As the NFL draft gets closer, it gets no easier to predict.
?To me, this draft gets really interesting if Cam Newton is not the first pick," NFL analyst Cris Collinsworth said on a conference call for TXNSports.com. ?Now you?ve got (Blaine) Gabbert and Newton coming down the board. And I?m not totally convinced that?s not going to happen."
Most people still expect the Panthers to take Newton, the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback from Auburn, with the No. 1 overall pick Thursday night. But regardless of what the Panthers do ?
? Don?t be surprised if five quarterbacks go in the first round. Newton and Missouri?s Gabbert will likely be drafted among the top five. However, the demand for quarterbacks is likely to spur a run on them at some point. Washington?s Jake Locker, TCU?s Andy Dalton, Arkansas? Ryan Mallett and Nevada?s Colin Kaepernick also are first-round possibilities.
Don?t be surprised if one of these three teams ? the Titans (No. 8), the Redskins (No. 10) or the Vikings (No. 12) ? reaches for Locker. If that happens, other teams that need quarterbacks may trade up into the first round and take the quarterback they want before somebody else does. According to NFL.com, the Titans are also considering Dalton.
?I think there?s panic among the teams that need quarterbacks,?? NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock said.
? Don?t be surprised if two of the top six picks are wide receivers. Those two would be A.J. Green (Georgia) and Julio Jones (Alabama). Two wide receivers have not gone among the first six picks since 2003, when the Lions took Charles Rogers (No. 2) and the Texans selected Andre Johnson (No. 3).
Rookie wide receivers often have trouble making the transition to the NFL, but Green and Jones have special talent. If the Bengals grab Green at No. 4, the Browns ? who need a wide receiver badly ? could take Jones at No. 6.
? Don?t be surprised if only one running back goes in the first round. That has not happened since 1984, when Greg Bell of the Bills (No. 26) was the lone running back selected in Round 1. Alabama?s Mark Ingram could be this year?s only first-round running back ? and even Ingram could be snubbed until late first or early second round.
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