Fent Mock II

Round 1:

1. Miami – Chris Long, DE, UVA
- I still don’t see Matt Ryan as a franchise signal caller, and my guess is that Tuna doesn’t either, he just wants Atlanta to give up a couple 2nds to move up and grab him. If he goes here he has all the makings for Alex Smith part deux.

2. St. Louis – Jake Long, OT, Michigan
- Orlando had a great career, but his body is already riding off into the sunset.

3. Atlanta – Matt Ryan, QB, BC
- Two picks later I still don’t think he’s franchise material, but Atlanta’s desperate for a new face to the franchise and a new QB is the easiest way to do that.

4. Oakland – Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas
- Do you really expect Davis to start passing on “freaks” now?

5. Kansas City – Leodis McKelvin, CB, Troy
- Unlike Arizona last year, they won’t reach at the 5 spot for a tackle outside the top 10 on their big board.

6. NY Jets – Limas Sweed, WR, Texas
- Doesn’t fit their offseason action of buying guys to win now, but Coles is again asking for a new contract and appears to be on a decline anyway.

7. New England – Vernon Gholston, OLB/DE, OSU
- Exhibit A in support of my father’s claim that life really isn’t fair.

8. Baltimore – Brian Brohm, QB, Louisville
- So much for all the snarky Billick lines I came up with to use in this spot all offseason.

9. Cincinnati – Sedrick Ellis, DT, USC
- Problem numero uno (other than dealing with the instability of ocho cinco) is the inability to plug up the middle of the defense. After nabbing Ellis they can move on to the craziness.

10. New Orleans – Keith Rivers, OLB, USC
- The linebacking corps is nothing special in NO and Rivers has the potential to be a stud.

11. Buffalo – Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, CB, Tennessee State
- The kidney thing might scare some teams off, but this is the team that drafted McGahee when he was still in a knee brace.

12. Denver – Ryan Clady, OT, BSU
- There are major holes on the o-line now and Shanny needs to teach someone else how to end the careers of AFC West defensive players.

13. Carolina – Glenn Dorsey, DT, LSU
- The long slide comes to an end. The injury scares and surgery questions have him sliding like Branch did last year. Carolina doesn’t have a gaping need here, but Dorsey’s too much to let slide. If he doesn’t get past the top 5 we’ll have hard evidence of team’s setting much more than smoke screens to get their guy.

14. Chicago – Jeff Otah, OT, Pitt
- QB’s a major problem, but no one merits this pick. Otah is a little raw, but the need at OT is just too great.

15. Detroit – Rashard Mendenhall, RB, Illinois
- Now that Martz is gone, maybe they’ll actually use their RB to, you know, carry the ball.

16. Arizona – Jonathan Stewart, RB, Oregon
- Injury clouds his future a little, but his talent is undeniable. With Edge on the slippery side of his career slope, Arizona bring his replacement in to learn the fine art of pass blocking…something he better excel in if he wants to be friends with the Cardinal QB.

17. Minnesota – Derrick Harvey, DE, Florida
- This is anything but a secret at this point. The only way this changes is if the Vikings add someone like Peppers.

18. Houston – Chris Williams, OT, Vanderbilt
- Houston had better line play this year, but Salaam is on the wrong side of 30, and solid LTs don’t play for 4 teams in their career.

19. Philadelphia – Dan Connor, OLB, PSU
- They really want an OT but just miss out on the big names. Time to fill other positions of need.

20. Tampa Bay – Aqib Talib, CB, Kansas
- WR is an option here, but Kelly looks to be dropping for health reasons and others here are a reach.

21. Washington – Phillip Merling, DE, Clemson
- I know, I know…the chances of the Skins making the smart pick are slim to none, but one can always hope.

22. Dallas – Mike Jenkins, CB, S Fla
- This pick would probably be better served by taking Kenny Phillips to replace Roy and his god-awful coverage skills, but Roy sells jerseys so he stays.

23. Pittsburgh – Brandon Albert, OG, UVA
- Yet another badly kept secret.

24. Tennessee – DeSean Jackson, WR, California
- WR is a huge need for this team, but so is pretty much every other roster position. Adding an offensive player won’t matter, though, as Vince will still never be viewed as the source of the team’s offensive mediocrity.

25. Seattle – Kentwan Balmer, DT, UNC
- They need a receiver and could use some o-line help, but Balmer’s better value and still fills a need at 25.

26. Jacksonville – Lawrence Jackson, DE, USC
- May be a bit of a reach down their draft board, but DE is undeniably their most pressing need.

27. San Diego – Kenny Phillips, S, Miami
- Fills a hole and is by far the best available player left at this point.

28. Dallas – Malcolm Kelly, WR, OU
- His injury concerns have him falling now, but with his height and college production are probably too much for Jerruh to pass on here.

29. San Francisco – Devin Thomas, WR, Michigan State
- They need an additional aerial weapon to take the pressure off of Smith. Thomas has good peripheral numbers to go with his big year in 2007 and his stock is on the rise. A pass rusher could be an option here, but there’s really no one of value and Martz will be lobbying for a new toy.

30. Green Bay – Patrick Lee, CB, Auburn
- This would almost be best case scenario for them. They get a very talented but raw CB at 30 and they can sit him down at NB for a couple years to learn.

31. NY Giants – Reggie Smith, S, OU
-After the mass exodus that the Giants have faced over the last month, they suddenly have major holes to fill on defense. With Knight in the fold, Reggie will have the chance to sit and learn, but with Sammy turning 33 in the first month of the season, it won't be for long.

Round 2:

32. Miami – Chad Henne, QB, Michigan
- A comparable QB to the first two taken. Won’t be a super star, but he should challenge for the occasional pro-bowl nod.

33. St. Louis – Quentin Groves, DE, Auburn
- Fills out another need in the trenches.

34. Atlanta (Oakland) – Sam Baker, OT, USC
- Solid player who will help solidify one of the tackle spots and keep Ryan on his feet.

35. Kansas City – Antoine Cason, CB, Arizona
- May not be the best in a man-coverage scheme, but he makes plays.

36. NY Jets – Tracy Porter, CB, Indiana
- This Jets add another young corner to solidify their DBs.

37. Atlanta – James Hardy, WR, Indiana
- Passing on defense on their first 3 picks will be hard for a defensive HC but, Hardy’s got too much potential to skip here. Quickly becoming a solid draft.

38. Baltimore – Gosder Cherilus, OT, BC
- They hope he can at least take Ogden’s spot on the roster...I don’t think his talent merits the chance to let him carry Jonathan’s jock strap, not that he’d really want to.

39. San Francisco – Chilo Rachal, OG, USC
- Maybe a bit early, but with Allen potentially hanging it up this spring and having already lost Smiley and Harris, this is a MAJOR need pick.

40. New Orleans – Pat Sims, DT, Auburn
- Another need pick. This defense should improve significantly just on the strength of these first 2 picks.

41. Buffalo – Mario Manningham, WR, Michigan
- His 40 times hurt him, but his production is unquestioned.

42. Denver – Calais Campbell, DE, Miami
- Shanny’s been looking for a dominant defensive line for the better part of a decade. He’s overlooked major red flags before…he’ll do it again at least twice in this draft.

43. Carolina – Joe Flacco, QB, Delaware
- Delhomme needs to go home. Yes…I realize how bad that was.

44. Chicago – Andre Woodson, QB, Kentucky
- Classic example of a team overreacting because they missed out on their guy.

45. Detroit – Carl Nicks, OT, Nebraska
- A bit of a project, but he’s a BIG nasty and Detroit needs a lot of big and a lot of nasty.

46. Cincinnati – Erin Henderson, OLB, Maryland
- Yet another major hole in their defense. Not a surprise that they ended up 27th in the league in defense.

47. Minnesota – Jerod Mayo, LB, Tennessee
- Not a huge need, but definitely an upgrade over their current LB corps.

48. Atlanta (Houston) – Red Bryant, DT, TAMU
- Seriously…if Dimitroff screws up 4 picks in the first 48, he should hang his head in shame. Bryant helps address another major need for this team.

49. Philadelphia – Early Doucet, WR, LSU
- NFC East fans cringe at the potential of seeing him playing on the same field as Westbrook.

50. Arizona – Brandon Flowers, CB, Indiana
- Can you name a starting CB for the Cardinals? If you picked Antrelle Rolle, check your position assignments again. (Hint…he moved to safety)

51. Washington – Trevor Laws, DT, Notre Dame
- Vinny says he wants a pass rushing DT…I’ll believe it when I see it.

52. Tampa Bay – Felix Jones, RB, Arkansas
- Cadillac’s still hurting and may never be an impact NFL player again.

53. Pittsburgh – Curtis Lofton, LB, OU
- At the very least fills a depth need at LB after losing Haggans. With Farrior and Harrison getting up there in age and Haggans leaving town this spring, he may have a chance to start sooner than expected.
Edit: As of 430 PM last night, this pick was a project pick of Heath Benedict, OT, Newberry. Between writing this and posting it, Benedict was found dead of natural causes in his home. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Heath’s family and friends as they deal with this loss.

54. Tennessee – Fred Davis, TE, USC
- Another weapon for Vince to ignore.

55. Seattle – John Carlson, TE, Notre Dame
- Had a down year, but who didn’t in South Bend? Good hands and good routes equal production in the Holmgren offense.

56. Green Bay (Cleveland) – DaJuan Morgan, S, NC State
- Bigby’s back for another year, but he’s the weakest link in the secondary.

57. Miami (San Diego) – Justin King, CB, PSU
- King rounds out a fairly solid first 3 picks for the Tuna.

58. Jacksonville – Marcus Harrison, DT, Arkansas
- Losing Stroud will hurt more than they think.

59. Indianapolis – Philip Wheeler, LB, Georgia Tech
- A quick, undersized playmaker on defense. Fits right into the Colts’ defensive system.

60. Green Bay – Martellus Bennet, TE, TAMU
- Stats aren’t as high as they should be thanks to the offense the Aggies run, but he’s got great size, soft hands, and is a good blocker.

61. Dallas – Ray Rice, RB, Rutgers
- They need a solid backup at the very least and until they find out if Barber can carry the load on his own, need to make sure they have someone he can split the load with.

62. New England – Charles Godfrey, CB, Iowa
- SOMEONE has to start at CB, and right now, that someone isn’t on the team.

63. NY Giants – Thomas DeCoud, S, Cal
- Knight is 33 by week 4 of the season. He’s a short term answer and they need to find someone to fill that spot long term.