On April 22 at 7:30 p.m. at Radio City Music Hall in New York City the St. Louis Rams will commence the 2010 National Football League Draft.
Draft picks 1-20 will be allocated for organizations that missed out on the playoffs this past season. With the next 12 picks being allocated to the franchises who saw their super bowl dreams end after losing in the 2010 playoffs.
This years draft will be the first of its kind. On July 23, 2009 the NFL adopted a new three-day format, with the first three rounds held during prime time on ESPN and NFL Network.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was quoted in his blog by saying, “We think it can be very appealing from a fan’s standpoint and an audience standpoint.”
It has been confirmed that the 2010 will have 53 non-seniors, tying an NFL draft record for the most underclassmen in a single draft. This year’s draft will consist of plenty of depth at each position. My top five players for each of the skill position are as follows:

Quarterback:
1. Sam Bradford – Oklahoma
2. Jimmy Clausen – Notre Dame
3. Dan LeFevour – Central Michigan
4. Colt McCoy – Texas
5. Tony Pike – Cincinnati

Running Back:
1. C.J. Spiller – Clemson
2. Ryan Matthews – Fresno State
3. Jonathan Dwyer – Georgia Tech
4. Jahvid Best – California
5. Dexter McCluster – Ole Miss

Wide Receiver:
1. Dez Bryant – Oklahoma State
2. Brandon LaFell – Louisiana State
3. DeMaryius Thomas – Georgia Tech
4. Arrelious Benn – Illinois
5. Mardy Gilyard – Cincinnati

Tight End:
1. Jermaine Gresham – Oklahoma
2. Aaron Hernandez – Florida
3. Rob Gronkowski – Arizona
4. Anthony McCoy – Southern California
5. Tony Moeaki – Iowa

Defensive Players:
1. Ndamukong Suh (DT) – Nebraska
2. Eric Berry (FS) – Tennessee
3. Rolando McClain (MLB) – Alabama
4. Joe Haden (CB) – Florida
5. Gerald McCoy (DT) – Oklahoma

With one of the most talented draft class in last several years, teams who are desperate will look to capitalize on the plethora of underclassmen and well deserving seniors. My mock draft for the first round looks like this:

1. St. Louis Rams – Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska
a. Even with Marc Bulger’s departure the Rams really cannot pass up Suh, his dominant rush and pass defense makes him the best defensive player in this years draft.
2. Detroit Lions – Gerald McCoy, DT, Oklahoma
a. The struggling Lions defense are in need of young, dominant tackle who can stop the run and rush the passer. If Suh is not gone, Detroit takes him in a heartbeat, but I see McCoy as their best option with Suh picked first overall.
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Eric Berry, FS, Tennessee
a. Even with the Buccaneer’s pass defense being a bright spot in their 2009-2010 campaign I believe that the Tampa Bay organization cannot pass up on a player with that kind of playmaking ability. Being compared to Baltimore’s Ed Reed, Berry goes 3rd overall.
4. Washington Redskins – Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma
a. The former Heisman Trophy winner, Sam Bradford should be brought in as the new franchise quarterback. Jason Campbell’s inconsistency forces the Redskin organization to make this pick.
5. Kansas City Chiefs – Russell Okung, OT, Oklahoma State
a. The Chiefs brought in Matt Cassel to take over as their franchise quarterback. Russell Okung could be the perfect fit in Kansas City and I am sure Cassel would like to hear Okung’s name called come April 22.

Those individuals are lucky enough to call themselves top draft picks. Below is the completion of the first round of my mock draft:

6. Seattle Seahawks – Jimmy Clausen, QB, Notre Dame
7. Cleveland Browns – Rolando McClain, MLB, Alabama
8. Oakland Raiders – Anthony Davis, OL, Rutgers
9. Buffalo Bills – Bryan Bulaga, OL, Iowa
10. Denver Broncos (from Chicago) – Dez Bryant, WR, Oklahoma State
11. Jacksonville Jaguars – Carlos Dunlap, DE, Florida
12. Miami Dolphins – Brandon LaFell, WR, Louisiana State
13. San Francisco 49ers- Joe Haden, CB, Florida
14. Seattle Seahakws (from Denver) – C.J. Spiller, RB, Clemson
15. New York Giants – Taylor Mays, S, Southern California
16. Tennessee Titans – Derrick Morgan, DE, Georgia Tech
17. San Francisco 49ers – Earl Thomas, S, Texas
18. Pittsburgh Steelers – Bruce Campbell, OL, Maryland
19. Atlanta Falcons – Sergio Kindle, OLB/DE, Texas
20. Houston Texans – Dan Williams, DT, Tennessee
21. Cincinnati Bengals - Jermaine Gresham, TE, Oklahoma
22. New England Patriots – Brandon Spikes, LB, Florida
23. Green Bay Packers – Anthony Davis, OT, Rutgers
24. Philadelphia Eagles – Jahvid Best, RB, California
25. Baltimore Ravens – Arrelious Benn, WR, Illinois
26. Arizona Cardinals – Terrence Cody, DT, Alabama
27. Dallas Cowboys – Mike Iupati, OG, Idaho
28. San Diego Chargers – Ryan Matthews, RB, Fresno State
29. New York Jets – DeMaryius Thomas, WR, Georgia Tech
30. Minnesota Vikings – Dan LeFevour, QB, Central Michigan
31. Indianapolis Colts – Sean Weatherspoon, LB, Missouri
32. New Orleans Saints – Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, South Florida