'Twas the night before combine-mas...
| Round 1 | |||||
| 1 | St Louis | Ndamukong Suh | DT | Nebraksa | The Rams lost 2 QBs to injury last season. You don't take a Franchise QB if you can't protect him. They have their LT of the future in place though, so they take the best player in the draft and wait for Jason Smith to develop. |
| 2 | Detroit | Gerald McCoy | DT | Oklahoma | If the Lions weren't interested in Oher in the second half of the 1st round last year, they are going to keep rolling with their current tackles. Likely to Matt Stafford's detriment. |
| 3 | Tampa Bay |
Eric Berry | S | Tennessee | The Bucs abandoned their switch away from the Tampa-2, making Berry's experience under Monte Kiffin a plus on an already great prospect. |
| 4 | Washington | Sam Bradford |
QB | Oklahoma | The new FO in Washington isn't likely to give Jason Campbell much of a leash, if they even bring him back. |
| 5 | Kansas City | Rolando McClain |
ILB | Alabama |
The Chiefs OL may have turned the corner late in the year allowing just 8 sacks in their last 6 games after giving up 37 in their first 10. This lets them address a hole on the D and worry about the OL later. |
| 6 | Seattle | Jimmy Clausen |
QB | Notre Dame | Matt Hasselbeck is nearing the end of the line and Senneca Wallace isn't stepping into his shoes. |
| 7 | Cleveland | Joe Haden | CB | Florida | Such horrid pass D is rare with a competent pass rush. The Browns need serious coverage help. |
| 8 | Oakland | Russel Okung |
OT | Ok State |
Even Al Davis couldn't get this one wrong... right? |
| 9 | Buffalo | Bruce Campbell |
OT | Maryland | With the top QBs gone the Bills will add another piece to their young line. Hopefully giving their QB of the future to be named later, a solid foundation. |
| 10 | Jacksonville | Derrick Morgan | DE | Georgia Tech | Pass rush lacking Jags try that whole top 10 DE thing over again. |
| 11 | Denver | Dan Williams |
NT | Tennessee | With the 3-4 in vogue teams are taking the key pieces earlier and earlier. |
| 12 | Miami | Brandon Graham |
OLB |
Michigan |
Waaaaay too early for Cody so the Phins take the much smaller reach for a LB. |
| 13 | San Fran | C.J. Spiller | RB/RET | Clemson | Niners get a massive boost in the return game (a major asset to a defense centered team that'll be playing the field position game) and add a compliment to Frank Gore as the league continues to move to favor 2 back systems. |
| 14 | Seattle | Anthony Davis |
OT | Rutgers | Seahawks rebuild the line after getting a Franchise QB. |
| 15 | NY Giants | Brian Price | DT | UCLA | Perfect fit to shoot gaps in a 4-3 |
| 16 | Tennessee | Kyle Wilson |
CB/RET | Boise St. |
Wilson got a major boost at the senior bowl and with his athleticism he's likely to get another. Wilson both solidifies the CB corps behind Finnegan and gives the Titans the returnman they desperately need. |
| 17 | San Fran | Bryan Bulaga |
OT | Iowa | Bulaga was finally back to his dominating form of 2008 in the Orange Bowl and will be well rewarded for it. He'll be more than competent at RT and able to slide to LT in a pinch. |
| 18 | Pittsburgh | Earl Thomas |
S |
Texas | A bit early for a guy that couldn't get under 370 for the start of pre-draft workouts, so the Steelers get a excellent complement to Polamalu |
| 19 | Atlanta | Everson Griffen |
DE | USC | Falcons pass D needs more pressure from the front 4 to improve. Griffen at DE should be a big help and won't be a hindrance against the run. |
| 20 | Houston | Taylor Mays | S | USC |
Bernard Pollard gave the Texans some passable safety play, but there's a reason he was cut and the John Busing/Brian Russell combo at the other safety spot is horrendous. Mays' stock is at it's nadir as teams have had nothing to do but watch tape. His stock will shoot back up when he looks amazing in shorts and a T-shirt. |
| 21 | Cincinnati | Dez Bryant |
WR |
Ok St. | With good workouts he's unlikely to fall this far, but a player who missed much of this past season needs to show a lot in workouts to maintain their stock. |
| 22 | New England | Sergio Kindle | OLB | Texas | The Pats are desperately in need of a pass rush. |
| 23 | Green Bay | Trent Williams |
OT | Oklahoma | Until Charles Brown shows up over 300lbs he won't break into the top 25. Williams has LT athleticism but only RT pass blocking skills at the moment. |
| 24 | Philadelphia | Carlos Dunlap |
DE | Florida | Eagles love to bring the heat, a top rusher to put opposite Trent Cole would certainly do it. |
| 25 | Baltimore | Jermaine Gresham |
TE | Oklahoma | Todd Heap has morphed into an athletic tackle and "The Franchise Player" isn't an answer at all. |
| 26 | Arizona | Brandon Spikes |
ILB | Florida | Karlos Dansby seems likely walk away which would be a hole that needs to be filled. A high flying pass attack needs a strong pass D to prevent teams from keeping pace or closing deficits. |
| 27 | Dallas | Mike Iupati | G | Idaho | The 'Boys need OL help badly. Iupati might not be a pro LT, but the only other 1st round OT option remaining, Charles Brown, is far too light for Dallas' taste. |
| 28 | San Diego | Jonathan Dwyer | RB | Georgia Tech | LDT basically told the Chargers to shove it, so they'll need a bigger back to complement the dangerous, but severely undersized Sproles. |
| 29 | NY Jets | Jared Odrick |
DE | Penn State |
Odrick fills one of the Jets Ds few gaps |
| 30 | Minnesota | Brandon Ghee |
CB | Wake Forest |
Ghee is one of the favorites to end up on top of the CB pileup behind Haden. |
| 31 | Indianapolis | Charles Brown | OT | USC | The Colts have given up just 10 sacks, but that's a near miracle given the flaws Charlie Johnson and Ryan Diem have in pass protection. Brown will let them move CJ or Diem inside, making avoiding the rush easier on Peyton and improving the terrible run blocking. |
| 32 | New Orleans | Sean Weatherspoon | OLB | Missouri | Both Saints OLBs are over 30, Weatherspoon should add some more attacking speed to that D. |
| Round 2 | |||||
| 33 | St Louis | Jason Pierre-Paul | DE | So. Florida | The Rams DL will look like Spagnolo's Giants with Long, Suh, Carriker and Pierre-Paul |
| 34 | Detroit | Jon Asamoah |
OG | Illinois | The Lions add some OL to protect their big investment and keep their offense moving. |
| 35 | Tampa Bay | Damian Williams |
WR | USC | The Bucs need a WR upgrade if they want Josh Freeman to succeed. |
| 36 | Kansas City | Terrence Cody | NT | Alabama | Cody will make some 3-4 very happy on 1st and 2nd down each Sunday, and very frustrated the vast remainder of the week. |
| 37 | Washington | Vladimir Ducasse | OT | Massachusetts |
The new Redskins regime needs to protect their QB of the future |
| 38 | Cleveland | Ryan Matthews |
RB | Fresno St. |
A big back to fill the Lewis role in complement to Jerome Harrison |
| 39 | Oakland | Arthur Jones |
DT | Syracuse | A stout DT to a D that was sub par against the run overall, up the middle and in power situations. |
| 40 | Seattle | Greg Hardy |
DE | Mississippi | Seahawks snag a very talented DE who will be a massive boost to a sub-par pass rush if he's healthy and motivated. |
| 41 | Buffalo | Ricky Sapp |
OLB | Clemson | Buffalo will need to pour picks into the D to make the 3-4 conversion work anytime soon. |
| 42 | Tampa Bay | Navarro Bowman | OLB | Penn State |
Even if Ruud stays the Bucs could use some more LB talent. |
| 43 | Miami | Morgan Burnett |
S | Georgia Tech |
The Dolphins were consistently beaten deep on defense, tying for the league lead in passes of 40+ allowed, and slotting in at 3rd for passes of 20+ given up. |
| 44 | New England | Javhid Best |
RB | Cal |
The Pats upgrade from the RB hodgepodge of recent history. |
| 45 | Denver | Maurkice Pouncey | C/G | Florida | Denver's running game was generally strong, but repeatedly failed in short yardage. Shoring up the middle should fix that. |
| 46 | NY Giants | Chad Jones |
S | LSU | The Giants don't have much back there at safety. |
| 47 | New England | Tyson Alualu | DT | Cal | The Pats add another piece to the ailing front 7 |
| 48 | Carolina | Golden Tate |
WR | Notre Dame | The Panthers passing O needs a target across from Steve Smith |
| 49 | San Francisco | Devin McCourty |
CB | Rutgers |
The Niners had one of the best pass rushes in the league, but the overall pass D, while good, didn't live up to the rush. |
| 50 | Kansas City | Mike Johnson |
G | Alabama | Chiefs shore up the OL. |
| 51 | Houston | Brandon LaFell |
WR | LSU |
A great compliment to Andre Johnson, so the Texans can keep lighting it up on O. |
| 52 | Pittsburgh | Jake Fox |
OT | Miami | While much of the Steelers sacks come from Big Ben's style, there's more they could do to protect him. |
| 53 | New England | Eric Norwood |
LB | South Carolina |
Versatile pass rushing LB to add to the Pats aging front 7 |
| 54 | Cincinnati | Rob Gronkowski |
TE | Arizona | With a top TE and WR added to the O the Bengals should get their passing game back off the ground. |
| 55 | Philadelphia | Donovan Warren |
CB | Michigan | An explosive O without a strong pass D plays shootouts every week. |
| 56 | Green Bay | Jerry Hughes |
OLB | NC St. |
With OT addressed the Packers can work on replacing Aaron Kampman. The TCU edge rushers stock seems to be slipping, but he's a great fit in a 3-4. |
| 57 | Baltimore | Patrick Robinson |
CB | Florida St. |
The CB spots are the weakest point of a very good Ravens D. |
| 58 | NY Jets | Dominque Franks |
CB | Oklahoma |
Revis is great, but the CBs opposite him can be exploited by the Pierre Garçons and Austin Collies of the world. |
| 59 | Arizona | Jason Worlids |
DE/OLB | Virginia Tech |
An explosive offense needs to be complimented with a pass rush on D to prevent weekly shootouts. |
| 60 | Dallas | Arrelious Benn |
WR | Illinois |
Roy Williams still isn't working out. If he doesn't turn it around Benn can be the big target out wide. |
| 61 | Minnesota | Willie Young |
DE | NC St. |
Vikings add an edge rusher to insure the heat stays on, even in Ray Edwards departs. |
| 62 | San Diego | Corey Wootten |
DE | Norwestern | The Chargers reinforce a DL that struggled against the run without Jamal Williams |
| 63 | Indianapolis | Daryl Washington | MLB | TCU |
Gary Brackett looks likely to be re-signed, but a replacement will be needed down the line and Washington would be able to play well at OLB for as long Brackett held up. |
| 64 | New Orleans | D'Anthony Smith |
DT | Lousiana Tech | Run D was the teams weakest phase. |
| Round 3 | |||||
| 65 | St. Louis | T.J. Ward | S | Oregon | With the DL beasting, some DB help to collect up all the hurried passes. |
| 66 | Detroit | Perrish Cox |
CB | Ok. St. |
DB help for a team that tied with Miami for the most passes over 40 yards allowed. |
| 67 | Tampa Bay | George Selvie |
DE | So. Florida |
The Bucs are also in need of another pass rusher, and pickup a rush DE. |
| 68 | Kansas City | Demaryious Thomas |
WR | Georgia Tech |
The broken foot will prevent him from rising up the board, but really how long can GMs resist a size-speed combo like Bey-Bey? |
| 69 | Washington | Forfeit | X | X | Pick used in '09 Supplement Draft |
| 70 | Oakland | John Jerry |
OG | Mississippi |
With a rebuilt OL the Raiders could actually use those big armed QBs and burner WRs. |
| 71 | Philadelphia | Nate Allen |
S | Buffalo |
With a new edge rusher, CB and S the Eagles pass D should take a massive leap forward |
| 72 | Cleveland | Reshad Jones |
S | Georgia |
The Browns pass rush was far better than the coverage, two new DBs should help that. |
| 73 | Buffalo | Cam Thomas |
NT | UNC |
A NT to drop down in the middle of the Bills new 3-4 |
| 74 | Miami | Torrell Troup | NT | Cent. Florida |
An upgrade at each level of the D should give the Dolphins an even better compliment to their pounding ground O. |
| 75 | Jacksonville | Tim Tebow | QB | Florida | By the 3rd round, football and finance interests are close enough to justify the pick. |
| 76 | Chicago | Kyle Calloway |
OT | Iowa |
The downgrade in WRs and OL really derailed Cutler, with no picks in the first 2 rounds the Bears can only address one of those problems at a time. |
| 77 | NY Giants | Matt Tennant | C | Boston College |
A team with the Giants stable of RBs, a credible passing threat and a generally good OL shouldn't rank in the 20s in power running and running between the tackles. |
| 78 | Tennessee | Jermaine Cunningham |
DE | Florida | The Titans pass rush was majorly lacking last year. |
| 79 | Carolina | Lamarr Houston |
DT | Texas | An athletic DT for the Panthers Ron Meeks Tampa-2 |
| 80 | San Francisco | J.D. Walton |
C/G | Baylor | Two fresh talents on the OL should boost the Niners struggling O. |
| 81 | Denver | Jerome Murphy |
CB |
So. Florida |
The Champ is on his last legs |
| 82 | Texans | Toby Gerhart |
RB | Stanford | Texans pick up a bigger back to compliment the shifty Slaton |
| 83 | Pittsburgh |
Amari Spievey |
CB | Iowa |
With the OL and S spots addressed and no NTs of value available the Steelers go to the next weakest spot on D. |
| 84 | Atlanta | Sy'Quan Thompson | CB | Alabama | They lost a very good CB last year and suffered for it. |
| 85 | Cincinnati | Darrell Stuckey | S | Kansas | Roy Williams is still in the league? Really? |
| 86 | Oakland | Sean Lee |
MLB | Penn State |
Lee gives the Raiders a great 3 LB lineup. |
| 87 | Green Bay | Akwasi Owusu-Ansah | CB | Indiana (PA) | Big CB for the Pack's physical style |
| 88 | Philadelphia | A.J. Edds | OLB | Iowa |
Edds was a poor mans' Chad Greenway in college, that's enough for a top 90 pick. |
| 89 | Cleveland | Brandon Lang |
DE | Troy | The Browns pass rush wasn't bad, but upgrades are certainly possible |
| 90 | Baltimore | Mardy Gilyard |
WR | Cincinnati | Derrick Mason can't go on forever, and they don't really have a great #2 WR option either. |
| 91 | Arizona | Kareem Jackson |
CB | Alabama |
talented DBs are great to have when your O is forcing opponents to go pass heavy |
| 92 | Dallas | Jared Veldheer | OT | Hillsdale | With a stud G and a RT prospect Romo might not be running for his life all season. |
| 93 | Minnesota |
Colt McCoy |
QB | Texas | Who is the QB in 2 years? A 42 year old Favre? Tavaris? The Rosenchoppa? |
| 94 | San Diego | Rodger Saffold |
OT | Indiana | That high flying O comes to a crashing halt without great protection |
| 95 | Indianapolis | Javier Arenas |
CB | Alabama | Can contribute in the nickel/dime, but his real value would be upgrading the Colts terrible return game |
| 96 | New Orleans | Zane Beadles | OT/G | Utah | (see Chargers pick's comments) |
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