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: 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.

2010 NFL Mock Draft Series: Who Will the Rams Take?

With the NFL postseason finished, NFL fans are now looking forward to the NFL Draft. Teams looking to rebuild, refuel, or stock can add the top college players in the nation. The St. Louis Rams have the first pick, so let's take a look at what they can do in April.

Season Recap: The Rams season was, in short, a nightmare. An abysmal 1-15 record led the Rams to the worst record in the NFL. The only win came against the Detroit Lions, who hold the second worst record and second pick in the draft. The passing game was not very good, with QB Marc Bulger only playing in 9 games, accumlating 1,469 yards over the season. QB's Keith Null, a rookie from West Texas A&M, and veteran Kyle Boller combined for 1,465 yards. Donnie Avery was the top receiver for the Rams last year, catching 5 touchdowns on 589 yards. Steven Jackson was the lone bright spot on offense for the Rams, rushing for 1,416 yards, but only four touchdowns. Defensively, Ohio State product LB James Laurinaitis showed promise, accruing 120 tackles and 2 sacks. Leonard Little led the team in sacks this year, amassing 6.5 sacks on the season. All in all, it was not a very good season for the Rams.

Predicted Pick: With the first pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, the St. Louis Rams select…………… QB Jimmy Clausen, Notre Dame. The Rams need a turnaround, and Marc Bulger is not getting any younger, and probably has taken more hits than any QB in the league. Clausen in the most pro-ready quarterback in this class, and coach Steve Spagnuolo will want to draft a franchise QB.

Other possibilities:
1. DT Ndamukung Suh, Nebraska - Suh is by far the best defensive player in the class, and the Rams could go with the safer pick instead of investing tons of money into a risky young QB (just ask the Raiders) to save money.

2. QB Sam Bradford, Oklahoma - If Bradford's arm is healed enough for the Rams to consider him, he could leapfrog Clausen as the top QB in the class. Bradford probably won't be the pick, but there is a very minimal chance that the Rams may make the choice for the Oklahoma product.

So with the Rams taking Jimmy Clausen, our next mock draft post will be about the Detroit Lions draft plans and season recap.