Mel Kipers Round 3 Mock Draft

[TheManeMan]

Earlier in the week I wrote that the second round of the NFL draft is the place to find good bargains on players with first-round grades, and the same could be said about the third round. No fewer than 10 players in my third-round projection had first-round grades heading into last season or have the talent level of a first-rounder but have dropped down the board because of various factors.

Leading the way among that group is LSU cornerback Corey Webster, who had a top-15 overall grade entering the 2004 season but slipped steadily throughout the year due to nagging injuries that affected his closing speed. The same goes for Florida linebacker Channing Crowder. Just a few weeks ago Crowder was on my Big Board of the top 25 overall prospects and a part of my first-round projection, but concerns over knee and arch injuries have pushed him down the board as well.

Other projected third-rounders who fit into that category include Purdue quarterback Kyle Orton (injury), Florida State wide receiver Craphonso Thorpe (injury), Georgia wide receiver Fred Gibson (hands/size) and West Virginia wideout Chris Henry (run-ins with coaches). Orton, Gibson and Stanford tight end Alex Smith all made appearances on the Big Board at some point since the beginning of last season.

Overall, the offensive line leads all positions with 11 players (including two tight ends) projected to come off the board in the third round. Nine defensive backs make the list along with five defensive linemen, five wide receivers, three linebackers, two quarterbacks and two running backs.


65. San Francisco 49ers: Chris Canty, DE, Virginia
66. St. Louis Rams (from Miami): Corey Webster, CB, LSU
67. Cleveland Browns: Craphonso Thorpe, WR, Florida State
68. Tennessee Titans: Jason Campbell, QB, Auburn
69. Oakland Raiders: Kevin Burnett, LB, Tennessee
70. Miami Dolphins (from Chicago): Michael Roos, OT, Eastern Washington
71. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Adam Snyder, OT, Oregon
72. Detroit Lions: Airese Currie, WR, Clemson
73. Houston Texans (from Dallas): Channing Crowder, LB, Florida
74. New York Giants: Adam Terry, OT, Syracuse
75. Arizona Cardinals: Scott Young, OG, BYU
76. Washington Redskins: Terrence Murphy, WR, Texas A&M
77. Philadelphia Eagles (from Kansas City): Alex Smith, TE, Stanford
78. Houston Texans: Atiyyah Ellison, DL, Missouri
79. Carolina Panthers: Jovan Haye, DE, Vanderbilt
80. Minnesota Vikings: Logan Mankins, OL, Fresno State
81. St. Louis Rams: Oshiomogho Atogwe, S, Stanford
82. New Orleans Saints: Adam Kieft, OT, Central Michigan
83. Cincinnati Bengals: Sean Considine, S, Iowa
84. Baltimore Ravens: Daven Holly, CB, Cincinnati
85. Seattle Seahawks: Jason Brown, C, North Carolina
86. Buffalo Bills: Kevin Everett, TE, Miami
87. Jacksonville Jaguars: Darren Sproles, RB, Kansas State
88. New York Jets: Chris Henry, WR, West Virginia
89. Green Bay Packers: Robert McCune, LB, Louisville
90. Atlanta Falcons: Stanford Routt, CB, Cincinnati
91.Tampa Bay Buccaneers (from San Diego): Kyle Orton, QB, Purdue
92. Indianapolis Colts: Dustin Fox, CB, Ohio State
93. Pittsburgh Steelers: Vernand Morency, RB, Oklahoma State
94. Philadelphia Eagles: C.J. Mosley, DL, Missouri
95. Arizona Cardinals (from New England): Lynn McGruder, DL, Oklahoma
96. Tennessee Titans (compensatory pick): David Stewart, OT, Mississippi State
97. Denver Broncos (comp): Fred Gibson, WR, Georgia
98. Seattle Seahawks (comp): Travis Daniels, CB, LSU
99. Kansas City Chiefs (comp): Karl Paymah, CB, Washington State
100. New England Patriots (comp): Eric Ghiaciuc, OL, Central Michigan
101. Denver Broncos (comp): Nick Collins, CB, Bethune-Cookman