(Links to trend graphs can only be found by visiting the original article at
http://browns.scout.com)
Back in January, Scout.com sent a team of writers to cover the Senior Bowl
practices, a group that included our own Sobodawg, moderator of the Draft Brew
forum.
On the first day of practice, Sobo and the gang immediately began raving
about the skills of Broderick Bunkley, a relatively unheralded defensive tackle
out of Florida State. We learned that the Browns spent a great deal of time
studying the lineman and seemed excited by what he brought to the table. By the
end of the first evening of Senior Bowl practice, talk about Bunkley dominated
the forums, as well as providing a great deal of fodder for the
OBR Radio
Program the next evening.
While Bunkley may have been our secret back in January, that secret is out
and spreading through mock drafts around the Internet. The lineman, who has
bulked up over 300 pounds, is considered to be the most likely choice for the
Cleveland Browns at the #12 spot in the draft according to the
Mock Draft Muncher's latest analysis of 46 different mock drafts from around the Internet.
Matching Bunkley's rise up draft boards has been the rapid fall of Chad Greenway, who reigned supreme in mock drafts as the Browns' pick as recently as
two weeks ago. Bunkley is currently listed as the Browns' choice in 11 of the
mock drafts, followed by Greenway (6), PSU defensive end Tamba Hali (6), and
Oregon NT Haloti Ngata (4). Indicating the general level of confusion about the
Browns' intentions, however, the mock drafts list eleven other players as
possibilities at the #12 spot.
The graphic below shows how Greenway (red) has fallen sharply as the Browns' pick
according to mock drafts, along with the recent surge of Bunkley (green) predictions:
Elsewhere in the many Mock Draft Muncher pages, the effect of free agency is
showing up in early draft selections. The signing of Drew Brees' by the New Orleans Saints has had the most dramatic impact, as D'Brickashaw Ferguson and
Mario Williams as showing up as increasingly popular selections as the second
pick in the draft. Many mock drafts "predict" a trade by the Saints and another
team as a rationale for keeping Matt Leinart as their second pick in the draft.
A number of players are rising and falling rapidly as post-combine hype mixes
with free agent selections and Pro Day feedback to alter perceptions of
individual players:
RISING
Vernon Davis (trend)
Chad Jackson (trend)
Broderick Bunkley (trend)
Ernie Sims (trend)
FALLING
Vince Young (trend)
LenDale White (trend)
DeAngelo Williams (trend)
Chad Greenway (trend)
There's a lot more information which can be mined from the Mock Draft Muncher.
If you have other mock drafts to suggest to us, feel free to
contact us and let us know!