Mock Draft for the 2009 NFL Draft

Here is my initial Mock Draft for the 2009 NFL Draft. This will change dramatically throughout the year. This is just the first round and eventually I will post a mock of the entire draft. Any comments are welcomed. I'd love to hear your opinions as well.


1- Detroit- Andre Smith OL- Alabama-  The Lions could go many places here including QB, OL, DL, LB, DB.  It will be hard for the Lions to pass up a QB but new coach Schwartz likes those big guys in the front.  Andre Smith is the best OL out there and Lions desperately need to protect whoever plays QB.

2- St. Louis- Aaron Curry LB- Wake Forest- The Rams will hope that Lions do go with a QB since they would love to get Smith here.  As it goes Curry is a great athlete and Rams have needed a LB ever since London Fletcher left and Curry seems the most logical choice here.

3- Kansas City- Mark Sanchez QB- USC- Kansas City will have a tough choice here between Sanchez or Stafford.  Tyler Thigpen looked good late last year, but he could be the next Derek Anderson so look for the Chiefs to take a QB here.  If the Lions take a QB with the top pick, then the Chiefs will take which ever one the Lions don't.

4- Seattle- Michael Crabtree WR- Texas Tech- Crabtree is too good to pass up here. Seahawks need a play maker and Crabtree fits that to a tee.  Hasselbeck would love this pick and would finally get the WR he always deserved. Crabtree should be able to step in and help right away.

5- Cleveland- Malcom Jenkins CB- Ohio State- New coach Mangini loves offense so he could go RB here, but Jenkins is far and away the best CB out there and Browns biggest need is secondary, seems like a no brainer. Plus he will get to stay in Ohio, so the fans will love the pick.

6- Cincinatti- Knowshown Moreno RB- Georgia- Tough call here but Bengals should try to fill their biggest need. A lot of people think they might go Beanie Wells but Moreno is the more complete back. He would fit better in the offense as well. Another strong possibility would be trading down to someone who might want Stafford here.

7- Oakland- Jeremy Maclin WR- Missouri- We all know how much Al Davis likes his WR's. Oakland have no one at the position to write about so Maclin makes the most sense. He might be a more complete player than Crabtree but not as much raw talent.  If Russell is going to be a franchise QB, he'll need someone to throw to.

8- Jacksonville- Eugene Monroe OT- Virginia- Jacksonville was hit by injuries and tragedy at OL all of last year, so they know that even when they have a strong core they still need depth. Monroe is the best left on the board and gives them either a starter or great backup who could start in the future.

9- Green Bay- Aaron Maybin DE- Penn St.- Packers need help up front as they were run all over last year. Maybin would be a nice complement to Kampman. He could be a bit of a project but GB has never let that discourage them.

10- San Francisco- Matthew Stafford QB- Georgia- 49ers might try to trade up to get Stafford but it is very possible he falls this far. They would love this, as it is time to give up on Alex Smith. Stafford could start right away if needed. This team is heading in a new direction and Stafford would be the perfect face for the franchise.

11- Buffalo- B.J. Raji DT- Boston College- Bills need a DT opposite Stroud to stuff the run.  Raji is the best DT in the draft and might fill a need for the Bills right away, Bills are another trade possibility as they don't have huge gashes they need to treat but rather have small scrapes to cover up.

12- Denver- Brian Orakpo DE- Texas- Broncos need defense badly. Orakpo is the best defensive player left and could be a steal this late.  New coach McDaniels loves offense but already has a great passing game so defense has to be the pick here. Orakpo can pressure the QB which will allow ballhawks Bailey and Bly to make more plays.

13- Washington- Jason Smith OT- Baylor- Redskins OL is getting old and they need to upgrade at the RT position.  Skins could also go Oher here but Smith seems to be the more polished of the OT's here.

14- New Orleans- Vontae Davis CB- Illinois-  Every year the Saints seem so close to breaking through but their defense always holds them back.  They finally seem to realize this as Sean Payton took a pay cut in order to sign Defensive Coordinator Greg Williams. 

The secondary is the biggest need on defense, and Davis would provide a huge boost which the Saints desperately need.

15- Houston- Everette Brown DE- Florida St.- Texans are that team that is right on the cusp of being a playoff team for years to come. They are just missing a few parts.  One of those parts is a DE opposite Mario Williams. Brown could fill that hole and could be a vital part in pushing Houston into the playoffs.

16- San Diego- Rey Maualuga ILB- USC- Chargers seemed to have a lot go wrong with them this year, but they still managed a pretty successful season. They still have as much talent as most teams in the NFL and don't have many needs.

Linebacker is probably their weakest position and Maualuga fits right into Rivera's type of defense. Most USC players are NFL ready and he should step in right away as a starter and could be a candidate for Defensive Rookie of the Year.

17- New York J.- Tyson Jackson DE- LSU- This was a tough call. Jets might look for a play maker here and Percy Harvin could fit in but new coach Rex Ryan loves defense. Jets were in the middle of the road on defense last year and weak defensive ends was one of the reasons. 

Jackson seems like a good fit. He may not start right away but that LSU toughness is something Ryan would love.

18- Chicago- Percy Harvin WR- Florida-  Bears seem to like to trade down in drafts and that could be very likely again.  what they really need is a QB, but there isn't one worth taking here so look for a play-maker. 

Devin Hester has showed improvement as a WR but seems to have lost some of his explosiveness. Harvin can give them explosiveness and experience at WR. (Think DeSean Jackson with potential to be Steve Smith.)

19- Tampa Bay- Brandon Pettigrew TE- Oklahoma ST- Bucs are a bit of a mystery right now with the firing of Gruden and promotion of Raheem.  Bucs could use QB help but as stated previously there aren't any worth taking this early. 

I look for Tampa to go best available and Pettigrew is that.  He is the best TE in the draft and Tampa hasn't had a play-making TE in a long time. 

20- Detroit- Brian Cushing OLB- USC- Like I said before, the Lions have many needs so they could go many ways here. The best player available is Cushing. He could complement Sims well on the outside and give the Lions a dangerous tandem of linebackers, he would start right away and help the awful defense turn around.

21- Philadelphia- Michael Oher OT- Ole Miss.- Eagles OT's Jon Runyan and Tra Thomas are getting old. It's doubtful that both will be back and they will need someone to take over.

Oher is a project but could become a star, some circles say he has the talent of a top 10 pick so they could get a steal with him here.

22- Minnesota- Hakeem Nicks WR- N.Carolina- Vikings have decent wr's in Berrian and Rice but neither seem to be true number one wr's. Nicks could be the wideout the Vikings have needed since the departure of Randy Moss. Vikings are only a few players short of becoming a Super Bowl contender and WR is one of the holes they need to fill.

23- New England- Chris Wells RB- Ohio St.-  Pats don't have any glaring needs here, so Belichick will go with whatever he thinks is best. He and Maroney have never seen eye to eye so taking a RB here isn't out of the question. 

Wells has dropped on draft boards because of injury risk but the guy could be a franchise runner for years to come. Patriots don't shy away from risky players and could get a gem here.

24- Atlanta- D.J. Moore CB- Vanderbilt- Falcons made such a huge turnaround that a let down could be in order, but if Falcons can fill in some small holes they can still be a contender. Falcons have some decent young CB's but none are proven adding another young guy will only help. 

D.J. Moore isn't on the level of Jenkins or Davis, but can still be a productive player who could help Atlanta for years to come.

25- Miami- William Moore S- Missouri- Parcells is one of the best drafters around and could pull out some sleeper that no one is talking about. But Dolphins biggest need is in the secondary.

William Moore is probably the best safety in the draft and any time you can get a best at his position with the 25th pick you probably should jump on it.

26- Baltimore- James Lauranitis ILB- Ohio St- It seems that Ray Lewis won't be back next year and that will leave a huge hole in the Ravens' defense. Lauranitis could fill that hole as he fits the type of player Ravens love to have. 

Another possibility is a CB here since the Ravens CB's are getting old but no CB left lives up to the potential of Lauranitis.

27- Indianapolis- Peria Jerry DT- Ole Miss.-  Every year it seems like the Colts don't have any strong needs but this year it is clear that they need players in the middle of the defense that can stop the run. 

All year, teams ran all over them including in the playoffs when backup Darren Sproles ran San Diego past them for victory. Jerry can be the first step in building that run stopping middle.

28- Philadelphia- Patrick Chung S- Oregon- Dawkins may not be back and even if he is, he won't be around much longer. Eagles have always had good safeties and will try to keep that going with Chung. I figure the Eagles will trade on of their first-round picks though.

29- New York G- Clint Sintim OLB- Virginia- Giants number one need is getting a WR to replace Burress but I look for them to do that in free agency or trading, their second biggest need is OLB and Sintim should fall to them in the late first round, he could be ready to start right away and is a late-round sleeper.

30- Tennessee- Brandon LeFell WR- LSU- Titans seem to like to pick defense early but with no glaring needs on defense I think that they will finally take a WR in the first round. 

Gage looked good late but isn't the kind of guy you want as your No. 1 WR. LeFell is the best available here, but if for some reason Maclin were to fall past 10, look for the Titans to try and trade up to grab him.

31- Arizona- LeSean McCoy RB- Pitt.- Cardinals might pick 32 but for arguments sake we will say they pick here.  Either way I figure the Cards will take McCoy. James will probably be gone and Hightower doesn't seem to be an every down back. McCoy could possibly be the best RB in the draft and might have gone higher if he had stayed a year. 

That being said the Cards would love him to fall this far and could help this team stay in contention for year to come.

32- Pittsburgh- Alex Boone OT- Ohio St.- Steelers didn't have many problems anywhere this year but if there is one thing they need, it is to keep Roethlisberger standing upright.

Boone is a beast who isn't the quickest guy but doesn't really need to be and could be a starting OT on either side for years to come.