Who BETTER to start things rolling than the legendary Brother Mayo Clinic, erstwhile contributor, hereabouts, OutSide The Box Thinker, Revolutionary and Visionary??? :rocker:
Without Further Ado...Brother Mayo??
Mayo Clinic's 2012 Mock Draft ~ 3 Rounds ~ Version 1.0!!
Here's my initial "top 96" (Day 1 and 2) picks for 2012:
1a. Billy Winn DE Boise State / Quinton Coples DE North Carolina / Vontaze Burfict LB Arizona St. / Devin Taylor DE South Carolina. In that order. One of the 3 should be available. Coples is rated top 10 now, but he's not a sack artist and he may slip a bit.
1b. Dontari Poe DT Memphis St. / Alameda Ta'amu DT Washington. "Super Grizzly" to add to the interior DL mix. One of the strongest players in college football, Poe could be another Haynesworth for the long term.
2a. David DeCastro OG/C Stanford / Peter Konz OC Wisconsin / Mike Brewster OC Ohio St. Dominant interior nasty man to anchor the OL for the next decade. Again, one of the 3 should hopefully be available, or could switch priorities with the 1b pick.
2b. Trumaine Johnson DB Montana / TJ McDonald FS USC. Both are rangy 6'3" DBs with good run and pass skills. Both could play FS, Johnson could also play man and press CB.
3. Coby Fleener TE Stanford / Zach Ertz TE Stanford / Michael Williams TE Alabama. I'd rather add more TEs to the mix than a WR here - more versatility. Fleener and Ertz are Jimmy Graham/Jermichael Finley kind of stretch the field options. Michael Williams is a baby Gronk in the making.
That's a lot of options. If you want you can pick whichever ones you prefer. My preferred list at this point:
1a. Billy Winn, DE, Boise St. 6'4" 288#.
This year's version of Cam Jordan, can play 4-3 DE, 3-4 DE, 4-3 DT, and even stand up. Versatile, non-stop motor, violent hands, thick hindquarters. Similar style player.
1b. Dontari Poe, DT, Memphis St. 6'5" 340#.
In the Phil Taylor mold. Great movement skills for his size. Very strong. Could potentially be another Albert Haynesworth.
2a. Mike Brewster, Ohio St. 6'5" 305#.
I'd prefer Konz or DeCastro, but Brewster looks more likely to be available at 2a. Great field general with solid skills, will anchor the line for 10 years. More Alex Mack than Nick Mangold, but that's still pretty damn good.
2b. Trumaine Johnson, DB, Montana. 6'3" 204#.
Former point guard and QB with great physical skills. Strong against the run, able to play press and man. Could play FS or CB.
3. Coby Fleener, TE, Stanford. 6'6" 254#.
Jimmy Graham II. Great hands and speed for a TE. Not a Gronkowski, but blocking skills are adequate and developing.