Ok people a couple of things here. I’d like to thank the Eagles and Bills for making that trade because the draft I had out before was pretty weak. Now, yes, I am fully aware that everyone and their mother has Sanchez going number four but I just have no faith in him whatsoever and I am going to assume that the people that get paid for this are at least as intelligent as I am. Also this is predicated on the idea that there are no trades, obviously this isn’t even close to what will happen. I would expect at least two pick for pick trades (someone will probably trade up to the top 11 to draft Sanchez) and there are a handful of veterans that may also be traded (Ocho Cinco and Boldin heading the class).
1) Detroit Lions– Matt Stafford – Jr – QB – Georgia – The Lions are in need of a major overhaul in almost every facet of their organization, as indicated by them being the first team to play 16 games and lose every single one of them. They select Stafford because he has all of the tangible skills that you want out of a franchise quarterback, there is an abundance of depth along the offensive line, and there is no true number one pick in this draft. Stafford may not have blown Scouts away at the combine but he didn’t do anything to give them any extra concerns. Scouting Report. Video: One, Two,
2) St. Louis Rams– Jason Smith – Sr – LT – Baylor – Since the Rams let go of Orlando Pace they have pretty well penciled in the fact that they will be getting a tackle at number two. The only question is which one? Andre Smith may have been the most dominant, while Eugene Monroe may be the most dependable, Michael Oher is also very good and then there is Jason Smith who has shot up draft boards from out of no where, well Waco to be a little bit more specific. The Rams take Smith because he is generally regarded as the tackle with the most upside. He has great feet since he used to be a tight end and has been the best kept secret in the Big XII. He did help to lead an offensive revival leading the way for Robert Griffin, one of the most dynamic dual threat quarterbacks in the nation. Scouting Report. Video: One
3) Kansas City Chiefs – Michael Crabtree – Soph – WR – Texas Tech – With the offensive line giving up 55 sacks last year this may not be the greatest need of the Chiefs but the team needs something that they can hang their hat on. With Dwayne Bowe proving that he can be a good NFL wide receiver, the addition of Matt Cassel and assuming that they can hang on to Tony Gonzalez and that he continues to produce at the same level that he has for his entire career the Chiefs could have an elite passing offense. With Brandon Albert developing as a young left tackle the Chiefs just need to hope that they can find enough time for Cassel to get the ball off and enough of a running game to keep the defense honest. For the Chiefs to succeed any time soon they need Albert to be a true left tackle and drafting a right tackle at number three is an extreme reach. Scouting Report. Video: One, Two
4) Seattle Seahawks – Aaron Curry – Sr – LB – Wake Forest – There are plenty of options here for the Seahawks; they could go with Sanchez, Smith, Monroe, Raji or a number of others but the single most sure fire prospect in this draft seems to be Curry. Curry is an absolute animal with physical talent out the wazoo. He can step in and immediately help a team that ranked 30th in total defense. This will give them a solid core at linebacker consisting of Lofa Tatupa and Lerroy Hill. Scouting Report. Video: One, Two
5) Cleveland Browns – Brian Orakpo – Sr – DE/ OLB – Texas – The Browns got a total of 5 sacks last year out of their starting OLBs. In a 3-4 defense that is simply unacceptable, especially when you consider the fact that Shaun Rogers had 4.5 sacks as a nose tackle. Orakpo is a physical freak who will instantly upgrade the pass rush for Eric Mangini who will demand a lot more from his defense this coming year. Mangini will get that if Orakpo is anywhere near as good in the pros as he was in college where he had 11 sacks in 11 games. Hmmm if we project that out… Scouting Report. Video: One,
6) Cincinnati Bengals – Eugene Monroe – Sr – LT – Virgina – Monroe is the most sure fire tackle in this draft, coming out of Al Groh’s system in Virginia. The Bengals will hope that he can step in and have as much success as D’Brickashaw Ferguson has had in New York after being drafted number four in the 2006 draft. The Bengals are coming very close to returning to true Bungal form. Their team is obviously dependant on Carson Palmer to have any type of success and if he has now become injury prone they must protect him at all cost. The off the field issues of Andre Smith throw up an even larger red flag for those residing in Paul Brown Stadium. Scouting Report. Video: One,
7) Oakland Raiders – Jeremy Maclin – Soph – WR – Missouri – It’s hard to decide which cliche to throw out here about Al Davis and speed so I’ll let you choose for yourself. Either way Jamarcus Russell is in serious need of a playmaker on the outside because Johnnie Lee Higgins and Chaz Schillins are just not what you are supposed to surround the number one overall selection with for the firsts two years of his career. If the Raiders don’t do something to help him this year there may be a murmuring of him being a bust and that would only further deteriorate a very poor situation in Oakland. Scouting Report. Video: One
8 ) Jacksonville Jaguars – B.J. Raji – Sr – DT – Boston College – Raji was one of the hottest commodities coming out of the Senior Bowl. He has the ability to both stop the rush and rush the passer and could be an anchor for a defense. Raji took a major hit to his draft stock recently with a possible positive drug test. Everyone and their dog is denying that they have heard anything about it but the more Raji has to defend himself against it, fair or not, the more his stock drops. The Jaguars are hoping that with the addition of Raji their defense can become what it used to be when they paired Marcus Stroud with John Henderson taking both of them with relatively early first round picks. Scouting Report. Video: One, Two
9) Green Bay Packers – Aaron Maybin – Soph – DE – Penn State – The number one knock on Maybin is his lack of size. He comes in at 6′4 and 246 pounds, which is undersized for his traditional defensive end position but would be ideal to play outside linebacker in the Packers new 3-4 scheme. The Packers have talent on their defense but they need to be able to pressure the passer from the edge and there is no certainty that Aaron Kampman will make a seamless switch and Brady Poppinga has a total of three sacks over his four-year career. Scouting Report. Video: One
10) San Francisco 49ers – Malcolm Jenkins – Sr – CB – Ohio State – He was almost a lock for a top 5 spot until he ran a 4.55 sec 40 and for some reason scouts and GMs think that the way you run a straight line on a track without pads on is a great way to determine how you will be as a pro football player. Ri-fucking-diculous. Personally I still like Jenkins a lot. Just watch the video his play speaks for itself. Scouting Report. Video: One
11) Buffalo Bills – Michael Oher – Sr – LT – Ole Miss – With the trade of Peters the Bills now have a few more options but they also have an even more glaring need. They must have a left tackle with this pick. Oher slides a little bit because of the comparison between him and the other top tackles but Oher is a very good tackle and should be able to hold down the left side of the line. Scouting Report. Video: One
12) Denver Broncos – Clay Mathews – Sr – LB – Switching into a 3-4 defense the Broncos need some help rushing the passer. With Jarvis Moss and Elvis Dumervil as the supposed starters at the moment Mathews would be a big upgrade. Mathews also has a ton of upside but may also be a candidate for bust of the year because he has so little experience as a starter. Scouting Report. Video: One,
13) Washington Redskins – Andre Smith – Jr – LT – Alabama – Smith is arguably the most talented and dominating offensive lineman in this draft. However, off the field issues and a possible weight problem in addition to the worst combine “performance” of anyone in recent history hurt his draft status. He then followed this up with his, now all important, pro day and came up short again. He should just be thanking the football gods that someone figured out how to film games because his film is the only thing going for him. I could have seen him going number one overall before the Sugar Bowl but now he will be blocking for Portis. He may start out as a guard but will obviously be transition to tackle as the aging Jon Janson and Chris Samuels are moved out. Scouting Report. Video: One, Two
14) New Orleans Saints – Vonta Davis – Sr – CB – Illinois – I don’t have Davis rated as the best defensive back but I think he may have more upside than Jenkins. With that said the Saints might reach for anyone in the secondary. The Saints continued their struggles against the passing game in ’08 when they finished 23rd against the pass, giving up an average of 221 yards per game. Scouting Report. Video: One, Two
15) Houston Texans – Brain Cushing – Sr – LB – USC – I’m not in love with this pick but with Mathews off the board and the Texans not being as crazy as I would like them to, they still look at the OLB position. Cushing is a more surefire prospect than Mathews but he might not have the same upside. All and all this is probably a better pick for the Texans since Cushing seems to be a more complete package rather than just a player who’s stock is skyrocketing. Scouting Report. Video: One
16) San Diego Chargers – Rey Maualuga – Sr – ILB – USC – The Chargers ranked 11th in rush defense last season despite the fact that their starting ILB, Tim Dobbins, only posted 58 tackles while starting all 16 games. Maualuga is a tackling machine who may double that number from Dobbins, ok probably not but he will be a big step forward for a team that will also be getting Shawn Merriman back from injury. Some people may be tempted to take Moreno or Wells here but I believe that is too much money to have tied up in one position with $18 million due to Tomlinson over the next three years and the franchising of Sproles. According to Todd McShay Maualuga is “…like fishing with dynamite. When you draft Rey Maualuga your going to throw the dynamite in its going to explode there is going to be fish everywhere but you better have guys around him to clean up the mess.” San Diego may have enough talent around him to allow Maualuga to be the dominant force that he could be. Scouting Report. Video: One, Two
17) New York Jets – Mark Sanchez – Jr – QB – USC – This is an interesting spot for the Jets; they clearly need a quarterback with the loss of Brett Favre but I am not particularly sold on the ability of Sanchez to come in and be in impact contributor in his first and maybe even his second year in the league. He certainly has the skills but his sheer lack of experience is worrisome. If all you watched of him was the Rose Bowl you would think this guy was unstoppable (Hmmm Sir Vincent Young anybody?) but as a whole he certainly has some chinks in his armor. One of the major concerns is how good did he look simply because he was at USC (just to note the Jets gave up 53 sacks last year). Matt Leinhart is not doing him any favors here. Nor is Reggie Bush. The two most hyped players coming out of USC have both fallen short of expectations; of course this is much more true for Matt “I’m a bench warmer” Leinhart. Scouting Report. Video: One
18 ) Denver Broncos – Tyson Jackson – Sr – DE – LSU – One of the more over-hyped players in the nation the last year or two but has all of the tangible skills that you would want for a 3-4 defensive end. The Broncos continue to make the switch from a bad 4-3 defense into a 3-4 defense. This is a monumental switch for any team, but for a team like Denver they could spend all of their picks in this draft on defense and still need more help next year. Scouting Report. Video: One
19) Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Darius Heyward-Bey – Jr – WR – Maryland- T He may be one of the bigger boom/bust prospects in this draft. He ran a 4.30 forty at 6’1 and 210 lbs. and has been rumored as high as number seven to Oakland but I think that is mostly lazy prognostication because of the whole “Al Davis loves speed” motif. Scouting Report.Video: One
20) Detroit Lions – James Laurenitus – Sr – ILB – Ohio State- Just look at the tape on this guy. He could have been a top ten draft choice had he come out last year but opted to stay for his final year of college at Ohio State. Now the Lions select him with their 2nd selection in the first round and cement their line-backing core. With former first round pick Ernie Simms and recent addition Julian Peterson it gives the Lions one unit on their team that they can hang their hat on. It may seem odd that they haven’t addressed their offensive line at all but they have so much money tied up in their line as it is, it may make it hard for them to select someone there in the first round. Scouting Report. Video: One
21)Philadelphia Eagles – Knowshon Moreno – Soph – RB – Georgia – I think Moreno is the best back in this draft once you consider health. In addition to him being the best over all back he is also a much much better receiver out of the backfield than Wells, who is the only other top tier running back. Moreno had almost 400 yards receiving in a much more traditional offense than what they run in Philadelphia. Moreno is the total package despite a pathetic 40 time (4.61). Somehow despite the fact that apparently he is “slow” Moreno rushed for 1,400 yards last season. Maybe everyone in the SEC is slow too. Scouting Report. Video: One, Two, Three
22) Minnesota Vikings – Alex Mack – Sr – C – Cal – Mack is rated by many as one of the top offensive linemen in the entire draft and by almost everyone as the number one center. The loss of Matt Birk is a monumental void in the middle of the Minnesota line, which they count heavily upon in order to run A.P. all day. They are in desperate need to fill some very large shoes and Mack is as qualified as anyone available but even he may not be able to immediately make up for the loss of Birk. Scouting Report. Video: One
23) New England – Clint Sintim – Sr – LB – UVA – He can come in and fill the void that Mike Vrabel has left while making the line backing core younger and more athletic for the second year in a row and most importantly he has led the nation in sacks for a linebacker over the last two years. This gives them a replacement for Pierre Woods who totaled 35 tackles and only one sack all of last year. In addition to Sintim they already have Adaleous Thomas, which would give them the best pass rush they have had in years. Scouting Report. Video: One
24) Atlanta Falcons– Alphonso Smith – Sr – CB – Wake Forest – Smith led the nation in interceptions at eight and set the all time ACC record for interceptions. The entire Falcon’s team had 10 interceptions last year and were ranked 21st in pass defense. Smith will be able to come to a young up and coming team and have an immediate impact. He can also help out on special teams. Scouting Report. Video: One, Two, Three
25) Miami Dolphins – Duke Robinson – Sr – G – Oklahoma – The Duke is one of the two best interior linemen in the entire draft and is a great pick here as the Dolphins solidify the left side of their line and vault themselves into the conversation for the best left side of the line in another year or two. Parcells has always believed in building along the line and things went so well for them with that last year they may continue down that same line. Other options include a wide receiver (either Percy Harvin or Hakim Nicks) or a project at quarterback like Josh Freeman on the offensive side of the ball. Defensively they could be looking at Perria Jerry to play the five technique in their 3-4 defense. Scouting Report. Video: One
26) Baltimore Ravens– Max Unger – Sr – OL – Oregon – The Baltimore Ravens define themselves by their defense and their running game. Unger will be able to help them continue the tradition of having an elite running game and can play a variety of positions along the line. The Ravens would love to select a shut down corner here but D.J. Moore is the only option and I think he would be a bit of a stretch here. Unger is the most versatile lineman in the entire draft. He has played four positions on the line in his time at Oregon. Started out as a left tackle and then was moved inside to center. Would probably play guard for the Ravens. Scouting Report. Video: One
27) Indianapolis Colts – Chris Wells – Jr – RB – Ohio State – A powerful runner with good but not great speed. Wells is one of the more interesting prospects in this draft class. He averaged 5.9 and 5.8 yards per carry in the last two years respectively. With that said he has had injury issues plaguing him throughout his career. Last year despite missing several games he still rushed for over 1,100 yards and was a driving force for the Ohio State offense. Scouting Report. Video: One
28 ) Buffalo Bills– Everette Brown – Sr – DE – Florida State – Brown is coming off of an extremely productive season where he totaled 21.5 TFLs and 13.5 sacks. Personally I like him more as a 4-3 defensive end but many scouts are projecting him as a 3-4 edge pass rusher. The Bill’s starters are weighing in at 261 and 243 for Chris Kelsay and Aaron Schobel respectively so you know they aren’t afraid of having someone that’s smaller. They ranked 28th last year in terms of sacks and need an upgrade in terms of pressure and Brown may be just the person to do that. In this draft Brown fell unbelievably far. Scouting Report. Video: One
29) New York Giants – William Moore – Sr – S – Missouri – Look the Giants have Super Bowl aspirations and C.C. Brown is their starting strong safety. Enough said. Brown signed a one year deal so they can work Moore in slowly but he will be the future in New York. Weighing in around 225 Moore can deliver a de-cleater of epic proportions but still has good speed and can be an absolute ball hawk with eight interceptions his junior year. They really need to have another receiver but I’m not high enough on Kenny Britt or Hakeem Nicks to take them at 29 but they remain a strong consideration here. Scouting Report. Video: One
30) Tennessee Titans – Brandon Pettigrew – Sr – TE – Oklahoma State – Pettigrew is undoubtedly the top tight end coming out in this years draft and will be a safety valve for Kerry Collins (not Vince Young). Pettigrew is a very good blocker and can be put on whichever edge the elite pass rusher is coming from to help the Titans in their protection and has very solid hands despite not putting up massive numbers. They could address cornerback here but I think Pettigrew is a better value than anyone else left on the board. Scouting Report. Video: One
31) Arizona Cardinals– Perria Jerry – Sr – DT – Ole Miss – Jerry is a legit DT that can cause havoc in the backfield. The Cardinal defense overachieved in the playoffs and is still in need of some help. Jerry can’t stop the run like Raji but that is why he slips back to 31. He can, however, get to the passer and create pressure up in his face which is something the Cardinals did not have much of last year. LeSean McCoy is another interesting pick here but there should still be value at running back in the second round. Also if they do end up trading Boldin then Hakim Nicks and maybe Percy Harvin would become a pretty good fit here. Scouting Report. Video: One
32) Pittsburg Steelers – Percy Harvin – Jr – WR – Florida – Harvin is not a prototypical number one, like many teams would like in the first round, but he could be an excellent slot receiver in the Steelers system. Also Hines Ward is in the final year of his contract and they just lost Nate Washington, who had a surprisingly large roll in the offense last season. Limas Sweed could be the man to step up but he has done nothing at all to suggest that he is ready for that totaling only six receptions for 64 yards in 11 games. Harvin is undersized and has been dependent upon moving around on the field but he has also been one of the most explosive and impactful players in the nation for the last two years. Scouting Report. Video: One, Two
Honorable Mention to:
Larry English – OLB – Northern Illinois – A big question mark coming out of NIU. Scouting Report. Video: One
Robert Ayers- DE – Tennessee – A large defensive end that would probably be better suited to a 3-4 than a 4-3 unless the team was looking to use him as a run stopper. Scouting Report. Video: One
Eben Britton – T – Arizona – Britten in an amazing athlete, at 6′6 and 310 lbs he can run a 5.10 40. Scouting Report. Video: One (This one is a bit of a stretch, just jump to the end)
LeSean McCoy – RB – Pitt – McCoy is a good all around back that can probably handle everything except for the short yardage stuff. Video: One, Two
Michael Johnson – DE – Georgia Tech – Johnson has all of the skills to be an elite pass rusher in the NFL but his motor has been questioned as he could not break into the starting line up until his senior season. With an extra year to develop he could be a project worth taking on. Video: One, Two
Paul Kruger – OLB – Utah – A very good edge pass rusher but he must be in a 3-4 and there is always a chance for a step backwards when you change positions. Scouting Report. Video: One (Kind of)
D.J. Moore – CB – Vanderbilt – Could slip into the first round but probably goes in the top half of the second round. He had a disappointing combine etc Video: One