NFL Mock Draft 5.0 (Jeremy Shory)
April 21st, 2009 by Jeremy Shory
1) Detroit (0-16) Matthew Stafford, QB, Georgia – I have to say that I HATE this pick. This is not the direction that Detroit should be going in when you have 5 other guys that are ranked higher than Stafford and with as many holes that Detroit has, they could grab any one of them and let them start and probably be able to pay them less than what Stafford is going to require. Jason Smith is still the guy who I feel should go here, but it looks more and more like Stafford is going to be #1 overall. Hope they enjoy ruining yet another QB’s career. I hate Detroit! I should mention here that you should check out our podcast NFL Draft Podcast where I go in depth as to why this pick is horrible.
2) St. Louis (2-14) Jason Smith, OT, Baylor – Well with Stafford going first and the release of Orlando Pace, St. Louis signs the best OT in the draft and arguably the best Offensive player in the entire draft.
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 think that Sanchez turns out to be the next Aaron Rodgers in the sense of sitting on the bench for 2 seasons behind one of the best QBs, albeit injured, left in the league. I think that he learns from Hasselbeck and takes the reigns after 2 years.
5) Cleveland (4-12) Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech- As the trade rumors surrounding Braylon Edwards and Brady Quinn really start to heat up, it is appearing more and more that Cleveland will be cutting ties with at least one of them, and I think that ends up being Edwards. Both will probably go, but I feel there are more suitors for Edwards than for Quinn. If Edwards goes and with the loss of Donte Stallworth to legal issues (at least he honked at the guy, right?), the Browns go with the best WR in the draft and he’ll have less drops in his career than Braylon Edwards has in one game.
6) Cincinnati (4-11-1) Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia - I think this pick hinges on a Chad Johnson trade. At this point, most of the WR hype is about Anquan Boldin and Braylon Edwards and very little now on Chad Johnson. If by some chance, Ocho Cinco packs his bags, I think we could see Jeremy Maclin go here. But if he stays, than Monroe gets picked up and helps buy Carson Palmer some time in a division that has 2 of the best defenses in the league.
7) Oakland (5-11) Andre Smith, OT, Alabama — Let it be said that I had Smith going to Oakland before everyone else! I dabbled with the notion of Maclin going here last week, but after further research, Al Davis would more likely sell his team to prostitute in bad deal than he would draft a WR with their first pick (last time was 1988). Tom Cable is an O Line coach, so who else is he going to request? Jamarcus Russell gets more time in the pocket here with an upgrade over Khalif “please sack my QB” Barnes.
8) Jacksonville (5-11) B.J. Raji, DT, Boston College – With the recent news that Jax has signed WR Torry Holt, the Jags will look to the later round sfor their WR and get tougher in the trenches with their 1st round pick. A trade is still possible here, but look for the to ask for a whole lot more than they gave up last year. Based on the GM’s comments about getting back to dominating the line on both sides of the ball, Raji is the best fit.
9) Green Bay (6-10) Brian Orakpo, DE, Texas - Green Bay still addresses their need for solid 3-4 guys here and takes probably the best DE in the draft. Orakpo dominated at Texas and should be a solid cornerstone on the front line for the Cheeseheads.
10) San Francisco (7-9) Michael Oher, OT, Ole Miss – This is a tad of a reach, but you know someone is going to this year. Staley is terrible. In fact he is probably one of the worst starting OT in the league. He allowed 8.5 sacks last year and 9 as a rookie. Granted, the QB situation has been in flux in San Fran, but that is no excuse. With an emphasis on running the ball like the 49ers said they are going to have, an immediate upgrade at tackle is needed and Oher can play either RT or LT if needed.
11) Buffalo (7-9) Aaron Maybin, DE/OLB, Penn State – The Bills could look OT here now that they traded Peters, however, if they do, I feel that they will end up in the same boat as they were previously with some sort of contract dispute over money because of taking an OT 11th overall. I think they look to the newly acquired #28 pick to address the O line and take a fast rising DE here to help establish some serious QB pressure. Maybin has a nose for the backfield. Look for him to play a role similar to Joey Porter did in Miami last year.
12) Denver (8-8) Tyson Jackson, DE, LSU – After Jackson’s pro day, most scouts have him rated higher than Ayers and Brown. In fact I have seen some rankings having Orakpo, Maybin, and Jackson all separated by 2 pts. It is no secret that Denver needs to address their D line and has for years. They look to do it here early and bypass all of the trade up for a QB garbage. They like Simms and Orton and are willing to let them battle it out this season.
13)Washington (8-8) Brian Cushing, OLB, USC – I don’t understand the bandwagon claim that the Skins need a DE here. Just because they released Jason Taylor does not mean that they use their 1st pick on a DE. They just signed Reynaldo Wynn and re-signed Phillip Daniels at DE. Andre Carter will play on the other side. Plus, couple them with an added attention that is going to be paid to Albert Haynesworth, a rookie DE is not a need with their first pick. Washington addresses their Strong Side LB here and go with Cushing who should fit in nicely. Look for Washington to trade up and grab Sanchez if he falls beyond Seattle.
14) New Orleans (8-8) Malcolm Jenkins, CB, Ohio State – I keep hearing the Beenie Wells is the guy here for New Orleans. Why would they pass on someone like Malcolm Jenkins when they can get a comparable RB in the 3rd round in NC States Andre Brown which will be the steal of the draft! Jenkins will be allowed some time to transition to Safety as New Orleans still has Darren Sharper on the roster who can rotate with Jenkins.
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) Rey Maualuga, MLB, USC – I feel like a woman when it comes to San Diego and their pick. I started with Maualuga and gone back and forth each mock. Unless something drastic happens, I am sticking with Rey here. And I am predicting this, if San Diego makes it to the playoffs, they will hand out complimentary M&M’s to their fans because their 2 ILBs (Merriman and Maualuga) will dominate any run game.
17) New York Jets (9-7) Jeremy Maclin, WR, Missouri - Well the Miles Austin visit did not pan out as well as they hoped. WR is still a need here and I think they pull the trigger on the speedy WR. He will play a role similar to Devin Hester. Watch for the WR to struggle this year as most teams will focus more on the run and dare the Jets to throw it on them so long as their QB situation is up in the air. As bad as it is to say, this team probably regrets the Favre experiment and wishes they had Pennington back.
18) Denver – from Chicago (9-7) Everette Brown, DE/OLB, Florida State – Why would Denver draft 2 DE in the first round? Well because they make Tyson Jackson the DE and convert Brown into a rushing LB. He will fit nicely into a 3-4 scheme as he is a tad too small to be a legit DE in the NFL. He has excellent speed and will be able to provide some great QB pressure.
19) Tampa Bay (9-7) Peria Jerry, DT, Ole Miss - Tampa needs to get bigger and tougher in the middle of the D line. Jerry helps do that. No sense in drafting a QB now since they signed Byron Leftwich to a 2 year deal. Tampa allowed too many rushing yards down the stretch and as the opponent’s RB ran all over them, they watched their Playoff hopes run out as time ran out. (You like that word play don’t ya?)
20) Detroit – from Dallas (9-7) Robert Ayers, DE, Tennessee - Now conventional wisdom would tell you that Detroit would pick up a OT here to protect their overpriced, under-performing, crap bag of a #1 pick, Matt Stafford, but since the top 4 OT are off the board, any of them that are left are not going to do a whole lot better than what they have on the roster now. Instead, Detroit goes defense here, partially because they now have a Defensive-minded coach at the helm as well as because they bypassed Aaron Curry which the fans would love to have. Have I mentioned the NFL Draft Podcast where I explain why Stafford is overrated?
21) Philadelphia (9-6-1) Knowshon Moreno, RB, Georgia - Despite the fact that Philly has hardly ever drafted a RB in the 1st round, especially under Andy Reid’s tenure, sources close to the Eagles are now saying that they love Knowshon Moreno and are willing to do anything to get him. With the recent departure of Correll Buckhalter and Westbrook’s ongoing issues with ever playing a full season, a RB here would not be a bad idea. With that said, I think that Philly could get a nice RB in the second round who has just as much upside, but what do I know?
22) Minnesota (10-6) 23) Eben Britton, OT, Arizona – With a need for a RT, Britton will get snatched up here. Britton is a big guy at 6’6″ will be a good mauler in a division that is weak in DE. He’ll be a nice addition to the O line and we all know that “All Day” Peterson will like this move. Pod cast – www.fantasycollegeblitz.com – thought I would try and mention it one last time.
23) New England (11-5) Clay Matthews, OLB, USC – I hate moving Matthews all the way down here. He had a better Combine and a better Pro Day and is the fastest of the LBs that are worthy of the 1st round, but he is a Weakside LB which means that not many teams will need his services right away. I have always had a LB going to NE and Matthews seems to be the guy.
24) Atlanta (11-5) James Laurinaitis, MLB, Ohio State - Brandon Pettigrew is still a possibility here, but I think that with all of the pass-catching TE in this year’s draft, Atlanta goes with a superb LB to fill the void left by Keith Brooking and then goes for a guy like Jared Cook or Cornelius Ingram in the 2nd or 3rd round.
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 – Derrick Mason turns 35 and is in the last year of his contract. Heyword-Bey is the fastest WR in this year’s draft. They’ll let him play the slot as the #3 WR this year and then let Mason drift away next year while Heyword-Bey fills the void.
27) Indianapolis (12-4) Evander Hood, DT, Missouri This pick is purely based on need. It goes against all conventional wisdom in regards to how Indy views the draft, so I am not 100% sold on this pick. The D line needs to get better from the inside out and this would help them do that, but again, I am not 100% sold.
28) Buffalo from Philadelphia which was from Carolina (12-4) Brandon Pettigrew, TE, Oklahoma State – - Everyone knows that they released Robert Royal. I was initially thinking that the Bills would go RB here with Thomas having his contract disputes and Marshawn Lynch having his legal problems, but then they signed Dominic Rhodes to a 2 year deal. What better way to help out your O Line besides drafting an O lineman? Draft a TE! Pettigrew will be able to split the middle of the field with most Defenders paying attention to Evans and Owens. He’ll also to help out either OT on the run plays as he is one of the better blocking TE in the draft.
29) New York Giants (12-4) Michael Johnson, DE, Georgia Tech - This pick is probably going to end up being the Cleveland Browns with a trade for Braylon Edwards, however, if the G-Men keep the pick and Moreno and Nicks are gone, then they take Michael Johnson and convert him into a strongside LB. He is good size at 6’3″ but is quick as he ran a 4.59 40 at his pro day. Big and Fast. Coughlin would eat that up.
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 - Cornerback could be a possibility here, and Alphonso Smith, despite his lack of ideal size and top-end speed, has the playmaking skills and toughness to fit well in Pittsburgh. But this is the time for the Steelers to develop young talent along the offensive line.
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