We always look forward to Rick Gosselin's final mock draft due to the accuracy he has had in the past. While his first six picks seem pretty standard with what others have been projecting, there are plenty of surprises later in his mock, including the fact that he has five quarterbacks being taken within the first twelve picks! Like Kiper, he thinks wide receiver Julio Jones will go to the Browns:
The Browns need a lead receiver to accelerate the development of QB Colt McCoy. Voila — Jones was a walk-in starter at Alabama, and he’ll be a walk-in starter at Cleveland. He averaged almost 15 yards per career catch. (Team needs: WR, CB, OT, DE)
When it comes to the quarterbacks, he has the following being drafted in round one:
- No. 1: Cam Newton (Carolina Panthers)
- No. 7: Blaine Gabbert (San Francisco 49ers)
- No. 8: Jake Locker (Tennessee Titans)
- No. 10: Christian Ponder (Washington Redskins)
- No. 12: Andy Dalton (Minnesota Vikings)
Also falling on his list are Nick Fairley (No. 13 to the Detroit Lions) and Robert Quinn (No. 20 to Tampa Bay).
The first round of the 2011 NFL Draft starts at 8 p.m. (ET) on Thursday, April 28th and SB Nation has everything you need to prepare for it - NFL mock drafts, draft projections, scouting reports, the full NFL draft order and more. Check it all out at SB Nation's NFL Draft Hub and our NFL Draft blog Mocking the Draft.