Saturday, April 25, 2009

Day 1 Winners and Losers

I'll hand out my draft grades tomorrow when all the dust has settled, but I'd like to take a look at a couple of the standout teams from the first day of the 2009 NFL Draft, as well as a couple of teams who clearly missed the mark.

TOP OF THE CLASS
- New York Jets: The Jets knew exactly what they wanted coming into the draft - a franchise QB - and they did everything they could to grab one. Sitting at No. 17 was not going to do the team any good, so they swapped first rounders with Cleveland and gave up a second rounder, as well as three players who would have likely been riding the pine in New York. The end result: Mark Sanchez, a franchise-quality QB.
- Green Bay Packers: The Pack had two first round picks, moving back into the bottom end of the round, and addressed their defense in a big way. B.J. Raji is a force to be reckoned with in the middle of the defensive line, and Clay Matthews is a standout OLB who works hard and can punish opposing ball carriers.
- Cleveland Browns: Cleveland traded down twice and landed the guy they seemed to be targeting from the beginning, Alex Mack, a standout center at Cal. They made three picks in the second round, adding two good receivers and a defensive end with a lot of potential. I thought the pick of Brian Robiskie was a bit of a reach, but he's certainly a hometown favorite with his Ohio State connections.
- New England Patriots: The Pats did a phenomenal job of maneuvering out of the first round, when they clearly didn't want to take anyone at their draft position. They used their four second rounders to pick some good talents (I think Patrick Chung and Darius Butler translate very well to the next level), but their trade work was phenomenal.
- Buffalo Bills: The Bills made four very solid picks. Aaron Maybin excels at getting to the quarterback, and Jairus Byrd is a ballhawking corner who led the Pac-10 in interceptions each of the last two years. Eric Wood is a standout at center, and Andrew Levitre can provide immediate help at the guard position.

HEAD-SCRATCHERS
- Oakland Raiders: What were they thinking? Darrius Heyward-Bey could prove to be enormously talented at the NFL level, but he would have been available at least seven or eight picks later. An enormous reach at No. 7. And the second round pick is a major head scratcher. Michael Mitchell, the safety from Ohio, was apparently valued by many other teams as no more than a Rookie Free Agent.

NOT GREAT BUT NOT AWFUL
- Kansas City Chiefs: Tyson Jackson could end up being a stud in the NFL, but he's a bit of a reach at No. 3.
- San Diego Chargers: Larry English is also an interesting selection. He, too, could end up being very good, but picking him at No. 16 is somewhat of a surprise. The Chargers may have been able to draft him later in the first round, and could have possibly traded down.

DRAFT DAY LIVEBLOG

The Sanchez Scenarios

With Matthew Stafford already locked up as the No. 1 overall pick, all eyes turn to USC QB Mark Sanchez. Where will he fall? Some late-night ESPN viewing can clarify some things:

- Chris Mortensen said there is about a 20% chance the St. Louis Rams will take Sanchez at No. 2

- Both Mel Kiper and Todd McShay believe Sanchez will go off the board when the Seattle Seahawks picks at No. 4.

- Denver Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels told Ed Werder that he does not believe his team will trade up to take Sanchez, nor would he be a lock if he fell to No. 12, the Broncos' first of two first-rounders. He also said the team has not contacted anyone about trading up, but admitted that the Jacksonville Jaguars have contacted him about moving up to No. 8.

- Sal Paolantonio caught up with New York Jets General Manager Mike Tannenbaum after a draft meeting, and the GM told the ESPN reporter that his team is in fact interested in moving up from No. 17, most likely to draft Sanchez. Many people believe it would take the Jets' first-rounder, second-rounder and fourth-rounder to move up to No. 8 to draft the QB. Another scenario that has been floated around involves the Cleveland Browns, Brady Quinn and the No. 5 overall pick.

Other late-night notes:
- With 11 draft picks this year, the New England Patriots could possibly move up into the top 10 to draft some defensive help.

And don't forget, the draft day LIVE BLOG kicks off at 3:45 pm ET/12:45 pm PT.

Friday, April 24, 2009

MOCK DRAFT VERSION 2.0

Here it is folks, the much anticipated mock draft version 2.0. I have mocked out the first two rounds for your viewing pleasure.

ROUND ONE
1. DETROIT LIONS: Matthew Stafford, QB, Georgia
2. ST. LOUIS RAMS: Jason Smith, OT, Baylor
3. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS: Aaron Curry, LB, Wake Forest
4. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS: Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia
5. CLEVELAND BROWNS: Brian Orakpo, DE/OLB, Texas
6. CINCINNATI BENGALS: Andre Smith, OT, Alabama
7. OAKLAND RAIDERS: Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech
8. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS: Malcolm Jenkins, CB, Ohio State
9. GREEN BAY PACKERS: B.J. Raji, DT, Boston College
10. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS: Mark Sanchez, QB, USC
11. BUFFALO BILLS: Tyson Jackson, DE
12. DENVER BRONCOS: Robert Ayers, DE, Tennessee
13. WASHINGTON REDSKINS: Aaron Maybin, DE, Penn State
14. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS: Brian Cushing, OLB, USC
15. HOUSTON TEXANS: Jeremy Maclin, WR, Missouri
16. SAN DIEGO CHARGERS: Michael Oher, OT, Ole Miss
17. NEW YORK JETS: Percy Harvin, WR, Florida
18. DENVER BRONCOS (from Chi): Rey Maualuga,, LB, USC
19. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS: Josh Freeman, QB, Kansas State
20. DETROIT LIONS (from Dal): Peria Jerry, DT, Ole Miss
21. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES: Knowshon Moreno, RB, Georgia
22. MINNESOTA VIKINGS: Darrius Heward-Bey, WR, Maryland
23. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS: Clay Matthews, OLB, USC
24. ATLANTA FALCONS: Vontae Davis, CB, Illinois
25. MIAMI DOLPHINS: Hakeem Nicks, WR, North Carolina
26. BALTIMORE RAVENS: Brandon Pettigrew, TE, Oklahoma State
27. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS: Chris Wells, RB, Ohio State
28. BUFFALO BILLS (from Car through Phi): Eben Britton, OT, Arizona
29. NEW YORK GIANTS: Kenny Britt, WR, Rutgers
30. TENNESSEE TITANS: James Laurinaitis, LB, Ohio State
31. ARIZONA CARDINALS: Donald Brown, RB, Connecticut
32. PITTSBURGH STEELERS: Alex Mack, C, California

ROUND TWO
33. DETROIT LIONS: Everette Brown, DE, Florida State
34. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (from KC): Darius Butler, CB, Connecticut
35. ST. LOUIS RAMS: Larry English, DE, Northern Illinois
36. CLEVELAND BROWNS: LeSean McCoy, RB, Pittsburgh
37. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS: Louis Delmas, S, Western Michigan
38. CINCINNATI BENGALS: Max Unger, C, Oregon
39. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS: Evander Hood, DT, Missouri
40. OAKLAND RAIDERS: William Beatty, OT, Connecticut
41. GREEN BAY PACKERS: Paul Kruger, OT, Utah
42. BUFFALO BILLS: Alphonso Smith, CB, Wake Forest
43. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS: Rashad Johnson, S, Alabama
44. MIAMI DOLPHINS (from Was): D.J. Moore, CB, Vanderbilt
45. NEW YORK GIANTS (from NO): Clint Sintim, OLB, Virginia
46. HOUSTON TEXANS: Michael Johnson, DE, Georgia Tech
47. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (from SD): Connor Barwin, DE, Cincinnati
48. DENVER BRONCOS: Sean Smith, CB, Utah
49. CHICAGO BEARS: Mohamed Massaquoi, WR, Oklahoma
50. CLEVELAND BROWNS (from TB): Cornelius Ingram, TE, Florida
51. DALLAS COWBOYS: Phil Loadholt, OT, Oklahoma
52. NEW YORK JETS: Andrew Levitre, OG, Oregon State
53. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES: Shawn Nelson, TE, Southern Miss
54. MINNESOTA VIKINGS: Eric Wood, C, Louisville
55. ATLANTA FALCONS: Ron Brace, DT, Boston College
56. MIAMI DOLPHINS: Jarron Gilbert, DT, San Jose State
57. BALTIMORE RAVENS: Patrick Chung, S, Oregon
58. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS: Shonn Greene, RB, Iowa
59. CAROLINA PANTHERS: Lawrence Sidbury, DE, Richmond
60. NEW YORK GIANTS: Jamon Meredith, OT, South Carolina
61. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS: Fili Moala, DT, USC
62. TENNESSEE TITANS: Pat White, WR, West Virginia
63. ARIZONA CARDINALS: Cody Brown, OLB, Connecticut
64. PITTSBURGH STEELERS: Sherrod Martin, CB, Troy

Draft Day Liveblog

I wanted to remind everyone that I will be LIVEBLOGGING the NFL Draft from the comforts of my couch. You can follow along RIGHT HERE on this site, thanks to the folks at CoverItLive.com, who will be providing the live blog application.

Mock 2.0 Coming Soon

I apologize for not releasing Mock Draft v 2.0 earlier, but the combination of school work, new information on team needs/desires, and trades that did or did not happen has made me make quite a few changes in the last handful of days. That being said, I plan to release the first-round by tonight and possibly the second round later on. Stay tuned.

Monday, April 20, 2009

KSCR Top 12

The men of Monday Morning Quarterback, the leadoff program on KSCR 1560 AM Los Angeles, went through their top 12 picks in the 2009 NFL Draft. Myself, Bryan Fischer and Phil Wallace mocked out the the beginning of the first round, with a slew of surprises and interesting picks. Take a look.

1. Detroit Lions (Grant): Jason Smith, OT, Baylor
2. St. Louis Rams (Bryan): Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech
3. Kansas City Chiefs (Phil): Aaron Curry, LB, Wake Forest
4. Seattle Seahawks (Grant): Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia
5. Cleveland Browns (Bryan): Brian Orakpo, DE/OLB, Texas
6. Cincinnati Bengals (Phil): Andre Smith, OT, Alabama
7. Oakland Raiders (Grant): Jeremy Maclin, WR, Missouri
8. Jacksonville Jaguars (Bryan): B.J. Raji, DT, Boston College
9. Green Bay Packers (Phil): Tyson Jackson, DE, LSU
10. San Francisco 49ers (Grant): Matt Stafford, QB, Georgia
11. Buffalo Bills (Bryan): Aaron Maybin, DE, Penn State
12. Denver Broncos (Phil): Mark Sanchez, QB, USC

Friday, April 17, 2009

BREAKING NEWS: Bills/Eagles Trade

We're slightly more than a week away from the beginning of the draft, and already first-round picks are trading hands.

The Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills agreed to a trade today, >according to NFL.com. The Bills will send All-Pro OT Joe Peters to Philly, in exchange for three draft picks:
- the 28th overall selection in the 2009 draft, the Eagles' second of two first-rounders
- a 4th-round pick in the 2009 draft
- a 6th-round pick in the 2010 draft

Peters addresses one of Philly's immediate needs, which is at offensive tackle, and allows them to a different direction at No. 21. Buffalo, armed with two first-round picks, can use the draft to make some major upgrades to its defense.

Mock Draft v 1.0

I present to you the first version of my mock draft. It is already being tweaked, with version two due out at the end of the weekend or some time early next week. Enjoy.

1. DETROIT LIONS: OT Jason Smith, Baylor
2. ST. LOUIS RAMS: OT Eugene Monroe, Virginia
3. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS: LB Aaron Curry, Wake Forest
4. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS: QB Mark Sanchez, USC
5. CLEVELAND BROWNS: WR Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech
6. CINCINNATI BENGALS: DE/OT Brian Orakpo, Texas
7. OAKLAND RAIDERS: WR Jeremy Maclin, Missouri
8. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS: DE Aaron Maybin, Penn State
9. GREEN BAY PACKERS: DT B.J. Raji, Boston College
10. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS: QB Matthew Stafford, Georgia
11. BUFFALO BILLS: DE Robert Ayers, Tennessee
12. DENVER BRONCOS: DE Tyson Jackson, LSU
13. WASHINGTON REDSKINS: OT Andre Smith, Alabama
14. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS: RB Chris Wells, Ohio State
15. HOUSTON TEXANS: CB Malcolm Jenkins, Ohio State
16. SAN DIEGO CHARGERS: LB Rey Maualuga, USC
17. NEW YORK JETS: WR Percy Harvin, Florida
18. DENVER BRONCOS (from Chicago): DT Peria Jerry, Ole Miss
19. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS: QB Josh Freeman, Kansas State
20. DETROIT LIONS (from Dallas): OT Michael Oher, Ole Mmiss
21. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES: RB Knowshon Moreno, Georgia
22. MINNESOTA VIKINGS: WR Darius Heyward-Bey, Maryland
23. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS: LB Clay Matthews, USC
24. ATLANTA FALCONS: DE Everette Brown, FSU
25. MIAMI DOLPHINS: WR Hakeem Nicks, UNC
26. BALTIMORE RAVENS: LB Brian Cushing, USC
27. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS: LB James Laurinaitis, Ohio State
28. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (from Carolina): OT Eben Britton, Arizona
29. NEW YORK GIANTS: WR Kenny Britt, Rutgers
30. TENNESSEE TITANS: CB Vontae Davis, Illinois
31. ARIZONA CARDINALS: DE Larry English, Northern Illinois
32. PITTSBURGH STEELERS: C Alex Mack, California


Best Left:
TE Brandon Pettigrew, Oklahoma State
RB Donald Brown, Connecticut
RB LeSean McCoy, Pittsburgh
CB Darius Butler, Connecticut
S Louis Delmas, Western Michigan