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We continue our mock draft exercise with picks 13 through 16. There was a large amount of support of Dave's choice for the Cowboys at #9, CB Prince Amukamara. With the talents of other impact players off the board, and the option of trading down removed, this seems to be the consensus selection.
To catch up on all the reader comments for the previous picks, go here for #1-4, here for #5-8 and here for #9-12.
Don't forget to answer the poll as to which writer you feel made the best decision in each post, and use the comments to discuss your take on the individual picks you liked or disliked. New additions are highlighted in yellow.
| Draft Pick | Team | 2010 Record | Assigned Writer | Selection |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | Detroit | (6-10) | KD | WR Julio Jones, Alabama |
| 14 | St. Louis | (7-9) | Rabble | LB Justin Houston, Georgia |
| 15 | Miami | (7-9) | O.C.C. | DE Ryan Kerrigan, Purdue |
| 16 | Jacksonville | (8-8) | Dave | QB Jake Locker, Washington |
Follow the jump for a look at the teams' perceived needs and a blurb about a couple of selections.
Picks to this point:
| Draft Pick | Team | 2010 Record | Assigned Writer | Selection |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carolina | (2-14) | Dave | DT Nick Fairley, Auburn |
| 2 | Denver | (4-12) | O.C.C. | DE Da'Quan Bowers, Clemson |
| 3 | Buffalo | (4-12) | rabble | CB Patrick Peterson, LSU |
| 4 | Cincinatti | (4-12) | KD | DT Marcel Dareus, Alabama |
| 5 | Arizona | (5-11) | KD | QB Blaine Gabbert, Missouri |
| 6 | Cleveland | (5-11) | rabble | OLB Von Miller, Texas A&M |
| 7 | San Francisco | (6-10) | O.C.C. | OLB Robert Quinn, North Carolina |
| 8 | Tennesee | (6-10) | Dave | WR AJ Green, Georgia |
| 9 | Dallas | (6-10) | Dave | CB Prince Amukamara, Nebraska |
| 10 | Washington | (6-10) | O.C.C. | QB Cam Newton, Auburn |
| 11 | Houston | (6-10) | rabble | OLB Aldon Smith, Missouri |
| 12 | Minnesota | (6-10) | KD | DE Cameron Jordan, California |
| 13 | Detroit | (6-10) | KD | WR Julio Jones, Alabama |
| 14 | St. Louis | (7-9) | Rabble | LB Justin Houston, Georgia |
| 15 | Miami | (7-9) | O.C.C. | DE Ryan Kerrigan, Purdue |
| 16 | Jacksonville | (8-8) | Dave | QB Jake Locker, Washington |
Team Needs (per Drafttek.com)
| Draft Pick | Team | 2010 Record | Team Needs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | Detroit | (6-10) | CB, 4-3 OLB, MLB, ROT, OG, WR |
| 14 | St. Louis | (7-9) | WR, 4-3 DR, 4-3 OLB, 4-3 DE, FS, CB, OG, OC, SS |
| 15 | Miami | (7-9) | QB, 3-4 OLB, SS, OC, OG, 3-4 MLB, RB, WR |
| 16 | Jacksonville | (8-8) | 4-3 DE, 4-3 MLB, CB, QB, WR, OG, |
KD's Pick:
Detroit selects Alabama WR Julio Jones
Wow - here is where not being able to trade down changes things up for an armchair GM. Detroit needs a tackle, and with none off the board, would easily be looking to stockpile picks if this scenario played out, because someone is giving up a big pick to move up and take Julio right here. In MockWorld, Detroit gives Matty Stafford a second elite weapon, a StarScream to go with Calvin Johnson's Megatron, and will try to move back up the draft in order to get a starting tackle as well. Jones' arrival possibly gives the Detroit Lions the most potent arsenal in the NFC North.
The team could have looked corner, but decided that the value for Brandon Harris or Jimmy Smith didn't make sense. Realistically, look at this pick as how the NBA conducts their draft. Even though a trade is agreed on, the announcement gives the player to the team that originally had the slot. Someone is hurdling St. Louis for the right to get Julio Jones.
Rabble's Pick:
St. Louis selects Georgia LB Justin Houston
Rationale: this was a tough one. Once Julio Jones went off the board, there was nobody available at a position of need--in fact, the guys with the best grades were at positions of strength (OT, RB). Since I couldn't trade down, I took the best player at a position of need: Houston. Its a risky pick, but he's got more upside than the other guy I considered, UCLA's Akeem Ayers.
O.C.C.'s Pick:
Miami selects Purdue DE (OLB) Ryan Kerrigan
The Dolphins have a cast of players on defense that if you filled them in around a Ray Lewis or Troy Polamalu would instantly give you a championship caliber defense. But the Dolphins have no Lewis or Polamalu to turn a good defense (6th in yards allowed, 14th in points) into a contending defense. Ryan Kerrigan is the type of player that can fill that hole. 3-year starter. Academic All-American. Team captain. Big 10's Defensive Lineman and Player of the Year for 2010. An absolutely phenomenal production ratio of 1.94 at Purdue.
Pairing Kerrigan with Cameron Wake (14 sacks in '10) would give the Dolphins a formidable dual pass rushing threat to rival the Steelers' OLBs. Forget about Mark Ingram, the Dolphins will find an adequate RB later in the draft. Just as they will find a QB later in the draft (Kaepernick in the second round?). Kerrigan is the player that will make the biggest difference to the Miami Dolphins.
Dave's Pick:
Jacksonville selects Washington QB Jake Locker
Okay, I'll have to explain this pick. I wanted to give the Jags a defensive player. Seriously, their defense needs help, it was very bad last year. So I was sifting through the defensive players that were left, noticing that a lot of the blue-chips were gone because of the run on defensive players so far. So I emailed Alfie over at Big Cat Country (SB Nation's Jags blog) with the draft list and some defensive players I was thinking about to get his input.
What came back surprised me. Jake Locker, without hesitation. Apparently, a large faction of the Jags fanbase have had it with David Garrard. After his many years in the league, he's likely peaked, and his peak wasn't exactly setting the world on fire. They want a new, young QB who may or may not play this year, but at least have one they're grooming. It's hard not to argue with that logic, Garrard has been a middling to bad QB in his time and it's unlikely the Jags are going anywhere with him in charge. If you don't like the pick, don't blame me, if you like the pick, I'll take the credit. ;-)