NFL Mock Draft 2.0 (Jeremy Shory Style)

March 18th, 2009 by Jeremy Shory

1) Detroit (0-16) Aaron Curry, OLB, Wake Forest- Despite the trade for Peterson, I still think that Detroit uses this on a safe pick and take Curry. He’ll adjust to an Inside LB which wont be too difficult since he did play some MLB in nickel schemes for Wake Forest. Too hard to pass on the talent.

2) St. Louis (2-14) Jason Smith, OT, Baylor- With the recent news of Orlando Pace being let go, it makes this choice even more obvious. They have already signed a much better center in Jason Brown, so now it is time for them to help Marc Bulger out by drafting the best tackle in the draft.

3) Kansas City Chiefs (2-14) Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia- With the trade for Matt Cassel, KC is going to want to protect their investment. They go with arguably the top OT in the draft and provide Cassel with a few extra seconds to get that ball out of his hands. Nice Upgrade here.

4) Seattle (4-12) Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech- With the recent trade for Redding, Seattle would jump all over Aaron Curry if he was still available since they had to give up Peterson. However, I still think Detroit drafts Curry #1. Either way, with both top OT off the board at this stage, Mora looks to provide some more adequate weapons for Hasselbeck. Possible pick: could be Stafford to groom under Hasselbeck for a couple of years like Aaron Rodgers did under Favre.

5) Cleveland (4-12) Everette Brian Orakpo, DE, Texas- I know this is a bit of a stretch for an undersized DE, but Mangini is a defensive-minded coach and he knows the defense needs to play better so that he won’t have to put much pressure on a struggling offense. If Brown can get anywhere between 5-7 sacks this year, that will already been an improvement on a team that had one of the worst sack records in the league.

6) Cincinnati (4-11-1) B.J. Raji, DT, Boston College- I hate to see a talent like Raji fall, but since he wont go to Seattle due to the trade for Redding and Cleveland still has Rodgers to plug up holes, I say Cincinnati takes him here. As mentioned earlier, the Bengals have holes just about everywhere, so anyone they get is an upgrade. At least with Raji, they can begin to stop the run in a run happy AFC North, as they allowed an average of 120 rushing yards per game.

7) Oakland (5-11) Andre Smith, OT, Alabama- Where else is a bad boy going to go? I think Smith hurt his value with the unique showing at the combine, but I think he realizes that (you know the players read about themselves online) and ends up having a better pro day. We know Al Davis is crazy and as an expert once told me, he has a love affair with speed. Based on those 2 factors, we could see a crazy pick like Derrius Heyword-Bey (4.3 40), but I think the coach is able to help with this decision, however so slightly, and is able to get Jamarcus Russell a little upgrade at left tackle.

8) Jacksonville (5-11) Jeremy Maclin, WR, Missouri- With Reggie Williams good as gone, Matt Jones was just released, and the horrible experiment that is known as Jerry Porter, the Jags have to go with fire power with this pick. I originally had Crabtree going here, but I no longer think he falls this far as if Seattle doesn’t go with him, Cleveland surely will. This may work out better for the Jags anyways as they can have Maclin as their return man which takes away the injury possibility that always lingered when MOJO was taking them.

9) Green Bay (6-10) Everette Brown, DE/OLB, Florida State- With Orakpo going to Cleveland, Brown falls a little bit, but not very far. As I mentioned, Green Bay is looking to change to a 3-4 scheme this year and they still need someone who is quick enough to come off the edge and try to get to the QB, but is also someone who can drop back and play zone every now and then. Brown is a good fit for this and will be a consistent player for the Cheese Heads.

10) San Francisco (7-9) Matthew Stafford, QB, Georgia- How the mighty have fallen. I actually don’t think Stafford is all that bad, however, if he’s not taken by Detroit or Seattle, he’ll fall this far because none of the other teams really need a QB this early. History repeats itself with recent franchise QBs free falling with Matt Leinart and Brady Quinn. I think the same will happen for Stafford. San Fran clearly needs someone that helps this team in the future and they are typically willing to take chances on QBs in the first round, thank you Alex Smith.

11) Buffalo (7-9) Brian Cushing, OLB, USC – With Green Bay going with Everette Brown, Cushing falls to Buffalo. The D line still needs a little bit of help, however, having a guy like Cushing playing in the OLB role, the Offense has to worry about him coming in on blitz packages, so the Bills can still have their pass rushing threat but also a guy who is better in coverage as well.

12) Denver (8-8) Tyson Jackson, DE, LSU – Still with all of the new faces on this Defense, the D Line still needs help. Matthews would still be a decent fit here, but if Jackson is still lingering around, Denver goes with an immediate upgrade in the trenches. Jackson has a very good opportunity to shine early as Denver has neglected the D line for years now and needs help on getting to the QB. Couple that with the AFC West which has some of the weaker O lines in the league, and I think you have a recipe for a good fit.

13)Washington (8-8) Michael Oher, OT, Ole Miss – Washington could also go DE here since they released Jason Taylor and the 2 starters that they have are into their 30′s, but I think that the offensive line is what is addressed here. Jason Campbell is still struggling to get a firm grasp on being “The Guy” for this team, and it is really hard to do that when you have little time to throw the ball. The O-Line did a good job the first half of the year in opening holes up for Portis, but struggled down the stretch.

14) New Orleans (8-8) Malcolm Jenkins, CB, Ohio State – New Orleans could go Vontae Davis here, but with the recent signing of Jabari Greer, I think they go with Jenkins instead because he can jump on the field right away and play safety. Even though he is not the most outstanding DB in the draft, he is a good fit for this team and will make the secondary a little more solid.

15) Houston (8-8) Vontae Davis, CB, Illinois – This could not be a better pick for Houston. With the signing of Antonio Smith to line up opposite Mario, the Texans can afford to address their secondary. Davis will be a nice addition opposite superstar CB Dunta Robinson.

16) San Diego (8-8) Clay Matthews, OLB, Ohio State- Matthews is a better fit for this team. He will fit in nicely with their 3-4 defense and will give San Diego a guy that can replace Merriman if he goes out again due to injury or steroids suspension and at the very least someone to compete with Shaun Phillips for LOLB. Either way, Matthews is a tremendous upgrade over any of their backup LBs and is someone who will vie hard for quality playing time.

17) New York Jets (9-7) Mark Sanchez, QB, USC – Based on combine performances, I think Sanchez is actually a better QB than Stafford. Now pro days can change that, but regardless I am not the one pulling the trigger on the draft choices. Now that Favre has finally hung up his jersey, again, New York could use an infusion of young blood to learn a new system under Rex Ryan. I have heard before that new regimes mean new QBs.

18) Chicago (9-7) Peria Jerry, DT, Ole Miss- Chicago has their own little speedster in Devin Hester, being able to couple him with Maclin would be a dream for Orton. Two guys that can burn the secondary is more than anyone could hope for. Plus, can you imagine being a kicker looking at Hester and Maclin as return men? Could be scary.

19) Tampa Bay (9-7) Michael Johnson, DE, Georgia Tech- I really felt like Johnson would probably fall the to the second round somewhere, however, after posting a 4.59 40 yard dash at his pro day, I think he jumps up to right about here. The D line doesn’t need to be upgraded a whole lot and they need more of a DT than a DE here, but with Jerry going one spot earlier, the Bucs go with the next best trench guy. This will provide some competition opposite Gaines Adams and should allow for a great DE rotation which will keep fresh legs all game long.

20) Detroit – from Dallas (9-7) Eben Britton, OT, Arizona – With the top 4 offensive tackles off the board, and Curry picked with the #1 pick, I think Detroit looks to help out whatever QB they start this year. Britton is a tall guy, 6′6″, which means he should be able to stack up well against some of the larger DE in the NFC North. He had a decent enough combine and has only raised his stock recently.

21) Philadelphia (9-6-1) Chris Wells, RB, Ohio State - Now that Buckhalter signed with Denver, and Westbrook continues to show that he is a walking health risk, Philly decides to give Donavon the type of playmaker that he hasn’t really ever had; a RB that can run straight into the pile. Westbrook can score, but it is usually some sort of swing pass or screen. Wells gives them a goal line kind of player. Just don’t drop the ball on the goal line a la DeSean Jackson.

22) Minnesota (10-6) Rey Maualuga, MLB, USC – Minnesota needs an upgrade at MLB. Napoleon Harris had 32 tackles last year which is horrible for a MLB in a base 4-3 Defensive scheme. On top of that, he just turned 30 which means the tread on the tires are starting to wear thin. Worst case scenario here is that Minnesota opens it up for a competition at MLB which could spark Harris’ best season yet, but I wouldn’t count on it since his career has been marred by inconsistency.

23) New England (11-5) James Laurinaitis, MLB, Ohio State - If there is one consistent thing that Bill Belichek demonstrates each year, it is that he likes to take blue collar guys and turn them into stud playmakers. Laurinaitis is certainly no exception to that. The son of the pro-wrestler had a solid career at Ohio State and with the recent trade of Mike Vrable, this pick was almost destined to happen.

24) Atlanta (11-5) Aaron Maybin, DE/OLB, Penn State – Despite the recent info that L.J. Smith signed with Ravens, the Falcons still need to address their defense early with lots of intriguing TE options in the second round. Look for them to add a young guy with a great first step that has the ability to push for some solid playing time as a rookie. He demonstrated at Penn State that he can deal with some of the bigger tackles which will help him become a force for this team.

25) Miami (11-5) Brandon Pettigrew, TE, Oklahoma State - We all know that the Tuna likes his guys to be big. We also know that the Tuna likes to have guys that can block exceptionally well. We also know that Miami needs someone who can catch the ball. How about a guy that fits all 3? He is 6’5″, 263 lbs, who blocks well and can catch the ball. Forget needing a WR early on, take Pettigrew and watch him turn into a receiving TE like Kellen Winslow, but also a guy that will block for you.

26) Baltimore (11-5) Darius Heyward-Bey, WR, Maryland – With the recent info of Baltimore hosting Heyword-Bey for some quality one-on-one time with Flacco, plus the fact that he is a local guy that the fans will get behind right off the bat, I think the Ravens end up going with speed over balance. Nicks would still be a great addition to the team, but it appears the Heyword-Bey may be where Baltimore is leaning instead.

27) Indianapolis (12-4) Ron Brace, DT, Boston College - Indy needs to draft defensive line here and Brace is a solid DT that can help plug some holes. Granted, he is a bit overshadowed by his teammate, B.J. Raji, but Brace is still a solid player and Indy has always made in impact in drafting under-the-radar guys and making them work in their scheme.

28) Philadelphia – from Carolina (12-4) Steven Beatty, OT, UConn – Philly can’t leave the first round without drafting someone for the O-Line. The very same expert that I mentioned earlier regarding Al Davis’ love affair with speed also mentioned that Andy Reid has a similar love affair with guys that are bigger than him. Well Beatty measures around 6′6″, 307 lbs, which pretty much makes him a tad larger than Reid. Couple that with the recent loss of Tra Thomas in Free Agency and we’ll pretty much call this a done deal.

29) New York Giants (12-4) Knowshon Moreno, RB, Georgia – New York already has taken care of their defense through free agency and of course, Plaxico Burres’ situation is still up in the air, but I think New York drafts the best guy left on the board at this moment, which basically is a guy that will do a great Derrick Ward impersonation. I think Moreno becomes the guy that they secretly start to develop for when Ahmad Bradshaw ends up leaving during free agency in a couple of years.

30)Tennessee (13-3) Alphonso Smith, CB, Florida State – With Miami taking Pettigrew, Smith falls to the Titans. He is too good to pass up on, plus we all know the long, well-documented history of Tennessee’s absolute refusal to take a WR in the first round. Smith is a speedster that could begin as a return man while he learns the Defense. Plus, he wont move too far from home as he is a graduate of Wake Forest.

31) Arizona (9-7) Robert Ayers, DE, Tennessee – The loss of Antonio Smith to Houston during Free Agency means that there is a need on the D-Line. Also, Arizona failed to reach good contract extension with Karlos Dansby means that there is even more need on the D-Line. Now granted, Dansby was franchised which gives Arizona another year to work out a deal, but regardless, help is needed. Despite what we saw in the playoffs, Arizona struggled throughout the year on getting to the QB. Ayers is a big guy that will be able to overpower some of the RT in the NFC West.

32) Pittsburgh (12-4) Alex Mack, C, California - Despite their Super Bowl appearance and win, the Steelers need help on the O-Line. Just because they resigned Max Starks doesn’t mean that the Steelers brass is naive to their situation. Mack is a versatile player that could be moved to Guard if absolutely needed, but will be a great Lineman for several years to come.

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