I know that Sam Bradford could enter this draft, but Stafford
and his rocket arm will wow coaches come February. The Lions
have more problems on the defensive side of the ball, but if the
Lions truly want to rebuild, this position should serve as the
first building block. They have the luxury of a second first
round pick to build on other needs.
2. St. Louis Rams-Andre Smith, OT-Alabama*
Many have turned on Marc Bulger, but the true bugaboo for the
Rams was their Offensive Line. Smith could play RT or RG in
this Offense. Bulger will look like a better player with an
improved line. Don’t be shocked if a second or third round pick
is used to challenge Bulger a little, though.
3. Kansas City Chiefs-Sam Bradford, QB-Oklahoma**
No one could argue that Tyler Thigpen has not overachieved this
year, but Bradford plays the only position that the Chiefs did
not address in the 2008 draft. The Oklahoma gungslinger is
battle tested and will have the luxury of dumping passes off to
Tony Gonzalez and Jamaal Charles right away. The Chiefs looked
terrible last year, but still have youth and inexperience.
4. Seattle Seahawks-Aaron Curry, OLB-Wake Forest
A few people doubted that an OLB could go this early, but the
Seahawks have no pass rush to speak of. Seattle gave up a
whopping 378 yards per game and need to quit putting so muc-h
pressure on their offense. Curry may be the best
pound-for-pound athlete in the draft.
5. Cleveland Browns-Malcolm Jenkins, CB-Ohio State
The Browns have playmakers in the secondary, but could freighten
defenses more with Brandon McDonald playing in the nickel. The
managed 23 interceptions last year, but do not have a lockdown
corner. Jenkins starts opposite Eric Wright as soon as he puts
on a uniform.
6. Cincinnati Bengals-Chris “Beanie” Wells, RB-Ohio State*
Cedric Benson was a nice story for the end of the year, but a
team that averages 95 yards per game on the ground does not pass
up a player of Beanie’s quality. Wells has a great combination
of size and speed and could place Benson in the complementary
role in which he works best. The loyal Ohio faithful cannot
wait for this pick.
7. Oakland Raiders- Michael Crabtree, WR-Texas Tech**
The Oakland offense experienced a resurrection in the waning
moments of the season, but young JaMarcus Russell lacks a go-to
option. Javon Walker may never stay healthy. Crabtree,
McFadden, and Russell for the next decade? Yahtzee!
8. Jacksonville Jaguars- Michael Oher, OT-Ole Miss
With his rare starting experience, it should be a crime to see
Oher available at the 8th pick. David Garrard began to appear
ordinary after suffering through 42 sacks, and the players need
some youth after a tragic year for their line. Few Left Tackles
this side of Joe Thomas start well in Week One.
9. Green Bay Packers-Eugene Monroe, OT-Virginia
With Chad Clifton at age 32, don’t expect the Packers to pass up
a gem like Monroe. 34 sacks is a lot for this usually-solid
line to give up. Monroe exceeded all expectations after
replacing 2 studs in D’Brickashaw Ferguson and Branden Albert.
Aaron Rodgers can only improve with this pick.
10. San Francisco 49ers-Brian Orakpo, DE-TExas
Analysis: Parys Haralson has overachieved while Manny Lawson has
disappointed in the long term; regardless, J. R. Glymph and I
have often discussed the need for multiple Pass Rushers in the
3-4. This would enable Justin Smith and Patrick Willis to
contribute in other aspects of the defense.
11. Buffalo Bills-Jason Smith, OT-Baylor
Bills’ fans have witnessed an amazing metamorphosis of Jason
Peters from oversized college Tight End to Pro Bowl Left Tackle.
Peters, however, witnessed this as well and would like to be
compensated. He will price himself out of Buffalo and the
fast-rising Smith will remedy that predicament.
12. Denver Broncos-Aaron Maybin, DE-Penn State**
We felt as if Maybin would return, but he appeared to be aloof
when put on the spot about the issue. The Broncos are pleased
with Elvis Dumervil, but will require more than 26 sacks in a
season to frighten opposing defenses.
13. Washington Redskins-Rey Maualuga, MLB-USC
The Redskins’ faithful should be clamoring for line help, but
London Fletcher is not getting any younger and Maualuga is too
solid to fall much further. The Skins went heavy on offense
last year, so, if Jim Zorn wants to be around long-term, he
should concern himself with the other side of the ball. This is
an Urlacher-type pick.
14. New Orleans Saints-Brandon Pettigrew, TE-Oklahoma State
From time to time, teams trade for a behavior problem and
rejuvenate their careers. This was not the case with Jeremy
Shockey. Pettigrew is also a better blocker than Shockey and
will help out a sputtering running game. Scouts are all over
the place on Pettigrew, but he has better all-around skills that
anyone else at his position in this class.
15. Houston Texans-James Laurinaitis, MLB-Ohio State
Few teams who missed the playoffs ended the year with more
optimism than the red-hot Texans. A quality Defensive
Coordinator will find a spot for DeMeco Ryans and Laurinaitis in
this defense. The Texans cannot remain on the outside looking
in for much longer with this many playmakers.
16. San Diego Chargers-Alex Mack, C-California
The selection of Marcus McNeill three short years ago showed
that the Chargers will not shy away from upgrading their line if
the best player on the board fits the bill. Mack is versatile
and a future Pro Bowler at the position who could play Center or
Guard for the Chargers.
17. New York Jets-Jeremy Maclin, WR-Missouri**
The Jets may have Laverneaus Coles on the downside of his career
and will need options outside of Jerricho Cotchery. Maclin will
dominate in the slot regardless of whether or not Brett Favre
returns. The Jets do not need help in the return game, but
Maclin contributes enough to get a pass.
18. Chicago Bears-Everette Brown, DE-Florida State
Oh, what a difference a year or two makes. No one on the Bears’
Defensive Line managed more than 6 sacks last year. With
Adewale Ogunleye a shell of his former self, the Bears would
help their disappointing secondary by generating a pass rush.
They finished 30th last year.
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers-BJ Raji, DT-Boston College
We all acted shocked when the red-hot Bucs collapsed and missed
the playoffs, but this aging defense was bound to break down.
Jovan Haye is not a playmaker and Chris Hovan needs a
space-eating counterpart to achieve maximum effectiveness. Raji
is rising up boards and belongs in Round One.
20. Detroit Lions (from Dallas)-Alphonso Smith, CB-Wake Forest
Chris Horwedel openly questioned the acquisition of Leigh Bodden
on our podcast, and the 0-16 Lions actually managed to hold down
a lead once or twice before the secondary started giving up
large chunks of yardage. Smith is a physical cover corner who
upgrades this unit from Day One.
The Cardinals need to stop screwing around with the 3-4 and
commit to an alignment. They managed 31 sacks as a team, which
is above-average, but they need a more consistent pass-rush to
avoid another late season collapse on defense. English is
extremely underrated among most “experts”.
22. Philadelphia Eagles-Taylor Mays, S-USC
This is the first no-brainer of Round One. Mays is an absolute
ballhawk in the mold of LaRon Landry or Brian Dawkins, five
years ago. For a defense that is already 3rd against the pass,
this could be scary.
23. Minnesota Vikings-Vontae Davis, CB-Illinois *
Year after year, the Vikings put together a defense that shuts
down the run but remains vulnerable against the pass. Davis is
an absolute steal at this point and enables the team to take the
next step to dominance next year. His athleticism will be tough
to pass up.
24. New England Patriots-Brian Cushing, OLB-USC
The Patriots took Step One in injecting some youth into their
linebacking core, but they are on the verge of getting old on
the outside as well. Scouts have questioned Cushing as a 3-4
OLB, but the Pats seldom pass up such as athlete. Cushing is
stronger than most Defensive Ends.
25. Atlanta Falcons-Michael Johnson, DE-Georgia Tech
The Falcons got an exceptional year out of John Abraham, but
cannot expect him to last much longer. Johnson is a risk no
matter where he goes in Round One, but he has the athleticism
that will keep him in Round One regardless. The Falcons got
nearly half of their sacks from Abraham. Watch out if Johnson
develops more quickly that Jamaal Anderson.
26. Miami Dolphins-Mike Mickens, CB-Cincinnati
Miami finished the year 25th against the pass and still managed
to achieve a division title. The Jason Allen selection looks as
if it could pay off long-term, but a lock-down option on an
island is essential as well. Mickens, like Mike Jenkins who
went a pick higher than this last year, is a very similar
player.
27. Baltimore Ravens-Gerald McCoy, DT-Oklahoma*
The Ravens have been attempting to upgrade over an aging Trevor
Pryce for the past 2 years. McCoy makes the most sense at this
pick. He is shorter than your average 3-4 end, but he is strong
against the point of attack and will keep this Defensive Line
dominant against the run.
28. Philadelphia Eagles (from Carolina)-Eben Britton,
OT-Arizona*
Britton could be a solid option for a team that may have to
replace two linemen in this off-season. Runyan and Thomas have
provided stability for years on this team. Britton is a hot
name that the Eagles would be grateful to find here.
29. Indianapolis Colts-Tyson Jackson, DE-LSU
No one can take away from Robert Mathis’s game, but he is small
and better as a situational option. Jackson is also a good 30
pounds heavier than Eric Foster on the inside and could even
move inside if need be. Jackson going off the board here would
break the hearts of some 3-4 teams.
30. New York Giants-Chase Coffman, TE-Missouri
Kevin Boss has done admirably, but was never selected to be the
#1 option. Expect the Giants to pounce on the versatile Coffman
here and upgrade their passing game. This is a team that has
already revolutionized the running game, but this would take Eli
Manning to the next level.
31. Pittsburgh Steelers-Duke Robinson, G-Oklahoma
Robinson is a steal at this point and could serve as an
immediate upgrade over Darnell Stapleton. The Steelers have had
so many problems on the Offensive Line that is it hard to
pinpoint one guilty party. That being the case, they need to
take the best available athlete on either line.
The Terrapin Wideout has been dominant against top Corners like
Alphonso Smith and Walter Thurmond III. It will be hard to pass
him up much longer than this, especially if the Titans win the
Super Bowl. They are a young team on Defense with this as their
only hole on Offense.
