Big Moves in Free Agency Affect the Latest NFL Mock Draft Update

The Kansas City Chiefs and Seattle Seahawks may have already made more of an impact on the 2009 NFL Draft than they did on the 2008 NFL Season.

The acquisitions of Matt Cassel and TJ Houshmandzadeh may shake up the rest of the draft boards by clearing up some glaring needs for teams holding two of the top five draft spots, causing some players to fall. 

Let’s have a look at some of the changes in Football Jabber’s Mock Draft 6.0 brought on by free agency…

3. Kansas City Chiefs: Aaron Curry, OLB, Wake Forest

In the previous mock, we had the Chiefs taking a chance on Mark Sanchez at the No. 3 spot, filling that franchise QB position. With the Chiefs making the move to trade for Matt Cassel, they are free to select the player who could just be the best player in the 2009 NFL Draft, Aaron Curry.

Curry is more suited for a 4-3 than a 3-4 defense but will be a monster in either.  Maybe the Chiefs will figure out soon that the rest of their defense is more suited for a 4-3 as well and use that in the future.

4. Seattle Seahawks: Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech

Getting TJ Houshmandzadeh does not settle the need for the Seattle Seahawks at WR.  It will however be a quick fix. Given Housh’s age, the Seahawks could still take Crabtree, giving them the future at the position. Considering it usually takes a WR a year or two to get the feel for the NFL, the timing could be perfect for having both WR’s.

Considering the fact that the Seahawks could go in a different direction here, maybe B.J. Raji at DT, upcoming mocks could drastically change based on the falling of Crabtree.

10. San Francisco 49ers: Andre Smith, OT, Alabama

So where will Mark Sanchez fall to? The Niners were the only other team that seemed to be in play for Kurt Warner. This is a fit, right?  Well…maybe not. The Niners were making a play for a QB that could jump in and make an impact now while they addressed other needs in the NFL Draft…like the offensive line. 

Andre Smith’s case of nutjobness during the NFL Combine causes him to fall out of the No. 2 spot with the Rams down to No. 10 with the Niners. If this guy happens to get his head on straight, this could be a steal at this spot!  If not, he and Alex Smith can skip off into the sunset together.

21. Minnesota Vikings: Percy Harvin, WR, Florida

Hear me out here. Before, we did not predict a WR to go to the Vikings, as our focus had been more on OT, CB, and even QB up until now. But the Vikings have snagged Sage Rosenfels from the Texans in an attempt to shape up that QB spot. 

Something interesting is the move they made for Housh before losing out to the Seahawks.  Would the Seahawks be willing to spend a first round pick on another offensive playmaker?  Could you imagine a healthy Harvin on the same offense as Adrian Peterson?

There is a taste of some of the many changes that free agency has thrown at our NFL Mock Draft. To check out the whole mock and prospect videos, CLICK HERE.