Tuesday, February 10, 2009

NFL Mock Draft 2009 v 2.0 Pre Combine Edition


Welcome once again everyone to the LSWTF Mock Draft. The draft order is now set and it is time to start thinking heavily on where teams are going to go, who is moving around, and what big trades we should expect to see. Last year we saw quite a few moves in the first round, I'm predicting now this year may break records in regards to how many trades you see. I'm willing to say two of the top five teams will move down or trade away their picks in some fashion.

ROUND ONE
1. Detroit Lions-Andre Smith, OT, Alabama
The Lions hired Jim Schwartz and by all accounts he is a very smart in the football sense. He knows the QB class isn't up to par this year, that what he can get later isn't that far from what he can get right here. So with that in mind I see him taking Andre Smith, continuing a trend to come of taking an offensive tackle first. Now the Lions have a great deal of picks so I'm gonna say this right off the bat, I expect them to offer their second first rounder and one of their third rounders to the Patriots for Matt Cassell.

2. St Louis Rams-Aaron Curry, OLB, Wake Forest
They drafted the son of Long last year and now they hired the defensive coordinator who unleashed hell from the defensive end position in New York. Now imagine Chris Long and right behind him, Aaron Curry. His stock is pretty high now, after the combine I imagine it will be even higher.

3. Kansas City Chiefs-Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech
There is an interesting dynamic brewing in KC. You have the Patriot minded Pioli with the offensive minded Hadley, hence you end up with Michael Crabtree. Now of course this will cause all of Seattle to begin weeping into their Starbucks, but Hadley knows what he can do with devastating WRs at his disposal. Pioli knows this offense needs some playmakers and Crabtree is without a doubt the number one playmaker in this draft.


4. Seattle Seahawks-BJ Raji, DT, Boston College
This is a few spots high for Raji, but the Seahawks may learn from the Patriots and not worry if it is deemed "too high" for a player, especially when that player produces. Of course it goes without saying that if Crabtree falls to this spot Seattle will take him in an instant.

5. Cleveland Browns-Eugene Monroe, OT/G, Virginia
Let me be frank, I don't expect the Browns to stay at the number five spot. I see them moving down with the Eagles who are in desperate need of one of the offensive tackles of this draft. Mangini used his first draft in New York to stock pile picks, and that worked out pretty well. If they do decide to stay Monroe makes the most sense to me. He can play tackle or guard and they need to balance out that left heavy offensive line.

6. Cincinnati Bengals-Knowshon Moreno, RB, Georgia
I know this pick doesn't make a whole hell of a lot of sense to some people, the Bengals obviously need more defensive help then anything. Then again its the Bungles and they don't really have a running threat at the moment and Moreno may be too tempting to pass up. I could see Jenkins, Maybin or one of the tackles here as well.

7. Oakland Raiders-Jeremy Maclin, WR, Missouri
Al Davis loves one thing, speed. This would be the thrid straight year where you saw the Raiders getting some of the most devistating offensive players in college football with their first round pick. The bonus to Maclin is his return ability, which Oakland is probably already drooling over.

8. Jacksonville Jaguars-Malcolm Jenkins, CB, Ohio St
Though an inside linebacker here is tempting, the Jaguars attempted to shore up their secondary last year and it didn't work out so well. Jenkins seems to have all the traits of a sure fire hall of famer so I can easily see Del Rio pulling the trigger on this kid. Of course if one of the wide outs fall this far, I can see that happening too.

9. Green Bay Packers-Aaron Maybin, DE, Penn St
The thing that hurt the Packers defense this year was the complete lack of a pass rush. Taking Maybin over Brown and Orakpo I think will have more to do with where he played (a cold climate) then anything else. Maybin knows how to play that Packers style of defense and should meld in well, though I don't know if I see constant Pro Bowler in him.

10. San Francisco 49ers-Rey Maualuga, ILB, USC
Now many have the Niners taking the first QB, but I don't see this. If the Buccs let Jeff Garcia go I can see a reunion in his home town and allowing the younger QBs to develop. Remember Singletary is a defensive guy and how scary would it be to imagine Rey Maualuga and Patrick Willis on the same team? Terrifying if you ask me, jesus.

11. Buffalo Bills-Brandon Pettigrew, TE, Oklahoma St
They need to give Trent Edwards a tight end as a target, as this offense is moving in the right direction, I just see the TE as the glaring spot of weakness right now. I love the style of play by Pettigrew, and I think Dick Jauron will too.

12. Denver Broncos-Everette Brown, DE, Florida St
For a long time now the Broncos have been looking for a pash rush. Their rookie defensive end should have been a star this last year, but he was hurt early on. Add Brown to the other side of him and this defensive line just got very athletic and very likely JaMarcus Russell's worst nightmare.

13. Washington Redskins-Jason Smith, OT, Baylor
I've talked to my Redskins fan friends and they all seem to think defensive end, defensive end. Sorry I just cannot agree with that. They have no second round pick, and with the way their line is aging (not to mention performing) I have to go with an offensive tackle here. Jim Zorn knows the benefits of having a solid tackle (read Wlater Jones) protect your QB.

14. New Orleans Saints-Michael Oher, OT, Ole Miss
Drew Brees is what moves this offense, not McCallister or Bush. They need to make sure they protect arguably one of the best quarterbacks in the league. Hell, who knows maybe he can even open a hole up for Duece and Reggie while he's protecting the Boilermaker.

15. Houston Texans-Brian Orakpo, DE, Texas
If Orakpo lasts to the Texans I imagine I will be hearing plenty of gunfire in the streets if they make this pick. Super Mario is playing out of his mind down here and needs someone on the otherside to balance out his act. The duo of Williams and Orakpo may just be the most athletic defensive end duo in the league.

16. San Diego Chargers-Brian Cushing, LB, USC
The Chargers don't have a second round pick, so grabbing one of the top linebackers is crucial here. They'll be able to snag one of the running backs in the third round, but their linebacker corps needs a solid presence since so many go out with injury throughout the year. Cushing can play both OLB and ILB in a 3/4 I think and should be a great fit on this team.

17. New York Jets-Percy Harvin, WR, Florida
Remember that scene towards the finale of The Matrix? What do you need, weapons, and lots of them. The Jets have decent weapons, but nothing with the firepower of Percy Harvin. Hell, put him on kickoff with Leon Washington, a wildcat with Brad Smith, or any other offensive formation and the kid will make a play.

18. Chicago Bears-Mark Sancchez, QB, USC
The Bears will be salivating if Davis falls to them at 18, this is true, but I don't think the organization will let one of the QBs slip by them if they make it this far. Yes, Kyle Orton is the starter but he doesn't exactly light up the scoreboard with excitement. Drafting Sanchez gives him some time to sit for a year before Orton and get adjusted to the pro game.

19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Matt Stafford, QB, Georgia
Jon Gruden is no longer the head honcho on the Pirate Ship, lord knows why, so gone are the days of veteran QBs all over the place. Raheem Morris makes a statement and takes Stafford since he's still on the board. They've seen what a rookie QB can do, of course if they keep Garcia this could change as well.

20. Detroit Lions via Cowboys-Peria Jerry, DT, Ole Miss
If they still have this pick remember one key thing, their new coach is Jim Schwartz. He knows how much his success relied on Albert Haynesworth, and with Shaun Rogers gone in Detroit, he needs some inside presence on the defensive line. Now I wish the Browns would just suck it up, and take Jerry with the number five pick. I think this kid is going to be a superstar and is very close to being my favorite player in this draft.

21. Philadelphia Eagles-Eben Britton, OT, Arizona
Both tackles are over 30, one won't be healthy until training camp, and that's if they resign him. Now of course there's that chance they could trade up, but then they could just play the odds and hope that someone like Britton falls into their lap at number 21.

22. Minnesota Vikings-Alphonso Smith, CB, Wake Forest
Winfield finally got some recognition this year and was sent to the Pro Bowl, but that doesn't change the fact that the Vikings have a bit of an age situation in the secondary. Taking Smith now allows him to learn from those veterans and makes him that much better.

23. New England Patriots-Clint Sintim, OLB, Virginia
Dear god I hope they take Sintim over Clay Matthews. He has the ability to play both the OLB and ILB in the 3/4 I believe. Their job of lowering the average age of their linebacking corps needs to continue as I think Mayo is the only one without an AARP card at this point.

24. Atlanta Falcons-Patrick Chung, SS, Oregon
I'm sure many of you are scratching your heads at this, but they have two safeties who are free agents, and even then most of their safeties are a bit long in the tooth. I think Mike Smith is gonna LOVE Patrick Chung's style of play.

25. Miami Dolphins-Vontae Davis, CB, Illinois
Bill Parcells has a very interesting team being born there on the beach. One thing it needs, however, is a shut down cornerback. I think Vontae Davis can be that back, should be that back, if he manages to slip by the Bears of course.

26. Baltimore Ravens-Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR, Maryland
It's always nice to see a team take a local kid, so this makes sense to me. They need to give Joe Flacco a big tall target downfield, Mason isn't getting any younger you know. I know the initial reaction is gonna be, what about a linebacker?! There are a plethora of quality linebackers in this draft, it can wait a round.

27. Indianapolis Colts-Alex Mack, OL, Cal
Though they top three are all listed as centers, I do believe all of them can play guard and sometimes tackle as well. With the many injuries the Colts have experienced the last two years, taking the best offensive lineman on the board makes the most sense to me...and Peyton Manning.

28. Philadelphia Eagles via Panthers-Chris Wells, RB, Ohio State
Chris Wells is that relief that Westbrook so desperately needs. Westbrook hasn't been known to be the most durable running back in recent years so giving a back who can take a pounding makes sense, especially in this two running back age we seem to be coming to.

29. New York Giants-LeSean McCoy, RB, Pitt
Either Ward or Jacobs is likely out of New York via free agency, and where Bradshaw is a good change of pace back, they need another back who can stand out. In enters LeSean McCoy, as the rest of the NFC East groans at the continued pound and ground of the Giants.

30. Tennessee Titans-Hakeem Nicks, WR, North Carolina
Whether the QB is Kerry Collins or Vince Young, the Titans need to get them some weapons. Nicks is a tall, powerful, sure handed wide receiver whose style of play I would liken very much to Palaxico Burress. The nice thing is there are no reports of Nicks shooting himself in the leg yet.

31. Arizona Cardinals-James Laurinaitis, ILB, Ohio State
The fact that the Road Warrior could fall so far is a crying shame. Of course if the Browns end up with two lower end first round picks, he could come off the board to them, but then I have a conflict between the Road Warrior and Son of Matthews. The Cards are gonna lose some folks via free agency, but this makes the best sense to me.

32. Pittsburgh Steelers-William Beatty, OT, UConn
Though Big Ben gave them a bunch of credit after they won, the weak spot on this team is still the offensive line. William Beatty has been relatively unknown, but this kid is shooting up the charts since, according to one sight, he's 6'6" 300lbs and moves like a power forward.

ROUND TWO
1. Detroit Lions-DJ Moore, CB, Vanderbilt
A crime he could slip this far, my favorite seccondary player in this draft.

2. St Louis Rams-Jamon Meredith, OT/G, South Carolina
If they don't start protecting Mark Bulger they're not gonna have a quarterback left.

3. Kansas City Chiefs-Josh Freeman, QB, Kansas State
The quarterback with the biggest upside comes from a local college, bonus round.

4. Cleveland Browns-Clay Matthews, OLB, USC
Look, this is the only pick I care about with the Browns. It is a sign of a return to glory if once again there is a Clay Matthews in the linebacker corps.

5. Seattle Seahawks-Derrick Williams, WR, Penn State
They went through an entire offense of wide outs last year, this one at least gives them return ability as well.

6. Cincinnati Bengals-Michael Johnson, DE, Georgia Tech
Easily the most athletically gifted defensive end in the draft, sadly getting drafted by the Bengals ruins your career.

7. Jacksonville Jaguars-Jason Phillips, ILB, TCU
A player that is under the radar for a lot of people, I consider this an upgrade over Peterson.

8. Oakland Raiders-Fili Moala, DT, USC
Do you think Tom Cable is happy that one of his starters is Gerrard Warren?

9. Green Bay Packers-Duke Robinson, G, Oklahoma
Probably has first round talent, the Packers get a real steal with him falling this far.

10. Buffalo Bills-Eric Wood, C, Louisville
Every other AFC East team runs the 3-4, Wood is the biggest Center of the top three.

11. San Francisco 49ers-Kenny Britt, WR, Rutgers
A solid possession receiver who should make Singletary very happy with his style of play.

12. Miami Dolphins via Redskins-Larry English, OLB/DE, Northern Illinois
A 3-4 outside backer, a very hard player who should make the Parcells team very happy.

13. New York Giants via Saints-Rashad Johnson, S, Alabama
A pretty solid with some ball hawking ability, should be a good fit for that defense.

14. Houston Texans-Max Unger, C, Oregon
They're now the zone blocking team of the NFL, the perfect place for my favorite lineman in the draft.

15. New England Patriots via Chargers-Sean Smith, CB/S, Utah
Sean Smith is a playmaker, and can play any spot in the secondary, perfect for the Patriots.

16. Denver Broncos-Juaquin Iglesias, WR, Oklahoma
The Broncos need a weapon since who knows whats up with Brandon Marshall, perfect number 3 receiver.

17. Chicago Bears-Fenuki Tupou, OT, Oregon
The Bears offensive tackles resemble the Eagles' too much, broken and old.

18. Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Pat White, WR, West Virginia
Maybe hedging his bets, I'm starting to think Pat White may just be an NFL QB yet.

19. Dallas Cowboys-Herman Johnson, G, LSU
The biggest baby ever born in Louisiana, his size is the perfect fit for the Cowboys.

20. New York Jets-Louis Delmas, S, Western Michigan
A talented safety, Rob Ryan knows his defense needs those players to succeed.

21. Philadelphia Eagles-Marcus Freeman, OLB, Ohio State
Gocong and Bradley are impressive, Freeman makes it three.

22. Minnesota Vikings-Brandon LaFell, WR, LSU
The wide receivers for Minnesota currently are Berrian and...

23. Atlanta Falcons-Chase Coffman, TE, Missouri
They currently have decent tight ends, Coffman has the ability to be one of the best.

24. Miami Dolphins-Sen-Derrick Marks, DT, Auburn
Not a fan of the player, but could thrive as a DE in the 3-4.

25. Baltimore Ravens-Darry Beckwith, ILB, LSU
At best they're only gonna keep two out of the three free agent linebackers.

26. New England Patriots-Asher Allen, CB, Utah
I know, two corners in the same round, but it would make quite the tandem for them.

27. Carolina Panthers-Jerry Hughes, DE, TCU
I'm guessing they can keep Gross, but Peppers already has his bags packed. This could be the steal of the draft though.

28. Indianapolis Colts-Sean Witherspoon, OLB, Missouri
Is solid and has depth, except at the weakside backer.

29. New York Giants-Ricky Jean-Franocis, DT, LSU
They swap defensive lineman in out like Trump does toupees.

30. Tennessee Titans-Travis Beckum, TE, Wisconsin
The Antonio Gates model, more about receiving then blocking, just giving them another target.

31. Arizona Cardinals-Trevor Cannfield, G, Cincinnati
They have to start protecting the QB better...imagine what could have been if they had.

32. Pittsburgh Steelers-Tyson Jackson, DE, LSU
They tend to stockpile defensive players.

ROUND THREE
1. Detroit Lions-Cullen Harper, QB, Clemson

2. St Louis Rams-William Moore, S, Missouri

3. Kansas City Chiefs-Scott McKillop, ILB, Pitt

4. Seattle Seahawks-Shonn Greene, RB, Iowa

5. Dallas Cowboys via Browns-Ron Brace, DT, Boston College

6. Cincinnati Bengals-Adam Uiatowski, OT, Texas

7. Oakland Raiders-Victor Harris, CB, Virginia Tech

8. Jacksonville Jaguars-Mohammed Massaquoi, WR, Goergia

9. Green Bay Packers-Jonathan Casillas, OLB, Wisconsin

10. San Francisco 49ers-Nate Davis, QB, Ball State

11. Buffalo Bills-George Selvie, DE, South Florida

12. New York Jets via Saints-Drew Willy, QB, Buffalo

13. Houston Texans-Tyrone McKenzie, OLB, South Florida

14. San Diego Chargers-Donald Brown, RB, UConn


15. Denver Broncos-Dannell Ellerbe, ILB, Georgia

16. Washington Redskins-Brandon Graham, DE, Michigan

17. Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Darius Butler, CB, UConn

18. Detroit Lions via Cowboys-Shawn Nelson, TE, Southern Miss

19. Green Bay Packers via Jets-Evander Hood, DT, Missouri

20. Chicago Bears-Louis Murphy, WR, Florida

21. Philadelphia Eagles-Kevin Ellison, SS, USC

22. Minnesota Vikings-Jared Cook, TE, South Carolina

23. Miami Dolphins-Phil Loadholt, OT, Oklahoma

24. Baltimore Ravens-Keenan Lewis, CB, Oregon St

25. New England Patriots-Jeremiah Johnson, RB, Oregon

26. Atlanta Falcons-Brian Robiskie, WR, Ohio State

27. Indianapolis Colts-Mike Mickens, CB, Cincinnati

28. Carolina Panthers-Alex Magee, DT, Purdue

29. New York Giants-Ramses Barden, WR, Cal Poly

30. Tennessee Titans-Kraig Urbik, G, Wisconsin

31. Arizona Cardinals-Paul Kruger, DE, Utah

32. Pittsburgh Steelers-Derek Pegues, FS, Mississippi State

7 comments:

Cooper7 said...

As a Cleveland fan I was interested in who you have at #5. With Curry off the board I really like the idea of going with an OT.
Actually I thought I was the only one thinking this way. Installing a young talented Tackle to our right side would definitely help protect our QBs. We lost three to injuries last year. He would provide better blocking in the run game which in-turn would help out our game as a whole. As we might actually be able to keep our defense off the field with some offensive ball control. Nice job.

Cooper7 said...

I didn't even see the choice in the second round before my first post. Again nice job Matthews has to be a Brown. This is probably my favorite mock that I've come across. My only regret when reading this is in the 3rd McKillop gets taken. I was hoping he could fall to Cleveland in the early 4th.

itswhatido said...

One of the best mocks I have seen for the Lions! I would love to see a trade down, but considering that is nearly impossible, i would be happy to pull one of the top tackles (whomever that may be), a stud DT in Perry, and a stud CB or interior lineman in the second round. Nice mock.

Jack Gonzo, MD said...

Cooper-Even if Curry falls to the Browns I don't know if we should take him. He's a 4-3 linebacker and I fear his talents may be a bit wasted in a 3-4. With luck Philly or someone else will want to move up to number five and the Browns can move down and help in those crucial areas. I think corner will be address via free agency, hopefully Ryan will be able to convince N.A. to come if the Raiders don't franchise him.

itswhatido-Thank you for your words, it's always great to hear feedback. I like Schwartz, I think he's a smart football guy, and old school one like that. Now that Millen is gone he should address the areas Millen left alone at the beginning of most of his drafts. If you get DJ Moore at the top of the second THAT would be the steal of the draft, go out and buy yourself a Moore jersey that day.

Cooper7 said...

Jack Gonzo, MD - If Curry is there he's likely(90%) the pick. As to your worries I think Mangini and Ryan can given Curry's ability to play any and all LB positions in any scheme can come up with some creative things to get the most out of Curry. As for your thoughts on getting CB I agree free agency seems to be the likely route. But then we differ as I only think we need to add a solid nickleback not a starter. A trade down would be nice in that we get extra picks, but they are easier said then done.

Jack Gonzo, MD said...

Cooper-See, I think Shutdown still needs time to adjust to the game and could be a phenominal nickleback until he's ready to start. With Wright on one side N.A. on the other, that would be a dangerous duo. I love Curry, I'm just not sure about the 3-4 and him as he'd be sort of a tweener. If we move down we need to get Peria Jerry. DEs in a 3-4 are defensive tackle sized guys and this kid is a playmaker.

Cooper7 said...

Your right Jack DT needs to be addressed, but I expect the Browns to sign C.J. Mosley a free agent from the Jets. He's played for Mangini and actually shouldn't be that expensive.