Picks 9-12

Ok, so obviously Andre Smith messed up big time. This will hurt his draft status for sure and drop him down way further than #7 to the Raiders. Michael Crabtree may have hurt his status as well with his injury but I believe Seattle will still take him at #4 because if he is 80% of what he should be, Crabtree will still be great. This said, I'm not going to rearrange my draft. The Raiders suck anyway.

9. Green Bay Packers - Malcolm Jenkins, CB, Ohio State (6' 200 lbs.)
Two years ago the Packers secondary was tough. Last year they stunk on ice. Charles Woodson is getting older and this is why the Packers need to take Jenkins here. He is by far the best DB in the draft and can play both shut down corner, or center fielder as a safety. Green Bay could also use a big play wide receiver or interior lineman on both offense and defense, but Jenkins is the safe pick here at nine.

10. San Francisco 49ers - Jason Smith, OT, Baylor (6' 5" 300 lbs.)
Smith could be regarded as the best lineman in the draft but playing at Baylor kept him on the small stage. He now moves up in front of Andre Smith from Alabama after he left the draft early and could be taken higher up in the draft. I think this is the safe pick for the 49ers and they could definitely use the help on the offensive line. San Francisco could go after a play making receiver here or some help on the defense, but I think Smith is the smart choice here.

11. Buffalo Bills - Aaron Maybin, DE, Penn State (6' 4" 238 lbs.)
Maybin is a tough player with a good motor. He has a nose for the ball, and an even better nose for the quarterback. Buffalo could use him coming off the end to help their pass rush. The Bills have lacked pressure on the quarterback for years and they are one or two players away from being a solid team. They could use some offensive line help but I think they have to think defense with this pick.

12. Denver Broncos - Knowshon Moreno, RB, Georgia (5' 11" 208 lbs.)
I see Denver looking for the return to great running backs by taking Moreno here. This is a solid pick for them as well because of their injury problems they had all year in the backfield. Moreno is a tough runner who is hard to take down and can put a hurting on defenses. He will be able to carry the ball 30 times again as a rookie and start right away for the Broncos.

13-16 tomorrow.

Picks 5-8

Ok, this first pick is a special one to me. This is the day in sports where all of us Browns fans know we are just going to either get disapointed or get our hopes up that this player we select with our high pick will be a difference maker. Either way I feel bad for this player because they will most likely be labeled a bust for their NFL career when it's not the case at all, they will just be playing in Cleveland. So here we go...

5. Cleveland Browns - Rey Maualuga, MLB, USC (6'2" 260 lbs.)
The Browns could use a pass rusher off the edge to compliment Wimbley but what they need more is a run stopper and smart middle linebacker that wants to take player's heads off. Andre Davis is too slow and can't play at the level the Browns need him to be at. He needs to go and Maualuga can fill this hole right away. The offensive line could use one of the big tackles here but the front office is hoping that it will return to the 2007 form they were in.

6. Cincinnati Bengals - Jeremy Maclin, WR, Missouri (6'1" 200 lbs.)
With the swirling winds about the Bengals losing their best two receivers, I think they go with Maclin here to secure Carson Palmer that when he returns he will still have weapons to throw to. If the Bengals lose Chad Johnson and T.J., it will devistate their passing game. If they only lose one of them and pick up Maclin here with Chris Henry still around, they can be potent. The Bengals also need help at defensive end, defensive backs, and running back. Maclin is a great return man as well filling a hole on the Bengals special teams.

7. Oakland Raiders - Andre Smith, OT, Alabama (6'4" 240 lbs.)
By no means will Al Davis make this selection. Don't believe it. I wrote it and don't believe it. They will draft the best skills player here even if they don't need it. A Malcolm Jenkins would be a great selection here to compliment Asomugha in the secondary shutting down receivers, but the Raiders need to build an offensive line to be able to move the ball. They put money and high picks into JaMarcus Russell and Darren McFadden, now they have to put a big left tackle in their to block for them.

8. Jacksonville Jaguars - Aaron Curry, OLB, Wake Forest (6'2" 246 lbs.)
The Jaguars need help in a couple different areas. They do need a receiver that is a big play threat but not here. They need to draft a safe player that can fill a hole in their defense for years to come. A player like Curry can rush the passer and drop into coverage which is a large leap for the Jaguars.

9-12 coming tomorrow.

Picks 1-4

The Lions have been on the clock for a while now. I think it was ever since this happened. The Lions do not have a good quarterback and everyone just wants to tab them with the best available one in this draft. Well I have different ideas.

1. Detroit Lions - Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia (6'5" 315 lbs.)
Look, the Lions need a lot of things. They have two first round picks thanks to Dallas taking Roy Williams off their hands since they have a better receiver in Calvin Johnson anyway. They have a very talented running back as well in Kevin Smith. All they need is a good quarterback and they have the offensive fundamentals to be functional again. With this said, this is not the year to reach for an average QB with the #1 pick. The Lions will have a top 5 pick next year for sure and more talented quarterbacks will be available (McCoy, Bradford). Why settle for a QB who might be just as good as what you have on your roster now? If Drew Stanton can play a full year, he can take the job. Though this QB class is weak, it is deep and there isn't much seperation 3-10. Grab Graham Harrell in the 2nd or 3rd round in case he turns into a Drew Brees type. Eugene Monroe is a cornerstone tackle that can be their left tackle for years to come.

2. St. Louis Rams - B.J. Raji, DT, Boston College (6'1" 325 lbs.)
St. Louis made large leaps to fill a poor defense last year by taking Chris Long to seal off that side of the line for running backs. Though Raji is not big, he has the motor of a '67 Mustang and has shown he can take on middle linemen that are twice his size. Putting this talent next to Long can sure up their run defense for a long future. Now all they would need to do is stop that thing offenses call passing. Their problems don't fall too heavily on the offensive side of the ball when Steven Jackson, Tory Holt, and Marc Bulger are healthy. Look for them to add explosion to this unit later in the draft though.

3. Kansas City Chiefs - Matthew Stafford, QB, Georgia (6'3" 236 lbs.)
Ok, I know I just bashed him up at the #1 pick and it shouldn't justify him being taken at #3. BUT, KC is more desperate for a quarterback right now than any other team in the league. Thigpen and Huard aren't going to win more than 5 games for you a season and though Stafford is fat and sub par, he does have a good arm and can read coverages well. I can see the Chiefs using this pick on a running back if Larry Johnson does decide to leave town before the draft but they more depth at running back than they do under center so I see them going with Stafford here.

4. Seattle Seahawks - Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech (6'3" 213 lbs.)
I feel Seattle is the least talented team in the NFL. Hasselbeck is getting older by the second and they really have no one to back him up which showed this year when he was injured. I think they could stretch and take Sanchez here but I believe they will also be in the top 5 in the draft next year which makes them available to take one of the many good QB's coming out. Maurice Morris and Julius Jones aren't going to run all over many teams so I could also see them going after a top running back here. Hell, they could take pretty much anyone and it would be an improvement from what they have. I think Crabtree here makes sense because he seems to be able to make plays no matter who is around him. He is the closest thing football has seen to Michael Irvin since his glory days with the Cowboys. He won't be the fastest or strongest person on the field but throw it his way and he is likely to make a play on the ball.

So there is the top four teams in the draft and how I have broken their needs down. Of course I am not a GM or coach in the NFL but as a fan this is what I have seen. Picks 5-8 will be broken down tomorrow.

NFL Draft

I get more excited over the NFL Draft than I do most NFL games. You have to take in consideration that I am a Browns fan. I know I have been gone a while but I just can't help myself from posting about the draft even with it being over 2 months away. Except for the terrible quarterbacks this year, this draft class is stacked.

First we will start with my mock draft. I will then go into detail of each pick and the reason why by fours. With that said, Detroit has been on the clock since about week 3 of last year and I hate to say it but they aren't going to take Matthew Stafford.

1. Detroit Lions- Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia

2. St. Louis Rams- B.J. Raji, DT, Boston College

3. Kansas City Chiefs- Matthew Stafford, QB, Georgia

4. Seattle Seahawks- Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech

5. Cleveland Browns- Rey Maualuga, MLB, USC

6. Cincinnati Bengals- Jeremy Maclin, WR, Missouri

7. Oakland Raiders- Andre Smith, OT, Alabama

8. Jacksonville Jaguars- Aaron Curry, MLB, Wake Forest

9. Green Bay Packers- Malcolm Jenkins, CB, Ohio State

10. San Fransisco 49ers- Jason Smith, OT, Baylor

11. Buffalo Bills- Aaron Maybin, DE, Penn State

12. Denver Broncos- Knowshon Moreno, RB, Georgia

13. Washington Redskins- Brian Orakpo, DE, Texas

14. New Orleans Saints- Vontae Davis, CB, Illinois

15. Houston Texans- Michael Oher, OT, Mississippi

16. San Diego Chargers- Brian Cushing, OLB, USC

17. New York Jets- Everette Brown, DE, Florida State

18. Chicago Bears- Mark Sanchez, QB, USC

19. Tampa Bay Buccanears- James Laurinaitis, MLB, Ohio State

20. Detroit Lions- Alex Mack, C, California

21. Philadelphia Eagles- D.J. Moore, CB, Vanderbilt

22. Minnesota Vikings- Percy Harvin, WR, Florida

23. New England Patriots- Chris Wells, RB, Ohio State

24. Atlanta Falcons- Brandon Pettigrew, TE, Oklahoma State

25. Miami Dolphins- Peria Jerry, DT, Mississippi

26. Baltimore Ravens- Duke Robinson, OG, Oklahoma

27. Indianapolis Colts- Clay Matthews, OLB, USC

28. Philadelphia Eagles- Hakeem Nicks, WR, North Carolina

29. New York Giants- Scott McKillop, MLB, Pittsburgh

30. Tennessee Titans- Fili Moala, DT, USC

31. Arizona Cardinals- Chase Coffman, TE, Missouri

32. Pittsburgh Steelers- Herman Johnson, OG, LSU

Be back tomorrow with explanations...

IU Weekend

What a great college town Bloomington is. Spent less than 24 hours there and am already thinking about traveling out there for the Ohio State football game on October 3rd. It's a fun little town where people just seem to enjoy other people. Noticed right away that there aren't many Teddy's, Samir's, or Hee Sop Choi's (except for the Godfather) which was quite enjoyable after living in Cleveland for 5 years.

Assembly Hall really needs to be bombed. Well I can't say totally because all I have to compare it to was this past Saturday that we went but seats don't get much worse in any stadium that exists. I would rather sit behind a pole at the old Cleveland Municipal Stadium.

There will be many short stories to come in this week recapping the weekend but just wanted to throw out there that Bloomington was awesome.