Mock Draft: Pete Prisco - Who they should take

There are thousands of NFL mock drafts on the Internet, including a handful on this site, two from this writer.

Most of those drafts are done with the idea of trying to correspond the correct player to what each team might do, with the more right the better.

That's tough to do with so much uncertainty and so many lies being told at this time of the year.

It's even tougher to do because you often have to put a player in a slot based on information you've heard, even though you might not think he belongs there.

In other words, you don't agree with what the team might be thinking of doing.

But rather than scream about it, we've created "The Who They Should Take Mock Draft," a rundown of the 32 first-round picks based on who the teams should take, rather than who they might take.

Each player can only be picked once in this draft, otherwise you'd have to put Reggie Bush, Mario Williams and A.J. Hawk in a lot of spots. So it's a regular draft, just based on what a team should do in a certain situation, not what they might do. (Updated on April 26, 2006)

Who they should take | Who they will take

2006 NFL Mock Draft

1. Houston Texans
	Reggie Bush, RB, USC: If you could have Barry Sanders with the first pick would you take him? You bet. Bush is in that class, which is why the Texans have to take him.
2. New Orleans Saints
	A.J. Hawk, LB, Ohio State: They don't need a quarterback, or at least they say they don't, and they have two good ends. So the best choice is Hawk, who just might be the surest thing in this draft.
3. Tennessee Titans
	Matt Leinart, QB, USC: Leinart is going to be a star. Do not believe all that Hollywood hype, and he knows the Titans offense after playing under coordinator Norm Chow at USC.
4. N.Y. Jets
	Mario Williams, DE, North Carolina State: The new staff is looking for a star defensive lineman, which is why Williams makes sense. He can play down end in the 3-4 and also can play 4-3 end.
5. Green Bay Packers
	Ernie Sims, LB, Florida State: The Packers would love to get Hawk here, but in this draft he's gone. So they go for the next-best linebacker in Sims.
6. San Francisco 49ers
	Vernon Davis, TE, Maryland: Where are the threats in the San Francisco offense? Davis is that and more. He will be the next great tight end and a security blanket for young Alex Smith.
7. Oakland Raiders
	Vince Young, QB, Texas: The Raiders signed Aaron Brooks for the short term, and Young is more of a long-term project anyway. He would make too much sense if he fell to the Raiders.
8. Buffalo Bills
	D'Brickashaw Ferguson, T, Virginia: Quick now, name the Buffalo left tackle? It's Mike Gandy, and he isn't very good. Ferguson would be a 10-year starter and a Pro Bowl player for the Bills.
9. Detroit Lions
	Michael Huff, DB, Texas: The Lions need help in their secondary and Huff can play both corner and safety. He would find his way onto the field somewhere.
10. Arizona Cardinals
	Winston Justice, T, USC: They paid Edgerrin James to carry the ball, so they have to find somebody to block for him. If they got Justice, they could move Leonard Davis to guard and make two positions stronger.
11. St. Louis Rams
	Tye Hill, CB, Clemson: Tye Hill, CB, Clemson. The 49ers need help in their secondary in the worst way. Hill is an outstanding cover player.
12. Cleveland Browns
	Brodrick Bunkley, DT, Florida State: The Browns would use Bunkley as a 3-4 down end in their defense and he would flourish there. One day he may grow into a nose tackle, too.
13. Baltimore Ravens
	Haloti Ngata, DT, Oregon: They lost Ma'ake Kemoeatu in free agency to the Panthers, so they go for his replacement. But Ngata is a better pass rusher than Kemo was.
14. Philadelphia Eagles
	Chad Greenway, LB, Iowa: The Eagles need an upgrade at linebacker and Greenway is too good a player to pass up. He isn't pretty, but he makes a lot of plays.
15. Denver Broncos (from Atlanta)
	Laurence Maroney, RB, Minnesota: This is a team without a feature running back. Don't even mention Ron Dayne in that role. Maroney would be a star in the Denver system.
16. Miami Dolphins
	Santonio Holmes, WR, Ohio State: The Dolphins added a deep-throwing quarterback, so now they need to get another big-play receiver to go with Chris Chambers. Holmes is little, but he can fly.
17. Minnesota Vikings
	Jay Cutler, QB, Vanderbilt: The Vikings have to get a long-term quarterback and in this draft they're thrilled to see Cutler here. He would be the starter in 2007 if this was their guy.
18. Dallas Cowboys
	Donte Whitner, S, Ohio State: The Cowboys need a back player who can run and cover. Whitner is that guy. He can be a special player playing next to Roy Williams, who lacks coverage skills.
19. San Diego Chargers
	Antonio Cromartie, CB, Florida State: The Chargers need to play better in the secondary and Cromartie has Pro Bowl corner skills. He is coming off an ACL tear last summer, but he's done well in his workouts.
20. Kansas City Chiefs
	Manny Lawson, DE, North Carolina State: The Chiefs need somebody to come off the edge. Lawson is that type of player. He can be to Chiefs coach Herm Edwards what John Abraham was for him with the Jets.
21. New England Patriots
	DeAngelo Williams, RB, Memphis: They struggled to run the ball last year and Corey Dillon is showing signs of slowing down. Williams will be a big-time runner, which Tom Brady will need.
22. San Francisco (from Washington through Denver)
	Jonathan Joseph CB, South Carolina: They traded to this spot with an idea of getting a corner after taking Davis earlier in the round. Joseph has big-time cover skills.
23. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
	Eric Winston, T, Miami: They need a left tackle. It's that simple. While some may say this is high for Winston, he's worth the risk. He was a top 10 pick before injuring a knee. Now that he's healthy again, this is a bargain.
24. Cincinnati Bengals
	Kamerion Wimbley, DE, Florida State: They could go to the 3-4 and put him on the other side of David Pollack, giving them two good pass-rushing linebackers.
25. N.Y. Giants
	Jimmy Williams, CB, Virginia Tech: Williams has some character flaws, but who better to fix them than Tom Coughlin. Based on talent, Williams should go higher. So he's a good risk here.
26. Chicago Bears
	Marcedes Lewis, TE, UCLA: The Bears haven't had a decent tight end since Mike Ditka. Lewis will give them an option in the middle of the field. He makes way too much sense.
27. Carolina Panthers
	Joseph Addai, RB, LSU: In this draft, they would consider LenDale White, but he has character issues and I think Addai is better anyway. He can run inside and outside.
28. Jacksonville Jaguars
	Abdul Hodge, MLB, Iowa: They would have liked Lewis, but he is gone, so they go for a linebacker who will be an impact player. Hodge is a guy I'm higher on than most.
29. N.Y. Jets
	Bobby Carpenter, LB, Ohio State: Coach Eric Mangini comes from the Bill Belichick school of hard-nosed linebackers and Carpenter is a perfect fit for that style. He can play inside or outside.
30. Indianapolis Colts
	Maurice Drew, RB, UCLA: This might seem high for him because he is small, but he is tough and explosive. Can you imagine him in the Colts' offense? He'll be a 1,300-yard rusher as a rookie.
31. Seattle Seahawks
	Chad Jackson, WR, Florida: Darrell Jackson is a good player, but they don't have much after him. So they should take another Florida receiver to juice up the offense.
32. Pittsburgh Steelers
	LenDale White, RB, USC: The Steelers lost Jerome Bettis to retirement so you know they want a big back to replace him. They are rumored to be high on White, too.