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NFL Mock Draft 2009 Draft of 2009 Lacks Star Power NFL Draft 2009: Getting Started Super Bowl Well Worth Tuning In For
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Prospects On Center Stage NBA Preview 2008/09: Final Call
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NFL Mock Draft By R.C. Let me be the first to say: this mock draft will not even be close to what happens next week. It makes too much sense. This is the draft that SHOULD happen. I really don’t understand how about a 1/3 of GM’s have a job, because there are some head-scratching moves every single year. Just the fact that there was a person employed in the NFL willing to take Mario Williams over Reggie Bush last year says enough about the intelligence level of some GM’s. That being said, here it is:  1) Oakland Raiders Pick: WR Calvin Johnson (Georgia Tech) This pick right here is why the Raiders are the Raiders. They should have unloaded Randy Moss and some picks to get a QB like Matt Schaub, David Carr, Jeff Garcia – whoever. Whether it be through a trade or free-agency, it makes more sense to pick up an experienced guy instead of a rookie that won’t be ready for at least a year. Why not take Johnson, the most can’t-miss prospect in years, get rid of your team cancer, and take care of your QB situation all at the same time? Whoever passes on Johnson, and some are saying he may fall as far as fourth, will be sorry in the years to come. 2) Detroit Lions Pick: QB Jamarcus Russell (LSU) Forget Joe Thomas, why not get a franchise QB? And if Russell isn’t available here, the pick should be Brady Quinn. With the emergence of Mike Furrey last year and the continued presence of Roy Williams, they won’t need anything but a #3 receiver for a while. The trade with Denver got them Tatum Bell and a good right tackle in George Foster. They can drop down in the later rounds and pick up a few more lineman, but they can’t pick up a quarterback that looks and runs about like a tight end, can throw the ball 85 yards and also possesses a nice touch on short and intermediate routes. 3) Cleveland Browns Pick: QB Brady Quinn (Notre Dame) He’s a hometown guy, he’ll excite the fanbase, he’s extremely intelligent, stays out of trouble, and looks exactly like an NFL QB should look. Above all that, he actually WANTS to play in Cleveland. Are you kidding me? That’s all you have to say about why the Browns should pick Quinn. 4) Tampa Bay Bucs Pick: OT Joe Thomas (Wisconsin) I would put a defensive player here, but Gruden is calling the shots so I have to be a little realistic because they are going to take an offensive player. The Bucs have about a thousand QB’s, and they want to make sure that none of them end up with a ruptured spleen this year. Thomas would go a long way to helping accomplish that goal, as he’s the most prototypical tackle you will ever see come into the league. Plus, you have to love a guy that won’t attend the draft in New York because he’s going to be Salmon fishing with his dad. He’s the kind of guy you want on your team. 5) Arizona Cardinals Pick: DE Jamaal Anderson (Arkansas) Anyone who says Gaines Adams should be picked over Anderson hasn’t watched Anderson play as much as I have. (Yes, I’m biased) I don’t understand why everyone loves Gaines more than Anderson. While, sure, Adams ran a better 40-time, but who cares? If your defensive end is making tackles 40 yards down the field you are in trouble. More importantly, Anderson runs a better time in the quickness drills. Besides, I watched him more than once chase down SEC running backs from behind after they had taken a pitch to the opposite side of the field. Also, he is big enough at 290 to play defensive end in the 3-4, which Ken Whisenhunt will bring to Arizona from Pittsburgh. 6) Washington Redskins Pick: LB Patrick Willis (Ole Miss) Yes, this is way higher than Willis will go. But ask Detroit what an impact linebacker can do for a defense. They drafted Ernie Simms out of FSU last year and it has paid huge dividends. I absolutely love Willis and think he will be a star at the next level. Having watched him a lot in the SEC, he stood out more than any guy on any SEC defense – including Landry. On top of that, he didn’t have a strong line at Ole Miss to keep lead blockers off of his face. 7) Minnesota Vikings Pick: RB Adrian Peterson (Oklahoma) This is really a pick the Vikings should trade, but I’m not about to get into all the scenarios that should happen. They really need a WR here but wouldn’t be getting good value if they took someone like Robert Meachem or Ted Ginn, Jr. They could trade down to the bottom half of the round, pick up a good player and possibly an extra second/third round pick, and fill a need at receiver with Meachem, Ginn, or even a guy like Sidney Rice. But, once again, that makes too much sense so they’ll probably hang on to the pick. They don’t have a stud running back, and Peterson is on the board in my mock, so he’s got to come off here. 8) Atlanta Falcons Pick: DE Gaines Adams (Clemson) He’ll be gone long before this pick come real draft time, but the Falcons need to replace a defensive end after losing Patrick Kerney to the Seahawks. Adams is a good fit here, he’ll make an immediate impact on this defense. I’d also love to see La’ron Landry here, as that would be a scary secondary with Deangelo Hall. But, with the loss of Kerney this is just too big of a need for the Falcons 9) Miami Dolphins Pick: OT Levi Brown (Penn State). The Dolphins have needed a steady left tackle and Brown should be the guy. Some scouts think he may end up being better than Joe Thomas, which is saying a lot. Realistically he should probably be higher than this, but he’d be a good fit in Miami.  10) Houston Texans Pick: S LaRon Landry (LSU) Quick: name three guys off of the Texans’ defense. Heck, name one. That’s what I thought. Landry will be a huge upgrade at safety, and should be a star for years to come. His blistering 4.3 forty time solidified his elite status. (As a side not, 4.3 is really fast. Really, really fast. But, it’s not fast enough to catch Darren Mcfadden. When they played this year, Mcfadden broke off an 80 yard run that left Landry with grass in his facemask after he couldn’t kick it into that last gear. As an Arkansas fan, I can’t wait to see Mcfadden’s combine stats next year. I know that has nothing to do with anything, but I had to throw that in there.) 11) San Francisco 49ers Pick: DT Omobi Okoye (Louisville) There are a lot of other picks that can make sense here, but elite level defensive tackles don’t grow on trees. Okoye has the potential to be a Warren Sapp type player, and it’s hard to pass up on a guy like that especially this far back in the draft. This would be a great value pick. Everyone knows Okoye’s story, no need to expound any more on this one. 12) Buffalo Bills Pick: CB Chris Houston (Arkansas) Go ahead, call me a “homer.” Maybe I am. But, that doesn’t mean that Chris Houston isn’t the best cornerback in this draft. He benched more than most lineman at the combine. He runs in the 4.3’s. He has the mentality you want in a corner (when asked what kind of corner he was at the combine, he gave a one word answer: “Lockdown”). On top of that, he played against 4 first potential round picks this season and shut them all down except Sidney Rice. And anyone that watched that game knows Houston was in position for every play, but their QB was out of his mind with his ball placement and Rice was making some ridiculous catches. He’d fit perfect, too, as the Bills let Nate Clements get away and need another corner. 13) St. Louis Rams Pick: DT Alan Branch (Michigan) The Rams are awful on run defense. Branch is a big, hulking, potentially dominant tackle. The Rams would be stupid not to address this need here. 14) Carolina Panthers Pick: TE Greg Olsen (Miami) The Panthers need a tight end and Olsen fits the bill. An impact tight end can completely change an offense; just look at what guys like Antonio Gates do for their offense. Olsen really blew up at the combine, and despite eye-gouging stats at Miami I think he’s going to be a great player. 15) Pittsburgh Steelers Pick: DE Adam Carriker (Nebraska) With the Steelers not really knowing what defense they are going to run next, Carriker is a great fit since he can play in the 3-4 or 4-3. He is a huge defensive end at 300 pounds, and anyone would be glad to pick him up at this point in the draft. 16) Green Bay Packers Pick:WR Ted Ginn, Jr. (Ohio St.) The Packers should really throw Brett Favre a bone here and draft him a game-breaking wide receiver. Favre would really be set up for a big year if the Pack could put Ginn, Jr. on the other side of Donald Driver. Ginn’s ability in the special teams is also an added benefit.  17) Jacksonville Jaguars Pick: S Reggie Nelson (Florida) Nelson is going to be huge in the NFL. In my opinion, it would be hard to pick him too high. He has great athletic ability, absolutely incredible instincts, and is a great teammate. With the Jags losing Deon Branch to the Seahawks they need someone at free safety, and Nelson will step right in. 18) Cincinnati Bengals Pick: CB Darrelle Revis (Pitt) I wasn’t sold on Revis until Kirk Herbstreit called him the best corner he saw all last year. I don’t normally put much stock into opinions of the talking heads, but Herbstreit knows what he’s talking about. The Bengals have needs all over the place on defense, so getting a good corner here would be ideal. 19) Tennessee Titans Pick: WR Robert Meachem (Tennessee) With Pacman getting kicked out of the league for a year, it would probably be smart for the Titans to pick a guy like Aaron Ross or even Revis if he were to fall. But, the Titans future is Vince Young and they will invest in him here. Meachem is a big play receiver with blazing speed, and Young has no targets left to throw to because free agency hit their receiving corps hard. 20) New York Giants Pick: LB Jon Beason (Miami) I don’t really understand why he’s risen so far up the draft board because I see him more of a later round pick. He’s a little undersized and didn’t work out well, but should be a solid player, and the Giants have a big need here after having a max exodus at the linebacking corps during free agency. 21) Denver Broncos Pick: RB Marshawn Lynch (California) Many would say that the Broncos need to pick up an offensive tackle, but the best value right here would be Marshawn Lynch. If I’m a GM I’m wary to take him earlier because of the character issues, but this is a good place to a chance. Denver has no true star running back, and Lynch has that potential. Shanahan has shown a tendency to take chances (Clarrett, anyone?), and I doubt Travis Henry has anyone drooling in Denver. 22) Dallas Cowboys Pick: CB Aaron Ross (Texas) This is really a tough one because America’s team addressed so many needs so perfectly this off-season. They went out and got themselves an upper-echelon free safety in Ken Hamlin, re-signed Andre Gurode and brought in Huge Mr. Davis to anchor the offensive line. There really are no glaring weaknesses on this team, so the question is to draft at corner or receiver because those are the positions that will have needs in the future. And, since a corner has more value the Cowboys should pick up this solid player while they can.  23) Kansas City Chiefs Pick: WR Dwayne Bowe (LSU) The Chiefs didn’t get much out of this spot last year, and with the draft this deep it is a great time to be in the market for a receiver. Bowe is a big, physical receiver that can run all the routes and will move the chains with regularity. He doesn’t have blazing speed, but he is still an NFL type-body and would be a great fit in Kansas City. 24) New England Patriots Pick: S Brandon Meriweather (Miami) I admit this is more of a projection than my opinion, because after all if word is the Patriots like a player, who am I to argue? They are the best in the business when it comes to finding talent, and apparently they are really high on this guy. I trust them. 25) New York Jets Pick: LB Lawrence Timmons (FSU) He may not produce immediately, but the Jets are in need of a pass-rusher and given a year he may be one of the best in the league. With most of the corners gone by now, this is the way to go for the Jets. If Timmons were one year farther along in his development he might just be a top 10 pick, so this is a really good value. 26) Philadelphia Eagles Pick: S Michael Griffin (Texas) Michael Lewis is getting old and Griffin is just the type of player the Eagles could use. He runs well in coverage, but can also come up and lay a hit in run support. 27) New Orleans Saints Pick: DT Justin Harrell (Tennessee) Justin Harrell had some injuries or he’d probably be a lot higher right now. He’s a very solid, hard-to-miss kind of pick. The Saints are needing a good interior lineman, so it just makes sense. 28) New England Patriots Pick: T Joe Staley (Central Michigan) Staley just can’t fall any farther. He will be a good protector of his quarterback’s blindside for years to come. The Patriots love guys like this, having worked his way into what he is today and not just a genetic freak (see Troy Brown, Teddy Bruschi, etc.)  29) Baltimore Ravens Pick: C Ryan Kalil (USC) After some defections in their blocking unit the Ravens need to bring someone in that can contribute. Kalil is a great technique guy that doesn’t make mistakes, but also has the ability to move defensive tackle out of the hole. 30) San Diego Chargers Pick: WR Sidney Rice (South Carolina) Many have him falling out of the first round, but I think he is very deserving of this spot. The Chargers don’t hardly have a need, so picking up a guy like him will complement Tomlinson and Company quite nicely. He may have to get stronger before e becomes a #1 type of receiver, but the chargers don’t need him to be a game breaker today. They can let him develop as a #3 and then turn him loose when he’s ready. 31) Chicago Bears Pick: G Ben Grubbs (Auburn) Anyone would love to have a player like him. Let’s put it this way: his profile on NFL.com compares him to the Steelers’ Alan Faneca. Enough said. 32) Indianapolis Colts Pick: WR Anthony Gonzalez (Ohio State) With it being a weak draft for interior defensive lineman and no good value picks left at linebacker, the Colts will add another tool to Manning’s toolbox. I don’t ever expect him to be a perennial pro-bowler anywhere besides with the Colts. But, with Manning spreading the ball around there is no telling what his stat line will look like. He’s a gamer that will make big catches in key situations; and he won’t be outworked by anyone. I love the thought of him in this offense.  April 20, 2007 |
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Be Careful What You Wish For
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Jumpology: My Bracket Jumpology: Scouting The Heavyweights Jumpology: Reviewing The Bracket
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