Mock Draft 3.0
So the pro days are just about done, and with the Jay Cutler trade, there could be some changes made. There are also some rumblings about the 49ers looking at Mark Sanchez, but I’ll get into that later on.
On a more personal note, I think the Giants pulled the Plax plug a little too soon. I don’t think he’s going to do any jail time and the Giants aren’t a contender without him. However, I can see it from the Giants point of view. I see why they would cut him, but its almost as if they’re cutting off their nose to spite their face.
1. Detroit Lions – Matthew Stafford, QB, Georgia – Live I’ve been saying, you can’t pass up on a potential franchise quarterback. I know the Lions could possibly take Jason Smith from Baylor. Taking a lineman number one overall worked out for the Dolphins. But the Dolphins also had Bill Parcells in the front office and a rejuvenated Chad Pennington fell into their laps. This is a completely different situation. This is a team with an inept front office, a first year head coach, and a lot of other issues. I know they’re afraid after the Joey Harrington debacle, but they need a quarterback.
2. St. Louis Rams – Jason Smith, OT, Baylor – The Rams essentially are an offensive line away from being a playoff team. You know going in that they’re going to run the ball so they’ll definately be addressing the line.
3. Kansas City Chiefs – Aaron Curry, LB, Wake Forest – Aaron Curry could really be the number one overall pick. He’s that good.
4. Seattle Seahawks – Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia – Whats all this about the Seahawks taking Mark Sanchez? Why do that when you have a very capable Matt Hasselbeck? They’ll have to pay Sanchez a lot to ride the bench for a few years. They could trade out of this spot to take a wideout, but if not Monroe is a solid pick here.
5. Cleveland Browns – Brian Orakpo, LB/DE, Texas – Orakpo’s versatility is what makes him so attractive. Mangini shouldn’t have the same excuses with him that he did with Vernon Gholston.
6. Cincinnati Bengals – Andre Smith, OT, Alabama – The Bengals always take guys with questionable backgrounds. Why should this pick be any different?
7. Oakland Raiders – Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech – Al Davis will not, I repeat, WILL NOT, pass up on a chance to take Crabtree if he’s there. Then again, what the hell do I know? The smart pick would be a lineman.
8. Jacksonville Jaguars – Jeremy Maclin, WR, Missouri – The difference between Maclin and Heyward-Bey is really Maclin’s return ability. I think MoJo is going to get a good amount of snaps in the backfield so I wouldn’t use him in the return game as much. That said, Maclin is a great returner and they wouldn’t miss a beat with him back there.
9. Green Bay Packers – BJ Raji, DT, Boston College – Do you really think that this whole allegation of a failed drug test for Raji is going to affect him? He’s the best defensive line prospect in the draft. They can’t afford to pass on him. And call me naive, but he’s disputing the test and I believe him. The smart thing to do if a test comes up positive is to admit it… unless you didn’t fail it.
10. San Francisco 49ers – Everette Brown, DE, Florida St. – I don’t think that the Niners would take another quarterback knowing how Shaun Hill has played and how much they’ve invested in Alex Smith.
11. Buffalo Bills – Michael Oher, OT, Ole Miss – As much as taking Aaron Maybin would be nice here, why would the Bills draft another defensive end when they have Schobel and Kelsay there on the edges? Especially when they have a need along the offensive line?
12. Denver Broncos – Brian Cushing, LB, USC – There is no way BJ Raji is falling to the Broncos here, even though he’d be an awesome pickup for them. I wouldn’t be surprised if they traded up to take him. If they don’t, Cushing is a good pick for them.
13. Washington Redskins – Tyson Jackson, DE, LSU – Jackson’s stock has risen over the past few weeks, and the Redskins could use someone to play opposite of Andre Carter. Plus, Albert Haynesworth is going to draw a lot of attention and may free things up for Jackson and Carter.
14. New Orleans Saints – Chris Wells, RB, Ohio St. – The Saints might be looking to get a Deuce McAllister type player to complement Reggie Bush. If not, Vontae Davis makes the most sense here.
15. Houston Texans – Vontae Davis, CB, Illinois – Davis is virtually a steal here for the Texans. They need help in the secondary and Davis could be a playmaker.
16. San Diego Chargers – Rey Maualuga, LB, USC – Rey Rey reminds me of Junior Seau and he could help solidify that linebacking corps with Shawne Merriman and Shaun Phillips.
17. New York Jets – Mark Sanchez, QB, USC – All these rumors about Sanchez to Jacksonville and San Francisco don’t make much sense to me on a few levels. 1) Jacksonville has David Garrard as a starter it wouldn’t make sense to pay Sanchez that much to be a backup. 2) San Francisco has cheaper alternatives in Shaun Hill and Alex Smith, especially the way Hill played toward the end of last season. The Jets have a legitimate need at quarterback and the options they have aren’t starters. It doesn’t matter if Ratliff has a strong arm because he’s shown it off against backup defenders. I wouldn’t put it past the Jets to trade up for Sanchez, either.
18. Denver Broncos – Aaron Maybin, DE, Penn St. – Now that the Broncos have addressed a need at linebacker, they should address another need and pick a pass rusher. The Cutler trade worked out better for the Bears because they got a franchise quarterback. The Broncos may have taken a few steps back but they can build on the picks they have and take advantage of the weak AFC West.
19. Tampa Bay Bucanneers – Josh Freeman, QB, Kansas St. – Its always nice to have the highest paid tight end in football, but who the hell is going to pass to him?
20. Detroit Lions – Robert Ayers, DE, Tennessee – The Lions need a pass rusher and Ayers’ stock has been rising since his pro day where he showed a lot of versatility.
21. Philadelphia Eagles – Knowshon Moreno, RB, Georgia – I’ve said this before and I’ll keep saying it. If Moreno is available when Philly is on the clock, as a Giants fan, I won’t be comfortable.
22. Minnesota Vikings – Percy Harvin, WR, Florida – His durability is an issue, but not only is this kid versatile but he’s a lot stronger than people give him credit for.
23. New England Patriots – Malcolm Jenkins, CB/S, Ohio St. – Last season, Aqib Talib could have been an option, but I really feel like Jenkins is a great value pick for the Pats right here.
24. Atlanta Falcons – Clay Matthews, LB, USC – The Falcons lost Michael Boley to the Giants but could have a capable replacement in Matthews.
25. Miami Dolphins – Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR, Maryland – The Dolphins don’t have a lot of depth at wide reciever and whatever Sparano did for Ginn may work for Heyward-Bey.
26. Baltimore Ravens – James Laurinitis, LB, Ohio St. – The Ravens might be looking to replace Bart Scott and Laurinitis is a tough, gritty linebacker that fits into their system.
27. Indianapolis Colts – Evander “Ziggy” Hood, DT, Missouri – The Colts could use the interior presence to help out Brock and Dwight Freeney.
28. Philadelphia Eagles – Eben Britton, OT, Arizona – Britton gets a lot of comparisons to Joe Thomas. And all he’s done is go to a Pro Bowl in his first two seasons.
29. New York Giants – Hakeem Nicks, WR, North Carolina – In my opinion, the Giants showed their hand too early by cutting Plaxico Burress. The consensus was that they would likely draft a wide reciever but now that they don’t have Plax, its pretty much a foregone conclusion that they’ll take a wideout. They still have options though. I would consider trading this pick, along with one of the second rounders to Arizona for Anquan Boldin. Torry Holt is also available.
30. Tennessee Titans – Michael Johnson, DE, Arizona – I still like this pick for Tennessee.
31. Arizona Cardinals – LeSean McCoy, RB, Pitt – I don’t know if JJ Arrington is still a factor in Arizona so McCoy would look good here. With Tim Hightower getting a majority of the snaps and Edgerrin James being used a blocker, McCoy would be essential.
32. Pittsburgh Steelers – Alphonso Smith, CB, Wake Forest – Like I said before, the Steelers could look to replace Bryant McFadden or maybe they draft an offensive lineman like William Beatty, Alex Mack, or Max Unger.
So there’s version 3. It might be the last. Once again, here are a few things going on in the sports world that have caught my eye.
— I told you that Courtney Paris would be eating her words, and stupid Oklahoma won’t let her pay back the scholarship. I don’t care if her dad is rich, it still would have been funny because I’m tired of these damn athlete guarantees.
— So Jack Elway decided he doesn’t want to play football anymore. My question is, why did he wait this long? You get all the way to Arizona St and you (the son of legendary quarterback John Elway) don’t want to play football anymore. Nice one.
— Who didn’t expect UNC to win the national title? Now we get to hear how bad of a pro Tyler Hansbrough will be but he’ll get drafted because of his heart and toughness. Yay.
— Andrew Gallo isn’t just one guy that got drunk one time and caused a hit and run. Gallo is a disgusting human being and his possible 55 year sentence for killing Nick Adenhart is not nearly enough. Its one thing if its a first time offense, but he’s a multiple offender with a suspended license. Nick Adenhart will be missed.
