thu Dec 19, 2013 2:04 pm by 
