PHILADELPHIA, PA (Sports Network) - These are indeed volatile times in the NFL world, and that uncomfortable aura of uncertainty has unquestionably extended itself to this year's draft.

The delay in free agency and absence of an agreed-upon set of rules for the (we hope) upcoming season has made the league's ultimate test of evaluation and gamesmanship even more of a crapshoot for personnel executives, not to mention the ever-growing army of draft prognosticators. Teams will be entering New York's Radio City Music Hall with more needs to fill than in previous years, and fewer avenues in which to accomplish their goals due to the lockout's freeze on player movement.

So what can we expect from this edition of the NFL's marquee attraction of what's been an abnormally chaotic offseason? Truthfully, there isn't much to be sure about what it comes to this draft, but these three circumstances appear to be a strong possibility of unfolding:

1) Count on plenty of trades, especially to pick quarterbacks. As many as seven quarterbacks -- Auburn's Cam Newton, Missouri's Blaine Gabbert, Washington's Jake Locker, TCU's Andy Dalton, Florida State's Christian Ponder, Nevada's Colin Kaepernick and Arkansas' Ryan Mallett -- have a real shot of being taken in the first 50 selections, and there's no shortage of suitors for their services at the moment. If deficient teams such as Buffalo, Cincinnati, Arizona, San Francisco, Tennessee, Washington, Minnesota, Miami and Seattle don't use their first choice on a signal-caller, you can bet they'll be scrambling like mad to move up to the bottom portion of the first round or the early second to get their man.

2) Linemen will be off the board early and often. This year's class is loaded with premium prospects on both the offensive and defensive lines, and the instant impact that players like the Lions' Ndamukong Suh and the Steelers' Maurkice Pouncey as rookies in 2010 hasn't gone unnoticed to teams seeking to shore up those areas. It isn't out of the question that the first round could produce up to 15 defensive linemen and eight on the offensive side.

3) Teams will pass on running backs early on. The do-it-all workhorse back is a dying breed in today's NFL, and when considering that last year's rushing champion (Arian Foster) and top rookie at the position (LeGarette Blount) both came into the league as undrafted free agents, more than a few teams will look to mining the later rounds for help at that spot. Alabama's Mark Ingram and Illinois' Mikel Leshoure are the only candidates to sniff this year's first round, and it's entirely possible that not a single ball-carrier is taken on Thursday.

With all that in mind, we present The Sports Network's final 2011 first-round mock draft. Enjoy this weekend's proceedings, the first that won't involve a courtroom in quite some time.

1) Carolina Panthers: Cam Newton, QB, Auburn -- Panthers remain tight-lipped as to their plans, but most signs still point to the reigning Heisman Trophy winner landing in Charlotte. LAST PREDICTION: Newton

2) Denver Broncos: Marcell Dareus, DT, Alabama -- It's a given the Broncos will go defense here, with Dareus, LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson and Texas A&M linebacker Von Miller all reasonable possibilities. Dareus gets the nod here because he fits the biggest need. LAST PREDICTION: Dareus

3) Buffalo Bills: Von Miller, OLB, Texas A&M -- Bills will address quarterback at some point in the draft, but have to add some playmakers to a porous defense. LAST PREDICTION: Miller

4) Cincinnati Bengals: Julio Jones, WR, Alabama -- I'm in the minority here in thinking that the Bengals would prefer Jones over Georgia's A.J. Green to be their new No. 1 receiver, but his size and physicality could win out. LAST PREDICTION: Jones

5) Arizona Cardinals: Patrick Peterson, CB, LSU -- Cards will entertain offers to trade down, but ultimately don't pass up on arguably the draft's best player. LAST PREDICTION: Peterson

6) Cleveland Browns: A.J. Green, WR, Georgia -- A no-brainer choice for Mike Holmgren and GM Tom Heckert if this scenario unfolds, as young quarterback Colt McCoy needs some big-time weapons to have a chance to flourish. LAST PREDICTION: Green

7) San Francisco 49ers: Prince Amukamara, CB, Nebraska -- Word on the street is the Niners' aren't enamored with Gabbert, and they have the extra picks to trade up from their second-round spot to nab the quarterback of their choosing later on. LAST PREDICTION: Amukamara

8. Tennessee Titans: Blaine Gabbert, QB, Missouri -- Can't see the quarterback-starved Titans not pulling the trigger on Gabbert if he's available, which could mean bad news for Auburn defensive tackle Nick Fairley. LAST PREDICTION: Gabbert

9) Dallas Cowboys: Anthony Castonzo, OT, Boston College -- Cowboys will likely look to trade down before grabbing their desired choice, most likely an offensive lineman. Could be leaning to the more polished Castonzo over USC tackle Tyron Smith because he's a player they can plug in right away. LAST PREDICTION: Tyron Smith

10) Washington Redskins: Jake Locker, QB, Washington -- Locker's once- spiraling stock seems to have rebounded after a strong showing on the workout circuit, and Mike Shanahan has always been high on the athletic former Husky. With Minnesota a possible destination at No. 12, the Redskins may have to take him here. LAST PREDICTION: Robert Quinn, OLB, North Carolina

11) Houston Texans: Robert Quinn, OLB, North Carolina -- Quinn has some bust potential, especially if he'll be converting to a new position in Houston's 3-4 scheme, but Texans may believe Wade Phillips can get the most of the ex- Tar Heel's enormous talent. LAST PREDICTION: Justin Houston, OLB, Georgia

12) Minnesota Vikings: Da'Quan Bowers, DE, Clemson -- If Locker's gone and the Vikings aren't scared off by Bowers' well-publicized knee surgery, he could be a well-worth addition to a team that's in the process of overhauling the defensive line. LAST PREDICTION: Bowers

13) Detroit Lions: Tyron Smith, OT, USC -- This would be a good landing spot for the raw but promising Smith, as the 20-year-old won't have to be rushed before eventually supplanting the aging Jeff Backus at left tackle. LAST PREDICTION: Castonzo

14) St. Louis Rams: Corey Liuget, DT, Illinois -- Liuget may not have the overall upside of Fairley, but also comes without the character red flags that GM Billy Devaney generally steers clear of. LAST PREDICTION: Nick Fairley, DT, Auburn

15) Miami Dolphins: Mikel Leshoure, RB, Illinois -- Ideally the Dolphins would trade out of this spot with the intent on recouping the second-round pick they gave away for Brandon Marshall and fill their greatest need with the fast- rising Leshoure, who may have passed Alabama's Mark Ingram as this draft's most coveted back. LAST PREDICTION: Mike Pouncey, C, Florida

16) Jacksonville Jaguars: Ryan Kerrigan, DE, Purdue -- Jaguars can't count on Aaron Kampman holding up medically, and the hard-working Kerrigan appears to be their favorite among a deep crop of defensive ends. LAST PREDICTION: Kerrigan

17) New England Patriots (from Oakland): Mike Pouncey, G, Florida -- With Stephen Neal retired, fellow guard Logan Mankins still at odds with the organization over his contract and center Dan Koppen in the final year of his deal, Pats could use some interior line depth. And don't forget that Bill Belichick loves those Florida Gators. LAST PREDICTION: Cameron Jordan, DE, California

18) San Diego Chargers: J.J. Watt, DE, Wisconsin -- A.J. Smith is always a threat to trade up and with Watt reportedly on the Cowboys' radar, it would be no surprise if the Chargers' GM moves up the board to snare the ascending five-technique. LAST PREDICTION: Watt

19) New York Giants: Nick Fairley, DT, Auburn -- Giants are one team that would likely pounce on the fast-falling Fairley if he got this far. If he drops past the Rams at No. 14, look for others to attempt to move up and land the polarizing lineman. LAST PREDICTION: Liuget

20) Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Aldon Smith, DE, Missouri -- Bucs need pass rush help and would be thrilled to have a chance at Smith, a terrific talent who could be very well gone by this point. LAST PREDICTION: Aldon Smith

21) Kansas City Chiefs: Nate Solder, OT, Colorado -- Chiefs haven't been thrilled with the development of left tackle Branden Albert and could switch him to the right side by taking the nimble Solder, whose intangibles (an Academic Heisman finalist) will also appeal to personnel boss Scott Pioli. LAST PREDICTION: Phil Taylor, NT, Baylor

22) Indianapolis Colts: Derek Sherrod, OT, Mississippi State -- Colts want to upgrade at left tackle and may not be able to wait until later to do so. Sherrod's athleticism and experience as a three-year starter in the SEC make him a solid fit. LAST PREDICTION: Solder

23) Philadelphia Eagles: Jimmy Smith, CB, Colorado -- I've pegged the cornerback-needy Eagles as a landing spot for the physically-gifted Smith for a month now, and haven't seen any reason since to alter my thinking. LAST PREDICTION: Jimmy Smith

24) New Orleans Saints: Cameron Jordan, DE, California -- Saints are seeking a pass rusher and like defensive ends with size, so the 6-foot-4, 287-pound Jordan makes a lot of sense here. LAST PREDICTION: Jabaal Sheard, DE, Pittsburgh

25) Seattle Seahawks: Andy Dalton, QB, TCU -- Dalton, a proven winner in college, seems to be the Seahawks' top choice to be the successor to Matt Hasselbeck and probably won't last until their next pick at No. 57 overall. LAST PREDICTION: Dalton

26) Baltimore Ravens: Gabe Carimi, OT, Wisconsin -- John Harbaugh has gone on record saying he wants the Ravens to regain their smash-mouth ways on offense, and taking maybe the most physical offensive lineman in the draft would be a step in that direction. LAST PREDICTION: Muhammad Wilkerson, DE, Temple

27) Atlanta Falcons: Jabaal Sheard, DE, Pittsburgh -- Falcons could find John Abraham's heir apparent in the underrated Sheard, who continues the first- round run on defensive ends. LAST PREDICTION: Adrian Clayborn, DE, Iowa

28) New England Patriots: Akeem Ayers, OLB, UCLA -- As a good-sized linebacker who can rush the passer and drop into coverage, Ayers could be made to order for the Patriots in the rather unlikely event they keep this pick. LAST PREDICTION: Brooks Reed, OLB, Arizona

29) Chicago Bears: Marvin Austin, DT, North Carolina -- Bears have done their due diligence on the immensely-gifted but baggage-laden Austin and could have a difference-making replacement for the departed Tommie Harris if he gets his act together. LAST PREDICTION: Sherrod

30) New York Jets: Muhammad Wilkerson, DE, Temple -- Jets also in the market for a pass-rushing outside linebacker, but Wilkerson's intriguing skill set and considerable upside may be too much for Rex Ryan to pass up. LAST PREDICTION: Ayers

31) Pittsburgh Steelers: Cameron Heyward, DE, Ohio State -- Pay no mind to the rumor that the Steelers are dead set on trading up for Pouncey to play him alongside his twin brother. Finding reinforcements for an old defensive line will be a high priority for the defending AFC champs as well. LAST PREDICTION: Heyward

32) Green Bay Packers: Brooks Reed, OLB, Arizona -- Packers looking for a complementary rush linebacker to Clay Matthews, so why not grab the player who's been most often compared to the energetic All-Pro? LAST PREDICTION: Benjamin Ijalana, G, Villanova

You can listen to the 2011 NFL Draft on 105.3 The Fan starting at 6:00pm tonight.