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 - Despite the signing of Zach Thomas, I still am sticking with Curry as the pick for the Chiefs.  Thomas is old and their other LB Mike Vrabel is….well old as well allowing Curry to come in without any pressure and learn from two of the NFL great linebackers.  Thomas signed only a 1-year deal allowing Curry to make a smooth transition to starter next season.

4) Seattle (4-12) (7-9) Mark Sanchez, QB, USC – I am going against everything I have been saying about Seattle to date. Matt Hasselbeck showed to practice this week, but rumor has it that he is still experiencing pain which does not bode well for a 34 year old player. I picked Sanchez here because the scouts all fell in love with Sanchez and said he was more accurate and looked sharper even though he did not have as strong an arm as Stafford . Seattle drafts their Franchise QB of the future now.

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) Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech- Now that the Bengals have signed Tank Johnson and are planning on using him like he should in a 4-3 scheme like he did in Chicago, Raji no longer seems like the immediate need now. Couple that with the loss of T.J. and the apparent attempts now to trade away Chad Johnson, Cincinnati goes with one of the best players in this years draft and ink a WR that will be amazing for years to come.

7) Oakland (5-11) Jeremy Maclin, WR, Missouri -  I had Maclin falling in the draft solely because it is not uncommon for WR to fall on draft day, plus he did not have as stellar a Pro Day as he did at the Combine. However, I feel that Al Davis ends up attempting to begin the season with Khalif Barnes as his LT and goes with a guy who has speed.

8) Jacksonville (5-11) B.J. Raji, DT, Boston College – I may sound like a bandwagon guy here, but I honestly feel like Jax will be able to find a suitor that is willing to trade to get this spot to snatch up Stafford. With Sanchez gone at #4, teams will begin to panic and think Stafford could go before they get the shot. If it doesn’t happen, look for Jacksonville to look to re-establish themselves using solid play in the trenches with a DT like they used to have with Stroud.

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) Matthew Stafford, QB, Georgia – You got to love Pro Days. Sanchez held his pro day after Stafford which obviously worked in his favor. He knew what he had to beat to impress the scouts, and apparently he did. So much so that I feel Stafford gets leap-frogged by Sanchez. If someone does not trade up to grab Stafford like I mentioned with Jax, then he falls to the 49ers who have no problem taking a great QB at an unbelievable value here at #10.

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) Clay Matthews, OLB, USC – Now that Denver gets another pick in the 1st round, I think they take the next best OLB here and wait to get Tyson Jackson with pick #18. Granted, Denver did a lot of revamping on their defense, but this pick helps to infuse youth into the D which has an average age of 28 as well as shores up the OLB position for them.

13)Washington (8-8) Andre Smith, OT, Alabama – Well I have to say that I applaud how Jason Campbell handled all of the rumors about the Skins trying to trade him away for Cutler. He handled it much better than Cutler did. I think that Washington makes up for it here and drafts a great OT that will help Campbell stay on his feet this season. Plus Clinton Portis will appreciate this pick as well.

14) New Orleans (8-8) Malcolm Jenkins, CB, Ohio State – There is a ton of rumors that New Orleans would be looking at Beenie Wells here to provide the complement to Reggie Bush as a power back, however, there are so many guys that could fill that spot that can be drafter in round 3. New Orleans goes with the best player available and drafts a guy that wont be expected to do too much right away as he can play under Darren Sharper.

15) Houston (8-8) Vontae Davis, CB, Pitt – If he is still available here I would have thought that Houston would look at Clay Matthews as he had a better Pro Day than Cushing, however, with the recent signing of Cato June, Houston just helped to shore up their OLB position. With the recent rumblings from Dunta Robinson, I think Houston looks to add some CB depth here just in case someone makes them an offer they can’t refuse for Robinson.

16) San Diego (8-8) Michael Oher, OT, Ole Miss – I have had Maualuga going here a couple of times, but now I feel the San Diego address the O line and gets a real nice addition to the team here. Sproles will love this pick as Oher will be able to hold his own and allow for him to bust outside for some nice gains.

17) New York Jets (9-7) Robert Ayers, DE, Tennessee  - With Stafford and Sanchez gone, the Jets are not going to pull the trigger on a QB this year. They need some WR help, however, rumor has it that Miles Austin, the very same guy that Jerry Jones was praising during the owners meetings 2 weeks ago, is to be visiting the Jets this week. If they like what they see, they can make an offer for him since he is a RFA. If they sign Austin, then that fills the WR void left by Laverneus Coles and leaves the next logical pick as DE for the revamped D in the Meadowlands.

18) Denver – from Chicago (9-7) Tyson Jackson, DE, LSU – Denver still gets their DE here and continues to infuse that youth into an aging Defense. Jackson will have enough to really push from some quality playing time by mid-season which will really help in a division now that is starting to look stronger at QB with Phillip Rivers and now Matt Cassel.

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) Eben Britton, OT, Arizona -Remember that comment from my first mock about how Andy Reid likes guys that are bigger than him? Well Britton is 6’6″ 309 lbs which is a couple lbs more than Beatty. Nice addition to a decimated O Line here.

22) Minnesota (10-6) Rey Maualuga, MLB, USC – I rehash what I mentioned 2 mocks ago about Napoleon Harris and his inconsistencies. I see most mocks have a WR going here, but with how well Bernard Berrian played last year and having two young WR in Sidney Rice and Bobby Wade, I feel that they create a competition in the LB instead and try to develop Maualuga to become the next Brian Urlacher.

23) New England (11-5) Brian Cushing, OLB, USC – I have had an OLB going here since my first mock, but I have changed that person around each time. I think I’ll do it again and stick Cushing here. He had a solid Pro Day, but performed slightly worse than his buddy Clay Matthews. Cushing is a nice fit to help fill the void left by the departed Mike Vrabel.

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) Hakeem Nicks, WR, North Carolina - The Big Tuna actually went to Hakeem Nicks’ private workout which he rarely has done over the years signaling that Nicks could be the guy that Miami adds to help the Offensive arsenal. This would be a nice fit because Nicks probably has the best hands in the draft (as anyone saw the Mienike Car Care Bowl knows) and Pennington does not have the strongest arm so Nicks wont have to worry about out-running the passes.

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) Brandon Pettigrew, TE, Oklahoma State – With some recent O-Line departures and the injuries last year, we know that Phili is going address the offensive line which is why I have them taking Eben Britton with their first pick. But why not also get a guy who can block and catch passes? LJ Smith is out of there and rightfully so because he can’t stay on the field for a whole season. Phili throws Donovan a bone and drafts probably the best TE in this year’s draft.

29) New York Giants (12-4) Knowshon Moreno, RB, Georgia - I go back to what I said in my first mock. The Giants draft the best player available and get the best Scat Back in the draft. How can you have Earth, Wind, & Fire without Wind (Derrick Ward)? They replace Ward with Moreno as we know that Brandon Jacobs is injury prone and Ahmad Bradshaw is really best with 5-7 touches a game instead of 12-15.

30)Tennessee (13-3) Darius Butler, CB, UConn – I still feel that Tennessee address their need for a CB here and goes with Butler over Alphonso Smith because he is a tad taller and faster. Butler will see the field this year in a rotation.

31) Arizona (9-7) Chris Wells, RB, Ohio State – I have had a DE going here since my first mock to fill the void left by Antonio Smith, however, with all of the first round worthy DE gone, I say now that Arizona looks to add a power back. The Cardinals are stringing Edgerin James along for now, and once they ink Wells to a contract, Edge gets cut loose and frees up some cap room. It’s a Two-Back system in the NFL nowadays.

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

Tags: NFL Draft