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Sunday, April 19, 2009

1st Round (Updated)

1 1 Detroit Matthew Stafford--QB Georgia......Discussion goes on in the Lions war room but passing on Stafford is too risky for this franchise. Stafford impressed at the combine and during individual workouts that the Lions can feel safe that they finally have their future signal caller and face of the franchise for the next 15 years.

1 2 St. Louis Jason Smith--OT Baylor....With the release on Orlando Pace, the Rams will need a new leader of their offensive line and the athletic Smith is a future Pro Bowler for this team."

1 3 Kansas City Aaron Curry--OLB Wake Forest.........Curry is the lowest risk in the draft and will certainly be the future leader of the Chiefs defense for years to come.

1 4 Seattle Eugene Monroe--OT Virginia....... Seattle could go several different directions but Monroe is the safest and most likely to be starting by the end of camp.

1 5 Cleveland Michael Crabtree--WR Texas Tech........ Interesting spot for Cleveland as they need defense in the worse way but with Stallworth's legal problem and the flirtation of sending Edwards elsewhere the selection of Crabtree makes the most sense at this point. Together with Edwards would give them a dynamic duo the likes not often seen if they trade Edwards they still have the big #1 target needed for all offenses.

1 6 Cincinnati Brian Orakpo--DE Texas.............Constantly in need for a pass rush and because of some bad luck in the past (David Pollack), the Bengals can add the top player at that spot again this year. "

1 7 Oakland: Jeremy Maclin--WR Missouri.......... Al Davis loves the HR threat which Maclin certainly is but based on his versatility brings so much more to the table.

1 8 Jacksonville: Percy Harvin--WR Florida....This team is constantly searching for a wide receiver but have yet to come with any of value (see Matt Jones, Reggie Williams, R. Jay Soward, Ernest Wilford) that should change with the dynamic Harvin coming to town."

1 9 Green Bay: Robert Ayers--DE Tennessee.......With the Packers switching to a 3-4 defense they need to upgrade the speed of their ends and no player has been more impressive in all-star games and the combine that Ayers. He'll fit perfect in the new scheme and should be a game 1 starter for the Packers.

1 10 San Francisco: Mark Sanchez--QB USC......... Desperate to restore the luster to this once proud franchise San Francisco could do no better than grabbing Sanchez and starting building the team around him for the next 15 years. A special talent who should become an instant crowd favorite.

1 11 Buffalo: Everette Brown--DE Florida State........ Buffalo started out 2008 season on the right foot but the major deficiencies on the roster in terms of talented started to show up when they faced the better opponents with the biggest weakness a serious pass rush. That problem should be solved for awhile by adding Everette Brown to the roster.

1 12 Denver: Tyson Jackson--DE LSU....... No team has had more of a makeover than the Broncos this off-season. With the departure of the head coach and the temperamental QB things will be different this year. They need to start adding talent to the defense if they have any hopes for more than another 8-8 season. Jackson will give them pressure from the outside that they have been lacking for quite awhile.

1 13 Washington: Michael Oher--OT Mississippi...... The Skins need an influx of youth to their offensive line and getting the highly regarded Oher is certainly a step in the right direction. He should have little trouble adjusting to the NFL spotlight after the national attention he's received going back to his high school days.

1 14 New Orleans: Chris Wells--RB Ohio State........ While they may have more pressing needs at linebacker but I believe the Saints interest in Wells is genuine. Brees can not put the ball up as much as he did last year and have a hammer like Wells in the backfield should keep the offense on the field longer thus taking pressure off the defense and their shortcomings.

1 15 Houston: Clay Matthews--OLB USC........ The Texans need to continue to improve the linebacking core if this teams hopes to take the next step in their development. Matthews Jr. is the type of guy that will give them 110% and become a leader of the defense in a rather short amount of time.

1 16 San Diego: Knowshon Moreno--RB Georgia .......LT's days/seasons are numbered in San Diego and if they want to continue operating at the same success level it would be wise to select the multi-talented Moreno as the heir apparent to the tailback position. Moreno is a special talent and should be a starter but 2010.

1 17 NY Jets: Josh Freeman--QB Kansas State.......Losing out for Cutler and recovering from the Favre experiment the Jets may be tempted by the big arm of Freeman. Ryan saw during his time in Baltimore it is possible to win with a rookie QB if your defense is up for the challenge.

1 18 Denver: (from Chicago) B.J. Raji--DT Boston College.......... Raji has become the victim of some yet to be confirmed failed drug reports which certainly will hurt his status. Should he slide this far the Broncos would wise to add him and pair him with Jackson to form a terrific front tandem for the next ten years.

1 19 Tampa Bay: Darrius Heyward-Bey--WR Maryland........ With the release of Joey Galloway the Bucs will be looking for that HR threat who can keep the defenses honest. When motivated Heyward-Bey is unstoppable the bigger task is keeping him focused every play and game.

1 20 Detroit (from Dallas): Rey Maualuga--ILB USC.......... After adding Stafford to lead the offense the Lions now can add their defensive leader in Maualuga. Rey is perfect for the scheme and will work great with Ernie Sims and Julian Peterson.

1 21 Philadelphia: Donald Brown RB Connecticut....

1 22 Minnesota: Andre Smith--OT Alabama......... No player in recent memory has ever seemed more unprepared for the process of getting ready for the draft than Andre. What happened at the combine and workouts is inexcusable but with that said he still is a special talent when the pads are on and the team is in battle. Great addition to the Vikings and great value at this point of the draft.

1 23 New England: Brian Cushing--OLB USC............. With the boat load of picks the Pats have it's likely they will be trading all over the place so I'm not betting they are staying at 23. If they should adding a player like Cushing to go with Mayo will give them two young linebackers to build around and replacing the recently departed Mike Vrablel.

1 24 Atlanta: Evander Hood--DT Missouri............... Mike Smith loves the big DT (see his days in Jacksonville) and the strength and size of Hood makes him a perfect fit for their system.

1 25 Miami: Hakeem Nicks--WR North Carolina........ Miami top two needs are OLB and WR and with no OLB warranting the #25 pick the Tuna will grab Nicks and get the OLB in round two. Bill went personally to see Nicks workout which tells you his interest.

1 26 Baltimore: Malcolm Jenkins--CB Ohio State............. Even with the resigning of Samari Rolle the Ravens should jump to add Jenkins who could easily play corner or safety for them. Some question Jenkins recovery speed to play corner but watching his game tapes show all signs of a lockdown corner early in his career with a possible switch to safety later in his career.

1 27 Indianapolis: Peria Jerry--DT Mississippi........ The Colts want to add size to the middle of their defense and grabbing a player like Peria certainly accomplishes that and more. He's the kind of force in the middle they have been lacking for a long time.

1 28 Buffalo (from Philadelphia via Carolina): Brandon Pettigrew TE Oklahoma State


1 29 NY Giants: Kenny Britt--WR Rutgers............. With the resolution of the Plaxico situation the Giants biggest need clearly is a tall WR to add that dimension back to the offense. Britt is a natural selection and should make an immediate impact.

1 30 Tennessee: Vontae Davis--CB Illinois.......Another player hurt by unsubstantiated drug reports that may hurt his draft status. Vonte, the brother of Vernon, is a special talent that is an absolute steal at this point and likely contender for defensive rookie of the year."

1 31 Arizona: Aaron Maybin--DE/OLB Penn State............ Maybin would be a great end to pair with Calais Campbell to give the Cards the best set of young defensive in the league

1 32 Pittsburgh: Eben Britton--OT Arizona............ Biggest area of need is restocking the offensive line and grabbing Britton at this point is the first step in building a young talented line.

This first round has been updated to include the recent Jason Peters trade to Philadelphia. The other will be updated soon.

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