MVN: Most Valuable Network

NFL Outsider Mock Draft: Maclin Goes to Bears

With the 18th pick in NFL Outsider's 2009 Mock Draft, Bears blogger Shea of Blog Down, Chicago Bears selects Jeremy Maclin (WR, Missouri).

Quite contrary to popular belief, two tight ends cannot account for an entire team's passing attack -- at least, not a winning team's. Yet, the Bears seem dead set on utilizing Desmond Clark and Greg Olsen like TBS runs...um, reruns. Which is damn-near exclusively, of course. I am quite impartial to the Fresh Prince episode where Ashley gets a singing career, however.

The point is that the Bears need wide receiver help. Sure, they need help at offensive line, safety, corner, and defensive end, too, but if they bypass one of the draft's top five wideouts at No. 18, they'll be missing an opportunity to upgrade a long withstanding problem area that's only been outlasted by their need for a franchise signal caller.

That's where Missouri's Jeremy Maclin comes in. He can go deep, but of more importance, he plays well across the middle, too. If you can get past the fact he suffered a catastrophic knee injury in 2006, you'll appreciate that he's the only one of the top five wideouts in the draft that isn't a Wonderlific dumbass.

1. Detroit Lions -- Aaron Curry, OLB, Wake Forest
2. St. Louis Rams -- Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech
3. Kansas City Chiefs -- Matthew Stafford, QB, Georgia
4. Seattle Seahawks -- Jason Smith, OT, Baylor
5. Cleveland Browns -- Rey Maualuga, LB, USC
6. Cincinnati Bengals -- Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia
7. Oakland Raiders -- B.J. Raji, DT, Boston College
8. Jacksonville Jaguars -- Malcolm Jenkins, CB, Ohio State
9. Green Bay Packers -- Aaron Maybin, DE, Penn State
10. San Fransisco 49ers -- Everette Brown, DE, Florida State
11. Buffalo Bills -- Brian Orakpo, DE, Texas
12. Denver Broncos -- Vontae Davis, CB, Illinois
13. Washington Redskins -- Brian Cushing, OLB, USC
14. New Orleans Saints -- Clay Matthews, OLB, USC
15. Houston Texans -- Clint Sintim, OLB, Virginia
16. San Diego Chargers -- Michael Oher, OT, Mississippi
17. New York Jets -- Mark Sanchez, QB, USC
18. Chicago Bears -- Jeremy Maclin, WR, Missouri

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are on the clock -- Jason of JC De La Torre's Tampa Bay Sports Blog makes his pick tomorrow.

NFL Outsider Mock Draft: Jets Address QB Position with Sanchez

With the 17th pick in NFL Outsider's 2009 Mock Draft, Jets blogger Joe Caproso of The Cockpit selects Mark Sanchez (QB, USC).

If the draft breaks this way, the Jets will have their choice of both Mark Sanchez and Kansas State's Josh Freeman if they want to go with a quarterback.

The Jets have already privately worked out Freeman and are very high on him. However, they are meeting with Sanchez this week. If the former USC quarterback makes a strong impression on them, he may jump over Freeman on their draft board.

Obviously, if the Jets trade for Jay Cutler, they won't look to go quarterback here.  Even if they don't make a move for Cutler, they could still take a long look at Jeremy Maclin or Percy Harvin if they are available.

Rex Ryan, though, has seen the success teams can have with rookie quarterbacks, which should prevent him from hesitating on pulling the trigger on Sanchez or Freeman.

1. Detroit Lions -- Aaron Curry, OLB, Wake Forest
2. St. Louis Rams -- Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech
3. Kansas City Chiefs -- Matthew Stafford, QB, Georgia
4. Seattle Seahawks -- Jason Smith, OT, Baylor
5. Cleveland Browns -- Rey Maualuga, LB, USC
6. Cincinnati Bengals -- Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia
7. Oakland Raiders -- B.J. Raji, DT, Boston College
8. Jacksonville Jaguars -- Malcolm Jenkins, CB, Ohio State
9. Green Bay Packers -- Aaron Maybin, DE, Penn State
10. San Fransisco 49ers -- Everette Brown, DE, Florida State
11. Buffalo Bills -- Brian Orakpo, DE, Texas
12. Denver Broncos -- Vontae Davis, CB, Illinois
13. Washington Redskins -- Brian Cushing, OLB, USC
14. New Orleans Saints -- Clay Matthews, OLB, USC
15. Houston Texans -- Clint Sintim, OLB, Virginia
16. San Diego Chargers -- Michael Oher, OT, Mississippi
17. New York Jets -- Mark Sanchez, QB, USC

The Chicago Bears are on the clock -- Shea of Blog Down, Chicago Bears makes his pick tomorrow.

NFL Outsider Mock Draft: Chargers Select Oher

With the 16th pick in NFL Outsider's 2009 Mock Draft, Chargers blogger Jeff Williams of Chargers Confidential selects Michael Oher (OT, Mississippi).

With only two offensive linemen selected ahead of the Chargers at number 16, I'm one excited hombre!  My only problem is deciding between Alabama's Andre Smith or Michael Oher from Ole Miss. 

Smith has a ton of potential, but recently proved himself to be a bit of a flake, skipping combine workouts and showing a little too much immaturity for my taste.  Chargers know all about immaturity, which is why I'm going to avoid Smith and take the safe and solid pick:  Michael Oher. 

Either tackle could be gone by #16, so I'm just happy to have my pick of the two!  With Oher, you have a big, athletic guy, good in the running or passing game, and still hasn't peaked.  He's ready to step in and be a starting tackle for a long time.

1. Detroit Lions -- Aaron Curry, OLB, Wake Forest
2. St. Louis Rams -- Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech
3. Kansas City Chiefs -- Matthew Stafford, QB, Georgia
4. Seattle Seahawks -- Jason Smith, OT, Baylor
5. Cleveland Browns -- Rey Maualuga, LB, USC
6. Cincinnati Bengals -- Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia
7. Oakland Raiders -- B.J. Raji, DT, Boston College
8. Jacksonville Jaguars -- Malcolm Jenkins, CB, Ohio State
9. Green Bay Packers -- Aaron Maybin, DE, Penn State
10. San Fransisco 49ers -- Everette Brown, DE, Florida State
11. Buffalo Bills -- Brian Orakpo, DE, Texas
12. Denver Broncos -- Vontae Davis, CB, Illinois
13. Washington Redskins -- Brian Cushing, OLB, USC
14. New Orleans Saints -- Clay Matthews, OLB, USC
15. Houston Texans -- Clint Sintim, OLB, Virginia
16. San Diego Chargers -- Michael Oher, OT, Mississippi

The New York Jets are on the clock -- Joe Caproso of The Cockpit makes his pick tomorrow.

NFL Top 101: BC's Raji Leads the 100+ Best Prospects in the 2009 NFL Draft

I'll just say it flat out: this list is not going to perfectly match the MVN Positional Top 10 lists from the last month or so.  Things have changed.  Draft stock is up, or down, on certain players, and on others, the author of this article has just wizened up a little bit.  There will be plenty of prospects on this list who simply were left off of the positional lists, and likewise, as more information on the prospects comes available, some guys dropped out of the top 101 entirely. 

As NFL fans, you guys/gals know the draft drill by now, so I'll just jump right into the list.  Selections that might be perceived as controversial are highlighted and explained, if only to make it a bit harder to blast in the comments section.

Tier One: The Elite Talent

1.  B.J. Raji, DT, Boston College
The NFL's next Haloti Ngata/Albert Haynesworth (depends on how he's used) is the most dominating force in the entire draft, and earns the best overall ranking.

2.  Aaron Curry, LB, Wake Forest
3.  Jason Smith, OT, Baylor
Jason Smith will reportedly be the first overall pick in the NFL Draft, heading to the Detroit Lions.

4.  Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia
5.  Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech (pictured at right)

Tier Two: Worth The Big Bucks

6.  Michael Oher, OT, Ole Miss
Oher's only concern has to do with his mental construction, because his physical abilities are unmatched among offensive line prospects in this draft.

7.  Everette Brown, LB, Florida State
8.  Malcolm Jenkins, CB, Ohio State
9.  Alex Mack, C, Cal
The NFL's new prototype at the Center position brings a rare combination of veteran like savvy and rookie enthusiasm to whatever team is first willing to use their top pick on him.

10. Brandon Pettigrew, TE, Oklahoma State
11. Peria Jerry, DT, Ole Miss
If Raji is the draft's dominating force, Jerry is the player that offensive coordinators and line coaches will absolutely hate to gameplan for over the next seven to ten years.

12. Brian Orakpo, DE, Texas
Orakpo is the game's next pro bowl pass rushing end, in all likelihood, but he's not a bust proof talent if used improperly.  Some scouts see him as scheme adaptable, others question his ability to play coverage in a 3-4 scheme.

13. Andre Smith, OT, Alabama
14. Tyson Jackson, DE, LSU
15. LeSean McCoy, RB, Pitt
McCoy's rare combination of physicality, durability, and vision makes him the only true feature runner in this draft class.  He's not necessarily more explosive than the other top RBs, but he is the only one who likely won't need to be complemented by another talented back.

16. Rey Maualuga, LB, USC
Even though Maualuga is the by and large fan favorite of the two, he's never been a very dissimilar prospect to James Laurinaitis.  Right now, I feel Maualuga has the edge of the two, but he's got a lot of questions to answer at the USC pro day.  Both players will rely heavily on the talent in front of them for NFL success, so in that respect, there's not going to be a huge difference between the two.  It's possible that either Clay Matthews or Brian Cushing will make a better pro than Rey, but Maualuga is where my money is right now.

17. Vontae Davis, CB, Illinois
18. James Laurinaitis, LB, Ohio State

Tier Three: Top-End Projects

19. Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR, Maryland
20. Chris "Beanie" Wells, RB, Ohio State
21. Percy Harvin, WR, Florida
22. Clint Sintim, LB, Virginia
23. Alphonzo Smith, CB, Wake Forest
24. Eben Britton, OT, Arizona
25. Larry English, DE/LB, Northern Illinois
26. Donald Brown, RB, Connecticut
27. Cody Brown, LB, Connecticut
The dynamic college defensive end will make an impressive linebacker in any scheme, be it a 3-4 or a 4-3.  He can get after the QB from either side, which is really critical in fluid schemes that are very popular in the NFL today.  He's one of four UConn products that will be considered near the end of the first round.

28. William Beatty, OT, Connecticut
29. Knowshon Moreno, RB, Georgia

Tier Four: Projected NFL Starters

30. Derrick Williams, WR, Penn State
Regardless of the 40 times he's clocked, Williams and Brian Robiske share a similar draft profile.  The difference between the two big ten standouts is that Williams has been doing it at Penn State twice as long as Robiske has been doing it at Ohio State.

31. Louis Delmas, S, Western Michigan
32. Darius Butler, CB, Connecticut
33. Clay Matthews, LB, USC
34. Josh Freeman, QB, Kansas State
The first and final word about quarterbacks (and they'll be plenty of words in between) is that it's a weak class.  Flat out, there's just no can't miss guy.  So how are we going to rank the QBs?  They're going to be ranked by the order in which I like them as players.  I like Freeman the best, so he gets to be number one.  Whether he's even going to be a quality NFL starter, your guess is as good as mine.

35. Robert Ayers, DE, Tennessee
36. Victor "Macho" Harris, CB, Virginia Tech
37. Brian Cushing, LB, USC
Cushing's body might force him to have a shorter career than he might otherwise want to.  His durability at USC was always a hot topic, yet, he never missed significant time.  Clearly, he has top notch character.  But in the NFL, character pales to productivity, and Cushing's combination of limited college productivity and concerns about health makes me lukewarm on him as a prospect.  Could be the best of the Southern Cal LB's, or could be the first one whose out of the league.

38a. Graham Harrell, QB, Texas Tech
38b. Matthew Stafford, QB, Georgia
My favorite piece of hypocrisy about the draft process is how a flawed prospect such as Harrell gets the short end of the stick in every debate, but a flawed prospect like Stafford gets pumped up by the media hype machine like it's their civic duty.  Put simply, the stats say Harrell will be better, and the scouts say Stafford is the can't miss guy.  Both stats and scouts will miss a fair amount of the time on players they can't reach a consensus on.  Here, there's no consensus, they both will be ranked 38.  Stafford's going to get a couple of million dollars to try out as a franchise QB.  Harrell's getting a couple thousand to compete for a roster spot, Colt Brennan style.  You can flip a coin to see whose better, or you can spend a few million dollars and grab them both on the same team.

40. Duke Robinson, G, Oklahoma
41a. Mike Mickens, CB, Cincinnati
41b. Connor Barwin, LB, Cinicnnati
Actually just totally forgot Connor Barwin when making this list.  My bad.

42. Jared Cook, TE, South Carolina
43. Kenny Britt, WR, Rutgers
You always want to beware the late first round receiver types who came out of the college ranks early to declare for the draft, but every time I see Britt play, I just see the spot on nature of his projection.  He's not a dynamic gamebreaker, just a future No. 1 or No. 2 WR in the NFL.

44. Xavier Fulton, OT, Illinois
45. Ron Brace, DT, Boston College
46. Mark Sanchez, QB, USC
Sanchez' 64% completion in his one year as USC's starter is more impressive than even Matthew Stafford's best season at Georgia, and Sanchez could be the better prospect.  However, the risk on Sanchez being a non-NFL quality talent is too great to recommend him above any of the other top QBs.  If there's one school where having only one year of film on a guy is a huge detriment, it's super-cushy USC. If everyone around you is an NFL prospect, and only one or two players on the defense are, success at that level is neither a positive or negative indicator.  Consequently, while Matt Stafford appears to be the fool's gold of the draft, Mark Sanchez is the non-descript shiny object. Sure, you might uncover a diamond, but at first round type prices, do you really want to risk the chance that he's just a piece of tin foil?  At second round type prices, I say go for it.

47. Alex McGee, DT, Purdue
48. Andre Brown, RB, North Carolina State
49. Brian Robiske, WR, Ohio State
50. Shawn Nelson, TE, Southern Mississippi
51. Aaron Maybin, LB, Penn State
Am I the only one who sees Maybin's recent explosion of size and speed as a real issue?  Maybin bulked up 25 lbs between the combine and Penn State's pro day, and cut two tenths of a second off his 40-time, and he credits a strict workout regimen for his gains.  But why would you take Maybin high in the draft, and just expect to get the physical beast that teams saw at his pro day?  Is he all of a sudden just not going to be that player he was in college, he's going to be a world-class athlete as a professional?  Buyer beware, if a guy who posted a 4.7 40, and weighed in at 235 at the combine isn't a fit in your system, then you only have yourself to blame if you draft Maybin and expect something he hasn't been prior to his pro day.  Maybin is a half step away from being the workout warrior failure story of the 2009 draft.  Fortunately, there are still systems out there to fit his skill set.

52. Evander "Ziggy" Hood, DT, Missouri
53. Rashard Jennings, RB, Liberty
54. Jamon Meredith, OT, South Carolina
55. Eric Wood, C, Louisville
56. James Casey, TE, Rice
57. Jason Phillips, LB, TCU
58. David Bruton, S, Notre Dame
59. Jeremy Maclin, WR, Missouri
Do you think Maclin is a top ten talent?  Both Michael Crabtree and Jeremy Maclin are top receiver prospects coming out of very successful spread offenses, and are leaving school as Redshirt Sophomores, so why does one guy fit the elite category, and the other guy barely makes the top 60?  At Texas Tech, Mike Leach built his offense around Crabtree because there was no route Crabtree couldn't execute.  Think of him as a young Larry Fitzgerald.  Maclin is every bit as explosive as Crabtree, but he only ran the speed section of the route tree at Missouri, and he wasn't by any means a diverse offensive talent.  Add on top of that the fact that he's not an every down receiver thanks to a fondness for gimpyness, and has somewhat of a reputation for being a little soft.  A good positive comparable for him would be Joey Galloway, who was also highly touted out of college, but even if he's the next Galloway, does he deserve to be a first round pick if he's going to go A.W.O.L. for the early part of his career?  A more negative comparable out of college would be Troy Williamson, and the uncertainty in between means I recommend that you avoid Maclin at first round money.

60. Nate Davis, QB, Ball State
So only one team attended Nate Davis' pro day: the Colts, and they don't exactly have a need at QB.  Oh well.  I've dropped him down accordingly because of the perceived lack of interest in his skill set, but I still think he's a second round talent, and I wouldn't be too shocked if he had more NFL success than either Stafford or Sanchez.  Root for him, but at this point, he's not much of a sure bet for NFL playing time, much less success.  If Harrell is this year's Colt Brennan (i.e. a guy who wont make his noise in the NFL until after draft day), then Davis is the next Andre Woodson (a guy who should be drafted higher than he is, and we never hear from again).

61. William Moore, S, Missouri
62. Cornelius Ingram, TE, Florida
63. David Veikune, DE/LB, Hawaii
64. Darry Beckwith, LB, LSU
65. Sean Smith, CB, Utah
66. Rashad Johnson, S, Alabama
67. Scott McKillop, LB, Pitt
Just a tough, tough kid with better instincts than any national draft analyst wants to give him credit for.  With that said, he's climbing some boards, slowly but surely.

68. Kevin Barnes, CB, Maryland
69. Phil Loadholt, OT, Oklahoma
70. Antoine Caldwell, C, Alabama
Caldwell is a smart, very heady Center who profiles as a prototypical level of production exceeds his pay type of guy.  The skill set is undervalued, but in Caldwell's case, he's not even a liability against the bigger NTs in the NFL.  He's smaller, yes, but he's stronger in the base than you'd expect from a mind first type offensive lineman.

Tier Five: Flawed, but Dynamic Prospects

71. Will Davis, DE, Illinois
72. D.J. Moore, CB, Vanderbilt
D.J. Moore is a first round talent with fourth round type production last year.  He broke out in 2007, but instead of building on that, he regressed back to the pack of corners this year.  He really could have used a senior season at Vandy to jump back up to first round status.  Instead, he's probably a third rounder this year.  Remember, it just takes one team to make him a high second rounder.

73. Patrick Chung, S, Oregon
74. Ramses Barden, WR, Cal Poly
75. Chip Vaughn, S, Wake Forest
76. Michael Johnson, DE, Georgia Tech
Johnson was a college sack-master, but did most of his work off the bench prior to his senior season.  When he became an every down player, he was exposed as sort of a one track guy, with very questionable fundamentals against the run.  He's far from a lost cause, and profiles better as a 4-3 end than most guys in this class, based on the ability he could develop at the next level into a complete player.  Johnson had a lot of help from his DLine companions at GT, and a lot of his success on the pass rush should be credited to them as well.  The total product is a 2nd or 3rd round pick, who can contribute immediately, but not yet as an every down player.

77. Max Ungar, C, Oregon
Ungar is a jack-of-all-trades across the OL, but the position where he has the most value, Center, might be a position he's ill-suited for in the NFL.  I essentially named this tier of prospect with Max Ungar in mind.  He'll almost certainly go before pick 77, but he has a high potential of being plugged into a bad situation and being asked to play the role of savior, and physically, he could get overwhelmed at the next level.  Ideally, he's the next Geoff Hangartner, does some 6th man work for an established OL (such as the Steelers or Panthers), and then really banks in on his second contract.  In reality, he's probably a second round pick who might bust.

78. Brandon Tate, WR, North Carolina
79. Juaquin Iglesias, WR, Oklahoma
80. Jarron Gilbert, DT, San Jose State
81. Tim Jamison, DE/OLB, Michigan
82. Vance Walker, DT, Georgia Tech
83. Sherron Martin, CB, Troy
84. Tyrell Sutton, RB, Northwestern
85. Pat White, QB/WR, West Virginia
Pat White ranks in pretty much the same spot on this list regardless of whether you like him as a QB, WR, RB, H-back, or the rare, elusive "Wildcat QB." He's a complementary QB with renowned leadership skills who can handle a locker room as long as he can stay healthy, he's a complementary receiver who can be a No. 2 or a No. 3, as long as he can stay healthy, and he's probably the ideal gimmick QB, as long as he's healthy.  If you notice a trend in the 'but' category, well, that's why he's #85.  The reason that no one knows if Pat White is a big game QB is because he managed to miss all of WVU's critical Big East match-ups with non-season threatening injuries.

86. Fili Moala, DT, USC
87. Andy Levitre, G, Oregon State
88. Mike Reilly, QB, Central Washington
89. Louis Murphy, WR, Florida
90. Javon Ringer, RB, Michigan State
91. Marcus Freeman, LB, Ohio State
92. Paul Kruger, DE, Utah
93. Dominick Goodman, WR, Cincinnati
Goodman is the highest rated special teamer I have ever had, the only one to make a top 101 prospects list of mine, but that appears to be where his NFL future is, as a very efficient third down machine on offense in a complementary role, and an ace on the coverage teams.  Can also return punts, in a pinch.

94. Coye Francis, CB, San Jose State
95. Trevor Canfield, G, Cincinnati
96. Orion Harris, DE, Virginia Tech
97. Troy Kropog, OT, Tulane
98. Jonathon Luigs, C, Arkansas
99. Dannell Ellerbe, LB Georgia
100. Lawrence Sidbury Jr., DE/LB, Richmond
Sidbury is more raw than his production would indicate, but he's a better bet to learn NFL linebacker coverages than Aaron Maybin or Tim Jamison.  Obviously he can rush the passer, and although he'd be one of the shortest in the league, a 4-3 coordinator could do worse than to suck it up and play Sidbury as his primary rush end, and see if his 255+ lb frame can handle the workload.  He ran at the same level as the D-I FBS guys at the combine, and comes from a great FCS program, so it's not absurd to project success for him at the next level.

101. Jasper Brinkley, LB, South Carolina

NFL Great Debates: Should Cutler Leave Denver?

NFL Outsider's Greg Trippiedi and Anthony Brown debate the issue: What does the future hold for Jay Cutler in Denver?

Greg Trippiedi says Cutler will be under center for Denver in 2009:

Excuse me, what month is it? Seriously, my calendar reads May 2008 still. I don't remember feeling a draft though...

Here's the deal, the media is running with this Cutler story as if training camp is tomorrow. "Oh, where will Jay Cutler ever play next year?" "Can this relationship ever be reconciled?" "Is Josh McDaniels doomed before he ever coaches a game?"

Uh, no, no, and dear God no. Look, Jay Cutler instigated this whole thing for an obvious reason: he doesn't want to play in Denver anymore. That's great, and sounds really serious and all, except he's under contract with the Broncos. So he's going to play where the Broncos tell them to play next year.

In the mean time, the Broncos need to cut this media monster off at the head. Do not try to contact Jay Cutler. In fact, don't even mention Jay Cutler until July at the earliest. Just passively fine him if he misses mandatory workouts for being in breach of his contract, and move on as if Chris Simms is the starter. Nothing will bring the kid back faster.

Jay Cutler has franchise QB stuff. He's not getting traded. It's freakin' March ... what Cutler does this offseason should not in any way concern the Denver Broncos. The less you talk about him, the more likely he is to be under center for you in 2009.

Anthony Brown argues that Cutler should seek greener pastures:

Jay Cutler may be on to something. Young coaches may not be a good fit for the NFL, or for young quarterbacks.

Eric Mangini was the youngest (35) head coach in the NFL when the New York Jets picked him in 2006. Mangini could never settle on a Jets quarterback. He picked aging Brett Favre over Chad Pennington in 2008.

It was Pennington's Miami Dolphins who aced the Jets out of the playoffs last season as Favre's career died on the field.

Cutler had an up close view of division rival Oakland's conflict with head coach Lane Kiffin who was 32 when named Raiders head coach in 2007.

Kiffin's personality clash with owner Al Davis slowed the development of Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell, along with Russell's protracted 2007 contract negotiation.

The Denver Broncos hired 33-year-old Josh McDaniels to replace Mike Shanahan at head coach. McDaniels' clumsy attempt to bring in his guy at quarterback revealed his true opinion of Jay Cutler.

Most young coaches just have to shake things up. They ignore Mike Tomlin's example of working with existing talent in Pittsburgh to make it better. The shake-up artists have nowhere to go but down.

A quarterback has no chance at success if his coach has no confidence in him. The most important relationship on any offense has nowhere to go but down in Denver.

Maybe peace will prevail. Maybe McDaniels can live with Cutler -- until he lands whoever it is he really wants. It's certain Cutler's opportunities are impeded until his coach figures out, if he can, where he wants to take the team and with whom.

Jay Cutler's best chance for success lay elsewhere.

NFL Outsider Mock Draft: Sintim Rounds Out Top 15

With the 15th pick in NFL Outsider's 2009 Mock Draft, Texans blogger Chris Watkins of Houston Diehards selects Clint Sintim (OLB, Virginia).

The Texans have only completed the first phase of what should be a three-phase plan to fix their pass rush. Signing defensive end Antonio Smith to take over the defensive end spot vacated by the jettisoned Anthony Weaver is just the beginning. Smith isn't exactly a terror as a pass rusher, but is definitely an upgrade who figures to benefit from the new aggressive style of play the defense will be employing under new defensive coordinator Frank Bush, and new defensive line coach Bill Kollar.

Phase two of the plan should be to spend a high draft pick on a strong-side linebacker who can also rush the passer.

Enter Clint Sintim. He'll be looked at as a huge reach at 15, but with Cushing and Matthews both surprisingly off the board, I'm picking positional need over best player available. I have concerns about Sintim's ability to play the SAM in a 4-3, but his upside is huge so he is the pick.

Sintim is a violent, physical linebacker who has great closing speed. He's not a great cover linebacker, but he can rush the passer like nobody's business, making him very attractive to the Texans. He's fantastic at taking on and shedding blocks, and he's a sure tackler.

The Senior Bowl did not go well for Clint, but I always put a player's college body of work and on-field results over things like the Senior Bowl and the NFL Combine. Phase one and two to fix the team's pass rush are now complete.

Phase three will be adding the best situational pass rusher they can find in the middle rounds of the draft to join the defensive end rotation.

1. Detroit Lions -- Aaron Curry, OLB, Wake Forest
2. St. Louis Rams -- Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech
3. Kansas City Chiefs -- Matthew Stafford, QB, Georgia
4. Seattle Seahawks -- Jason Smith, OT, Baylor
5. Cleveland Browns -- Rey Maualuga, LB, USC
6. Cincinnati Bengals -- Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia
7. Oakland Raiders -- B.J. Raji, DT, Boston College
8. Jacksonville Jaguars -- Malcolm Jenkins, CB, Ohio State
9. Green Bay Packers -- Aaron Maybin, DE, Penn State
10. San Fransisco 49ers -- Everette Brown, DE, Florida State
11. Buffalo Bills -- Brian Orakpo, DE, Texas
12. Denver Broncos -- Vontae Davis, CB, Illinois
13. Washington Redskins -- Brian Cushing, OLB, USC
14. New Orleans Saints -- Clay Matthews, OLB, USC
15. Houston Texans -- Clint Sintim, OLB, Virginia

The San Diego Chargers are on the clock -- Jeff of Chargers Confidential makes his pick on Monday.

NFL Outsider Mock Draft: Matthews Goes to Saints

With the 14th pick in NFL Outsider's 2009 Mock Draft, Saints blogger James Rees of NFL Outsider selects Clay Matthews (OLB, USC).

With Drew Brees and the Saints high-powered offense in the fold, Sean Payton knows that defense is the key to making a serious run at the Super Bowl. 

Ohio State cornerback Malcolm Jenkins will likely be off the board at 14, so the Saints will look hard at OLB Clay Matthews.  Matthews would provide great playmaking ability to a New Orleans linebacking corps that is steady at best. 

He's a relatively unknown commodity having only started one year at USC, but scouts are raving about him after an impressive combine and senior day showing. 

Adding Matthews would insert much needed athleticism into the Saints defense and give MLB Jonathan Vilma a running mate for the next handful of years.

1. Detroit Lions -- Aaron Curry, OLB, Wake Forest
2. St. Louis Rams -- Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech
3. Kansas City Chiefs -- Matthew Stafford, QB, Georgia
4. Seattle Seahawks -- Jason Smith, OT, Baylor
5. Cleveland Browns -- Rey Maualuga, LB, USC
6. Cincinnati Bengals -- Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia
7. Oakland Raiders -- B.J. Raji, DT, Boston College
8. Jacksonville Jaguars -- Malcolm Jenkins, CB, Ohio State
9. Green Bay Packers -- Aaron Maybin, DE, Penn State
10. San Fransisco 49ers -- Everette Brown, DE, Florida State
11. Buffalo Bills -- Brian Orakpo, DE, Texas
12. Denver Broncos -- Vontae Davis, CB, Illinois
13. Washington Redskins -- Brian Cushing, OLB, USC
14. New Orleans Saints -- Clay Matthews, OLB, USC

The Houston Texans are on the clock -- Chris of Houston Diehards makes his pick tomorrow.

NFL Outsider Mock Draft: Redskins Select Cushing

The Washington Redskins select Southern Cal linebacker Brian Cushing.

1. Detroit Lions -- Aaron Curry, OLB, Wake Forest
2. St. Louis Rams -- Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech
3. Kansas City Chiefs -- Matthew Stafford, QB, Georgia
4. Seattle Seahawks -- Jason Smith, OT, Baylor
5. Cleveland Browns -- Rey Maualuga, LB, USC
6. Cincinnati Bengals -- Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia
7. Oakland Raiders -- B.J. Raji, DT, Boston College
8. Jacksonville Jaguars -- Malcolm Jenkins, CB, Ohio State
9. Green Bay Packers -- Aaron Maybin, DE, Penn State
10. San Fransisco 49ers -- Everette Brown, DE, Florida State
11. Buffalo Bills -- Brian Orakpo, DE, Texas
12. Denver Broncos -- Vontae Davis, CB, Illinois
13. Washington Redskins -- Brian Cushing, LB, USC

The New Orleans Saints are on the clock -- James Rees of NFL Outsider makes his pick tomorrow.

MVN Roundtable: NFL Offseason Winners

In MVN's latest NFL roundtable, we asked several of our favorite NFL bloggers to chime in on this topic: Give us a team that you feel should be considered an "offseason winner," at this point in the NFL's offseason.  Here's what they had to say...

Andrew of Total Titans writes:

If you believe in addition by subtraction, then the Dallas Cowboys should be considered an offseason winner. Three guys who were troublemakers, had character issues or were otherwise disruptive influences (Terrell Owens, Adam "Pacman" Jones and Tank Johnson) are no longer on the roster. Neither is Roy L. Williams, the Pro Bowl safety who was a liability in pass coverage. The 'Boys lost one player they hoped to retain, Chris Canty, but signed a suitable replacement in Igor Olshansky, one of the best young 3-4 defensive ends in the league. Dallas also signed veteran linebackers Keith Brooking and Matt Stewart and upgraded the backup quarterback position with Jon Kitna.

Dan of The Viking Age writes:

Cowboys. Any time you can get rid of T.O. before he completely erupts and destroys your locker room, you have to be considered winners. I applaud Jerry Jones for his decisive, clear-headed efforts on behalf of restoring some semblance of sanity to the organization. The next logical step would be to can that human dumpling Wade Phillips and bring in a real coach like Mike Shanahan or Bill Cowher. Fat chance of that happening, as long as Jerry's ego remains fully inflated.

Thomas of FinsNation writes:

Determining the NFL's "winner" of free agency before its completion is like calculating the success of a team's draft when Mr. Irrelevant is chosen. It's a crap shoot. Who overpaid, how much fire do acquisitions have after a fat bonus, and how is team chemistry affected? Instead, consider the organization, its leadership and blueprint for success. With that, I suggest the Miami Dolphins. They continued building "inside-out" with signings along the offensive line and up the middle of their defense, which were trouble spots in their 2008 AFC East championship season. They are now positioned to take the best available players in the draft and improve upon last year's success.

April of Circling the Wagons writes:

My pick for an offseason winner is the New England Patriots. Being a Buffalo Bills fan, I'm sure people would have expected me to pick them as the winner. But I'm not convinced that signing Terrell Owens guarantees the playoffs, let alone making them an offseason winner. To be an offseason winner, you have to fill in the pieces with cheap free agents and build your talent through the draft. I think that this is exactly what the Patriots have always accomplished and what makes them Super Bowl contenders every season. This season doesn't seem to be any different for them. So far, the Patriots have made some great moves in free agency. They signed running back Fred Taylor from the Jaguars, nabbed tight end Chris Baker from the Jets, scooped up cornerback Shawn Springs from the Redskins, and added wide receiver Joey Galloway from the Buccaneers. Trading Matt Cassel to the Chiefs for a second round draft pick was a smart move on their part, despite what some people may believe. And to top it off, the Patriots are now on the wishlist of Julius Peppers! What more does this team need?

Aaron of Next Season Sports writes:

Seahawks' GM Tim Ruskell's goal this offseason was to set the team up to draft the best player available. You'd be hardpressed to prove Ruskell has done otherwise. The acquisition of T.J. Houshmandzadeh bolstered the wide receiver corps, a position that hasn't seen a Pro Bowl in Seattle in nearly 20 years. Arguably the greatest weakness of the Seahawks' terrible 2008 defense was the interior line. Ruskell addressed the problem with the addition of 330 pound run stuffer DT Colin Cole and versatile pass rusher DT Cory Redding. The departure of Julian Peterson doesn't sting as bad as people might think because franchised LB Leroy Hill has redundant skills with Peterson. Seattle also had about $20 million invested in the top three LBs, and freed up $4.6 million in salary cap space with the move.

The guys at 18 to 88 write:

Honestly, I feel that teams like Indianapolis that did nothing more than keep their own free agents are the ones who 'win' the free agency period. The smartest thing a team can do is keep its own players and stay away from signing aging stars for big money. This year's "big splash" is next year's cap casualty.

NFL Outsider Mock Draft: Vontae Davis Becomes a Bronco

With the 12th pick in NFL Outsider's 2009 Mock Draft, Greg Trippiedi of NFL Outsider (representing the Broncos) selects Vontae Davis (CB, Illinois).

The Denver Broncos spent the free agency period spending relatively small amounts of money on relatively small amounts of talent about as frequently as they could without overloading the league offices with news.

In the draft, it's time that GM Brian Xanders and head coach Josh McDainels get serious about improving the defense.

It was the strategy of the prior Broncos regime that a good defense begins with a good pair of corners.  The failure of said regime came in part because they were never able to pair up a solid option on the other side of all-world cornerback Champ Bailey.  After the tragic passing of Darrent Williams, the Broncos traded for Dre Bly, who simply became the weak link that prevented young, developing corner Dominique Foxworth from getting on the field.  Foxworth was traded to Atlanta prior to the 2008 season where he had a breakout year.  Bly struggled to hold up his end of the bargain when Bailey got injured, and the Broncos cut their losses with Bailey at the end of the year.

Champ Bailey is not known as an injury prone player, but he is starting to show his age a little bit.  By adding Vontae Davis to the mix, the Broncos are taking the very first step in rebuilding their defense.  They expect a lot from Davis, who can learn under Bailey's wing, but will be expected to bubble to the top of all of the other corners in camp and seize a starting role from day one.

Let's face it, what the Broncos need is a superstar on the defensive side of the ball.  Vontae Davis has all the makings of a superstar: Bloodlines, unbelievable athleticism and ball skills, and the desire to score touchdowns when he gets the ball in his hands, on punt returns or on interceptions.  He's going to be great and the Broncos will expect him to be great for them.

1. Detroit Lions -- Aaron Curry, OLB, Wake Forest
2. St. Louis Rams -- Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech
3. Kansas City Chiefs -- Matthew Stafford, QB, Georgia
4. Seattle Seahawks -- Jason Smith, OT, Baylor
5. Cleveland Browns -- Rey Maualuga, LB, USC
6. Cincinnati Bengals -- Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia
7. Oakland Raiders -- B.J. Raji, DT, Boston College
8. Jacksonville Jaguars -- Malcolm Jenkins, CB, Ohio State
9. Green Bay Packers -- Aaron Maybin, DE, Penn State
10. San Fransisco 49ers -- Everette Brown, DE, Florida State
11. Buffalo Bills -- Brian Orakpo, DE, Texas
12. Denver Broncos -- Vontae Davis, CB, Illinois

The Washington Redskins are on the clock -- Anthony of Hog Heaven makes his pick tomorrow.