2011 NFL Draft

The final piece of the pre-season process has come and gone with the NFL Combine. The best predicator of where one will go in the up and coming draft. This year the combine has truly changed the top five projected picks. Prior to the combine Todd McShay had the first five picks going as Da’Quan Bowers, Nick Fairley, Von Miller, A.J Green, and Blaine Gabbert. But after the combine Todd McShay in his latest mock draft has the first five picks going as Marcell Dareus, Von Miller, Blaine Gabbert, A.J Green, and Cam Newton.

In this lately mock the previous top two picks are nowhere to be seen. Da’Quan Bowers is not in the top five now because of his recent surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee. He is still considered a top 10 pick but teams are a little more concerned to see if he is still going to be the great player he was coming out of college. As for Nick Fairley many people consider him to be the biggest boom-or-bust player in this year’s draft. He is still considered to be the best interior pass rusher, but many questions remain about his character and the amount of plays he takes off. Also many coaches were disappointed in how Fairley has handled his interviews with the teams. He is considered to be a great player, but doesn’t have the mindset of one, and that is very concerning to teams.

McShay believes Dareus will go number one mainly because Carolina has busted with their last two attempts to draft quarterbacks, and that they need a DL very bad. Dareus was an elite player in college, and was coached by one of the best Nick Saben. By drafting Dareus Carolina will not go wrong. The next player was in McShay’s previous top five but because of his great combine results moved up to the number two pick in the draft. Von Miller would be a great fit for Denver because John Fox has stated he will be changing to a four-man-front on defensive. And Von Miller would be the center of that. So it would only make sense for Denver to go with him with the number two pick of the draft. Blaine Gabbert also moved up one spot in this latest draft, and is believed to be the first quarterback projected to get drafted this year. Gabbert with his football intelligence, accuracy, size, arm strength and mobility has all the tools to become a very good starter in the NFL. A. J Green remains ad the fourth pick and the top five rounds out with another quarterback getting drafted, Heisman winner Cam Newton. Ken Whisenhunt is already known for drafting big strong quarterbacks. He was the one who brought Big Ben into the league, and just look at him now. Whisenhunt will try to transform Newton into the next Big Ben, and if that’s the case Arizona will have a steady quarterback for the next few years.