2009
NFL Mock Draft |
by Alex Wiederspiel
- Apr 20, 2009 2:59 AM EST. Email
him... |
|
|
17. New York Jets
- Britt, Kenny, WR Rutgers
Three straight years I've nailed the Jets selection. This one was what my gut told me. Even with Jeremy Maclin available, the Jets will take Kenny Britt. Consider that Britt adds a red zone presence at receiver the Jets have lacked since Keyshawn Johnson and consider that Britt comes from a pro-style offense whereas Maclin comes from a spread that taught him almost no NFL routes. Consider that Britt can start from day one and Maclin can't.
Also consider that people seem to forget that Britt basically played a similar style to Bernard Berrian as a sophomore despite the fact that people are bashing his deep speed unintelligently. His route running improved significantly as a Junior which allowed him to become a better all around receiver, and my #2 rated receiver in this draft. |
18. Denver Broncos
- Maualuga, Rey, ILB USC
I can't say I'm Sting Rey's biggest fan, but he's really well built for the 3-4 ILB role. The Broncos have a plethora of needs while they fill out their 3-4 defense, and this just happens to be the best value here. |
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Maclin, Jeremy, WR Missouri
There's no guarantee that Antonio Bryant is going to be Tampa Bay's long-term future, and even if he is, the Bucs need a receiver anyway. Bryant has been franchised, and has yet to put back-to-back good seasons together. Maclin is the BPA here, and should be starting by his 2nd year, assuming he's got his routes figured out. |
20. Detroit Lions
- Britton, Eben, OT Arizona
The Lions nabbed Gosder Cherilus last year to play RT, and it's more of a testament to the Lions being the Lions that Jeff Backus is still the starting LT, when any other offensive linemen who played as poorly as Backus has in his career would have been cut or at least switched position. |
21. Philadelphia Eagles
- Pettigrew, Brandon, TE Oklahoma State
|
| The Jason Peters trade allows the Eagles to steal Brandon Pettigrew from Atlanta. L.J. Smith steadily got worse as his career went on and Brent Celek has got some potential, but this pick is too hard to pass up. Pettigrew is the complete package at tight end. |
|
22. Minnesota Vikings
- Beatty, William, OT Connecticut
One year in an NFL weight room and William Beatty will be among the best pass blocking left tackles in football. Bryant McKinnie got into trouble yet again and is likely headed towards another suspension. He could be on his way out of Minnesota. |
23. New England Patriots
- Johnson, Michael, DE Georgia Tech
Michael Johnson has got the ability to be the best 3-4 outside linebacker in the game, but he suffers from major consistency issues. He hasn't produced as well as he should have, but Johnson can be an elite talent. |
24. Atlanta Falcons
- Ayers, Robert, DE Tennessee
Ayers is a very good run-stopping end, and he can collapse the pocket, but his production in college was limited. He very rarely finished the job and only had 3 sacks last season. That may be eerily similar to Jamaal Anderson, but Anderson may be moving to DT because he can only seem to stop the run and gets no pressure. Ayers would be an upgrade, albeit not a big one. He's got potential, and late 1st is the highest I'd take him, which makes this a solid pick. |
25. Miami Dolphins
- Wells, Chris, RB Ohio State
The fall ends for Beanie. His roller coaster off-season which as gone up and down and back again ends somewhere in the middle. The simple fact is that the running back position has lost a lot of value in the last few years with the success of late round backs and the explosion of the committee system. Rumor has it that Ronnie Brown can be had for the right price, and frankly Brown may not fully recover from his torn ACL, which may have prematurely slowed what should have been a great career. |
26. Baltimore Ravens
- Heyward-Bey, Darrius, WR Maryland
The Ravens have some work to do to make up for a poor off-season. Losing center Jason Brown was their biggest mistake, but losing Bart Scott as well didn't help. Brown, however, was one of the best centers in the league protecting a rookie quarterback. How does it help the guy you want to be the future of your team when you take away one of his protectors?
While Baltimore will need to fill that void, they also need to get a player with the speed and deep ball ability to match Flacco's arm. DHB comes from a run first offense which hindered his numbers, and he's high-risk, high-reward. Recently he was voted as having the highest bust factor of the potential first round receivers (astounding since Percy Harvin was on that list). DHB is high-risk, high-reward, but getting him this late in the first is a lot better then say at 8th overall to Jacksonville. |
27. Indianapolis Colts
- Jerry, Peria, DT Ole Miss
I feel like I haven't changed this pick once this off-season--well the position at any rate. Once Jerry's stock jumped into the first round, he pretty much became a lock for this interior linemen needy Colts defense. |
28. Philadelphia Eagles
- Hood, Evander, DT Missouri
The BILLS will select Evander Hood after missing out on all six first round offensive tackle prospects. I could see them trading up to 21 or 19 to snag Britton or Beatty though. Regardless, the Bills need a defensive tackle to pair next to Marcus Stroud who currently plays nose in their 4-3. Hood would be an excellent under tackle and would replace the failed John McCargo and the stop-gap Kyle Williams. |
29. New York Giants
- Nicks, Hakeem, WR North Carolina
The Giants still may trade for Braylon Edwards on draft day, but I think that could very well be a smoke screen by Cleveland to get someone to trade up for Michael Crabtree and force a player to fall to them. Either way, the Giants have got to upgrade this position on draft day, and Nicks is NFL ready despite his consistency problems. |
30. Tennessee Titans
- Davis, Vontae, CB Illinois
Vontae Davis takes a surprising fall--one that I did not forsee. Tennessee has a couple of key needs, but this is too hard to pass up and it does fill a need since Nick Harper is 33, going on 34 years old. |
31. Arizona Cardinals
- Moreno, Knowshon, RB Georgia
The Cardinals have made it clear that they want to get faster at running back. Knowshon Moreno should answer that cry for help. |
32. Pittsburgh Steelers
- Delmas, Louis, S Western Michigan
While the Steelers desperately need offensive linemen, the value on Delmas at this pick was too much to pass up, and considering this does fill a need, it should be the pick if he's available on draft day. This draft is a very deep one for linemen, so Pittsburgh should be able to find one in the 2nd round. |
|
|
|
|