Bleacher Report - Articles by Octa

Possible Starting Lineups for the 2009 Miami Dolphins

Octa — Fri, 15 May 2009 18:58:33 -0400

It's Tony Sparano second year as Miami Dolphins head coach and after a 11-5 season a lot is expected from the team. The team has invested money and draft picks to fill positions and adding talent to be a contender for the 2009 season and repeat a playoff appearance. But how the starting lineup will look like after the draft and the FA signings? But how the starting lineup will look like after the draft and the FA signings?

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Detroit Lions: Here's a Crazy Idea, Go After Jay Cutler

Octa — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 04:54:55 -0400

The Detroit Lions have been in very difficult times the past year, with a win-less season and a rebuilding going on right now.

They have a smart head coach in Jim Schwartz that brought in good coordinators—Scott Linehan for the offense and Gunter Cunningham for the defense. But that's not enough, they need talented players on the field to turn around the franchise.

They already started by signing WR Bryant Johnson (underachiever so far), Maurice Morris (to lead-block Kevin Smith), Daniel Loper (ex-Titan to add depth), Grady Jackson (to help the d-line), Phillip Buchanon, and Eric Kring (for taking care of the perimeter).

They have also traded for Julian Peterson (Pro Bowl LB), and Anthony Henry (to get rid of Jon Kitna and add a veteran to the perimeter). But there are a lot of questions in the air for the Detroit Lions.

A lot of people wonder who will be the No. 1 pick in the next draft. Almost everyone agrees that the Lions will pick Matthew Stafford to be their franchise QB, while others hope that they draft a LT to start for Detroit the next 10-plus years.

I personally think that they should draft LT Jason Smith with the first pick, and give the o-line the most needed stability they need, because they could add a QB with the 20th pick—either Mark Sanchez or Matthew Stafford—and a good defensive player with the 33rd pick—probably a LB or DT (Cory Redding was part of Peterson's deal).

But there is a new option: Jay Cutler is asking to be traded.

I think the Lions should go after him. He is a 25-year-old Pro Bowl QB, any team in need of a player at that position will really want him because you could build a team around him.

The Lions already have a great WR in Calvin Johnson, and adding an offensive lineman with the first pick of the draft could put together all the pieces.

The Lions should try to get Cutler by giving away the 20th pick of the draft, add a middle round pick for the 2009 draft and a second or third pick for the 2010 draft.

It would still would be a bargain price for a player like Cutler.

So, the Detroit Lions should try and trade Cutler.

Miami Dolphins' Offseason Task No. 1: Deciding Who Stays and Who Goes

Octa — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 02:57:33 -0500

(This is an original idea by Travis Rand, with his article of the New York Giants and I will like to do the same thing with the Miami Dolphins.)

The official offseason is about to start after the Super Bowl and after a very unique season it will be a very unique offseason.

First of all, the Dolphins have a new owner, Stephen Ross. This was a concern among Dolphins fans because it was the rumor thet Bill Parcells could leave the team after a clause in his contract that allow him to quit the job (getting his contract full paid) if the franchise takeover was complete, but he is loyal to his friends Tony Sparano, Jeff Ireland and most of the team's coaches and decided to stay in his current job.

After the most amazing turnaround in the history of NFL it's time to make the final step and make the franchise a Super Bowl contender, with teams like the New England Patriots and the New York Jets in the same division and playing against the champions of each division (Titans, Steelers, Chargers, etc...) it will be really hard to repeat a playoff appearance next season.

Now it's time to take a look into Miami Dolphins moves of the offseason, starting by their current roster.

Whom should the Dolphins re-sign?

Let's face it, the Dolphins roster don't have a lot of talent and most of their backup players would be in a practice squad or out of the NFL if they don't have a spot in Miami.

The unrestricted free agents of ´09 for the Dolphins

SS: Yeremiah Bell
OT: Vernon Carey
LB: Channing Crowder
CB: André Goodman
FS: Renaldo Hill
C: Al Johnson
WR: Tab Perry
LB: Derek Smith

Yeremiah Bell has been the best safety of Miami the last couple of seasons, but he is no more than backup material. The Dolphins should keep him as that, he could be a third-down safety and help the team until they find more talent at the position.

Vernon Carey and Channing Crowder should be re-signed as well. Carey was solid at ROT (his natural position) this season after being moved around all the o-line positions in the past, he is a nice complement for Jake Long and if the Dolphins could find a starting RG he will perform a lot better.

Crowder was under the shadow of Zach Thomas before the 2008 season, but after Thomas was released and the Dolphins changed to a 3-4 scheme he has been a solid ILB. He is by far the most talented player at the position and the Dolphins should do all the possible to keep him, if he don't ask for too much.

Of the other UFAs, I think they don't have the talent to remain in the roster, maybe André Goodman could came back—due to his performace—as a backup, but he is not really a solution for Miami at the CB position.

From their exclusive rights free agents I only see WR Brandon London as a potential competitor in the next season roster. Quentin Moses, Ike Ndukwe, and Aaron Halterman are dependable and should go this off-season.

Whom should the Dolphins Cut?

This is a hard question, in one hand you will like to see more talented players in your teams roster but in the other hand the depth could be a problem in the near future.

John Beck, the Dolphins (Cam Cameron and company) used a second-round pick to select him and he hasn't meet the expectations since then, after awful showings as starter in the 2007 season he couldn't earn a second-string spot in this season ahead of rookie Chad Henne.

He is not a young player to be a "development project" and after the rumors that the Dolphins are looking to pick a QB in the second day of the draft releasing him wont be the worst for the team.

Ernest Wilford cost Miami $6M dollars in signing bonus + his normal salary, and he only have three receptions in the whole year. The Dolphins' WR depth is not the brightest of the league but even Greg Camarillo and undraftee Davone Bess were able to earn a spot ahead of him, is a most cut for the high cost for the team and lack of work he is showing.

Charlie Anderson, Reggie Torbor, or Erik Walden. One of these players should be cut; they are only players to fill the roster and backup spots and with the arrival of CFL star Cameron Wake one of them will loose his job, or maybe two if the Dolphins draft a LB.

Jason Allen, a former first-round pick he has not showed why he was pick so high. He has been moved from FS to SS, back to FS and lately to CB where he have a couple of solid games but he is not starting material and has been only playing due to the lack of talent in the defensive back of the Dolphins. Or he improves or he needs to get cut.

Biggest advantage in the offseason?

The Dolphins have a good amount of picks for the upcoming draft, after the trade of Jason Taylor they have two second-round picks, and they will probably get a high compensation pick after the signing of Cameron Wake.

They also are heading with a good amount of money under the salary cap, maybe they will aim for high free agents like Julius Peppers or one of the Raven's linebackers but that will be discuss in a future article.

Five Observations from the 2009 Senior Bowl

Octa — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 03:01:28 -0500

The Senior Bowl was played and officially began the race to the draft, after next week Super Bowl we are going to see the combine, pro days, scheduled visits and at the end, draft picks...with a Pro Bowl and Free Agency right in the middle of that.

Watching the Senior Bowl, I saw these five things:

1) No Defensive Back impressed me

The performance of the defensive backs in this game didn't impress me at all, and with some "big" names like Patrick Chung or William Moore, they should have done more. Most of the plays where the DBs got some action were mistakes by the QBs.

I should mention that CB Alphonso Smith was fine, but nothing he did on the field will make him get drafted before Malcolm Jenkins or Vontae Davis. Let's wait until the combine.

2) Non-Pro College

One of the things I have noticed in the past couple of the years is the lack of pro-style QBs at College level, and that doesn't affect them only.

Also, the centers seem like they don't know how to hand the ball to the QB under the center (and in past years Center have moved to Guards in pro-level) and that was showed all week long during practices.

In the game, QBs like Rhett Bomar or Graham Harrell miss a lot of sure passes because their lack of reading the game, handling the pressure, etc...

Pat White helped himself in the game after a week-long talks about his unimpressive practices but didn't show a pro-style game. That won't affect him very much if the team that picks him wants to run a kind-of Wildcat offense with him.

3) USC Dominated

There were moments of the game where you can saw four Southern Cal helmets on the field. No matter what year it is, USC will always have a strong presence in the draft with top prospects.

Patrick Turner looked good on offense. He is a big receiver with great abilities, so keep an eye on him.

Fili Moala, Clay Matthews, Brian Cushing, and Rey Maualuga will go in the first three (or even two) rounds of the draft; and Kyle Moore before the sixth round.

4) HBs Stock Market

If there is a place where a halfback raises his stock for the draft, it is the Senior Bowl.

Last year we saw Matt Forte grabbing the MVP of the game. Three months later, he was selected in the second round by the Bears and then become one of the top RBs in the league.

This year I saw Andre Brown, Jeremiah Johnson, and Cedric Peerman with solid performances. Maybe they won't be selected ahead of Chris Wells, Knowshon Moreno, and LeSean McCoy, but they will be solid middle-round picks and will be nice surprises for the 2009 season.

But aside from them, there was a player who impressed me more and I think he raise his stock a lot: Quinn Johnson from LSU.

Any team looking for a lead blocking FB and short yardage back need to put this guy on their draft board, but be aware, because he could go early in the third round.

5) More variety of plays needed

Blitzes aren't allowed; neither are more than two WRs on one side nor a 3-4 scheme. You need to really test the players, I think some O-linemen were very comfortable blocking just one guy or the LBs with simple play reading without any offensive shifts.

Also there were players that are projected to be in a 3-4 scheme and the Senior Bowl didn't help to raise their stock in that area.

Players like Brian Cushing or Larry English as OLBs in that scheme, or B.J. Raji as NT will need to wait a little more to start raising their draft value.

They need to challenge more the players, or what is the point of the whole game?

A Look at the New NFL Head Coaches in 2009

Octa — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 17:15:15 -0500

New Boss(es) in Town

Cleveland Browns:

Eric Mangini was hired to put the Browns back on track—just like the last 4 head coaches—and he could bring more defensive stability along with Rob Ryan, the new defensive coordinator.

However, their schemes are very opposite.

Mangini ran a 3-4 defense last season in New York, and the Browns will likely keep this scheme. To the contrary, Rob Ryan is used to working with a 4-3 defense. Also, Mangini will often blitz with an OLB while Ryan doesn't blitz at all.

The defensive scheme the Browns decide to use in 2009 will be a key component for drafting players. Almost everyone agrees that they need to draft a defensive player but which player will be the best fit for the Browns based on their new defense?

Detroit Lions

After the worst season in franchise history the Lions hired Jim Schwartz to be their head coach. He was the Titans' defensive coordinator for seven years and during that time he helped develop a lot of players and watched his unit become one of the best defenses in the NFL.

The Lions need a lot of help on both sides of the ball and having Schwartz will boost the entire defense. He learned how to run a team from Jeff Fisher and that is an insurance policy for a lot of people.

St. Louis Rams

The Rams went from being the "Greatest Show on Turf" to having consecutive seasons picking 2nd overall in the draft. If that was an evil plan to bring talented players to the team, I must say: they fooled us all.

Steve Spagnuolo was the man chosen to take the head coaching position, and he was a highly coveted coach after winning the Super Bowl last season and having one of the best defenses in the history of the New York Giants. He decided to pursue back-to-back championships with the Giants rather than accepting a head coaching job, and that says a lot about him.

Players like Chris Long and Adam Carriker will show their entire potential working under Spagnuolo and that will bring St. Louis the new kind of boss they desperately need.

New York Jets

After seeking prospects like Bill Cowher and Steve Spagnuolo, the Jets decided to hire former Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan. Coaching the second best defense in 2008 and taking Baltimore to the AFC championship was enough to make Ryan a hot prospect as a head coach.

He fits the 3-4 scheme that Mangini left in New York, and he could bring one of the 3 Baltimore linebackers that are free agents. Ryan will help develop Vernon Gholston and the young defensive backs that are on the team.

The Surprise

After the surprising departure of John Gruden in Tampa, Bucs defensive coordinator Raheem Morris was promoted to head coach. He was interviewed for a couple of jobs around the league but he didn't expect the kind of opportunity that arose.

A lot of changes in the coming months—and seasons—are going to happen in Tampa, especially after the departure of Gruden and Monte Kiffin, who accepted a job coaching along side his son at the University of Tennessee.

Morris will try to succeed but he will need to address a lot of weaknesses. First, he needs to find the right person to take care of the offense and a good assistant that can help him coach the defense.

The Bucs have a good defensive base but they will need to bring some offensive stability to the Bay. A franchise QB—no more than 35 years old—a reliable RB and a couple of WRs would certainly help.

The Exception

So far, every team listed has hired defensive-minded coaches—except the Denver Broncos.

Instead, they went out on a limb to hire Josh McDaniels as their head coach. Some people—including myself—thought that the Broncos should have gone after a defensive-minded coach but they decided to go with the former Patriots offensive coordinator.

The Broncos have a good group of offensive players, including a young QB and two promising WRs, but their defense has struggled the last couple of seasons. McDaniels has already addressed those defensive woes by bringing in former 49ers head coach Mike Nolan as defensive coordinator.

There's still a lot of work to be done but with the right management they could be a top team in the upcoming years.

The Undecided

After hiring Scott Pioli as GM, the Kansas City Chiefs now need to decide the future of head coach Herm Edwards. There are reports that Bill Cowher will take the job in 2010, leaving Edwards as the head coach for 2009.

The only sure thing is that Edwards won't hold the head coaching position for much longer.

The Sleeper

The Oakland Raiders are a mystery.

They have let a lot of coaches go this off-season—offensive-line, wide receivers, running backs, linebackers, etc.—but they haven't decided if Tom Cable will stay as the head coach for the 2009 season.

They could be waiting for Todd Haley, offensive coordinator of the Arizona Cardinals, but so far the Raiders are behind the rest of the teams in the NFL—including the Detroit Lions. Oakland doesn't have leaders, a face, or even players willing to play there, but with a lot of young prospects and millions of dollars invested, they need to put the franchise back on track.

[Special Mentions: Jim Mora, Mike Singletary and Jim Caldwell. They had their head coaching jobs secure before the offseason]

Raheem Brown: The Next Mike Tomlin?

Octa — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 18:36:19 -0500

This offseason is going to bring a lot of new head coaches, but particularly one candidate has grabbed my attention in the last days: Raheem Morris.

Probably the candidate with less hype around the league, but his curriculum speaks by himself.

Since 2002, he has been with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (defensive quality control coach), since the 2003 season, learning directly from Monte Kiffin as defensive assistant and being an assistant defensive backs coach in 2004-2005 before having a stint as Defensive Coordinator in Kansas State during 2006.

He returned to Tampa in 2007 as the defensive backs coach and stayed in that position until Monte Kiffin announced he was heading to Tennessee, when he was promoted to defensive coordinator. Since he has been in Tampa as a coach, the pass defense has been ranked in the top five of the NFL, proving his quality as a coach.

Why he will succeed as a head coach?

He knows perfectly how to run a Tampa-two defense.
He knows how to develop young players (Aqib Talib, Tanard Jackson, Jermaine Phillips, etc...).
He knows how to pick players.
He is young (32 years old) and very, very talented.

Which teams are interested in him? The Denver Broncos and the St. Louis Rams (so far).

So we are going to start making suppositions here.

Denver Broncos: If Raheem Morris becomes the Broncos' head coach, he will have a lot of work to do.

If he can maintain most of the offensive coaches he will have the half of the work done: Rick Dennison stays as offensive coordinator, Jeremy Bates as QB Coach, Booby Turner as RBs coach, etc...That will allow the team to don't make a drastic change in both side of the ball and will keep the offensive unit together.

At defense, he will have good players to work with like Jarvis Moss, Marcus Thomas, Champ Bailey, D.J. Williams, etc...But we all now that the Broncos defense needs a huge turnaround and a defensive minded head coach seems to be what they need. And someone like Morris could do it.

St. Louis Rams: If he ends as the Rams' head coach, most of the work load is at the offense, they need a whole offensive line change along with more quality players at the rest of the positions like a big time receiver (Torry Holt isn't immortal) or a better QB that doesn't struggle like Bulger.

He will probably need to bring a new offensive coordinator and lot of coaches here to help him.

At defense, he will have some good and young players to work with like Chris Long, Adam Carriker, Tye Hill, and Atogwe. But he will need more defensive playmakers to improve the team and with all the needs of the Rams it will be hard to change the face of the team in one or two years.

Conclussion: Raheem Brown is a great prospect for head coach. I think the Denver Broncos need to hire him. Rick Dennison deserves to have his shot, but the Broncos need another kind of coach.

It really looks like a Pittsburgh Steelers '07 situation, after they loss their long time head coach they bring a young defensive mind in Mike Tomlin. Then he had a lot of structure already done, like the Broncos now.

If they hire Brown, they won't regret it and will have a head coach for many years that will only will improve during the progress of time.

2009 NFL Mock Draft (Part I)

Octa — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 10:10:38 -0500

It's that time of the year, where the mock drafts fly around the Web, so I decided to do mine.

1. Detroit Lions – QB Matthew Stafford, Georgia*

Everyone is thinking how the Lions will screw their 2009 Draft, but I'm more worried in how the Lions will screw a young talent career by selecting him. Here, the Lions could take an offensive tackle but he only way I could see that pick is if the Lions are willing to pay the price the Patriot will put over Matt Cassel.

Stafford gives Detroit a young, good and talented franchise QB they desperately need. And with a good passer (and protection for him) the stats of Calvin Johnson should break the sky (or the Ford Field sealing at least).

2. St. Louis Rams – OT Michael Oher, Ole Miss

A no-brainer here by selecting an offensive tackle, last two years they have selective defensive linemen but they haven't addressed their elderly offensive line.

Orlando Pace is old but still good, by selecting an LOT, Pace should move to ROT and still help the Rams in these hard times. Michael Oher seems like the perfect pick here with his aggressiveness, long arms, nice slide and size (6'6" 320lbs).

3. Kansas City Chiefs – DE/OLB Brian Orakpo, Texas

Three or four years ago, the Chiefs were "rebuilding" their defensive line, last year they start doing it again. By selecting Glenn Dorsey last year they added the big talented DT every pass rusher needs to be more productive, but there are not pass rushers in Kansas.

Orakpo will give the Chiefs the pass rusher they need, and with Dorsey there the rival offense should be worried. He is ready to play in the next level, and will be a strong candidate for Defensive Rookie of the Year if Herm Edwards don't screw Kansas City this year (but we all know he will).

4. Seattle Seahawks – WR Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech

The Seahawks could select an OT here but their receiving corps are as bad as their offensive line or worst. Deion Brach is a great WR, but he has given more job to the Seattle Doctors than the whole King County.

Crabtree has been the best WR in the nation two years in a row and he knows how to do big plays. With him, Branch, and John Carlson, the Seahawks could be a real threat by the air this year.

5. Cleveland Browns – CB Michael Jenkins, Ohio State

The Browns have huge coverage issues, their starting CBs were Eric Wright and Brandon McDonald (yes, that one that screwed it big time in front of the entire nation, twice).

With the addition of Jenkins they should really improve in that area, he could start since Day One and progress through the season.

6. Cincinnati Bengals – LB Aaron Curry, Wake Forest

The Bengals have used a lot of draft picks in LBs the last five years, but Aaron Curry have a superior ability. With Keith Rivers in the opposite side the Bengals offense should improve a lot in all the ways and mainly they could blitz more often.

7. Oakland Raiders – OT Andre Smith, Alabama*

The Raiders need a lot of thing in this draft: WR, CB, OT, a long term coach, a blitzing DC and a new owner. But just the first ones can be drafted.

Andre Smith seems like the perfect pick for the Raiders here, they will be able to protect JaMarcus Russell and slightly improve their running game.

8. Jacksonville Jaguars – OT Eugene Moore, Virginia

Jacksonville lost like 100 O-linemen this season and they need to add talent in the tackle position. Eugene Moore will give them a young, talented OT that in a couple of years will be Pro Bowl material, and they will be able to protect David Garrard.

9. Green Bay Packers – CB Vontae Davis, Illinois

Aging seems to be everybody’s problem this days, the starting CBs of the Packers are Al Harris and Charles Woodson but they are losing speed, strength and physical resistance to compete against top receivers, like Calvin Johnson.

Davis should be a starter from Day One, and that will help Patrick Lee or Tramon Williams to play in only nickel formations so they don’t screw up, play after play.

10. San Francisco 49ers – LB Rey Maualuga, USC

The 49ers are on the clock and Rey Maualuga is available, should they draft him? DUH!!

Drafting Maualuga and making him the starting ILB along with Patrick Willis should give San Francisco one of the best defenses in the league, or at least one of the top LB corp. With Singletary as Head Coach, this pick should be a no-brainier.

And maybe Rey could teach some dance moves to Willis.

11. Buffalo Bills – C/G Alex Mack, California

The only big time lineman in Buffalo is Jason Peters, and he was a lucky shoot. The Bills need to add some talent to their offensive line and Mack will boost their offense hugely.

If the Bills pick Mack, Trent Edwards and Marshawn Lynch will throw a party. And Peters is invited.

12. Denver Broncos – LB James Laurinaitis, Ohio State

Denver has huge defensive needs but the addition of Laurinaitis will be the best for them. Nate Webster was the starting MLB this season for god sake.

With Laurinaitis there, D.J. Williams will stop worrying if the MLB will screw the play.

13. Washington Redskins – OT Jason Smith, Baylor

The Redskins need a good tackle, and Jason Smith, with his feet, should be the perfect piece for the West Coast offense of Jim Zorn.

14. New Orleans Saints – LB Brian Cushing, USC

New Orleans need to address many positions in the draft but at this point Brian Cushing is the perfect pick for them. With Sedrick Ellis messing in the interior line, Cushing should be dominant at OLB: blitzing, stopping the run, covering the pass, etc…

(Remember that this pick will go to the Jets if Vilma is re-signed. But the Saint could wait and sign him in the first day of the FA to keep this pick.)

15. Houston Texans – S Taylor Mays, USC*

Houston have a lot of needs at the safety positions. Taylor Mays is the best safety in this year's draft, and his hard-hitting abilities (if you saw the Rose Bowl you know what I’m talking about) will make him dominant at the next level.

16. San Diego Chargers – DT B.J. Raji, Boston College

Jamal Williams is a great NT but the Chargers don’t even have a backup for him. By drafting Raji, they will be able to rest Williams more often during the games and in the near future he will become the starter.

17. New York Jets – S William Moore, Missouri

Kerry Rhodes is a good safety, but on his opposite side, Abram Elam and Eric Wright aren’t starting material. Moore will give the Jets the missing piece to complete their young talented defensive backfield, he is a sure tackler and if needed he can defend the pass.

18. Chicago Bears – DT Peria Jerry, Ole Miss

Season after season, Tommie Harris always depends on Dusty Dvoracek's health to not be triple teamed, and the Bears have seen enough of that.

With Jerry the Bears will have the perfect complement for Harris, and a great pressure in the interior of the line that will allow the Des to play with more freedom.

19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – RB Chris Wells, Ohio State*

Cadillac Williams, Warrick Dunn, and Earnest Graham are the RBs of the Buccaneers, and the coach shouldn’t trust in this depth. “Beanie” will give Tampa a good and reliable running back that will come to change the whole offense.

20. Detroit Lions (From Dallas) – G Duke Robinson, Oklahoma

They already drafted Stafford and one way to protect the QB is improving the running game. Robinson should be dominant in the NFL, protecting the QB and opening holes for the rush game.

Kevin Smith will be very thankful about this pick.

21. Arizona Cardinals – RB Knowshon Moreno, Georgia*

The Cardinals have a great passing game but their running game have struggle the whole year. Moreno will give the Cardinals a great weapon; he will be a top rusher and also will cause some problems in the passing game.

With him Arizona will take some pressure off to Kurt Warner and take some coverage form Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald.

22. Philadelphia Eagles – TE Brando Pettigrew, Oklahoma State

L.J. Smith was franchise tagged by the Eagles this season, only to play at a mediocre level. With the addition of Pettigrew, the Eagles will have the missing offensive weapon they need, even if McNabb isn’t around next season.

23. Minnesota Vikings – OT Phil Loadholt, Oklahoma

The Vikings need a defensive back or a offensive tackle, and they could pick Loadholt at this point because he is a true ROT and will complete the great Minnesota offensive line.

24. New England Patriots – CB Alphonso Smith, Wake Forest

New England have struggle at the position this year. They let go Asante Samuel and didn’t find a good replacement in last year's draft or FA. Alphonso Smith should be an improvement over Deltha O’Neal.

Smith will become a Pro Bowler under the tuition of Bill Bellichick, just like Samuel.

25. Atlanta Falcons – CB Darius Butler, Connecticut

The Falcons need to improve a lot their coverage (just see the wild-card game vs. Arizona) and Butler could play the 2009 season as CB3; also, he can be the starting kick/punt returner of the team and gaining experience during the season.

26. Miami Dolphins – DE/OLB Greg Hardy, Mississippi

Hardy looks like the prototypical Bill Parcells pick, a great pass rusher and solid tackler. Hardy should start right away in the opposite side of Joey Porter, even he could be better than the second best sacker of the league and is an obvious improvement over Matt Roth.

27. Baltimore Ravens – WR Jeremy Maclin, Missouri

Baltimore already have Joe Flacco, now is time to give him weapons. Derrick Mason is almost 34 years old and he should have a couple of good seasons ahead, but the Ravens need to develop a WR for the future.

With some of Mason's tuition and playing time, Maclin will be a great receiver, and with his blazing speed, he will cause some problems going deep.

28. Indianapolis Colts – CB DJ Moore, Vanderbilt

Indy needs to add some depth at CB, an Moore will be the perfect fit for the Colts. At the beginning, he will need to battle to earn the starting spot and maybe he will be a backup his rookie season but under Dungy scheme he will become a starter and a very solid CB.

29. Philadelphia Eagles – OT Jerome Merideth, South Carolina

Both Philadelphia tackles are free agents and old. Merideth will be the perfect pick for the Eagles offense and could be a future Pro Bowler with all the talent he haves.

30. Pittsburgh Steelers – G Herman Johnson, LSU

Pittsburgh has huge needs at the offensive line, and with all the “elite” tacklers already gone they should go for Johnson. He is a one of the best Gs in the game and with some experience and development he will dominate the rivals.

31. New York Giants – TE Jermain Gresham, Oklahoma*

New York did the right thing trading away Jeremy Shockey, but Kevin Boss hasn’t been the player they expect. Greshman will give Eli Manning a great weapon at the offense, being a receiving TE he will fit into the Giants right away and letting Boss to stay as a blocking TE.

32. Tennessee Titans – WR Juaquin Iglesias, Oklahoma

The Titans need a true WR1 and Iglesias is their man. With some playing time and development he could become a top receiver, and from Day One he will be an improvement over the whole Titans receiving corp.

A very interesting first round, as you see only one QB was drafted but I think that position will be very solicited in the second round. In the second part, I will continue with the draft second round and some late-rounds sleepers.

[*] = Denotes an underclassman that hasn't declared for the Draft yet.