And I am really, really high on Johnathan Martin. This kid is the real deal and I don’t think the drop-off from Matt Kalil to him is that large. I would be ecstatic with this pick.

An O-Line of the future could possibly be: Martin – Albert – Hudson – Asamoah – Mims/draft pick. That would be solid for years to come.

I would also be willing to trade up in the 2nd or into the late 1st to nab Don’ta Hightower. DJ56 is playing at a very, very high level, but he is also 29 years old and Hightower is the perfect SILB “thumper.”

As for RBs, we need to draft another one in the mold of Jamaal Charles, i.e. another speed back that big enough to break tackles (sorry Dex). The problem with Jones and Battle is they are not good fits for our ZBS scheme. They are too slow to the hole and also don’t have good vision. Battle had one game against an undersized defense where he was relevant. That is how he should be used — in matchups against small Tampa 2 defenses. He is useless against 34 defenses and those with big, strong defensive lines. Was pushing for us to sign Tim Hightower last offseason but it didn’t happen.

We also need to draft another TE. Leonard Pope and Jake O’Connell are competent #3 guys, not #2s. The game is evolving to where having two really good TEs can really help your passing games (see: New England, New Orleans, Dallas, etc.). I guy I really like is Coby Fleener. He is a great pass catching TE, has experience in a pro style offense with an NFL passing tree, good size, too skinny right now but has the frame to add some more weight.

There, you have it, my first 2012 mock draft:

1. Johnathan Martin – LT – Stanford
2. Don’ta Hightower – ILB – Alabama (or trade into late 1st)
3. Coby Fleener – TE – Stanford (graded as a 3rd rounder by most draft sites now, but will surely go up, barring any setbacks)