Nationally recognized mock drafter Rick Gosselin has Washington quarterback Jake Locker going eighth overall to the Titans, and TCU quarterback Andy Dalton twelfth overall to the Vikings in his final prediction for the 2011 NFL draft.
So, by now, this news probably shouldn’t surprise anyone:
“I guarantee Andy Dalton and Jake Locker will go in the top 20,” one unnamed NFL general manager says in Peter King of SI.com’s Draft Primer.
Based on what he’s heard around the league, King predicts four first-round quarterbacks including Cam Newton, Blaine Gabbert, Locker, and Dalton. King expects Florida State quarterback Christian Ponder and Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett to both be gone by pick No. 49 in the second round, where Jacksonville lurks.
The consensus among national pundits and draft analysts is that the 2011 draft will set a record with eight quarterbacks selected in the first three rounds. Nevada quarterback Colin Kaepernick is expected to be picked “by the end of day two,” according to King.
Iowa quarterback Ricky Stanzi is also expected to be a second-day pick, although King says “some” teams believe they can get Stanzi in the fourth.