Tuesday, March 27, 2007

2007 NFL Mock Draft 1st half of 1st Round

1. Oakland – JaMarcus Russell, QB, LSU
I think this is a mistake, because I’m not a huge believer in him, but Al Davis apparently loves him, and they’re QB situation is horrible (though they could sign Trent Green or David Carr).
2. Detroit – Brady Quinn, QB, Notre Dame
They could trade down and get Quinn later maybe, but I feel like the QB situation with Kitna starting isn’t very good. Quinn has the pedigree, and he is apparently a combine freak with 25 reps on the bench press. Also a plus is that he has been in an “NFL-Type” offense for the last 2 years, and would be ready to start sooner.
3. Cleveland – Adrian Peterson, RB, Oklahoma
They could go with Joe Thomas or Calvin Johnson, but I think their biggest need is a RB, because Reuben Droughns isn’t very good with a 3.4 YPC last year. They are fairly set at receiver with Edwards, Jurevicious, and Winslow Jr. I would like Peterson, but I think he has a lot of carries already on him, and he seems to get injured quite often, otherwise, he’s going to be good if he’s healthy for at least 5 seasons.
4. Tampa Bay – Calvin Johnson, WR, Georgia Tech
The number one overall rated player gets picked finally. I’m not sure that Tampa needs him with Galloway, Clayton, and Hilliard, but Galloway is getting old, and Clayton doesn’t seem to be the picture of health. He’s obviously a physical freak with a sub 4.4 40 yard time and the size of a TE at 6-5 225. He’s kind of like Randy Moss mixed with Terrell Owens, except he apparently has a great personality, quiet and humble. So what’s wrong with this kid? He didn’t dominate in college. He disappeared for a few games, which makes me think he’s not a great route runner, and he wasn’t as consistent as he should have been. If you’re that big and fast in college, you should be dominating CBs in college either by beating them deep, or just turning around in front of them and boxing them out for a jump ball. I think he’s going to be pretty good, but I don’t think he’s going to be great like most do.
5. Arizona – Joe Thomas, OT, Wisconsin
I think the top 5 picks are pretty much set in stone unless a trade happens. As it is, Arizona is thrilled with this, because their biggest need is O-line. With Joe Thomas anchoring the line, the rest of the offense can really get moving. Field Gulls tends to think he might be a bust because he doesn’t have a good 40 time or 10 yard speed burst, and he can only bench 225 lbs. 28 times. I agree with this because his technique is probably great, but the athleticism in college is very different from what he’ll experience in the NFL. I think he’ll be solid, but you need above average athleticism and amazing technique or amazing athleticism and above average technique to be a great LT in the NFL, and Thomas, while better than a Gallery, is just average in athleticism.
6. Washington - Gaines Adams, DE, Clemson
I wasn’t too high on this guy until the combine, where he proved to be a speedy DE running in the 4.5’s. He can play in either 3-4 or 4-3 sets, and the Redskins apparently were dead last in sacks last year, so a guy who averaged 11 sacks the last two years will certainly help them.
7. Minnesota – LaRon Landry, S, LSU
I have to say, I love this guy. He’s 6’2” 202 lbs and runs a sub 4.5 40. As a freshman he had 80 tackles, 3.5 for a loss, 3 sacks, 2 INTs, 4 passes deflected, and a blocked kick. His stats have stayed consistent over the years, but he has showed that he can play all the secondary positions. Basically he’s a great cover safety who can also play the line well. Minnesota doesn’t really need secondary help, but I can see him displacing Dwight Smith as a starter, or if not then playing both S positions and the nickel back position, while playing amazing special teams. That being said, the Vikings have no real need on defense except the safety position and LOLB, with Ben Leber. On offense they need a WR, so I could definitely see a trade down for Bob Meachem or Ted Ginn Jr.
8. Atlanta – Jamaal Anderson, DE, Arkansas
Atlanta needs to replace the void that Kerney’s departure makes, and Anderson is the perfect fit. Atlanta’s secondary wasn’t great last year, but it might have been due to lack of pressure. Their aren’t many good LB’s in this draft, so Anderson fills the need at this spot.
9. Miami – Alan Branch, DT, Michigan
This guy was a top 5 picks a few weeks ago, and I’m not sure why he dropped, because he is such an athletic specimen for a tackle and could conceivably play the end position for a 3-4 team like San Diego. Apparently they also like Adam Carricker, Levi Brown, or Ted Ginn Jr. so this is hard to predict because they have so many needs.
10. Houston – Levi Brown, OT, Penn State
Houston needs to solidify their line still, despite a great draft last year. This will allow Chris Spencer to move over to either LG or RG, his more natural position for an offensive line that is young, but solid throughout. This might be a bit of a reach, but I’ve seen him higher, and he is the only other O-Line that is guaranteed to go in the first round. They could go with Leon Hall, who was a sure-fire top 10 pick but then dropped as far as 25th pick when there were rumors that he was slow. Well, he ran a sub 4.4, but still hasn’t regained his hype as a shut down corner.
11. San Francisco – Ted Ginn Jr, WR, Ohio State
I don’t really like this pick, but I think they would be happy with Ginn, Meachem, or Dwayne Jarrett, so don’t be surprised if they trade down. That being said, they do have a lot of needs, so they could pick ILB Patrick Willis, or CB Leon Hall. I’m not a huge fan of Ginn personally, because I like consistent threats, not just vertical threats that make 4 catches a game. He’s also injured right now, so he hasn’t been able to work out, but there’s no doubt that he’s a physical freak.
12. Buffalo – Marshawn Lynch, RB, California
Before, this would have been Leon Hall or Amobi Okoye, but now that they have traded away McGahee, they need a RB. They also need a LB because they just traded Takeo Spikes away today, but there aren’t many great OLB in this draft, and now that they have a DT, they don’t need Okoye. I’m a big fan of Marshawn Lynch, he’s a physical specimen, and he had good numbers in college. I think this is a good pick to use on a RB, because you can have him for his prime 5 years while not paying him too much.
13. St. Louis – Amobi Okoye, DT, Louisville
There seems to be a consensus on mock drafts that the Rams will choose a DT, and with Branch gone, Okoye is the obvious choice. He’s just 19, which could be a problem for the NFL right now, but he held his own as a 16 year old true freshman in college, so we’ll just have to wait and see. That being said, if he is really just 19, then his body could mature even more, and it’ll be amazing to see how good he can be. At the age of 19, most kids are just starting to play college football, so its obvious just how impressive this kid is. He also has a great work ethic apparently, so you won’t have to worry about him slacking off.
14. Carolina - Greg Olsen, TE, Miami
Not a great blocking TE, but he’s an amazing catching TE as proved by the skills challenge on ESPN. Not only this, but he was by far the best TE at the combine, with a blazing (for a TE if you’re not Vernon Davis) 4.51 40. That being said, he is just all projectibles and not actual numbers. I know college TE don’t have great numbers, but he only got 444 yards and 1 TD last year. He is 6’5” so that’s good for a QB like Delhomme, who has tunnel vision on his #1 WR, but he needs to gain a few pounds from the 255 he is currently at.
15. Pittsburgh – Leon Hall, CB, Michigan
They could go with Jarvis Moss, Patrick Willis, or Lawrence Timmons, because they need LB help now that Joey Porter is gone. They don’t have a strong CB core right now, and Ike Taylor bombed last year, so Leon Hall would be a perfect fit. I don’t think he’s a Champ Bailey or Chris McCalister, but he is comparable to a Marcus Trufant or Terence Newman.
Green Bay – Robert Meachem, WR, Tennessee
This is my favorite WR in the draft, in that he has great hands, and great athleticism. 1300 yards, 11 TDs, and under 4.4 40 yard dash. This may be a bit of a reach, but I think Green Bay wants to make Favre look good, and while WR don’t usually do well until year 3, it’ll be hard to pass up this guy, though I think they’d rather have Ted Ginn Jr. because Driver is a bit slow, and an extreme vertical threat is what they’d be looking for.

1 comment:

The MixRaptor said...

I'm not sure Quinn will go as high as 2, but no matter what, I'm calling bust now. Out of the NFL in 5 years.