MVN - Most Valuable Network

Combine Prospects with the Most to Prove

The time is once again upon us, as the top prospects for the upcoming 2008 NFL Draft begin their journey to Indianapolis for this week’s scouting combine. Very few events in sport provide us, the fans and media alike, with a topic of controversy as much as the combine does, inciting great debates over it’s relevance. How important is it? If you can run a fast 40 in what is essentially nothing more than underwear, does that really mean that you can run one in full padding? Does the wonderlic really matter? Regardless of what your beliefs are in terms of the combine’s importance, putting up impressive numbers in Indianapolis certainly can’t hurt, right? That being said, here’s a position by position look at who can improve their stock the most at the 2008 combine.

Andre Woodson QB Kentucky:
It wasn’t too long ago that Woodson was neck and neck (and neck) with Matt Ryan and Brian Brohm, in the battle to be the first Quarterback off the board. Since then, Ryan and Brohm have both settled in nicely at the top of the first round, while Woodson has been free falling. Blessed with a prodigious 6′5 inch frame, and surprisingly nimble feet in the pocket, Woodson made scouts fall in love with him this season when he threw 325 consecutive passes without an interception, and led his team to a victory over eventual national champion LSU. Pointing to his accuracy as a sign of future stardom, scouts shot Woodson up the draft boards, before a rough ending to the season brought him back down to Earth, and a horrendous showing at the Senior Bowl sent him even lower. Woodson advocates claim that Mike Martz’s timing based offense didn’t fit Andre’s style, and was largely responsible for Woodson’s poor showing in Mobile. He desperatley needs an accurate showing in Sunday’s passing drills in order to convince people that he can contribute on the next level.

Jonathan Stewart RB Oregon:
Stewart isn’t on this list because he needs to stop the plummet of his stock, as Woodson is, but rather because he has a prime opportunity to improve it. Stewart, who possesses a rare blend of power and agility, is widely regarded as the underdog in his battle with Rashad Mendenhall for the right to be the second running back off the board (following Darren McFadden). He was able to wow scouts all season as a compliment to Dennis Dixon in the Ducks high powered offense, but was probably most impressive in his last game of the year, the Sun Bowl. Taking the field against a solid South Florida defense, as part of an offense that had been stagnant to say the least following Dixon’s season ending injury, Stewart ripped off 253 yards on 23 carries including a touchdown (not to mention 29 receiving yards and another trip to the endzone). Stewart could move past Mendenhall if he is able to post comparable numbers in the weight room, and beat him by a considerable margin in the 40 yard dash.

Limas Sweed WR Texas:
Sweed entered the 2007 college football campaign as the top receiver prospect in the 2008 draft, but a left wrist injury forced him to miss the entire year. Anxious to re-implement his name into scout’s minds, Sweed tried to play at the Senior Bowl, but his attempts backfired greatly as an injury shortened his week, and consequently made scouts even more weary of his inability to stay on the field. When healthy, Sweed is a can’t miss receiver prospect, with the ideal size and speed to be a dominant force at the next level. Scouts have combared him to Andre Johnson, which is a lofty comparison, but one that Sweed could easily justify if he added a little more explosiveness to his game. Missing the combine due to injury would be devastating to his stock but if he is able to give it a go, he could remind everybody of all of the skills that made him a potential top 10 pick to begin with.

Kellen Davis TE Michigan State:
Even in the Big Ten, Davis often found himself a man among boys physically. The 6′6 Vin Diesel look alike from Michigan State has all the physical dimensions necessary to be the next big thing in the NFL, and he will probably impress early on in Indianapolis, as the week starts with a measure of height, weight, and body fat. However, he should in turn find many curious eyes on him after his impressive showing at the weigh in, and if he looks at lost during the positional drills as he did during Senior Bowl week, he could be written off as a lost cause. The latter would be a shame, because with the proper coaching he could be a force for years to come at the highest level of competition. Without being given a chance, he could find himself bouncing around practice squads for the majority of his professional career.

Jake Long OL Michigan:
Rarely does the top prospect at a position qualify in the category of “has the most to prove”, but even Long himself feels that he belongs here. One of the few negatives on Long’s scouting report is that his lack of straight line speed and quickness makes him a detriment when run blocking, and possibly a disaster in the screen game. Long has been working at the famed Shaw combine training facility, trying desperately to improve his 40 time, and show scouts throughout the land that he is more than just a dominant pass blocker. If Long can prove that he is a complete blocker, he could be an even hotter commodity in the Top 5 of the draft than anybody had ever anticipated.

Glenn Dorsey DL LSU:
The consensus number 1 overall pick after his dominant performance in the national championship, it seems inactivity has been Dorsey’s downfall. While he has floated into relative anonymity during the offseason, another defensive lineman (Virginia’s Chris Long), has surpassed him as the favorite to go number 1 overall, and perhaps more importantly, USC’s Sedrick Ellis has used the strength (no pun intended) of a dominant Senior Bowl week to drastically close the gap between he and Dorsey for the honor of being the first Defensive Tackle selected. In fact, a significant minority of people have gone so far as to put Ellis ahead of Dorsey. Lineman help or hurt the stock in the weight room more than anything else during the combine, which could present a problem for Dorsey, because as rumor has it, USC had to order new weights for their training facilities because there wasn’t anything heavy enough for Ellis to lift. Dorsey needs to be able to at least hold his own with Ellis during the bench press session if he wants to remain the consensus top lineman in the draft.

Phillip Wheeler LB Georgia Tech:
Wheeler, one of many insanely productive collegiate linebackers in the upcoming draft, is an enigma among the NFL scouts. It is impossible to ignore his success at Georgia Tech, and he reinforced his success by showing great quickness, instinct, and tackling ability at the Senior Bowl. However, his lack of strength, and bulk sticks out like Nick Saban at an honesty convention (any excuse to hate on Saban). Wheeler needs to show the scouts that with time to prepare for the combine he has been able to add weight to his upper body, in order to compliment his playmaking potential with run stopping potential. A decent showing in the weight room could solidify his status as the second best MLB behind Penn State’s Dan Connor. A poor showing could put him in the class of other big time collegiate tackle machines who scouts have labeled as players who “don’t translate to the next level” (along with USF’s Ben Moffitt and Illinois’ J Leman).

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie DB Tennessee State:
Calling DRC’s week in Mobile impressive would be the understatement of the century. He didn’t move up the draft board, he shot up it, and instantly became the defensive back with the highest upside in the class. It doesn’t hurt that his cousin Antonio had a Pro Bowl year in San Diego, and that Dominique compares very well with Antonio’s game. He is a tall, fluid athlete, with playmaking ability that is unrivaled throughout the entire draft class on the defensive side of the ball. However, with his lack of experience against top level competition, scouts will be looking to the combine to see if he can provide consistency, or if he was just having am on week in Mobile. Regardless of how he does, some team will take a shot on him in Day 1, but if he can impress in positional drills, round one isn’t out of his realm of possibilities.

Football University: Pryor decides not to sign today

Terrelle Pryor, the nation’s top recruit and the player we are all waiting for is going to make use wait some more since from what is being reported Pryor won’t sign his letter of intent today. He told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review “I’m 100 percent sure I’m not signing,” Pryor told the Tribune-Review. Adding that “It’s a tough decision and I’m still trying to decide between Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State.” One thing that was confirmed is that Oregon was out of the race for the best player of the 2008 class. Something that a lot of insiders (and not) already pretty much knew.

Something that I find interesting is that while Pryor will not sign today, he is still going to meet with his media. That to me is a bit of overkill on this story. Let the players that are going to decide on this date have their time in the lime light as he will once he decides. The young man has until April 1^st to make his decision. There is no set date when Pryor will now give his decision to the teams and the media.

From sources close to this recruiting it was believed that Michigan had the upper hand, since at Ann Arbor Terrelle Pryor would be starting right away, while at Ohio State he would have to wait his turn. However Pryor’s father has told the media that his son is “not worried about playing right away.” I will say that while I believe this to be true, I would not be surprised if it came down to one thing on where Terrelle is going to go the fact if he was to start right or way or not might just come into play.

Football University: Top ten recruiting classes, #4 Texas

The University of Texas can truly say that they have an home grown class, with every single player (20 in all right now) coming from in state. Once again the one intriguing thing to me is that this class does not have a quarterback in it, something I truly believe big time programs need to always have.

The best part of this class is the wide receiver core, with Dan Buckner leading the way. Out of the four WR I could easily see three of them having major impact, both in the college ranks and even in the next level. Another good player coming to play for the Longhorns is cornerback Aaron Williams, who is with Buckner a five star recruit.

I have only seen highlight videos from the internet on any of these players.

Name & High School	Pos.	Rank	HT/WT	Commit  Date
Jeremy Hills (Alief Elsik HS)	RB		5′11″/185	02/11/07
Tre Newton (Carroll HS)	RB		6′0″/195	02/24/07
Dan Buckner (Allen HS)	WR		6′4″/206	02/11/07
Derrick Grant (Johnson HS)	WR		6′2″/191	12/16/07
Desean Hales (Klein Oak HS)	WR		5′11″/180	06/10/07
Antoine Hicks (Mansfield Timberview HS)	WR		6′0″/190/	02/16/07
David Snow (Gilmer HS)	OG		6′4″/295	02/02/07
Mark Buchanan (Austin HS)	OT		6′5″/270	02/11/07
Luke Poehlmann (Brenham HS)	OT		6′5″/260	02/16/07
Jarvis Humphrey (Cedar Hill HS)	DT		6′2″/290	03/13/07
Kheeston Randall (Monsignor Kelly HS)	DT		6′4″/270	02/26/07
Emmanuel Acho (St. Mark’s School of Texas)	LB		6′1″/210	02/11/07
Dravannti Johnson (Nederland HS)	LB		6′2″/230	04/23/07
Ryan Roberson (Brenham HS)	LB		5′11″/215	02/11/07
Brock Fitzhenry (Giddings HS)	CB		5′9″/175	02/11/07
D.J. Monroe (Angleton HS)	CB		5′9″/165	02/11/07
Aaron Williams (McNeil HS)	CB		6′0″/174	02/11/07
Nolan Brewster (Mullen HS)	S		6′1″/195	03/19/07
Blake Gideon (Leander HS)	S		6′1″/190	04/01/07
Justin Tucker (Westlake HS)	K		6′1″/175	02/11/07

Post Senior Bowl Mock

Trades
Carolina sends their 2008 1st round pick , 2009 2nd round pick, and 2009 4th round pick to New England for their 2008 1st round pick.

Atlanta sends their 2008 2nd rounder (36th overall) and their 2008 4th rounder to San Diego for their 2008 1st rounder.

First Round

1) Miami Dolphins: Glenn Dorsey, Defensive Lineman, Louisiana State

Miami has seen dramatic turnover so far as it figures to see a lot more as Bill Parcells tries to remake that roster. With Parcells in mind, I tend to lean towards Dorsey being the pick. Some question his ability to fit in the 3-4 defensive scheme Miami is expected to run, but from what I’ve seen of him I think he would be very capable at playing all three defensive line spots. Injury concerns are bound to spring up, but Dorsey will test high athletically and during interviews and stands out as one of the most potentially dominant players in the draft.

2) St. Louis Rams: Jake Long, Offensive Tackle, Michigan

This may not be the biggest need pick, but it seems like the most sensible. Orlando Pace seems like he’ll be ready to go for the 2008 season and Alex Barron hasn’t looked awful in moments where he had to play that left tackle spot. However, that St. Louis offensive line played very poor football last season, and I have a hard time seeing the Rams invest more 1st round money into a defensive lineman like Chris Long or Vernon Gholston. The Rams have a potentially potent offense next season, but it won’t go anywhere without vast improvement on the offensive line, and Jake Long would be capable of filling a guard spot until he is needed outside.

3) Atlanta Falcons: Darren McFadden, Runningback, Arkansas

Although Atlanta could certainly use a franchise passer, I don’t see them passing on McFadden if he’s undrafted when they pick. A McFadden and Jerious Norwood combination would likely be excellent from the get-go, and having that sort of running threat would significantly reduce pressure for whoever they do decide to stick under center. A talent like McFadden would energize an organization that has started to come apart at the seams in recent years.

4) Oakland Raiders: Chris Long, Defensive End, Virginia

If the Falcons are coming apart at the seams, Oakland is a pile of yarn. With constant rumors floating around since the end of an unimpressive but promising 2007 campaign, questions about who’s actually controlling the wheel in Oakland have been raised. If Lane Kiffin is leading the draft, then it would seem that Sedrick Ellis would be the choice. However, in the much more likely occurrence that Al Davis is making most of the personnel decisions from here on out, I have a hard time seeing the Raiders pass on drafting another Long into the family.

5) Kansas City Chiefs: Sedrick Ellis, Defensive Tackle, Southern California

The way the first four picks fall, Kansas City is probably left with two options here. The first is to start repairing an offensive line that has been decimated in recent years by retirements through drafting Ryan Clady. The second is the way I went. Ellis has overall been a more impressive college player, was the best player at the Senior Bowl, and would help free up emerging defensive end’s Jared Allen and Tamba Hali.

6) New York Jets: Vernon Gholston, Linebacker/Defensive End, Ohio State

You have to imagine that if Gholston falls this far, the Jets would jump all over this. They made major steps towards shaping up that linebacker unit in drafting David Harris last season, but the only other promising player is Jonathan Vilma, who’s a poor fit for Mangini’s defense. Gholston improved his stock immensely this past college football season, and if he manages to time as well as some think he could, he might even go higher than this.

7) Carolina Panthers (from San Francisco via New England): Ryan Clady, Offensive Tackle, Boise State

Carolina takes advantage of New England’s willingness to take future picks and moves up for a player they are in desperate need of. The Panthers have struggled with consistency recently, but bringing some order to that offense could make them a playoff team again and adding a potentially great left tackle in Clady is a huge step towards that.

8) Baltimore Ravens: Matt Ryan, Quarterback, Boston College

The Ravens could use all sorts of help in all sorts of places, but with the best linemen off the board, I have a hard time seeing either Kyle Boller or Troy Smith endearing themselves to the new coaching staff enough to get the Ravens to pass on Ryan. I have my questions about Matt Ryan, and it’s a shame that I didn’t get to see any of them answered at the Senior Bowl, but he appears to have the inside track on being the top quarterback selected, and would probably fit well on that Baltimore offense.

9) Cincinnati Bengals: DeSean Jackson, Wide Receiver, California

My first inclination is to try and find some defensive line talent for the Bengals, who need it even if Justin Smith doesn’t leave for greener pastures. However, I simply don’t see enough value around for that to be an option. I have to consider linebacker because you have to imagine that the Bengals want to return some order to unit that seems constantly in flux. But, finally, in anticipation that troublesome wideout Chad Johnson gets sent elsewhere, I go with the guy most likely to be the top wideout come April. In a draft weak on top talent in general, a strong showing at the combine by Jackson could mean a top 10 pick.

10) New Orleans Saints: Leodis McKelvin, Cornerback, Troy

New Orleans offense showed some flashes last season, but defense was an undeniable dud. The Saints would probably take help on that side of the ball in any form, but the corner wins out over the linebacker (Rivers), the safety (Phillips), and the defensive lineman (Balmer). McKelvin has raised his stock as much as any player in the country this year, and looked very good at the Senior Bowl. He’s a natural coverman who, when combined with a potentially worrisome pass rush courtesy of Will Smith and Charles Grant, could do wonders for that defense.

11) Buffalo Bills: Keith Rivers, Linebacker, Southern California
The Bills have several needs here, but I think they go for the most obvious fit. Rivers is an excellent Cover 2 linebacker prospect, potentially on par with Ernie Sims in that regard, and I don’t think that Malcolm Kelly (the next best wideout and a popular choice for Buffalo) will have his stock high enough to get serious consideration.

12) Denver Broncos: Kenny Phillips, Safety, Miami
Denver could potentially reach for an inside linebacker here so as to move DJ Williams back outside, but it’d be quite a reach. They could also look for a left tackle to replace the recently retired Matt Lepsis, but the first round seems a bit high for that. In the end the Broncos try and shape up a defensive secondary which took a major step back last season.

13) New England Patriots (from Carolina): Mike Jenkins, Cornerback, South Florida
The Patriots would probably be ecstatic to trade out of the top 10 (and the contract that implies), and in this situation I don’t think they even lose much value wise. If they had stayed at seven I think they would have gone for the best corner in McKelvin, but Jenkins is also a strong coverman with return skills who would either strengthen that defensive backfield by lining up opposite Asante Samuel or perhaps replace Samuel as the teams #1 corner.

14) Chicago Bears: Rashard Mendenhall, Runningback, Illinois
The Bears are an interesting situation to me because I think they are probably a more consistent offense away from being a contender again. Two obvious remedies are drafting a quarterback or an offensive tackle here, but the two top values in those positions (Brian Brohm and Jeff Otah) are probably not due to make a huge first year impact. Top five selection from 2005 Cedric Benson has been a disappointment at runningback and the explosive and tough running of Mendenhall could take pressure off a passing attack which has been feeling a lot of it the past couple seasons.

15) Detroit Lions: Kentwan Balmer, Defensive Tackle, North Carolina
A quick glance at last year’s stat board for the Lions would tell you that offensive line help is needed and fast. Jeff Otah seems like a logical choice to replace the disappointing George Foster, but with the trade of Shaun Rogers appearing highly likely, the Lions draft another big body for their defensive line.

16) Arizona Cardinals: Jonathan Stewart, Runningback, Oregon
The one time well regarded backfield duo of Edgerrin James and JJ Arrington has been pretty close to a dud in Arizona, and it would be hard for Ken Whisenhunt to pass on a power runner like Stewart.

17) Minnesota Vikings: Jeff Otah, Offensive Tackle, Pittsburgh
If this draft had fallen differently, I think Minnesota could target a wideout or defensive end here, but I think the Vikings continue to dedicate that offense to Adrian Peterson by drafting more offensive line talent. Although the Minnesota offensive line played well in 2007, right tackle Ryan Cook was the weakest link, and Otah could offer improvement at the spot immediately.

18) Houston Texans: Chris Williams, Offensive Tackle, Vanderbilt
With the players available here, you have to imagine Houston would try and trade down here, but I have no idea who would want to move up. This might be a bit of a reach for Williams, but he played a good Senior Bowl, and fills what has been a chronically major need for Houston. Williams has the feet and hands to be a very nice player in Kubiak’s offense.

19) Philadelphia Eagles: Malcolm Kelly, Wide Receiver, Oklahoma
Philadelphia seems set on keeping Donovan McNabb as their quarterback, and, in that case, needs to get him some more targets. The duo of Kevin Curtis and Reggie Brown is a decent one, but the team lacks a #1 wideout. Kelly has good size and speed and would offer something Philly hasn’t had since Owens left town.

20) Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Brian Brohm, Quarterback, Louisville
Jon Gruden got his playoff season and his contract extension, and now he goes for his quarterback. Not known for running a scheme that is easy on young passers, Gruden makes an exception for the intellectual Brohm.

21) Washington Redskins: Derrick Harvey, Defensive End, Florida
Derrick Harvey’s stock is a hard thing to get a handle on. I see some people regard him as a top ten pick while others consider him a solid second round pick. For symmetry’s sake, I have him where I think he deserves to be, right about in the middle. Andre Carter was a pleasant surprise in 2007, but there’s little doubt that Washington could use some more help on the line.

22) Dallas Cowboys (from Cleveland): Felix Jones, Runningback, Arkansas
People continuously talk about the Cowboys trading up to snatch Darren McFadden, but I think it would probably be a far more prudent move to sit back and take that other Arkansas runningback. Felix Jones is likely a better counterweight to Marion Barber, comes at a cheaper price, and doesn’t cost the Cowboys additional draft picks.

23) Pittsburgh Steelers: Gosder Cherilus, Offensive Tackle, Boston College
Gosder Cherilus had a rough season at left tackle for Boston College which dropped him down a lot of boards, but after a very solid week at the Senior Bowl he is regarded as one of the more solid offensive line prospects in the draft. Although playing on the left side at the pro level seems unlikely, he is undoubtedly the top right tackle in the draft and would be a very nice fit for the Pittsburgh offensive line.

24) Tennessee Titans: James Hardy, Wide Receiver, Indiana
Whatever kind of offense replaces the one Norm Chow had in place, there’s little doubt that the Titans need to get more targets for the struggling Vince Young. The wideout rankings are very fluid right now, but Hardy has the size and hands to match up very well with a quarterback like Young who likes to throw it up.

25) Seattle Seahawks: John Carlson, Tight End, Notre Dame
Although Seattle could use some interior line and running back help, I don’t think that either represents great value here. Marcus Pollard didn’t exactly stand out in 2007, and Carlson is a very well balanced tight end.

26) Jacksonville Jaguars: Calais Campbell, Defensive End, Miami
Whether the defensive tackle duo of John Henderson and Marcus Stroud makes it through the offseason is up for debate, but either way the Jags could use some defensive end talent. Cambell’s stock dropped a lot in 2007, but he could end up being a steal at this point in the draft.

27) Atlanta Falcons (from San Diego): Andre Woodson, Quarterback, Kentucky
Is Atlanta this year’s Cleveland? I think there’s a distinct possibility that one of the top three quarterbacks falls, and Atlanta has the luxury of two second round picks thanks to the Matt Schaub deal. Woodson didn’t have a great Senior Bowl, but the potential is there.

28) Dallas Cowboys: Aqib Talib, Cornerback, Kansas
The Cowboys would have to consider this a steal at this point. In a fairly weak draft that has a good number of attractive cornerbacks, Talib could be long gone by now.

29) San Francisco 49ers (from Indianapolis): Dre Moore, Defensive Line, Maryland
Right now this may be a bit of a reach, but Moore had a good week at the Senior Bowl and figures to be a fairly impressive player at the combine. He would go a long way towards realizing a real 3-4 defense in San Francisco.

30) Green Bay Packers: Fred Davis, Tight End, Southern California
It’s been a habit for me to plug a defensive back in this spot, so I’m going to switch it up. Davis could deliver a surprising workout at the combine and his skills as a receiver could make a fairly potent offense that much more dangerous.

31) New England Patriots (forfeited due to league violations)

32) New York Giants: Dan Connor, Linebacker, Penn State
A lot of people really like Connor, and while I’m not the biggest fan, I think he’s a tremendous value here. That Giants defense has been performing as of late and Connor would upgrade an already fairly solid linebacking corps.

Second Round

33) Miami Dolphins: Quentin Groves, Linebacker/Defensive End, Auburn
Parcells gets his weakside rush ‘backer. If Groves workouts like some rumored numbers have suggested he is capable of, he could go considerably higher than this.
34) St. Louis Rams: Phillip Merling, Defensive End, Clemson
The Rams get a big and athletic defensive end, one who could go higher if he tests out well.
35) Kansas City Chiefs: Sam Baker, Offensive Tackle, Southern California
Baker has fallen quite a bit due to size concerns, but he should be a solid tackle at the pro level.
36) San Diego Chargers (from Atlanta): Carl Nicks, Offensive Tackle, Nebraska
The Chargers trade back and then select a good looking right tackle to help shore up the line.
37) New York Jets: Ahtbya Rubin, Nose Tackle, Iowa State
Almost certainly a reach, but Rubin is the only real classic nose tackle in the draft, and I can’t imagine that New York is happy with Dewayne Robertson.
38) Oakland Raiders: Dominique Rogers-Cromartie, Cornerback, Tennessee State
Continuing of idea that Al Davis turns in a classic Raider draft. Washington and Routt haven’t performed, and Cromartie is a natural corner who figures to time well.
39) Baltimore Ravens: Ali Highsmith, Linebacker, Louisiana State
This hinges on the Ravens making a defensive switch to a 4-3, but Highsmith is a very explosive player who could excel at weakside linebacker in the pros.
40) San Francisco 49ers: Devin Thomas, Wide Receiver, Michigan State
I can’t imagine that the Niner’s current wide receiver pleases Mike Martz, so he’s going to push for an upgrade here. Thomas could conceivably go higher than this, but he’s an athletic pass catcher who would help San Francisco’s new offensive coordinator spread the field.
41) New Orleans Saints: Phillip Wheeler, Linebacker, Georgia Tech
The Saints would likely be quite pleased with having the option of Wheeler with this pick. He could make a very good inside linebacker.
42) Buffalo Bills: Limas Sweed, Wide Receiver, Texas
The Limas Sweed hype is something I never totally got, but he would make an excellent counter balance for Lee Evans.
43) Denver Broncos: Curtis Lofton, Linebacker, Oklahoma
As mentioned earlier, the Broncos are probably dying to move DJ Williams back to his outside spot. Lofton is a physical player who has the talent to make you ignore his lack of height.
44) Carolina Panthers: Reggie Smith, Defensive Back, Oklahoma
Need for a player who can play safety could drive Reggie Smith’s value up, but I think this is his general position right now. Carolina gets some versatility in their defensive secondary.
45) Chicago Bears: Chad Henne, Quarterback, Michigan
I’m not sure if the Bears would draft another big armed college stud that makes questionable decisions to replace their current one, but the value works out and I have to imagine that Chicago will be looking for a new future quarterback.
46) Detroit Lions: Ray Rice, Runningback, Rutgers
I figure I’ll catch some flack on this, but I think it makes sense. Kevin Jones has been a bit of a disappointment since he tore it up the second half of his rookie season, but he has shown flashes and would team up nicely with Rice. Rice could probably handle whatever load the Lions needed to give him.
47) Cincinnati Bengals: Pat Sims, Defensive Tackle, Auburn
Cincinatti went for a skill position in the first round, so I have them jumping on a defensive lineman here. Sims could potentially slip higher, but he’ll have to really impress during workouts.
48) Minnesota Vikings: Chris Ellis, Defensive End, Virginia Tech
The Vikings have invested a lot in the defensive end position recently, but they could still use a quality edge rusher.
49) Atlanta Falcons (from Houston): Tony Hills Jr, Offensive Tackle, Texas
Hills may not get much consideration this high, but the Falcons need some shining light at left tackle.
50) Philadelphia Eagles: Lawrence Jackson, Defensive End, Southern California
Jim Johnson gets another strong pass rusher to throw at opposing passers.
51) Arizona Cardinals: Patrick Lee, Cornerback, Auburn
The Cardinals could certainly use a quality cover corner, especially if Rolle is going to stick at safety.
52) Washington Redskins: Tracy Porter, Cornerback, Indiana
The duo of Shawn Springs and Carlos Rogers hasn’t yielded amazing results, and Porter might be too enticing at this point to let go.
53) Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Trevor Laws, Defensive Tackle, Notre Dame
Laws probably played his way into the second round during the Senior Bowl, and unless he lays an egg at the combine you figure he could get some Cover 2 team to take him this high. I’ll admit I’m not entirely sure how much Tampa Bay like Jovan Haye.
54) Pittsburgh Steelers: Jerod Mayo, Linebacker, Tennessee
Pittsburgh could go a multitude of ways, but they could use another strong inside linebacker to help anchor that defense.
55) Tennessee Titans: Martellus Bennett, Tight End, Texas A&M
Maybe this is going a bit far, but Bennett could be a very enticing value at this point, and the Titan’s receiving options could still use an upgrade after drafting Hardy in the first.
56) Seattle Seahawks: Kevin Smith, Runningback, Central Florida
I’ve heard all sorts of disparaging things about the 40-yard time Smith is expected to run, but overall there’s a lot to like about this kid’s running ability. At the very least, he’d pair well with Maurice Morris in the event that Shaun Alexander does not return to Seattle next season.
57) Cleveland Browns: Frank Okam, Defensive Lineman, Texas
Okam has a lot of supporters due to his ability, but he just never put it together at the college level. That said, he could be a tremendous talent in the 3-4, and maybe Romeo Crennell thinks this is a project worth taking on.
58) Miami Dolphins (from San Diego): John David Booty, Quarterback, Southern California
I have no idea how the new Miami management feels about Trent Green or, more importantly, John Beck. If they decide they need a new potential franchise passer, I think they have to look in that direction sooner rather than later. Booty seems like a solid choice, but the potential of such passers as Joe Flacco or even Colt Brennan might be tempting.
59) Jacksonville Jaguars: Marcus Harrison, Defensive Tackle, Arkansas
Maybe the Jags picking two straight defensive linemen is going a bit far, but if Stroud is on his way out, then perhaps Del Rio would be inclined to bring in another very talented defensive tackle. Harrison has concerns off the field, but could become a great palyer.
60) Indianapolis Colts: Red Bryant, Defensive Tackle, Texas A&M
Where the Colts go here I’m not entirely sure, but I think that continuing the amazing progress of that defense should be at the top of their list. Bryant has some inconsistency issues, but he’s a very good run plugger.
61) Green Bay Packers: Charles Godfrey, Defensive Back, Iowa
It didn’t take long to have Green Bay going for a defensive back. The Harris/Woodson starting corner tandem is a good one, but it severely lacks depth and the safety position could also use some security. Godfrey could likely play backup roles at both positions until he was needed as a starter.
62) Dallas Cowboys: DeMario Pressley, Defensive Tackle, North Carolina State
Where does Dallas go here? I’m not entirely clear, but with a 3-4 team, when it doubt take the best defensive lineman who’s a fit. Pressley is another promising defensive line product from NC State.
63) New England Patriots: Jonathan Goff, Linebacker, Vanderbilt
The Pats have been impressive in finding linebacker talent in the free agent market, but getting some youth into that unit should be a major priority. Plenty of options here, but Goff is a nice fit who might be ranked higher if he went to a higher profile school.
64) New York Giants: Thomas DeCoud, Safety, California
The Giants face possibly losing Gibril Wilson in the offseason, and could simply use some more bodies on that defense. DeCoud is a standout special teams player who showed marked improvement in the past season.