Loading ...
Posted by Rob in Fantasy Advice,NFL Mock Drafts 2009 on Apr 20th 2009 (Print This)
The combine has ended, players are prepping for their Pro Days on their respected campuses, and the picture of the draft is starting to play out through free agency. Let’s take a look at the new mock and see who has risen’ and fallen’ down the board.
1.) Detroit-Matthew Stafford, QB, Georgia-The Lions appear committed to taking a quarterback now that Jon Kitna is in Dallas and Dan Orlovsky is in Houston. They have cleared room for this pick and Stafford now becomes the clear cut favorite. While I think the Lions would be wise to go in another direction, such as offensive tackle, I can’t see them going into the season with Drew Stanton as the only backup to Daunte Culpepper.
2.) St. Louis-Jason Smith, OT, Baylor-I have said it before in other mocks, Orlando Pace is nearing the end, and the offensive line is a major concern due to age and injuries. The Rams would be getting the best offensive tackle in the draft, who proved himself at the combine with solid workouts in all areas.
3.) Kansas City-Aaron Curry, LB, Wake Forest-Curry the 2008 Butkus Award winner is a good fit for a defense with no identity. He is physical and athletic, he attacks would be blockers and sheds them upon contact, look for Pioli to draft on the basis of need, and linebacker is definitely a need for the Chiefs. After drafting Jerod Mayo last year for the Patriots, this is an easy pick.
4.) Seattle-Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia-The Seahawks have filled the need at wideout with the addition of T.J. Houshmandzadeh, so the Michael Crabtree fascination could be over. They can now turn their attention to the offensive line, which has been in freefall ever since Steve Hutchinson was pried away from the team. Monroe comes from a long line of productive offensive linemen at Virginia ( D’Brickashaw Ferguson and Branden Albert).
5.) Cleveland-Brian Orakpo, DE/OLB, Texas-The Browns have a pathetic pass rush with just 17 sacks last season. Orakpo is the new prototype of defensive players, a guy you can stick all over the field to disrupt the pass as well as aid in stopping the run.
6.) Cincinnati-Andre Smith, OT, Alabama-The Bengals recently lost Stacy Andrews so drafting an offensive lineman becomes a major need. I believe Smith can rescue his slide down the board by having a solid Pro Day and I would expect that he shows up in shape and save his status.
7.) Oakland-Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech-Al Davis likes to draft the “sexy” pick and this is it. While the Raiders might not be enamored with his speed, as they often draft burners, they love his playmaking ability and what he brings to the table.
8.) Jacksonville-Jeremy Maclin, WR, Missouri-Maclin becomes a need for a team in flux with its wideouts. They recently parted ways with Jerry Porter and who knows what the situation is with Matt Jones? Maclin is a playmaker that this offense has sorely been missing since the days of Jimmy Smith.
9.) Green Bay-B.J. Raji, DT, Boston College-The Packers are moving to a 3-4 defensive scheme and the pick of Raji would help in the restructuring of the defense. The pressure up the middle will also help Aaron Kampman escape double teams, something he saw on a regular basis last year.
10.) San Francisco-Mark Sanchez, QB, USC-I know it is a longshot for the 49ers to draft another quarterback with a first round pick, but there is a glaring need at the position and Sanchez could help light a fire under the competition or he could outright take the job.
11.) Buffalo-Aaron Maybin, DE/OLB, Penn St.-Maybin is still raw technique wise, but he is versatile along the defensive front and can aid in the pass rush game. In the run game he is physical at the point of attack and destroys would be blockers. While he had a disappointing combine, Maybin would have time to develop his skills with the Bills, much like the Giants did with Justin Tuck two years ago.
12.) Denver-Tyson Jackson, DE, LSU-The Broncos are another team changing defensive schemes to a 3-4 and they are extremely undersized along the front line for such a scheme. Jackson is versatile across the defensive front, adept at stopping the run and disrupting the passing game.
13.) Washington-Michael Oher, OT, Mississippi-Oher had an impressive showing at the Senior Bowl where he was “nasty.” Oher is still a bit raw technique wise, but he has the size and feet to develop into a Pro Bowl tackle in the NFL. His physicality and nastiness is what scouts were waiting to see from someone who at times seemed uninterested. This pick also helps an aging offensive line in Washington, where injuries hampered the team last year.
14.) New Orleans-Michael Jenkins, CB, Ohio St.-The 2008 Thorpe Award winner had a horrible showing at the combine, most notably his 40 time. While he is still a good defensive back, his skills might be geared more towards being a safety in the NFL. The Saints simply cannot pass up this kind of value at pick 14.
15.) Houston-Everette Brown, DE, Florida St.-Brown impressed scouts at the Senior Bowl, then had a mediocre workout at the combine. Brown would be a nice fit for a defense that is starting to get an identity, he also would help take some pressure off of Mario Williams.
16.) San Diego-Knowshon Moreno, RB, Georgia-The Chargers are witnessing the end to the LaDainian Tomlinson era. They have seen throughout the NFL teams struggle to replace aging stars who didn’t have a backup plan. Moreno is the most complete back in the draft and Sproles is not a full time workhorse. Look for the Chargers to draft and develop Moreno into a superstar.
17.) N.Y. Jets-Rey Maualuga, LB, USC-The Jets have a new head coach in Rex Ryan, a defensive mastermind, and he is molding this defense into a second coming of the Baltimore Ravens dominant defenses. Maualuga is his Ray Lewis, a linebacker who plays the game sideline to sideline, with vicious intent, will add more toughness to an already staunch defense.
18.) Chicago-Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR, Maryland-The Bears are looking to add an offensive weapon to help stretch the field, and Heyward-Bey is fast, very fast, ran the 40 in 4.30 at the combine. Yes, they have Devin Hester, but he is still raw as a receiver, and Heyward-Bey showed solid hands at the combine. With Hester and H.B. on the field at the same time, Chicago would have to have the fastest tandem of wideouts in the league.
19.) Tampa Bay-Peria Jerry, DT, Mississippi-The Bucs defense was manhandled at the end of last year and is starting to show its’ age. Jerry is disruptive in all facets of the game and would improve a run defense that was vulnerable last year.
20.) Detroit-Clay Matthews, LB, USC-Matthews had a lot of pre-combine hype and he backed it up with a stellar workout. He has football smarts and provides versatility in the pass rush and stopping the run. Scouts have said that they believe Matthews in two to three years will be the best linebacker out of the USC “Three Amigos.”
21.) Philadelphia-Chris Wells, RB, Ohio St.-Injury history pushes him down the board, but his talent is top five. The Eagles have an aging Westbrook and they find their back of the future. Eagle fans will remember that Westbrook wasn’t exactly the pillar of health at Villanova.
22.) Minnesota-Percy Harvin, WR, Florida-Harvin comes with some durability concerns, but he is a playmaker. Look for the Vikings to give newly signed quarterback Sage Rosenfels a new weapon. Harvin is either a boom or bust guy, he reminds me a little of Chad Jackson, who is now out of the league.
23.) New England-Brian Cushing, OLB, USC-Cushing has experience all along the defensive front and will give an aging linebacking group an injection of youth and athleticism. Keep an eye on a red flag surrounding Cushing’s use of supplements and steroid use has been questioned throughout his career.
24.) Atlanta-Brandon Pettigrew, TE, Oklahoma St.-The best tight end in the draft, gives Matt Ryan another weapon in the passing game, a solid blocker, has soft hands, and is a physical specimen, though in a good way, not a Vernon Davis type of way.
25.) Miami-Vontae Davis, CB, Illinois-The Dolphins have an aging defensive backfield and Davis offers them youth and athleticism. Davis has size and is physical, not to mention his terrific man to man coverage skills. Davis plays the ball extremely well and has the necessary speed to make up ground when beaten on a play. His status has taken a hit in recent weeks as he was unimpressive at the combine on and off the field, but his value is too much to pass up here.
26.) Baltimore-Larry English, OLB, Northern Illinois-The Ravens are going to take a hit in their linebacking corp and English is the best pass rushing linebacker left in the draft. He is explosive and will often disrupt plays in the backfield, shows a talent for rushing the passer, takes on offensive tackles well, an all around solid player.
27.) Indianapolis-Hakeem Nicks, WR, North Carolina-Nicks is a big receiver who is great after the catch and create. He is not a burner, but a 4.4 in the forty seems plenty fast. The Colts will look to develop Nicks after they released Harrison this past week.
28.) Philadelphia-Eben Britton, OT, Arizona-Britton is a beast, at 6′6-310 lbs. he locks onto an opponent and controls him. He is an excellent pass blocker and will use a combination of moves to push the rusher wide or pancake block him into the ground.
29.) N.Y. Giants-Michael Johnson, DE, Georgia Tech-An athletic freak, makes a great aging defense that much better, still raw, and better technique will lead to better production. Reminds some of Jevon Kearse. Look for the Giants to draft and develop him the same way they did with Justin Tuck.
30.) Tennessee-Ron Brace, DT, Boston College-The Titans have a huge hole in the middle with the departure of Albert Haynesworth which makes selecting Brace a necessity. Brace was productive at Boston College, but was overshadowed by B.J. Raji.
31.) Arizona-Robert Ayers, DE, Tennessee-The Cardinals lost Antonio Smith in free agency to the Texans so look for them to fill a need. Ayers came into his own his last year with the Volunteers and he shows impressive quickness and footwork for a guy who is 275 pounds.
32.) Pittsburgh-Alex Mack, C, California-Mack is this year’s top interior lineman and would be an upgrade over Justin Hartwig. There is not much improvement needed for the Super Bowl Champs, but if there is one area of need, this is it.
Keep coming back to the site for the newest updates and if you ever have a question please use the question and answer section and we will get back to you.