It’s never too early to start some mock drafts up! As the season is past its midway point and some NFL fans find their teams already out of the playoff picture, we can’t help but look toward next year.
Obviously there is no predicting how the rest of the season will unwind, but we will keep a weekly update of the upcoming draft’s top ten selections based on the records at the bottom of the NFL Standings.
So if your team is in the gutter, maybe follow these potential NFL studs this Saturday and see if they shine. (Draft order taken from WalterFootball.)
#1: Indianapolis Colts select QB Andrew Luck, Stanford
No shocker here, if you have been following our Andrew Luck power rankings as you should be, by now you must know that Andrew Luck is essentially the best QB prospect since 1983, and hyped as a sure-fire 10-year NFL pro bowler.
Bill Polian even said this week that Peyton would be okay with the Colts drafting a QB, almost solidifying the certainty of Luck to the Colts at 1.
NEXT GAME: Tonight vs Cal, 10:15 pm EST.
#2: Miami Dolphins select QB Matt Barkley, USC
This week we started the Matt Barkley sweepstakes for the teams falling behind the Colts in the Suck for Luck sweepstakes. Barkley is a gun slinger with loads of talent, but lacking the cannon arm of a Cam Newton of Matthew Stafford. He compares to Drew Brees or Matt Schaub. The only question is whether he will come out of college this year.
NEXT GAME: Tonight vs Oregon, 8:00 pm EST.
#3: St Louis Rams select Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU
There are tons of options here for St Louis including WR Justin Blackmon and fellow SEC CB Dre Kirkpatrick, and I think trading down would be their best option if they select at 3. However if they stay here I think Claiborne has athleticism and size at corner that the Rams could use. Claiborne currently is rated as one of the best defensive players in the country.
NEXT GAME: Tonight vs Ole Miss, 6:00 pm EST.
#4: Carolina Panthers select Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State
Blackmon is one of those can’t miss players in this years draft. Carolina made the right move in the end going with Newton now like GB does with Aaron Rodgers it is important to give him the weapons to work with.
NEXT GAME: 12/3 vs Oklahoma, 8:00 pm EST
#5: Minnesota Vikings select Matt Kalil, OT, USC
Now that the Vikings have their QB of their future, it’s time to protect his blind side. While the Vikings could certainly go receiver here as well, Kalil is too good of a prospect to fall out of the top five. (Look for the Arizona Cardinals to make a move up to grab him if they can.)
NEXT GAME: Tonight vs Oregon, 8:00 pm EST.
#6: Jacksonville Jaguars select Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina
It seems the Jags miss on every defensive end they take and that could discourage them however Kampman is often injured and the Jags still struggle to build up a solid pass rush. The Jags probably would be very very sad however if when they select Justin Blackmon is off the board.
NEXT GAME: 11/26 vs Duke, 3:30 pm EST.
#7: Arizona Cardinals select Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford
Cardinals blew their shot at a high-profile QB when they decided to give away an arm and a leg for a QB who isn’t good and now are in a pretty icky situation. Kolb is going to be given more then one year to see if he has it, which makes protecting him a priority. That makes Martin the smartest pick for the Cardinals right now.
NEXT GAME: Tonight vs Cal, 10:15 pm EST.
#8 Cleveland Browns select Alshon Jeffery, WR, South Carolina
This is a bit of a tricky pick but I think after the Browns missed out on both AJ Green and Julio Jones this year they wont make the same mistake this year adding a stud WR to a pretty weak corps of wideouts.
Some would debate Jeffery that is as good or better then Blackmon and would certainly give the Browns offense a face lift. While the jury is out on Colt McCoy, he could be given another year with a true weapon so that he can be properly judged.
NEXT GAME: Today vs The Citadel, 12:00 pm EST.
#9: Washington Redskins select Landry “Lance” Jones, QB, Oklahoma
Once seen as the clear overall second pick in the draft, Jones has slipped a little bit due to inconsistent foot speed and a big time loss to Texas Tech took them out of the national title race. Nonetheless, Jones still has potential at being a very solid passer in this league and would give Mike Shanahan a fresh start to work with a talented QB, and end his crazy rotation.
NEXT GAME: Tonight vs Baylor, 8:00 pm EST.
#10: Philadelphia Eagles select Vontaze Burfict LB, Arizona St.
This might be a bit high for Burfict however the Eagles are very weak at linebacker, and desperately need interior presence to shore up their defense. They might be able to find a linebacker through free agency, but free agency hasn’t been too kind to this team this season. However right now this pick probably makes the most sense for them.
NEXT GAME: Tonight vs Arizona, 9:30 pm EST.
