MorKnolle
All Pro
With under one week left until the draft, I thought I'd put together a 3 round mock draft with some assistance from Coach C since my last mock draft is pretty outdated now. We are assuming no trades are going to happen for this mock, so here it is:
1st Round
1) Houston Texans - Reggie Bush, RB, USC - I still prefer Mario Williams and think he would make a bigger impact on the team, but I think enough people in the Texans FO prefer Bush and he will be their pick.
2) New Orleans Saints - Mario Williams, DE, N.C. State - Mario is simply the BPA here, and the Saints could definitely use an improved pass rush and have said they could move Charles Grant inside to DT, so if they stay at #2 Mario is their pick.
3) Tennessee Titans - Matt Leinart, QB, USC - Steve McNair looks like he's on his way out and they will need a new QB to be ready as soon as possible. Leinart is the most ready QB, he played for Norm Chow for 2 years (was at USC with him for 4 years), and he won a national championship and Heisman trophy in his system, so I think he is the 1st QB off the board and will go to Tennessee barring a trade up from another team.
4) New York Jets - D'Brickashaw Ferguson, OT, Virginia - It sounds like they don't want to take a QB this high in the draft as they consider it too risky and they just gave Pennington a large contract, so they take arguably the BPA and the best OLineman available to help protect their seemingly fragile QB.
5) Green Bay Packers - A.J. Hawk, LB, Ohio St. - The Packers need a lot of help in a lot of places, and I don't think they're in a great position to trade up or down so they will stay here and take the 2nd best defensive player in the draft.
6) San Francisco 49ers - Vernon Davis, TE, Maryland - The 49ers need to surround Alex Smith with some offensive weapons to help in his development and to improve the NFL's worst offense from last year, and Davis is the best option for their offense.
7) Oakland Raiders - Vince Young, QB, Texas - I think Arizona would be the best place for Vince Young to be and I think that Jay Cutler would fit better with the receiving group that the Raiders have, but I think Vince is the better QB and Al Davis needs to generate some kind of attention for his team.
8) Buffalo Bills - Winston Justice, OT, USC - The Bills need help at DT, and OLine, and while Ngata/Bunkley have been my pick for them for a long time I think Winston Justice has raised his stock enough and OT is more valuable than a DT, so I think he will be their pick.
9) Detroit Lions - Michael Huff, CB/S, Texas - The Lions need help everywhere on defense other than at DT while their offense is pretty solid, and Huff is definitely the best available defensive player for their team.
10) Arizona Cardinals - Jay Cutler, QB, Vanderbilt - Kurt Warner has one, maybe two years left in him, and after losing Josh McCown and with a group of young talented WRs Cutler would be a great pick to build their offense around for the coming years. If Winston Justice is available I could see them taking him over Cutler, but if Justice is gone then I definitely think Cutler is their guy.
11) St. Louis Rams - Jimmy Williams, CB/S, Virginia Tech - The Rams secondary needs some help and Jimmy Williams has the size to play FS and showed he still had the speed to play CB, and he is the best option for their team here.
12) Cleveland Browns - Brodrick Bunkley, DE/DT, Florida St. - The Browns have spent a lot of money helping their offense so far this offseason and need to address their defense, and I think Crennel will love to add Bunkley as he can play either NT or DE for their 3-4 system, similar to a stronger, probably more athletic version of Richard Seymour that Crennel enjoyed in New Englad.
13) Baltimore Ravens - Haloti Ngata, DT, Oregon - The Ravens were really hoping that Justice or Bunkley would fall to them, but with both of them gone they'll happily take the biggest hole plugger in the draft to occupy blockers up front and help free up Ray Lewis to become the terror he used to be.
14) Philadelphia Eagles - Ernie Sims, LB, Florida St. - Taking a WR will definitely be tempting, but Ernie Sims is just the type of LB that the Eagles like in their system as he can range sideline to sideline and get back in coverage as well, so in a bit of a surprise to some people I think the Eagles will take him with their 1st pick.
15) Denver Broncos - Chad Jackson, WR, Florida - This is an easy pick. Rod Smith is nearing the end of his career, Ashley Lelie hasn't been what they hoped and sounds like he is wanting to leave the Mile High City, so the pick comes down to Chad Jackson vs. Santonio Holmes. While Santonio Holmes is the better overall WR right now, Mike Shanahan traditionally likes larger WRs and is never one to go with conventional wisdom, so I see them taking Jackson here.
16) Miami Dolphins - Jason Allen, CB/S, Tennessee - The Dolphins have some serious holes in their secondary, and Jason Allen can play either CB or S for them, plus Nick Saban has a lot of ties to the SEC and seems to like getting players from that conference, so Allen is their pick.
17) Minnesota Vikings - Chad Greenway, LB, Iowa - The Vikings still need to find a better combination of defensive players, and Chad Greenway is a great value here and fills a definite need for them.
18) Dallas Cowboys - Kamerion Wimbley, LB, Florida St. - The Cowboys need a S, but Kamerion Wimbley opposite of DeMarcus Ware would be a great combination at OLB.
19) San Diego Chargers - Santonio Holmes, WR, Ohio St. - This is another easy pick, as the Chargers definitely need another WR threat and Santonio Holmes should fall right into their laps here. I expect they will be on stage with their selection card as soon as Tagliabue is finished announcing the Cowboys selection.
20) Kansas City Chiefs - Tye Hill, CB, Clemson - The Chiefs need to shore up their pass defense, and Tye Hill is arguably the best pure CB in this draft and will be their choice among several good CBs available.
21) New England Patriots - DeAngelo Williams, RB, Memphis - The Patriots lost some players this offseason that will need to be replaced, but with Corey Dillon getting older and experiencing some injury problems in the last couple years, DeAngelo Williams falling to them will be too much to resist.
22) San Francisco 49ers - Manny Lawson, LB, N.C. State - The 49ers lost most of their LB crew from last year, and with the two big WRs gone they will look to grab a player that will be a nice LB and provide some pass rush for their last-ranked overall and passing defense.
23) Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Eric Winston, OT, Miami FL - The Buccaneers have some aging players at several places on their defense, but they also need to beef up their OLine a bit and while many people don't consider Eric Winston worthy of a 1st round pick most of these teams realize he won't fall to them in the 2nd so the Buccaneers will pull the trigger on him here.
24) Cincinnati Bengals - Donte Whitner, S, Ohio St. - The Bengals need to fix up a few holes in their defense and could also look at TE, but Donte Whitner is the best value at this pick among positions of need for them, so he will be their pick.
25) New York Giants - Bobby Carpenter, LB, Ohio St. - Even with getting LaVar Arrington they still are a little shallow at LB and will be a little wary after all the injuries there last year. This is a bit of a surprising pick but building a LB core that would rotate LaVar Arrington, Bobby Carpenter, Carlos Emmons, Antonio Pierce, and a few others should turn that weakness into a strength.
26) Chicago Bears - Leonard Pope, TE, Georgia - If the Ricky Manning signing falls thru I think they look for Johnathan Joseph or Antonio Cromartie, but assuming that deal is completed without any problems I think they'll turn their attention to bringing in a pass-catching TE that will help their offense move the ball thru the air.
27) Carolina Panthers - LenDale White, RB, USC - Despite his lack of an impressive showing since the end of the season, I think DeShaun Foster's injury history is enough of a concern that they take what should be a very good power RB for them.
28) Jacksonville Jaguars - Antonio Cromartie, CB/S, Florida St. - The Jags secondary could use another player, and despite needing a RB and Laurence Maroney being on the board I think they look to Cromartie to help their defense out.
29) New York Jets - Laurence Maroney, RB, Minnesota - The Jets could be contemplating moving up for Reggie Bush to replace Curtis Martin, but with their two 1st round selections I think they will stay put, and with Maroney on the board at #29 I think they'll be glad they stayed and happily take Maroney as their future RB.
30) Indianapolis Colts - Joseph Addai, RB, LSU - The Colts were getting real excited with Maroney on the board so long, but the Jets will dash their hopes. While I don't think Addai is worth a 1st round pick, after coming so close to getting Maroney and with such a drop off from Addai to the next teir of RBs I think the recent rumors will come true and the Colts will take Addai, and they should end up being pleased with him as he is the ideal type of RB for their offense.
31) Seattle seahawks - Tamba Hali, DE, Penn St. - As good as their pass rush was last year, the Seahawks could use an addition at DE, and with the majority of the DEs being more suited for RDE I think they look for Hali who plays more like a LDE and shoudl be able to gain some weight/strength and be a nice addition for them.
32) Pittsburgh Steelers - Sinorice Moss, WR, Miami FL - The Steelers could definitely look at CB (mainly Johnathan Joseph), but with Joseph getting so close to us at #33 I will have the Steelers taking Sinorice Moss to fill Antwaan Randle El's role minus the ability to throw the ball on trick plays.
1st Round
1) Houston Texans - Reggie Bush, RB, USC - I still prefer Mario Williams and think he would make a bigger impact on the team, but I think enough people in the Texans FO prefer Bush and he will be their pick.
2) New Orleans Saints - Mario Williams, DE, N.C. State - Mario is simply the BPA here, and the Saints could definitely use an improved pass rush and have said they could move Charles Grant inside to DT, so if they stay at #2 Mario is their pick.
3) Tennessee Titans - Matt Leinart, QB, USC - Steve McNair looks like he's on his way out and they will need a new QB to be ready as soon as possible. Leinart is the most ready QB, he played for Norm Chow for 2 years (was at USC with him for 4 years), and he won a national championship and Heisman trophy in his system, so I think he is the 1st QB off the board and will go to Tennessee barring a trade up from another team.
4) New York Jets - D'Brickashaw Ferguson, OT, Virginia - It sounds like they don't want to take a QB this high in the draft as they consider it too risky and they just gave Pennington a large contract, so they take arguably the BPA and the best OLineman available to help protect their seemingly fragile QB.
5) Green Bay Packers - A.J. Hawk, LB, Ohio St. - The Packers need a lot of help in a lot of places, and I don't think they're in a great position to trade up or down so they will stay here and take the 2nd best defensive player in the draft.
6) San Francisco 49ers - Vernon Davis, TE, Maryland - The 49ers need to surround Alex Smith with some offensive weapons to help in his development and to improve the NFL's worst offense from last year, and Davis is the best option for their offense.
7) Oakland Raiders - Vince Young, QB, Texas - I think Arizona would be the best place for Vince Young to be and I think that Jay Cutler would fit better with the receiving group that the Raiders have, but I think Vince is the better QB and Al Davis needs to generate some kind of attention for his team.
8) Buffalo Bills - Winston Justice, OT, USC - The Bills need help at DT, and OLine, and while Ngata/Bunkley have been my pick for them for a long time I think Winston Justice has raised his stock enough and OT is more valuable than a DT, so I think he will be their pick.
9) Detroit Lions - Michael Huff, CB/S, Texas - The Lions need help everywhere on defense other than at DT while their offense is pretty solid, and Huff is definitely the best available defensive player for their team.
10) Arizona Cardinals - Jay Cutler, QB, Vanderbilt - Kurt Warner has one, maybe two years left in him, and after losing Josh McCown and with a group of young talented WRs Cutler would be a great pick to build their offense around for the coming years. If Winston Justice is available I could see them taking him over Cutler, but if Justice is gone then I definitely think Cutler is their guy.
11) St. Louis Rams - Jimmy Williams, CB/S, Virginia Tech - The Rams secondary needs some help and Jimmy Williams has the size to play FS and showed he still had the speed to play CB, and he is the best option for their team here.
12) Cleveland Browns - Brodrick Bunkley, DE/DT, Florida St. - The Browns have spent a lot of money helping their offense so far this offseason and need to address their defense, and I think Crennel will love to add Bunkley as he can play either NT or DE for their 3-4 system, similar to a stronger, probably more athletic version of Richard Seymour that Crennel enjoyed in New Englad.
13) Baltimore Ravens - Haloti Ngata, DT, Oregon - The Ravens were really hoping that Justice or Bunkley would fall to them, but with both of them gone they'll happily take the biggest hole plugger in the draft to occupy blockers up front and help free up Ray Lewis to become the terror he used to be.
14) Philadelphia Eagles - Ernie Sims, LB, Florida St. - Taking a WR will definitely be tempting, but Ernie Sims is just the type of LB that the Eagles like in their system as he can range sideline to sideline and get back in coverage as well, so in a bit of a surprise to some people I think the Eagles will take him with their 1st pick.
15) Denver Broncos - Chad Jackson, WR, Florida - This is an easy pick. Rod Smith is nearing the end of his career, Ashley Lelie hasn't been what they hoped and sounds like he is wanting to leave the Mile High City, so the pick comes down to Chad Jackson vs. Santonio Holmes. While Santonio Holmes is the better overall WR right now, Mike Shanahan traditionally likes larger WRs and is never one to go with conventional wisdom, so I see them taking Jackson here.
16) Miami Dolphins - Jason Allen, CB/S, Tennessee - The Dolphins have some serious holes in their secondary, and Jason Allen can play either CB or S for them, plus Nick Saban has a lot of ties to the SEC and seems to like getting players from that conference, so Allen is their pick.
17) Minnesota Vikings - Chad Greenway, LB, Iowa - The Vikings still need to find a better combination of defensive players, and Chad Greenway is a great value here and fills a definite need for them.
18) Dallas Cowboys - Kamerion Wimbley, LB, Florida St. - The Cowboys need a S, but Kamerion Wimbley opposite of DeMarcus Ware would be a great combination at OLB.
19) San Diego Chargers - Santonio Holmes, WR, Ohio St. - This is another easy pick, as the Chargers definitely need another WR threat and Santonio Holmes should fall right into their laps here. I expect they will be on stage with their selection card as soon as Tagliabue is finished announcing the Cowboys selection.
20) Kansas City Chiefs - Tye Hill, CB, Clemson - The Chiefs need to shore up their pass defense, and Tye Hill is arguably the best pure CB in this draft and will be their choice among several good CBs available.
21) New England Patriots - DeAngelo Williams, RB, Memphis - The Patriots lost some players this offseason that will need to be replaced, but with Corey Dillon getting older and experiencing some injury problems in the last couple years, DeAngelo Williams falling to them will be too much to resist.
22) San Francisco 49ers - Manny Lawson, LB, N.C. State - The 49ers lost most of their LB crew from last year, and with the two big WRs gone they will look to grab a player that will be a nice LB and provide some pass rush for their last-ranked overall and passing defense.
23) Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Eric Winston, OT, Miami FL - The Buccaneers have some aging players at several places on their defense, but they also need to beef up their OLine a bit and while many people don't consider Eric Winston worthy of a 1st round pick most of these teams realize he won't fall to them in the 2nd so the Buccaneers will pull the trigger on him here.
24) Cincinnati Bengals - Donte Whitner, S, Ohio St. - The Bengals need to fix up a few holes in their defense and could also look at TE, but Donte Whitner is the best value at this pick among positions of need for them, so he will be their pick.
25) New York Giants - Bobby Carpenter, LB, Ohio St. - Even with getting LaVar Arrington they still are a little shallow at LB and will be a little wary after all the injuries there last year. This is a bit of a surprising pick but building a LB core that would rotate LaVar Arrington, Bobby Carpenter, Carlos Emmons, Antonio Pierce, and a few others should turn that weakness into a strength.
26) Chicago Bears - Leonard Pope, TE, Georgia - If the Ricky Manning signing falls thru I think they look for Johnathan Joseph or Antonio Cromartie, but assuming that deal is completed without any problems I think they'll turn their attention to bringing in a pass-catching TE that will help their offense move the ball thru the air.
27) Carolina Panthers - LenDale White, RB, USC - Despite his lack of an impressive showing since the end of the season, I think DeShaun Foster's injury history is enough of a concern that they take what should be a very good power RB for them.
28) Jacksonville Jaguars - Antonio Cromartie, CB/S, Florida St. - The Jags secondary could use another player, and despite needing a RB and Laurence Maroney being on the board I think they look to Cromartie to help their defense out.
29) New York Jets - Laurence Maroney, RB, Minnesota - The Jets could be contemplating moving up for Reggie Bush to replace Curtis Martin, but with their two 1st round selections I think they will stay put, and with Maroney on the board at #29 I think they'll be glad they stayed and happily take Maroney as their future RB.
30) Indianapolis Colts - Joseph Addai, RB, LSU - The Colts were getting real excited with Maroney on the board so long, but the Jets will dash their hopes. While I don't think Addai is worth a 1st round pick, after coming so close to getting Maroney and with such a drop off from Addai to the next teir of RBs I think the recent rumors will come true and the Colts will take Addai, and they should end up being pleased with him as he is the ideal type of RB for their offense.
31) Seattle seahawks - Tamba Hali, DE, Penn St. - As good as their pass rush was last year, the Seahawks could use an addition at DE, and with the majority of the DEs being more suited for RDE I think they look for Hali who plays more like a LDE and shoudl be able to gain some weight/strength and be a nice addition for them.
32) Pittsburgh Steelers - Sinorice Moss, WR, Miami FL - The Steelers could definitely look at CB (mainly Johnathan Joseph), but with Joseph getting so close to us at #33 I will have the Steelers taking Sinorice Moss to fill Antwaan Randle El's role minus the ability to throw the ball on trick plays.