The Top 7 picks remain the same since my last Mock Draft and in fact I feel even more confident in them today as oppose of a few weeks ago.  Of course that could all change tomorrow as that is how these mock draft drafts tend to to work.  After pick 7 there is major shakeup the rest of the way as I continue to filter through all the reports attempting to dismiss the fluff and read in between the lines for some clues.  Keep checking back with us as Jeremy and myself will continue to update our mocks as we get closer to draft day

1) Detroit (0-16) Jason Smith, OT, Baylor- I am sticking with my pick here of Jason Smith by the Lions despite the purging of Jon Kitna and David Orlovsky.  I am still not convinced that Detroit views Matthew Stafford as a can’t-miss quarterback so will select Smith who will sign before the draft and step right into the starting role.  The individual workouts for Stafford will be his chance to prove he is a quarterback that Detroit can not pass on.  However, until then, I stand by my pick of Smith.

2) St. Louis (2-14) Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia The Rams have long had there eyes set on Monroe and with the release of Orlando Pace only makes this pick that much more likely.  Michael Crabtree was the other possible pick here but without running the 40 is just too much of a risk at #2.

3) Kansas City Chiefs (2-14) Aaron Curry, OLB, Wake Forest- The Chiefs are no longer in the market for a QB with the trade for Matt Cassell,which allows them to select the top defensive player in the draft which is Curry.  It is hard to imagine the Chiefs going with anyone else here unless they want to add another weapon for Cassell with Crabtree.

4) Seattle (4-12) Matthew Stafford, QB, Georgia- This pick may surprise people but the Seahawks came close to cutting ties with Matt Hasselback this offseason as his salary and bad back makes him an unreliable long-term option.  The signing of TJ Houshmandzadeh ensures that Seattle will be committed to the passing game and allows Stafford to spend a year learning on the sidelines.  If Seattle chooses to pass on Stafford then it will be interesting to see where Seattle goes as B.J Raji is no longer a glaring need.

5) Cleveland (4-12) Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech- The Browns need help in many areas but with the top two offensive tackles and Curry off the board, the Browns must take the best value at the #5 spot.  That pick is Crabtree, who will be able to come in and immediately help Brady Quinn and Braylon Edwards be successful.  A pass rushing DE or a CB is a need but would be a reach here.  Rarely do you see teams reaching with a Top 5 pick.

6) Cincinnati (4-11-1) B.J. Raji, DT, Boston College – The Bengals are sitting at a perfect position assuming Stafford and Crabtree go in the Top 5.  The reason is they will be more than happy with Smith, Monroe, Curry or Raji.  Raji gives them a presence in the middle of the defensive line which has been weak point for sometime with the Bengals.

7) Oakland (5-11) Jeremy Maclin, WR, Missouri- Oakland needs playmakers on offense to help JaMarcus Russell earn his money.  An offensive tackle is much needed but even if one slipped, I don’t see Al Davis passing on Maclin as he is the type of player Davis dreams about at night.

8) Jacksonville (5-11) Vontae Davis, CB, Illinois- The signing of Tra Thomas means the Jags don’t have to reach for a tackle here.  They would love to snag Crabtree or Maclin and could swap picks with Seattle who would still be able to grab Stafford at 8 since Cleveland, Cincinnati and Oakland won’t take him.  However if the draft goes as this mock goes then look for the Jags to address their cornerback position with Vonte Davis or Malcolm Jenkins.  As it stands currently it Davis is viewed as the top corner.

9) Green Bay (6-10) Brian Orakpo, DE, Texas- Orakpo has separated himself as the top pass rushing defensive end in the draft and could go as high as #5 to the Browns.  The Packers desperately need more pressure on the QB and this would be a great pick for them.

10) San Francisco (7-9) Andre Smith, OT, Alabama- Smith has had a legendary implosion from the end of the season until now but the NFL has a history of looking passed this when the talent is over-whelming.  SF has a huge need at the offensive line position, a coaching staff that believes football games are won in the trenches.  Look for HC Mike Singletary to take Smith under his wing and show him what it takes to be a star in the NFL.

11) Buffalo (7-9) Everett Brown DE/OLB, FSU-   Brown is dropping slightly in the draft because of his size but is just too quick for the Bills to overlook as they need a pure pass rusher.

12) Denver (8-8) Tyson Jackson, DE , LSU- Jackson hasn’t had the most impressive off-season but he fits the Broncos needs perfectly.  It is a virtual lock that the Broncos will go with a OL/DL/LB with this pick and with all the off-season drama with Jay Cutler, I expect them to go with the Jackson who might not have the upside of an Aaron Maybin but also the least likely to be a bust.

13) Washington (8-8) Michael Johnson, Georgia Tech – The Redskins need an offensive lineman but that is just not a flashy enough pick.  Jason Taylor is gone and the team will need to protect their $100 million player in Haynesworth, making the freakish Johnson a logically pick.

14) New Orleans (8-8) Malcolm Jenkins, CB, Ohio State – The Saints will be tempted to take Brian Cushing but in the end the chance to address their secondary with a player who some still view as a Top 10 pick is too much to pass up.

15) Houston (8-8) Brian Cushing, OLB, USC – The Texans were hoping one of the top CBs or an elite pass rusher fell to them but that didn’t happen so they will turn to one of the most versatile LBs in the draft in Cushing.  While this pick isn’t as flashy as it could be, a few years from now it will look like pure genius.

16) San Diego (8-8) Michael Oher, OT, Ole Miss – In my previous mock, I had the Chargers going with Tyson Jackson and that still is a possibility as he addresses a need.  However, the NFL puts a higher value on offensive tackles and Oher is the last of the top tier ones and offers a better value than Jackson at this point.

17) New York Jets (9-7) Larry English, DE/OLB, Northern Illinois – People have the Jets taking a QB or a WR and even a RB with this pick and I am just not seeing it.  It is true that Brett Favre retired and that the team cut Laveranues Coles but the new coach is Rex Ryan.  He is going to get that defense in the Top 5 and he is going to do it with his type of players.  English impress teams in the interviews with a blue-collar, hard-nosed and nasty attitude that Coach Ryan is going to fall in love with.  It didn’t hurt either that English preformed well physically as well.

18) Chicago (9-7) Aaron Maybin, DE/OLB, Penn State- Obviously the Bears could go with a WR with this pick but the truth is that picking a WR is just not the Bears style with a 1^st round pick.  The team is built as a ball-control, good defense type team and quite frankly using a high draft pick on a receiver with this offensive style and Kyle Orton at quarterback seems like a wasted pick.  Chicago needs help at the DE position and Maybin who is a potential Top 10 pick is too good to pass up at 18.

19) Tampa Bay (9-7) Josh Freeman, QB, Kansas State- The Bucs could select a receiver here as my previous two mocks had but new front offices almost always mean selecting ‘their’ quarterback.  Now most experts agree that Mark Sanchez is the higher rated QB but I have read just too many reports saying that Tampa prefers Freeman.

20) Detroit – from Dallas (9-7) Mark Sanchez, QB, USC – A dream scenario for the Lions would to take the franchise tackle with the 1^st pick and follow it up with a potential franchise QB with their second 1^st round pick.  It may require the Lions trading up to guarantee is happening but as things stand today I see Sanchez falling into the Lions lap at pick 20.

21) Philadelphia (9-6-1) Eben Britton, OT, Arizona – With the top 3 running backs and the top TEs still on the board the Eagles will wait and assume one will fall to them with the 28^th pick.  The Eagles love huge offensive lineman and Britton fits that perfectly weighing in over 310lbs.

22) Minnesota (10-6) Darius Heyward-Bey, WR, Maryland- The Vikings could go several different directions with this pick and is one of the tougher teams for me to figure out.  My first mock draft had them taking Heyward-Bey but after the combine had him moving up the draft.  However, with the way things are shaping up it appears that he could be available here again.  Heyward-Bey immediately improves the running game by keeping defenses honest as Jackson has a big enough arm to make them pay for focusing too much on Adrian Peterson.

23) New England (11-5) Rey Maualuga, ILB, USC- The Patriots will be stuck choosing between two USC linebackers here in Maualuga and Clay Matthews.  While I could see them picking either one it is Maualuga’s intangibles that I believe wins out as a typical New England draft pick.

24) Atlanta (11-5) Peria Jerry, DT, Ole Miss- The Falcons have two areas that they would like to address with the currently with  a TE and DT.  With Atlanta looking like a lock to sign LJ Smith that leaves Jerry an easy selection as he fills a need and represents a nice value with the 24^th pick.

25) Miami (11-5) Clay Matthews, OLB, USC- The Dolphins would love to get English, Cushing or Matthews with this pick and address the WR position in the 2^nd round and with the way I have my draft playing out they will get their wish.  Matthews is exactly the blue-collar type player that Parcells will fall in love with.

26) Baltimore (11-5) Sean Smith, CB/S, Utah - Smith is a big physical defensive back that answered the question of whether he was fast enough to play CB in the NFL.  However his size will allow the Ravens to use him in the nickel/dime coverages out the gate as he eases into the starting role at CB.

27) Indianapolis (12-4) Hakeem Nicks, WR, North Carolina- This day and age the NFL is about picking a side and doing it better than anyone else whether it is defense or offense.  The Colts are on the offensive side and must surround Peyton Manning with plenty of weapons in order to be successful.  A running back is an option as the Colts love to select the best player available in the first round but Britt has all the tools to excel in the Colts offense.

28) Philadelphia – from Carolina (12-4) Knowshon Moreno, RB, Georgia- The Eagles could go TE with this pick but with the surging TE class it now seems likely that they could address the position with a later pick.    It is hard to predict if the Eagles go with Moreno or Chris Wells here as Moreno is a long-term answer whereas Wells complements Brian Westbrook currently.  At this point I am going to say they look long-term and select Moreno.  With all that said, my gut is really screaming Donald Brown is the running back the Eagles really want but it is hard to imagine them reaching for him here and sticking over Moreno or Wells.

29) New York Giants (12-4) Kenny Britt, WR, Rutgers- Plax has his legal problems and Amani Toomer is gone making the receiver position something that needs to be addressed in the draft.  Britt being a local star brings very good speed for his size and would be able to help Eli and the offense this season.

30)Tennessee (13-3) Percy Harvin, WR, Florida- The Titans do not select wide receivers in the first round which makes this pick a risky for me as I am a big believer of draft trends.  However, Harvin is much more than a receiver and with last years success with Chris Johnson this is just too tempting for them to pass on.  Defensive line and middle linebacker are needs as well making James Lauriniatis and Robert Ayers options here.

31) Arizona (9-7) Max Unger, C, Oregon – The Cardinals need a pass rusher and help with the interior of their line.  The biggest knock with Unger is with his run blocking but since the Cards don’t need to run the ball they will look at him as perfect fit who can play a multiple of positions.

32) Pittsburgh (12-4) Duke Robinson, G, Oklahoma- The Steelers need to add some depth in the middle of their offensive line and with Mack and Unger off the board it will make Robinson an easy selection.

Related posts:

1. NFL Mock Draft 4.05
2. NFL Mock Draft 4.17 – a new #1 on Drew’s board
3. Mock NFL Draft 3.04
4. Mock NFL Draft 2.20
5. NFL Mock Draft 2.0 (Jeremy Shory Style)

Tags: NFL Draft