NFL Mock Draft 2009: First Round (Updated after Championship Sunday)
Well, I did a couple articles outlining the first 21 picks of the 2009 NFL draft, but since then a few guys who were not expected to return to school are doing so and it's time for me to redo my picks.
Not much changed in the first 10 picks I am predicting, and here they are.
1. Lions - Andre Smith OT
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Let's face it, the Lions have a mountain of problems and one would think with the hiring of a defensive coach taking over the worst defensive team in the league, they would go defense here.
However, there is no outstanding player coming out that would warrant taking him so high, when they also have the No. 20 overall selection. I would be ok with Michael Oher or Andre Smith here, as both of them have the size and tools to be great players for a long time.
2. Rams - Michael Oher OT
The Rams just hired defensive guru Steve Spagnuolo, and are looking for the guy who can turn their team into a contender. Not two years ago, the Rams were being picked by some to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. Several injuries and back-to-back two win seasons later, they find themselves at the No. 2 spot for the second consecutive year.
Orlando Pace is getting old and they have good enough talent on defense for Spagnuolo to work with, so they need to find a solid player for the offensive line, which let Marc Bulger run for his life on many occasions. With Smith being taken by the Lions, they would surely take Oher, who is the next best prospect (the best according to some).
3. Chiefs - Brian Orakpo DE/OLB
There are many words to describe the lackluster performance by the Chiefs' pass rush this season, the best of those seems to be 'non-existent.' Giving up their best pass rusher Jared Allen last season, they can look to make that deal great for them.
They already got young and potentially great OL Brandan Albert with that trade, and by taking Orakpo they will replace Allen's presence as a pass rushing threat. With 4.6 speed, they will have the option at turning Orakpo into an outside linebacker, and have him put his hand in the grass on passing situations. Orakpo is a versatile player, and will be an immediate help to a poor defense.
4. Seahawks - Michael Crabtree WR
Incredible how injuries can derail a season. At one point in the season, the Seahawks had seven injured receivers, and were seemingly picking guys up off the street to catch passes for them. That coupled with Matt Hasselbeck's back injury spelled disaster for the 'Hawks in '08. Even with the WR core healthy, they should take Crabtree here. He is a guy who will bring them back to contention in their division.
5. Browns - Aaron Curry LB
Once again, the Browns defense refused to show up at all for the entire season, save for maybe the game against the Colts. With the hiring of Eric Mangini, they can look to turn their defensive struggles around, which begins by getting some talent in the draft.
Aaron Curry is a gamer. He recorded three touchdowns this season and four interceptions. He has great speed and will be able to come in and make an immediate impact playing behind Shaun Rogers. The Browns will have to fix their defense if they want to make the playoffs in 2009.
6. Bengals - Eugene Monroe OT
With Palmer coming off of elbow surgery, it is unclear whether or not the Bengals should go with a tackle or quarterback. I'll assume for the sake of my article that he will come back 100 percent.
The Bengals have a glaring weakness in their pass protection, and no matter what their QB situation is (in my opinion) they should go with a tackle.
Oher and Smith already gone, Monroe is the next best choice. He is 6'6", weighing in at 315, and is a tremendous pass blocker. He will be their to block whoever-they-start's blind side for years.
7. Raiders - Jason Smith OT
If Crabtree can miraculously make his way down to No. 7, the Raiders will go with him. Seeing as how that's nearly impossible to fathom, I'll stay within the realm of reality.
The Raiders need a lot of help, but they should start with their terrible offensive line. Jamarcus Russell will not be able to develop if you cannot protect his blind side. The Raiders will take the next best option here, which is Jason Smith.
Smith has two All-America honors under his belt, and being from Baylor that is saying something. He will bring immediate help to a Raiders team who showed mild signs of promise this year.
8. Jags - Matthew Stafford QB
Before you begin commenting on this, just let me assure you, this is not what I think will happen, rather what I think should happen. The Lions shouldn't draft Stafford, but I think they will. The Lions have much bigger problems than a QB.
That being said, Stafford falls to No. 8. The Jags had problems on the offensive line this season, but that will be fixed when they get them all healthy again. I'm not sold on David Garrard as a franchise QB.
Not only that, if Stafford actually does fall this far, I don't think the Jags will pass up getting such a highly touted player. They can get him and let him develop behind Garrard for one, maybe two seasons, then unload him with Maurice Jones Drew and have a formidable back-field.
9. Packers - Malcom Jenkins CB
Hard to believe when you sit and look and see Charles Woodson and Al Harris on the roster, that the Packers would take a CB here. However, Charles Woodson had to be moved to safety this season and is seemingly there to stay.
That being said, the Packers lacked a physical force in the secondary this season. A player who can get up in a WR's face and intimidate him and jam him at the line. Jenkins is a player who can do just that.
10. 49ers - Vontae Davis CB
With Taylor Mays forgoing the draft and returning to school, the 49ers will have to look in another direction. Regarded as the No. 1 corner back prospect by some, the 49ers can look to get immediate secondary help for a pass defense that was ranked 20th in the league.
Davis finished his career at Illinois with three forced fumbles, seven interceptions, and 206 tackles in three seasons. The low number of interceptions is due to the fact that no one wanted to throw in his direction. At 6'0", 204 pounds, he is a physical guy who can jam receivers and force them off routes. The 49ers would be getting a steal here.
11. Bills - Everette Brown DE
Everette Brown wrecked havoc on ACC offensive lineman all season. He finished his campaign with 13.5 sacks in 13 games.
At 6'4", 250 he is considered undersized, but he runs a 4.6 40, so he has the ability and quickness to possibly transition to OLB, and play pass rusher on third down situations
The Bills finished the season with only 24 sacks and no player had more than four, so a dominant pass rusher would give them a solid defense, and help that already good to very good secondary.
12. Broncos - B.J. Raji DT
B.J Raji was an absolute monster stuffing the run this season, and the Broncos have been terrible against the run for the past two seasons. Everything starts up front.
At 6'1", 325, he has the ideal size to clog up the middle and be just flat out disruptive. He is someone who will improve a defense straight away, and defense has been an issue for the Broncos for several seasons.
Broncos have several problems on defense, but it all starts up front.
13. Redskins - Eben Britton OT
The Redskins have a pretty good offensive line, but they have a glaring weakness at right tackle. Jon Jansen will be 33 this month, so they need to find a replacement for him.
Britton has great feet and is a great all around blocker. For now, he would be put at the right tackle position, but once Chris Samuels hangs 'em up, he can move and protect the quarterback's blind side like he did in a pass happy offense at Arizona.
14. Saints - James Laurinaitis ILB
The Saints need an upgrade at MLB. Jonathon Vilma just did not pan out this season, and he is a guy they can move around (if they even sign him).
James Laurinaitis is a monster. He has great sideline to sideline speed (4.54) and great vision. Put him behind Sedrick Ellis, and he should feast on running backs for years to come.
15. Texans - William Moore SS
The Texans have the opportunity of getting the best safety of the draft this year, with Taylor Mays returning to school. This is William Moore out of Missouri. While Missouri did not have a great defense, Moore is still a great choice here.
As a junior in 2007, he had seven interceptions, getting him second team All-America honors. He did not have as good a senior season, but he was still All Big XII first team selection.
Texans have a few problems on defense, but have improved. If Dunta Robinson isn't signed, they will be in even more trouble.
16. Chargers - Chris "Beanie" Wells RB
With LT trade talks and Darren Sproles as the backup, the Chargers will look to add a potentially great RB here. Sproles did play well in LT's absence this season, but I am not sold on him being a No. 1 guy in this league at his size.
Chris Wells is a great player and will help out a team who finished 20th in rushing offense this season, after finishing seventh just one season ago. He has good size and speed. People say Wells does not have the break away speed he will need in the NFL, however he has run a 4.48 at some point. If he has a good combine, he could potentially be selected by the Browns at No. 5, who have aging Jamal Lewis at No. 1 in their depth chart.
17. Jets - Rey Maualuga ILB
Rey Maualuga captained the country's best defense. Some people are even going as far as to say this is one of the best defenses we have seen ever at the college level.
The Jets had a mountain of problems on defense this season, most notably at the linebacker position. After foolishly letting go of Vilma, they need to find a replacement.
Rey Maualuga is a replacement and then some. At 6'3", 260, he is a monster in the middle. He has great vision and ability to find ball carriers. USC's run defense was phenomenal this year, and the Jets need someone to play behind Kris Jenkins.
This is their guy.
18. Bears - Jeremy Maclin WR
The obvious and most glaring weakness this season for the Bears was no legitimate receiver threat. Maclin is a guy who will open things up for the Bears offense, and make Matt Forte's life much easier.
He forces you to respect his speed and deep threat potential. Teams will not be able to stack up the box, without getting burned by Maclin. He also brings return help to the team by allowing Hester to return more kicks.
Why the Bears refused to use Hester in the return game is beyond me. The only explanation is that they wanted him fresh for offense.
Maclin will be an immediate help for this team, who competed for the division in 2008.
19. Buccaneers - Mark Sanchez QB
With the firing of Jon Gruden, selecting a quarterback makes that much more sense now. Originally I had the Bucs taking Sam Bradford here, but that was forgotten when he decided to return to school.
Coming off the best Rose Bowl performance in it's history, Mark Sanchez has increased his draft stock tremendously. Raheem Morris is the youngest head coach in the NFL right now, and he will be out to prove he is there to stay. The first step in doing so is getting a franchise quarterback.
20. Lions (from Dallas) - Michael Johnson DE
Michael Johnson had a spectacular senior campaign. He finished with 17.5 tackles for loss and nine sacks in 13 games. At 6'7", 257, he has good size and with his 4.63 speed he will be able to get around guys and get to the quarterback quickly.
A good pass rusher does much more than get sacks. He makes the QB rush his passes, forces the OL to double team him, opening up the match ups for other players, and gives defensive backs confidence knowing they won't have to cover receivers for six seconds or more.
With this year's draft, the Lions have a good chance to get help on both sides of the ball. They have two first round picks, and will probably look to get a player on either side of the ball. With basically no pass rush, no matter how good your secondary is, they can't cover forever. The Lions desperately need a pass rushing specialist, and they can get one here.
21. Eagles - Knowshon Moreno RB
With Westbrook aging and always playing hurt, the Eagles will look to find a spell back here, and more than likely an eventual replacement. They move down to 21 after their loss to Arizona, and will probably not go with Pettigrew here, because they can get better value in Moreno.
Knowshon Moreno, despite the struggles of the Georgia Bulldogs, still had a terrific senior year. He finished with 1338 yards and 17 total touchdowns. He is a weapon in all facet's of the offense and will learn from Westbrook how to be a complete RB
*Previously Arizona Cardinals Selection
22. Vikings - D.J. Moore CB
All season long, I was one of a few people I knew who actually thought the Vikings defense was not very good. Sure they have arguably the best defensive line in football, but that can only take you so far against teams with good offensive lines or mobile QB's.
With this pick the Vikings need to sure up their terrible secondary. Cedric Griffin was the only bright spot this year, which is not saying much. If they can get Moore or trade up to get Davis or Jenkins, they will be enormously improving their defense and will be top five next season.
23. Patriots - Clint Sintim DE/OLB
After getting Defensive Rookie of the Year Jerod Mayo last year, Bill Belichick will look to upgrade the outside linebacker position this year.
Sintim is a 3-4 player, and will fit well into Bill's schemes. He is a terrific pass rusher off the edge, and can be a replacement for Mike Vrabel when he decides to retire. Pats fans can only hope Vrabel gets along with Sintim, and becomes a mentor to him.
24. Falcons - Peria Jerry DT
The Falcons, coming off one of the most spectacular turn arounds in NFL history, have few glaring weaknesses on their team. The one they should address come April is the lack of a dominant nose tackle.
Peria Jerry has the chance to be that dominant guy. Finishing his season with 18 tackles for loss and seven sacks, he is a weapon in both the rushing and passing games. At 6'2", 302, he can clog up the middle and allow MLB Kieth Brooking to roam free.
25. Dolphins - Duke Robinson OG
The Falcons turn around was overshadowed by the Dolphins this season, who boasted possibly the greatest turn around in NFL history. From 1-15 to 11-5 and division champions, the Dolphins can look to fix a huge whole in the offensive line come April.
With this selection, the Dolphins would be getting the best guard prospect coming out this year, and would improve an already formidable rushing attack. Dolphins fans should be drooling at the prospect of Jake Long and Duke playing next to each other for the next 10-15 years.
26. Ravens - Darrius Heyward-Bey WR
It's pretty much safe to say the Ravens will be looking to draft a WR here, with Derrick Mason turning 35 this year. Most people have the Ravens selecting Maclin here, but seeing as how I already have him at Chicago, and noting my distrust for Florida wide receivers, this is the direction they should go.
With a projected 40 time of lower than 4.4 (4.39 or better), Heyward-Bey is someone that brings an immediate impact to a team. They will help Flacco by getting a top WR, and I see Heyward-Bey being such a player.
27. Colts - Phil Loadholt OT
I thought long and hard about this pick, because the Colts always seem to have a need for a run stopper, but never seem to get one in the first round. With both first round defensive tackles off the board already, the Colts will look to get some help on the offensive line.
Almost fittingly that Phil has 'load' in his last name, as he is a 'load' at 6'8", 350 pounds. He played on the terrific offensive line at Oklahoma that protected Heisman winner Sam Bradford this season. With no viable option for RT, they can look to 'Phil' (I couldn't help myself) this position for the future.
28. Eagles (from Carolina) - Brandon Pettigrew TE
With the only other projected first round tight end forgoing the draft for his senior season (Gresham), the Eagles will draft Pettigrew here.
L.J. Smith had a terrible season and should be given the boot. He drops too many passes and is a liability in the run game. Pettigrew has all the tools to be a pro bowl tight end. Great hands, good blocker, and speed to beat linebackers. If they can get another weapon for McNabb, it will only make him want to stay an Eagle that much more.
29. Giants - Brian Cushing OLB
Cushing an outstanding senior season and played on one of the best defenses in college football history. The Giants have several decent players at the OLB position, but with this selection they get a potentially great player.
With the defensive coordinator position vacant right now, it is hard to say what kind of scheme will be in place. Early word is they will either look to promote from within, or hire former Coughlin assistant Dom Capers, so don't expect many changes on defense.
30. Titans - Hakeem Nicks WR
Again, most of you will be screaming "what about Percy Harvin?!" Well allow me to reiterate I simply don't trust Florida wide receiver prospects, especially those who are under 6'0" and under 200 pounds. That sort of frame typically just does not hold up in the NFL.
Hakeem Nicks blew up in his junior season and surprised the college football world with 68 catches, 1222 yards, and 12 touchdowns. He is a viable end zone threat, and has a knack for getting up high and catching the jump ball. Look for the Titans to get a weapon for the future here.
32. Steelers - Alex Mack C
With this selection, old school Steelers fans will be taken back to the days of Mike Webster. Said by many to be the best center prospect we have seen in years, the Steelers can sure up their bad offensive line by taking Mack.
While it may be more pertinent for them to take a tackle to protect Big Ben, the first six have already came off the board in this mock, so they would look to get the best prospect available.
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