NFL Mock Draft: Chargers Select Whitney Mercilus

Dec 31, 2011; San Francisco CA, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini defensive lineman Whitney Mercilus (85) is blocked by UCLA Bruins offensive tackle Mike Harris (65) during the second quarter at AT

Combines are done and we have seen some player movement in free agency. Time to put together another mock draft.

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Here is my latest Mock Draft:

1. Indianapolis ColtsAndrew LuckQB, StanfordPeyton Manning gone and now the new Luck era begins.

2. Washington RedskinsRobert Griffin IIIQB, BaylorTrade 3 first round picks for the quarterback that they wanted

3. Minnesota VikingsMatt KalilOT, USCTime to fix up that offensive line and protect Christian Ponder

4. Cleveland Browns Trent RichardsonRB, AlabamaPeyton Hillis is gone and need to fix the running game

5. Tampa Bay BuccaneersMorris ClaiborneCB, LSUThey weren’t able to bring in Cortland Finnegan and had to settle for Eric Wright. They find their other corner here.

6. St. Louis RamsJonathan MartinOT, StanfordAny other team, I would have gone with Justin Blackmon, but for some reason think Jeff Fisher would go with -line first

7. Jacksonville JaguarsJustin BlackmonWR, Oklahoma StateThe Jags need help at receiver in a bad way and they luck out with Blackmon falling to them.

8. Carolina PanthersMelvin IngramDE, South CarolinaThe Carolina Chargers pick up all the players we used to have or players we want, so they will take Ingram with this pick.

9. Miami DolphinsMichael FloydWR, Notre DameAfter trading away Brandon Marshall, they are in serious need of a wide receiver

10. Buffalo BillsQuinton CoplesDE, North CarolinaThey signed Mario Williams, but still need help on the defensive side.

11. Kansas City ChiefsDavid DeCastroOG, StanfordThey just picked up an offensive tackle and now need to fill the interior of the line

12. Seattle SeahawksMichael BrockersDT, LSUThey picked up Matt Flynn, so they don’t need to look Ryan Tannehill’s way. Now they go toward the defense.

13. Arizona CardinalsRiley ReiffOT, IowaHave to protect their golden quarterback Peyton Manning Kevin Kolb

14. Dallas CowboysPeter KonzC, WisconsinThey need interior lineman and select best center avaialable

15. Philadelphia EaglesLuke KuechlyLB, Boston CollegeMiddle linebacker was their weakest spot last season and they select the tackling machine

16. New York JetsDontari PoeDT, MemphisHis combine shot him up the draft and into Rex Ryan’s house

17. Cincinnati Bengals (from Oakland)Dre KirkpatrickCB, AlabamaThey needed to upgrade their secondary and pick up Kirkpatrick

18. San Diego ChargersWhitney MercilusDE/OLB, IllinoisThe choice will be between Courtney Upshaw, Whitney Mercilus and Nick Perry and we take the one-year wonder.

19. Chicago BearsCourtney UpshawLB, AlabamaOne of the best players on the board is Upshaw and they can’t let him slide any further20. Tennessee TitansAndre BranchDE/OLB, ClemsonMore pass rush

21. Cincinnati BengalsMark BarronS, AlabamaThey bring in both guys from the Alabama secondary onto their roster

22. Cleveland Browns (from Atlanta)Kendall WrightWR, BaylorAdding another fast receiver onto the roster

23. Detroit LionsJanoris JenkinsCB, Northern AlabamaThey lost Eric Wright and need to fill the hole in the secondary

24. Pittsburgh SteelersNick PerryDE, USCPerry gets to have his hand on the ground and pass rushing for the Steelers

25. Denver BroncosDwayne AllenTE, ClemsonNeed to get more weapons for Peyton

26. Houston TexansFletcher CoxDT, Mississippi StateI just can’t help but think that Wade Phillips will get them to select more defense

27. New England Patriots (from New Orleans)Devon StillDL, Penn StateDefense, defense, defense!! That’s what their draft will be about.

28. Green Bay PackersJerel WorthyDT, Michigan StateNeed more help on their defensive front

29. Baltimore RavensDont’a HightowerLB, AlabamaLooking to bring some youth to the defense

30. San Francisco 49ersMike AdamsOT, Ohio StateGotta protect Peyton… wait did that alredy

31. New England Patriots Alfonzo DennardCB, NebraskaStill defense, defense, defense

23. New York GiantsDavid WilsonRB, Virginia TechTheir fat running back is gone and they need depth behind Ahmad Bradshaw

Based on what we have done in free agency (so far), we will need to go heavy on the defensive side of the ball with this draft. First we need to pick up that pass rusher that AJ prioritized in the off-season, then we need to work on that secondary.

Whitney Mercilus might has been known as a one-year wonder, but he looks like a freak athlete and looks like he can continue his success in the NFL. He has a lot of speed off the edge and has great balance to get to the quarterback.

He could work in the mix on the outside with Jarret Johnson, Antwan Barnes and Shaun Phillips. Eventually, he could take over SP’s spot on the roster. He could be thrown on the field during passing downs and asked to chase the quarterback. Barnes, Phillips and Mercilus all on the field at the same time could be a nightmare for opposing defenses.