PETER KING'S MOCK DRAFT
PETER KING
April 25, 2011
Owners and players are at loggerheads and the 2011 season is in peril—but the draft lives! And with the labor dispute putting free agency on hold, teams are looking more than ever to college talent to fill immediate needs, especially at the game's most important position: quarterback
4 BENGALS
WILL PICK
Blaine Gabbert, QB, Missouri
SHOULD PICK
Julio Jones, WR, Alabama
Whether they'll admit it or not, the Bengals will look for a quarterback to succeed Carson Palmer. Gabbert, who rarely threw downfield at Missouri, isn't as football-smart or as prepared to play in new coordinator Jay Gruden's quick-decision passing scheme as some of the other quarterbacks coming out, like TCU's Andy Dalton. Jones is a big, fast worker bee who'll block like Hines Ward—a better fit for Cincinnati here.
5 CARDINALS
WILL PICK
A.J. Green, WR, Georgia
SHOULD PICK