Michael Crabtree: Top Receiver In NFL Draft to Go Top Five?

The 2009 NFL Draft receiver class is one of the best in recent history. However, the widely regarded "top wide-out" could be gone as soon as the second pick in this year's draft.

Michael Crabtree ranks amongst NFL Draft guru's Mike Mayock and Mel Kiper's top receivers coming out in 2009 as the clear-cut best wide receiver.

Many teams hope to add Crabtree to their ball club. Even with his recent foot surgery and his inability to run a 40 time for NFL teams at the Combine, the tapes don't lie, and neither do his stats.

In two years at Texas Tech, Crabtree has 231 catches and 41 touchdowns with a total of 3,127 receiving yards. He has averaged 13.1 yards per catch over his college football career.

Crabtree shows great elusiveness in the open field and makes defenders miss. He has the talent and tools to make his presence known in the NFL despite just being 21 years of age. Teams searching for a true number one receiver to help them win the big games will most definitely covet him as a player.

Determining where he, or any player in the NFL Draft will go, is damn near impossible sometimes but is one of this year's most debated stories, and still is one of the hot topics surrounding this year's NFL Draft.

The Detroit Lions pick first overall (again?) and haven't really never said "no" to drafting the NFL Draft's top receiver, but considering they are in more desperate need of an offensive tackle to protect whoever their quarterback will be, it's safe to assume they pass on Crabtree.

The St. Louis Rams, now without their Pro Bowl receiver Torry Holt after cutting ties with him almost a month ago, need to fill their void at the wideout position.

However, you can make a much smarter argument that they need to draft an offensive tackle who can protect quarterback Marc Bulger and allow him to be the Pro Bowl quarterback he once was.

So, here comes the first possible landing place for Crabtree. Although it's not certain, one thing is the Rams will not immediately hand in their pick to be read at the podium when they are on the clock on April 25th.

The receivers on the Rams' roster lack experience, but with the new acquisition of receiver Laurent Robinson from the Falcons, let's assume they pass on Crabtree (look for them to pick up a veteran receiver after the draft) and draft an offensive tackle to be a staple on their offensive line for years to come.

The Kansas City Chiefs are up next at number three. With two offensive tackles gone and linebacker Aaron Curry available, they will be happy to select him as most NFL experts have him as the best player in the draft.

Now the Seattle Seahawks are on the clock. With Matt Hasselbeck getting older (33) and starting just seven games last year due to injury, a quarterback here could be a good choice.

Hasselbeck would be the ideal quarterback to hold down the fort while a rookie learns from the bench. However, the Hawks have no clear-cut number one receiver. All of them have been injury-prone, especially former Patriot Deion Branch, who played in just eight games last season.

The Hawks could very well trade out of this spot if a team comes looking to make a deal, such as the Denver Broncos or New York Jets, who both could look to add a quarterback in the draft.

If the Lions pass on Matthew Stafford, teams will have a choice of him or Mark Sanchez, who many think to be the better prospect than Stafford. Let's assume here that a quarterback is taken, no matter who owns the pick come draft day.

On to the Browns at five, who are (rumor has it) currently in discussions with the New York Giants on a deal that would send receiver Braylon Edwards from Cleveland to the Big Apple.

The Giants know having a big-play receiver can be of utmost importance, and with the recent troubles of Plaxico Burress and his release from the team, they will most likely get this deal done on or before draft day. That leaves the Browns with more picks and more opportunities.

Michael Crabtree is still on the board at this point. He has great hands, something Edwards does not possess. The Cleveland Browns could surprise here and take Michael Crabtree.

This could be bad news for teams like the Raiders and Jaguars, who most likely have Crabtree atop their draft boards and could be hoping for him to slip to them.

Although mock drafts and/or predictions mostly turn out to be false once the draft is over, this looks like it could be the eventual turn out.

If I am wrong, well...I won't be the only one now, will I?