Anything can happen when a mock draft is released that early and pretty much everything did. Looking back at his first 2012 mock draft here were a few highlights:

• The Giants were picking 20^th overall
• Andrew Luck went 1^st overall… to the Buffalo Bills
• Landry Jones and Matt Barkley went in the top 5; neither entered the draft
• Vontaze Burfict was selected 28^th overall by Browns; he went undrafted

It’s easy to fault Perloff for all his mistakes but that’d be no fun. He knew as well as anyone reading his mock draft that producing a way too early mock draft wouldn’t stand the test of the time but he did one anyway. If you want to check out each of his picks from his first 2012 mock draft then go on right ahead.

Since I enjoyed reading Perloff’s mock draft so much last year I went looking to see if he had typed one up for the upcoming 2013 NFL Draft, and to my joy he did! So, how about we have at it and see what Perloff’s 2013 crystal ball has in store for the GMEN in regards to next year’s draft?

Before we delve in though let me forward you Perloff’s note about how his draft is: “ordered by predicted finish in 2012. Picks 1-20 are based on standings, while picks 21-32 are based on order of elimination from playoffs.”

Now that the Surgeon General’s warnings are out of the way let’s talk about where Perloff projects the Giants and that’s at the 20^th overall spot in the first round, which is the exact same spot he had the GMEN picking last year and which also means he sees the Giants yet again missing the playoffs. Of course the Giants didn’t miss the playoffs and actually ended up winning the Super Bowl so maybe this is a good sign.

Who does Perloff see the Giants taking with the 20^th overall pick? Last year it was Ohio State offensive tackle Mike Adams, who ended up being selected in the 2^nd round of the 2012 NFL Draft that just passed. This year Perloff has the Giants taking an offensive tackle again and this time it’s Ricky Wagner from Wisconsin; here’s what Perloff had to say about him in his mock draft:

“The Giants go best player available and continue to rework their line with the next breakout offensive line star from Wisconsin.”

Just like drafting an offensive lineman last year made sense to most mock drafters, including Perloff, it makes just as much sense this year. The tackle positions will be up for grabs this year and it’s no lock that Will Beatty will be given his starter’s spot back after being put on the I.R. last year due to an eye injury. Beatty, David Diehl, former 4^th-round pick James Brewer and incoming rookies Brandon Mosley and Matt McCants will be in the mix for the tackle spots and nothing will be settled when it comes to the Giants’ O-line until the end of the pre-season.

Sep 17, 2011; Chicago, IL, USA; Wisconsin Badgers offensive tackle Ricky Wagner (58) blocks during the game against the Northern Illinois Huskies at Soldier Field. Wisconsin defeated Illinois 49-7. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-US PRESSWIRE

So, projecting an offensive lineman is the safe route to take by Perloff, as the Giants will eventually have to address their O-line weakness early in the draft at some point so why not 2013?

If you want to know more about Ricky Wagner we can tell you that he’s 6’6, 322 pounds, is a redshirt Senior, was an All-Big Ten consensus honorable mention back-to-back years and was a left tackle starter for all of the Badgers’ 14 games in 2011. The Badgers saw a couple of their key cogs on the O-Line drafted in the 2012 NFL Draft with guard Kevin Zeitler going to the Bengals at 27^th overall in the first round and center Peter Konz being taken by the Falcons in the second round. Wagner could have followed their footsteps and entered the 2012 NFL Draft, where he probably would have been taken pretty high but he chose to return for one more year of college football.

Wisconsin has provided the NFL with some quality offensive linemen in recent years such as Gabe Carimi (drafted in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft), Kraig Urbik (3^rd round, 2009), and (Joe Thomas, 3^rd overall pick, 2007). Wagner might be next in the line of Badger O-linemen to play and start in the NFL and he might even see his name called in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft; perhaps even higher than 20^th overall.

However, we still need to remember that it’s May of 2012 and the 2013 NFL Draft isn’t until April of next year. Who knows what can happen between now and then and it’s best not to think about Wagner in a Giants uniform just yet, even if he would be a nice addition.

What do you think GMEN HQ readers? Would you like to see Wagner suit up in a Giants uniform one day? If not Wagner who do you have your eyes set on for the 2013 NFL Draft? Is it too early to start talking about the 2013 NFL Draft? Let us know in the comments section.

And the only way to do that is by providing you with my very own mock draft of this year’s first round of the 2012 NFL Draft and without further ado here it is…

• 1. Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford
• 2. Washington Redskins: Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor
• 3. Minnesota Vikings: Matt Kalil, OT, USC
• 4. Cleveland Browns: Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama
• 5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU
• 6. St. Louis Rams: Fletcher Cox, DT, Mississippi State
• 7. Jacksonville Jaguars: Stephon Gilmore, CB, South Carolina
• 8. Miami Dolphins: Ryan Tannehill, QB, Texas A&M
• 9. Carolina Panthers: Dontari Poe, DT, Memphis
• 10. Buffalo Bills: Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State
• 11. Kansas City Chiefs: Luke Kuechly, ILB, Boston College
• 12. Seattle Seahawks: Melvin Ingram, LB, South Carolina
• 13. Arizona Cardinals: Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa
• 14. Dallas Cowboys: Mark Barron, Safety, Alabama
• 15. Philadelphia Eagles: Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina
• 16. New York Jets: Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame
• 17. Cincinnati Bengals: Courtney Upshaw, LB, Alabama
• 18. San Diego Chargers: Cordy Glenn, OL, Georgia
• 19. Chicago Bears: Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor
• 20. Tennessee Titans: Michael Brockers, DT, LSU
• 21. Cincinnati Bengals: Janoris Jenkins, CB, North Alabama
• 22. Cleveland Browns: Brandon Weeden, QB, Oklahoma State
• 23. Detroit Lions: Mike Adams, OT, Ohio State
• 24. Pittsburgh Steelers: David DeCastro, OG, Stanford
• 25. Denver Broncos: Jerel Worthy, DT, Michigan State.
• 26. Houston Texans: Chandler Jones, DE, Syracuse
• 27. New England Patriots: Dont’a Hightower, LB, Alabama
• 28. Green Bay Packers: Shea McClellin, LB, Boise State
• 29. Baltimore Ravens: Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama
• 30. San Francisco 49ers: Stephen Hill, WR, Georgia Tech
• 31. New England Patriots: Vinny Curry, DE, Marshall
• 32. New York Giants: Coby Fleener, TE, Stanford

So, that’s what I think the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft might look like but that I’ll probably get wrong. My wish is for the Giants to trade up and draft Kuechly but that would probably cost too much and won’t happen. I went with Fleener instead of other players just because of the immediate need the Giants have at tight end, yes, even with the signing of Martellus Bennett. Doug Martin, the running back out of Boise State is another name I could see going to the Giants after Jacobs’ departure but I have faith in Da’Rel Scott being able to step up this year and take on more of an active role in the running game, which made me lean towards Fleener as my final mock choice for the Giants at the end of the first round. Guess we’ll just have to wait to find out what actually goes down for the Giants and every other NFL team during the draft tomorrow.

If you want to post your own mock draft do so in the comments and I’ll go over the results in a post-mortem This Week In Mock Drafts.

In the meantime if you’re looking for something to do while watching the draft live why not download one of the best second screen sports apps on the market in FanCake and join in the fun that many other draftniks will be having? FanCake is a fun, easy and interactive way to enjoy sports on your second screen where you can make live in-draft predictions and even win prizes! Plus it’s free in the App Store. So come on out and enjoy the party; I’ll be there!

Whatever side of the Peter King spectrum you fall on it’s hard to argue about the man’s football knowledge and every year he puts out one and only one mock draft that tends to arrive in the draft special issue of Sports Illustrated. For those of you GMEN HQ readers out there that don’t subscribe to the magazine you can just head on over to the SI.com’s website to see King’s entire first round mock draft.

For those of you that don’t care about King’s pick other than who he mockingly selected to be the New York Giants’ first round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft then you have no reason to leave this page, as I’m about to reveal that information as soon as Chris Berman has ruined the suspense by announcing it before Commissioner Goodell opens the envelope at the podium…

Oct 30, 2010; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish safety Harrison Smith (22) breaks up a pass intended for Tulsa Golden Hurricanse running back Charles Clay (9) at Notre Dame Stadium. Tulsa defeated Notre Dame 28-27. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-US PRESSWIRE

And, with the 32^nd overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, according to Peter King, the New York football Giants select Harrison Smith, safety, out of Notre Dame! That’s a new name for those of you familiar with TWIMD, as a safety has not once been mocked to the Giants ever since I started writing this regular feature for GMEN HQ. All the focus has been placed on offensive linemen and tight ends but safety is usually overlooked.

But it shouldn’t, really. While the position of safety isn’t an immediate need for the Giants it is nonetheless a need because the Giants like to employ a three-man safety committee on the field. The starting safety positions are locked down for the GMEN with Kenny Phillips and Antrel Rolle but that third safety position has a hole to fill after back-up safety Deon Grant wasn’t re-signed by the team. Second-year safety Tyler Sash could fill Grant’s role but that remains to be seen and that makes King’s selection of Smith interesting. Here’s King’s report on Smith:

A mature four-year starter for the Irish, Smith has the speed to play free safety and the tackling ability to play strong. The Giants could go in a lot of directions here, with McClellin and Mike Adams both possible because of positional need. But a 47-game college starter and eager special-teamer will be too much for G.M. Jerry Reese to pass up.

Now, here’s where we get to the part that tends to make King a little infuriating to read and why so many people out there like to take jabs at him: in his mock draft he also has a sidebar about what players each team should pick. If the team should pick that player then why not just mock that player to the team? I guess it has something to do with trying to think what a team will do compared to what they should do, and that’s where our GM hats come into play. Still, if you think a player should draft a specific player just say so and in the case of whom King thinks the Giants should select he goes with Shea McClellin, an OLB from Boise State. I don’t blame King for going with this strategy of trying to predict who the Giants will take and who they should take, as many mock drafts out there go with the same strategy but if you’re going to do a mock draft just mock the draft and be done with it.

But this article is all about Harrison Smith so let’s delve into that pick a little bit more. Over at NFL.com, former Texans GM Charley Casserly, the man responsible for the team selecting Mario Williams over the more highly touted coming out of college Reggie Bush, picked Smith as one of his potential draft day steals and thinks Smith would bring a lot of value in the second round.

Now, with the Giants selecting at the bottom of the first round that basically makes it a second round pick so would Smith still bring value if he was picked 32^nd instead of say 38^th? That’s a debate for another day but let’s see what Casserly had to say about Smith in his article:

Smith has very good size (6-2, 213 pounds) and speed (4.57) for the position. I like his range and instincts against the run and pass. He is aggressive against the run, but must do a better job of breaking down before attempting to tackle a ball carrier. Even though there is some tightness to him, I believe he will be able to cover most tight ends because of his speed.

That all sounds good to me but with any prospect comes with positives and negatives so let’s take a look at the unflattering words Jonathan Bales from The Fifth Down blog over at the New York Times had to say about Smith and where he projects the safety out of Notre Dame:

I’ve seen Smith as high as the late first round in some mock drafts, and I think that’s crazy.  Smith will probably go somewhere in the early to middle portion of the second round, and even that could be too high. For what might turn out to be an undersize linebacker, I wouldn’t spend more than a third-round selection.

So, King has Smith in the first round, Casserly thinks Smith would be a value pick in the second round and Bales wouldn’t touch Smith until the fourth round! That’s just the way mock drafts go and the ultimate value of a player is in the eyes of the 32 general managers around the NFL. Taking a look at another mock draft, this one part of a seven round mock draft special from our good friends at NFL Mocks that’s being put together by Jesse Bartolis has Smith’s name being called in the second round of the draft, at #38 overall, to the Jacksonville Jaguars and here’s what Bartolis has to say about his mocking of Smith to the Jaguars:

While I’m not myself convinced of the first round pick of Melvin Ingram for the Jaguars. Harrison Smith does seem like a Gene Smith type player. Smith is well thought off and could be drafted in the late part of the first round so this is good value here for the big, talented safety. Smith can play FS or SS though I think he’s best suited as a SS. He has great size, good range, and a knack for making big plays.

Another second round grade for Smith, and a blurb about potentially being a late first round pick. Things are looking good again for Smith in the world of Mock Drafts thanks to NFL Mocks. However, like I’ve stressed throughout my mock draft coverage you never know where a player will be selected and even though the Giants are a team that used three safeties quite a bit in coverage last season, as evidenced by the amount of play Deon Grant got during his run with the Giants, would it be wise to use a first round pick on a player that, at least according to Bales would only be, “an effective N.F.L. player”, only if Smith isn’t asked, “to play too much man coverage”? Again, a question I have no answer for because we have no idea what Smith’s true value is and we may never know and in the end only one GM will decide what Smith’s value is; just like very other draft prospect that hopes to hear his name called out during the 2012 NFL Draft.

In the end do we really want the Giants using a first round pick on a player that can’t play man coverage? I don’t think so but what do you GMEN HQ commentators think? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.

Also, look for my complete first round mock draft closer to Thursday’s draft date and then let’s all come back here on Monday to make fun of how bad my mock draft skills were. Until then enjoy the NFL Draft this week!

Last week’s mock draft was SI.com’s Don Banks’ mock draft version 4.0 and I had mentioned last week how Banks was planning on doing seven mock drafts and we now have his fifth version.

I want to highlight Banks and his current frenzied mock draft coverage to show just how much or how little most mock draft prognosticators know. I’m not singling out Banks or saying he doesn’t know anything about mock drafts; the point I want to make is unless you’re in the draft room for a specific team you have no idea what their draft plans are or who they’re going to take. In fact even the people running those draft war rooms don’t know who they’re going to take until they’ve handed in their draft card and that can be due to a player they coveted not being there when they’re next to pick or going for a player they never thought would reach them by the time their turn came up.

Drafts in any sport are immediate and you can never plan ahead, no matter how much we like to talk about them in the form of mock drafts. Mainly, mock drafts are about having fun and putting on our GM hat for a little while just to see what it would be like to run an NFL team.

Having said that let’s see who the Giants are taking in Banks’ mock draft version 5.0 and compare that to his last mock draft…

Sep 24, 2011; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils receiver Aaron Pflugrad (4) runs with the ball as he is pursued by Southern California Trojans defensive tackle Christian Tupou (left) and defensive end Nick Perry (8) at Sun Devil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

So, mock draft 4.0 from Don Banks was released on the 4^th of April and saw the Giants select OT Bobby Massie out of Ole Miss. Mock draft version 5.0 from Banks was released a week later on April 11 and you would think that with just a week’s time in between mock drafts and the Giants not really being in the mock draft news cycle that the pick would just stay the same and Massie would once again be the pick, just like he was in Banks’ mock draft version 3.0.

However, and this is where mock drafts show how big of a crapshoot they really are, that’s not the case and the Giants, according to Banks this time, will select DE/LB Nick Perry from USC. Why Perry and not Massie again? It’s not because Massie was mocked to an earlier selection in Banks’ latest mock draft because his name is nowhere to be found in list of 32 mock draft picks and that means Massie has fallen into the second round and beyond list of prospects according to Banks.

Banks mocking Perry to Giants at 32 instead of Massie for a third straight mock just goes to show how difficult it is to predict what teams will pick which players since we don’t work for any of the teams in the NFL. All we can really do when talking about mock drafts is speculate which players go where or tell those listening who we’d draft if we were in charge of such a decision. That’s the main reason why I wanted to feature Banks and his mock draft prognosticating skills for a second week in a row.

One thing we do know about the Giants is that they like to go with the best player available method of draft picking/never saying no to a good DE and that seems to have influenced Banks in his mock draft version 5.0 and he even says as much when discussing his mock selection for the Giants at 32:

“The Giants have greater needs at running back, offensive tackle and inside linebacker, but Perry carries a first-round grade and New York sticks with its belief that you can never have too many quality pass rushers. Perry might even be able to play at weakside linebacker in the NFL, which would allow the Giants to shift Michael Boley to the middle.

Perry has once been featured in a previous installment of TWIMD and if you’ve forgotten about him feel free to refresh your memory. In the meantime do you think Perry will be a Giant? Should Banks of stuck with Massie or another offensive lineman? Are mock drafts worthless? Let your opinions be heard in the comments section!

It’s funny what being a champion does to you and if Osi were to stick around and be the third player in a three-man defensive end rotation to go along with Justin Tuck and Jason Pierre-Paul then the Giants would have the scariest three man D-Line rotation in all of football.

Dec 26, 2009; San Francisco, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans defensive end Nick Perry (8) before the game against the Boston College Eagles in the 2009 Emerald Bowl at AT

However, we can’t predict the future and if a team came calling on or near draft day that saw them offer the Giants a valuable draft pick for the rights to Osi GM Jerry Reese would have to at least listen.

Personally, if I was Reese, I’d keep Osi if he were to play under his remaining contract because there aren’t too many defensive ends out there better than him when he’s healthy, happy and focused. Yet, that’s not always the case with Osi and if you can trade him and get something of value in return you can always draft his potential replacement and that’s just the scenario we have lined out for you in the latest installment of ‘This Week In Mock Drafts.’

While Chris Bach of NFLGridironGab.com doesn’t come out and say outright that Osi will be gone and the Giants will draft his replacement with the 32^nd overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft he does throw out the idea that Osi is “likely leaving” and has mocked to the GMEN DE Nick Perry out of USC to take his spot on the team via the draft.

Based on the scouting report of Perry from our good friends at NFLMocks.com, which you can check out fully by clicking RIGHT HERE, we can tell you that Perry is a 6’3, 250-pound end who recorded 5 sacks and 42 tackles in 9 games for the Trojans last year. For his career he has totaled 18 sacks, 92 tackles, and 4 forced fumbles in 34 career games.

NFLMocks says that Perry has, “elite speed and explosion off stance”, to go along with “surprising strength” but that he, “struggles when run at”, with a history of injury and might need time to develop some moves.

However, Perry earned the nickname of ‘Workout Warrior’ at the 2012 NFL Combine and he now has draft pundits talking him up as a potential top 15 pick based on the following combine numbers:

• 4.64 40-yard run
• Lifted 225 pounds 35 times
• Vertical jump pf 38.5 inches
• Broad jump of 124 inches
• 7.25 3-cone drill
• 4.66 20-yard shuttle

Even if Perry is still there when the Giants are scheduled to go to the podium it’s no guarantee that they’ll be looking at D-Line but you never know who’ll still be available. If a potential top-15 pick slides to the bottom of the first round he might very well be a Giant based on the organization’s strategy of drafting the best overall player available, regardless of need.

Today is a new day and part of a new year and with the playoffs in full swing and the 2012 NFL Draft order almost complete we have a new mock draft to talk about, as Steve Wyche of NFL.com took the time out of his busy schedule to give us his thoughts about the draft as of January 17, 2012. Of course, as always, fair warning with mock drafts is always in order, as anything can happen between now and the draft in April…

(more…)

With free agency pretty much done, minus the few leftover scraps, and drafted and undrafted players signed and brought into training camps, most teams know what they will look like this upcoming season.

Before free agency started, even with Steve Smith’s injury concerns, the wideout position looked like it had some pretty good depth to it. After Smith’s departure to the supposed “Dream Team” many Giants fans and NFL scribes decided that it was now time to worry.

Not me. I think the Giants still have a great group of wideouts, led by Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham. And a couple of players behind them, especially Domenik Hixon and potentially Victor Cruz, give them a sold nucleus of receivers.

What we know right now is that Nicks and Manningham are ballers and that the Giants have a great 1-2 duo at the starting wide receiver position. Having Smith gave them a lethal 1-2-3 but he’s not here anymore and it’s time for someone else to step up and I think Hixon or Cruz will be that guy.

Then there’s a group of others including Devin Thomas, Jerrel Jernigan, Michael Clayton, Darius Reynaud and Ramses Barden who could make an impact on the depth chart behind the main four guys, depending on who makes the team and who gets cut. Barden is the one to keep a close eye on; all the talent in the world but the injuries are a major concern that could see him not even making the final 53 man roster.

Basically what I’m trying to say is that I don’t think the Giants need to draft a wide receiver next year but the columnist of today’s mock draft featured doesn’t agree me and has the Giants taking a wide receiver in the 2012 NFL Draft.

(more…)

And that’s exactly what I’m doing yet again for you loyal ‘This Week In Mock Drafts’ readers at GMEN HQ. Today’s website featured is one that many of you who have been sticking with me from the beginning are familiar with: WalterFootball.com.

Back on June 20^th I featured Walter himself from Walter Football and his mock draft from June 1 of this year. In that draft he had Notre Dame’s linebacker extraordinaire Manti Te’o going to the Giants at 22^nd overall.

This week we’ll be taking a look at contributing writer Charlie Campbell and his 2012 mock draft that he posted on August 16 of 2011 and later updated the next day.

One thing that’s different about his mock draft is who he has picking first overall. It’s not the Washington Redskins. They’re actually picking 6^th but still wind up with a quarterback: Matt Barkley out of USC. The team picking first, which would be the team that Campbell considers will finish with the worst record in the NFL is the Buffalo Bills and will have won the right to take Andrew Luck.

The Giants meanwhile come in at 26^th in Campbell’s draft, good for a second place finish in the NFC East behind the Eagles and a playoff spot. Today’s edition of  ‘This Week In Mock Drafts’ has a bit of a theme going for it and that theme, boys and girls, is familiarity.

We have a site we’ve featured before, the Redskins taking a QB, the Giants making the playoffs but not winning the NFC East and now we can add one more to that list: another linebacker mocked to the Giants.

(more…)

Knowing what players the Giants have on the roster right now makes predicting the 2012 NFL Draft that much easier for mock draft prognosticators. The draft is still a ways away but having the free agency period underway makes mocking the draft easier as certain teams start to fill needs. Up until now the main positions mock prognosticators have been targeting for the Giants have been linebacker and offensive linemen.

Now that the Giants have started bringing in free agents and locking up drafted and undrafted players the linebacker need has taken a backseat to the needs on the offensive line and this week’s mock draft featured in ‘This Week In Mock Drafts’ at GMEN HQ agrees.

(more…)

It was most definitely a busy week. I guess I should mention there was also some NFL related happenings too. Mainly that the lockout came to an end! Finally.

That’s considered big news around these parts, right? Now that that’s out of the way let’s talk about some NFL mock drafting…

(more…)

We’ve got our first repeat in today’s installment, as I’ll be taking a look at NFL Mocks’ Reggie McColgan and his updated NFL 2012 Mock Draft. I guess you could call it his 2012 NFL mock draft 2.0.

In his first mock draft, dated June 29, 2011, McColgan had the Giants taking OLB Travis Lewis from Oklahoma with the 31^st overall pick in the 2012 Draft. When it comes to his mock draft 2.0, he still has the Giants picking 31^st but by the time the Giants pick, Lewis is off the board (27^th to the Browns).

Not only does McColgan’s updated mock draft, dated July 15, 2011, have the Giants picking somebody different but he’s also expanded it to two rounds. Sure, that involves more writing by me but it’s all in the game, yo.

Are you ready for some 2012 NFL mock draft selections? I bet you are! Let’s do this…

(more…)

So, get out the soda pops, potato chips, and seedless watermelons and dig into this week’s ‘This Week In Mock Drafts.’

The next contestant on ‘This Week In Mock Drafts’ for the week of July 4, 2011, is Reggie McColgan from NFLMocks.com. Just to get this out of the way so no one accuses me of blatant homerism, NFL Mocks is a part of the FanSided network of sports blogs, which is the very same network that GMEN HQ calls home.

The mock draft that I’ll be taking a look that McColgan mocked up is from June 29, so kind of a recent one. Most of the mocks I’ve been featuring here in this column were written all the way back in May; ancient by today’s mock draft musings standards.

The order of McColgan’s 2012 NFL mock draft is based on what he describes as, “upon situation and observation on my part.” He also says to enjoy them, as do I!

(more…)