2009 NFL Mock Draft

1. Detroit Lions – Andre Smith | OT | Alabama

   I’m curious as to why most NFL mock draft sites have the Lions taking a QB here – I just don’t see it.  They already have Culpepper, Kitna, Stanton and Orlovsky to deal with this off-season.  Do I think any of them are franchise guys?  No.  But the former two are veterans who can lead a team, and can handle an offense when given time in the pocket.  I think they are more likely to nab a young project in the later rounds than pay an unproven QB $35 million guaranteed. Yes, Ryan and Flacco succeeded as first-round rookies after the 2008 NFL draft, but I don’t think it happens two consecutive years. Unless they become infatuated with Stafford, I foresee Jim Schwartz building this team like the Titans – a team that wins at the line of scrimmage, runs the ball and plays solid defense.  With a talented, young RB in Kevin Smith and an all-world WR in Calvin Johnson, I think Schwartz asks either Culpepper or Kitna to limit mistakes.  This will allow them to be patient, and the running game will eventually create room for Megatron in the secondary.Andre Smith will fit right in with this philosophy, as he instantly provides a massive body up front to battle in the trenches.

2. St. Louis Rams – Eugene Monroe | OT | Virginia

   Much like Detroit in the previous pick, the Rams are copying the Dolphins method from a year ago – utilize a veteran QB, surround him with a solid OL and RB core, and you will have a chance to win every game – even if you don’t dazzle or fill the stat sheet.  Luckily for the Rams, they have the necessary components in Bulger and Jackson, and I bet they take their chance on solidifying their line by drafting the best available OT.If Andre Smith is off the board, Eugene Monroe is the likely candidate to be #2.  His knee injury history has to be a concern, but if he checks out during his workouts and the combine, he could vault himself into top five territory.

3. Kansas City Chiefs – Aaron Curry | OLB | Wake Forest

   Here’s another pick where many NFL mock draft sites have the Chiefs taking a QB.  The Chiefs may go after Matt Cassel in the off-season, but if they don’t, I expect them to develop Thigpen – by year’s end he showed a lot of promise with solid play down the stretch, gaining the acceptance of veteran Tony Gonzalez and many other teammates.The Chiefs are a very young team that have a lot of potential, and adding a guy like Curry will certainly improve the talent level of the roster.  He has everything you could want in a LB prospect – size, speed, strength and no gametime lost due to injury.  With another year of experience and another youthful crop of rookies, I could see the Chiefs being a surprise team by the end of 2009.

4. Seattle Seahawks – Michael Crabtree | WR | Texas Tech

   This would be a dream scenario for the Seahawks, who desperately need a playmaker at the WR position.  In a year riddled with injury at the position, it would truly be a godsend for the Hawks to get a guy like Crabtree to jump start the offense.  The redshirt sophomore was a machine at Texas Tech, piling up 231 receptions, 3127 yards and 41 TDs in his brief tenure.It would be wise of the Seahawks to use the majority of their remaining picks on the defensive side of the ball – they were porous as a unit, finishing 30th in total defense.

5. Cleveland Browns – Malcolm Jenkins | CB | Ohio State

   The Browns probably would like Curry to slip to them, but in the end Jenkins should prove to be a solid pick.  They could use a corner opposite Eric Wright, and Jenkins is an ideal candidate – at 6′0”, 195 lbs, he has ideal size for a corner and doesn’t lack in the speed department, either.Regardless, the Browns need to step it up on offense if they expect to compete in a tough AFC North, with the new reigning champion Pittsburgh Steelers, and the always physical Baltimore Ravens.  It will be interesting to see how the QB situation pans out.  The likely scenario would be the Browns trading Anderson, since he is owed a $5 million bonus in March, and the Browns only have four picks in the NFL draft this April.

Stay tuned for a full 32-team 2009 NFL mock draft!

Remember last year? First game of the season, the Bills lose on a last second FG to the Broncos. Then, just four weeks later on Monday night, the Dallas Cowboys drop them in the same fashion despite six turnovers from Tony Romo.

Fast forward (an unlucky) 13 months, and the words that haunted Buffalo for nearly two decades were uttered again tonight – 47 yards, wide right. Talk about misfortune and irony.

The sole bright spot of this game for Buffalo was the herculean effort displayed by RB Marshawn Lynch, touching the ball 33 times for 177 yards and a TD. Unfortunately it was not enough to overcome Trent Edwards’ recent struggles, as he threw 3 INTs compared to Brady Quinn’s goose egg.

I don’t put all the blame on Edwards, though. In a pressure situation at the end of the game, he completed a strike to TE Robert Royal for 22 yards to put them into field goal range. With 1:25 left on the clock, they opted to run three times to force Cleveland to use their timeouts. I know Rian Lindell has the leg to make a 45+ yard kick, but on a cold night in Orchard Park with plenty of time, I was shocked that they didn’t attempt to give him an easier chip shot by attempting a pass or two. In that situation, priority #1 should be getting a first down, not settling for a long FG attempt.

On the flip side, this was a huge game for the Cleveland Browns. After nearly blowing another 13+ point lead in their third consecutive week, Phil Dawson did what Rian Lindell could not by nailing a 56 yard FG to put the Browns ahead, earning Brady Quinn’s first victory as an NFL starter. Quinn by no means played well, completing less than 40% of his passes, but did not commit the mortal sin at QB – turning the ball over. And really, all you can ask of a young QB is to make smart decisions to keep your team in the game.

The log-jam in the AFC after Tennessee still leaves both of these teams alive in the playoff race, but they better step it up soon as the clock is ticking on this 2008 season.

• Jeremy Shockey hated in The Big Easy?
• Peter King and I agree, Joshua Cribbs is the best special teams player in the NFL
• Keyshawn Johnson wants to be the male Martha Stewart
• As expected, Romo ready to return after bye week
• Surprised? Report of torn labrum denied by fast Willie Parker
• Derrick Mason plays despite dislocated shoulder
• Hapless Detroit Lions should be worried about Thanksgiving tradition
• Jeff George looking to play in the NFL… again

I’m sure after reading the title, you’re probably thinking that’s a typo.  I mean Brandon Marshall scored the winning TD, not Brandon Stokley.  But what ensued after the TD may have saved the game for the Broncos.

After finding paydirt, Marshall began to reach into his pants for what was surely going to be a celebration (I must admit, for a second I figured he was relieving jock itch).  Stokley aptly ran over to the other Brandon and told him to keep it in his pants.  Had he not coereced Marshall to keep the celebration to a minimum, they may have been penalized 15 yards, giving Cleveland a short field for the potential winning drive.

In the post game interview, he revealed that he wanted to put on a half white, half black glove a la the Black Panthers to represent newly elected President Barack Obama and his message of unity.  While the gesture is admirable and more creative than most egocentric celebrations, this was not the time nor the place to be penalized and give Cleveland momentum after taking control of the game.

Marshall ended up doing the right thing, didn’t celebrate and his team won the game.  And hey, he still got to spread his message to the masses.

More thoughts:

• Cutler absolutely took over this game, throwing for 447 yards and 3 TDs. Sure, he got a gift from Cleveland’s defense on Royal’s 90-yard TD, but he looked more like the Cutler of the first three weeks, not the past three weeks.
• Speaking of Cleveland, they simply cannot hold onto a lead. They were up by 2 TDs this week and last week and lost both games. That cannot happen in the NFL, period.
• Joshua Cribbs is the best all-around special teams player in the league. He gave Cleveland great field position all game (and really every game for that matter), and he routinely comes up with big tackles on the other end of special teams.
• I’d say Brady Quinn’s first NFL start was a success. They didn’t win the game but he made quick decisions all day, and found his security blanket in TE Kellen Winslow. I’m looking forward to seeing him against better pass defense in the upcoming weeks.
• You gotta respect Brandon Marshall for admitting he should have caught a few of his dropped passes, and taking responsibility for Cutler’s only INT.
• Eddie Royal has been phenomenal this year. Ryan Clady looks like he is a franchise LT. If the Broncos get a young, stud RB to complement Cutler, Marshall and Royal, they may have the best offense in the league for the next 5-10 years

Looks like the fans of Cleveland will finally get their way. After a poor 3-5 start, the Cleveland Browns have decided to bench Derek Anderson in favor of former 1st round pick, Brady Quinn. The turnaround will be short, too, as the team has a date with the Denver Broncos this Thursday night.

I came into the season as a Derek Anderson advocate, but it’s about time for a change for the struggling franchise. It’s 9 weeks into the season and he is still averaging almost an INT per game (2007: 19 INTs/16 games – 2008: 7 INTs/8 games). This could be tolerated if they were putting up more points, but they are currently 27th in that category. He is completing less than 50% of his passes, and even fellow AFC North rookie QB Joe Flacco has 10 more passing yards then Anderson.

In his defense, the Browns WR unit has been battered with injuries to Donte Stallworth and Joe Jurevicius, and Braylon Edwards looks like the new T.O. in terms of dropped passes.

With that said, I anticipate that Brady Quinn will give this team a spark. While JaMarcus Russell clearly has a higher ceiling than Quinn based on pure arm strength and athletic ability, I was one of the few people who thought he would turn out better than Russell in the NFL. I still believe this and will continue to do so until one of the two players takes a big leap forward in the next few years. Personally, I think if you can excel in Charlie Weis’ offense on top of earning a double major in political science and finance, you have the brains to make good decisions at the NFL level. Now that he has nearly a year and a half in the system, he will be able to hit the ground running.