Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Second Mock Draft

Well...what can I say? I am a huge football geek and there have been some legitimate changes going on in the NFL. Here is my second version of the upcoming draft:

1. Oakland Raiders - JaMarcus Russell, I don't care what anyone says, the Raiders need a franchise QB and Russell has much more upside than Brady Quinn does. Unless they trade down (which is a possibility) for someone else's 1st and 2nd and probably 3rd...I can't see them passing on a QB like Russell and continue with Andrew Walter as their only QB option. There is the rumor going around that the Raiders would trade Randy Moss to the Packers for Aaron Rogers and a pick, but I can't see the Pack parting ways with their future QB right now. If that trade does happen then I think the Raiders will absolutely take Calvin Johnson.

2. Detroit Lions - Joe Thomas, They seem pretty set on Kitna being there for at least a year or two. I also think that they are going to bank on some young QB's coming available next year and later in the draft. The Lion's O-Line is terrible and Thomas definitely helps here. Especially now that they traded for Tatum Bell to share time with Kevin Jones.

3. Cleveland Browns - Adrian Peterson, Jamal Lewis only signed a 1 year contract and there is no way that he has enough juice to be the #1 there for more than a year or two AT MOST. There is the possibility of them trying to trade up for JaMarcus Russell, but I don't think Russell will make it out of Oakland.

4. Tampa Bay Buccs - Calvin Johnson, I think it is pretty set in stone that if Oakland doesn't take CJ then he will land in Tampa, which isnt a bad place for him...Tampa has a lot going for them on the offensive side of the ball.

5. Arizona Cardinals - Jamal Anderson, New head coach Ken Whisenhut just came from a team that ran the 3-4...so, it wouldn't surprise me to see a 3-4 come to fruition in AZ. Jamal Anderson has the size that you look for in a DE in the 3-4.

6. Washington Redskins - Gaines Adams, plain and simple: their defense was terrible last year. Now, the 'Skins have an interesting situation. They have a 1st round pick and then nothing again until very late. I know there are rumors floating around that if Brady Quinn is still on the board (which I think he will be) The Vikings or the Texans are willing to pay handsomely for the chance to move up and draft Quinn (more so the Texans to get him before the Vikings). If the Skins are smart they will do this to acquire more picks. Dan Snyder hates building teams with young talent and loves overpaying over-the-hill vets...but if he wants to not have his head on a pike in DC he should consider trading down.

7. Minnesota Vikings - Robert Meachem, I do think there is a possibility of Brady Quinn going here, but I can see the Vikings taking a WR and trying to deal for the Texan's David Carr. The Vikings do need a receiver very badly right now and if they deal their cards right they might be able to get a vet QB somewhere along the lines too. I know that the Texans would like to get Carr out of Houston to free up some cap room.

8. Houston Texans - Brady Quinn, David Carr obviously isn't fitting well in Houston. I think a lot of it has to do with their lack of an o-line and their lack of a running game and oh yea, their lack of receivers. So, why not throw another young and talented QB back behind a weak o-line and let him feel what it's like to be sacked 100 times a season.

9. Miami Dolphins - Ted Ginn Jr, The 'Phins are another team that I really think would be interested in trading up to get Brady Quinn, but if not then they could definitely use Ted Ginn Jr in their return game and as a 3rd WR since they traded Welker to the Pats. The Welker trade gave them another 2nd round pick too, so they could def find some talent on the defensive line in the second round, but Ginn's speed and return-game is becoming a covetted position.

10. Atlanta Falcons - Dwayne Bowe, The Falcons have GOT to get someone who can catch the ball and hang onto the ball. Bowe had a hell of a combine workout and in my opinion he is a better receiver than Dwayne Jarret and Steve Smith. I think the Falcons can hang onto their secondary for one more year and their defense was not their weak side last year. They couldn't hang onto the ball and as a result of that Vick had to run and teams ganged up on Warrick Dunn.

11. San Francisco - Alan Branch, 6'6" 330lbs. I don't think I really need to say much more in regards to how well he will fit in as a DT in the 3-4 scheme.

12. Buffalo Bills - Marshawn Lynch, They traded Willis McGahee and their only looking at Corey Dillon and Chris Brown as a possible replacement. I think Lynch is the type of runner that Dick Jauron can use in a variety of ways. Not too mention that the Bills still have the A-Train as a back-up, which isn't SO bad...

13. St. Louis Rams - Adam Carriker, they need someone who can stop the run and get after the QB. Carriker is a hulk of a D-End and will be able to start immediately.

14. Carolina Panthers - Patrick Willis, Dan Morgan might be done and they need someone to be a monster in the middle of the field. Patrick Willis is, in fact, a monster.

15. Pittsburgh - Jarvis Moss, They let Jerry Porter go and they need someone to step in and provide a good pass rush and run support. Jarvis Moss really upped his status at the combine and the national championship game against Ohio State.

16. Green Bay Packers - Chris Henry, Lynch and Peterson are off the board by now in my opinion and the Pack needs a good runner. I would think that this wont be the only RB taken by the pack in this draft. Chris Henry is 230lbs and ran a sub-4.4 40 yard dash. The other possible RB's for the Pack to look at that I think would be good fits are Michael Bush and Tony Hunt.

17. Jacksonville Jags - LaRon Landry, Deon Grant went to Seattle and Ken Hamlin is available, but I think Jacksonville will look no further than Landry. He play's like a beast out there and is a ball-hawking saftey. He fits in well with the Jag's nasty D.

18. Cincinatti Bengals - Paul Pozluszny, Brian Simmons is out and who knows if Odel Thurman will make it through an entire season without getting arrested or shot at...or something else involving a law-infraction. Poz doesn't seem like a trouble-maker to me and I think he would be a good fit to step into the OLB position mainly because of his stability as a person and a player. I also could see them leaning towards Greg Olsen for a TE.

19. Tennessee Titans - Dwayne Jarrett, The Titans picked up Justin Gage and Brandon Jones seems to be a decent receiver, but they definitely need someone who can be a franchise WR. I don't think Dwayne Jarrett is the best receiver available in the draft, but he has a knack for coming down with the ball and that is something that Vince Young was used to at Texas.

20. New York Giants - Lawrence Timmons, LaVar Arrington busted in NY (weird) and they need a speedy OLB who can get after the QB and stop the run. Timmons is definitely the kind of linebacker that the Giants need.

21. Denver Broncos - Amobi Okoye, This is assuming that Shanahan thinks he can get good pressure out of the rest of his D-Ends. So, my other choice here would be Charles Johnson or Anthony Spencer.

22. Dallas Cowboys - Anthony Spencer, Gregg Ellis is ANCIENT! The other way I see the Cowboys rolling is towards a safety like Brandon Merriweather.

23. Kansas City Chiefs - Steve Smith, Daunte Hall and Eddie Kennison are the only receivers for KC. They need some help here drastically and Steve Smith ran a solid 40, but the thing that scouts like about Smith is his route running ability and sure-hands.

24. New England (From Seattle) - Brandon Merriweather, Rodney Harrison hasn't had a healthy season in two years. The other way I see them going here may be Chris Houston to add depth to their secondary.

25. New York Jets - Greg Olsen, They don't need a runningback and Jericho Cotchery, Laverneus Coles, and Brad Smith seem to be doing well at receivers. The one thing they are lacking is a big time receiving TE. Olsen could be just that.

26. Philadelphia - Buster Davis, Dhani Jones sucks. I dont care what anyone says. I think Trotter has a few more good years left in the tank and Omar Gaither is involved on every play. Buster Davis isn't the exact height you want in a linebacker, but the guy is quick and built like a tank, but more importantly, he makes the tough plays.

27. New Orleans - Aaron Ross, Remember that play that whatshisface missed and resulted in Bernard Berrian making a spectacular catch and getting up AND scoring, which led to the Bears going to the Super Bowl? Yea, I think that The Big Easy finally has an offense and a solid defense, but they need to really sure up their secondary. Aaron Ross is a big physical corner who plays the ball well.

28. New England - Daymeion Hughes, They re-loaded on offense...a lot. So, I think that this draft is going to be primarily focused on defense.

29. Baltimore Ravens - Justin Blaylock, Who knows if Ogden is going to stick it out for one more year and they released vet guard Mulitalo. Blaylock played both guard and tackle at Texas and as far as I am concerned is one of the better offensive linemen available this draft.

30. San Diego - Anthony Gonzalez, They have got to get someone who can create seperation in the receiving game. Vincent Jackson is enormous, but plays terrible position. McCardell is a great receiver, but is in the twilight of his career and Parker is incredibly inconsistent. Gonzalez has wheels, great hands, and is a very good route runner.

31. Chicago Bears - Jon Beason, I had thought that they may look at taking Zack Miller or maybe a Ben Grubbs, but I seriously think that Briggs is going to sit this season out or be traded. If that is the case then the Bears are going to need someone to step in and play the LB position. I think John Beason has a lot of upside as a LB because of his speed.

32. Indianapolis Colts - David Harris, If their defense plays like that ALL year long there won't be much they need to draft. The biggest thing that they need since Cato June left is a LB, but Nick Harper is also out so they might look at CB.