Rich Gosselin's First Mock Draft

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

My favorite mock every year, because Gosselin isn't some draft guru, just some journalist that calls in his sources and sees who teams are eying up...his mocks tend to be a bit different then most and he ends up often getting that "surprise pick" that some people overlook, ala Donte Whitner a few years back...

Linky

1. Detroit Lions:
Matthew Stafford, QB, Georgia
Lions are hoping Stafford can be their next Bobby Layne



2. St. Louis Rams:
Jason Smith, OT, Baylor
Huge hole at left tackle with release of Orlando Pace



3. Kansas City Chiefs:
Aaron Curry, OLB, Wake Forest
The NFL's 31st-ranked defense needs a playmaker



4. Seattle Seahawks:
Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech
Seahawks desperate for a threatening offensive weapon



5. Cleveland Browns:
B.J. Raji, DT, Boston College
Success starts with run defense in AFC North



6. Cincinnati Bengals:
Jeremy Maclin, WR, Missouri
Bengals need WR/KR to replace T.J. Houshmandzadeh



7. Oakland Raiders:
Percy Harvin, WR, Florida
Raiders need more weapons to give QB Russell a chance



8. Jacksonville Jaguars:
Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia
Jaguars allowed 42 sacks last season



9. Green Bay Packers:
Tyson Jackson, DE, LSU
Going to a 3-4, the Packers get best 3-4 DE in draft



10. San Francisco 49ers:
Mark Sanchez, QB, USC
Success has always started at QB for the 49ers



11. Buffalo Bills:
Aaron Maybin, DE, Penn State
The NFL's 29th-ranked pass rush needs help



12. Denver Broncos:
Josh Freeman, QB, Kansas State
Without Jay Cutler, the Broncos need a quarterback



13. Washington Redskins:
Brian Orakpo, DE, Texas
Like Buffalo, the Redskins managed only 24 sacks in 2008



14. New Orleans Saints:
Vontae Davis, CB, Illinois
The NFL's 23rd-ranked pass defense needs a shutdown corner



15. Houston Texans:
Robert Ayers, DE, Tennessee
Pro Bowler DE Mario Williams had 12 of Texans' 25 sacks



16. San Diego Chargers:
Rey Maualuga, MLB, USC
Maualuga plays with same reckless abandon as Junior Seau



17. New York Jets:
Darius Heyward-Bey, WR, Maryland
Jets need to replace the speed of Laveranues Coles



18. Denver Broncos:
Peria Jerry, DT, Mississippi
The NFL's 29th-ranked defense needs across-the-board help



19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers:
Beanie Wells, HB, Ohio State
With Gruden gone, Bucs become power-oriented on offense



20. Detroit Lions:
Ziggy Hood, DT, Missouri
Detroit's two starting DTs gone from a year ago



21. Philadelphia Eagles:
Brandon Pettigrew, TE, Oklahoma State
Eagles lost TE L.J. Smith in free agency



22. Minnesota Vikings:
Malcolm Jenkins, CB, Ohio State
Vikings need a physical presence in 18th-ranked pass defense



23. New England Patriots:
Clay Matthews, OLB, USC
Bill Belichick also coached Clay's dad at Cleveland



24. Atlanta Falcons:
Brian Cushing, OLB, USC
The Falcons lost their two starting OLBs in free agency



25. Miami Dolphins:
James Laurinaitis, MLB, Ohio State
Give him a month and Laurinaitis will be running Miami D



26. Baltimore Ravens:
Andre Smith, OT, Alabama
Another gift for the Ravens – great player, bad workout



27. Indianapolis Colts:
Knowshown Moreno, HB, Georgia
Joseph Addai can't stay healthy, so help is on the way



28. Philadelphia Eagles:
LeSean McCoy, HB, Pittsburgh
McCoy is a clone of Brian Westbrook



29. New York Giants:
Michael Oher, OT, Mississippi
Gives Giants the luxury of moving Dave Diehl back to G



30. Tennessee Titans:
Kenny Britt, WR, Rutgers
Deep speed eases pressure on Pro Bowl RB Chris Johnson



31. Arizona Cardinals:
Donald Brown, HB, Connecticut
NFL's worst rushing attack gets a boost



32. Pittsburgh Steelers:
Alex Mack, C, California
Steelers need to re-establish identity as running team

[Goober]

I will punch someone in the face if that's how the Broncos first round ends up going.

[DSpydr84]

Pick 33: Lions trip over 3 desks and knock out two officials to get the card in for Everrette Brown.

[ThunderHorse]

Moreno would be such a stupid pick for Indianapolis... not to mention we'd be ignoring so many needs.

I know Polian is going to pick BPA, but I don't think Polian is crazy enough to draft a guy we seriously don't need. we can pick up an RB later in the draft if we really wanted one.

[ThunderHorse]

Colts will NOT take Knowshon Moreno. Our biggest need is obviously a DT, and even if we don't pick up a DT, we'll go WR before we go for a running back.

I can't see why anyone would think we would either.

We'd go O-Line before we went RB

[Obst]

Yeah I'd let Mike Tyson punch me square in the nuts if this guy is right. No way do the Raiders reach for Harvin at 7 when he could fall to the second round, plus the Raiders haven't drafted a WR in the first round since 1988. And the Broncos reaching for Freeman at 12 is beyond dumb too. Plus I can't see Orakpo dropping all the way to 13. Finally, Andy Reid has never drafted a RB higher than the 3rd round ever, so I doubt he will change his ways this year.

[Rayman]

Like the OP stated, Gosselin knows his shit and has been solid on draft picks for years now.

[Obst]

He got three picks in the top ten last year and 4 WR's go in the first round. Is he really that reliable?

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/stories/041208dnspomockdraft.532bcdf5.html

That was his mock last year...

[Woy]

I'd be totally fine with Kenny Britt.

[Blick]

I will punch someone in the face if that's how the Broncos first round ends up going.

My head would explode if a prominent K-State player gets chosen by the Broncos.

I don't think it's that bad of a draft for you guys, though.

[Aso]

Mock drafts are extremely hard, especially if you don't predict trades. Still don't like a lot of his picks though. He's not that reliable i would say.

[Blick]

Important part of the article:

Here's the first of three mock draft offerings from The Dallas Morning News this month. The second will come next Sunday, and the final mock on the actual day of the draft. The first mock is based on my draft board of the top 32 players, the second focuses more on team need and the third is how I see the draft playing out.

[Youk]

He got three picks in the top ten last year and 4 WR's go in the first round. Is he really that reliable?

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/stories/041208dnspomockdraft.532bcdf5.html

That was his mock last year...

I wish the Jets got Long...

[Goober]

My head would explode if a prominent K-State player gets chosen by the Broncos.

I don't think it's that bad of a draft for you guys, though.

Freeman is going to need a few years to develop into a QB in the NFL, and after what McDaniels did this off season, he needs to win now, or the fans will chase him out of Denver. Freeman doesn't fit McDaniel's system very well either.

Peria Jerry would be a terrible fit in the 3-4.

[Bmore]

Andre Smith? Now thats different