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The San Francisco). One thing is for sure – we have to find a good place to put your money!

WHAT WILL BUFFALO AND WASHINGTON DO?

The Bills are in a unique spot because they desperately need a running-back. But Marshawn Lynch is too questionable of a talent to take at twelve, while Adrian Peterson will not slip that far down the charts. So what are they going to do?

Cornerback Leon Hall will most definitely be on the board, so look for the defensively-minded Bills to keep an eye on him. But my instincts say they take a flyer on Lynch. Sometimes need overrides talent, and Lynch is the kind of gamebreaker that can outplay his current value (which in my opinion is far too low).

Washington, as I discussed in my mock-draft of the top-10, will most likely trade down. They do not have a single pick in rounds two, three and four, so they need to shore up their depth in the draft. They will take the best offer on draft day.

OFFENSE VERSUS DEFENSE?

The talent in the top-10 is heavy on offense, but after that, the attention turns to the defense. There are tons of talented linebackers, safeties, defensive backs and lineman in the first round. Furthermore, teams are becoming more defensively oriented in the league.

Bet on defensive players to start flying from the board after the likes of Quinn, Peterson, Russell and Johnson (meaning more defensive players taken then offense, for you prop monsters).

PASS, RUN OR CATCH?

This draft is curiously shallow at depth in running-back. Meanwhile, Quinn and Russell are the only two visible first-round talents at quarterback. The real stockpile is at wide-receiver.

 

Tons of teams remain skeptical about the ‘veteran’ receivers left on the market, and a lot of the athletes coming out of college have salivating potential. Guys like Dwayne Jarrett and Robert Meachem are joined by a slew of receiving talent, so look for wide-receivers to lead the way ahead of the shallow running-back and the massive drop-off in quarterback after Quinn and Russell.

SORTING OUT THE DEFENSIVE-ENDS

Ok, this has been a sore subject with me. The top three in the draft are Jamaal Anderson, Gaines Adams, Adam Carriker. Anderson is huge, explosive and a devastating tackler. Adams is the best overall athlete of the three. Carriker is a big body and a great space-eater.

So who is going first? Adams impressed at the combine and on pro days. However, he may be bitten by the Mario Williams bug. Good practices and measurables do not a high pick make!

When teams roll the game tape, they will quickly fall in love with Anderson’s exciting explosiveness. Carriker is good enough to crack the top-15, but nobody is talking about him being the game-changer that the other two are. He will likely go to a team that already has a good defense.

All that being said, Anderson will be the first to go. Adams will be taken second, then Carriker third.

PEDIGREE

Certain schools churn out better positions then others. A perfect example is Raiders taking Michael Huff last year, but he produced in a big way for the silver and black.

Aaron Ross and Michael Griffin are Texas Longhorns waiting to debut in the NFL, and teams will like the fact they have played for a school that has a reputable history in producing good secondary players.

Penn State has produced some great linebackers, so that plays in to Paul Posluszny’s favor.

SIFTING THROUGH THE RECIEVERS MESS

Aside from Calvin Johnson, the other receivers have been drafted all over the map in the latest mocks. So let me try to clarify the picture for you.

 

Ted Ginn Jr., despite injuries, is a far greater asset because of his ability to return kicks, so rate him ahead of Dwayne Bowe. Bowe outranks Robert Meachem, who is going to Tennessee no matter what anyone says. It just makes sense.

One player off the radar of most is Anthoney Gonzalez, the ‘other guy’ at Dallas will keep that in mind, considering they already have go-to guys in their systems.

The boys from USC, Dwayne Jarrett and Steve Smith, are great talents but have questionable skill sets for the NFL. Jarrett did plenty for his stock, but there are still questions about Smith. Both guys are no higher then late, late first-rounders.

As for Greg Olsen of Jets way down the board.

WHAT ABOUT THOSE BENGALS?

They are taking the player with no criminal record, and will be patting down all the draft picks as they enter the green room. Ok, just kidding. Couldn’t help but take a shot at the Bungles! Seriously though, they will probably screw up this pick. They have to keep that streak alive!

DO NOT FORGET ABOUT THE OFFENSIVE LINE!

Joe Thomas has slipped a bit on the boards, and Levi Brown has been pretty much pegged as a top-10 guy. Their stock has been hurt by guys like Robert Gallery, and the dreaded word ‘bust.’ But these guys are great talents, and when teams step away from the influence of the Hype Machine 3000, they will remember that.

Thomas was ranked as high as second on most boards, and the Lions will be hard-pressed not to take him, considering their desperate need for him. Neither will fall out of the top-10.

FORGET LAZY, PLAY THE DAMN TAPE

This is my Alan Branch rant. Branch has been sacked with a bad reputation as having a poor work ethic and being lazy. He is a 330-pound monster who can single-handedly destroy an offensive line.

Have teams watched this guy play? He is a beast! Teams will love what this guy did for Michigan. Even as a rookie, he will command two offensive lineman to defend him. I like the 49ers to grab him with the eleventh pick. No team in the top-10 is in that much need of a defensive tackle.

Ok, that is it folks! Good luck on all your betting on the best non-season day in the NFL! Hopefully your money goes the distance, and your favorite team gets the guy that can make the difference next year.

AllNFL props.