1) Detroit (0-16) Jason Smith, OT, Baylor – I am sticking to my guns here and I still feel that Detroit does not take Stafford with their #1 pick. The more I read, the more it looks like Detroit is going to pass on Curry and go with anchor on the O-line. With the #20 pick as well, I think they look to take a QB here, if one of the top two fall that far or trade up to get one of them at #14/#15.

2) St. Louis (2-14) Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia - If Detroit takes Smith, then St. Louis will go with the next best OT. It is debatable on which OT is better between Monroe and Smith since each excel in different aspects, but either way, with the release of Orlando Pace, OT will be addressed with their first pick.

3) Kansas City Chiefs (2-14) Aaron Curry, OLB, Wake Forest - The more info that comes out since Detroit traded for Peterson, it appears that Curry will most likely not be taken as #1 overall. Kansas City has an offensive-minded Coach, but he’s not stupid. Haley got Cassel in a trade so there will be a good QB battle between him and Thigpin. They also got Vrabel in the trade as well, so having Curry learn underneath him would be a huge benefit to his development and for the team.

4) Seattle (4-12) Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech- I still feel that this is the direction Seattle goes with their first pick. I think Seattle is looking for results now, so they are looking for a playmaker that can start now. Stafford would be a great understudy to Hasselbeck, but since Hasselbeck still has about 3-4 more years in his tank at least, I think Seattle looks for their understudy in next year’s draft.

5) Cleveland (4-12) Brian Orakpo, DE, Texas – It appears that Shaun Rodgers is becoming a little more of a pain that the Cleveland brass had wanted. He sat out the first team workout this week and the GM said at the Coaches Conference he is considered “tradable.” But ironically, just after that info was released, Rodgers showed up for the remaining workouts this week. I have to agree with Drew that the Browns have too much $ tied up in him to consider trading and we know they won’t cut him. He may have work ethic issues, but I think he stays on the team at least for this year. With that being said, Cleveland addresses their need for QB pressure and picks the best DE in the draft.

6) Cincinnati (4-11-1) B.J. Raji, DT, Boston College- I hate to see a talent like Raji fall, but since he won’t 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.

To see the rest of the first round projections,

7) Oakland (5-11) Andre Smith, OT, Alabama- I know that Oakland signed FA Khalif Barnes, which by the way was a horrible fit for Jax last year. He allowed 7 sacks last year playing LT. Granted, that could have been a down year for him, but I doubt it. Look for Oakland to still address the LT position and open it up for a competition that will last well into the preseason games. I think with a run-first mentality, Smith fits this scheme. Barnes was in a run-first team last year, and look how he did.

8) Jacksonville (5-11) Vontae Davis, CB, Illinois – With Maclin’s less than stellar Pro Day, I feel that most of the higher teams are now a little scared of what they would get with him. The Jags most certainly still need a WR in the draft, but with Torry Holt visiting them, I feel they try and shore up the WR position with adding Holt (if they can) and then get someone early in the second round like Percy Harvin or Derrius Heyword-Bey- if they are still on the charts. With this pick, they get the top CB in draft and someone who can turn into a nice shutdown corner opposite Mathis.

9) Green Bay (6-10) Aaron Maybin, DE/OLB, Penn State – Maybin had good Combine and an even better Pro Day. He is larger than Everette Brown and appears to be slightly faster as well. He still fits in great as an OLB in the 3-4 scheme that Green Bay is trying to adopt. Take off the leash and let him loose after the QB.

10) San Francisco (7-9) Mark Sanchez, QB, USC – Apparently the team Psychologist feels that Stafford still has Mommy-Daddy issues and is not suitable for the team. This only leaves the other top QB in the draft, whom has been argued to be better than Stafford in his decision-making process anyways.

11) Buffalo (7-9) Everette Brown, DE/OLB, Florida State – With Green Bay going with Maybin instead, Buffalo gets to pickup Brown here. They still need to establish a solid rush on the QB. With Schobel on the opposite side demanding a double team, Brown should be able to spend plenty of time in the backfield.

12) Denver (8-8) Tyson Jackson, DE, LSU – 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 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 this 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 – Even with the word that New Orleans signed Pierson Prioleau, the fact remains that he has been in the league for 10 years and maybe has another 3-4 years left. This actually works out great for New Orleans as Jenkins doesn’t have to come in and be a star right away. He can split time at safety and learn under a journeyman, like Prioleau.

15) Houston (8-8) Brian Cushing, OLB, USC – With the Jags jumping on Vontae Davis, Houston now is left with the opportunity to take an elite LB here. Cushing is the kind of guy that can rush the QB, as well as play solid in coverage schemes. He has quick feet and can really help stop the run in a league that faces Addai, Jones-Drew, and White/Johnson twice a year.

16) San Diego (8-8) Rey Maualuga, MLB, USC – The Chargers want to get better at stopping the run. What better way to do that than have elite ILBs? Coupling the rushing ability of Merriman and having a solid run-stopper in the middle can help this D shutdown the easy yards that they were giving up so often last year. Maualuga’s blitzing ability also makes him a great fit here.

17) New York Jets (9-7) Matthew Stafford, QB, Georgia - With the 49ers going with Sanchez instead, if Seattle passes on Stafford, then he falls this far. He had a great pro day and connected on about 95% of his passes, but the need for a QB is just not a huge need for all the teams before the Jets. Mind you, someone could trade up and get, but if not, he falls here.

18) Chicago (9-7) Eben Britton, OT, Arizona – John Tait now retired and Frank Omiyale is a backup at best, and the Browns signed John St. Clair. Eben Britton would be a great fit in this offense because he can fit comfortably on the right side and help shore up the line.

19) Tampa Bay (9-7) Peria Jerry, DT, Ole Miss - If Jerry is still on the board, The Bucs pick him up and shore up their D line. They have decent speed on the outside, but really struggled to stop the run pretty much all year. Especially during their last 4 games which is why they missed the playoffs. It is possible that they could go with Josh Freeman here, but I think they will try Griese out for one more year.

20) Detroit – from Dallas (9-7) Michael Johnson, DE, Georgia Tech - With Jason Smith shoring the O line, Detroit can now address the D line. Johnson had an unbelievable Pro Day and ran consistent 4.59 40′s. Johnson looked so good that he could even go to Buffalo instead of Brown. If that happens, Brown goes here instead. Look however for 2 possible scenarios here: Detroit could trade this pick away and move up to get Stafford , or they could pick up the next coming of Daunte Culpepper, Josh Freeman, and let him groom under none other, Daunte Culpepper.

21) Philadelphia (9-6-1) Chris Wells, RB, Ohio State I still feel that Beanie Wells is the first RB to go. Granted, they could look to take a RB in round 2 or 3, but I think they take the #1 RB off the board and provide a solid backup to ‘I haven’t played a full season in 4 years because I’m injury-prone” Brian Westbrook? Did it take too long to get to that joke?

22) Minnesota (10-6) Jeremy Maclin, WR, Missouri - Minnesota got a steal here with Maclin. They can now place him on return duty and let him play opposite Bernard Berrian. Maclin can stretch the field, but I say as long as they have inconsistent play at QB, they have to do short crossing and slant routes that allow him to break a tackle and bust it for 15-20 yards. Whatever QB plays just got a bump in his stats.

23) New England (11-5) Clay Matthews, OLB, Ohio State – This just fits! Matthews is a blue-collar guy which NE loves to draft. Belichick-ran teams thrive with guys like this. Matthews comes from a good football pedigree and will be a great addition to this team. Look for Matthews to be an elite player in about 2-3 years under Belichick’s direction.

24) Atlanta (11-5) James Laurinaitis, MLB, Ohio State - Unfortunately Atlanta lost the lottery on LJ Smith when he signed with Baltimore. That probably works out in their favor anyways, as Smith is a bust. Plus, they can address a pass-catching TE in round 3 or 4 as this draft as several of them. Look for Atlanta to fix their hole at LB with this pick and go with a guy who plays as mean as his daddy used to look as he entered the ring.

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 and 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 – Think about the jerseys they will be able to sell by having a local guy that they already like and cheer for play for the city’s pro team. Cha-Ching! Other Possible pick here is Alphonso Smith or DJ Moore to help out at DB.

27) Indianapolis (12-4) Evander Hood, DT, Missouri - I still feel that Indy goes with a DT here, but with a good pro day, Hood looks to have leaped Ron Brace on the board, for now anyways.

28) Philadelphia – from Carolina (12-4) William 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) Kenny Britt, WR, Rutgers – This should be Hakeem Nicks here. However, I believe I read that one scout called him a “Fat TE” at his pro day this week. It’s sad because I really like Nicks and I think he could be a great player on a team like the Giants. He unfortunately decided to eat too much pizza and drink too much beer, because he gained 15 lbs since the combine. I liken this situation to that of Robert Meacham a couple years ago. Nicks’ loss is Britt’s gain.

30)Tennessee (13-3) Alphonso Smith, CB, Florida State – with the signing of Nate Washington, the Titans will not draft a WR with their first pick (not they would have anyways). Nick Harper is currently 34 years old, so Tennessee will need to find another corner to take his place pretty soon.

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, which means there is even more need on the D-Line. 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 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.

Related posts:

1. NFL Mock Draft 2.0 (Jeremy Shory Style)
2. NFL Mock Draft 1.0 (Jeremy Shory Style)
3. NFL Mock Draft 4.0 (Jeremy Shory)
4. NFL Mock Draft 5.0 (Jeremy Shory)
5. Jeremy’s Mock NFL Draft Update

Tags: NFL Draft