Sunday 25 January 2009

Updated mock draft 01/25

Another week has been and gone so it's time for an updated mock draft. It's been a busy week - the Senior Bowl has impacted a lot of prospects draft stock. Away from Mobile, the Kansas City Chiefs called time on Herm Edwards stint as head coach. The Detroit Lions appointed former Rams head coach Scott Linehan as offensive coordinator. In Seattle, Leroy Hill was arrested - is this going to change the way the 'Hawks approach the draft? I've extended my mock to a full first round prediction.

1 Detroit Lions - Matt Stafford (QB, Georgia)
It's still Matt Stafford vs Mark Sanchez to decide who goes first overall. Stafford's greater experience as a starter gives him the edge for now, but things can change over the next few weeks. The Lions may prefer to look elsewhere, but with a dearth of talent at QB this year they'll use the first pick to find the face of their franchise.

2 St Louis Rams - Andre Smith (OT, Alabama)
Last year the Rams wanted Jake Long, I believe, to watch the right side of the offensive line. Question marks linger about Smith's ability against elite speed rushers, but he could be great on the right.

3 Kansas City Chiefs - Aaron Curry (LB, Wake Forest)
The Chiefs have a new GM and soon a new head coach. The question still remains - will they want their own guy at QB? Scott Pioli was part of a Patriots front office that excelled in taking quarter backs later on. Curry is a guy they can build their defense around and offer a much needed pass rush.

4 Seattle Seahawks - Michael Crabtree (WR, Texas Tech)
The Seahawks need a play maker on offense and Crabtree can help from day one. He fits the criteria GM Tim Ruskell looks for - showing consistent production (double Biletnikoff winner) and a good character.

5 Cleveland Browns - Everette Brown (DE, Florida State)
Last week I predicted Brown could shoot up the draft boards and break into the top picks. He seems to be getting similar attention elsewhere. Brown is the prototype DE/LB for a 3-4 defense.
To see the rest of the picks, click here.

6 Cincinnati Bengals - Eugene Monroe (OT, Virginia)
Monroe is getting more attention as the weeks go by, this might be due to cracks appearing in Andre Smith and Michael Oher's stock more than anything. Pundits have questioned Monroe's heart but he did keep Brendan Albert at guard in Virginia. The Bengals need to protect Carson Palmer.

7 Oakland Raiders - Malcolm Jenkins (CB, Ohio State)
Al Davis has often taken defensive backs in the first round and he invested millions in DeAngelo Hall in an attempt to get a perfect tandem with Nnamdi Asomugha. That project failed and Davis could look at Jenkins with the seventh pick. The only question mark is on his recovery speed, he needs to run well at the combine.

8 Jacksonville Jaguars - Jason Smith (OT, Baylor)
Smith is creeping up draft boards and could go higher than this. Jacksonville's offensive line was ravaged by injuries in 2008 and needs to get better.

9 Green Bay Packers - Rey Maualuga (LB, USC)
Mike McCarthy has already announced the team are switching to a 3-4 defense. They need to improve at corner back and pass rush but Maualuga is the perfect ILB in this system and fills another big need in the middle.

10 San Francisco 49ers - Brian Orakpo (DE, Texas)
The Niners have already stated that they would love to get a talented pass rusher in the first round. Orakpo can play in a 4-3 or 3-4 and had an excellent senior year.

11 Buffalo Bills - Brian Cushing (LB, USC)
The Bills need to offer more support to Aaron Schrobel and the pass rush. They also need an OLB and Cushing is rising up boards after a good Senior Bowl.

12 Denver Broncos - B.J. Raji (DT, Boston College)
With Josh McDaniels and Mike Nolan on board a shift to 3-4 is inevitable. The Broncos need to get stouter up front and Raji's stock is rising after an impressive week in Mobile.

13 Washington Redskins - Eben Britton (OT, Arizona)
Britton excelled at both right and left tackle for Arizona. In Washington he would start at RT and could eventually move over.

14 New Orleans Saints - Vontae Davis (CB, Illinois)
The Saints have a prolific offense and the only thing holding them back is a substandard defense. Secondary help is their biggest need and Davis has the potential to be a shutdown corner.

15 Houston Texans - Chris Wells (RB, Ohio State)
They already have an explosive offense and would prefer to upgrade their secondary with this pick. Taylor Mays would have been ideal here. Instead, they take Wells to compliment Steve Slaton in the backfield.

16 San Diego Chargers - Jeremy Maclin (WR, Missouri)
Maclin is an explosive play maker with elite speed. Chris Chambers is in a contract year and will be 31, whilst Vincent Jackson was recently arrested for DUI.

17 New York Jets - Mark Sanchez (QB, USC)
I have Sanchez falling out of the top 10 and if this happens expect a few teams to try and trade up before this pick. If he makes it this far the Jets won't hesitate to take him. They need to move on from the Brett Favre show.

18 Chicago Bears - Michael Johnson (DE, Georgia Tech)
The Bears have needs at QB and WR but perhaps their biggest need is at defensive end. Johnson has the physical talents and could excel in the Bears defense.

19 Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Knowshon Moreno (RB, Georgia)
Tampa Bay need to get younger and better at running back. Moreno is a true triple threat back as a runner, receiver and blocker. He could be a steal this late in the first round.

20 Detroit Lions - James Laurinaitis (LB, Ohio State)
Having got their franchise quarter back with the first overall pick, they pick up their defensive leader in Laurinaitis, who provides great value at this spot.

21 Philadelphia Eagles - Michael Oher (OT, Ole Miss)
This is a big drop for Oher but the Senior Bowl showed just how inconsistent he can be. Sometimes he dominates, other times he'll switch off at a crucial moment. There were already questions about his intelligence. This might seem a bit extreme but it's still early days.


22 Minnesota Vikings - Alphonso Smith (CB, Wake Forest)
Would they trade up to have a shot at Sanchez? They also have a big need at corner back. Everybody knows how good they are against the run but can be beaten through the air. Smith is a play maker who isntantly upgrades the Vikings secondary.

23 New England Patriots - Aaron Maybin (DE, Penn State)
Maybin would be perfect as a DE/LB hybrid in a 3-4 defense. The Pats had great success drafting Jared Mayo to play inside last year and now they could focus on the exterior. Mike Vrabel will be 34 in August.

24 Atlanta Falcons - Peria Jerry (DT, Ole Miss)
Jerry had a great game in the Senior Bowl, scoring a touchdown. The Falcons need to get better at tackle and particularly against the run. The Ole Miss prospect would be good value with this pick.

25 Miami Dolphins - Brandon Pettigrew (TE, Oklahoma State)
This pick has Bill Parcell's written all over it. They got some production from Anthony Fassano last year but Pettigrew is an upgrade as an all round tight end who blocks and catches.

26 Baltimore Ravens - Larry English (LB, Northern Illinois)
English was one of the guys who really helped his stock in Mobile. The Ravens will struggle to keep all three of Ray Lewis, Bart Scott and Terrell Suggs on the books in free agency.

27 Indianapolis Colts - Fili Moala (DT, USC)
The Colts need to improve up front and this pick might be a bit of a reach but it could also have tremendous upside too. Moala has the bulk to be a force but can also get to the quarter back.

28 Philadelphia Eagles - LeSean McCoy (RB, Pittsburgh)
Brian Westbrook is getting on in years and he just didn't look like the Westbrook of old in the playoffs. One way to prolong his effectiveness is to draft a talented runner to feature alongside him.

29 New York Giants - Clint Sintim (LB, Virginia)
Another prospect whose stock has risen over the last few weeks. The Giants defense has already lost it's MVP in Steve Spagnuolo so it might get some added attention in the draft.

30 Tennessee Titans - Paul Kruger (DE, Utah)
Many pundits expect the Titans to go wide receiver here but they have resisted that temptation before and I think they will again. Getting younger at defensive end may even be a bigger need, it's not like their offense struggled in the regular season and an injury to Chris Johnson really hindered their playoff chances against Baltimore.

31 Arizona Cardinals - Louis Delmas (S, Western Michigan)
The Cardinals are picking 31st until the Super Bowl only because the Steelers have a better regular season record. Safety isn't the biggest need but Delmas has really impressed at the Senior Bowl and he's risen to the top ranked safety in this class.

32 Pittsburgh Steelers - William Beatty (OT, Connecticut)
Only three teams gave up more sacks than the Steelers last year - not that it really mattered, they're in the Super Bowl. They could look to invest a pick on the offensive line anyway and Beatty is the best tackle left on the board.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

What happens if the Lions select Mark Snachez with the first pick?

Rob Staton said...

Hi Ryan,

If Detroit take Sanchez it'll be interesting to see what happens to Matt Stafford. I am slightly higher on Stafford than some, I think he is a genuine top 10 pick. He could still drop in the mould of a Brady Quinn, but I have to feel some team would trade up to get him before that happens considering the weakness of this years QB class. It's an interesting question though, I might consider writing a full article to discuss this so thanks for bringing it up.

Anonymous said...

I agree with most everything but I think that the Texans won't go Running Back. Also the Broncos if we choose between Wells, and Raji we will choose Wells with an Offensive Minded Coach.

Rob Staton said...

Thanks for visiting the site Garrett. The reason I had the Texans going running back is mainly due to the rush on defensive guys before they pick. They could trade up, of course. But at the spot they pick, I think if that's how the board fell they would consider taking Wells to compliment Steve Slaton. They have said in the off season they want a bigger back to use a one-two punch attack and Beanie fits the bill. Any concerns about his health are less of an issue in that kind of system where he isn't taking a full load.

The Broncos are tough to call. I think I've put Raji too high, I know he did well in Senior Bowl workouts but it's a bit trigger happy moving him into the top picks (some have him in the top five!). If the likes of Maualuga and Everette Brown are off the board the Bronco's could easilly go offense despite their big needs on defense. In that case, Wells and Knowshon Moreno become very valid options.

Brandon said...

Rob,
its brandon from jaguars football talk. I read an interview with our gm and he is a former d-line coach who believes in drafting inside then out. So look for us to get rajii. I saw in your mock you had him unavailable for us so they would probably look at a smith. This guy does not seem like he would take a wr in rd 1. What were your thoughts on the combine?