2009 NFL Mock Draft

The 2009 NFL Draft will be held April 25^th and 26^th in New York City. Detroit, you're on the clock...

1. Detroit Lions: Andre Smith, OT, Alabama
Despite his bizzare antics at the NFL Combine, there is still a lot of time between now and the draft and I expect him to get his act together and give an impressive private workout for scouts and coaches sometime in March. I look for the Lions to go with the safe pick here in Andre Smith and possibly deal their other first round pick (No. 20 overall) for a more experienced quarterback, Anderson or Cassel possibly. Smith is as close to a sure thing with his incredible size and power.

2. St. Louis Rams: Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia
Another OT off the board, Monroe is very athletic for his size and the Rams need someone to protect QB Marc Bulger.

3. Kansas City Chiefs: Matthew Stafford, QB, Georgia
The Chiefs would be ecstatic for Stafford to fall to them. He has great arm strength and has started in the toughest conference in college football for 3 years.

4. Seattle Seahawks: Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech
Seattle is in desperate need of a WR and Crabtree is far and above the best in the 2009 class. Even with his recent surgery for a stress fracture in his foot, he'll be fine come training camp.

5. Cleveland Browns: Aaron Curry, OLB, Wake Forest
This versatile LB will fit in great in the Brown's 3-4 defense. He can rush the passer as well as fall back into coverage.

6. Cincinnati Bengals: Jason Smith, OT, Baylor
The Bengals need help protecting QB Carson Palmer. Smith has a lot of upside with his great athletic ability.

7. Oakland Raiders: Jeremy Maclin, WR, Missouri
Maclin is a flat out game-breaker. He'll provide incredible kick/punt return ability and give young QB Russell some help in the passing game.

8. Jacksonville Jaguars: Everette Brown, DE/OLB, Florida State
With the top OTs off the board look for the Jaguars to sure up their already physical defense. Brown is an explosive defender off the edge and can put pressure on the QB as well as help shut down the running game.

9. Green Bay Packers: Malcolm Jenkins, CB, Ohio State
Look for the Packers to snatch the top DB in the draft here with the 9^th overall pick. Jenkins can be a shut-down corner as well as move to safety if the Packers need him to. He is a reliable tackler and can help with the Packer's poor run defense.

10. San Francisco 49ers: Michael Oher, OT, Ole Miss
I like the 49ers to go safe here with OT Oher. They could take QB Mark Sanchez, but I think they'll be afraid of another 1^st round QB bust and look to improve that position in free agency or by trade.

11. Buffalo Bills: Brandon Pettigrew, TE, Oklahoma St.
The clear top TE in the Draft, Pettigrew will help balance out the inconsistent offense of the bills.

12. Denver Broncos: B.J. Raji, DT, Boston College
With serious defensive issues, the Broncos must go defense with their first pick and Raji is the best available at this point.

13. Washington Redskins: Brian Orakpo, DE, Texas
A possible replacement for the aging Taylor, look for the Redskins to go defense here.

14. New Orleans Saints: Vontae Davis, CB, Illinois
A very athletic DB with a nose for the ball, Davis will instantly improve the Saints poor secondary.

15. Houston Texans: Aaron Maybin, DE/OLB, Penn St
Perhaps a steal at this point in the draft, Maybin is as close to a can't miss at this point.

16. San Diego Chargers: Rey Maualuga, ILB, USC
I expect the Chargers to get RB Tomlinson resigned and with the franchising of Sproles, look for them to go with the top ILB in the draft in Maualuga.

17. New York Jets: Mark Sanchez, QB, USC
With his lack of experience in college I think Sanchez will fall to the Jets and they will be happy to snatch him up after QB Favre's retirement, for now.

18. Chicago Bears: Eben Britton, OT, Arizona
Another possible steal in the draft, Britton is a nice athletic OT for the Bears.

19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Knowshon Moreno, RB, Georgia
Moreno is a quick versatile RB that can hit the hole hard as well as come out of the backfield for some big receptions.

20. Detroit Lions: Michael Johnson, DE, Georgia Tech
The Lions must sure up their defensive line and Johnson is a great pick here with a lot of upside, assuming they don't trade the pick for a QB.

21. Philadelphia Eagles: Chris Wells, RB, Ohio State
The Eagles need a power RB to go with Westbrook and Wells is just that with a great stiff arm and great speed and footwork for a man his size.

22. Minnesota Vikings: Percy Harvin, WR, Florida
With the thought process being that the Vikings will go after QB Jeff Garcia, I think they will look to give him a weapon to work with. Harvin is a speed-demon that can be moved all around the field and score any time he touches the ball.

23. New England Patriots: James Laurinaitis, ILB, Ohio State
The Patriots love drafting skilled defensive players and if Laurinaitis falls to them they will surely grab him in a heartbeat.

24. Atlanta Falcons: William Beatty, OT, Connecticut
The Falcons have a tough choice with the 24^th pick, but I think they'll go OT to help protect franchise QB Matt Ryan for years to come instead of opting for a DB.

25. Miami Dolphins: Sean Smith, S/CB, Utah
I think the Dolphins will trust QB Chad Pennington for a couple more years and opt to get a versatile DB with this pick.

26. Baltimore Ravens: Brian Cushing, OLB, USC
The Ravens will be unable to resign all their LBs this offseason so I look for them to go with Cushing here. He has great movement and can get after the QB.

27. Indianapolis Colts: D.J. Moore, CB Vanderbilt
With no good offensive player at this spot in the draft the Colts should sure up their secondary with an exciting player in Moore.

28. Philadelphia Eagles: Clay Matthew, OLB, USC
Again no offensive player to take here, the Eagles will want to add youth and more speed to their defensive attack.

29. New York Giants: Max Unger, Offensive Line, Oregon
Unger is a very versatile lineman who can play any position on the line. This is a nice safe pick for the Giants who have no serious weakness.

30. Tennessee Titans: Peria Jerry, DT, Ole Miss
With Pro Bowl DT Albert Haynesworth all but on his way out of Tennessee, the Titans will need a replacement and Jerry looks to be a good fit right away.

31. Arizona Cardinals: Alex Mack, C, California
Note that this is the choice if and only if the Cardinals can get Dansby, Berry, and Warner to return. If not they will go with OLB/DE Larry English or QB Josh Freeman. Mack can play either center or guard and is a good fit to protect Warner if he returns.

32. Pittsburgh Steelers: Larry English, OLB/DE, Northern Illinois
The Pittsburgh Steelers showed us last year that defense wins championships and once again they'll draft defense here. English will strive in their system as he can move all around the field and is very versatile.