2009 Mock Draft - Heavily Revised

[MMONTERO]

Using Walter's Draft Order

1. Atlanta Falcons - T Michael Oher, Ole Miss
If the Falcons draft here, Sam Baker needs to move inside or to right tackle. Oher is hands-down the best tackle in this class and will be an immediate upgrade for a weak offensive line.

2. Miami Dolphins - WR Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech
The Dolphins need wide receivers badly. Ted Ginn Jr., Ernest Wilford, and Greg Camarillo aren't going to cut it. The Dolphins will snag a super talented target for Beck, McCown, or Henne.

3. San Francisco 49ers - QB Hunter Cantwell, Louisville
If San Francisco is picking this high, they need a quarterback. Cantwell's rocket arm and strong upside will make him the pick in a quarterback class full of questions. Martz loves quarterbacks that fit his system and Cantwell definitely fits the bill.

4. Kansas City Chiefs - QB Tim Tebow, Florida
As with the Niners if the Chiefs are picking this high they, too, will need a QB. Tebow makes up for poor mechanics with great pocket mobility and a very good arm.

5. St. Louis Rams - T Ciron Black, LSU
The Rams need DT help but the value isn't there. They could draft a receiver but they just took Donnie Avery and I have to think they will give him every reason to succeed. So at #5 they could either trade out or reach slightly for a tackle. I'm not projecting trades this far ahead of time so Black is the pick.

6. Detroit Lions - DE Michael Johnson, Georgia Tech
The Lions wanted Derrick Harvey in 2008 but waiting a year will pay off. The Lions land the top DE in the draft at #6 overall and add a much-needed infusion of talent to their defensive line.

7. Oakland Raiders - WR Percy Harvin, Florida
Al Davis loves playmakers that can change the game whenever they have the ball in their hands. Harvin is exactly that. He has excellent speed and vision allowing him to be a Devin Hester with much more developed skills at wideout. Harvin will be an absolute stud in the NFL.

8. Baltimore Ravens - CB Malcolm Jenkins, Ohio State
Samari Rolle and Chris McAlister are on the downsides of their careers. The Ravens badly need youth in their defensive backfield and Jenkins is the best this class has to offer.

9. Chicago Bears - QB Matt Stafford, Georgia
Matt Stafford is actually my fifth-rated QB but I think the Bears will take him here due to his potential and rocket arm. If the Bears are drafting here QB is their ONLY option.

10. Denver Broncos - ILB Rey Maualuga, USC
Maualuga can be a dirty player but he plays with heart. He loves to make the big hit and has incredible speed. The Broncos need help at linebacker and Maualuga will provide it exceptionally.

11. New York Jets - RB Knowshon Moreno, Georgia
Moreno is a better back than Chris Wells. His speed and escapability bring to mind the work of one Barry Sanders and he breaks tackles exceptionally. He needs to work on protecting the ball a bit but Mangini should be able to coach that out of him. When all is said and done, Moreno has too much potential to not be the first back chosen.

12. Cincinnati Bengals - DE Tyson Jackson, LSU
The Bengals will have a hard time passing on Selvie here but they will need to bite the bullet. Jackson fits their scheme better. The Bengals defensive line is horrible and now they've lost their best player, Justin Smith. They will pick the best defensive lineman available.

13. Arizona Cardinals - DE/OLB George Selvie, South Florida
Boy do the Cardinals have it good. They are stuck choosing between two major needs. Chris Wells or George Selvie. RB is certainly a bigger need but this draft is deep in running back talent. Knowing they can pick up a solid running back in round two, the Cardinals will go with Selvie.

14. Philadelphia Eagles - T Andre Smith, Alabama
This draft will mark the first draft of the Kevin Kolb era in Philadelphia. It would only be wise to use their first pick to nab the guy who will protect Kolb's blindside for the next 10 years.

15. Washington Redskins - DT Al Woods, LSU
The more I evaluate this defensive tackle class the less I like it but Al Woods gets the edge because he has great size. If he can step up and be a leader for the Tigers' defense this year there's no reason he can't be picked this high. The Redskins' biggest need is at DT so they will gladly take their choice of 2009's crop.

16. Tennessee Titans - WR Jeremy Maclin, Missouri
After another year of Vince Young's wide receivers failing him the Titans' Front Office will finally take its fingers out of its collective ears, stop humming, and draft a wide receiver. Vince Young will die from a heart attack due to the shock and the Titans will have to use their round 2 pick on their quarterback of the future. Seriously though, I refuse to believe the Titans are dumb enough to do it again.

17. Houston Texans - RB Chris Wells, Ohio State
The Texans absolutely need defense but at this point Wells is a GREAT value. Wells and Slaton will carry the load for the Texans for the foreseeable future, easing the load on Matt Schaub.

18. Minnesota Vikings - QB Curtis Painter, Purdue
I cannot tell you how much I love this kid right now. Painter has the perfect skillset for the West Coast Offense. I know the argument that if the Vikings make it this far Jackson must have panned out but I disagree. After all, they picked 17th last year. Unless the Vikings make the playoffs, they will need a quarterback and Painter is the best on the board.

19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - WR Darrius Heyward-Bey, Maryland
Sam Bradford or Chase Daniel are considerations here but the Buccaneers need immediate help at receiver moreso than at quarterback. Heyward-Bey will need to grow quickly in order for the Bucs' offense to succeed.

20. Buffalo Bills - TE Jermaine Gresham, Oklahoma
The Bills have very few holes to fill but tight end is certainly the most needed. Gresham will give Edwards a solid outlet for his third season.

21. Philadelphia Eagles - SS Taylor Mays, USC
Mays is a hell of a prospect with freakish athleticism. The Eagles are very fortunate to nab Brian Dawkins's heir at this point in the draft.

22. Seattle Seahawks - G Duke Robinson, Oklahoma
I think the comparison to Steve Hutchinson is fitting and wouldn't you know it, the Seahawks are missing their Steve Hutchinson. Robinson, along with Walter Jones, should pave good paths for Julius Jones and T.J. Duckett.

23. Pittsburgh Steelers - T Phil Loadholt, Oklahoma
The Steelers need to take the best offensive lineman available and Loadholt is it. His size should be appealing to a very physical Pittsburgh team.

24. Cleveland Browns - CB Vontae Davis, Illinois
The Browns need help at corner badly and Davis should have been off the board a while ago. This pick is an absolute steal for Cleveland.

25. New Orleans Saints - CB D.J. Moore, Vanderbilt
The Saints need help at corner in the worst way and Moore is the best on the board.

26. Dallas Cowboys - ILB James Laurinaitis, Ohio State
Many people will criticize me for having Laurinaitis this low. But many will apologize when he shows this is about where he should be drafted. Laurinaitis is a freakish athlete with blazing speed and a good radar but he needs to improve his tackling technique, a must for the NFL.

27. Green Bay Packers - RB C.J. Spiller, Clemson
The Packers have Ryan Grant but they really don't have too many holes to fill. Spiller is an exceptionally exciting back who would make a great 1-2 punch with Ryan Grant.

28. Indianapolis Colts - WR Aaron Kelly, Clemson
Harrison is in the clear but he's still old and the Colts like to cycle players before they have to. Kelly could emerge as a top 3 wide receiver from this class.

29. New England Patriots - RB DeMarco Murray, Oklahoma
Murray really impressed me on film. He's a tough player who blocks well but also has the break-away speed to take it to the house. The Patriots will probably give up on Laurence Maroney by the end of the 2008 campaign.

30. San Diego Chargers - T Alex Boone, Ohio State
This is the Chargers only real need and Alex Boone fits it quite nicely.

31. Jacksonville Jaguars - DT Sen'Derrick Marks, Auburn
Marks fills in for the loss of Marcus Stroud. The Jags line will be one of the most feared rotations in the league.

32. New York Giants - OLB Brian Cushing, USC
Cushing is basically a value pick here but he would also replace Kawika Mitchell quite nicely.

Lmk what you think. I don't expect this version to be popular.

[Matt McGuire]

lol I love how everyone has Al Woods in their first round, and every one of these people don't even know he isn't even a projected starter yet. He's 2nd string.

It just proves people don't really watch the players and they watch mock drafts.

[MMONTERO]

lol I love how everyone has Al Woods in their first round, and every one of these people don't even know he isn't even a projected starter yet. He's 2nd string.

It just proves people don't really watch the players and they watch mock drafts.

Actually I did know that. But I believe he'll win a starting job. The guy is a monster.

EDIT: And if you think I was watching mock drafts to pick these selections please point out to me who else has Curtis Painter and Hunter Cantwell in their first round let alone top 20.

[Matt McGuire]

Actually I did know that. But I believe he'll win a starting job. The guy is a monster.

EDIT: And if you think I was watching mock drafts to pick these selections please point out to me who else has Curtis Painter and Hunter Cantwell in their first round let alone top 20.

Yeah but you can't have a guy that is 2nd string in your first round. 2nd stringers aren't first round picks. period

Also, Cantwell has extremely little experience. He really hasn't proven himself yet in big game situations and we may never see it. I don't see how he coudl be a first round pick either...then again, who woulda thought Flacco was a first round pick last summer?

[regoob2]

I like the Bears pick.

[DraftKidWonder]

Actually I did know that. But I believe he'll win a starting job. The guy is a monster.

EDIT: And if you think I was watching mock drafts to pick these selections please point out to me who else has Curtis Painter and Hunter Cantwell in their first round let alone top 20.

I had Curtis Painter in my first to N.O.

[starqb14]

where are rounds 2 and 3? walter had all three rounds in his. i guess you don't deserve to have your own website like walter.

[Joey_Potter]

Cantwell, Tebow and Black are not Top 5 Picks.

Too High:

Hunter Cantwell,
Cyron Black,
Tim Tebow,
Percy Harvin (I do agree Davis may take him),
Curtis Painter

Too Low:

Chris (Beanie) Wells (Possible, not likely)
James Laurinaitis (No way he slips to 26)

[TRICKaz]

You have a lot of similar picks as me, and a really similar order. very nice. but yeah I agree that Laurinaitis and Wells will go way higher.

Also, I actually have the Titans taking Patrick Turner from USC lol, even though I don't think he's a first round caliber player. Doesn't that just make too much sense? Just when everyone is convinced Jeff Fisher won't pick a receiver he does, and just to make it worse he picks a crappy one who happens to be from his alma mater.

[MMONTERO]

Cantwell, Tebow and Black are not Top 5 Picks.

Too High:

Hunter Cantwell,
Cyron Black,
Tim Tebow,
Percy Harvin (I do agree Davis may take him),
Curtis Painter

Too Low:

Chris (Beanie) Wells (Possible, not likely)
James Laurinaitis (No way he slips to 26)

Cantwell is my top QB right now because I'm really not impressed by anyone in this class except Tebow and I have a feeling he could be a system QB. First off, Cantwell has great size at 6'5", 230 lbs. but he also has an incredible arm. If he plays well, he could very well end up being the consensus top QB.

I mentioned in the mock that Black was a reach.

Tim Tebow is a freakishly talented athlete with a powerful, accurate arm who makes great reads under pressure. He may have poor mechanics but his potential alone should get him drafted in the top 5.

I think Harvin is too low there. I feel he's the best receiver in this class. I've been scouting him since high school and I've never seen a player who can take over a game like he can since Devin Hester. Harvin is a rare breed.

Curtis Painter's fate in his career could be decided by where he goes. But he has the best skillset for the WCO of any QB in this draft. His slant routes are pristine and he makes excellent reads in the short passing game. He can't throw deep like a Stafford or Cantwell but he can do it well enough to succeed in the NFL.

Chris Wells absolutely shouldn't slip that far so yeah, I was as surprised as you were when that's what I came up with. It comes from so many teams having recently drafted running backs that they now need to give a chance. I seriously doubt he's that low in my mock come February.

James Laurinaitis has the potential to be one of the more prominent busts in the history of the draft. The more film I watch, the more impressed and concerned I become simultaneously with this guy. First off, the guy runs like a bullet, hits hard, and sheds blocks well but his tackling technique is fairly poor. Laurinaitis needs to wrap up better instead of relying on his momentum on some of those big hits. In the NFL, relying on your momentum to take a player down can lose you games (see Giants-Titans game in 2007)

[MMONTERO]

Yeah but you can't have a guy that is 2nd string in your first round. 2nd stringers aren't first round picks. period

Also, Cantwell has extremely little experience. He really hasn't proven himself yet in big game situations and we may never see it. I don't see how he coudl be a first round pick either...then again, who woulda thought Flacco was a first round pick last summer?

Felix Jones.

[Matt McGuire]

Felix Jones.

Come on man. He was 2nd string to Darren McFadden. Ronnie Brown was 2nd string to Cadillac williams.

Al Woods is 2nd string to Marlon Favorite. Big difference.

Also, Runningback is a totally different position and it requires less experience to be savvy at.

[MMONTERO]

Come on man. He was 2nd string to Darren McFadden. Ronnie Brown was 2nd string to Cadillac williams.

Al Woods is 2nd string to Marlon Favorite. Big difference.

Also, Runningback is a totally different position and it requires less experience to be savvy at.

Actually he's 2nd string to Charles Alexander which is why I think he'll win a starting job.

[Matt McGuire]

Actually he's 2nd string to Charles Alexander which is why I think he'll win a starting job.

Last year Favorite was the starter opposite Dorsey. Thsi year he and Alexander are the starters. Woods is pushing.

[MMONTERO]

So basically, the difference is I think Woods will beat out Alexander and you don't. I think that's a fair difference of opinion but let me remind you that Alexander doesn't have the physical prowess that Al Woods has.