2009 NFL Draft Analysis - Round Five

It's value time. If the later rounds are about taking a few fliers on players who'll likely be cut, the fifth round is about getting the sliding players who likely could've gone earlier. Who went where and how good are each of the draft picks in the 5th round? CFN gives its take on every selection.

2009 NFL Draft - Fifth Round

- 2009 NFL Draft Breakdown and Analysis
1st Round | 2nd Round | 3rd Round | 4th Round | 6th Round | 7th Round

- CFN 2009 Draft Central & Team-by-Team Picks and Analysis

ROUND 5
#	Pick	Team
1	137	Baltimore (from Detroit through Seattle) Jason Phillips, LB TCU  6-1, 235 Tremendously productive, Phillips was an all-star over the last few years for a fantastic Horned Frog defense. Extremely tough, he plays though injuries and he’s able to get in on every play on sheer want-to. A mediocre athlete, he’s not going to fly all over the field and he’s not going to be used much as a blitzer, but he’ll be a major stat producer in a 3-4 alignment and he won’t miss any tackles. While bumps and bruises haven’t bothered him, he’ll have a hard time staying healthy with is smallish size and history of never being afraid to shy away from contact in any form. CFN Value Rank: Fourth Round    CFN Position Rank: 8
2	138	Atlanta (from St. Louis) William Middleton, CB Furman 5-10, 190 Tough like a safety with good tackling skills, he can be used in a variety of ways and will be willing to do whatever is needed to succeed. However, he's not physical against the bigger receivers  and he didn't always play up to his speed even at the lower level. He'll have to be a nickel or dime back to make the team. CFN Value Rank: Free Agent    CFN Position Rank: NR
3	139	Kansas City Colin Brown, Missouri 6-7, 340  A massive, massive blocker who has just enough athleticism to get by. Productive, and the star lineman on the high-powered Tiger offense, he was good in pass protection when he was able to lock on to pass rushers, but he'll beaten by the quicker ones. Even at his size, he's strictly a developmental prospect. CFN Value Rank: Free Agent    CFN Position Rank: NR
4	140	Chicago (from Seattle through Denver) Johnny Knox, Abilene Christian 5-11, 185 He’ll make a roster on his 4.34 speed alone, but he’s not big enough. He’ll get beaten up and won’t be able to use his wheels. If he can get into the clear, he's a pure home-run hitter who'll fight for the ball and won't be afraid to block a bit. He needs to get bigger and he wasn't nearly as productive as he should've been at the lower level. He works out better than he plays. Purely a Combine star. CFN Value Rank: Fifth Round    CFN Position Rank: 29
5	141	Denver (from Cleveland through Philadelphia) Kenny McKinley, WR South Carolina  5-11, 185 Fantastic for the Gamecocks and extremely productive in SEC play, he’ll have problems finding a role at an NFL level. While he’s very fast and he did a good job against bigger defensive backs, he’ll get beaten up if he’s not always in space. He doesn’t play up to his speed and he’ll get shoved around, but he has good hands and he’s a fighter who’ll be tough to cut. CFN Value Rank: Sixth Round    CFN Position Rank: 25
6	142	Cincinnati Kevin Huber, P Cincinnati 6-1, 220 A very strong, very consistent kicker with a great work ethic and a cannon for a leg, Huber is a safe starter for the next several years. Extremely accurate, he won’t put many kicks into the end zone and he gets good hang time. Now he has to learn to get the ball off quicker as he was way too slow in off-season workouts. CFN Value Rank: Sixth Round    CFN Position Rank: 1
7	143	Dallas (from Oakland through Atlanta) DeAngelo Smith, CB Cincinnati  5-11, 190 Mike Mickens might have been the best player in the Cincinnati secondary, but it was Smith’s defensive backfield. A good starter who’s willing to help out against the run and has no problems being physical, but he’s just not a good enough athlete to be a regular NFL starter. His 4.5 in the 40 was solid, and his 17 reps on the bench were eye-opening, but was the slowest corner at the Combine in the agility drills and had the low 31.5” in the vertical leap. He’ll likely make his money down the road as a safety and will be a regular in the rotation because of his toughness and character, but there’s a hard ceiling on what he can do. CFN Value Rank: Third Round    CFN Position Rank: 14
8	144	Jacksonville Jarett Dillard, WR Rice 5-10, 185 Ultra-productive, he was unstoppable even when everyone was focused on stopping him. Part of the equation was the wide-open spread attack, and part of it was that Dillard was simply that good. He makes every catch, takes his game to another level when he’s trying to score, and will work his tail off. While he’s too small to not get beaten up, and he’s not a blazer, he jumps out of the stadium and plays much bigger than he is. He’ll stick on a roster because he’ll run every route needed, will catch every pass, and will do everything asked of him. But there’s a ceiling on what he can do because of his size and lack of top speed. CFN Value Rank: Fourth Round    CFN Position Rank: 16
9	145	Green Bay Quinn Johnson, FB LSU 6-1, 245 The former linebacker is a big, physical blocker who’ll do whatever is needed. Forget about running the ball and he’ll have to work to be a receiver, but he’s mega-strong. CFN Projection: Fifth Round  CFN Position Rank: 2
10	146	San Francisco Scott McKillop, LB Pitt  6-2, 245 There’s no questioning his collegiate production, his toughness, and his instincts that made him an All-American, he doesn’t have the raw skills to be anything more than decent starter who’ll need to be flanked by excellent outside producers. While he didn’t do much to excite anyone in some of the off-season workouts, he was a bit of a stunner at the Combine running better than most of the star prospects, lifting 225 pounds 27 times, four more than Rey Maualuga and five more from James Laurinaitis, and jumped out of the stadium with a 35.5” vertical leap. Does it all translate to the field at an NFL level? That remains to be seen, but he’s a good enough football player to make himself a starter with a little bit of work. CFN Value Rank: Fourth Round    CFN Position Rank: 4
11	147	Buffalo Nic Harris, LB/S Oklahoma 6-2, 235 Too slow to be a defensive back and not quite big enough to be a linebacker, Harris is a true tweener who’ll have to create a niche for himself right away. Even so, with his toughness, build, ad pass rushing ability, he should be able to hold up well on the outside. Now he has to become a linebacker. He has to get a lot stronger, evidenced by the mere 15 reps on the bench at the Combine, and he’ll have to play a lot faster in an NFL camp than he timed after running a glacier-slow 4.86. He’s a good football player who’ll be nice in space and will struggle when run at, he should be a good producer with nice upside. Hardly a sure thing, he’s still a good flier to take a chance on. CFN Value Rank: Fifth Round    CFN Position Rank: 11 (as a LB)
12	148	San Diego Brandon Hughes, CB Oregon State 5-11, 180 In a slow class of corners, the 4.4 Hughes ran at the Combine, along with his 36.5” vertical leap, made him stand out. He’s not all that strong and he doesn’t provide any sort of a pop, but he’s more than willing to help out against the run and he doesn’t shy away from contact. While he has the basic skills, even if he does need to hit the weights, he doesn’t have much in the way of football sense. He’s not a playmaker, picking off just three passes for the Beavers, and he doesn’t seem to around the ball enough. However, he’s a good character guy who’ll work hard and will take to coaching, so if someone is willing and able to spend the time to improve his instincts, he could be a real find. CFN Value Rank: Fifth Round    CFN Position Rank: 13
13	149	Baltimore (from Denver) Davon Drew, TE East Carolina 6-4, 260 Big and athletic, Drew is a former quarterback who grew into the job over the course of his ECU career. A good receiver and a strong route runner considering his background at QB, he has the potential to become a strong target. He's not a good enough blocker for his size and he'll struggle in pass protection, but he can be taught. He has the raw tools. CFN Value Rank: Free Agent    CFN Position Rank: 21
14	150	Minnesota (from Washington) Jasper Brinkley, LB South Carolina  6-2, 252 Any and all concerns about his athleticism following a knee injury were answered at the Combine when he ran a 4.67, vertical jumped 35.5”, and was more than fine in the shuttle and cone drills. While he doesn’t always play as big as he is and he’ll have to be more physical at the next level, he’s more than a year removed from the knee problem and could let it rip once he gets into an NFL camp. On his raw skills alone he’s more than worth the risk as a top middle prospect, and he could be fantastic in a 3-4 system when he’d be able to move around in space. CFN Value Rank: Third Round    CFN Position Rank: 3
15	151	New York Giants (from New Orleans) Rhett Bomar, QB Sam Houston State 6-2, 225 Forgotten in the craziness of Bomar’s career was how he was considered to be every bit the superstar prospect that Adrian Peterson was at Oklahoma. With a rifle arm, tremendous mobility, and a gunslinger’s mentality, he was supposed to be the one who led the Sooners to greatness over the last few years. Of course, he was booted off the team for taking some cash from a car dealership and ended up at Sam Houston State where he was able to bomb away. Despite suffering a torn ACL, he’s still able to move as well as before and he can make any throw from anywhere. However, he needs to fine-tune the howitzer. He’ll throw a pass that maybe five current NFL quarterbacks could make on one play, and then he’ll air mail the next and throw a wormburner to follow. While he was a team captain at SHSU, he’ll have to work on his leadership skills, he could rub some people the wrong way, but he’s ultra-intense and he has the tools to be a steal if he gets the right coach with the right temperament. CFN Value Rank: Fourth Round      CFN Position Rank: 5
16	152	Houston James Casey, TE Rice 6-4, 235 (3rd year Soph.) An interesting player, the one-time star baseball prospect for the Chicago White Sox has great athleticism, good smarts, and the maturity. While he’s strong in the weight room, he wasn’t asked to block anyone at Rice and he’s not big enough to be much of a hitter at the next level. Purely a receiver, he’s not fast enough to break away from anyone or be used much as a consistent deep threat. And then there’s the age factor; he’ll be 25 when he starts his career. He’ll be a good, reliable mid-range receiver with a hard ceiling on his potential. CFN Value Rank: Third Round    CFN Position Rank: 6
17	153	Philadelphia (from NY Jets) Cornelius Ingram, TE Florida 6-4, 245 As far as receiving skills, he could be far and away the best tight end prospect in the draft if he can stay healthy. While he timed slow at the Combine, he plays fast and is like a big wide receiver. The torn ACL suffered last year doesn’t appear to be a problem now and he should be a ready-made target who can create some major mismatches. He’s not the best blocker around and he’s a bit lanky, but he could be a fantastic fit for anyone who wants to stretch the field. CFN Value Rank: Second Round    CFN Position Rank: 2
18	154	Chicago Marcus Freeman, LB Ohio State  6-1, 235 A workout warrior, he did it all at the Combine from running a 4.65 40 to benching 30 reps to leaping 37”  to destroying the shuttle drill, he showed tremendous athleticism. However, he has had major problems staying healthy, dinged up with a variety of injuries, and he doesn’t always play up to his strength. He can be erased by a decent blocker and he needs to be in space to make plays; he’s simply not big enough. But if and when he’s healthy, like he was in his off-season workouts, he can be a different player and a star. CFN Value Rank: Third Round    CFN Position Rank: 5
19	155	Tampa Bay Xavier Fulton, OT Illinois 6-5, 300 Fulton could be one of the biggest value picks in the draft. The former defensive end needs a lot more work on his technique and needs to do far more to be consistent, but he’s a fantastic athlete and the rare left tackle prospect that can be found later on in the draft. Injuries have been a problem and he needs to be better for the power running game, but his size and quickness are intriguing. CFN Value Rank: Fourth Round    CFN Position Rank: 14
20	156	Atlanta (from Dallas) Garrett Reynolds, OT North Carolina 6-7, 310 A potential first day prospect before the off-season, he had a disastrous Combine showing no strength and no athleticism. However, he has the perfect size and is a warrior. He has the attitude and the nastiness that everyone looks for, and he’s great when he’s gets his hands on someone. However, he can’t play on the left side and needs to become a workout warrior to have any sort of pro career. CFN Value Rank: Sixth Round    CFN Position Rank: 17
21	157	Philadelphia Victor “Macho” Harris, Virginia Tech  5-11, 198 Macho was a tremendous producer for a great Hokie defense. He made all the plays, has no problems coming up in run support, and is great when he has the ball in his hands. An instinctive, aggressive corner, he loves to take on big challenges and seems to rise to the moment when the spotlight is on. While he blasted the agility drills at the Combine, coming up with a sub-4.0 in the shuttle drill and a corner-best 6.68 in the cone, he only ran a 4.68 forever dooming him to certain schemes where he’ll need a ton of help from the safeties. CFN Value Rank: Fifth Round    CFN Position Rank: 11
22	158	Washington (from Minnesota) Cody Glenn, LB Nebraska 6-0, 245 A big fullback/running back who moved to linebacker last year, he's raw, but tough. There are major durability question marks and he's not nearly physical enough to be a star of any sort, but he's athletic, can be used at linebacker or fullback, and isn't a bad receiver out of the backfield. Even so, he'll only be tried out at linebacker and won't make the team if he can be a defender. CFN Value Rank: Free Agent    CFN Position Rank: NR
23	159	Philadelphia (from New England) Fenuki Tupou, OT Oregon 6-5, 314 If he’s asked to plow ahead and pound away for the running game, he’ll be great. If he’s asked to become a consistent left tackle who can neutralize a top pass rusher, forget about it. Likely to grow into a guard, if he doesn’t stick at right tackle, he’s a run blocker who needs to get a fire lit under him. On the plus side, he’s big, can push some people around, and will open up some holes. CFN Value Rank: Sixth Round    CFN Position Rank: 13
24	160	St. Louis (from Atlanta) Brooks Foster, WR North Carolina 6-0, 211 Could be the best of the Tar Heel lot that’ll be drafted with a good blend of size and speed. However, he didn’t stand out often enough. A great athlete, he's smooth with highlight reel catching ability and ridiculous strength, he has all the tools. However, he's not a great football player. He needs rout refining and he'll need some developing time, and unfortunately for the team that drafts him, he could grow into a playmaker for a second team. CFN Value Rank: Fourth Round    CFN Position Rank: 27
25	161	Miami Johnathan Nalbone, TE Monmouth 6-4, 260 The raw skills are there with excellent size and tremendous speed and quickness, but he's a workout warrior. He has made himself a prospect through training and was good at Monmouth, but he's a flier. A safe late pick because of his skills and upside, he could be a deep sleeper if he devlops as a blocker. CFN Value Rank: Free Agent    CFN Position Rank: NR
26	162	Green Bay (from Baltimore through New England) Jamon Meredith, OT South Carolina  6-5, 305 Tremendously athletic and versatile, he turned out to be surprisingly fast running a sub-5.0 40 in a workout. He’s not going to push anyone around and he’s not a killer, lacking the nasty streak needed to be special, but he has good size and he moves well enough to be a steady starter at left tackle. He needs to mature a bit and he needs to be in the right system that can take advantage of his athleticism. It’ll take the right coach to take his talent and make him into an NFL player, but he has too much skill to ignore. CFN Value Rank: Second Round    CFN Position Rank: 8
27	163	Carolina George “Duke” Robinson, OG Oklahoma 6-5, 330 A very big, very productive college player who beat people up simply by being larger, he’ll have to show right away that he wants to work to be the best possible guard. He opened some eyes at the Combine by being in far better shape than anyone expected, and if he takes to coaching and if he continues to drive himself, he’ll be a tremendous run blocker. With just enough agility to get by, he’s good enough to handle the quicker linemen, but his money will be made by flattening defenders. CFN Value Rank: Second Round    CFN Position Rank: 1
28	164	New Orleans (from New York Giants through Philadelphia) Thomas Morstead, P SMU A big kicker with a booming leg and a strong work ethic, he looks the part of an NFL punter. He gets the ball away in a hurry and hangs it up in the air for an hour. If needed, he can be used as a placekicker after nailing 24-of-35 his last two years. CFN Value Rank: Seventh Round    CFN Position Rank: 3
29	165	Miami (from Indianapolis) Chris Clemons, FS Clemson 6-0, 208 Speed, speed, speed. A sub-4.4 runner with lighting fast coverage skills and the ability to hang with any receiver, he can be groomed into an ideal zone defender with his unlimited range. However, he doesn't play nearly as well as he works out. He doesn't hit anyone and despite his 40 time, he was stunningly stiff and slow in the agility drills. CFN Value Rank: Sixth Round    CFN Position Rank: 36
30	166	Dallas (from Tennessee) Michael Hamlin, S Clemson 6-2, 214 Built like a free safety he’s better suited to strong safety because of his tackling ability. A good worker, high-character producer who doesn’t miss many stops and doesn’t make a slew of mistakes. Not quite fast enough to be a big-time free safety, he’ll need to bulk up a bit on his long, thin frame to be better against the run, but he’s not bad as is. Even so, he can play anywhere needed and isn’t a liability against the pass. Plug him into the secondary and don’t worry about him for the next several years. CFN Value Rank: Third Round    CFN Position Rank: 4
31	167	Arizona Herman Johnson, OG LSU 6-7, 370 Massive, MASSIVE blocker who’ll have a hard time keeping his weight down. Huge since birth, he was the biggest baby ever born in the state of Louisiana. He’s not going to do anything on the move and he can’t play in a zone blocking scheme or a West Coast attack. He needs to line up, pound away for a power running game, and do it again. He’s not going to be much of a pass blocker and he’s not going to have major issues with his conditioning, but he’ll power away for some hard yards. CFN Value Rank: Third Round    CFN Position Rank: 4
32	168	Pittsburgh Joe Burnett, CB UCF  5-10, 190 While he’ll see time in the secondary and will get a chance to win a corner job, his money will be made as a returner. A star from day one for the Knights, everyone knew he was a next-level punt returner early on yet still couldn’t keep him from producing. Extremely strong, he benched 225 pounds 22 times at the Combine, and he was more than solid in the quickness and leaping drills. He’s not good against bigger receivers and will likely work mostly in pure passing situations, but he’ll make a team with his range and his special teams duties. CFN Value Rank: Sixth Round    CFN Position Rank: 23
33	169	Pittsburgh Frank Summers, RB UNLV 5-9, 240 Power, power, power. "The Tank" can catch the ball a little bit and has a little bit of quickness, but he's about pounding the ball between the tackles. He could be used as a fullback and possibly an H-Back, but he'll be at his best in a power running role. While he's limited, he could become a good short-yardage back. CFN Value Rank: Sixth Round    CFN Position Rank: 35
34	170	New England George Bussey, OT Louisville 6-3, 300 Bussey worked himself into an all-star with decent smarts and quickness. However, he lacks big-time bulk and needs a ton of work to become an NFL caliber blocker. Best suited for a finesse offense, he’s never going to pound over anyone and will either make it as a backup right tackle or he’ll be cut immediately. CFN Value Rank: Free Agent    CFN Position Rank: 23
35	171	San Francisco Nate Davis, QB Ball State (Jr.) 6-1, 225 Welcome to this year’s Andre Woodson. Like the former Kentucky star, Davis was considered a possible first round prospect early on in the evaluation process before his stock started slipping, and sliding, and slipping some more after some average workouts. He’s not all that big and he timed slow despite showing good mobility in games. With a nice arm, he can make all the throws and is accurate on the move. However, he’s not all that big and he has yet to do anything in the off-season to wow anyone. There’s a limit on his upside; this might be it. He could still use some tweaking and some work on his mechanics, but he doesn’t appear to have the all-around ability to be more than a spot starter and a career backup. CFN Value Rank: Fifth Round     CFN Position Rank: 8
36	172	Dallas David Buehler, PK USC 6-2, 227 If nothing else, he has the big leg to be a kickoff specialist. Incredibly strong, he threw up a shocking 25 reps on the bench at the Combine and ran a 4.56. Originally a safety when he came to USC, he became automatic from close range. He didn’t get a chance to make any big bombs, but he has the leg to give it a shot. CFN Value Rank: Sixth Round    CFN Position Rank: 1
37	173	Tennessee Javon Ringer, RB Michigan State 5-9, 205 There were major questions about his durability and potential going into last year, and then he handle the ball a ridiculous 418 times. Not all that big, he made himself strong enough to handle the load by living in the weight room. Very tough, very competitive, and a good character prospect, he’ll do whatever a team asks of him and he won’t pout if he gets pigeonholed into a specialist role from time to time. It would be nice if he was faster considering his lack of size, but he does enough in short bursts to keep the chains moving. Not a creative runner, he’ll need a good line and a good scheme to be productive, but even with all the negatives, he’s the type of player every coach wants. CFN Value Rank: Third Round    CFN Position Rank: 7

- 2008 NFL Draft Breakdown and Analysis
1st Round | 2nd Round | 3rd Round | 4th Round | 6th Round | 7th Round