2009 NFL Mock Draft

Pete Carroll is NOT HAPPY! And nothing you say will make him happy. So save it. Except you, Bryce Brown. Go ahead and call Pete and make it official. Become the 9th five-star running back to commit to USC in the past four years. Maybe then he'll forgive Mark Sanchez and realize his roster isn't so bad. Moving on...

The early-entry deadline has come and gone with some major surprises. Sam Bradford, Colt McCoy, Taylor Mays, Brandon Spikes all decided to stay in school (to the chagrin of teams drafting in the middle of the first round), significantly thinning out what looked like a strong draft. Still, Mark Sanchez declared (to the chagrin of Pete Carroll) and this draft looks very deep on the offensive line and at wide receiver.

Check out the original from January 2nd, then read on about how the April 25 NFL Draft first round could go down:

1) Detroit Lions- OT Andre Smith. They needed Scott Pioli and Bill Cowher. They ended up with an unknown in Jim Schwartz, and I won't pretend to know how that will work out. Conventional wisdom still says that the Lions must take a quarterback, a "FACE OF THE FRANCHISE" with the top pick. Why? This season proved that you can win in the NFL without a top-10 quarterback. At some point, the position needs addressed in the long term. But the Lions must get value out of this selection immediately. They need to win fast, and not just because they're coming off the worst season in NFL history. Detroit will be impacted by the economic crisis as much as any city in America. Will laid off motor makers be willing to pay to support a loser? And beyond that... What quarterback could emerge unscathed from that mess?

While can't miss tackles do sometimes miss (Robert Gallery and Leonard Davis), they have a much better track record than underclassmen quarterbacks (Ryan Leaf, et al) in untenable situations. Take care of your left tackle position for the next ten years (it worked for the Ravens and Rams with Jonathan Ogden and Orlando Pace) and go after Matt Cassel, Kyle Orton (depending on how the Bears situation shakes out), Vince Young, or Matt Leinart in trades. The offense would be substantially better next season, and the Lions could focus on defense with second first round pick and beyond.

2) St. Louis Rams- WR Michael Crabtree. Few are projecting the Rams to take a wide receiver, but with rumors that Torry Holt might bolt, Donnie Avery and Dane Looker would be their top two returning wide receivers. A quarterback would be excess to requirements. Marc Bulger has been a Pro Bowler quite recently; the Rams have made a huge financial commitment to him in recent years. They should restore his tools and see if he can fix the offense before spending a high draft pick replacing him, only to watch him prove he wasn't the problem after all down the road (see: Kurt Warner). Crabtree is a mega-talent in the mould of Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Marquis Colston and Brandon Marshall. He's a safe pick for a team with the potential to rebound quickly. If he fulfills the promise he's shown up til now, he could be the type of unstoppable force that makes quarterbacks look good on his own.

3) Kansas City Chiefs- OT Michael Oher. Adding Pioli as the decision maker in the front office completely alters any perception of what they might draft. New England developed clear patterns during his collaboration with Bill Belichick. Some will speculate that New England found out just how important a good quarterback is; I'd argue the Patriots have proven great value can be found at quarterback later in the draft. At their best, the Patriots have ranked amongst the league's best on both lines. The pick will be a tackle, and they can pick up one of the aforementioned available quarterbacks sure to be shopped around the league. Adding a future Pro Bowl lineman would be a nice haul in the draft and Albert Haynesworth in free agency would be a nice haul.

4) Seattle Seahawks- OT Eugene Monroe- The Seahawks could make a case for drafting a quarterback, but Seneca Wallace was excellent in extended playing time this season, and Matt Hasselbeck is a former Pro Bowler. There are many teams with worse situations at quarterback in the NFL. Their main needs are on the lines. They lack high-end talent at defensive tackle and need to infuse young talent at offensive tackle. Because it's hard to spot a defensive tackle worthy of a top-five pick, Monroe is the pick. They were burned when acquiring Deion Branch, but a trade for Chad Johnson (2nd round pick?) might work for both the Seahawks and Bengals.

5) Cleveland Browns- OLB Aaron Curry. The Browns defense managed a measly 17 sacks in 2008 and taking the 2008 Butkus Award winner would go a long way towards turning the unit around. Their offense ranked 31st in points scored in 2008, but Ken Dorsey will do that to you. Curry made 15 tackles for loss from his outside linebacker position at Wake and is seen as an elite tackler and a potentially disrupting force.

6) Cincinnati Bengals- RB Chris "Beanie" Wells. The Cincinnati Bengals are becoming a drama-filled batch of divas, alienating their fans. What better to add to that cauldron than a popular, no-nonsense workhorse in Chris Wells? More than just a new mentality, Wells also represents real progress on the field. They desperately need a running back (Future CFL running back Cedric Benson ran the ball over 200 times for them this season), and Wells may be the first guy Bob Sanders runs into and needs help tackling.

7) Oakland Raiders- DE Brian Orakpo. Al Davis will probably trade this pick and his next four first rounders to move up to get a big name in Crabtree, and I'm sure he'd love to take a good looking big name like Mark Sanchez, but the Raiders must get stronger on the defensive line. They lack an elite pass rusher and are terrible against the run. Orakpo, college football's Nagurski winner, offers a freakish end rusher who won't get bullied around in the running game.

8) Jacksonville Jaguars- LB Rey Maualuga. Maualuga has been NFL-ready since he was 17 and the 10-time All American (or so it seems) will be an elite linebacker for the next decade in the league. Are Samoans ever busts? He is Samoan right? And I can already picture him in Jacksonville. He's got every chance to be an NFL poster boy for the next decade. Especially if his sly moves on Erin Andrews work...

9) Green Bay Packers- DE Michael Johnson. The Packers played better than their record indicated in 2008 and have the potential to bounce back and win their division as early as 2009. They were 26th in the NFL in run yards allowed per game in 2008, and shoring that area up could go a long way towards insuring they improve. Signing Albert Haynesworth would be ideal, but who doesn't want him? Johnson's blend of size and quickness is oft-compared to Dwight Freeney and Julius Peppers, and, while he isn't seen as a finished product, he'd be an excellent risk for a Packers team looking to beef up against the run. Johnson and Kampman will terrorize opposing quarterbacks for years and should combine to force opposing runners inside. Adding a young cornerback like Malcolm Jenkins would be wise to consider, too, with Al Harris and Charles Woodson in their 30's.

10) San Francisco 49ers- QB Mark Sanchez. Sanchez's numbers in a pro-style offense at USC are impressive, but so are the guys he handed off and threw the ball to. The 49ers once again are looking for a long-term answer at quarterback. The best thing you'll hear anyone say about Shaun Hill is that he wasn't terrible in 2008. The 49ers will aim higher with Sanchez, and hope genuine compliments will be paid to him in the near future.

11) Buffalo Bills- OT Jason Smith It was a statistic that stunned some in a Bills fan forum in my last mock draft... Jason Peters gave up more sacks than any starting tackle in the NFL in 2008. A major pass rusher on defense would be great also, since they made just 24 sacks in 2008.

12) Denver Broncos- DE/LB Everette Brown Denver's defense was awful in 2008, but you'll have that when Ebenezer Ekuban and John Engelberger are every-down defensive players. They're, like, 75's on Madden. Yuck. Adding someone who can get to the quarterback would be tremendous. Hopefully, Brown has that kind of potential? He made 13.5 sacks at Florida State last season.

13) Washington Redskin- LB James Laurinaitis Laurinaitis sounds like a disease, but for the Redskins he'd the antidote for an aging- but effective- defense.

14) New Orleans Saints- CB Malcolm Jenkins Saints fans long ago grew tired of watching their cornerbacks give up leads late in games. Jenkins has the talent to go much higher and might be atop the Saints draft board overall. If he isn't, he should be. With the Saints recent track record in the draft, expect Jenkins to be drafted, lauded, and then cut by training camp. I'm a disgruntled fan.

15) Houston Texans- DE Aaron Maybin Maybin was one of the leaders of Penn State's defense this season, and his hyper-productive style may finally cause a unit chock full of high draft picks to mesh. Teaming Maybin and Mario Williams could have devastating effects on opposing offenses.

16) San Diego Chargers- C/G Alex Mack Ladainian Tomlinson's productivity slipped in 2008, in large part due to poor line play on the interior. Mack will be a force immediately and could slide over to center should Nick Hardwick ever get injured.

17) New York Jets- QB Matt Stafford With the Brett Favre experiment mercifully over, the Jets will nab Stafford to be their quarterback of the future. Or better yet, they could try to trade for Chad Pennington? I hear he is a pretty good quarterback...

18) Chicago Bears- WR Jeremy Maclin Maclin would add another gamebreaker to the Bears' offense opposite Devin Hester. How B.A. would it be to see those two B.A.M.F.'s running a double-reverse in which Kyle Orton sneaks out of the backfield to the far sideline and catches a pass from Maclin that he runs in for a touchdown. Maclin could be the first player in history to pass, run, catch, kick return, and punt return for touchdowns in the same game! I'm way down.

19) Tampa Bay Buccaneers- OLB Brian Cushing A four year starter at USC, Cushing will be more than capable of replacing the 35-year old Derrick Brooks. Bucs fans would have reason to be more confident in Cushing if he'd gone to Purdue rather than USC. Consider all the rush ends Purdue has sent to the NFL lately: Anthony Spencer, Chike Okeafor, Rosevelt Colvin, Shaun Phillips, and Akin Ayodele (and I'm forgetting a handful). Don't sleep on the Boilermakers.

20) Detroit Lions- CB Vontae Davis The Illinois cornerback and brother of Vernon would immediately move into the Lions starting secondary. It's a start, right?

21) Arizona Cardinals- RB Knowshon Moreno The Cardinals problems at running back are famous, so to have a prospect like Moreno fall this far would be remarkable and a no-brainer selection. Hopefully Moreno doesn't mind a good Bible-thumping every now and then.

22) Minnesota Vikings- OT Eben Britton The Vikings are crying out for a right tackle, and DAMNET, it wouldn't be fair to end the Tarvaris Jackson experiment until he's got one. When he still sucks with one (and he will), then by all means go ahead and cut away. My first 2010 projection is that the Vikings will be taking Colt McCoy with the 18th pick.

23) New England Patriots- WR Percy Harvin Really? Could they honestly get this lucky? To add arguably the top playmaker in the draft would be unfair. But the Patriots don't play by the rules. Randy Moss only has a few seasons left in him, and New England can afford to look ahead with this pick. Harvin has lightning speed and the Patriots will figure out how to utilize it.

24) Atlanta Falcons- DT B.J. Raji The Falcons have a need at defensive tackle, so I'm slotting the top projected one in the draft at their pick. But I think he'll be a bust. I like my DT's like I like my HC's. FAT!!!!!!!!!!

25) Miami Dolphins- S William Moore Moore is a big-hitting safety who's faster than his size would suggest. He'll help a defense that was poor against the pass in 2008. And while I'm on the subject of the Dolphins' defense... How did Joey Porter not make the All Pro team this season? An abomination. Maybe he was too quiet?

26) Baltimore Ravens- WR Brian Robiskie Flacco was solid in his debut season, but he needs more weapons to throw to going forward. Robiskie, the son of former NFL player Terry, is polished, dependable, and professional. And just bland enough to fit right in with the Ravens.

27) Indianapolis Colts- RB Shonn Greene Joseph Addai has durability issues and his performance is fading. Dominic Rhodes is at the end of the line. If the Colts fail to add a running back this season, it could come back to haunt them. Greene may be one of the more underrated prospects in this draft as he was literally unstoppable for Iowa all year. Trade Addai for a pick and form an all new TAG TEAM DUO of Mike "the Tough Little Shit Man" Hart and Shonn "Too Mean" Greene. Wow, I'm pulling at straws here.

28) Philadelphia Eagles- OT Phil Loadholt I was tempted to test my readers here and slot in an offensive tackle I've already used. Instead, I won't insult your intelligence (not after that terrible tag team duo joke). With aging tackles Jon Runyan and Tra Thomas, Loadholt fills a need and can develop for a year or two.

29) New York Giants- CB D.J. Moore EFF you Greg Hardy! Hardy was supposed to be the pick here, but then he went and started acting all studious and decided to stay in school another year. So I'm scrambling. What to get the team that needs nothing? A nickel cornerback of course.

30) Tennessee Titans- WR Hakeem Nicks Nicks had a monster season for North Carolina and capped it off with 217 receiving yards in the Meineke Car Care Bowl. The only weakness of the Titans is a lack of playmakers. At over 16 yards a catch, Nicks is a playmaker, if anything. And he looks great in all shades of blue. A perfect fit!

31) Philadelphia Eagles- G Duke Robinson Loadholt AND Robinson? No way! The Eagles line is going to be stacked. Lucky...

32) Pittsburgh Steelers- S Patrick Chung Chung is the next Bob Sanders. I promise. Teaming Chung and Troy Polamalu together back at safety... So many sweet YouTube vids are going to be rolling out of Heinz Field. Make it happen. Or let him fall to the Saints in Round Two?

What do you think? Let us know in the mock draft thread in OUR FORUM.