Maybe it can be attributed to the late game misinformation, but Georgia WR A.J. Green is getting some consideration as the first overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft in several quarters, including a few 2011 NFL mock drafts. Carolina is said to be very seriously considering Green, giving Jimmy Clausen one season to figure it out with better weapons around him. Of course, it could all be smoke screen too, maybe an attempt to lure another team into the first spot, as unlikely as that is.
Doug Farrar's latest 2011 mock draft has Green going first overall to the Panthers. He cites those same reports of Carolina looking hard at players besides QBs for that pick. That mock also has Alabama WR Julio Jones going to the St. Louis Rams at 14th overall. So what happened in this scenario? How did Green go first and no receiver-needy team between #1 and #14 not pick Jones?
With one less QB off the board, the Bills opt for Cam Newton, based on Chan Gailey's success with similar players like Kordell Stewart. That leaves Blaine Gabbert for the Bengals, who are considered one likely destination for Green or Jones. But with Palmer's theatrics around his trade request, Cincinnati has to start thinking about the future.
Patrick Peterson slides all the way to the sixth pick, where the Cleveland Browns, another team considered a possibility for a receiver, grab him to pair with Joe Haden. It's worth noting that Farrar thinks a defensive lineman is another very likely pick for Pat Shurmur's new team here.
Tennessee takes Nick Fairley, something that looks more and more likely as character concerns around the Auburn DT refuse to die.
Another team often connected to Jones, the Washington Redskins, opts for Washington QB Jake Locker in this mock. Once again, that's another scenario conventional wisdom is starting to gel around as the draft gets closer. Mike Shanahan is said to be infatuated with Locker, who could have been a top pick in last year's draft.
Between Washington's pick and the Rams, it's defense and an offensive tackle, leaving Julio Jones for the Rams.
Anything, anything is possible Thursday night, so this is just one potential rendering of how the first round will play out in the draft.