Gatorsfirst.com 2009 Mock NFL Draft

Just a disclaimer: I’m making these picks based on what I think the current management and direction of the team will do, not what I think is best for the team. This is supremely evidenced by pick No. 1 overall. The best pick for the Lions would be a franchise 10-year left tackle in the form of massive Andre Smith, the Outland Trophy winner out of Alabama. A terrible team drafting a high profile QB that is doomed to fail (see David Carr, Joey Harrington, etc.) is a bad idea for teams in uber-rebuilding mode. Parcells took Jake Long last year because that’s what the team needed most. So without further ado:
 
Detroit Lions – QB Matthew Stafford, Georgia
· See above.
 
St. Louis Rams – OT Andre Smith, Alabama
· Big Orlando Pace is still one of the best when healthy. Keyword: healthy. It was a rough season for the Rams offensively and with stars already in place at QB, RB and WR, they need a big ugly to give poor Bulger a little more time and also create some seams for S-Jax to blast through.
 
Kansas City Chiefs – OT Eugene Monroe, Virginia
· It’s widely thought that the Chiefs will take Mark Sanchez right here, but with new Chieftain Scott Pioli calling the shots, they’ll take the best player available at their positions of greatest need. They still have Brodie Croyle coming back from injury. And did anyone see Tyler Thigpen play? The man has a future in the NFL. Hopefully new coach Todd Haley can see it. They also need a RB pretty badly, but this draft is deep at the position and none grade out to be taken in the top 5.
 
Seattle Seahawks – WR Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech
· I think Crabtree is the best player in this draft. Such an obvious pick for a team that desperately needs an upgrade and depth at wideout. This won’t be the only receiver they take in this draft.
 
Cleveland Browns – DE/OLB Everette Brown, Florida State
· With Mangini keeping the Browns in a 3-4, Willie McGinest retiring and Andra Davis a free agent, look for the Browns to draft the next great pass-rushing OLB. The combo of him and Kam Wimbley will leave a lot of QBs on their ass. OLB Aaron Curry is also an option here.
 
Cincinnati Bengals – RB Chris Wells, OhioState   
As well as Cedric Benson played down the stretch, the Bungles can’t afford to pass up a talent like Wells. He doesn’t have the speed of Adrian Peterson, but he has good vision and power that ended up getting overlooked this season.
 
Oakland Raiders – WR Jeremy Maclin, Missouri
· Al Davis is crazy. I mean off the deep end, Britney Spears head-shaving crazy. As a result, it’s near impossible to accurately project where his mind will wander on draft day - perhaps monkeys? I think he hired the right guy (at least for right now) in Tom Cable, but he still calls the shots and for the third straight year he should take an offensive player with a Top 10 pick. Not a bad choice considering the talent at wideout returning to the team this year.
 
Jacksonville Jaguars – OL Jason Smith, Baylor
· Ugh. There wasn’t a team that underachieved as much as the Jags last season considering the talent on both sides. They need a receiver badly, but they haven’t had much success drafting them in the first round (Reggie Williams, Matt Jones). And with Crabs and the Mac off the board already, they’ll take their next highest position of need.
 
Green Bay Packers – CB Malcolm Jenkins, Ohio State
· Al Harris and Woodson are both quality players but are on the bad side of 30. Looking at the Pack depth chart, they don’t have serious needs at too many positions. Another option would be a DE depending on how they stack up on their big board.
 
San Francisco 49ers – DE/OLB Aaron Maybin, Penn State
· With the entertainment value of Herm Edwards, Denny Green and Jim Mora Sr. gone from the head coach press conferences, look for Mike Singletary to pick up the slack. He’s a defensive guy and needs another hybrid pass rusher for the 3-4. OLB Aaron Curry is also a possibility. There is an outside chance the Niners take Sanchez if he’s still around. But if not, this is where cameras start to incessantly zoom in on him to capitalize on his embarrassment.
 
Buffalo Bills – DE Brian Orapko, Texas
· A great 4-3 end is just what the doctor ordered in Buffalo. The gurus all have the Bills jumping on TE here, but I just don’t see any with the quality to be taken this early.
 
Denver Broncos – ILB Rey Maualuga, USC
· Gotta love the Broncos defense. A lot of stars, a lot of high round talent but they just can’t seem to put together a good defense (think Washington back when they tried to buy a championship using Deion and others). For the love of badass first names, my ideal secondary would match Champ Bailey with Captain Munnerlyn on the corners with Major Wright and Boss Bailey (converted) at safety. But I can’t have everything I want. The Broncs have undersized quick linebackers that can’t stop the run. Plug the middle with Rey and life gets easier. 
 
Washington Redskins – OL Michael Oher, Ole Miss
· If the Broncs pass up on Rey Rey, the Redskins snatch him up without a second thought here. But since I think he’s gone, they start to build up depth on an aging offensive line. Really, the Skins, how do they not make the playoffs? Answer: tough division and lack of protection for J. Camp.
 
New Orleans Saints – CB Vontae Davis, Illinois
· Remember when Drew Brees was on pace to be MVP? The Saints were the favorite to win the division back in the pre-season, but glaring holes in personnel on defense were a major factor in their demise. Davis fits a serious need, but they could also go after a LB here (Cushing or Laurinaitis).
 
Houston Texans – S William Moore, Missouri
· Texans showed some promise to end the season. It’s not the first time that’s happened and I’m sure they’ll be a lot of people’s “dark horse” to make the playoffs. They’re an inconsistent team that’s still missing a few puzzle pieces, but they do have young talent. They’ve never had a star at safety and Moore held his own against the Big 12 offenses.
 
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (from San Diego) – QB Mark Sanchez, USC
· That’s right! The Bucs ownership wants to make a splash play by starting off the new regime with a fresh face of the franchise. Sanchez will drop to pick 16 just because every other team has a greater need until the Jets. Think Brady Quinn a couple years ago.
 
Atlanta Falcons (from New York Jets) – DT B.J. Raji, Boston College
· People will think I’m crazy that Raji drops this far, but I really don’t think any of the teams drafting before this point have DT tagged as their number one need. If not here, another team will trade up to take the best inside D-lineman in the draft. Atlanta could certainly use one, but they also need to address OLB.
 
Chicago Bears – WR Percy Harvin, Florida
· Bears need a wideout. I’m not sure where Harvin will grade out for them compared to the other receivers, but he’s next on the list for me. But then again, what will happen to the “throw-deep-to-Hester-and-either-get-lucky-or-draw-a-penalty” offense with two speedsters?
 
San Diego Chargers (from TampaBay) – RB Knowshon Moreno, Georgia
· Who doesn’t love L.T.? Apparently A.J. Smith the General Manager. With Sproles a free agent and LaDanian breaking down lately, Moreno is the easy decision.
 
Detroit Lions (from Dallas) – CB D.J. Moore, Vanderbilt
· GM Matt Millen out. Smarter draft picks should be coming. Moore will fill a glaring need and has faced the best the SEC had to offer. Coming out as a junior, Moore had 12 picks and was their team’s best kick returner. Detroit on the rebound?
 
Philadelphia Eagles – TE Brandon Pettigrew, Oklahoma State
· For the past two years, all hardcore fantasy football players think that THIS is the year L.J. Smith will finally realize his potential only to be let down. I think the Eagles are done waiting too. Pettigrew will be an immediate upgrade.
 
Minnesota Vikings – WR Hakeem Nicks, North Carolina
· The Vikes NEED a QB to become a better team, but drafting Josh Freeman here scares the hell out of them because they don’t want a repeat of Tarvaris Jackson. The best bet would be to take a true No. 1 receiver in Hakeem Nicks and let Berrian go back to the No. 2 role where he belongs.
 
New England Patriots – OLB Aaron Curry, Wake Forest
· With many having Curry go in the Top 10, I think he drops to the Pats here. Curry, E. Brown and A. Maybin are the top three 3-4 OLBs in this draft and it’s up to the scouts of each team to decide what order they go in.
 
New York Jets (from Atlanta Falcons) – QB Josh Freeman, Kansas State
· Brett’s arm can’t even make it through a whole season anymore and Kellen Clemens isn’t the answer. Freeman is the third best QB in the draft and has the talent to be taken in the first round.
 
Miami Dolphins – ILB James Laurinaitis, Ohio State
· Wide receiver is another position of need, but James is the type of hard working, high-motor player that the Dolphins could turn into a leader on defense.
 
Baltimore Ravens – WR Brandon LaFell, LSU
· Baltimore needs a playmaker for Joey Falco (as the vets like to call him, after the QB in “The Replacements”). LaFell is lightning quick and can actually beat a secondary deep for Joey’s cannon arm.
 
Indianapolis Colts – DT Peria Jerry, Ole Miss
· Everyone seems to agree that Jerry is the perfect fit in the Tampa 2 and will not get past the Colts at 27. A quick, disruptive pass rusher.
 
Philadelphia (from Carolina) – DE Tyson Jackson, LSU
· Linebacker is another option, but Jackson is too good to pass up here. SEC and championship experience are always good for a resume.
 
New York Giants – OLB Brian Cushing, USC
· The Giants will grab Cushing here and will look to later rounds to get a receiver. With all the talent on the USC defense, Cushing was sometimes an afterthought. I just hope he stops the eye paint of “Feel Me”. Feels a little too homoerotic, Brian.
 
Tennessee Titans – OLB Clint Sintim, Virginia
· Same deal at receiver, there’s just nobody worth taking yet. Keith Bullock still brings “it” every week, but he won’t be around forever.
 
Arizona Cardinals – RB LeSean McCoy, Pitt
· As much as we’d all love to see Warner put up 350+ yards every week to win the game, the Wiz is a good coach and knows he needs to assemble a running attack. The combo of Edge, JJ, and Hightower just didn’t cut it.
 
Pittsburgh Steelers – C Alex Mack
· I know center is a boring pick, but where do the Steelers need to improve? Anywhere on defense? Hell no. The playoffs really showed that the offensive line has some holes. Parker didn’t have much of an impact and Big Ben had to play Cat’s Cradle around his lineman. 
 
 
So there it is, my first round projection. I hear some ridiculous stat that Kiper is 75-80% accurate with his forecasts, but I’d be happy with around 50%. Feel free to comment that I’m an idiot and as crazy as Al Davis. I could use some of the thoughts for Mock Draft 2.0.
 
Any thoughts?
You can view the original aritcle here.