Fiu's DAILY Cavalcade of
Whimsy
The First Mock Draft ... Dec. 29
a.k.a.
Frank Costanza's Festivus Airing of the Grievances OR ... The obvious attempt to keep readers coming to the site on a
regular basis during the off-season.
By
Pete Fiutak
What's your beef? ... Fire
off your
thoughts
Last Week's Whimsies: Tuesday -
Holiday Wish List For All
119 Teams
Wednesday -
Chizik, Gill, & the Race
Card
Friday -
Why Paterno isn't too old
If today's blurb
sucks, it’s not my fault
…
I watched the Independence Bowl. Every minute of it. Every ... minute.
"I joined the
Army because my father and my brother were in the Army. I thought I'd
better join before I got drafted." ... Because I have to, and
because it's sort of fun, ladies and germs, the first ten picks in the
2009 NFL Draft. Now there's no need to go through the whole rigmarole
for the next four months.
1.
Detroit Lions – Matthew Stafford, QB Georgia
It’ll be a toss-up between Stafford and Sam Bradford, Bradford or
Stafford for weeks. It’ll be the talk of the radio shows, articles,
features, and profiles. In the end, the Lions will take the bigger arm
and the more polished NFL passer.
2. St. Louis Rams – Andre Smith, OT Alabama
There will be a big, big push to take the quarterback that isn’t
taken with the No. 1, and then the Rams will likely end up going with
the cornerstone tackle to replace the continually injured Orlando Pace.
The Rams will be rebuilding from the lines out.
3. Kansas City Chiefs – Sam Bradford, QB Oklahoma
No, Tyler Thigpen isn’t the answer. The franchise will be wiping the
slate clean and will start all over. Going with Bradford will be the
first step back. If he’s gone, the Chiefs will go back to what was so
successful in the past by building up the line with Smith.
4. Seattle Seahawks – Chris Wells, RB Ohio State
The team needs offensive playmakers. A star receiver like Michael
Crabtree would be nice, but if there’s anything left in Matt Hasselbeck,
and with the defense to be addressed later, the Seahawks need a
franchise back to be the face of the team.
5. Cleveland Browns – Aaron Curry, LB Wake Forest
If it really is Bill Cowher who comes in and takes over, everything
begins with the defense. If it’s not with Cowher, everything begins with
the defense. There are a slew of fantastic defensive players on the
board, and Curry would be the one to build around.
6. Cincinnati Bengals – Malcolm Jenkins, CB Ohio State
The Bengal offense should bounce back once Carson Palmer is healthy and
once the receiver situation is settled, so the Bengals need to find
defensive playmakers. Brian Orakpo would be an option, but a lock-down
corner might work out better.
7. Oakland Raiders – Michael Crabtree, WR Texas Tech
Offensive tackle is the must, but JaMarcus Russell needs a No. 1 target
to throw to. While Crabtree might not be the burner that Al Davis likes,
he’s a must-have for an offense that would suddenly look dangerous with
Darren McFadden running it and the two-time Biletikoff winner being the
new receiving threat.
8. Jacksonville Jaguars – Michael Oher, OT Ole Miss
One bad, disappointing year, and the roof is caving in. The Jaguars need
an upgrade on the offensive front and will likely go with either Oher,
Virginia’s Eugene Monroe, or Baylor OT Jason Smith.
9. Green Bay Packers – Brian Orakpo, DE Texas
The Packers aren’t all that far away from being back among the living,
and the defense should be able to get a big boost from one of the
several good players that’ll bring nice value here. If you have a chance
to take a top-shelf pass rusher, you do it.
10. San Francisco 49ers – Eugene Monroe, OT Virginia
It’ll be either Orakpo to beef up the pass rush or the top offensive
tackle left among Oher, Monroe, or Jason Smith. The offense needs a far
stronger offensive front, and Monroe is a franchise cornerstone who’ll
be part of the program for the next ten years.