[h3]
From Draftking.com
2009 NFL Mock Draft[/h3]
1. Detroit Lions - Matthew Stafford, QB, Georgia ~
It's looking more and more like the Lions will draft Stafford at the top spot of the draft. The team needs a top-flight quarterback, and with Staffordhaving had a great private workout for the Lions, it looks to me that Stafford has the inside track to being the top pick in 2009.
If the Lions opt not to go with Stafford, they could go with a top-flight offensive tackle, with BaylorOT Jason Smith likely to be tops at that spot. Certainly there are plenty of great players at offensive tackle to choose from at this spot, and emulating theDolphins (who went from 1-15 in 2007 to 11-5 in 200
by taking an offensive tackle at the top spot in the draft might be a wise move. OLB Aaron Curry likelywon't be given serious consideration, no with OLB Ernie Sims under contract for two more years and the team having traded for former Seahawks LB JulianPeterson.
The Lions have two picks in the first round of the 2009 Draft thanks to the Roy Williams trade, andthere will be quality defensive players from whom they can choose later on in round one. Factor into that the team's pick at the top of round two, andthere will be other chances for the Lions to rebuild its defense.
2. St. Louis Rams - JasonSmith, OT, Baylor
This is a deep draft at offensive tackle, and the Rams could be in position to have their pick of the litter. Mel Kiper was ahead of the curve in predictingJason Smith as a high pick, and he very well could end up going to the Rams at this spot. Smith bench-pressed 225 pounds 33 times at the combine, and he mayhave separated himself from the rest of the very strong offensive tackle pack with that performance.
Future hall of fame offensive tackle Orlando Pace is no longer a member of the Rams team, and his cutseems to point strongly to St. Louis going with an offensive tackle at this position. Adding Smith, along with the signing of free agent center Jason Brown(from Baltimore), would provide an instant improvement to the Rams' offensive line.
3. Kansas City Chiefs -Aaron Curry, OLB, Wake Forest
Curry has managed to work his way to the top of most defensive prospect lists, and it would be no surprise for him to be a top five pick in the draft. Heplayed his way into this spot with an outstanding 2008 senior season. At 6'2" 250-255 pounds, Curry runs a 4.56 40 and has an incredible knack forfinding the ball. Seeing Curry in a 3-4 defense would be interesting, but he is such a strong prospect that he would project highly in *any* defensive scheme.Kansas City needs a blue chip offensive tackle, but a player at talented as Curry might prove to be too much for the Chiefs to pass up on at thisspot.
4. Seattle Seahawks -Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech ~
Michael Crabtree is considered by most experts to be the top wide receiver prospect in the draft -- and he left school as just a redshirt sophomore. And whileSeattle signed T.J. Houshmandzadeh to a big money deal this off-season, Houshmandzadeh turns 32 in September. Crabtree is an elite talent, and while there aremany who don't think that Seattle will take him because of Houshmandzadeh's presence on the team, I still think he is too strong of a prospect forSeattle to pass up at this spot.
5. Cleveland Browns - BrianOrakpo, DE, Texas
The Browns need to get a talented pass rusher, and while Aaron Curry would be great, if they can't get him then a player like Orakpo should receive strongconsideration. Orakpo has great size at 6'3" 265, and he showed his strength at the combine by bench pressing 225 pounds an impressive 31times.
Orakpo is talented enough where he could play either DE or OLB in a 3-4. That flexibility could make himeven more tempting for a team like Cleveland, which is looking for players to properly fit its front seven defense. Some observers like B.J. Raji at this spot(or they did before
reports of a failed combine drug test surfaced), but I question if Raji has enoughsize to play NT in a 3-4 defense at the level one would want from a player being selected as a top five pick.
6. Cincinnati Bengals -Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia
Cincinnati desperately needs an offensive line boost. Consider this: in 2008, the Bengals were #30 in passing offense and #29 in rushing offense. To be fair,the injury of QB Carson Palmer contributed to this, but so did the departure of offensive tackle Willie Anderson to Baltimore in the last off-season. And, withthe Bengals losing OT Stacy Andrews to free agency, adding an elite offensive tackle would seem to be a top priority for the Bengals.
Monroe hasn't received as much mediaattention as some of the other elite offensive tackle talents, but he has quietly climbed up the ladder to where he might go in the top five of the draft. Ifhe's on the board here, he would be an excellent selection for the Bengals.
7. Oakland Raiders - DarriusHeyward-Bey, WR, Maryland ~
It's true that the Raiders seldom use high draft picks on wide receivers, but just two years ago Oakland drafted JaMarcus Russell at #1 overall after manyyears without a high pick being used on a quarterback. Heyward-Bey ran a blistering 4.30 40 at the combine, and at 6'2" 210 he has good size for areceiver. There are some who think that Missouri WR Jeremy Maclin might be the second (or even the first) wide receiver to go, but Heyward-Bey would be abetter fit for the Raiders, particularly with Oakland already having Johnnie Lee Higgins on its roster to serve as the team's primary kickreturner.
Heyward-Bey is still somewhat raw as far as his receiving skills go, but with proper coaching and timehe could develop into being an elite NFL talent.
8. Jacksonville Jaguars -Andre Smith, OT, Alabama
I still think Andre Smith is the best long-term offensive tackle prospect in the bunch. However, there are major questions about his work ethic. Add to thatthe bizarre scene at the NFL combine in Indianapolis surrounding Smith, coupled with what some believe was a sub-par pro day for him at Alabama, and there aredoubters out there who think Smith is going to fall down the draft board -- perhaps into the second half of the first round.
9. Green Bay Packers - AaronMaybin, DE/OLB, Penn State ~
The Packers have shifted to a 3-4 defense this year, and an important element of any 3-4 is an elite blitzing OLB. Maybin could fill that role quite nicely, ashe has remarkable speed and enough size to present a challenge for opposing offenses.
10. San Francisco 49ers -Mark Sanchez, QB, USC ~
Alex Smith hasn't been the answer for the 49ers, and Sanchez has emerged as the second-ranked QB prospect besides Matthew Stafford. For the 49ers to returnto greatness, they will likely need to find a top-flight signal caller to lead the offense. And, unless they somehow manage to sign QB Kurt Warner (who islikely simply using the 49ers for leverage in negotiations with Arizona), taking Sanchez at this spot makes a great deal of sense.
11. Buffalo Bills - EveretteBrown, DE, Florida State ~
Aaron Schabel turns 32 later this year and the Bills need a player who can bring pressure from the defensive end position. Brown had 13.5 sacks in 2008 forFlorida State, and having him bookended with Schabel could provide a major boost for Buffalo's defense.
12. Denver Broncos - TysonJackson, DE, LSU
Jackson might have been a first round pick had he come out for last year's draft. In 2008 he fell off the radar to a degree due to LSU having a down year,but he has worked his way back into contention at the defensive end position, to the point where the Broncos could take him here and then hope to have USC ILBRey Maualuga fall to them later in round one.
At 6'4" 295, Jackson has the size to play DE effectively in a 3-4. The Broncos are goingthrough changes in its defensive setup via the draft, and particularly if Denver wants to give Kyle Orton a try (and then jump into the 2010 QB bonanza if thatdoesn't work), then going defense here instead of Kansas State QB Josh Freeman makes sense to me.
13. Washington ******** -Michael Oher, OT, Ole Miss
Oher is an outstanding pass blocker, and despite
adifficult past he turned into one of the nation's best college offensive linemen. Oher didn't have a great combine, but he is a freakishlytalented player who, with the right coaching, could turn into an All-Pro.
14. New Orleans Saints -Malcolm Jenkins, CB/S, Ohio State
New Orleans could use an upgrade in its secondary, particularly after multiple free agent moves designed to fill that need failed to provide the desiredresults. Jenkins is the top cornerback prospect in the draft, yet he is versatile enough to where he could play safety if asked. His best value for the Saints,in my estimation, would be at corner, but regardless of where he plays in the secondary he would be a major boost for New Orleans.
15. Houston Texans - MichaelJohnson, DE, Georgia Tech
With the Texans signing a pair of free agent OLBs (Cato June from Tampa Bay and Buster Davis from Indianapolis), it appears that they would be inclined to lookelsewhere with their first round pick. Johnson is a massive defensive end at 6'7" 265, and it would be most intriguing to see him bookended with thevery dangerous Mario Williams at DE for the Texans.
16. San Diego Chargers -B.J. Raji, DT, Boston College
The Chargers don't have a second-round pick in the 2009 Draft, so trading down from here makes a great deal of sense. But, if they keep the pick, theChargers need to concentrate on an area of need here.
There isn't a true top-tier nose tackle in the draft, though B.J. Raji at 6'1" 340 hasgreat size and is a DT/NT tweener type of prospect (with his 6'1" height being a negative to NT).
Rumors about Raji having supposedly failed a test for marijuana at Boston College,combined with reports that he failed a marijuana test at the combine, will likely hurt his draft stock. There are some who think that he might fall out of thefirst round, but Raji has too much talent for that to happen. If he slips to this spot, he would be a great pickup for the Chargers, even if he comes with somerisk.
17. New York Jets - KnowshonMoreno, RB, Georgia ~
In some ways I question the idea of the Jets not trying to stretch one more year out of the combo of Thomas Jones and Leon Washington, but the chance to landMoreno might be too enticing to pass up. The Jets might be tempted to trade up to get Moreno if they fear that San Diego might take him at #16, but of coursethat hinges on how the new braintrust with the Jets evaluates the relative skills of Wells and Moreno.
18. Denver Broncos (from Bears) - Rey Maualuga, ILB, USC
With the Broncos moving to a 3-4 defense, a huge playmaker like Maualuga would be a great addition to the lineup. He is a great leader and, while there wouldbe a transition necessary in moving to a 3-4, Maualuga is good enough to where he could be a great impact player for Denver. There is a need for a nose tacklethat would be diffiuclt to fill at this spot, but overall a player like Maualuga would make Denver's defense better right away.
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers -Josh Freeman, QB, Kansas State ~
The old regime is out in Tampa Bay, and there's nothing like drafting a first-round quarterback to kick things off for a new management staff. In thecopycat NFL, the idea of drafting a tall QB (like Baltimore did last year with Joe Flacco) is likely to be very appealing to many teams, and the 17-19 range isone that seems more and more likely for Freeman to end up going in later this month.
20. Detroit Lions (from Cowboys) - Peria Jerry, DT, Ole Miss
The Lions traded DT Cory Redding to Seattle earlier this year, and the team could use a player like Jerry to fill the hole in the middle. Jerry has rare speedand explosiveness at the position, and he should help bring pressure up the middle wherever he ends up going.
21. Philadelphia Eagles -Brandon Pettigrew, TE, Oklahoma State
One year ago the Eagles used their franchise tag to retain tight end L.J. Smith. It seems unlikely that the team would do that again, and short of Smithsigning a long-term deal with Philly, the Eagles could be in the market for a tight end.
At this point Pettigrew looks like the best of the bunch with Oklahoma TE Jermaine Gresham going back toschool for 2009. At 6'6" 260 Pettigrew has great size and appears to have the ability to block on an NFL quality level. He is also a receiving threat,and adding him to the mix in Philly would be quite intriguing.
22. Minnesota Vikings -Jeremy Maclin, WR, Missouri ~
There are many who believe that Maclin will be a top ten pick, but it's possible he could slide to this position. That would work out quite well for theVikings, which could use his great speed at the position. Moreover, Maclin is a dangerous kick returner, which could allow him to begin contributing to theVikings right away.
23. New England Patriots -Brian Cushing, OLB, USC
The Patriots made a strong move to add youth at LB last year with ILB Jared Mayo, and they could make another solid move by landing Cushing at this spot. Thiswould be somewhat low for Cushing compared with some projections that have him going higher, and this is not connected with the rumor of Cushing having faileda drug test (which his agent strongly denied) but instead just the breaks in the draft that cause some guys to fall further than they really should.
24. Atlanta Falcons - D.J.Moore, CB, Vanderbilt ~
An important part of the defense that lead Vanderbilt to its first bowl game since 1982, Moore is heading to the NFL, and he could help provide a much-neededboost to the Falcons secondary. Moore has incredible athleticism and great hands, and while he didn't run the 40 as fast as he had hoped at either thecombine or at Vanderbilt's pro day, he remains a great interception threat who would be a wonderful addition to the Atlanta roster.
25. Miami Dolphins - PercyHarvin, WR, Florida ~
The Dolphins could use a solid OLB, but instead of stretching to take one here the Dolphins could land an amazing talent in Harvin. Harvin has great speed, tobe sure, but what makes him really stand out is his uncanny knack for not only running great routes but also in getting open. While I could see the Dolphinstrading down here in Bill Parcells expert draft style, if Miami has the chance to draft Harvin here that could be a great move for a team that already has anemerging star with Ted Ginn, Jr.
26. Baltimore Ravens -Vontae Davis, CB, Illinois ~
The Ravens cut longtime CB Chris McAlister earlier this off-season, and a logical progression for the Ravens would be to bring in a young player like Daviswho, in time, could develop into a great pro cornerback. At 6'0" 205 Davis has good height for the position, but it's his speed and knack forbreaking up passing plays that makes him look so good as a pro prospect.
27. Indianapolis Colts -Sen'Derrick Marks, DT, Auburn ~
The Colts rely on defensive pressure from its front four to pressure the quarterback with its Cover 2 defense. Moreover, the team looks to the interiordefensive line to stop the run, which has been a hit-or-miss proposition in recent years.
At 6'1" (or 6'2" depending on who you believe) and 295 pounds, Marks would be able tohelp turn around the interior defensive line problems of the team. The DT position has been hit hard in the past two seasons, with the career-ending kneeinjury in August 2007 suffered by Anthony McFarland (who the Colts acquired for a second-round pick in 2006) and then the release of starting DT Ed Johnsonearly in the 2008 season after Johnson was arrested for possession of marijuana.
28. Philadelphia Eagles (from Panthers) - Eben Britton, OT, Arizona
Both starting offensive tackles for the Eagles, Jon Runyan and Tra Thomas, are slated to be unrestricted free agents, and it's a distinct possibility thatone (if not both) will be leaving the team. However, the Eagles in this scenario would have missed out on the first wave of offensive tackles by the time pick#21 came up, so it makes sense for the Eagles to snag Brandon Pettigrew at #21 and then go for Britton at this spot.
29. New York Giants - ClayMatthews, OLB, USC
Overlooked by some because of his strong teammates Rey Maualuga and Brian Cushing, Matthews is a talented outside linebacker who would be a good addition tothe Giants. Landing an offensive tackle here would be nice, but if Eben Britton goes one pick before, Matthews would probably make the most sense in thisspot.
30. Tennessee Titans - JamesLaurinaitis, ILB, Ohio State
Yes, the Titans have Ryan Fowler at MLB, but he hasn't particularly stood out since arriving via free agency from Dallas two years ago. Laurinaitis is anamazing talent who would provide a great boost to the heart of the Titans defense. He has great vision, impressive quickness, and isn't afraid to lay a hiton anyone.
31. Arizona Cardinals -Chris "Beanie" Wells, RB, Ohio State ~
The Cardinals have a rather strong need for a franchise running back. Edgerrin James turns 31 in August, and for a third straight season he finished with a sub4.0 yards per carry rushing average in 2008. He's also due a $5 million base salary in 2009. Tim Hightower had an even worse average than James, with ananemic 2.8 yards per carry in the 2008 regular season. J.J. Arrington left via free agency, and overall a player like Wells would be a wonderful fit forArizona.
32. Pittsburgh Steelers -Max Unger, C/OG, Oregon
Unger played center at Oregon, but he could potentially play both center and guard for the Steelers. Pittsburgh retained OG Chris Kemoeatu with a five-yearcontract, but Unger could still be a valuable addition to a Steelers team that needs some fresh blood on its offensive line.