The NFL draft is set to get underway April 26th in New York City which means you're going to be inundated with mock drafts between now and then, if you haven't been already.
On Wednesday, Mr. NFL draft guru himself, Mel Kiper, released his latest mock draft and for the first time expanded it to include both first and second round projections.
For the Big 12, this draft most likely won't include quite as much action as it did a season ago when 10 players from the conference were selected in the first two rounds, but keep in mind, 2011 was the first season the league was a ten team conference so fewer picks shouldn't be all the surprising.
That being said, the Big 12 won't be forgotten on the draft's first night with Kiper predicting three players from the Big 12 will be off the board within the first ten picks, the same number as a season ago.
Kiper predicted seven players from the conference will go overall in the first two rounds. Here's the link to the full list although you'll need an insider subscription to see the entire list.
First Round
2. Redskins - Robert Griffin, Baylor. A no-brainer, really. There's still a lot of debate about whether he should go ahead of Andrew Luck at number one, but it's hard to go wrong with either guy. It's going to be great to watch over the next four or five years to see which team made the "right" decision.
Redskin fans will obviously ecstatic if and when this actually happens. Here's a list of the Redskins starting quarterbacks over the past 11 seasons going back to 2000: Brad Johnson, Shane Matthews, Patrick Ramsey, Mark Brunnell, Jason Campbell, Donovan McNabb, Rex Grossman. It's probably not a stretch to say RGIII will be an immediate upgrade.
6. St. Louis Rams - Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State. Not to knock anyone who is selected before Blackmon, but he will be a steal at number six. There's probably nobody that would be happier about this selection than Sam Bradford.
8. Miami Dolphins - Ryan Tannehill, QB, Texas A&M. There's been all kinds of debate on when and where Tannehill should go. Sure, this might be a little high, but the Dolphins are in need at the position and Tannehill figures to be the next guy in line. Is Tannehill the answer? He very well could be, although it still could be a bit of a reach this early considering the amount of talent still on the board.
26. Houston Texas - Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor. I love this guy and he'd be a perfect fit in Houston. He might not have the size you'd like to see, but there aren't many more explosive receivers around.
Second Round
37. Cleveland Brown - Brandon Weeden, QB, Oklahoma State. Some have speculated that the Browns will take Tannehill with the fourth pick, but Kiper's prediction of Trent Richardson going to the Browns at number four seems to make more sense.
If it weren't for his age, you could probably make a solid argument that teams would be considering Weeden at the top of the draft along with Tannehill. If Cleveland could get Weeden here, it'd be a huge get. He has that demeanor you love to see in a quarterback which is to say, if he throws a pick or two, he doesn't care. He's going to continue to chuck it with the same confidence. He'll give Colt McCoy a run for the starting job if this is where he ends up.
43. Seattle Seahawks - Ronnell Lewis, DE, Oklahoma. Underrated guy on the field, although he had a few issues off of it struggling with his grades while in Norman. His upside is probably worth the risk in the middle of the second round, however.
56.Pittsburgh Steelers- Kelechi Osemele, OL, Iowa State. Coming into the season, Osemele was thought to have the potential that warranted a first-round selection. For whatever reason, he's fallen slightly in the eyes of some, but I've yet to see a good reason for it. The guys a beast and it's not hard to envision him having a long career in the NFL.
