For NFL mock drafts, having Nick Fairley go No. 1 to the Carolina Panthers and Patrick Peterson selected No. 2 by the Denver Broncos has become commonplace. That's exactly what SB Nation's latest 2011 NFL Mock Draft forecasts in this pre-Combine list. Not that there is anything wrong with that. That very well could be what happens come April. But after the combine things will start to change.
Back to this current scenario. With Fairley and Peterson off the board, the Bills are on the clock. Ryan Fitzpatrick is not a long-term answer for the team at the quarterback position, and he's not really the immediate solution there either. After Andrew Luck returned to Stanford for another year of college football, no quarterback stood out. Auburn's Cam Newton and Missouri's Blaine Gabbert have emerged as the top two quarterbacks in this draft. Brian Galliford projects Gabbert to the Bills here, mostly because he believes Gabbert "has the tools to be the better pro."
If the Broncos decide that they should trade the No. 2 pick, might a scenario emerge where teams get into a bidding war to move up that high to select a quarterback? It would be a remote possibility. Tennessee at No. 8 could use a quarterback. The Minnesota Vikings also need a quarterback with Brett Favre finally retiring, though indications are they will look elsewhere in the draft. And farther down at No. 25, the Seattle Seahawks could use a young quarterback.
Gabbert, Newton and Jake Locker are the three quarterbacks likely to go in the first round, but without clearly having the talent of an Andrew Luck a team moving up to No. 3 remains on the back burner.