It's finally here! The 2011 NFL Draft gets started on Thursday. And that, my friends, is Mel Kiper's time to shine. Simply put, he lives for this time of year. He just released his latest, and final, Mock Draft at ESPN, and I have to say that it looks pretty solid. He has the Redskins taking North Carolina defensive end/outside linebacker Robert Quinn. Here is his rationale.
This is a guy who could be a feared pass-rusher off the edge in a 4-3 alignment, with the size and strength to take on blocks and hold up against the run, or an almost impossible guy to block consistently in the 3-4. Washington could also move down to maximize picks, but if Quinn had played last season for North Carolina, I truly believe we're talking about a possible No. 1 overall pick. That's a lot of value to get at No. 10.
I like Quinn as a prospect for the Redskins. I think it would be better to take him here than to reach on prospects at a greater position of need. Like Kiper said, he represents incredible value at No. 10, and those are the types of picks that the Redskins need to be making.
The first round of the 2011 NFL Draft starts at 8 p.m. (ET) on Thursday, April 28, and SB Nation has everything you need to prepare: NFL mock drafts, draft projections, scouting reports, the full NFL draft schedule and more. Check it out at SB Nation's NFL Draft page and our NFL Draft blog, Mocking the Draft.