The 2009 NFL Draft (Round 1) Done Right

The Detroit Lions will be rebuilding for at least another year. I think they should draft their franchise quarterback next year.

Jason Smith is a can't-miss prospect who will anchor the line for years. Matthew Stafford is a gamble, a huge gamble. The Lions can't afford to miss, not after going 0-16.

The Rams are in a similar position as the Lions. They're in a position where they can't afford to gamble. Aaron Curry is arguably the safest pick in the draft.

Their team should be greatly improved with the return from injuries, of Marc Bulger and Steven Jackson.

Their defense is the team's weak point. The Rams drafted Chris Long DE last year, Adam Carriker DE the year before, and Tye Hill CB the year before that, it's time to address their linebacker corps.

What the Chiefs need most is a pass rush. Tamba Hali, and Glenn Dorsey, so far haven't panned out as well as they Chiefs hoped.

But with Brian Orakpo coming off the edge, he might be able to spring a fire in those young defensive linemen.

This is a very talented group, and Brian might be the difference maker to turn this D-Line into a surprise group next year.

The Seahawks eventually decide upon their quarterback of the future. Matt Hasselbeck is 33, and coming off a tough injury, and Seneca Wallace is not the long term answer.

If they didn't get TJ Houshmandzadeh from the Bengals, then they would've drafted a receiver.

But since they didn't, I see them picking up Stafford to groom under Matt Hasselbeck.

What this team needs is a running back, but with none talented enough, they select the best receiver in the draft. Braylon Edwards wants out, and will probably be traded for future picks.

The Browns are a perfect fit. Brady Quinn should be their starting quarterback, and with Joe Thomas protecting his blind side, and speedy Crabtree to throw to, this offense will have a great nucleus of young talent.

The Bengals were 32nd in the league in offense last year. They lost Levi Jones, and Stacy Andrews, they needs a new offensive linemen. Many had Eugene Monroe going as high as second in the draft.

He's a great talent for a team that greatly needs him. Andre Smith is a consideration here, but he has too many question mark character issues for the Bengals.

The Bengals need to fix their "prison team" appearance and get some players without problems. Eugene Monroe will help protect Carson Palmer and open holes for Cedric Benson.

The Oakland Raiders ranked 31st in passing offense last year. It will be greatly improved this year, with JaMarcus Russell being improved, but he needs a receiver to throw to besides Johnnie Lee Higgins.

Jeremy Maclin is a better talent than Darrius Heyward-Bey, who just impressed everybody with his 40 time.

Darrius didn't have a season over 1,000 yards, while Jeremy broke 1,000 yards twice in his college career. Jeremy Maclin is the pick.

This is not the tackle they wanted, but they need a tackle. Andre Smith just needs motivation and he could be the best tackle of the whole draft.

If Jones-Drew can keep him in line, this could be the steal of the draft.

The Packers made the right pick with BJ. They need a big defensive tackle to anchor their 3-4 defense, and BJ is that man.

They ranked 26th against the rush last year, but with this huge body in the middle, that ranking should be greatly improved.

The 49ers need a receiver... badly... But they need a quarterback even more.

Alex Smith is not the answer. They gave him his shot, and he wasn't able to take advantage. After a successful career at Utah, so far he hasn't been able to make the transition to professional football.

Many had Mark Sanchez going No.1 to the Detroit Lions, so he is a steal this late. Mark Sanchez will be the franchise quarterback that Alex Smith wasn't, and they will have to try and draft a wide receiver next year.

The Bills are very sad Eugene Monroe or one of the Smiths didn't fall to them. But this team is weakest on the offensive line, and so Michael Oher must be the pick.

They are a team that is very strong at the other offensive positions. Their defense will be greatly improved with the return from injury of Aaron Schobel, who will team up with Marcus Stroud, to make a powerful line.

This team is weakest at offensive line, and Michael Oher will be the offensive tackle to replace the departure of Pro Bowler Jason Peters.

The Broncos ranked second in the league in offensive yards last year, but they ranked 29th in the league in defense. One of the major problems, was that they weren't able to get any pressure from the defensive line.

They didn't have a player with more than five sacks last year. Tyson Jackson has great upside and flew up draft boards right at the end.

The third overall pick was a huge reach for him, but he should fit nicely at 12th for the Denver Broncos. And hopefully he'll rack up some sacks for this team.

The Redskins are very strong on the defensive side, and they have competent receivers, and a great run game in Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts.

They are weakest at quarterback, and the team's desperate grab for Jay Culter proved that. Jason Campbell started off the season well, leading the team to a 6-2 start, but he faded late.

This is a team that needs some quarterback competition. Jason Campbell needs to be told the job is his for the taking, but he needs somebody to push him hard for it.

Josh Freeman could be a great pro quarterback, in the mold of Ben Roethlisberger, but even if he never starts, weak quarterbacking is what's holding this team back.

Josh Freeman will provide an immediate upgrade at this position.

The Saints made the right pick with the selection of Malcolm Jenkins. The Saints are a few defensive pieces away from a deep playoff run.

The offense will be strong every year, but players like Malcolm Jenkins and Jonathan Vilma, with Defensive genius Gregg Williams, should help to turn around a defense that ranked 23rd in the league.

Look out NFL, the Texans are ready to win. Not that the Texans weren't competitive last year, but with a weaker AFC South, the Texans will have a greater chance to shine.

This division is still one of the toughest in football, but the pieces are finally falling into place for possibly the Texans' first playoff berth.

Brian Cushings will be a great addition to play alongside DeMeco Ryans to make a great linebacker tandem. The defense ranked 22nd in the league last year, but Brian should help that number improve.

The Chargers 25th in the league defensively last year. There is lots of controversy over Shawne Merriman not coming back, or not being fully recovered, but that still doesn't justify drafting a guy's replacement a year in advance, when there are other holes to fill.

Maybin dropped into their lap, and the Chargers need a defensive end to play alongside Jamal Williams. Maybin should create more pressure, and help the Chargers take back first in the division.

The Jets missed out on the quarterback they wanted, but in Darrius Heyward they find a receiver to stretch the field.

With Laveranues Coles gone to the Bengals, the Jets need a second, or even possibly first receiver. Darrius is unproven, but nobody will deny his talent.

The Jets will look to draft a quarterback next year, but until then will give the reins to Kellen Clemens, who will have plenty of talent in Thomas Jones, Darrius Heyward-Bey, and Jerricho Cotchery.

With no consistent running back since the days of Clinton Portis, the Broncos draft whom they hope to be, the second coming of their former second-round steal.

The Broncos are suddenly shaky all over the offense. They have question marks at quarterback, offensive line, and now Brandon Marshall has injury and character issues.

The Broncos need an offensive star to build around. Knowshon Moreno will try to become that.

The Buccaneers were hoping one of the quarterbacks would fall to them, but with all of them gone, the buccaneers look to replace the aging Derrick Brooks.

At 36, Derrick doesn't have a whole lot left in him, and Larry English will be a perfect replacement.

He will combine with Gaines Adams and Aqib Talib, to make a young nucleus for this team to build around defensively.

The Lions need help at lots of positions. Brandon Pettigrew would be a reach, and the Lions already signed Julian Peterson and Larry Foote.

Their biggest hole is defensive line. Peria Jerry will be a 300-pound force in the middle of the line, and he will improve the entire defense.

The Eagles have the luxury of being able to draft a great potential weapon, and not based upon need. DeSean Jackson is looking like he'll be a star for years to come, and Kevin Curtis, Hank Baskett, and Jason Avant are competent number 2, 3 and 4 receivers.

But Percy Harvin will be downright scary, when combined with DeSean Jackson. With these two speedsters running routes for him, Donovan McNabb could be looking at a Super Bowl season.

Kenny Britt went relatively unnoticed in the draft, considering how incredible his stats in college were. He's not speedster, but a 4.47 time in the 40 is not horrible for a receiver, especially for one with his size, and who is as proven as he is.

He was second in the nation with and average of 114 yards a game and broke nearly every receiving record at Rutgers. He had 17 touchdowns his final year in college, and is one of the most NFL-ready receivers in the draft.

This pick is just like the Patriots, to take a player who has fallen in the draft, and to put him in an environment where he'll probably become a Pro Bowler.

Robert Ayers will be a powerful weapon, for the Patriots to use whenever and wherever they want.

The Patriots need young linebackers, and Robert can switch back and forth from a pass rushing defensive end, to a pass-covering outside linebacker.

This is a great pick for the Patriots. Robert Ayers in Bill Belichick's hands will be scary.

The Falcons ranked 21st in the league in passing yards last year, and they need a cornerback to play alongside Chris Houston

Domonique Foxworth was last year's starter and he's now in Baltimore. Vontae Davis will be an immediate starter for a team needing defensive back help.

Louis Delmas so far seems to be the best of the second round picks. He's already making a name for himself in the Lion's practices, with his veteran poise, and hard hitting ability.

The Dolphins were 25th in the league in passing defense last year, and Delmas will make a huge, but also instant improvement from that ranking.

As if the Ravens weren't good enough on defense, they draft Clay Matthews to replace Bart Scott. The passing offense looked bad last year, but Joe Flacco should be greatly improved with a year under his belt, and the running game was ranked fourth in the league.

Clay Matthews will be a great replacement for Bart Scott, and the Ravens defense shouldn't miss a beat.

It is way too soon to give up on Joseph Addai. He's had 1,000-yard seasons in two of the last three years.

The run defense was 24th in the league last year. That is a much more pressing need.

Evander Hood is 6-foot-3, and 300 pounds. He should help clog up some space, giving the tandem of Robert Mathis and Dwight Freeney room to maneuver.

The running game will be improved with Joseph Addai being healthy. It's too quick to draft Joseph's replacement.

Brandon Pettigrew is a great pickup for a team that needs a quality catching tight end, as well as blocking help. Brandon Pettigrew is a dual threat, because he can become a powerful sixth man on the line as well.

The Bills lost last year's tight end, Robert Royal, to the Browns. Brandon Pettigrew will be an immediate starter, who can help in the trenches, pick up key first downs and help in the red zone.

The Giants are a stacked team, with the only glaring hole being receiver. Hakeem Nicks is the best receiver left on the board, and he should help fill the void left by Plaxico Burress.

Amani Toomer is old and his hands aren't good anymore. Steve Smith and Domenik Hixon aren't ready to be No. 1 receivers.

Hakeem Nicks will be a big target for Eli Manning to throw to, and should improve their 18th-ranked passing offense last year.

The Titans take the seventh receiver of the first round, but also the one who many considered to be the most polished.

Scouts said he had the best hands, and despite not being a deep threat, will be a big, consistent target at 6-foot-3, for Kerry Collins to connect with.

This is Collins' kind of receiver. Not flashy, but consistent, excellent hands, and good route running, to keep the ball moving.

The Cardinals ranked 32nd in the league in rushing last year, and Chris Wells should fix that immediately.

The Cardinals preferred the smash mouth running style of Chris Wells, to the elusive zone running of Donald Brown.

Wells has some injury/durability issues, but with Tim Hightower to help lighten the running load to keep him healthy, this offense will be even more powerful next year, which will be very scary.

The Steelers allowed Ben Roethlisberger to be sacked an incredible 47 times last year, for the second highest total in the league.

They need a new tackle to replace Marvel Smith, and help rebuild this aging line, into its former glory.

They look briefly at Alex Mack and Eric Wood, but tackle is the more pressing need. Eben should be a starter for a long time.