For what seems like months now, mock drafts have flooded every football blog and website on the internet. Everyone has a differing opinion on every single prospect, and everyone believes they are of course, correct. I've refrained from making an official mock draft, due to how often players rise and drop on draft boards. If I've learned one thing about the NFL draft, expect the unexpected. 95% of mock drafts will be going up in flames within minutes on Thursday night, so I offer my slightly against the norm mock draft, because once Commissioner Goodell puts the Indianapolis Colts on the clock, anything and everything will happen.

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Over at the Panthers SB Nation blog, Cat Scratch Reader, we just got done holding our live mock draft. My team was the Vikings, there's lots of moves and picks to be seen here, so I'll start with the trades. I think I'll probably post this over at the Vikings blog, not sure yet though. See what kind of reaction I get here first.

#3 for #6, 39 and 171

#66 for #88 and 91

#91 for #107 and 182

#107 for #156, 166, and 167

#138 for #180 and 188

Pretty happy with all of these, gave myself an extra seven picks. Then I traded for a couple of players.

#175 & 210 for Cowboys RB Felix Jones.

# 188 for Patriots WR Chad Ochocinco.

I felt like I was getting solid offers for all of those trade backs, and with the slew of picks I had I felt adding two weapons for Ponder couldn't hurt. Jones will immediately bring a nice change of pace, and Ochocinco would probably be a fairly productive #4 receiver.

Now on to the picks.

#6-Justin Blackmon, WR/Oklahoma State

#35-Dont'a Hightower, LB/Alabama

#39-Josh Robinson, CB/Central Florida

#88-Markelle Martin, S/Oklahoma State

#98-Brandon Mosley, OT/Auburn

#128-Travis Lewis, LB/Oklahoma

#134-Kheeston Randall, DT/Texas

#156-Trevor Guyton, DE/California

#166-Tony Bergstrom, OG/Utah

#167-Duke Ihenacho, S/San Jose St.

#171-Omar Bolden, CB/Arizona St.

#180-Devon Wylie, WR/Fresno St.

#182-Evan Rodriguez, FB/Temple

#223-Taylor Thompson, TE/Southern Methodist

UDFA's-Austin Davis, QB/Southern Miss., Blair Walsh, K/Georgia, Chigbo Anunoby, DT/Morehouse

With Claiborne and Kalil both taken, I was happy to move back and still get Blackmon. Hightower I felt was very good value in the second round, and Robinson fills a big need, and brings a lot of athleticism to the table. Markelle Martin should be able to at least compete for a starting spot his first year. Some of the guys in later rounds that I really liked we're Devon Wylie, who should bring a lot to special teams immediately. And I feel like the steal of my draft was actually my last pick with Taylor Thompson. Big, athletic, and a project player in every sense of the word. I've seen him projected as high as the third round in some mocks, to have him fall into my lap at 223 was a big surprise. Overall I was extremely pleased with my draft, adding guys at the top of the draft in positions of need, and then adding depth at pretty much every positions later on in the draft.

So Vikings fans, how did I do?

Over at Cat Scratch Reader today, we're holding a live draft very similar to the one's on here, and I claimed the Vikings as my team. I wanted to come over here and ask some Vikings fans who they would like to see me target. I traded the #3 overall pick to the Rams for #6, and additional second and sixth rounders. My picks are:

1(6)

2(35)

2(39)

3(66)

4(98)

4(128)

4(134)

5(138)

6(171)

6(175)

7(210)

7(223)

I've obviously got a lot to work with here, so let me know in the comment section who you'd like to see targeted with the first few picks, whether trading back into the 1st/2nd round would be a viable option, and if you guys have your eyes on any late rounders or positions where depth is needed. Thanks!

Cameron Jerrell Newton. Superman. He needs no other introduction. He stands at six foot five inches and 250 pounds with a 500 watt smile. He looks like a defensive end, he runs a 4.58 and he throws the ball on a rope. He jukes, he throws deep, he has no fear. He lights up a room with his aura, people swarm to him. I was lucky enough to receive his autograph at training camp this year, and I have never seen so many people so locked on to one athlete at one time. He commanded the practice field and everyone watching, and he hadn't even played a game. He isn't articulate, he doesn't mince words, but that's all part of his charisma. He is simply a massive heap of unlimited football potential. This is our quarterback, and I'm writing this in an effort to put what Cam has done in proper perspective. I'm sure many similar articles will be written, but I want to share my thoughts. Hopefully I don't waste too much time and bandwidth.

Six months ago what if I told you Cam would break multiple passing records? Or he would have one of the most successful rushing seasons for a quarterback, ever? What if I told you he did it as a very unpolished rookie, using mainly god given talent and a little help from our friend Chudzinski? The first rookie to throw for 4,000 yards (in all likelihood), the only player to throw for 4,000 and rush for 500, the only rookie to throw for 400 yards in his first game, and then turn around and do it again. Nobody on this blog could've told you these things six months ago, that he would be compared to Peyton Manning and Hershel Walker only sixteen games into his career. That he would smash Peyton's rookie passing yardage record, revive a supposedly "aging" Steve Smith, turn the worst offense in the league into a big play waiting to happen on every snap, and have thousands of critics eating massive amounts of crow. Do I need to remind you that he's done this all at only 22 years old?

Many people will not agree with this, but I don't think Cam's accomplishments have been stated and appreciated like they should be, even on this blog. All of this has been said before, but I feel like it cannot be said enough. Cam Newton wasn't supposed to be this good, this fast (if ever really). He wasn't supposed to make the Panthers on the verge of being a great team this quick, or put up the incredible stats with a shortened offseason. He wasn't even supposed to be able to understand a playbook, according to the experts. Hell, the Panthers weren't even supposed to draft him.. The negatives we're everywhere, the positives seemingly didn't exist, but Marty Hurney and Co. saw the potential, and never looked back.

I wanted to write this to tell everyone to value the man we have playing quarterback for us, the incredible beast that Cam Newton is. Appreciate him every time he drags a safety into the end zone and fake rips his jersey open, unleashing his alter ego. Or when he drops a sixty yard pass off his back foot with a blitzing linebacker in his face into Steve Smith's arms. There is no other player in the NFL with the raw potential that Cam Newton has, and the best part is he's all ours. Don't undervalue the potential and success he alone will bring this franchise, cause wherever Cam Newton takes us in 2012 and beyond is going to be incredible and will involve a lot of winning. Realize that this sunday is the last sixty minutes of Cam Newton we will see until next summer, and realize what an incredible football player we have on our team. So here's to you Cam, this is only the beginning.

via img4.allvoices.com

Draft guru Todd Mcshay has released his first mock draft for the 2012 draft. Since the list is only available to ESPN Insiders (seriously, who would pay for that?), I decided to post the top ten selections, and my personal opinion on the Panthers pick, which may or may not surprise you, as well as other reactions.

1. Colts - Andrew Luck, QB - Stanford

2. Rams - Matt Kalil, OT - USC

3. Vikings - Morris Claiborne, CB - LSU

4. Browns - Trent Richardson, RB - Alabama

5. Jaguars - Quinton Coples, DE - UNC

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Unbelievable. Mike Florio is at it again. Deciding Matt Moore is among 5 QB's that should be benched before the season starts. Along with the mediocre likes of Garrard, Orton, Leinart, and Jake. His reason? Because John Fox should prove that Clausen is the QB of the future.

Just going out on limb, but I think Matty is a little better than those guys.

http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/article/2010-07-21/five-quarterbacks-who-should-be-benched

A question that I think has been overlooked a little bit this offseason, is who our "designated" team leaders will be. With the departure of established captains with Jake, Peppers, Moose, along with potential captains in Chris Harris, Thomas Davis, and Hoover, who is gonna take these roles? I know QB is usually first in line, but i'm not convinced Fox is ready to give that spot to Matt. The given ones are going to be Kasay & Beason, but those are the only two, leaving both offensive spots and one defensive spot open. If i were to take a guess it would be:

ST:Kasay

Defense:Beason, Gamble

Offense:Smitty, Gross/Moore

Tell me what you guys think