Kirwan mock 4.0

[tony hipchest]

http://www.nfl.com/draft/story?id=09...s&confirm=true

ORLANDO, Fla. -- There's nothing like talking with a few coaches and personnel people at the NFL Annual Meeting to help you get a better feel for the draft.

Sunday night, before I finished this mock draft, I got to speak with more than a dozen of the key people running their team's draft. Those decision-makers aren't going to tell me (nor would I ask) who they are taking in April, even if they knew for sure at this point. But they will talk about how much they like or dislike certain players.

A typical response when I ask about a certain player would be, "We don't even have a first-round grade on the guy," or "You missed on a few guys we really like." Hear that comment from three or four different people and it is grounds for an adjustment in the mock draft.

Plenty has changed in one week. We saw a general manager with two first-round picks (San Francisco's Scot McCloughan) leave his job last week. A couple of influential pro days occurred. Florida linebacker Brandon Spikes certainly didn't help himself with his 5.05 40-yard dash time at the Gators' pro day. Free-agent signings and trades slowed down a bit this past week but Philadelphia's acquisition of DE Darryl Tapp and the loss of Tapp in Seattle had to affect the next mock draft. The Charlie Whitehurst trade shed some more light on what Seattle's first-round intentions are with its two picks. Joey Porter getting paid in Arizona could mean the Cardinals are headed in a different direction at the bottom of the first round.

Most of the volatility in this draft rehearsal took place with the defensive linemen, excluding top picks Ndamukong Suh and Gerald McCoy.

Two players -- Nate Allen and Charles Brown -- dropped out of the first round. They are replaced by two players who had been in earlier versions, Anthony Davis and Devon McCourty. As for each team's selections, keep in mind one or two decisions that change in the top 10 picks can have a big ripple effect all the way through the round. Seventeen players are in different spots this week. That may sound like a lot, but until we get closer to April 22, it is a reality.

notables-

18. Pittsburgh Steelers
Kyle Wilson, CB, Boise State
The Steelers have other needs, but they need a corner now. They lost Bryant McFadden last year in free agency and their other corners are either old or inconsistent. The Ravens and the Bengals are both bolstering their receivers, meaning the Steelers need to improve at corner. (Previous pick: Wilson)

21. Cincinnati Bengals
Taylor Mays, S, USC
The Bengals may have Earl Thomas and Carlos Dunlap on the board to choose from, and some would say Mays should be lower in the draft. The truth is the Bengals will get better on defense at this spot no matter what they do. Mays will impress the coaches with his knowledge of the game, and his dedication is unquestioned. (Previous pick: Jason Pierre-Paul)

27. Dallas Cowboys
Earl Thomas, DB, Texas
This is a big slide for Thomas, whom I had going at No. 10 to Jacksonville last week. He may go higher than this spot, but if he's here, he solves a problem in the Dallas secondary. Thomas is a fine player (but not without his critics here at the owners meetings). (Previous pick: Nate Allen)

[pete74]

i like wilson better then hadden

[tony hipchest]

Originally Posted by pete74

i like wilson better then hadden

kirwan still has him going to SF with the 17th selection. the thought of landing the #1 or #2 ranked cb is nice, especially if they can live up to it.

im real curious to know what the scuttlebut is about earl thomas though.

[Galax Steeler]

Originally Posted by tony hipchest

kirwan still has him going to SF with the 17th selection. the thought of landing the #1 or #2 ranked cb is nice, especially if they can live up to it.

im real curious to know what the scuttlebut is about earl thomas though.

He is going to be our new safety this year.

[SteelMember]

Originally Posted by tony hipchest

kirwan still has him going to SF with the 17th selection. the thought of landing the #1 or #2 ranked cb is nice, especially if they can live up to it.

im real curious to know what the scuttlebut is about earl thomas though.

Wison is a great looking player. His knock to this point has been his zone coverage play. He is more of a man, press coverage guy, as is Hayden.

I would find it really difficult to pass on Thomas though. (27 is the lowest I've seen since he declared)
Even IF we passed, I don't think he gets by Houston @ 20.

He shows some big time potential. Most sites are showing him at CB because he is a bit undersized for the physical game he plays. I have read comparisons to a certain Steelers SS, but he's got a ways to go before I can put him in the same sentence.

[El-Gonzo Jackson]

Yeah, I am curious too as to why Thomas would drop that far.

Honestly I would be happy with Hayden, Wilson or McCourty. The latter 2 also are kick returners, so have added benefit in the ST game.

[tony hipchest]

i havent read it yet, but appearantly don banks has an article today on SI.com saying that 10-11 of the 1st round ranked draft prospects failed drug tests at the combine.

i would lay money on "cypher blunt" thomas being 1 out of 3.

[nikstar]

trade down to get some more picks, trade up to pick one all star.. one or the 2

[St33lersguy]

I give this mock draft an F. I am just using common sense here and I may be wrong but I seriously doubt a franchise with 2 superbowl wins in these past 5 years will pass up Earl Thomas and Dan Williams for Kyle Wilson. Just a thought.

[tony hipchest]

i knew it wouldnt be long before our resident kirwan hater would chime in.

then again, last year he thought there was no way the world champions would pass up on a CB for a DE.

Originally Posted by St33lersguy

http://www.nfl.com/draft/story?id=09...s&confirm=true

This is such a surprising (& bad) mock, this is a must read. I don't want to spoil anything