With the NFL Draft now about three weeks away, the speculation is only going to get more and more frenetic the closer to draft day it becomes. SI.com football writer Don Banks released his latest mock draft and looking at all the Florida teams, there is one team that chooses something a bit unexpected. For the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Banks has them drafting LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne.
Almost every draft season, like clockwork, we get a Wonderlic test score news leak. This year, the recent headline was that Claiborne scored a woefully low four (out of 50) on the NFL's favorite aptitude test. Proving what? Maybe that he's not a great test-taker? The film still seems to indicate Claiborne is a heck of a football player and the best defensive back in the 2012 draft. That's going to carry the day with someone in the top six, and the Bucs are the most cornerback-needy team in that neighborhood.
Claiborne may not be the smartest player in this draft, but if he can do well as a cornerback in the NFL I'm sure that this score will not be held against him.
Banks has the Jacksonville Jaguars selecting what could be considered a surprise. A lot of people expect the Jaguars to go with either an offensive lineman to help protect fledgling quarterback Blaine Gabbert or a wide receiver like Michael Floyd to provide another weapon. Banks has Jacksonville selecting South Carolina defensive end Melvin Ingram.
The Jaguars on the clock might entertain trade offers from teams trying to get Tannehill ahead of No. 8 Miami, and Notre Dame receiver Michael Floyd seems to be a trendy pick for the Jags as well. But Ingram helps Jacksonville's anemic pass rush, and receiving depth is far more plentiful this year than impact edge rushers.
A good pass rusher would help the Jaguars out and they could help themselves on the offensive front in later rounds. Jacksonville will have a lot of choices when their 10 minutes come up at the end of April.
As for the Miami Dolphins, Banks predicts what a lot of people have been thinking of. Banks predicts that Miami will select Texas A&M quarterback Ryan Tannehill.
The Dolphins finally get their future starting quarterback, and it'll be offensive coordinator Mike Sherman's job to determine when it's time to transition from the Matt Moore/David Garrard tandem to the athletic and accurate former Aggie.
Miami has been desperate to find a franchise quarterback for over a decade, there is a good chance that Tannehill could be that quarterback if he transitions well to the NFL.
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