Here it is for the lazy.
Mock Draft: With free agency kicking off I wanted to provide everyone a mock of the first two rounds of the draft since once free agency starts the picks will change daily as teams fill out needs. (UPDATED 3-2-05)
Round 1
1. San Francisco: Aaron Rodgers QB California. While the 49’ers are trying to send out signals that they want to trade out of the top spot if they stay then Rodgers is their man. Rodgers has the ability to be incredibly accurate and would be a major improvement over any quarterback on their current roster. Rodgers answered a lot questions at the combine officially measuring 6-2 and running two forty yards dashes at 4.8 and 4.71.
2. Miami: Ronnie Brown RB Auburn. With the performance that Brown put on at the combine 4.4 forty and showing great agility and hands, it’s my belief he is now the top back and will be taken by the Dolphins. Coach Saban is certainly familiar with Brown and also may look at the selection as a safer pick then Cedric Benson who opening admits to having Ricky Williams as a role model.
3. Cleveland: Alex Smith QB Utah. With the expected resigning of Kelly Holcomb to start at QB this season Alex will have the luxury of sitting and learning the new system being brought in by Coach Crennel. Alex is a terrific athlete who is very intelligent and has the flair to make the dramatic play. His arm strength is good but not great but he makes up for it with his feet work to keep plays alive.
4. Bears: Cedric Benson RB Texas. With the expected departure of Anthony Thomas in free agency and having the worst offense in the league there is no question the team needs playmakers. Getting a talent like Benson would certainly be a step in the right direction and create a very impressive backfield with Thomas Jones.
5. Buccaneers: Braylon Edwards WR Michigan. With Joey Galloway moving on via free agency and Tim Brown at the end of his career adding another top wide receiver is a priority for Jon Gruden’s system and getting a stud like Edwards to team with Clayton will set the Buccaneers at wide receiver for years to come. I expect Tampa Bay to go the free agency route to improve their running attack with possibly LaMont Jordan, Anthony Thomas and Derrick Blaylock. You can also expect a mid round pick at running back also to provide depth.
6. Titans: Antrel Rolle CB Miami. With the recent blood letting in Tennessee they certainly have some holes to fill this off-season. They probably would be best served with a trade down to gain additional picks but assuming they remain at the number six selection Rolle is their guy. Antrel comes from the football factory in Coral Gables and would allow them to pencil him in place of former starter Samari Rolle who is now on the open market.
7. Minnesota: Mike Williams WR USC. At 6-4 230 Williams will give the Vikings a similar threat Moss provided them but should eliminate the headaches Randy seemed to bring each season. While Williams sat out this season his physical size will provide great mismatches for the Vikings to exploit next season. Think of Mike as Randy Moss without the headaches.
8. Arizona: Carnell Williams RB Auburn. With Emmitt moving onto retirement and Marcel Shipp health always a concern the Cardinals need a running back to carry the load. At 5-10 205 Carnell should give the Cardinals their first real workhorse back in a long time. While some questions his durability because of season ending injuries his freshmen and sophomore seasons Carnell was injury free his last two years at Auburn.
9. Washington: Troy Williamson WR South Carolina. The Commanders are doing a complete overhaul at the wide receiver position this year and adding a talent like Williamson will be a step in the right direction. Troy is a terrific route runner with a great burst of speed and a dedication to blocking all traits that should make him a favorite of Coach Gibbs early in his career.
10. Lions: Derrick Johnson OLB Texas. Detroit focused the early picks last year on the offense and this year need to look to get a playmaker on defense and Johnson is that guy. Johnson is a tackling machine and an instant upgrade at weakside linebacker for the Lions. After the selection of this top linebacker can’t we all see team president and former LB Matt Millen smiling ear to ear.
11. Dallas: Shawne Merriman OLB/DE Maryland. With the anticipated switch to start using 3-4 the Cowboys need to get bigger linebackers who can also play defensive end. Had Merriman gone back to Maryland he likely would have been a top 5 selection next year so getting him at 11 is great for the Cowboys. He should be a day one starter especially with the release of Dexter Coakley and be used similar to the way Parcells developed Willie McGinest
12. Chargers: Mark Clayton WR Oklahoma. While the Chargers were able to add Keenan McCardell last year to improve their wide receiving corp. they need to get a future number one WR to grow with either Drew Brees or Phillip Rivers. Clayton impressed the scouts at the Senior Bowl catching everything thrown his way and would be a great addition to the every improving Chargers team.
13. Texans: Alex Barron OT Florida State If the Texans are truly going to take the next step and become a legit playoff contender they need to develop a much stronger offensive line to help the overall team because as it stands now David Carr still spends way to much time on his back. Getting a mountain of a man like Barron to start on their line would certainly go to solidify the line.
14. Carolina: Travis Johnson DT Florida State While the Panthers ideally are praying for Barron to last this long because the team struggled after losing Adam Meadows to retirement. With that said the next move will be to add a big force in the middle of their line and Travis Johnson is a John Fox kind of guy. I expect a WR and OT to be the next picks to fill in the other pressing needs.
15. Kansas City: Adam “Pac-Man” Jones CB West Virginia The Chiefs need a ton of defense in this draft and starting with Pac-Man is the way to go. Adam not only gives them a potential shut down corner but another great return man to help their special teams. Jones is a definite day one starter and should help solidify the great offense no defense mentality of the Chiefs
16. New Orleans: Channing Crowder ILB Florida. The Dome Patrol is long gone in New Orleans and they need to get some playmakers in their linebacking core. Add the underclassmen Crowder will certainly help as he is still growing into the position and with some NFL coaching can become a special talent for the Saints.
17. Cincinnati: Thomas Davis S Georgia. Marvin Lewis is looking for that bone crushing safety to really allow his defense to turn up the pressure on opposing offenses. Thomas Davis will bring a Roy Williams quality to the secondary and make catching the ball against the Bengals a dangerous way to make a living.
18. Minnesota: Erasmus James DE Wisconsin. With the addition of Napoleon Harris to be penciled in as weakside linebacker the Vikings next addition to the defense will have to be on the line. While no tackle warrants a selection at 18 then the focus has to switch to end where adding James with last year’s number pick Udeze gives them two great forces on each side.
19. Rams: Dan Cody DE Oklahoma. As always the Rams still need to improve their defense and getting a guy like Cody whose motor never stops will help that cause. Cody is a better version of former Rams Grant Wistrom and will bring that kind of element to the defense. Cody does have some off the field questions since he was red-shirted in 2001 dealing with depression but that seems to be more than answered with his on field performance.
20. Dallas: Marcus Spears DE/DT LSU While Coach Parcells continues to rebuild the defense the addition of Spears gives them a player they can line up at DT in the 3-4 and DE in the 4-3. As long as all medical questions are answered with Marcus he would be a great addition to the Cowboys and a guy that Bill can start retooling his defense around next season.
21. Jags: David Pollack DE Georgia the Jags desperately need to get an impact player on the defensive line and the hard working Pollack is Jack Del Rio’s kid of guy. Pollack while a little shorter than most teams like for their ends has a non stop motor and such a hard working he demands his teammates to work to get to that level.
22. Ravens: Chris Henry WR West Virginia. No team needs a wide receiver worse than the Ravens and the answer for them just might be the very talented yet at time temperamental Chris Henry. Henry has God given talent but needs to just keep his attention 100% on football and work hard to maximize his skills. Going to a veteran laden team like the Ravens will be a great thing for Chris because that reduces the likelihood of any misbehavior.
23. Seattle: Matt Roth DE Iowa. While the Seahawks proved to be very good at keeping their top free agents this year they are expecting the departure of Chike Okeafor and will need to use their first pick to replace him. Roth is very similar to Grant Wistrom in that he has a non-stop engine that looks to devour quarterbacks.
24. Green Bay: Shaun Cody DE USC. The biggest question this off-season is will he or won’t he retire. I’m going with the idea that Brett Favre will return so with that in mind the Packers will look for someone to play opposite KGB. Shaun is a hard working end who received top coaching playing at USC for Coach Carroll (former def. cord in the NFL) and should actually make a quick transition into the NFL.
25. Denver: Heath Miller TE Virginia The Broncos redzone offense struggled last year with the loss of Shannon Sharpe and Denver needs to have a guy like Miller that they can throw to on a consistent basis when they are inside the 20. Miller has soft hands and is a very good route runner who could lead the Broncos in receptions in his rookie year. Miller is too good for Coach Shanahan to pass up.
26. NY Jets: Brandon Browner CB Oregon State The Jets are looking for playmakers in their secondary and getting a guy at #26 who is 6-3 and runs a 4.4 would help any team. Browner is good but has a lot of room to get even better and with NFL coaching Browner could be a definite starter by no later than mid-season.
27. Falcons: Odell Thurman ILB Georgia the goal this off-season is to get younger and faster on defense and adding Odell accomplishes both tasks. Odell played on a very talented Georgia team the past few years and is certainly battled tested. He should be a starter at some point in his rookie season while contributing fairly early on situational plays and special teams.
28. San Diego: Jammal Brown OT Oklahoma. While Marty wants to improve the defense spending this pick on Brown will be a great long term investment in the health of whatever QB is under center for the next twelve years. Brown has a great first punch against linemen and should take over at right tackle early on while eventually replacing Roman Oben at left tackle within a year.
29. Colts: Anttaj Hawthorne DT Wisconsin. As the Colts continue to spend money on resigning offensive free agents they need to use their draft picks to improve their defense. While Hawthorne did not dominate like his size (6-2 ½ 310) may indicate having Coach Dungy mentor him will go a long way in having him become the disruptive force in the middle the Colts desperately need.
30. Steelers: Fred Gibson WR Georgia With the expected departure of Plaxico Burress to free agency the Steelers will need to replace him in order for their offense to function as well as it did this season. Gibson is very similar in size to Burress but doesn’t have the attitude or questionable work ethic. Fred is the type of receiver that goes up and gets the ball when it’s thrown into a crowd. He finished 5th in the vertical leap (38 ½) and 3rd in the board jump (10-6) at the combine.
31. Eagles: Vernand Morency RB Oklahoma State While I received a ton of emails disputing the idea of Philly taking a RB at this selection, I still believe in order to keep Brian Westbrook healthy for the playoffs they need to get another back in to share the carries. Morency would allow them to let Buckhalter leave via free agency and send Dorsey back to retirement. One thing to remember too is that Vernand is represented by Drew Rosenhaus who is the best PR machine in the NFL agent world. Remember what he did for Willis McGahee after his devastating injury.
32. Patriots: Justin Miller CB Clemson It was amazing what the Patriots did last year while suffering loss after loss to their secondary. Now that they cut ties with Ty Law they need to get a defensive back in the fold that can be a cornerstone for the future. Miller has crazy speed 4.38 and great ability not only as a cover corner but as a return threat too.
Round Two
San Francisco: Roddy White WR UAB
Cleveland: Kevin Burnett OLB Tennessee
Philadelphia (Miami): Justin Tuck DE Notre Dame
Tampa Bay: Ciatrick Fason RB Florida
Titans: Terrence Murphy WR Texas A&M
Raiders: Eric Shelton RB Louisville
Bears: Marcus Johnson OT Ole Miss
Saints (Wash): Brodney Pool S Oklahoma
Lions: Ernest Shazor S Michigan
Cowboys: Carlos Rogers CB Auburn
Giants: Reggie Brown WR Georgia
Arizona: Corey Webster CB LSU
Carolina: Adam Terry OT Syracuse
Chiefs: Barrett Ruud ILB Nebraska
Texans: Elton Brown OG Virginia
Bengals: Alex Smith TE Stanford
Vikings: Darryl Blackstock OLB Virginia
Rams: Marlin Jackson CB/S Michigan
Packers (New Orleans): Charlie Frye QB Akron
Jaguars: Roscoe Parrish WR Miami
Ravens: David Baas OG Michigan
Seattle: Eric Green CB Virginia Tech
Bills: Khalif Barnes OT Washington
Denver: Chris Canty DE Virginia
NY Jets: Marion Barber RB Minnesota
Packers: Lance Mitchell ILB Oklahoma
Atlanta: Vince Fuller S Virginia Tech
Colts: DeMarcus Ware OLB/DE Troy State
Chargers: Jonathan Babineaux DT Iowa
Pittsburgh: Marcus Lawrence ILB South Carolina
Philadelphia: Craphonso Thorpe WR Florida State
New England: Michael Munoz OT Tennessee
