Rick Gosselin's NFL mock drafts are given a lot of credence because they are annually one of the most accurate mocks around. If Gosselin's 2011 mock draft comes true, we could be in for quite the ride during the first round tonight.
Gosselin has five quarterbacks being picked before the Detroit Lions even go on the clock. I would be shocked if that actually happenes, but Gosselin sees Cam Newton being picked by the Panthers, Blaine Gabbert going to the 49ers, Jake Locker being taken by the Titans, Christian Ponder being selected by the Redskins and Minnesota picking Andy Dalton. If that were to happen, there would be a lot of top-10 talent available for the Lions, and Gosselin sees them picking Auburn defensive tackle Nick Fairley in this situation.
Amazingly, Gosselin's mock has Prince Amukamara falling all the way to the 25th pick. He actually has Jimmy Smith going to Philly with the 23rd pick. Also, he doesn't have Da'Quan Bowers being picked in the first round at all.
You can check out a full list of picks from Gosselin's mock over at Turf Show Times since his original story is behind a pay wall.
For more coverage of the 2011 NFL Draft (i.e. NFL mock drafts, draft projections, scouting reports, the full NFL Draft schedule, etc.), check out Mocking The Draft, SB Nation's NFL Draft hub, SB Nation Detroit's NFL Draft StoryStream and Pride Of Detroit's 2011 NFL Draft archive.