Mock Draft 2.0

After some deliberation, some input from readers, and retooling, I’ve put together my second mock draft. There have been some changes around the NFL since my last mock draft, and those changes have forced me to make some changes of my own. So, without further delay, here we go.

1. Detroit Lions- Matthew Stafford, QB, Georgia– I still think the Lions need a franchise quarterback. If you have the number one overall pick and there’s a franchise quarterback to be had, take him.

2. St. Louis Rams- Jason Smith, OT, Baylor– Jason Smith has gone from a backup tight end to a little known offensive lineman to the premier offensive tackle in this year’s draft.

3. Kansas City Chiefs- Aaron Curry, LB, Wake Forest– Not only is Curry’s stock rising extremely fast, but the Chiefs fixed their gaping hole at quarterback by trading for Matt Cassel. Is Matt Cassel going to be exposed by playing on a bad team? Absolutely. But they did get a quarterback. As far as Curry goes, he’ll be learning under the wily veteran Vrabel.

4. Seattle Seahawks- Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech– Even though the Seahawks snagged TJ Whos-Yo-Mama (Houshmanzadeh for those of you who don’t get the joke) I think they’d be out of their minds to pass up on Crabtree. He’ll be ready for rookie camp even with surgery, and barring anything insane, he’ll still be the best wideout to come out this year. Besides, Houshmanzadeh doesn’t strike me as a downfield threat. He’s a very good possession reciever. Crabtree is a big play waiting to happen.

5. Cleveland Browns- Brian Orakpo, DE, Texas – Orakpo had a hell of a combine, and he ran a 4.63. Thats pretty scary. Mangini plans on playing the 3-4 in Cleveland and Orakpo can play defensive end and outside linebacker.

6. Cincinnati Bengals- Andre Smith, OT, Alabama- Smith is going to drop but not by much. He’s still talented and apparently, he’s had good private workouts and interviews.

7. Oakland Raiders- Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia- I’m sticking with this pick. I really think this is a smart yet safe pick for the Raiders. They have the strong armed mobile quarterback they wanted. They have the impact running back they wanted. How about a blocker or two?

8. Jacksonville Jaguars- Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR, Maryland- Did anyone catch this kid’s 40 yard dash? Part of me wants to put him ahead of Crabtree (its not too late for that) but I want to see what he does at his pro day.

9. Green Bay Packers- BJ Raji, DT, Boston College- With the Packers making the transition into a 3-4 defense, getting Raji is even more important because he’s the prototypical nose tackle that eats up blockers and makes his linebackers free to do their thing… or “thang” depending on how you like it.

10. San Francisco 49ers- Everette Brown, DE, Florida St.- I’m really tempted to say Mark Sanchez here because Alex Smith is all but done, Shaun Hill is not the future, and JT O’Sullivan sucks. However, I don’t know if the 49ers want to draft another quarterback with a top 10 pick after what happened with Smith, and they certainly have other needs to address.

11. Bufffalo Bills- Michael Oher, OT, Ole Miss- The Bills went out and got Mr. Owens, so now they need someone to keep Trent Edwards/JP Losman upright so he can get the ball to T.O.  Honestly, is Owens really going to make a difference on that team? I mean, Lee Evans is the present and future of that recieving corps, and Marshawn Lynch is really good. What will T.O. bring to the table outside of locker room drama?

12. Denver Broncos- Brian Cushing, OLB, USC- The Broncos need to revamp their defense, and they started by bringing in Brian Dawkins to be a leader in the secondary. Cushing could be a vital part of the defense right away.

13. Washington Redskins- Rey Maualuga, LB, USC- The Skins went out and spent a ton of money in free agency. Albert Haynesworth helps the defense on all three levels and Rey Maualuga will benefit and flourish in Washington’s defense.

14. New Orleans Saints- Vontae Davis, CB, Illinois- I wanted to go with Malcolm Jenkins here but with his subpar 40 time may influence teams to move him to safety. Davis had an excellent combine and the Saints need to go cornerback here.

15. Houston Texans- Chris Wells, RB, Ohio St.- The Texans cut Ahman Green and rumor has it they wanted to sign Cedric Benson. It would be smart to have two quality guys back there and Wells is a bruiser.

16. San Diego Chargers- James Laurinitis, LB, Ohio St.- This might be a little early to take Laurinitis but now that the Chargers restructured LT’s contract and franchised Darren Sproles, I don’t see where Knowshon Moreno would fit. They do need help at defense so maybe they can trade down to take him later.

17. New York Jets- Mark Sanchez, QB, USC- Sanchez never belonged in the top five. He’s good but not great. The only other spot he could go is 10 to the 49ers but they just resigned Alex Smith to a longer deal. The Jets need a quarterback. I don’t know how confident I would be going into the season with Brett Radcliffe and Kellen Clemens.

18. Chicago Bears- Tyson Jackson, DE, LSU- The Bears need help on defense and Vontae Davis won’t be available.

19. Tampa Bay Bucanneers- Josh Freeman, QB, Kansas St.- The Bucanneers need to bring a young quarterback or else no one will take their offense seriously. Kellen Winslow Jr. is a weapon but he needs someone to throw to him.

20. Detroit Lions- Knowshon Moreno, RB, Georgia- Some people objected to my suggestion that the Lions should take a quarterback and a running back in the first round, and they have a good point. The Lions need help on defense. However, why pass on talent like Moreno?

21. Philadelphia Eagles- Eben Britton, OT, Arizona- The Eagles have lost some guys along the offensive line and they’ll need to rebuild.

22. Minnesota Vikings- Jeremy Maclin, WR, Missouri- Maclin has excellent return ability and I don’t expect him to fall this far. If the Bucs don’t take a quarterback, he might be an option.

23. New England Patriots- Malcolm Jenkins, CB/S, Ohio St.- Let me be clear about this. Malcolm Jenkins, going into the combine, was a top five to ten pick. His slow 4o time made him the second best cornerback prospect this year. Maybe even third. If Jenkins really does move to safety, the Patriots should take him. I really don’t expect Jenkins to fall this far. Someone might trade up to take him earlier.

24. Atlanta Falcons- Larry English, DE, Northern Illinois- This pick is really becoming a no-brainer.

25. Miami Dolphins- Percy Harvin, WR, Florida- I don’t see why the Dolphins wouldn’t go with the hometown guy here. And yes, I know that Gainesville isn’t the same as Miami. Florida is Florida to New Yorkers like me.

26. Baltimore Ravens- Alex Mack, C, California- Max Unger could also be a pick here but I think Mack is a little better than Unger. The Ravens can also go corner here with Alphonso Smith.

27. Indianapolis Colts- Peria Jerry, DT, Ole Miss- The Colts look serious about getting some help on the defensive interior.

28. Philadelphia Eagles- Robert Ayers, DE, Tennessee- Ayers isn’t a guy a lot of people are talking about and the Eagles didn’t really have a consistent pass rush so this could be a good pick for them.

29. New York Giants- Hakeem Nicks, WR, North Carolina- The last time the Giants drafted someone in the first round from UNC, his name was Lawrence Taylor… I’m just saying. His guy is highlight waiting to happen and the Giants have already addressed their needs on defense by bringing in Rocky Bernard, Chris Canty, and Mike Boley.

30. Tennessee Titans- Michael Johnson, DE, Arizona- The Titans need help along the defensive line with the departure of Albert Haynesworth.

31. Arizona Cardinals- Clay Matthews, LB, USC- The Cardinals could also go with LeSean McCoy here because of his versatility and catching ability. Until then, I think they might want to bring back Edge to share the backfield with Tim Hightower.

32. Pittsburgh Steelers- Alphonso Smith, CB, Wake Forest- The Steelers haven’t lost much and they may want to replace Bryant McFadden with Smith.

Alright, so thats version 2. Leave me a comment if you agree, disagree, or you just think I’m an ass. As always, here are a few things swirling around the sports world that intrigue me.

— Courtney Paris,  the senior center from the University of Oklahoma has guaranteed a national championship for the Sooners. In fact, she says if they don’t win, she’ll pay back her entire athletic scholarship, totaling about $64,000. Does Courtney realize that the average WNBA salary is between $60,000 and $65,000? And does she also know that UConn is 33-0? This is the 7th time UConn has won 30 or more games in a season, and every time they did so, except for one time…. they’ve gone on to win the national title. Lofty goal, Courtney. Lofty goal. I guess you and your twin sister Ashley are going to be sharing that first year salary.

— Shame on Philadelphia. In these economic times, they have the audacity to fire someone over expressing themselves on Facebook. It wasn’t even like he was a front office employee. He was a gate chief and they fired him over the phone. A place he’s been working for over six years. And to top it all off, what he wrote didn’t even make sense. “Dan is [expletive] devastated about Dawkins signing with Denver … Dam Eagles R Retarted!!” I didn’t realized damn was spelled “dam” and retarded was actually “retarted”. Don’t even get me started on his variation of the word “are”. Then again, it’s Facebook.

— How the hell did the Netherlands beat the Dominican Republic in the WBC?? I mean, they’re Dutch. On the bright side, at least know I know that Jose Reyes is going to back with the team for spring training.

— It sucks to see the Mets cut Duaner Sanchez. Ever since that cab accident, he hasn’t been the guy we brought in from the Dodgers. At this point, I just hope he gets better and plays for someone.

— The St. Johns Red Storm beat the Georgetown Hoyas in the first round of the Big East tournament. I really hope that this is indicative of St. Johns being relevant in college basketball again.

Questions or comments? Email me at s_talouis@yahoo.com, and don’t forget to listen to Keeping It Real Sports on Mondays from 7pm-9pm. Log on to kirsnow.com and join for all the perks. And then log on to showoffradio.net and join so you can listen to Showoff Radio on Mondays from 9pm-11pm.