My 2012 Mock Draft

So it's draft day in the NFL and its time for me to put my neck on the line and show you my Mock Draft. I've changed my mind almost every day so I don't expect my late first round picks to be right but I'm confident I have the top 10 pretty close.

There is guaranteed to be some teams trading up in to the top 10 to grab someone they like who is still available, which will undoubtedly ruin most peoples draft boards but there's no trading aloud in a Mock draft so here's my attempts and let me know what you think!

2012 Draft Picks 1-5

The 2012 Draft is nearly here with just over 24 hours to go till it all kicks off at Motor City, New York. This years draft is as intriguing as any other. The NFL world are 99.9999% sure The colts are taking Luck with thenumber one over all pick unless he was to get hurt between now and the draft. (someone keep a close eye on RG3 and Ryan Tannehill) The Washington Redkins have traded up to the number 2 spot to snatch their future QB which is going to be Robert Griffin III. Pick 3 is where things may get interesting and if they don't pick 4 could have even more upsets so lets take a look at some options!

The Minnesota Vikings have pick 3 in this years draft do a poor season where there star running back Adrain Peterson was injured for six games and was not fully fit for the majority. Many people think they will take Matt Kalil from USC, he is a 6ft6, 306lb offensive tackle and is by far the best offensive lineman in the draft. He would immediately fill a big void for the Vikings and help give Christian Ponder, who is still very much a developing QB more time in the pocket to pick his passes and get that offence moving. There is a chance however they may take CB Morris Claiborne and this would mess with many peoples draft boards. Corner back is a need for the Vikings and they have to improve their pass defence next season, this would be a great start. He was rated the top defensive back in college last year and is the stand out CB in the 2012 draft.

Pick number 4 is where things start to get interesting. the Cleveland Browns are in the clock for this pick and they have a number of needs and options open to them but with them scoring less then 14 points a game last season they have to chose a game changer with this pick. The browns have two picks in the first round and will be looking to add players in skill positions who can put points on the board, that gives the browns three options.

1. QB- They could take Ryan Tannehill or Brandon Weedon to fight for the starting job with current QB Colt McCoy.
2. RB- The firm belief here is the Browns will take Trent Richardson. He is the top running back in the draft and will probably be in the top 10 in his position by the end of this year.
3. WR- They need weapons and the jury is out on who is the best receiver in the draft so they may take either Justin Blackmon or Malcolm Floyd, however I do think they will use their late first round pick on a receiver as WR has more depth in this years draft.

The 5th Pick goes to Tampa Bay and they will be hoping Trent Richardson slips to 5 but he probably won't. the most likely pick here is Morris Claiborne. as mentioned before he is a special talent at corner back and will improve any defence he starts for. with the Buccs not knowing if Aqib Talib's felony charge will stand they will look to add talent and depth at corner and take Claiborne off the board. If however the Vikings surprise everyone and take Claiborne at 3 don't be surprised to see Fletcher Cox taken by the Buccs. He is the top defensive tackle in the draft and will be a starter from week 1.

That's how I see the first five picks going in this years draft and tomorrow I will be posting my mock draft. I have set up a league on nfl.com so if you want to give your own Mock Draft a go click on http://predictpick.nfl.com sign up and join Lloydys League, passwords: football and see how you get on.

2012 Schedules

So at midnight last night UK the 2012 schedules were released and here is what Week 1 is going to look like!

Full schedule can be seen @ http://www.nfl.com/schedules

If your unsure about how the schedules are decided please look at back at my previous blog http://nflthreenout.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/nfl-today.html

So although we have to wait until September for the season to start I have decided to look at how the schedules will affect the team you support. Strength of schedule is taking a look at the average win percentage of the 16 teams you will face in the upcoming season, from this we can determine who statistically has the hardest and easiest schedules for 2012.

The image on the left is the schedule strengths for the 2012 upcoming season, and as you can see it hasn't been king to the current Super Bowl champs the New York Giants, as they have been given the toughest schedule.
Peyton Manning isn't going to be happy in his new role as the new Broncos QB, they have the second toughest schedule so John Elway is going to be praying that Manning is all healed up and is worth all the money they have thrown his way.

The team with the easiest 2012 schedule is the New England Patriots, with the Pats only missing the Play off's once in the last 10 years you would expect them to be there again at the end of 2012.
The second easiest goes to the Green Bay Packers, one of the top teams in the NFC with Aaron Rodgers at QB they should also ease in to the Play off's come the end of the season.




Looking at schedule strengths and the how teams are shaping up for the 2012 season I am going to stick my neck on the line and predict who I believe will make the Play off's by the end of the season.

AFC                                       NFC
1. Texans                               1. Packers
2. Patriots                             2. 49ers
3. Ravens                               3. Eagles
4. Broncos                            4. Falcons
5. Bengals                              5. Saints
6. Steelers                             6. Giants



If that was the play off picture come the end of the season i'll see the play off's being:

Texans vs Patriots AFC championship game
Eagles vs Packers NFC championship game

Super Bowl 2013

Houston Texans vs Philadelphia Eagles

Let me know what you think of the schedules and my very quick predictions for the 2012 season.... there is still a lot of things that will change between now and Week 1 with the upcoming draft and possible trades, also the possibility of injuries to big named players. My mind will probably change on a regular basis about next seasons Play off picture so let me know what your predictions are in the comments below!

Best QB poll

This is just a quick post update to reveal the poll winner for the question:

Who is the best QB in the NFL?


1. Peyton Manning
2. Mike Vick
3.Tom Brady
3. Drew Brees
3. Aaron Rodgers


Having a whole year out didn't stop Manning topping the poll and when he is fit it's hard to argue otherwise, a surprise second was Mike Vick one of the most exciting players to watch in the NFL, its hard to gage whether it's for his entertainment value or his talent but as an Eagles fan I won't argue! The third spot is a three way tie from the other QB's in the poll.

So what are your thoughts? should anyone be on the list who isn't? and which QB do you think will have the best season next year? let me know your thoughts and look out for my Luck vs RG3 post in a few days as we build up to the 2012 Draft!

Leave a comment and hopefully we can get a bit of a debate going.

New NFL Nike Jerseys

So its time, Today is the day Nike have unveiled the new Jerseys for each of the 32 teams. Reebok previously held the contract but as of April 1st 2012 it changed to Nike and this is what the jerseys look like for each of the 32 teams hope you enjoy!

ARIZONA CARDINALS 

ATLANTA FALCONS

BALTIMORE RAVENS

BUFFALO BILLS

CAROLINA PANTHERS

CHICAGO BEARS

CINCINNATI BENGALS

CLEVELAND BROWNS

DALLAS COWBOYS

DENVER BRONCOS

DETROIT LIONS

GREEN BAY PACKERS

HOUSTON TEXANS

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS 

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

MIAMI DOLPHINS

MINNESOTA VIKINGS 

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

NEW YORK GIANTS

NEW YORK JETS

OAKLAND RAIDERS

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

PITTSBURGH STEELERS

SAN DIEGO CHARGERS

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

ST LOUIS RAMS

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

TENNESSEE TITANS

WASHINGTON REDSKINS

AS YOU CAN SEE MOST OF THE UNIFORMS ARE VERY SIMILAR TO THEIR OLD DESIGNS, THE BIG CHANGES ARE WITH THE SEAHAWKS. THE MATERIAL IS LIGHTER SO WILL BENEFIT THE PLAYERS OUT ON THE FIELD.  

HERE IS A PICTURE OF THE NEW GLOVES THE PLAYERS WILL ALL BE WEARING NEXT SEASON TO! 




Leave a comment on what you think of the new look!


pictures courtesy of @uniwatch