2009 NFL Draft: Rob Rang's Mock Draft

Updated on Jan. 24, 2009

Strong efforts by several players at the Senior Bowl, including defensive tackles B.J. Raji (Boston College) and Peria Jerry (Mississippi) and Southern California linebackers Brian Cushing and Rey Maualuga, have them rising up the board significantly. By the same token, poor showings by several players in Mobile could lead to a handful of underclassmen jumping into the top 10.

The scarcity of senior skill position talent had scouts at the Senior Bowl speculating about what Detroit will do with the No. 1 overall pick. The consensus was the Lions would be wise to follow in the footsteps of the Miami Dolphins last year and go the safe route by selecting an offensive tackle. But with millions already invested in Jeff Backus and last year's first-round pick, Gosder Cherilus, the Lions could look elsewhere to fill one of their many other big needs.

1.Detroit Lions
	Matt Stafford, QB, Georgia: The lack of elite quarterbacks in this draft could ultimately lead the Lions to Stafford, although representatives within the team told me in Mobile that they'd like to consider other options -- including trading out of this spot. With five picks within the first three rounds, the Lions could gamble that they can address their quarterback concerns later, or take the strong-armed Stafford here
2.St. Louis Rams
	Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia: With Orlando Pace entering his 13th season and starting RT Alex Barron a year from free agency, the Rams would be wise to take advantage of this strong tackle class. Had the Dolphins not taken Jake Long with the first overall pick last year, the Rams would have snatched him up with the second pick
3.Kansas City Chiefs
	Everette Brown, DE, Florida State: Admittedly, this will be perceived as a considerable reach at this point. However, conversations among scouts at the Senior Bowl pinpointed Brown as the pass rusher most likely to take advantage of a weak senior crop of ends. New Chiefs GM Scott Pioli built the New England defensive line with first-round picks. Many anticipate he'll continue the philosophy in Kansas City
4.Seattle Seahawks
	Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech: The Seahawks have plenty of holes and could go in a variety of directions. Wide receiver is not necessarily their biggest need, but adding playmakers -- whether on offense or defense -- is chief among them
5.Cleveland Browns
	Aaron Curry, OLB, Wake Forest: The Browns managed just 17 sacks in 2008, the second-fewest in the league ahead of only the record-setting 10 by Kansas City. Curry would be making the transition from the 4-3 to the 3-4 here, but don't let his 2.5 sacks as a senior fool you -- he's the most versatile and explosive defender in the draft and ranks as the elite senior prospect by many clubs
6.Cincinnati Bengals
	Jason Smith, OT, Baylor: The Bengals allowed 51 sacks last season. Cincinnati can't expect to keep Carson Palmer healthy and resurrect its ground game by relying on an aging and injury-prone Levi Brown at left tackle and Stacy Andrews, whose play off fell in 2008 even before suffering a knee injury, at right tackle
7.Oakland Raiders
	Malcolm Jenkins, CB, Ohio State: With All-Pro CB Nnamdi Asomugha and fellow starter Chris Johnson potential free agents, the Raiders may be forced to look to the draft for replacements. Jenkins, a Thorpe Award winner, would be a good fit
8.Jacksonville Jaguars
	Michael Oher, OT, Mississippi: Coach Jack Del Rio and his staff had the opportunity to get to know Oher personally by coaching him at the Senior Bowl. They aren't likely to forget how dominating he was in practice or their own struggles along the offensive line this season
9.Green Bay Packers
	B.J. Raji, DT, Boston College: If free agent Colin Cole or the perpetually injured Justin Harrell can be counted on for next season, the Packers may be able to address another need with this pick. If not, Raji's size and strength inside makes sense at nose guard as Green Bay transitions to a 3-4 scheme
10.San Francisco 49ers
	Andre Smith, OT, Alabama: The 49ers gave up a league-high 55 sacks last season. Smith is a dominant run blocker, but his lack of lateral quickness in pass protection had scouts at the Senior Bowl projecting a fall on draft day
11.Buffalo Bills
	Brian Cushing, OLB, USC: The Bills' primary offseason goal is to address the outside linebacker position. Priority No. 2 is to improve their pass rush. Cushing is versatile and athletic enough to help in both areas and is rising after an impressive performance in Mobile
12.Denver Broncos
	Rey Maualuga, ILB, USC: The Broncos are hopeful the ultra-athletic D.J. Williams and former first-round defensive end Jarvis Moss can blossom as rush linebackers in their new 3-4 scheme. They currently lack the stout run pluggers for the inside, however, making Maualuga an intriguing fit
13.Washington Redskins
	Peria Jerry, DT, Mississippi: With only four picks, the Redskins have little ammunition to restock their aging offensive and defensive lines. Adding to their quandary, defensive linemen Anthony Montgomery, Kedric Golston and Demetric Evans will be free agents. Jerry's burst inside would give the Redskins options
14.New Orleans Saints
	D.J. Moore, CB, Vanderbilt: The Saints gave up 53 completions of 20-plus yards last season, third-most in the NFL. They can't afford to rely on immediate healthy returns by Mike McKenzie and Tracy Porter
15.Houston Texans
	Brian Orakpo, DE, Texas: Despite investing three first-round picks into the defensive line, the Texans still lack pass rushers to keep DE Mario Williams from being constantly double-teamed. Orakpo would provide a solid base end on the left side and be a public relations coup
16.San Diego Chargers
	Aaron Maybin, OLB, Penn State: Without Shawne Merriman in 2008, the Chargers dropped from fifth in the league in sacks to 22nd. With no assurances that he'll be the same explosive playmaker following knee surgery, San Diego would be wise to add reinforcements
17.New York Jets
	Jeremy Maclin, WR, Missouri: Eric Mangini and Brett Favre have become convenient scapegoats for New York's late-season collapse, but this is an offense lacking explosive playmakers. Maclin, who has been timed at 4.38 seconds in the 40-yard dash, could solve that problem
18.Chicago Bears
	Mark Sanchez, QB, USC: General Manager Jerry Angelo hinted the Bears would be looking to add competition for Kyle Orton. If Sanchez suffers an Aaron Rodgers/Brady Quinn-like drop as some scouts at the Senior Bowl projected, Angelo may be unable to resist Sanchez's upside
19.Tampa Bay Buccaneers
	Knowshon Moreno, RB, Georgia: Earnest Graham ended the season on IR, Cadillac Williams tore another knee tendon in the regular-season finale and Warrick Dunn is a part-time back who just turned 34. New coach Raheem Morris needs to bring in a young bell cow
20.Detroit Lions (from Dallas Cowboys)
	James Laurinaitis, ILB, Ohio State: With needs at virtually every position, the Lions would be wise to consider safe picks at this point, especially if they gamble with a quarterback at No. 1. Laurinaitis is not an elite playmaker, but his consistency and hustle could make him a cornerstone on the defense
21.Philadelphia Eagles
	Beanie Wells, RB, Ohio State: Brian Westbrook battled through knee and ankle injuries all season and might not be a 25-touch back at this point. The Eagles also struggled mightily in short-yardage situations. With an extra first-round pick, they'd strongly consider taking advantage of the fact that Wells -- a top 10 talent -- could slip amid durability concerns
22.Minnesota Vikings
	Alphonso Smith, CB, Wake Forest: Despite ranking fourth in the league with 45 sacks last season, the Vikings finished with only 12 interceptions. With Antoine Winfield entering his 11th season and Marcus McCauley increasingly looking like a bust, the Vikings might jump at the playmaking Smith
23.New England Patriots
	Vontae Davis, CB, Illinois: The Patriots allowed 27 passing touchdowns in 2008, second-worst in the league. Davis has the athleticism to warrant a top 10 selection, but his inconsistency will scare some teams off
24.Atlanta Falcons
	Tyson Jackson, DE/DT, LSU: Relying on the undersized Jonathan Babineaux and the 36-year-old Grady Jackson up front would not be advisable if the Falcons want to improve their 25th-ranked run defense. Jackson spent most of his LSU career at end, but is being projected as a tackle by many clubs
25.Miami Dolphins
	Brandon Pettigrew, TE, Oklahoma State: Chad Pennington earned his second Comeback Player of the Year Award in 2008 despite having few consistent receiving options. Bill Parcells loves run-blocking tight ends that can make plays downfield in the passing game, and Pettigrew is an excellent all-around value here
26.Baltimore Ravens
	Larry English, OLB, Northern Illinois: Ravens veterans Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs and Bart Scott are all scheduled to become free agents, with at least one likely to leave. English, too fast off the edge for an athletic group of offensive tackles to handle at the Senior Bowl, could contribute immediately
27.Indianapolis Colts
	Fili Moala, DT, USC: For too long the Colts have relied on athletic but undersized defensive tackles. Moala isn't a consistent playmaker, but he has the bulk the Colts are missing along with the hustle Indianapolis requires from its defenders
28.Philadelphia Eagles (from Carolina Panthers)
	William Beatty, OT, Connecticut: In drafting offensive or defensive linemen with their top pick six times in the past decade, Philadelphia clearly operates under the philosophy that winning in the trenches is the key to victory. With free agency looming for starting OTs Tra Thomas and Jon Runyan, it would be a surprise if the Eagles didn't use at least one of their first-round picks to fortify the position
29.New York Giants
	Hakeem Nicks, WR, North Carolina: The uncertain future of Plaxico Burress means the Giants may be forced to look at adding a tall, playmaking receiver early in the draft. Nicks lacks elite stopwatch speed, but his hands and body control make him one of the more underrated wideouts of this class
30.Tennessee Titans
	Percy Harvin, WR, Florida: The Titans' lack of playmakers on the outside was once again exposed when RB Chris Johnson was injured in the playoff loss to Baltimore. Whoever the quarterback winds up being, he needs a legitimate threat to stretch the field opposite ever-improving Justin Gage
31.Arizona Cardinals
	LeSean McCoy, RB, Pittsburgh: Despite his postseason resurgence, Edgerrin James is still likely to seek a way out of Arizona. Tim Hightower is an excellent short-yardage back, but lacks great vision and speed for a featured role. McCoy has the potential to fill the role of a bruising lead back coach Ken Whisenhunt has been looking for
32.Pittsburgh Steelers
	Eben Britton, OT, Arizona: Only the 49ers (55), Lions (52) and Bengals (51) allowed more sacks this season than the Steelers (49). Starting LT Marvel Smith has finished each of the past two seasons on IR, replacement Max Starks is a potential free agent and RT Willie Colon lacks the lateral quickness necessary to hold up long in pass protection

Rob Rang is a Senior Analyst for NFLDraftScout.com, distributed by The Sports Xchange.