Roger Goodell strides to the mock podium with a mock draft card in hand and mockingly says:
With the 30th selection in the 2011 Daily Norseman Community Mock Draft, the New York Jets select...
Justin Houston, DE, Georgia:
Mock Jets Fan #1: BOOOOO!!!! JETS SUCK!
Mock Jets Fan #2: BOOOOO!!!! JETS SUCK!
Mock Jets Fan #3: BOOOOO!!!! JETS SUCK!
Mock Jets Fan #4: BOOOOO!!!! JETS SUCK!
Mock Jets Fan #5: BOOOOO!!!! JETS SUCK!
Mock Jets Fan #6: BOOOOO!!!! JETS SUCK!
Mock Jets Fan #1,712: BOOOOO!!!! JETS SUCK!
You get the idea. This isn't a bad pick for the Jets; Houston will replace Vernon Gholston, a former first round draft pick that registered as many sacks in three years with the Jets that I did. Yes, that's right, this former Ohio State prodigy--Gholston, not me (didn't think I'd mention that, did you?) didn't get one sack in his NFL career. Terrible, just terrible. Houston is a good player, and if he is available at #30, he would be an absolute steal for the Jets here.
And whatever he does, it can't be worse than what Gholston did.
So now we move on to the Super Bowl runner up, and a team I was a fan of for one game last year, the Pittsburgh Steelers.
If you make the Super Bowl, you really don't have any glaring weaknesses, unless you consider 'bathrooms' a 'weakness' for Ben Roethlisberger.
Aaron Rodgers really exposed the Steelers secondary in the Super Bowl, so that seems to me to be the biggest need. RB depth is also a possibility, and if Big Ben's Little Ben gets him in any more trouble, he could run afoul of the league's conduct policy and be suspended for another stint of games, so a project-type guy at quarterback could be a possibility. I'd call that a longshot, though, as the Steelers are pretty high on Dennis Dixon, and have the capable and ageless Charlie Batch as the primary backup. WR Hines Ward is also getting up there, and his future replacement could also be an option.
The Steelers are a lot like the Patriots for me in that they really never have any glaring needs, and they do a pretty good job of picking whoever the best player available is and plugging them in to where they're needed. Mike Tomlin has proven to be a very capable coach, and regardless of who the Steelers draft, look for them to be on the short list of Super Bowl contenders in 2011.
Picks Thus Far
- Carolina Panthers - Cam Newton, quarterback, Auburn
- Denver Broncos - Patrick Peterson, cornerback, LSU
- Buffalo Bills - Marcell Dareus, defensive tackle, Alabama
- Cincinnati Bengals - Blaine Gabbert, quarterback, Missouri
- Arizona Cardinals - Von Miller, linebacker, Texas A&M
- Cleveland Browns - A.J. Green, wide receiver, Georgia
- San Francisco 49ers - Prince Amukamara, cornerback, Nebraska
- Tennessee Titans - Nick Fairley, defensive tackle, Auburn
- Dallas Cowboys - Tyron Smith, offensive tackle, USC
- Washington Redskins - Julio Jones, wide receiver, Alabama
- Houston Texans - Da'Quan Bowers, defensive end, Clemson
- Minnesota Vikings - Jake Locker, quarterback, Washington
- Detroit Lions - Robert Quinn, defensive end, North Carolina
- St. Louis Rams - Cameron Jordan, defensive end, California
- Miami Dolphins - Mark Ingram, running back, Alabama
- Jacksonville Jaguars - J.J. Watt, defensive end, Wisconsin
- New England Patriots - Aldon Smith, defensive end/outside linebacker, Missouri
- San Diego Chargers - Ryan Kerrigan, defensive end, Purdue
- New York Giants - Mike Pouncey, offensive guard, Florida
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Adrian Clayborn, defensive end, Iowa
- Kansas City Chiefs - Anthony Castonzo, offensive tackle, Boston College
- Indianapolis Colts - Nate Solder, offensive tackle, Colorado
- Philadelphia Eagles - Gabe Carimi, offensive tackle, Wisconsin
- New Orleans Saints - Akeem Ayers, outside linebacker, UCLA
- Seattle Seahawks - Ryan Mallett, quarterback, Arkansas
- Baltimore Ravens - Jimmy Smith, cornerback, Colorado
- Atlanta Falcons - Cameron Heyward, defensive end, Ohio State
- New England Patriots - Derek Sherrod, offensive tackle, Mississippi State
- Chicago Bears - Corey Liuget, defensive tackle, Illinois
- New York Jets - Justin Houston, defensive end, Georgia