(NEW YORK – April 19, 2011) – In Sports Illustrated’s NFL Draft Preview—dated April 25 and on newsstands tomorrow—senior writer Peter King (@SI_PeterKing) predicts each of the 32 first-round selections. With the labor dispute putting free agency on hold, teams are looking more than ever to college talent to fill immediate needs, especially at the game’s most important position: quarterback.
For Baltimore Ravens' fans, King has the team selecting Colorado cornerback Jimmy Smith. In his Mock Draft, not only does King make the picks that he thinks each team will select, but then also writes on whom the team should be selecting. In the Ravens case, not only does he see the team taking Smith, but thinks that is the pick they should be making.
My issues with King's Mock Draft is that while he has the Ravens taking Jimmy Sith with the 26th pick, he has Wisconsin DE J.J. Watt remaining unavailable until the Atlanta Falcons take him with the pick right after the Ravens at #27 of the first round. Not only can I not see Watt sticking around that long, with Baltimore's GM Ozzie Newsome usually going for the 'Best Player Available,' I cannot see Watt being "passed over" by Newsome for the cornerback Smith.
See the entire story on Peter King's Mock Draft on SportsIllustrated.com.