Guess what?  Tonight is the first round of the NFL Draft.  Not that there will be any surprises about who the top several picks will be, but I’ll probably watch a good chunk of it anyways.  I think what will be more interesting to you is to see how my draft predictions go during this draft.

On Monday, I had given you who I thought would get drafted and in what round.  This wasn’t based on my psychic intuition, but rather how they performed at the NFL Combine.  Based on what I’ve seen in previous years from NFL players and their combines, I give a guess as to what round I think one player per position will go.

To remind you of my picks for the offense, you can click here to see them.  Today will be the defensive picks.  So let’s hop to it and see if I have a shot at stealing Mel Kiper’s job.

Defensive End – If you are invited to the NFL Combine as a defensive end, then you have a good shot of getting drafted.  If you are an athletic defensive end, that improves your stock because you could be that hybrid the NFL scouts like.  My pick is going to be Nick Perry, a 6′ 3″, 271 pound player out of USC.  Perry had the third fastest forty (4.64) out of the D-ends.  He was #1 in the broad jump (124 inches), vertical jump (38.5 inches), and bench press reps (35).  His agility drills weren’t great, but I think his other numbers, size, and the school he went to will help him out.  Compared to previous first round picks, he has comparable, if not better numbers.  I could see him being drafted late in the first round.

Defensive Tackle – 2010 was an awesome year to be a defensive tackle.  There were some studs in that class like Ndamukong Suh.  2011, not so much.  I’m going to look at Mike Martin from Michigan who stands at 6′ 1″ 306 pounds.  His combine numbers are actually comparable to Suh (it’s just that Suh was a beast).  Martin was 3rd in the 40, 2nd in the 20 yard shuttle and bench press, and first in the broad jump compared to other defensive tackles.  I’m going to guess a fourth round pick for the guy from the team up north.

Outside Linebacker – Last year, there were 4 OLB’s that ran sub 4.5.  This year there was only one player that ran even a 4.5 and that was Zach Brown from North Carolina.  The next fastest OLB ran a 4.61.  Zach has the size (6′ 1″ and 244), but the only other events he did were both jumps and they were middle of the pack numbers.  Based on his 40 time alone and from what other OLB’s did with that speed in the previous drafts, I don’t see him falling below the third round, but I’m going to say 2nd round.

Inside Linebacker – The past two drafts, inside linebackers don’t seem to get picked in the first couple rounds, but none of those guys ran a 40 time like California’s Mychal Kendricks.  He didn’t get weighed or measured at the combine so I don’t know what his size is like, but his 4.47 was the fastest time for an ILB by .11 seconds.  In fact, the last two years the closest time to his was 4.54.  His shuttle run was great which shows his ability to change direction fast.  He had the best scores on both jumps (127 inches BJ and 39.5 inches VJ) and had a good bench press (24 reps).  I see him going 2nd round as well.

Safety – Safety is a weird position.  I’ve seen some great combines by safeties, yet the individual doesn’t get drafted.  That being said, I’m going to roll the dice with Sean Richardson of Vanderbilt.  At 6′ 2″ and 216, he has nice size and was the second fastest safety in the 40 (4.52).  But, he was number one in both jumps (128 inches BJ and 38.5 inches VJ) and the bench press (22 reps).  That has to account for something.  Coming from an up and coming Vanderbilt program in the tough SEC, I’m going to say a fourth round pick.

Cornerback – In 2010, 10 out of 15 cornerbacks invited to the NFL Combine who ran a sub-4.5 in the 40 got drafted.  In 2011, that number was a perfect 18 for 18.  Basically, if you can run a sub-4.5 as a cornerback to quote Lloyd from Dumb and Dumber, “So you’re telling me there’s a chance.”   I’m going to look at Stephon Gilmore from South Carolina.  With today’s taller receivers, CB’s need to be bigger and he stands at 6′ and 190.  He ran a 4.40 in the 40 which was third among CB’s.  He was excellent in both agility drills (6.61 in the 3 cone and 3.94 in the 20 yard shuttle – 2nd among CB’s) and the ability to change direction quick is vital for a CB.  He had above average leaping ability (123 inches BJ and 36 inches VJ) and average bench press (15 reps).  In the past, with his speed and quickness numbers and his size CB’s were drafted anywhere from rounds 1-3.  I could see him being a late first rounder.

There you have it.  My draft predictions based on the Combine.  Feel free to leave your comments below.  I’ll be watching to see what the Cowboys draft which will hopefully lead them back to the promised land.  And if you are a Jets or Giants fan, I will be prepared to listen to you BOO no matter who your pick is.  Can’t wait!