NFL Mock Draft

Kid Reporter Blogs

Posted by: Zach Parnes
April 22, 2009, 6:08 PM

I'll be covering the NFL Draft on Saturday! Here's how I see Round 1 playing out...

Lions

MATTHEW STAFFORD, QB, Georgia

The Lions had Stafford work out for them, and it couldn’t have gone better. Reportedly, he was flawless. Detroit really needs a quarterback, and Stafford is the best one available.

Rams

JASON SMITH, OT, Baylor

The Rams need to strengthen up the offensive line Smith could help them put their talented skill players to use. The St. Louis defense is bad, but not as bad as the offense.

Chiefs

AARON CURRY, LB, Wake Forest

Curry won the Butkus Award as college football’s best linebacker. He looked incredible out there. K.C. had no problem scoring last season, but their defense is a big problem.

Seahawks

BRIAN ORAKPO, DE, Texas

Seattle has a couple of choices. Their o-line is bad, but their defense is a bigger problem. They just seem to be really struggling on that side of the ball, and Orakpo could help them out on the pass rush.

Browns

EUGENE MONROE, OT, Virgina

Monroe was the best offensive lineman in the ACC. Quarterback Brady Quinn is a great talent, but they need to strengthen that offensive line. The Steelers and Ravens have great pass rushers, and that’s one of the reasons I have them taking another offensive tackle.

Bengals

B.J. RAJI, OT, Boston College

It seems like the Bengals have never had a good defense, and Raji is the best defensive tackle available.

Raiders

MICHAEL CRABTREE, WR, Texas Tech

They have Darren McFadden and their o-line is pretty good. They’re set at quarterback with JaMarcus Russell and Jeff Garcia, but they need someone to throw to. The only really talented receiver they have is return man Johnny Lee Higgins. Crabtree’s the most talented receiver out there; he has the talent to be a top 5 pick.

Jaguars

JEREMY MACLIN, WR, Missouri

They’re desperate for a wide receiver, especially now that Matt Jones is gone. I think Maclin will be the solution to their receiver problems.

Packers

EVERETTE BROWN, DE/LB, Florida State

A lot of people think they’ll take Vontae Davis, but I don’t think he’s the kind of player that Green Bay needs. Brown had 13.5 sacks last season, which is great. He’s an extremely talented pass rusher. The Packers are switching to a 3-4 defense. And I think if you have some talented rush linebackers like Brown can be, that 3-4 defense will work.

49ers

VONTAE DAVIS, CB, Illinois

San Francisco has struggled to make plays on defense. Davis can bring those big plays to the secondary. Plus, he’d get to play alongside brother Vernon, the Niners' starting tight end.

Bills

ANDRE SMITH, OT, Alabama

They landed Terrell Owens, but they still need an offensive tackle. Smith wasn’t great at the combine, so he should still be happy he’s still in the top 20. He could replace Jason Peters, the starting left tackle who was traded to the Eagles.

Broncos

KNOWSHON MORENO, RB, Georgia

I can’t even count how many running backs Denver had to use last year. I think I saw Terrell Davis in there at one point. So with so many injury questions at running back, the Broncos should take the best runner available in the Draft. There is some question whether or not the Broncos should take Chris Wells with this pick. But Wells has had several injuries last season, which could mean that Moreno is the better back.

Redskins

ROBERT AYERS, DE, Tennessee

They signed Albert Haynesworth to play defensive tackle, but Jason Taylor is gone. They need a defensive end, and Ayers could step right into Taylor’s old spot.

Saints

PERCY HARVIN, WR, Florida

The Saints could go a bunch of different ways here, like Ohio State running back Chris Wells or USC linebacker Rey Maualuga. But when I saw Harvin in last year’s BCS title game, I thought he was unstoppable. With Drew Brees throwing to Harvin and Reggie Bush, you don’t even need a traditional receiver.

Texans

MALCOLM JENKINS, S/CB, Ohio State

They have gaps to fill on defense. Houston has a talented defensive line, but they need help in the secondary.

Chargers

REY MAUALUGA, LB, USC

Their offensive is flawless, and I still think that their defense can be great. Maualuga can step right in and play inside linebacker.

Jets

MARK SANCHEZ, QB, USC

With Brett Favre (supposedly) retired, they’ll take the second-best QB in the draft. Experience is a problem, but Rex Ryan and the Jets should be able to make him feel more comfortable out on the field. I say they take Sanchez and start him on Day 1. There really isn’t another talented quarterback on their roster.

Broncos

BRIAN CUSHING, LB, USC

If they go offense with their first pick, they can address defense with this pick, acquired in the Jay Cutler trade. They can gain confidence on both sides of the ball.

Bucs

CHRIS WELLS, RB, Ohio State

I think they still need a running back, despite Derrick Ward and Cadillac Williams. Wells and Ward can split carries, and it’s kind of going to be like the situation in New Orleans a few years back with Reggie Bush and Deuce McAllister, when he was healthy. I think that’s going to be a great lineup for the Bucs.

Lions

MICHAEL OHER, OT, Mississippi

They’ll need to get help if they take Matthew Stafford first overall. Detroit doesn’t need a receiver because they already have Calvin Johnson, so they’ll take a pass protector in Oher. It’s extremely important to protect Stafford.

Eagles

HAKEEM NICKS, WR, North Carolina

They don’t have a lot of talent at wide receiver, and Donovan McNabb needs someone to throw to.

Vikings

JAMES LAURINAITIS, LB, Ohio State

They could go with a linebacker, defensive end, quarterback, or wide receiver. I say they go with help of the defensive side of the ball and take Laurinaitis.

Patriots

TYSON JACKSON, DE, LSU

They can go a number of different ways, but I think the Patriots keep it simple and go with Tyson Jackson, the best defensive player available. He’s 6’ 4” and 290 lbs. and a perfect fir for a defense that’s getting old.

Falcons

DARRIUS HEYWARD-BEY, WR, Maryland

They need a wide receiver for Matt Ryan to throw to besides Roddy White. I think Heyward-Bey would be a great pick for Atlanta. He’s another one of those talented guys who could prove a lot of people wrong for passing on him on draft day.

Dolphins

SEAN SMITH, CB, Utah

I still say that the Dolphins need help on defense, so they’ll take Smith. He would be the best defensive player available at this point.

Ravens

PERIA JERRY, DT, Mississippi

They will continue to take defensive players in the draft. I don’t think there’s an offensive tackle on the board at this point that they should grab. They’re still running the ball well and Flacco was great last year. They don’t really need Jerry, but he’s the best player available and drafting defense is what they do best.

Colts

AARON MAYBIN, DE, Penn State

Between Dwight Freeney and Maybin, the Colts will be a force when pressuring the quarterback. Those two will be able to get by offensive tackles.

Bills

BRANDON PETTIGREW, TE, Oklahoma State

Buffalo hasn’t had a great tight end in a while. They could have an all-star offense that includes Terrell Owens, Lee Evans, and Pettigrew, along with Andre Smith joining the o-line.

Giants

MICAHEL JOHNSON, DE, Georgia Tech

Johnson is just very, very good. He had some big plays last season where he made shoe-string tackles to bring the quarterback down.

Titans

CLAY MATTHEWS, DE/LB, USC

Matthews looked great last season, especially in the Rose Bowl. Tennessee needs a good linebacker who could get to the QB. Matthews would be great for them.

Cardinals

LESEAN MCCOY, RB, Pittsburgh

Edgerrin James is too old to carry the load. Plus, he wanted to leave earlier this offseason. You can’t put your trust in a guy who wanted to leave. McCoy is extremely talented and very underrated. He may be a bit on the small side, but he’s a good fit for a team like Arizona who has big offensive linemen.

Steelers

EBEN BRITTON, OT, Arizona

They need someone on the offensive line. You can’t have your quarterback going down as many times as Ben Roethlisberger did last season. Britton’s obviously an offensive tackle who can really protect Ben. And he can help block for Willie Parker as well.