As we get into the late stages of the first round, fringe playoff teams will be looking for that extra piece to put them over the edge and turn them into a Super Bowl contender.
21. Kansas City Chiefs – Phil Taylor – DT, Baylor – Scott Pioli and Todd Haley have a very young and dangerous team on their hands in Kansas City. After strong drafts in 2009 and 2010, the Chiefs took the next step and made the playoffs last season. With an offense that centers around Dwayne Bowe, Matt Cassel and Jamaal Charles, the Chiefs are set on that side of the ball. The logical pick here would be to put a big piece in the middle of their defensive line to go with LSU bookends Glenn Dorsey and Tyson Jackson. That piece is Phil Taylor. Taylor is a massive run-stopping force at 6’3 334 lbs and should push Kansas City even closer to being a perennial contender in the AFC. His sheer size should be enough to overwhelm any concerns regarding his character or the fact that he only had one year of elite production.
22. Indianapolis Colts – Gabe Carimi – OT, Wisconsin – Indianapolis will almost certainly draft an offensive lineman here as their current line is aging and protecting Peyton Manning has been and remains the team’s top priority. I believe it will come down to Carimi and Boston College’s Anthony Castonzo. Both are strong prospects with similar size, but I believe Carimi has better instincts and is better in pass protection than Castonzo. Carimi is an intelligent player who is consistently strong in run blocking and will undoubtedly benefit from playing in Indianpolis’ system and not immediately needing to step into a starting role.
23. Philadelphia Eagles – Jimmy Smith – CB, Colorado – The Eagles need secondary help, badly. Philadelphia ranked second to last in the NFL in passing TDs allowed last season with 31 and did not rank in the top-10 in any defensive passing category. Aside from Asante Samuel, they do not have any one reliabile at the cornerback position. With Peterson and Amukamara off the board, the Eagles will have to go with Colorado’s Jimmy Smith to help their pass defense right away. Smith is a good cover corner with nice size (6’2) and can also provide help in run defense. The Eagles do have other needs, but Smith addresses their biggest one first.
24. New Orleans Saints – Martez Wilson – LB, Illinois – New Orleans is only two years removed from a Super Bowl title and have the luxury of being able to draft a player they can sit on for a year or two, which is why they reach and take Martez Wilson here. Wilson has the kind of speed (4.44 40-yard-dash) and size needed (6’4 250 lbs.) to be a very good linebacker in either a 3-4 or 4-3. The issue with him is that he does not possess any elite pass-rushing skills coming out of college and his footwork in pass-coverage will need some adjustment. He’s a project, but there is enough upside here that the Saints can turn him into a force in their defensive front seven.
25. Seattle Seahawks – Jake Locker – QB, Washington – A hometown pick, Locker addresses a huge need for the Seahawks who managed to sneak into the playoffs despite a 7-9 record. Locker would have been a top-10 pick last year had he come out, but his eventual decision to return to Washington cost him millions of dollars because he took a step back and is now subject to the new rookie salary scale that is going to be in place with the new CBA (hopefully). Locker has some experience in a West Coast system, has decent mobility, and despite his regression in 2010, he looked impressive enough in the Senior Bowl that teams are back on his bandwagon.
