Behind the Steel Curtain Late-February 2011 NFL Mock Draft: Round 3 of 7

Two rounds down, five still remain in big_jay71's comprehensive, seven round 2011 NFL Mock Draft. Be sure to check out Rounds 1 and 2 before moving onto Round 3 if you haven't already done so.The remaining rounds four rounds will be posted in pairs of two before the end of the day. Huge props to Jay for the outstanding work.

Round One

Round Two

 

Round Three

65. Carolina Panthers - Marvin Austin DT, North Carolina
Carolina needs multiple DT's. Austin has first round talent but apparently his personality has turned some people off. In the third round though he's too good to pass up here. If they take Nick Fairley with the first overall pick look for Carolina to take the best available WR like Boise State's Austin Pettis or Troy's Jerrel Jernigan.

 

66. Cincinnati Bengals - DeAndre McDaniel S, Clemson
Roy Williams is a huge liability in coverage.

 

67. Denver Broncos - Ras-I Dowling CB/S, Virginia
Even if they take Patrick Peterson in the first round they'll still need another CB to replace Perrish Cox who is looking at serious jail time, if not just a suspension. Dowling may not have the speed to play CB in the pros but he has the skill to play SS and replace Brian Dawkins who just can't cover like he used to anymore.

 

68. Buffalo Bills - Colin Kaepernick QB, Nevada
Kaepernick is the prefect fit for Coach Chan Gailey's offense with his running ability and strong arm.

 

69. Arizona Cardinals - Deunta Williams FS, North Carolina
Williams doesn't fill a huge need but he would be the BPA and be an upgrade over Kerry Rhodes.

 

70. Cleveland Browns - Pernell McPhee DE, Mississippi State
The Browns will need DE's to make the switch to the 4-3 defense.

 

71. Dallas Cowboys - Rashad Carmichael CB, Virginia Tech
Mike Jenkins is awful and Terrence Newman will be 33 years old at the start of the 2011 season.

 

72. New Orleans Saints (via Washington Redskins) - Greg Jones OLB, Michigan State
Scott Shanle needs to be replaced and Jones is the perfect WLB.

 

73. Houston Texans - Jerrell "Boom Boom" Powe NT, Ole' Miss.
The Texans need a NT for their conversion to the 3-4 defense.

 

74. New England Patriots (via Minnesota Vikings) - Jerrel Jernigan WR, Troy
New England needs someone who can stretch the field vertically.

 

75. Detroit Lions - Robert Sands SS, West Virginia
The Lions need someone to pair with FS Louis Delmas.

 

76. San Francisco 49ers - Christian Ballard DE/DT, Iowa
S.F. could use an upgrade over Isaac Sopoaga.

 

77. Tennessee Titans - Quan Sturdivant LB, North Carolina
The Titans will most likely not resign Stephen Tulloch.

 

78. St. Louis Rams - Jurrell Casey DT, USC
Gary Gibson needs to be replaced, he just isn't big enough to play on running downs.

 

79. Miami Dolphins - Luke Stocker TE, Tennessee
Anthony Fasano just isn't cutting it.

 

80. Jacksonville Jaguars - Randall Cobb WR/RB/PR, Kentucky
Mike Sims-Walker is a free agent and will probably not resign. Cobb is a speedy, do it all type of back like Dexter McCluster.

 

81. Oakland Raiders - Orlando Franklin OG/OT, Miami
Robert Gallery and Langston Walker are both free agents.

 

82. San Diego Chargers - Allen Bailey DE, Miami
The Chargers need to replace Jacques Cesaire. Bailey had an awful Senior Bowl but his athleticism is too much to pass up here.

 

83. New York Giants - Jake Kirkpatrick OC, TCU
Shaun O'Hara will be a 34 year old free agent next offseason.

 

84. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Clint Boling OG/OT, UGA
Tampa has a hole at LG and could use an upgrade over Jeremy Trueblood at RT.

 

85. Philadelphia Eagles - Shareece Wright CB, USC
Ellis Hobbs retired and Dimitri Patterson is a nickel CB at best.

 

86. Kansas City Chiefs - Daniel Thomas RB, Kansas State
K.C. could use a more effective and less expensive power RB than Thomas Jones.

 

87. Indianapolis Colts - Austin Pettis WR, Boise State
Reggie Wayne will be 33 years old this coming season, Anthony Gonzalez can't seem to stay healthy, and Austin Collie may be forced to retire if he gets another concussion.

 

88. New Orleans Saints - Jabaal Sheard, DE, Pittsburgh
The Saints need to upgrade their pass-rush across from Will Smith.

 

89. San Diego Chargers (via Seattle Seahawks) - Jason Pinkston OT, Pittsburgh
The Chargers need an upgrade over Jeremy Clary at right tackle..

 

90. Baltimore Ravens - DeMarcus Van Dyke CB, Miami
Baltimore finally fills their biggest need. The last time they took a Miami DB it worked out pretty well.

 

91. Atlanta Falcons - Jeremy Beal DE, Oklahoma
John Abraham will be a 33 year old free agent next offseason.

 

92. New England Patriots - Jordan Todman RB, Connecticut
This is pretty much a BPA situation. Danny Woodhead is a nice story but N.E. could use an upgrade at the position.

 

93. Chicago Bears - Tandon Doss WR, Indiana
Chicago could use some more WR's.

 

94. New York Jets - Casey Matthews ILB, Oregon
They need to upgrade their pass-rush from the Linebacker position. New York will be banking on Casey's family lineage and hope he's even nearly as good as his big brother.

 

95. Pittsburgh Steelers - Sione Fua NT, Stanford
Current Nose Tackle Casey Hampton will be 34 years old before the start of the 2011 season. Fua looked dominate all season at Stanford. He's listed at 6'2", 307lbs, which is about the same size as current Defensive End Ziggy Hood, but looks much stouter.

 

96. Green Bay Packers - Danny Watkins OG, Baylor
Daryn Colledge is a free agent. Watkins would be the second rated OG in this draft if it weren't for the fact that he's already 27 years old. But for a team like the Packers who are in win-now mode it shouldn't be a big issue.