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Mock draft 2.0: Free agency, trades shed light on teams' intentions

By Pat Kirwan NFL.com
Published: March 5, 2009 at 05:01 p.m.
Updated: Sept. 24, 2012 at 04:11 p.m.
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Mock drafts

While Pat Kirwan thinks highly of Jason Smith, where do NFL.com and NFL Network experts see the Baylor offensive tackle going in April's draft? How about other top prospects?

» Dukes: Stafford has Cutler-like skills
» Wyche: Is QB Lions' biggest need?
» Davis: Plenty of OT talent

More:
» Round-by-round draft order

The NFL Scouting Combine is over, free agency has started with a bang as signings have been fast and furious, which also provides some clues as to the direction teams will go in the draft.

Trades are also on the upswing, and those moves shed some more light on draft intentions as well as the few big-name terminations.

Pro days will take center stage in March, with 20 college pro days scheduled in the first week. Draft-eligible players who performed well at the combine will skip the running and concentrate on the position drills, while the young men who ran poorly will give it another try and times can change dramatically.

Here's a look at my second version of the mock draft, with a slight change in the top 5 that had a ripple effect down through the rest of the draft. Of the 32 first-round picks, 31 remain from last week's mock draft, but there are 16 changes as to which teams select those players because of all the personnel moves this past week.

» Previous mock draft: Version 1.0

Pick	Team	Player	Pos.	School	Previous pick
Mock draft: Round 1
1.	Lions	Jason Smith	OT	Baylor	Jason Smith
		The Lions have a big decision to make about taking a quarterback at this spot. Smith looks like a 10-year starter from Day 1, and the Lions need to wait and see what Stafford looks like at his pro day, which isn't until March 19. There may be better quarterbacks next year, and the Lions should still be picking at or near the top of the draft.

2.	Rams	Eugene Monroe	OT	Virginia	Eugene Monroe
		There have been reports about knee issues, but when you watch Monroe on tape you'll see that he is worthy of this spot in the draft. This is another safe pick and an eventual replacement for Orlando Pace.

3.	Chiefs	Aaron Curry	LB	Wake Forest	Aaron Curry
		Trading for Matt Cassel took the Chiefs out of the quarterback business, and Mike Vrabel would be an excellent mentor for Curry, who was the star of the combine. First Draft: Aaron Curry

4.	Seahawks	Matthew Stafford	QB	Georgia	Michael Crabtree
		Stafford would really benefit from a year on the bench behind a veteran quarterback such as Matt Hasselbeck, and this is an ideal spot for him. With the signing of T.J. Houshmandzadeh, the Seahawks can pass on Michael Crabtree and think long-term.

5.	Browns	Brian Orakpo	DE/LB	Texas	Malcolm Jenkins
		The Browns need a lot of things, but the more I watch them the more it starts with a pass rush. CB Malcolm Jenkins is a nice fit here, but Orakpo plugs in Day 1 at outside linebacker.

6.	Bengals	Michael Crabtree	WR	Texas Tech	Brian Orakpo
		The Bengals lost their battle to re-sign T.J. Houshmandzadeh, and Crabtree's foot surgery helps him fall to this spot. He is the eventual replacement for Chad Johnson. The Bengals like taking offensive players, even though they have defensive needs.

7.	Raiders	Jeremy Maclin	WR	Missouri	Jeremy Maclin
		Maclin can fly and Al Davis still loves speed. I could see a defensive tackle in this spot, but Maclin led the nation with 200 receiving yards a game last year.

8.	Jaguars	Mark Sanchez	QB	USC	Matthew Stafford
		Last week, I had Stafford in this spot, but he moved up this week. So, this time the Jaguars look to the next-best quarterback. The challenge here is passing on a left tackle, and there are some good ones left on the board.
Pick	Team	Player	Pos.	School	Previous pick
9.	Packers	Malcolm Jenkins	CB	Ohio State	Brian Cushing
		The Packers are converting their defense to a 3-4 and need help up front, but they also have aging players on the corner and Jenkins is the best on the board. He could also move to safety.

10.	49ers	Andre Smith	OT	Alabama	Darrius Heyward-Bey
		Smith made a mess of the combine when he left on his own. That was a week ago, and now it's time to get back to the film study, where this guy will show he can block. The 49ers need help up front and Smith's the answer.

11.	Bills	Everette Brown	DE/LB	Florida State	Everette Brown
		The Bills need a pass rusher and an outside linebacker. Brown is 6-foot-1 and 256 pounds, and he recorded 20 sacks in the last two years.

12.	Broncos	B.J. Raji	DT	Boston College	B.J. Raji
		Denver has not gotten right in the defensive line for years, and now they head to a 3-4 defense -- if they can find the people to play it. Raji fits in any front, and I think the Broncos are going to be a hybrid defense for the next few years.

13.	Redskins	Brian Cushing	LB	USC	Andre Smith
		The addition of Albert Haynesworth and the re-signing of DeAngelo Hall forced a few terminations (Jason Taylor and Marcus Washington). A defensive end to play opposite Andre Carter would be good, but so would the multi-talented Cushing.

14.	Saints	Vontae Davis	CB	Illinois	Vontae Davis
		The Saints missed out on signing CB Ron Bartell this week, and still may get in on a veteran corner such as Bryant McFadden. For now the answer lies in the draft, and Davis ran well for a guy who weighs more than 200 pounds.

15.	Texans	Peria Jerry	DT	Mississippi	Tyson Jackson
		Antonio Smith was signed, and that resolved the defensive end issue. Now it is time to resolve the tackle problems. Jerry starts as a wave tackle and quickly replaces Travis Johnson.

16.	Chargers	Rey Maualuga	LB	USC	Rey Maualuga
		As I said last week, Maualuga takes over at strong inside linebacker and teams up with Shawne Merriman on the outside to bring some fire to this defense.
Pick	Team	Player	Pos.	School	Previous pick
17.	Jets	Hakeem Nicks	WR	North Carolina	Hakeem Nicks
		Laveranues Coles is gone and the Jets have a glaring need at wide receiver. There are a number of candidates for this spot, but Nicks' performance in the Meineke Car Care Bowl was all I had to see to put him in this spot.

18.	Bears	Michael Oher	OT	Mississippi	Michael Oher
		The Bears need tackle help, especially with John Tait retiring and John St. Clair on the street. Oher takes over at left tackle opposite last year's first-round pick, Chris Williams.

19.	Buccaneers	Aaron Maybin	DE/LB	Penn State	Aaron Maybin
		The Buccaneers cut Derrick Brooks and Cato June, and need starting linebackers who can also rush the passer. Maybin needs linebacker work in his drops and coverage but he has the tools, and the Bucs are rebuilding.

20.	Lions	Evander Hood	DT	Missouri	Mark Sanchez
		The Missouri tackle is moving up draft boards. He ran a 4.8-second 40-yard dash at 300 pounds, did 34 reps on the bench press test and squats 730 pounds. His pro day is on Thursday and he could move even higher in the weeks to come.

21.	Eagles	Eben Britton	OT	Arizona	Eben Britton
		The Eagles have two first-round picks and need to come out of this round with a tackle and a running back. There has been a run on tackles at this point, and grabbing Britton now looks like the best idea.

22.	Vikings	Percy Harvin	WR	Florida	Percy Harvin
		The Vikings were serious players for T.J. Houshmandzadeh and lost to Seattle. Harvin is a playmaker and can do many of the things DeSean Jackson does for the Eagles.

23.	Patriots	Larry English	DE/LB	Northern Illinois	Knowshon Moreno
		The Patriots may eventually surrender this pick for Julius Peppers, but for now they take an outside linebacker who had 31 sacks in college and can be groomed to play in the Bill Belichick defense.

24.	Falcons	Tyson Jackson	DE	LSU	Peria Jerry
		The Falcons need linebacker help with the loss of Keith Brookings and Michael Boley in free agency. They may take a long look at James Laurinaitis at this spot, but the value may be with Jackson. Jackson is close to 300 pounds right now and can run.
Pick	Team	Player	Pos.	School	Previous pick
25.	Dolphins	Clay Matthews	LB	USC	Larry English
		Matthews is a playmaker and a self-made man. He arrived at USC as a 165-pound walk-on and worked his way into a first-round talent.

26.	Ravens	Darrius Heyward-Bey	WR	Maryland	Darius Butler
		The Ravens resolved their cornerback issue by signing Domonique Foxworth, so now they can turn their attention to the wide receiver position. Heyward-Bey was the fastest player at the combine and Joe Flacco has the arm to get the ball to him.

27.	Colts	James Laurinaitis	LB	Ohio State	James Laurinaitis
		The Colts could use a defensive tackle, but Laurinaitis had 375 tackles in college, as well as nine interceptions and 13 sacks.

28.	Eagles	Knowshon Moreno	RB	Georgia	Kenny Britt
		Moreno is the perfect fit for the aging Brian Westbrook, who has a mounting injury history. The Eagles could look at Chris "Beanie" Wells here, but Moreno is more their style.

29.	Giants	Kenny Britt	WR	Rutgers	Michael Johnson
		The Giants have beefed up their defense in free agency, and now need to find a big receiver in case Plaxico Burress is not in their plans in 2009. Britt is a local product with size.

30.	Titans	Robert Ayers	DE	Tennessee	Robert Ayers
		The Titans build their team on toughness and defense. Ayers starts out as rotational defensive end who can drop into coverage, as demonstrated at the Senior Bowl practices. At 272 pounds, Ayers could also be an inside pass rusher on third downs.

31.	Cardinals	Michael Johnson	DE	Georgia Tech	Evander Hood
		The Cardinals lost DE Antonio Smith in free agency and need another linebacker. Johnson is 6-foot-7, runs 4.67 and helped himself at the combine. However, there are conflicting reports from film study.

32.	Steelers	Jarron Gilbert	DE	San Jose State	Jarron Gilbert
		A 3-4, five-technique player is on the Steelers' shopping list, and at 6-foot-5, 288 pounds and with 4.8 speed, Gilbert has all the measurables. Look him up on YouTube, and watch him jump out of a swimmimg pool in three feet of water straight onto the deck without using his hands to push off.