1st Mock Draft

During this quiet time in football and before I start the fun process of breaking down players for the draft, studying team needs, watchingthe combine and figuring out what holes will be created by upcoming free agency I felt compelled to do a 1st round mock. Again this is my initial “gut” reaction to team needs and best available player at the time of the pick. Let me know your thoughts.

1. Detroit: Matthew Stafford QB Georgia..Stafford is the franchise QB they’ve been waiting for and should start early in his rookie.

2. St. Louis: Andre Smith OT Alabama….Big mauler to take over the Orlando Pace spot.

3. Kansas City: Michael Oher OT Mississippi...With the pending trade for Matt Casell they need to protect him.

4.Seattle: Michael Crabtree WR Texas Tech..Awesome talent that will instantly improve their offense

5.Cleveland: Aaron Curry OLB Wake Forest. Perfect style of play for the new regime and the city.

6.Cincinnati: Aaron Maybin OLB/DE Penn State…With Lewis mentor Maybin he could become the Bengals version of James Harrison.

7.Oakland: Percy Harvin WR Florida..Al Davis loves HR threats and drafting a player earlier than the "experts" predict.

8.Jacksonville: Jeremy Maclin WR Missouri…Make up for Reggie Williams, Matt Jones and Ernest Wilford not panning out.

9.Green Bay: Eugene Monroe OT Virginia..The long term health of Aaron Rodgers is the key to their future.

10.San Francisco: Mark Sanchez QB USC…The next great franchise QB.

11.Buffalo: B.J. Raji DT Boston College……The big clog up the middle that McCargo never turned into for the Bills.

12.Denver: Hakeem Nicks WR North Carolina….Had great bowl game and will prove to be a nice running mate to Marshall and possible insurance policy if needed.

13.Washington: Knowshon Moreno RB Georgia…eventual replacement/insurance policy for Portis and his wacky behavior. It would be hard for the Skins to leave Knowshon on the board.

14.New Orleans: Malcolm Jenkins CB Ohio State..stud corner that should start immediately.

15.Houston: Jason Smith OT Baylor

16.San Diego: LeSean McCoy RB Pittsburgh..LT’s eventual replacement.

17. NY Jets: Rey Maualuga ILB USC..Great player and personality for Ryan’s new defense.

18. Chicago: Vontae Davis CB Illinois..Great talent and instant fan favorite.

19. Tampa Bay: Derrick Williams WR Penn State..With the pending departure of Joey Galloway, he’ll fill that role and more nicely.

20.Detroit: Fili Moala DT USC…Force up the middle of the defense for new coach, Jim Schwartz.

21. Philadelphia: Chris Wells RB Ohio State..Finally Westbrook gets someone to share a few carries with and maybe be healthy at the end of the year.

22. Minnesota: Michael Johnson DE Georgia Tech….Kearse like talent too hard to pass up.

23. New England: Larry English OLB Northern Illinois…perfect player for their scheme .

24. Atlanta: Brandon Pettigrew TE Oklahoma State..Great young target for Matt Ryan.

25. Miami: Clint Sintim OLB Virginia….Young talent linebacker who learned a lot from Al Groh (who also happens to be close with The Tuna).

26. Baltimore: James Laurinatis ILB Ohio State….With the likely pending departure of one of the linebackers the Ravens will need to address the position.

27. Indianapolis: Peria Jerry DT Mississippi..The constant search to upgrade the defensive talent to match the offensive side.

28. Philadelphia: Brian Cushing OLB USC…Best available player at this time and should push to start soon.

29. NY Giants: Brian Orakpo DE Texas…Another steal for the Giants as they have excelled at taking the best available player regardless of position.

30. Tennessee: Paul Kruger DE Utah..With possible defensive line departures the Titans would be wise to this direction in round one.

31. Arizona: Everette Brown DE Florida State..Likely losing one of their DE starters.

32. Pittsburgh: Alphonso Smith CB Wake Forest…Only “weakness” on the defense.

Again this is just some food for thought and something that will certainly changing in the coming months. I hope you enjoy and as always share with me your thoughts.