And now, the end is near
And so we face the last selection
My friends, I'll say it clear
This whole mock draft thing, it bears reflection
We've spent almost a month
Rehashing arguments that we hold dear
But more, much more than this, we're done 'til next year
Take it away, DaGoaT!
Kendall Wright (WR--Baylor).
When this mock draft first started, I was dead set on trying to get Doug Martin with this pick. Before last season, the Gmen were about running the football and controlling the game with a strong pass rush on defense. But somewhere along the line, Brandon Jacobs decided to start sucking and Bradshaw got a gimp foot. They had to rely solely on Manning the lesser to generate offense. Fortunately for the Gmen, he did just that. When Jacobs took his talents (lolz) to the west coast this offseason, it left just an oft injured starter, and a platter of scrubs behind him for a running game. Doug Martin would give the Gmen a compliment 2nd punch and acceptable replacement if Bradshaw gets a boo boo again. He's basically a bowling ball with limbs and draws a lot of comparisons to Ray Rice and MJD with his stout, compact frame, and thick build.
But alas as the mock draft inched closer to the end of the round, things didn't play out nearly as predicted and some very enticing players began to fall. I pitched a circus tent as I watched Dont'a Hightower fall into the late 20s before watching him go 2 picks shy of me. That would have bolstered a rather lackluster linebacking core incredibly. I also considered OT Mike Adams here, but with his recent drug issues and less than stellar tape (or so I've read), I decided to go with an offensive weapon that is slipping due to media speculation. So with that said, with the last pick of the first round, the NY Football Giants select WR Kendall Wright, Baylor. For all the reasons Wright is wrong for Houston, he is right for the Giants. Unlike the Texans, the Gmen utilize the slot position extensively in their offense. They transformed a nobody in Steve Smith to a 100 reception guy a couple years ago, and last year Victor Cruz came out of nowhere to set the NY receiving yards record. All out of the slot. By putting Wright in the slot sandwiched by Nicks and Cruz, you have a dynamic trio of wide receivers that will scare any defense in the league. When it came down to it, high upside wide receivers and more valuable than high upside running backs. So as much as I love Doug Martin here, landing a big play weapon with the last pick who not long ago was being mocked in the top 15, becomes great value.
And that is that. A big thank you to all who participated. The final 2012 BRB Mock Draft looks like this:
1. Indianapolis Colts--Andrew Luck (QB--Stanford)
2. Washington Redskins (from St. Louis)--Robert Griffin III (QB--Baylor)
3. Minnesota Vikings--Matt Kalil (OT--USC)
4. Cleveland Browns--Trent Richardson (RB--Alabama)
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers--Dontari Poe (DT--Memphis)
6. St. Louis Rams (from Washington)--Justin Blackmon (WR--Oklahoma State)
7. Jacksonville Jaguars--Morris Claiborne (CB--LSU)
8. Miami Dolphins--Ryan Tannehill (QB--Texas A&M)
9. Carolina Panthers--Quinton Coples (DE--North Carolina)
10. Buffalo Bills--Luke Kuechly (LB--Boston College)
11. Kansas City Chiefs--David DeCastro (OG--Stanford)
12. Seattle Seahawks--Courtney Upshaw (LB--Alabama)
13. Arizona Cardinals--Michael Floyd (WR--Notre Dame)
14. Dallas Cowboys--Fletcher Cox (DE/DT--Mississippi State)
15. Philadelphia Eagles--Riley Reiff (OT--Iowa)
16. New York Jets--Melvin Ingram (LB-South Carolina)
17. Cincinnati Bengals (from Oakland)--Dre Kirkpatrick (CB-Alabama)
18. San Diego Chargers--Shea McClellin (LB-Boise State)
19. Chicago Bears--Cordy Glenn (OG/OT--Georgia)
20. Tennessee Titans--Stephen Hill (WR--Georgia Tech)
21. Cincinnati Bengals--Mark Barron (SS--Alabama)
22. Cleveland Browns (from Atlanta)--Mohamed Sanu (WR--Rutgers)
23. Detroit Lions--Stephon Gilmore (CB--South Carolina)
24. Pittsburgh Steelers--Jonathan Martin (OT--Stanford)
25. Denver Broncos--Peter Konz (C--Wisconsin)
26. Houston Texans--Nick Perry (OLB/DE--USC)
27. New England Patriots (from New Orleans)--Coby Fleener (TE--Stanford)
28. Green Bay Packers--Whitney Mercilus (OLB--Illinois)
29. Baltimore Ravens--Don'ta Hightower (LB--Alabama)
30.San Francisco 49ers--Janoris Jenkins (CB--North Alabama)
31. New England Patriots--Lavonte David (OLB--Nebraska)
32. New York Giants--Kendall Wright (WR--Baylor)