The Lions have already added defensive tackle Corey Williams via a trade with the Browns and defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch via free agency. Adding Suh would not only give Lions fans great faith in the defensive line, but it would be another step in overhauling the entire defense and continuing to add talent to the team.
McCoy might not be as good a fit as Suh would have been here but either way, the Bucs will be getting an elite defensive lineman to help improve a definite weakness.
4.) Washington Redskins - Russell Okung, OT, Oklahoma State; picked by Ben Standig of FFToolbox
The Redskins went for it when they acquired Donovan McNabb and now they must start adding lineman to help protect their new quarterback. With the current state of the o-line, the former Eagles signal caller will be a permanent fixture at physical therapy if 1-2 additions are not made. Getting Okung is a great start. In his four seasons as a starter, the Cowboys led the Big 12 in rushing every season. With the depth at tackle and their lack of overall picks, a trade down makes a world of sense.
5.) KC Chiefs - Bryan Bulaga, OT, Iowa; picked by Hunter Ansley of DraftZoo.com
Jimmy Clausen's availability here makes Nix's decision easy. Or, rather, it makes my job easy in pretending to be Nix. Only Detroit has been on the outside looking in at playoff football as long as the Bills (ten years), and the chief reason behind that is the lack of a franchise quarterback. Reviews are mixed on Clausen, and he's not as popular amongst NFL talent evaluators as he could be, but Buffalo's need at QB is so huge that they almost have to roll the dice here. (Unless they want to toss twice and target a certain Mr. Tebow in round two.)
I have no idea if the Bills like Clausen, and that's probably a good thing. I, personally, like Clausen - for a junior entrant, I think his game has a solid amount of polish, and I think his oft-criticized intangibles are slightly underrated. This is not a prospect I want to simply hand the starting job to, but if he beats out Trent Edwards, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Brian Brohm in an even-playing-field competition, he'll have at least earned his keep.
One thing is certain: whenever Nix gets his QB, I'll feel pretty good about it. This is a man who was with a Chargers organization that drafted Drew Brees and Eli Manning - who was then flipped for Philip Rivers - during his tenure as Assistant GM. He was there for the selection of Charlie Whitehurst, who is apparently the greatest quarterback ever according to Pete Carroll. The man knows talent, and he seems to have good luck with quarterbacks. For the sake of Buffalo's sanity, I hope that lucky streak continues. I think it's got a good chance of continuing if Clausen is his man.
Although Joe Haden is the best available player at this point, it is always better to match value and need. Rashean Mathis still has enough left in the tank, and Derek Cox played well enough last year. Earl Thomas would make more sense from a need standpoint, but what is he worth the No. 10 pick overall?
Derrick Morgan's unimpressive pro day and Jason Pierre-Paul's extreme boom-bust potential, coupled with Aaron Kampman's signing, make taking a DE less of an attractive option.
Honestly, at this point, the Jaguars will be looking to trade down and get more picks. With only six picks in a draft this loaded, it's a necessity. With two 3-4 teams picking after them, perhaps a team with its eye on Tennessee DT Dan Williams will want to jump the Broncos or Dolphins. Another possibility is Clemson RB C.J. Spiller.
The ideal pick would probably be Maurkice Pouncey. But with him gone in this scenario, Iupati would be a good pickup. He should start from day one for Pittsburgh. He's stellar in run and pass blocking.
19.) Atlanta Falcons - Brandon Graham, OLB, Michigan; picked by Hunter Ansley of DraftZoo.com
20.) Houston Texans - Dan Williams, DT, Tennessee; picked by Tim of SB Nation's Houston Texans blog, Battle Red Blog
Since the beginning of time, man has yearned to have a defensive tackle who wasn't an embarrassment. No, wait... I mean the Texans have yearned for that. Over the past couple of years, we've trotted out the likes of Travis Johnson, Anthony Maddox, Shaun Cody, and Jeff "Cankles" Zgonina. In fact, when fans voted on an all-decade Texans team, the eminently mediocre Seth Payne and underachieving Amobi Okoye were our big winners at DT. Hold on, I need to chug some whiskey.
Okay, I'm back.
Some of you might be saying, "Hey, the Texans' run game last year was a joke! You guys need a running back." This is half right, but the basic assumptions are incorrect. Our run game was horrible because we trotted out two of the worst starting guards in football last year, and our run game play-calling was dark humor. We believe we can address the run game in later rounds, and with Iupati and Pouncey already off the board, the talent gap at NT is simply greater. Ryan Mathews might be a good pick here, but not even the love child of Adrian Peterson and Barry Sanders would've done much behind the play of our offensive line last year. Plus, Steve Slaton should be back and healthy, and he's just one year removed from a 1,282-yard rushing season.
So, why NT? Simply, we need to free up Antonio Smith, Okoye, and Mario Williams, and getting to the QB quicker means our secondary needs less time to hold coverage. In addition, Dan Williams strengthens our run defense even more, and his presence could (and should) allow us to blitz Brian Cushing and DeMeco Ryans more freely. With only 30 sacks last year, we just aren't getting to the QB on a consistent basis. Super Mario is a deity, and Smith isn't going anywhere. Okoye could blossom with his ability to shoot gaps, and we believe a true NT will help him explode in 2010.
The Texans are going to put up points by the bushel, but we need to do a better job keeping points off the board. The Battle Red Blog brain-trust (sic) believes Dan Williams will bring better interior line play and help push us over the brink and into the playoffs.
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