NFL Draft 2011: Still Lots Of Movement In The Top 20

Fourteen more days to go. The draft is by far the biggest event of the NFL off-season and the NFL is reaching it's offseason fever pitch. Draft rumors are popping up left and right, speculation abounds and prospect names are being bandied about the blogosphere like never before:

Newton to the Panthers. Smith to the Cowboys. Bowers falling down the board ...

Two weeks ago we looked at how mock drafters were projecting the top ten picks as well as how the middle of the first round could play out.

Today, we revisit those two posts and look at the top 20 picks in the 2011 draft. Which players are being touted as the flavor of the week, which players have seen their stock plummet, and how could all that impact the Cowboys at No. 9? Find out after the jump.

Like in the earlier posts, we look at 25 different mock drafts to determine who the "Consensus Picks" currently are. The consensus pick at a given position is the player selected most often in the 25 mock drafts we looked at. In cases where the player with the most selections has already been picked, we go with the second most often selected player.

Stock watch - Who's up and who's down.

Stock Up: Over the last two weeks, Cam Newton has emerged as the consensus No. 1 prospect, with 19 of 25 mocks (76%) picking Newton No. 1. Newton unceremoniously boots Blaine Gabbert out of first place. Gabbert was the no. 1pick on 11 of 25 mocks (44%) just two weeks ago.

Robert Quinn makes a huge jump from No. 12 to No. 6 where he will make Cleveland's pass rushing problems disappear in an instant. Cameron Jordan also takes big leap from No. 17 to No. 12, as does Mike Pouncey from No. 19 to No. 15. Interestingly, this makes Pouncey the second offensive lineman to come off the board after Tyron Smith - and ahead of all other tackles.

There are two new prospects in the top 20 this week. Surprisingly, both are defensive tackles. Corey Liuget is mocked to the Rams at No. 14, Muhammad Wilkerson is mocked to the Chargers at No. 18.

Stock Down: The mockers have fallen out of love with Da'Quan Bowers over concerns about the status of his knee. Bowers plummets from No. 6 to No. 20, the biggest drop in this mock draft roundup. For now, Blaine Gabbert drops to No. 5 from the top spot, but draft rumors abound that he isn't likely to stay there for long.

Another notable drop is Anthony Castonzo who drops from No. 13 to No. 19, passing the rising Mike Pouncey as Castonzo drops to the Giants. Here's how the full Top 20 played out based on mock 25 mock drafts published through 4/13/2011:

Current Pick	2 Weeks Ago	Team	Consensus Pick	Frequency	Change
1	3	Carolina Panthers	Cam Newton, QB, Auburn Also picked: Blaine Gabbert (2), Marcell Dareus (2), Patrick Peterson (1), A.J. Green (1)	19 (76%)
2	2	Denver Broncos	Marcell Dareus, DL, Alabama Also picked: Von Miller (4), Patrick Peterson (2), Nick Fairley (2)	17 (68%)
3	5	Buffalo Bills	Von Miller, LB, Texas A&M Also picked: Marcell Dareus (4), Blaine Gabbert (4)	14 (56%)
4	4	Cincinnati Bengals	A.J. Green, WR, Georgia Also picked: Blaine Gabbert (6), Julio Jones (2)	14 (56%)
5	1	Arizona Cardinals	Blaine Gabbert, QB, Missouri Also picked: Patrick Peterson (7), Von Miller (5), Robert Quinn (3)	8 (32%)
6	12	Cleveland Browns	Robert Quinn, DE, North Carolina Also picked: A.J. Green (7), Julio Jones (5), Da'Quan Bowers (2)	7 (28%)
7	7	San Francisco 49ers	Patrick Peterson, CB, LSU Also picked: Prince Amukamara (6), Blaine Gabbert  (3)	12 (48%)
8	8	Tennessee Titans	Nick Fairley, DT, Auburn Also picked: Da’Quan Bowers (3), Blaine Gabbert  (2)	20 (80%)
9	9	Dallas Cowboys	Tyron Smith, OT, USC Also picked: J.J. Watt (3), Prince Amukamara (2)	19 (76%)
10	10	Washington Redskins	Julio Jones, WR, Alabama Also picked: Robert Quinn (7), A.J. Green (3),  Jake Locker (2), Cameron Jordan (2)	7 (28%)
11	14	Houston Texans	Aldon Smith, DE, Missouri Also picked: Robert Quinn (5), Prince Amukamara (4), J.J. Watt (3)	6 (24%)
12	17	Minnesota Vikings	Cameron Jordan, DE, California Also picked: Da'Quan Bowers (5), Prince Amukamara (4), four others with two picks each	6 (24%)
13	11	Detroit Lions	Prince Amukamara, CB, Nebraska Also picked: Da'Quan Bowers (5), Anthony Castonzo (5), Tyron Smith (4)	7 (28%)
14	- -	St. Louis Rams	Corey Liuget, DT, Illinois Also picked: Julio Jones (7), Aldon Smith (3), Cameron Jordan (3)	10 (40%)
15	19	Miami Dolphins	Mike Pouncey, OG, Florida Also picked: Mark Ingram (8), Ryan Mallett (2),	10 (40%)
16	16	Jacksonville Jaguars	Ryan Kerrigan, DE, Purdue Also picked: Cameron Jordan (5), J.J. Watt (4), Aldon Smith (3)	8 (32%)
17	18	New England Patriots	J.J. Watt, DE, Wisconsin Also picked: Anthony Castonzo (5), Cameron Jordan (4), Aldon Smith (2)	6 (28%)
18	- -	San Diego Chargers	Muhammad Wilkerson, DT, Temple Also picked: Aldon Smith (6), J.J. Watt (4), four others with two picks each	3 (12%)
19	13	New York Giants	Anthony Castonzo, OT, Boston College Also picked: Mike Pouncey (8), Corey Liuget (3), Mark Ingram (3)	7 (40%)
20	6	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Da'Quan Bowers, DE, Clemson Also picked: Ryan Kerrigan (9), Adrian Clayborn (4), Aldon Smith (2), Justin Houston (2)	6 (24%)

From a Cowboys perspective, there are some notable pressure points in this ranking:

While most of the top ten teams appear to be fairly well locked in on certain players, the consensus on the Cardinals and the Browns is wishy-washy at best. Both teams could be looking to move up, the Cards for Gabbert and the Browns for Dareus, but the Browns might also be receptive to an offer by teams looking to jump ahead of the 49ers to get Patrick Peterson.

Based on these mocks, it's a real possibility that the teams picking from No. 10 to No. 13 could all stay put and pick BPA, as each of them is bound to get a player they covet and that fits a need, at least in this mock draft scenario.

From No. 14 to No. 19, all teams (with the exception of the Dolphins) are being mocked a significant number of players who could easily be gone by the time the teams are on the clock. Also, 6 of the 8 players mocked between picks 11 and 18 are defensive linemen. With that many teams fighting for position and picks in such a confined space, expect a lot of trade activity as teams try to get ahead of the rush on the defensive line.

The Chargers for example are mocked a DE/DT in 23 out of 25 mocks. With a king's ransom in 2nd and 3rd round picks to trade with, the Chargers could try to leapfrog everybody else to get their choice of DE. Similarly, the Rams might want to consider a bold move into single digit picks if they want to get their hands on a wide receiver. And Jerry said he received interest from two teams who might like to trade up to the Cowboys no. 9 pick? Hmmm...

Another interesting dynamic could potentially involve our two competitors from the NFC East, the Giants and the Eagles. 18 mocks have the Giants taking an offensive lineman. The Eagles' consensus pick (9 of 25) is CB Jimmy Smith, but 12 of the mocks also have the Eagles taking one of four offensive linemen. Andy Reid has never been shy about moving up, and he might turn out to literally be a 'big player' in the OL game - which might in turn force the Giants' hand if they are also determined about shoring up their OL.

So many possibilities...

These are the 25 mock drafts that this summary is based on: Don Banks (SI.com, 4/13), Scout.com (4/13), SidelineScouting.com (4/13), Russ Lande (Sporting News, 4/12), Drafttek (4/12), Pat Kirwan (NFL.com, 4/12), Brian Galliford (SB Nation, 4/12), Evan Silva (Rotoworld, 4/12), Dan Shonka (Ourlads, 4/11), Walter Football (4/11), Draft Season (4/11), Mocking The Draft (4/11), Draft Ace (4/11), Chad Reuter (NFL Draft Scout/CBS, 4/11), Rob Rang (NFL Draft Scout/CBS, 4/11), Steve Wyche (NFL.com, 4/11), Al Fronzak (East Coast SportsNews, 4/11), Nolan Nawrocki (Pro Football Weekly, 4/8), National Football Post (4/7), Mel Kiper (ESPN, 4/6), Todd McShay (ESPN, 4/6), Great Blue North Draft Report (4/6), Peter Schrager (Foxsports.com, 4/2), Wes Bunting (Nat'l Football Post, 3/30), Scott Wright (Draft Countdown, 3/21)