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2010 NFL Mock Draft (UPDATED 2/9): Round 1 /Picks 17-32 /Round 2 /Round 3/Round 4
Other 2010 Mock Drafts: Matt McGuire (1/20 - 2 Rounds)
2011 NFL Mock Draft (UPDATED 1/22): Round 1 /Picks 17-32
2010 NFL Draft Prospects | 2010 NFL Free Agents and Beyond
(More links to previous years at the bottom of this page)

2010 NFL Mock Draft: Round 1 - Picks 17-32

Last update: Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2010 - Changes in all rounds.
Next update: TBA

This order is based on the official 7-Round 2010 NFL Draft Order and the NFL Strength of Schedule.

2010 NFL Mock Draft: Round 1, Picks 1-16

San Francisco 49ers: Trent Williams, OT, Oklahoma

The 49ers have a huge hole at right tackle. Tony Pashos was out for the year, while Adam Snyder allowed 9.5 sacks. Finding an upgrade here is San Francisco's greatest priority.

Pittsburgh Steelers: Dan Williams, NT, Tennessee

Casey Hampton will be 33 in September. He's still an effective player, but he's not the dynamic force he once was. Hampton is also a free agent, and while he could be franchised, Pittsburgh will be looking for a long-term replacement.

Dan Williams had an incredible Senior Bowl week. He looked great in practice and commanded double teams during the game. He would be a great nose tackle of the future for the Steelers.

Atlanta Falcons: Sean Weatherspoon, OLB, Missouri

Mike Peterson, 34 in June, started off the season pretty well at weakside linebacker, but predictably wore down the stretch.

The Falcons need help in their linebacking corps. Not only was Sean Weatherspoon the vocal leader of the North team in the Senior Bowl, he also made several outstanding plays during the game, pretty much cementing his first-round status. Weatherspoon is the type of leader Atlanta's defense needs.

Houston Texans: Earl Thomas, FS, Texas

Houston's primary goal is to beat the Colts. They came close twice this year, but ultimately failed because of missed field goals and sloppy turnovers. However, their inability to stop Peyton Manning didn't help matters. In those two contests, Manning was a combined 61-of-85, 562 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions.

Free safety isn't Houston's biggest need, but the position can be upgraded. And besides, Earl Thomas is the type of ballhawking free safety that could get the Texans one step closer to finally defeating Manning.

Cincinnati Bengals: Arrelious Benn, WR, Illinois

Aside from a fluky blowout over the Bears, the Bengals failed to score more than 24 points in a single game since Oct. 4. Part of the problem is the lack of a competent No. 2 receiver across from Chad Ochocinco, and this issue was clearly evident in the team's inexplicable loss to the Jets.

Arrelious Benn is a very talented receiver, but has lapses with effort and tends to drop a lot of passes. The Bengals would still consider him in the first round because they don't put much stock into character and effort.

New England Patriots: Jermaine Gresham, TE, Oklahoma

Ben Watson probably won't be back. If that's the case, and the Patriots have the opportunity to draft Jermaine Gresham, I have to believe that they'll take it. Gresham, a first-round talent who could fall because of his knee injury, would be yet another dynamic weapon for Tom Brady to have at his disposal. If Wes Welker isn't ready by the start of the 2010 season, Brady will need someone talented to work with besides Randy Moss.

Jerry Hughes would appear to be an option, but it's worth noting that Bill Belichick has never spent a first-round pick on a rush linebacker. Belichick is smart, and knows that rush linebackers have extremely high bust rates because they didn't play the position in college, making the transition to the pros a very taxing one. And by the way, Belichick spent two first-round selections on tight ends in the last decade (Daniel Graham, Ben Watson).

Green Bay Packers: Charles Brown, OT, USC

Aaron Rodgers received much better pass protection since losing to the Buccaneers, but things ultimately fell apart in Arizona. Relying on Chad Clifton to protect Rodgers' blind side for another year is not a good idea. Green Bay's No. 1 priority this offseason is finding a top-notch left tackle for Rodgers. Ted Thompson usually opts to draft the best player available, and you can make the argument that Brown fits that distinction here.

Philadelphia Eagles: Carlos Dunlap, DE, Florida

Andy Reid loves drafting linemen on both sides of the ball, and the Eagles will be looking for an upgrade over mediocre left end Victor Abiamiri this offseason.

Carlos Dunlap lacks consistent effort and was charged with DUI recently, so there's a chance he could fall out of the first round. However, Andy Reid seems to be on a mission to redeem every single football player in America, and given his new (unwarranted) contract extension, Big Red can afford to take a chance on a high-upside, low-effort guy like Dunlap.

Baltimore Ravens: Damian Williams, WR, USC

If available, Jermaine Gresham is an option because Todd Heap is unreliable. However, Mark Clayton has been so inconsistent that he would force my hand anyway. If Derrick Mason retires, Joe Flacco will have absolutely no one to work with. Cornerback is also an option.

Arizona Cardinals: Brandon Graham, DE/OLB, Michigan

Arizona compiled 43 sacks on the year, but only a few came from the rush linebackers. The leader in that department was Bert Berry, a 35-year-old free agent who had six sacks. After that, 33-year-old Clark Haggans notched five sacks, followed by Chike Okeafor's 4.5. Okeafor, 34, is also a free agent.

The Cardinals spent a second-round pick on Cody Brown last year, but he hasn't played a single down in the NFL because of a wrist injury.

Clearly, rush linebacker is a dire need for Arizona this offseason - and this was evident before the Cardinals couldn't put any pressure on Drew Brees in their playoff loss.

This may seem a bit low for Brandon Graham, who had an incredible Senior Bowl. Two things to consider here: First, at 6-1, Graham could struggle as a 4-3 end in the NFL, so he's a much better fit in the 3-4. And second, teams are much more hesitant to take rush linebackers now because the conversion is so unpredictable. Just look at last year's results - no one in the top 15 selections took a rush linebacker. The Chargers (No. 16), Broncos (18) and Packers (26) went with one, but only Green Bay's selection (Clay Matthews) has panned out thus far.

It wasn't just last year; in 2008, the Jets were burnt by Gholston. They were the only team to gamble on a rush linebacker in the first round. I think some of these 3-4 guys will take a tumble come April.

Dallas Cowboys: Mike Iupati, G, Idaho

E-mailer Austin W. pointed out that the Cowboys have never spent a first-round pick on an offensive lineman since Jerry Jones bought the team in 1989. This was a solid point, but upon doing some research, I discovered that Dallas actually did use the No. 29 overall selection on guard Steve Wisniewski 21 years ago (back then, that pick was a second-rounder. So, will the difference between pick Nos. 29 and 27 prevent Jones from drafting Mike Iupati? I don't think so.

Iupati makes too much sense here. He's the type of mauling offensive lineman Dallas loves to have up front. The Cowboys need help at the position. It's a perfect match, and I found it highly amusing that the Dallas Morning News reported that the entire Cowboys coaching staff "perked up" when Iupati's name was announced for the Senior Bowl Weigh-Ins.

Iupati had a great week of Senior Bowl practices, but he really struggled in pass protection during the game. He has a ton of upside, but he's still raw. I'd be surprised to see him go much higher than this (i.e. No. 17 to the 49ers).

San Diego Chargers: Jared Odrick, DE/DT, Penn State

Outside of Luis Castillo, who has missed 16 games the past four years, the Chargers don't have much at defensive end. Jared Odrick is a first-round talent, but he has some off-the-field incidents in his past (nothing too major) that might drag him into Round 2. However, A.J. Smith has shown that he's willing to take risks in the NFL Draft (Castillo, Antonio Cromartie).

Pick change; previously Terrence Cody, NT

New York Jets: Jerry Hughes, DE/OLB, TCU

The Jets' top priority this offseason will be finding upgrades at the defensive end and rush linebacker positions. To get past the Colts, they'll need to get to Peyton Manning without exposing their secondary.

It's really amazing that Vernon Gholston has yet to register a single sack in his NFL career. You'd think he'd get one by accident or something. If no CBA is reached and 2010 is an uncapped year, Gholston will be cut without any sort of cap penalty.

Pick change; previously Jared Odrick, DE/DT

Minnesota Vikings: Donovan Warren, CB, Michigan

As if literally fumbling away the NFC Championship wasn't enough, the Vikings lost Cedric Griffin to a torn ACL. Griffin probably won't be ready for the season opener, which means that the cornerback position becomes one of Minnesota's biggest priorities this offseason.

Indianapolis Colts: Everson Griffen, DE, USC

Defensive end isn't a huge need for the Colts right now, but it will be a year from now when Raheem Brock and Robert Mathis are both free agents.

With that in mind, Bill Polian is one of the smartest general managers in the NFL. Getting Everson Griffen this late in the first round provides incredible value. And there's definitely nothing wrong with having tons of depth on the defensive line - the Colts certainly could have used that in the Super Bowl.

Pick change; previously Lamarr Houston, DT

New Orleans Saints: Corey Wootton, DE, Northwestern

Charles Grant is not expected back with the Saints next year. Grant, 31, had just 5.5 sacks this season and is set to make $4 million in 2010.

Having a potent pass-rusher across from Will Smith and next to Sedrick Ellis would take New Orleans' defense to another level.

Pick change; previously Everson Griffen, DE

2010 NFL Mock Draft - Round 2

2010 NFL Mock Draft - Round 3

2010 NFL Mock Draft - Round 4

Back to 2010 NFL Mock Draft: Picks 1-16

2010 NFL Free Agents - Feb. 9

2010 NFL Mock Draft - Feb. 9

Matt McGuire's 2010 NFL Mock Draft - Feb. 4

2010 NFL Draft Prospect Rankings - Jan. 31

2010 NBA Mock Draft - Jan. 30

2011 NFL Mock Draft - Jan. 22

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