NFL Mock Draft: New England Patriots, Round 1, Pick 28

By Jess Root Apr 17, 2011, 7:00am MST

The New England Patriots are up with the second of their two first round selections. Having already selected a defensive player (JJ Watts) at number 17, they seek to improve the offensive line. Their pick is:

Derek Sherrod, OT, Mississippi State

At the end of the day, Tom Brady is the franchise and protecting him is the most important thing. An offensive tackle is not their biggest need, but with Sherrod falling so far, they have to make this move. He is considered by some to be the best tackle of the crop of offensive line talent in the draft. Having Sherrod to develop into the left tackle of their future will help Brady now and then help the team when they have to move on to another quarterback some day.

Next up in the draft are the Chicago Bears. Cory Williams will be their GM representative

Check out the mock draft on the Arizona Cardinals team blog Revenge of the Birds to see who both the community and the writers are projecting.

2011 SBN AZ Mock Draft recap:

1- Carolina Panthers: Cam Newton, QB, Auburn (Jess Root)

2- Denver Broncos: Von Miller, OLB, Texas A&M (Cory Williams)

3- Buffalo Bills: Blaine Gabbert, QB, Missouri (Scott Howard)

4- Cincinnati Bengals: AJ Green, WR, Georgia (JR)

5- Arizona Cardinals: Patrick Peterson, CB, LSU (CW)

6- Cleveland Browns: Da'Quan Bowers, DE, Clemson (SH)

7- San Francisco 49ers: Robert Quinn, DE, North Carolina (JR)

8- Tennessee Titans: Nick Fairley, DT, Auburn (CW)

9- Dallas Cowboys: Marcell Dareus, DT, Alabama (SH)