With their trade for Donovan McNabb, the Washington Redskins took themselves out of the picture for a trade to acquire the first overall pick in the 2010 NFL draft from the St. Louis Rams. Two other factors all but settle the question of who the Rams will pick: Their release of long-time starter Marc Bulger, and healthy performances on the practice field and in interviews mean the Rams have settled on Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford as No. 1.
So now the suspense becomes who goes No. 2, and how the first-round unfolds on April 22.
Russ Lande and his staff of scouts from Sporting News’ Pro Football War Room have answers in their latest mock draft. Picks for the first round are available now.
We’ll let you in on a couple secrets on what follows: The second round will include selection of two Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks; and the third round figures to see the Lions add a hard-hitting running back from Stanford.
Here are the first-round picks as projected by SN’s War Room (* — denotes underclassman):
Ndamukong Suh: to the Lions
1 St. Louis Rams: Sam Bradford*, QB, Oklahoma
2. Detroit Lions: Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska
Trading for guard Rob Sims allows the Lions to keep Jeff Backus at left tackle and take Suh to solidify the defensive line.
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Gerald McCoy*, DT, Oklahoma
4. Washington Redskins: Russell Okung, T, Oklahoma State
After trading for McNabb, the Redskins must grab a left tackle to protect his blind side.
5. Kansas City Chiefs: Earl Thomas*, S, Texas
They are desperate for safety help, and Thomas fits better in their scheme than Tennessee’s Eric Berry.
6. Seattle Seahawks: Trent Williams, T, Oklahoma
7. Cleveland Browns: Joe Haden*, CB, Florida
Haden is an elite athlete who is a bit raw, a la Jets All-Pro CB Darrelle Revis coming out of Pitt. Plus, Mike Holmgren has a history of drafting cornerbacks high.
8. Oakland Raiders: Anthony Davis*, T, Rutgers
9. Buffalo Bills: Sergio Kindle, OLB, Texas
The Bills are switching to a 3-4 scheme and need edge pass rushers. Kindle has the size, strength, explosiveness and pass-rush skills to be an excellent fit.
10. Jacksonville Jaguars: Derrick Morgan*, DE, Georgia Tech
Bryan Bulaga: to the 49ers
11. Denver Broncos (from Chicago): Demaryius Thomas*, WR, Georgia Tech
The Broncos are expected to part ways with WR Brandon Marshall and would be certain to pass on Oklahoma State’s Dez Bryant, a similar character to Marshall. Thomas is coming off a broken foot, though.
12. Miami Dolphins: Eric Berry*, S, Tennessee
13. San Francisco 49ers: Bryan Bulaga*, T, Iowa
Niners coaches like left tackle Joe Staley but would love to pair him with another competitive and athletic tackle.
14. Seattle Seahawks (from Denver): Brandon Graham, DE, Michigan
15. New York Giants: Rolando McClain*, ILB, Alabama
16. Tennessee Titans: Jason Pierre-Paul*, DE, South Florida
17. San Francisco 49ers (from Carolina): Patrick Robinson, CB, Florida State
Rob Gronkowski: to the Bengals
18. Pittsburgh Steelers: Mike Iupati, G, Idaho
19. Atlanta Falcons: Dekoda Watson, OLB, Florida State
20. Houston Texans: C.J. Spiller, RB, Clemson
Texans officials would be giddy if Spiller were to slip this far and would waste no time drafting him. Fresno State RB Ryan Mathews is the fallback option.
21. Cincinnati Bengals: Rob Gronkowski*, TE, Arizona
The Bengals haven’t had a dangerous receiving tight end in years. Gronkowski is a big-time receiver and a dominant blocker.
22. New England Patriots: Ricky Sapp, DE, Clemson
23. Green Bay Packers: Bruce Campbell*, T, Maryland
24. Philadelphia Eagles: Nate Allen, S, South Florida
Bruce Campbell: to the Packers
25. Baltimore Ravens: Dez Bryant*, WR, Oklahoma State
26. Arizona Cardinals: Jared Odrick, DT, Penn State
27. Dallas Cowboys: Taylor Mays, S, Southern Cal
28. San Diego Chargers: Ryan Mathews*, RB, Fresno State
The Chargers need an NFL-ready back to replace LaDainian Tomlinson and would consider Mathews and Georgia Tech’s Jonathan Dwyer here. Dwyer’s unimpressive pre-draft workouts make this an easier decision.
29. New York Jets: D’Anthony Smith, DT, Louisiana Tech
30. Minnesota Vikings: Jimmy Clausen*, QB, Notre Dame
31. Indianapolis Colts: Kyle Wilson, CB, Boise State
32. New Orleans Saints: Sean Weatherspoon, ILB, Missouri
After losing Scott Fujita in free agency, the Saints have a hole. Weatherspoon is an athletic playmaker who would be an instant upgrade.
Sporting News’ Pro Football War Room has evaluations on hundreds of players heading for the 2010 NFL draft, which this year is spread over three days — April 22-24. Visit The War Room now.