Matthew Stafford Sits Atop 2009's NFL Mock Draft: Version 2.0

Written by Ryan Crutchfield, Gatorsfirst.com Contributor

OK, so things have changed since Mock Draft No. 1. I am not without my faults. So Aaron Curry and B.J. Raji will be taken a LOT higher than previously speculated.

Seeing workout results and the relative interest teams are showing in certain players has seriously shaken up my Draft Board, and Jay Cutler throws a wrench in everything.

1. Detroit Lions—QB Matthew Stafford, Georgia

They missed out on the Cutler sweepstakes and now basically have no choice but to draft the most NFL ready QB in this year's draft.

2. St. Louis Rams—OT Jason Smith, Baylor

It was a rough season for the Rams offensively. Firstly, they need a big ugly to give poor Bulger a little more time and also create some seams for S-Jax to blast through. I also think they could surprise most of the experts and take Crabtree here with the release of Torry Holt.

3. Kansas City Chiefs—LB Aaron Curry, Wake Forest

Great Googly Moogly, the Chefs have a lot of needs. There's league-wide respect for new GM Scott Pioli, and there's a lot of excitement for new coach Todd Haley after what he did with Arizona last season.

Every interview or workout with Curry has gone exceptionally, and he's almost considered a 'safe' top-five pick. They also need a RB pretty badly, but this draft is deep at the position, and none grade out to be taken in the top five.

4. Seattle Seahawks—WR Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech

I think Crabtree is the best player in this draft. They did sign T.J. Hous-yur-mama, and they still have Deion Branch. But T.J. will be 32 this season, and inconsistent production out of Branch, largely because of injuries, means they need some youth at the position. 

5. Cleveland Browns—DE/OLB Brian Orakpo, Texas

With Mangini keeping the Browns in a 3-4, Willie McGinest retiring, and Andra Davis in Denver, look for the Browns to upgrade their pass rush. The combo of him and Kam Wimbley on the outside will leave a lot of QBs on their backs. 

6. Cincinnati Bengals—DT B.J. Raji, Boston College

With a franchise QB in place and a defensive head coach that hasn't turned in too many great defensive years, you have to think Marvin Lewis is out unless they make the playoffs this season. A good start would be to shore up the defensive line with the best DT in the draft.

7. Oakland Raiders—WR Jeremy Maclin, Missouri

Al Davis is old. Like REALLY old. John Madden retired this week at the age of 73 after a long career in the NFL that all started with Davis hiring him. All Madden had to do was talk, Davis will turn 80 this year and still calls the shots of an NFL team.

As a result, it’s near impossible to accurately project where his mind will wander on draft day. The man loves offense, and for the third straight year, he should take an offensive player with a top 10 pick.

It's not a bad choice considering the talent at wideout returning to the team this year. 

8. Jacksonville Jaguars—OL Eugene Monroe, Virginia

Ugh. There wasn’t a team that underachieved as much as the Jags last season considering the talent on both sides. They need a receiver badly, but they haven’t had much success drafting them in the first round (Reggie Williams, Matt Jones).

With Crabs and the Mac off the board already, they’ll take their next highest position of need.

9. Green Bay Packers—CB Malcolm Jenkins, Ohio State

Al Harris and Woodson are both quality players, but both are on the bad side of 30. Looking at the Pack depth chart, they don’t have serious needs at too many positions other than DT, but Raji is already on a flight to Cincy, and no other DT grades out this high. Another option would be a DE depending on how the Pack feel about who's left.

10. San Francisco 49ers—QB Mark Sanchez, USC

So Mikey Singletary is running the show. He canned Mike Martz and is going to a run-first offense with a band-aid at QB.

Sanchez is a big question mark with only 16 college starts. If the Niners pull the trigger on him here, his performance will be tied to Singletary's job security.

11. Buffalo Bills—DE Aaron Maybin, Penn State

Buffalo is optimistic about the future of Trent Edwards and have their starters in place at the skill positions on offense. Now it's time to help out the defense. Maybin has a great first step and can wreak some havoc coming off the edge.

12. Denver Broncos—DE Tyson Jackson, LSU

I don't think the Broncs take a QB high in the draft, even if Sanchez does fall to them, because the new coach believes he can work with the talent he has and still make his offense click. Look for them to get the most value out of the Cutler trade by improving the defense. The scouts like the prospect of Jackson as a 3-4 end.

13. Washington Redskins—OL Andre Smith, Alabama

Smith was once a top-three pick, but his stock fell when questions about his work ethic came up during the combine. He's already changed agents, which could scare off some teams who don't want to deal with a me-first money-centric player. The Redskins are not one of those teams, and his value is very high here.

14. New Orleans Saints—RB Chris Wells, Ohio State

The Saints could go defense here, but if the Saints are as high on Beanie as everyone else is, your bruising complement to Reggie Bush lands in The Big Easy. He doesn’t have the speed of Adrian Peterson, but he has good vision and power.

15. Houston Texans—OLB Brian Cushing, USC

As much as it pains me, I agree with Kiper and McShay here. He just makes too much sense. He was very consistent for the Trojans and could play inside or outside in the 3-4 alignment.

16. San Diego Chargers—ILB Rey Maualuga, USC

Rey Rey gets to stay in SoCal, and the Bolts get a tackling machine in the middle to complement Merriman and Phillips on the outside.

17. New York Jets—WR Percy Harvin, Florida

There's an opening in the receiving corps opposite Cotchery. Harvin will give OC Brian Schottenheimer a lot of versatility in his multiple set offense, as well as some deep speed that was lost with Coles.

18. Denver Broncos—CB Vontae Davis, Illinois

Both ESPN gurus have the Broncos taking another DE here, and I can't see that after they've spent so many high picks on defensive lineman the past few years. They'll be able to find other lineman later in the draft.

They need a playmaking corner on the opposite side of Champ Bailey. Davis has all the talent to be taken here. 

19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers—DE Robert Ayers, Tennessee

With the exception of uncertainty at QB, the Bucs are surprisingly set on offense. Defense is another story. After cutting both outside LBs, they should draft some help at the position somewhere in the draft, but there aren't any worth taking at this spot.

I'm thinking they take Ayers, Everette Brown, or trade down to get another pick in the third round to replace the one they spent to bring Kellen Winslow back to Florida.

20. Detroit Lions (from Dallas)—OT Michael Oher, Ole Miss

GM Matt Millen is out. Smarter draft picks should be coming. Oher will fill a glaring need and has faced the best the SEC had to offer. Will they get a franchise QB and LT in the same draft? Is Detroit on the rebound?

21. Philadelphia Eagles—RB Knowshon Moreno, Georgia

Do-it-all RB Westbrook is still in his prime at 29, but the league trend is to use a committee of RBs to get the job done. It'll be nice to take the load off of Westbrook so he can keep producing into his 30s.

22. Minnesota Vikings—WR Hakeem Nicks, North Carolina 

The Vikes need some QB production to become a better team, but drafting Josh Freeman here scares the hell out of them because they don’t want a repeat of Tarvaris Jackson. The best bet would be to take a true No. 1 receiver in Hakeem Nicks, and let Berrian go back to the No. 2 role where he belongs.

23. New England Patriots—OLB Clay Matthews, USC

The Pats basically gave away Vrabel in the Cassel trade to the Chiefs, which even further points to a youth movement at the position. Matthews has the motor to be a playmaker in the New England defense. 

24. Atlanta Falcons—TE Brandon Pettigrew, Oklahoma State

After cutting Alge Crumpler last year, no TE on the roster stepped up as the playmaker of the future. It's a run-first offense, and Pettigrew is an excellent blocker and able receiver for underneath routes.

25. Miami Dolphins—CB Darius Butler, Connecticut

Wide receiver is another position of need, but Butler fills a big void in their secondary. A team captain for two years at UConn, Butler could be the developing leader on D that the Dolphins need. He has outstanding leaping ability.

26. Baltimore Ravens—WR Darius Heyward-Bey, Maryland

Baltimore needs a playmaker for Joey Falco (as the vets like to call him, after the QB in “The Replacements”). Heyward-Bey posted the best 40 among wideouts at the combine, meaning he can actually beat a secondary deep for Joey’s cannon arm. 

27. Indianapolis Colts—DT Peria Jerry, Ole Miss

Everyone seems to agree that Jerry is the perfect fit in the Tampa Two and will not get past the Colts at 27. He is a quick, disruptive pass rusher.

28. Buffalo Bills (from Carolina via Philadelphia)—OT Eben Britton, Arizona

With the trade of Jason Peters, the Bills are in need of a tackle. He might be a reach here since he still needs to develop as a pass blocker.

29. New York Giants—WR Kenny Britt, Rutgers

Even if Plaxico Burress is still on the team, the Giants need help at wideout. Britt has good strength and a big frame at 6'3" that should help move the chains.

30. Tennessee Titans—ILB James Laurinaitis, Ohio State

Jimmy's got the sideline-to-sideline range and football smarts to make an impact in the middle of the field. With the loss of Haynesworth, the Titans could use the help stopping the run.

31. Arizona Cardinals—DE Everette Brown, Florida State

The Cards really need help at RB, but they'll find their man in the later rounds. Brown put up 13.5 sacks as a junior and could be a valued asset as a pass rushing OLB in their 3-4 defense.

32. Pittsburgh Steelers—C Alex Mack

I know center isn't a sexy pick, but where do the Steelers need to improve? Anywhere on defense? Hell no. The playoffs really showed that the offensive line has some holes. Parker didn’t have much of an impact, and Big Ben had to tap dance around his lineman. Mack, Max Unger, and Eric Wood are all options as the first center taken.

Some stats:

1. Three of the top five picks are from Texas schools.

2. The QB and all three linebackers from USC are taken in the first round (yet they still lost to Oregon State because a freshman RB ran all over them)

3. Three skill position players are drafted from Ohio State in the first round.

That's all for Mock Draft 2.0. I hear some ridiculous stat that Kiper is 75-80 percent accurate with his forecasts, but I’d be happy with around 50 percent.

Feel free to comment that I’m an idiot or missed something.

You can find the original article here.