Mock Draft: Picks 11-16

I could barely get the tags in trying to do 10 at a time, so I'm going to do six here, and then two more sets of eight. Oh, and Todd McShay released a new mock draft today, and I'm sure Kiper will release one before Saturday. I don't care; if Tyler and I can't change our picks before them, then neither can Kiper and McShay in my book. Anyway ...

11. Buffalo Bills

Herman: Brandon Pettigrew (TE, Oklahoma State)

Radecki: Brandon Pettigrew

Kiper: Robert Ayers (DE, Tennessee)

McShay: Aaron Maybin (De/LB, Penn State)

Wright: Brandon Pettigrew

- Notes: Tyler, Wright and I both think the Bills will take the only sure-fire tight end in the draft. Kiper and McShay have Buffalo going with a pass rusher. You'll see how far they think Pettigrew will fall if he doesn't get taken here. 

12. Denver Broncos

Herman: Tyson Jackson (DE, Louisiana State)

Radecki: Tyson Jackson

Kiper: Tyson Jackson

McShay: Tyson Jackson

Wright: B.J. Raji

- Notes: Everyone except Wright thinks that Tyson Jackson is the perfect player in this spot for the Broncos, a true 3-4 defensive end. Wright, meanwhile, thinks the Broncos would go for B.J. Raji, whom the other four had going three spots earlier.

13. Washington Redskins

Herman: Andre Smith (OT, Alabama)

Radecki: Brian Cushing (OLB, USC)

Kiper: Mark Sanchez (QB, USC)

McShay: Robert Ayers

Wright: Aaron Maybin

- Notes: It figures that the Redskins would be the first team that every single person disagreed upon. I had Andre Smith falling this far, and the Redskins need tackle help. McShay, Wright and Tyler all banked on the fact the Redskins would want to help their defense off the edge. Kiper was the only one with Sanchez left on his board, and he figured the Redskins would take the risk here. 

14. New Orleans Saints

Herman: Brian Cushing

Radecki: Malcolm Jenkins (CB, Ohio State)

Kiper: Chris "Beanie" Wells (RB, Ohio State)

McShay: Chris "Beanie" Wells

Wright: Malcolm Jenkins

- Notes: The Saints need help in the secondary, hence the Beanie Wells picks. They also need help at linebacker, though, and Cushing is the real deal. I would be surprised if the Saints continued to stockpile offensive players, but I suppose that's why they pay Mel Kiper and Todd McShay and not me. 

15. Houston Texans

Herman: Robert Ayers

Radecki: Clay Matthews (OLB, USC)

Kiper: Brian Cushing

McShay: Brian Cushing

Wright: Clay Matthews

- Notes: Once again, I was the odd man out. This time, it was because I didn't see the Texans taking an outside linebacker from USC. I just think with Ayers still on the board, the Texans will want to stabilize the other defensive end position across from Mario Williams.

16. San Diego Chargers

Herman: Malcolm Jenkins 

Radecki: Aaron Maybin

Kiper: Rey Maualuga (ILB, USC)

McShay: Malcolm Jenkins

Wright: Brian Cushing

- Notes: This was the pick where everyone dumped off the players still on their board that they figured should be off by now. McShay and I still had Jenkins, Aaron Maybin was hanging around for Tyler, and Brian Cushing was still there for Wright. Kiper, meanwhile, starts the Maualuga watch - he could go anywhere from here until the end of the first round. 

Monday Night Football Preview

While there are some good games in the NFL today (most notably Dallas-Giants and Colts-Patriots), the biggest game of the week is tommorow's Monday Night Football matchup. And not just because the Swami himself (Chris Berman) is interviewing Barack Obama and John McCain during halftime, but rather because both teams are fighting to be called elite.

At 6-2, the Washington Redskins have been dominant for most of the year. After an opening weekend loss to the N.Y. Giants, the Redskins rebounded and beat both the Eagles and the Cowboys on the road. A mid-season loss to the St. Louis Rams caused the Skins to stumble, but back-to-back wins against the Browns and Lions set them back on track.

At 5-2, the Pittsburgh Steelers have looked great at times, awful at others. The defense has been outstanding all year - it is currently ranked #1 in the NFL (#1 against the pass and #3 against the rush) - and has carried the team in games where the offense struggled. Thier two losses - to the Eagles and to the Giants (both NFC East teams) - were prime examples to the why the Steelers have struggled this year. In both games, the defense played outstanding and the offense failed to muster any sort of attack.

So now, in Week 9, the Steelers and Redskins matchup in what should be another fantastic game in an already exciting season. Here are the matchups to watch out for:

Steelers' secondary vs. Redskins QB Jason Campbell: Campbell has been one of the best quarterbacks in the league this year and has yet to finally throw an interception. He has made plays when the team needs him to and is playing as well as he has at any point in his career. If the Steelers want to win today, they will need to find a way to contain Redskins WR Santana Moss and tight end Chris Cooley. Moss has been Campbell's favorite target all year long and it will take another solid effort from Steelers CB Ike Taylor (who held Plaxico Burress to 3 catches for 16 yards last Sunday) to stop them from picking up yards. Cooley will most likely be covered by Steelers SS Troy Polamalu, who looks to be back in form after 2 injury-plagued seasons. The Steelers will be without key players Bryant McFadden (forearm) and Ryan Clark (shoulder), both of which play huge roles in the #1 pass defense. Look for Campbell to try to find a mismatch against Steelers CB Deshea Townsend, who will most likely be covering Redskins WR Antwann Randle El. Townsend has struggled this season. If Campbell plays like he has in previous weeks, the Redskins should be able to move the ball. The key, however, is that the offensive line can give Campbell enough time to pass against the physical Steelers secondary. Which leads us into our next matchup.

Redskins OT Chris Samuels vs. Steelers OLB James Harrison: Samuels has been the rock of the Redskins' offensive line since his rookie season, and will need to have a strong performance on Monday to contain Steelers LB James Harrison. Harrison is 3rd in the NFL with 8.5 sacks to go along with his 18 quarterback hurries. If Samuels cannot contain Harrison, that will only force the rest of the Redskins offensive line to try to contain Harrison's partner in crime Lamarr Woodley, who has 7.5 sacks on the season. Woodley and Harrison drive the Steelers' defense because of thier ability to pressure the quarterback, and if Samuels can contain Harrison, it would go a long way towards the Redskins offensive line containing Woodley as well. If Harrison and Woodley are ineffective like they were last week against the Giants, Campbell should be able to pick apart the Steelers' secondary.

Redskins RB Clinton Portis vs. Steelers' defensive line: Clinton Portis comes in as the NFL's leading rusher with 944 yards (with 5 yards a carry; he's on pace for 1888 yards) and the Steelers boast the NFL's #3 rush defense. Last week, the Steelers held Giants star RB Brandon Jacobs to 47 yards on 18 carries (2.6 YPC) and will look to duplicate their success this week. Portis has been one of the MVP's of the league so far, and has rushed for over 120 yards in his last 5 games. The Steelers' defense rarely gives up a 100-yard rusher, and nose tackle Casey Hampton and defensive end Aaron Smith are the primary reason for that. If Hampton and Smith can do their jobs - that is, eat up blockers so the linebackers can get free - then the Steelers should be able to contain Portis. If they cannot, and Portis has a big day, then the Redskins should be able to walk away with a victory.

Prediction: Redskins 20, Steelers 17. The Redskins are at home, which I think will play a large role in the Redskins' winning. I think the Steelers will contain Portis to an extent - less than his 118 YPG average - but Campbell will find a way to lead the Redskins to victory, just like he has done most of the season. I also believe that the return of Willie Parker will help the Steelers offense, but will not be enough to push them to a win.

Looking Back

With so many sports going on at once, how can you keep track of them all? You don't have to, but I will. Every Monday* I will look back and hit briefly upon the five story lines that stuck out from the previous weekend.

* Editor's note: I know it's Tuesday, and there are a few things in here for which I will say "look for it later." Look, I'm a student like you. I get busy. It will come.

1. The Philadelphia Phillies can pitch. Just look at the stat of the week. They've been absolutely abysmal with runners in scoring position, but it just goes to show that baseball can be traced back down to one golden rule: If you have pitching and defense, you can win almost every game. The Phillies have had a tremendous amount of both.

Look Tuesday and Wednesday for my World Series update and my thoughts on the rain situation.

2. Terps' ACC chances: Why not? They, like so many others, control their own destiny. I know they have a brutal schedule coming up: At VT, home for FSU and UNC, and on the road against always tough BC. This is a team that's a bit of a head case, though, and that's why I think they will win the ACC. Let me explain that.

If the Terps win the ACC Atlantic, they will win the ACC championship. In my opinion, UVA is going to fall off. They've done enough to establish that Maryland's loss to them was not a terrible loss by any means, but I think they will start to lose again. The next two contenders for the Coastal will be VT and UNC. If Maryland wins the Atlantic, it will be because they beat both of those teams. Maryland is the type of team that you can just tell says to itself, "Well I beat you once, I can do it again." Just my thoughts.

I'm not sure Maryland will win at VT next Thursday, but I do think they will win out at home. If they do, they will make it to the championship game. The FSU game is the important one.

3. BCS trouble is brewing. The BCS right now is absolutely praying that Penn State does not win out. If they do, there may be a fiasco.

The best case scenario is that Texas wins out, Penn State wins out, and Alabama loses bad to somebody they shouldn't.

After that, it gets scary. If UT, Bama, and PSU all win out, PSU is the third man there and doesn't play in the national championship. 

If Texas loses, for example to Texas Tech this week, assuming that Texas Tech doesn't win out, the only two BCS teams undefeated would be Alabama and PSU. However, if Texas loses in close fashion and beats the snot out of everyone else they play, there's a strong chance Texas plays in the national championship ahead of Penn State anyway.

If Alabama loses, but USC starts beating everyone by 50 again, there's a chance they could move ahead of PSU as well.

Of course, this not to mention the fact that Utah, Ball State, and Tulsa are all undefeated as well.

4. Predict for me right now who will be in the playoffs in the AFC, because you can only choose 6 out of 13 teams that are still very much in the hunt. Plus, there is only one guarantee. (It's the 7-0 team.)

What about Pittsburgh, you say? Let's say they lose at Washington on Monday night, which is certainly very plausible. And let's say the Ravens win at Cleveland this week, which is certainly very plausible. All of a sudden, the Steelers are only a game up on the Ravens, and have yet to play in Baltimore. (Pitt hasn't swept the season series since 2002.)

New England actually looks in the best position out of everyone else. At least they're finding a rhythm. Buffalo just lost to Miami. Nobody in the AFC West can play defense. It's kinda crazy.

Last note here: there are only 7 teams in the conference with a winning record right now. If the playoffs ended today, either the Jets or the Ravens would get in at 4-3 (please don't ask me to do tiebreakers.) That means that the Dolphins, Browns, Colts, Jags, Texans, and Chargers are only one game out with three wins. It's anybody's race.

Except for the Bengals, Chiefs, and Raiders.

5. The NFC BEast is back. Dallas beats a good Tampa team on the road. Philadelphia beats a good Atlanta team, and shows how good their offense can be with Brian Westbrook. The Skins didn't make it look pretty, but got the job done against the Lions. All the Giants did was waltz into Heinz Field and 

thoroughly outplay the Steelers. 

Because they might beat themselves up, the NFC South could still sneak in a wild card team. The NFC East removed all doubt this weekend, though, as to whether they were slipping. 

Big Weekend

On a weekend in college park that is officially signaling the arrival of autumn - it's supposed to rain all three days - you couldn't ask for too much more from the sporting community to entertain you as you're stuck indoors. Aforementioned playoff races are heating up in baseball, both in the AL Central and NL East/Wild Card, so look for that all weekend long.

If you're in College Park tonight, suck it up and get to Ludwig Field. The game between Number 1 Wake Forest and Number 2 Maryland Terrapins starts at 8 tonight. I know a few friends and I are getting there at 6:30 and are still concerned we might not get prime seating. Tyler will be in the press box for this one; look for his blog later tonight about it.

Saturday marks Maryland's first marquee matchup of the year: a dreaded trip to Death Valley to take on Clemson. Heather Dinich, who I had the pleasure of meeting last year for a pre-game broadcast about Terrapins football, is the full-time ACC football blogger for ESPN.com. She is predicting a Maryland upset. Let's hope. Kickoff is scheduled for noon. Around the rest of the country, you have three prime time match-ups of ranked teams playing each other. All four of Maryland's other ACC Atlantic opponents have non-conference games. 

Outside of the big game of the day in Washington at Dallas, Sunday looks pretty dull by comparison to how it has been the past few weeks. When SI.com's most watchable games of the weekend features a Gus Frerotte vs. Kerry Collins showdown at number 3, you know it's time to start looking forward to MNF.

And what a game it will be. But more on that later. I will be doing some live game commentary during the Clemson game tomorrow, so if you have any questions or anything of the sort during the game, leave a comment. Have a good weekend guys.