2012 NFL Mock Draft: Teams could move up the board to draft Alabama prospects

There is no question that NFL general managers and head coaches have a healthy respect for players coming from the University of Alabama under Nick Saban’s tutelage, and on draft night tomorrow, they’ll prove it.

The latest rumor has safety Mark Barron creeping up the draft board, and he may even be the favorite to be picked by the Buffalo Bills at 10th overall.  This screams trade bait, a ploy by the Bills to entice teams interested in Barron to offer a nice trade package to move up the board to select the All-American.  Last year, the Atlanta Falcons made a jaw-dropping, draft-day trade with the Cleveland Browns to move up in the first round from the 27th pick to the 6th pick, allowing them to grab former Alabama receiver Julio Jones.  The Falcons gave up a whopping five draft picks to draft Jones that included their 1st, 2nd and 4th round picks in 2011 along with their 1st and 4th round picks this year.

While it is unlikely that a team will be willing to sacrifice as much as the Falcons did last year, it wouldn’t be shocking to see a team like the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles or New York Jets attempt to move up to take one of Nick Saban’s former players.  Other teams that could potentially move up to draft an Alabama prospect are the Baltimore Ravens and the New England Patriots.

Ravens General Manager Ozzie Newsome is in search for an heir-apparent to his future Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Lewis, who turns 37 in May, and will likely have to move up at least six spots from 29th overall in order to select Alabama’s Dont’a Hightower.   The Pittsburgh Steelers are rumored to land the physical linebacker with the 24th pick.  Newsome will have a tough time making this happen, as the Ravens have only one pick in each of the seven rounds, with the exception of the 4th round, in which they have two.

The Patriots are in dire need of help on defense, specifically in the secondary, and Bill Bellichick, armed with two first round picks to attract a trade partner, could possibly make a dash up the board to draft Barron or cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick.  In recent years, the Patriots have had a tendency to trade back in the draft while stockpiling draft picks and finding value in the later rounds.  This could be the year they buck that trend and take an aggressive approach in filling needs on defense.

Here is our best guess as to how things will shake out in the first round of tomorrow night’s NFL Draft in New York City.  Coverage begins at 7 p.m. on ESPN.

1. Indianapolis Colts:  Andrew Luck QB Stanford
2. Washington Redskins:  Robert Griffin III Baylor
3. Miami via trade with Minnesota:  Justin Blackmon WR Oklahoma State
4. Cleveland Browns:  Trent Richardson RB Alabama
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers:  Morris Claiborne CB LSU
6. St. Louis Rams:  Matt Kalil OT USC
7. Jacksonville Jaguars:  Luke Kuechly LB Boston College
8. Minnesota Vikings via trade with Miami:  Riley Reiff OT Iowa
9. Carolina Panthers:  Fletcher Cox DT Mississippi State
10. Buffalo Bills:  Melvin Ingram DE South Carolina
11. Kansas City Chiefs:  Michael Brockers DT LSU
12. New England Patriots via trade with Seattle:  Mark Barron S Alabama
13. Cleveland Browns via trade with Arizona:  Ryan Tannehill QB Texas A&M
14. Dallas Cowboys:  Dre Kirkpatrick CB Alabama
15. Philadelphia Eagles:  Dontari Poe DT Memphis
16. New York Jets:  Courtney Upshaw OLB Alabama
17. Cincinnati Bengals:  Stephon Gilmore CB South Carolina
18. San Diego Chargers:  David DeCastro G Stanford
19. Chicago Bears Quinton Coples DE North Carolina
20. Tennessee Titans:  Nick Perry DE USC
21. Minnesota Vikings via trade with Cincinnati:   Michael Floyd WR Notre Dame
22. Arizona Cardinals via trade with Cleveland:  Cordy Glenn OT Georgia
23. Detroit Lions:  Mike Adams OT Ohio State
24. Pittsburgh Steelers:  Dont’a Hightower LB Alabama
25. Denver Broncos:  Harrison Smith S Notre Dame
26. Houston Texans:  Kendall Wright WR Baylor
27. Seattle Seahawks via trade with New England:  Chandler Jones DE Syracuse
28. Green Bay Packers:  Shea McClellin OLB Boise State
29. Baltimore Ravens:  Kevin Zeitler G Wisconsin
30. San Francisco 49ers:  Stephen Hill WR Georgia Tech
31. Arizona Cardinals via trade with Seattle:  Andre Branch DE Clemson
32. New York Giants:  Coby Fleener TE Stanford

Nick Saban says Mark Barron’s decision to wait for 2012 NFL Draft earned him $10-15 million dollars

Mark Barron earned millions of dollars by choosing returning for his senior year. (Brian Spurlock/US Presswire)

In the eyes of his former coach Nick Saban, Mark Barron had 10-15 million reasons to return for his senior season last year.  As in $10-15 million dollars.

The former Alabama safety could have made the leap to the NFL after the 2010 season, but opted to stick around for another year to heal a pectoral muscle injury and improve his draft stock — and improved he did.

“From a business perspective, financially, guys that get drafted in the first round get paid quite a bit of money.  But if you get drafted in the second or third round, you don’t get paid quite as much money, and you can’t enhance your chances of coming back.” Saban said during Tuesday’s SEC conference call.  “Just look at Mark Barron.  Last year, being injured, he may have been a late first round or early second round draft pick, now he is probably going to get picked in the top 15.  That’s 10 or 15 more million dollars he made by coming back to school, plus he graduated.  Plus, when he can’t play anymore, he will have much better chance to be successful in life.  From a business standpoint. I thought it was a really good model for players to try and follow.”

Many experts have Barron pegged to be drafted 14th overall by the Dallas Cowboys, a team with an owner in Jerry Jones that dishes out mammoth, million dollar contracts like sticks of gum.  Last year’s 14th overall pick, Robert Quinn, received a 4-year deal worth around $10 million.

Barron won’t be the only former Crimson Tide player skyrocketing up the tax brackets.  Running back Trent Richardson is set to be a top-five pick in a couple days, and can expect a deal worth around $20 million over four years.  Cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick and linebacker Courtney Upshaw are projected to be off the board by pick 24, where linebacker Dont’a Hightower is projected to be drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers.  Last year’s 24th pick, Cameron Jordan, signed his rookie contract for an estimated $7.7 million.  If the Mel Kiper’s and Todd McShay’s of the world are correct in their projections, Alabama’s five draftees could combine to earn over $50 million from their rookie contracts.

Nick Saban makes millions of dollars as the head coach at Alabama, but he is making his players millions more.

Article by Ben Culpepper for AlabamaIntel.com

Predictions for Alabama football players in the 2012 NFL Draft

April 20th can’t come soon enough for some Alabama football players.

Alabama is expected to have five 1st round selections in 16 days when the 2012 NFL Draft commences.  Players likely to be picked in the first round are Trent Richardson, Courtney Upshaw, Mark Barron, Dre Kirkpatrick and Dont’a Hightower.  So where will they land?  Here’s our predictions.  Don’t be fooled by the picture.

#4 overall pick: Cleveland Browns (4-12) select RB Trent Richardson.

Cleveland enters the draft looking for playmakers on offense.  Last year’s leading rusher, Peyton Hillis, is now with the Kansas City Chiefs, and general manager Mike Holmgreen failed to trade up to get RGIII.  There have been rumors of the Browns trading back from the four spot, but Trent Richardson is too good to pass up.  Richardson will be a workhorse in the Browns offense, and will take some of the pressure off of their young quarterback Colt McCoy.

#14 overall pick:  Dallas Cowboys (8-8) select CB Dre Kirkpatrick.

The Dallas Cowboys secondary last year was underwhelming, hence the free agent signing of cornerback Brandon Carr, but Carr isn’t the answer to all their problems.  ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper has Dallas taking safety Mark Barron with this pick, but we think Kirkpatrick is a better fit.  This pick might surprise some, but Jerry Jones would love another elite corner with Texas-sized confidence in Dallas.

#16 overall pick:  New York Jets (8-8) select S Mark Barron.

Many have OLB Courtney Upshaw landing at this spot, but it has been the norm for the Jets to go against popular opinion.  While Rex Ryan’s defense is thin at Upshaw’s position, it also is thin at safety.  Nobody is saying Barron will be the next Ed Reed, but Ryan knows from his time coaching Reed in Baltimore how important a quality safety is to his defense.

#18 overall pick:  San Diego Chargers (8-8) select OLB Courtney Upshaw

We think Upshaw falls to the Chargers simply because some teams might have been turned off by his height and weight.  Upshaw checked in at 6’1.5 and 279lbs at Alabama’s pro day, causing some concern amongst scouts.  Upshaw will make the teams who passed on him regret their decision in the coming years.  The Chargers will be thrilled to have him fall in their laps at No. 19.

#24 overall pick:  Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4) select LB Dont’a Hightower.

Steelers’ defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau has to replace veteran linebacker James Farrior, and Hightower fits the bill as that replacement.  Hightower’s versatility to play inside linebacker or on the edge with his hand in the dirt, makes him a valuable pick for the Steelers.  His in-depth knowledge of the 3-4 defense is also attractive.  He plays with a similar intensity to that of LaMarr Woodley and James Harrison, which should allow him to transition smoothly into the Steeler’s defense.  A Woodley, Harrison, Hightower trio could be special.