ESPN's Mel Kiper released his second 2011 NFL mock draft on Wednesday. In this version of his mock, Kiper has the Detroit Lions picking Colorado cornerback Jimmy Smith, a name that hasn't been thrown around all that much until now.
The typical top three for cornerbacks in the 2011 NFL Draft has been LSU's Patrick Peterson, Nebraska's Prince Amukamara and Miami's Brandon Harris -- in that order. Scouts Inc. has Smith ranked 10th out of all players, making him their third-best cornerback. Peterson and Amukamara are first and second, but Harris isn't even in their overall top 32.
I always find it interesting how there can be such discrepancies with the different scouting services, and for ESPN the Smith/Harris thing is a perfect example. Harris is isn't even predicted to be a first-round pick by Kiper or Todd McShay, yet many other services have him going to the Lions with the 13th overall pick.
Speaking of McShay's latest mock draft (his third edition), he also has the Lions selecting a player from Colorado. His pick, however, is offensive tackle Nate Solder. Unlike Smith, I've seen quite a few people predict the Lions to pick Solder, as many believe Detroit will opt for an offensive lineman. Solder is the No. 1 offensive lineman out there, according to Scouts. Inc.'s rankings, so if he's available I could see the Lions taking him via the best player available approach.