TSN Mock Draft Round 1

[The Entertainer]

[quote][size=3][b]First-round mock: So who's No. 2? [/b] [/size]

By Dan Pompei - SportingNews


Sporting News' Dan Pompei sizes up the first round of the upcoming NFL draft. Coming on Monday: TSN correspondents' mock draft.

1. Houston Texans

Reggie Bush, RB, USC. Mario Williams, you say? Houston merely is trying to create negotiating leverage with Bush and entice other teams to move up.

2. New Orleans Saints

Mario Williams, DE, N.C. State. The Saints want to move down, but that doesn't appear likely. They won't take Matt Leinart.

3. Tennessee Titans

Matt Leinart, QB, USC. It's unlikely the Titans would give Vince Young instead of Leinart to coordinator Norm Chow, who coached Leinart at USC.

4. New York Jets

D'Brickashaw Ferguson, OT, Virginia. But a quarterback can't be ruled out. Another possibility is a trade down to the 10 to 12 range.

5. Green Bay Packers

A.J. Hawk, OLB, Ohio State. This is the perfect pick for Green Bay. Hawk was born to wear green and gold.

6. San Francisco 49ers

Vernon Davis, TE, Maryland. The 49ers need to give Alex Smith some support by surrounding him with dynamic playmakers such as Davis.

7. Oakland Raiders

Vince Young, QB, Texas. But they like QB Andrew Walter, a third-round pick last year, so Virginia Tech CB Jimmy Williams remains a dark-horse possibility.

8. Buffalo Bills

Haloti Ngata, DT, Oregon. This team is a bit of a wild card with a number of needs. Can it afford to pass up Vanderbilt QB Jay Cutler?

9. Detroit Lions

Ernie Sims, OLB, Florida State. The popular pick is Texas S Michael Huff, and he can't be ruled out. But Sims might be a better fit for the Lions' blueprint.

10. Arizona Cardinals

Winston Justice, OT, USC. This team and offensive line problems go together like the desert and sand. Justice can help.

11. St. Louis Rams

Michael Huff, S, Texas. They'd be thrilled if Huff lasted this long. If he doesn't, they might have to settle for Virginia Tech CB Jimmy Williams or Florida State's Bunkley.

12. Cleveland Browns

Brodrick Bunkley, DT, Florida State. It's clear this team needs help in the front seven. If Oregon's Ngata is on the board, he could be the choice.

13. Baltimore Ravens

Johnathan Joseph, CB, South Carolina. He could provide immediate help as a nickel corner. Don't discount Minnesota RB Laurence Maroney.

14. Philadelphia Eagles

Santonio Holmes, WR, Ohio State. The word is the Eagles would like to trade up for USC's Justice or Oregon's Ngata. If they can't, a wideout makes the most sense.

15. Denver Broncos (from Falcons)

Manny Lawson, DE/OLB, N.C. State. The Broncos instead could go for a running back such as Minnesota's Maroney or Memphis' DeAngelo Williams.

16. Miami Dolphins

Kamerion Wimbley, DE, Florida State. This is a player who can help Nick Saban blur the line between a three-man front and a four-man front.

17. Minnesota Vikings

Jay Cutler, QB, Vanderbilt. Many suspect the Vikes will move up to assure themselves of getting Cutler, but if they deal, it will be to get a wide receiver or a linebacker -- not a quarterback.

18. Dallas Cowboys

Jimmy Williams, CB, Virginia Tech. A young receiver would make sense, but there might not be one worth taking here.

19. San Diego Chargers

Tye Hill, CB, Clemson. If this team doesn't take a cornerback on the first day, it will be an upset of major proportions.

20. Kansas City Chiefs

Antonio Cromartie, CB, Florida State. The defensive rebuilding continues, but the Chiefs also could use reinforcements for a rapidly aging offense.

21. New England Patriots

Donte Whitner, S, Ohio State. Bill Belichick has learned definitively he can't have enough defensive backs.

22. San Francisco 49ers

Bobby Carpenter, OLB, Ohio State. If the 49ers help their offense with the sixth pick, they will need to help their defense here.

23. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Nick Mangold, C, Ohio State. Jon Gruden keeps trying to get it right with his offensive line.

[size=3][b]24. Cincinnati Bengals

Tamba Hali, DE, Penn State. This team needs more juice in its pass rush, and Hali could provide it. N.C. State's Lawson also will fit if he is available. [/b] [/size]

25. New York Giants

Chad Jackson, WR, Florida. Signing LaVar Arrington means the Giants don't have to make drafting a linebacker their top priority.

26. Chicago Bears

John McCargo, DT, N.C. State. They could go for a cornerback or a linebacker such as Ohio State's Carpenter if he is available, but this team never has too many defensive linemen.

27. Carolina Panthers

Laurence Maroney, RB, Minnesota. A linebacker is a possibility, but running the ball is central to everything the Panthers are.

28. Jacksonville Jaguars

Chad Greenway, OLB, Iowa. The Jaguars need a playmaking tight end, and they also could have a hard time passing up Tennessee S Jason Allen.

29. New York Jets (from Broncos)

DeAngelo Williams, RB, Memphis. At some point, the Jets have to come up with a successor to Curtis Martin.

30. Indianapolis Colts

Thomas Howard, OLB, UTEP. Losing Edgerrin James and David Thornton left the Colts with holes at running back and linebacker.

31. Seattle Seahawks

Ashton Youboty, CB, Ohio State. The Seahawks need to add more than one DB in the draft, and there is depth in the early rounds.

32. Pittsburgh Steelers

Jason Allen, S, Tennessee. Where Allen goes depends on how each team views him as a medical risk (a dislocated hip ended his '05 season).[/quote]


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