We had another very, very close race in the poll for this draft selection. There were 645 votes cast, and by a margin of of 230 to 224 over runner-up Marcell Dareus, I am proud to announce that. . .
With the second pick in the 2011 Daily Norseman Community Mock Draft, the Denver Broncos select. . .
Patrick Peterson, cornerback, Louisiana State University
If that were to happen in the real world draft, it would be the highest pick a cornerback has ever been selected at. As of now, the highest a corner has ever been drafted is number three, where the Seattle Seahawks took Ohio State cornerback Shawn Springs in 1997.
So now, it's time to move on to the Buffalo Bills, one of the more interesting destinations in the early stages of the draft.
The Bills are another team that could go in a couple of different directions in this year's draft, and the big question they need to ask themselves, in my opinion, is how much they trust Ryan Fitzpatrick as their starting quarterback. Fitzpatrick is a bit of a journeyman, as the Bills are his third team since being drafted out of. . .sniff. . .Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaarvard by the St. Louis Rams in the seventh round of the 2005 Draft. All things considered, Fitzpatrick had a pretty good season for the Bills, throwing for exactly 3,000 yards and 23 touchdowns. However, he's not exactly a spring chicken, and the Bills could just be looking for Fitzgerald to hold down the fort for a year or two while a younger quarterback is groomed for the future. The Bills could use help on their offensive line, too, although I don't think there's an offensive line prospect in this year's draft worth anything near the third overall selection.
However, the Bills could also be looking to upgrade their defense because. . .well, like our last drafters, the Denver Broncos, Buffalo's defense was terrible in 2010. They were 28th in the NFL in points allowed, and dead last in rushing defense, as they gave up more than two hundred yards on the ground in eight of their 16 games. They also registered only 27 sacks on the year, and 2009 first-round pick Aaron Maybin is looking more and more like a flop. The Bills play a 3-4 defense, and Kyle Williams was outstanding for most of last season, but he was eventually getting constant double and triple teams, and nobody else seemed to want to take advantage.
So, the Bills have an interesting selection in front of them, and a lot of outstanding talent in front of them to choose from. Which direction do you think they should go?
Picks Thus Far
Carolina Panthers - Cam Newton, QB, Auburn
Denver Broncos - Patrick Peterson, CB, LSU