26. Baltimore Ravens 12-4
All of a sudden, the Ravens pass defense started to look pretty suspect last year. A lot of the reason is that most of their corners look the same: small, fast, with some ball skills. While Miami’s Brandon Harris isn’t a monster at 5-10, he is an excellent man-to-man defender and could start right away in the Baltimore secondary. I wouldn’t be shocked to see Baltimore look at Mike Pouncey to play center for them as well though. Harris is a solid pick for Baltimore, and maybe Ed Reed can teach him how to pick off some passes when he gets there over a crab legs dinner when he gets there.
27. Atlanta Falcons 13-3
My preseason pick to make the Super Bowl last year, Atlanta is pretty solid top to bottom, all things considered. That said, I think they’ll make a bit of a surprise pick here. Jonathan Baldwin lining up with Roddy White means huge problems for defensive coordinators. At 6-5 with good speed, the Pitt wideout could use some polish, but has definitely shown the ability to be a gamebreaker.
28. New England Patriots 14-2
In what just universe do the Pats get two first-rounders? Not fair, even a little bit. Anyway, the D-line gets addressed with the second half, assuming the Pats don’t trade down. Iowa’s Adrian Clayborn has some nice physical tools to become a 3-4 end, especially once Bill Belichick has an opportunity to tutor him in the system. Even though he lacks ideal size, Clayborn was a leader at Iowa, an attribute that the Patriots really like.
29. Chicago Bears 11-5
The offensive line is one of the few holes that the Bears have, and Mike Pouncey is somehow still on the board here at 29. The Bears have to like the Florida interior lineman, especially with how well twin brother Maurkice has panned out with Pittsburgh. Chicago was absolutely dismantled by Green Bay’s passing game, so I see DB happening at some point in the draft, but Pouncey’s value is too great to ignore here.
30. New York Jets 11-5
The Jets have finally parted ways with Vernon Gholston, and Jets fans everywhere breathe a sigh of relief. Now that Gholston’s zero career sacks are finally off the payroll, the Jets can try now to find that pass-rusher that they’ve coveted. Aldon Smith is slotted to go higher than 30 in a number of drafts, but in this one he falls to the Jets. He’s a good fit for the Jets as a rush linebacker, and a pretty good combine showing should keep him in the first round.
31. Pittsburgh Steelers 12-4
The Steelers D-line climbed out of their wheelchairs every week to anchor the league’s top-ranked rushing defense. Ziggy Hood has panned out pretty well as a 3-4 end, and this year is the year when Casey Hampton’s true heir-apparent is selected. Baylor NT Phil Taylor is seriously gargantuan. The idea that this mountain weighs only 350 lbs is laughable. The fact that he ran 40 yards in just over 5 seconds is the other end of the spectrum: Scary. Taylor from Baylor is another solid pick for the Steelers, who will almost assuredly look to defensive back in the second round.
32. Green Bay Packers 10-6
The defending champions don’t have a lot of holes, but finding offensive line help is always a good thing. Nate Solder, OT from Colorado has somehow stuck around on the board until pick 32. Solder is one of the premier tackle prospects in the entire draft. The Pack accept the blessings the football gods have bestowed upon them and move forward.
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