Either Todd McShay knows something very few others do or he’s just throwing darts at a dartboard like the rest of us. With just hours to go until the 2011 NFL Draft, McShay dropped Jake Locker from the first round in his final 2011 NFL mock draft. It’s a somewhat stunning fall for Locker, who McShay had touted as the No. 1 overall pick had he opted to forgo his senior year at Washington.
Unlike many other 2011 NFL mock drafts we’ve seen, McShay only has two quarterbacks — Cam Newton and Blaine Gabbert — coming off the board in the first round But in the second round, the quarterbacks come flying off the draft board, with four projected to be picked in the first 10 picks of the round. Locker is the fifth quarterback off the board, after Newton, Gabbert, Andy Dalton and Christian Ponder
Locker’s projected landing spot also isn’t likely to sit well with Seattle fans. McShay has the Arizona Cardinals, NFC West rival of the Seattle Seahawks, choosing Locker at No. 38 overall — the sixth pick of the second round.
Will the first round shake out like Mel Kiper predicts, with teams snatching up quarterbacks? Or will McShay predict it right, with other Newton and Gabbert selected in the first round? We’ll find out as the first round gets underway on Thursday at 5 p.m.
For the latest on Locker’s draft stock, stay with this StoryStream. We’ll continue gathering projections in an effort to see just where he may end up as the 2011 NFL Draft gets started in New York on Thursday evening.