2010 NFL Mock Draft Series: Rebuilding Washington (2/21)

After going through the first three picks, the Rams at 1 (QB Jimmy Clausen), the Lions at 2 (DT Ndamukung Suh), and the Bucs at 3 (DT Gerald McCoy), the Washington Redskins will select at 4, with plenty of rebuilding to do. Let's take a look at the Redskins season.

Season Recap: Finishing with a 4-12 record, the Washington Redskins 09-10 campaign was disappointing to say the least. QB Jason Campbell was hammered all season long, and failed to perform well under the relentless pressure of rushing defensive lineman and linebackers. Clinton Portis struggled with injuries all season, with concussions and hamstring issues, and gaining only 494 rushing yards, which led the team. Santana Moss finished with 902 yards receiving, while TE Fred Davis showed sparks of brilliance late in the year, catching 6 touchdowns for over 500 yards. Young receivers Malcolm Kelly and Devin Thomas showed growth, combining for over 600 yards and 3 touchdowns. Defensively, London Fletcher had a career year at linebacker, amassing 142 tackles over the season. Rookie Brian Orakpo and Andre Carter had 11 sacks a piece, while the million dollar man Albert Haynesworth got to the quarterback 4 times.

Predicted Pick: With the fourth pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, the Washington Redskins select………… OT Russell Okung, Oklahoma State. Okung is probably the best pass protector in this class. With Okung on the line, Jason Campbell might be able to get enough time to make passes. The Redskins should give Campbell protection before losing faith, because if they draft another quarterback, he will just get hammered like Campbell.

Other possibilities:
1. QB Sam Bradford, Oklahoma - While they probably will stick with Campbell one more year, Bradford offers a solid option, but injury questions and questions about the offense he ran at Oklahoma will scare teams away from the Sooner.

2. S Eric Berry, Tennessee - Berry is a very solid defensive player, but I don't think Washington is ready to give up on LaRon Landry and Chris Horton, yet.

With Clausen, Suh, McCoy, and Okung off the board, the next pick goes to the Kansas City Chiefs. Just a note that after the Chiefs post, I am going to switch to 5 teams to a post, just because it will be hard to get through all 32 teams before the draft.

2010 NFL Mock Draft Series: Tampa Bay Bucs (2/17)

After the Rams (Jimmy Clausen) and the Lions (Ndamukung Suh), the Tampa Bay Bucs are put on the clock with the third pick. Let's take a look at the Bucs' season recap first.

Season Recap: The Bucs finished the season with a 3-13, including decent wins over Green Bay and New Orleans, as well as a win over Seattle. This was clearly a transition year for Tampa Bay, switching coaches (Jon Gruden to Raheem Morris), quarterbacks (Byron Leftwich to Josh Johnson to Josh Freeman), and a change in defensive coordinators (Monte Kiffin to again, Raheem Morris). At quarterback, the team started the year off with veteran Byron Leftwich, then switched to sophomore quarterback Josh Johnson, a "project" from San Diego. Johnson was passable, but late in the year they switched to Josh Freeman, their first round pick from the '09 draft. On defense, Tampa failed to live up to their tradition of solid defense, allowing the most rushing yards in the NFL. The Bucs have a need for a defensive playmaker, and they played themselves out of a bid for Ndamukung Suh with their final two wins. Let's take a look at who they should take now with Clausen and Suh off the board.

Predicted Pick: With the third overall pick, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers select……… DT Gerald McCoy, Oklahoma. As I said earlier, the Bucs need a defensive stopper, and if Suh is off the board, Gerald McCoy is the second best defensive player on the board, and a very solid option in his own right.

Other possibility:
1. S Eric Berry, Tennessee - Berry is a very solid defensive back, and can help any defense.

Now that we are through with the first three picks, our next post will be about the Washington Redskins.

2010 NFL Mock Draft Series: Detroit Lions

With the Rams taking Jimmy Clausen at number one, we will now examine the Detroit Lions and their possible choices at the number 2 slot. First though, let's recap the Lions 2009 campaign.

Season Recap: The Lions won 2 games this year, an improvement over '08 when they failed to record a victory. Their two wins came against Cleveland and Washington, so these were not impressive wins (although the Cleveland game had a very good finish). First round pick from last year Matthew Stafford showed progression, while Calvin Johnson continued to establish himself as a solid receiver. Rookie TE Brandon Pettigrew showed flashes of brilliance this season. The run game struggled, with Kevin Smith suffering a knee injury towards the end of the season. Defensively, rookie safety Louis Delmas emerged as a star, with 94 tackles. DE Cliff Avril rose to the challenge to become the team's most potent pass rushing threat, accumulating 5.5 sacks. Although the Lions are showing tremendous growth as a team, so far it has not come together to produce victories.

Predicted Pick: With the second overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions select…………… DT Ndamukung Suh, Nebraska. The Lions could use help on the o-line, but right now Suh is too good to pass up. If Avril continues to develop, the d-line could be strong, plus Suh on his own is a playmaker in the trenches.

Other possibilities:
1. DT Gerald McCoy, Oklahoma - This will only ever happen if St. Louis takes Suh with the first pick, because there is no way the Lions would take McCoy over Suh.

2. OT Russell Okung, Oklahoma State - The Lions clearly need help protecting Matt Stafford, and Okung is a very solid tackle.

The next pick belongs to the Tampa Bay Bucs, and with their prized prospect likely taken, we will look at who they might take with the 3rd pick.