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The Honolulu Advertiser
Updated at 5:21 p.m., Saturday, April 25, 2009

NFL draft: First round vs. Advertiser mock, commentary

Advertiser Staff

Here are the actual first-round NFL draft picks vs. The Honolulu Advertiser's mock draft.

1, Detroit — Matthew Stafford, QB, Georgia. Mock: Stafford. Comment: Are the Lions out of their minds? $41M guaranteed, $7M more guaranteed than what Atlanta QB Matt Ryan received last year? About $20M more than Eli Manning got five years ago? Thought the price would be just $3M to $4M more, not $7M. Stafford might feel the pressure caused by the weight of all those benjamins and a lack of an offensive line. Has big enough, strong enough, has a John Elway-type arm, but he'll need help.

2, St. Louis — Jason Smith, OT, Baylor Mock: Jason Smith Comment: Great leader, player. One of the more serious and dedicated players in the draft. Good pick since he'll replace the loss of Orlando Pace. But they better get a quarterback soon. Marc Bulger has been beaten down the past few years and hasn't been the same as a three or so years ago. Now he doesn't have Torry Holt to pass to.

3, Kansas City — Tyson Jackson, DE, LSU Mock: Aaron Curry. Comment: A solid defensive end. The Chiefs are changing to a 3-4 defense and reports said last year's No. 1 Glenn Dorsey (Jackson's college teammate) didn't thrive on the nose.

4, Seattle — Aaron Curry, OLB, Wake Forest. Mock: Mark Sanchez, QB, USC. Comment: Serendpiity. This team pondered the selection of Sanchez figuring Curry would be gone to the Chiefs. Now, look, a perfect replacement for Julian Peterson.

5, New York Jets from Cleveland — Mark Sanchez, QB, USC Mock: B.J. Raji, DT, Boston College. Comment: Start spreading the news! With Sanchez, the Jets are playoff contenders!

6, Cincinnati — Andre Smith, OT, Cincinnati Mock: Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia. Comment: Good pick. Judge this guy by his body of work, not his body. Once a 370-pounder, Smith is a 325-pounder who, when he hits you, you'll feel it.

7, Oakland — Darrius Heyward-Bey Mock: Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech. Comment: What can I say, Al Davis loves speed.Heyward-Bey is the fastest receiver (4.3).

8, Jacksonville — Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia Mock: Jeremy Maclin, WR, Missouri Comment: Needed a tackle, but probably needed a receiver worse, so Michael Crabtree should have been the pick.

9, Green Bay — B.J. Raji, DT, Boston College Mock: Brian Orakpo, DE, Texas. Comment: Look what I found! Packers got lucky here, because the Packers are switching to a 3-4 defense and needed a nose tackle. Raji is the best nose this year and at 337 pounds, he's pretty immovable.

10, San Francisco — Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech Mock: Andre Smith, OT, Alabama Comment: Great receiver with Jerry Rice-like hands and speed where he's faster on the field than his 40-yard time. Now, if the 49ers can only find a quarterback to throw him the damn ball!

11, Buffalo — Aaron Maybin, OLB, Penn State. Mock: Maybin. Comment: A nice fit. The Bills were looking for a defensive end and/or outside pass rushing linebacker. Maybin, at 250, ran a faster 40 time (4.62) at his Pro Day and one NFL area scout said his workout was "awesome."

12, Denver — Knowshon Moreno, RB, Georgia Mock: Tyson Jackson, DE, LSU Comment: Great back who should be a 1,000-yard rusher as a rookie. On a team that had Stafford, this guy was the best Georgia player on the field on gamedays. Comparable to Emmitt Smith.

13, Washington — Brian Orakpo, DE, Texas Mock: Everette Brown, DE/OLB, Florida State Comment: Orakpo is a nice fit since the Redskins were in need of a defensive end as Orakpo was rated much higher than where he was drafted.

14, New Orleans — Malcolm Jenkins, CB, Ohio State Mock: Brian Cushing, OLB, USC. Comment: Filled a huge need since this guy can play. Only a pedestrian 40-time of 4.55 pushed him down the draft board. Against in a game against USC, he stood out. Terrific instincts and skills, just lacks top speed.

15, Houston — Brian Cushing, LB, USC Mock: Clay Matthews, OLB, USC. Comment: Good linebacker who's been injury prone during his career. But he's played through most of those injuries.

16, San Diego — Larry English, OLB, Northern Illinois Mock: Rey Maualuga, LB, USC. Comment: Not a household name, but English (6-2 1/2, 253) can play. On film, English looked better than the USC linebackers.

(Traded twice, originally Jets pick) 17, Tampa Bay (from Cleveland through NY Jets) — Josh Freeman, QB, Kansas State Mock: Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR, Maryland Comment: Tampa Bay should be drafting high next year because this guy won't help them next year. At 6-6, 250 pounds, Freeman has a big arm and size, just like JaMarcus Russell. How's Russell been so far?

18, Denver — Robert Ayers, DL, Tennessee Mock: Larry English Comment: Broncos couldn't get Tyson Jackson, picked No. 3 by the Chiefs, so they settled for the next best thing. Ayers can play a base defensive end in a 3-4 as well as tackle or end in a 4-3.

(Traded twice, originally Tampa Bay's pick) 19, Philadelphia — Jeremy Maclin, WR, Missouri Mock: 19, Tampa Bay, Peria Jerry, DT, Mississippi Comment: Why not Ohio State running back Chris Wells or TE Brandon Pettigrew. Didn't the Eagles just lose RB Correll Buckhalter and TE L.J. Smith? Eagles already have a speedy wideout in DeSean Jackson.

20, Detroit — Brandon Pettigrew, TE, Oklahoma State Mock: Michael Oher, OT, Mississippi Comment: Oher would have been a nice fit, but so is Pettigrew, who is 6 feet 5 5/8 and 260 and can block big time. He looks faster on film than his 4.85 40 time. Now, Stafford has a safety valve in the passing game.

(Trade, originally Eagles pick) 21, Cleveland — Alex Mack, C, California Mock: Philadelphia — Knowshon Moreno Comment: All this trading down for this? Why not Matthews or Maualuga? Mack, though, was selected as the Pac-10 best offensive lineman.

22, Minnesota — Percy Harvin, WR, Florida Mock: Malcolm Jenkins, CB, Ohio State Comment: Can you imagine Harvin running the wildcat formation as the QB with Adrian Peterson in the backfield. The Vikings will lead the league in 20-plus-yard plays next season. This is must-see TV. But the Vikings should assign someone to shadow Harvin off the field. He could be a wreck waiting to happen.

(Trade, originally Patriots pick) 23, Baltimore — Michael Oher, OT, Mississippi. Mock: New England, Connor Barwin, OLB, Cincinnati Comment: The NFL should be easy compared to what he went through — homelessness, 11 schools by age 16, drug-addicted mother, murdered father. This 6-5, 330-pounder has good feet and looked as good as any of the top tackles in highlight film.

24, Atlanta — Peria Jerry, DT, Mississippi Mock: Darius Butler, CB, Connecticut Comment: This 310-pounder is solid against run and pass. The Falcons' draft already was made earlier with the acquisition of TE Tony Gonzalez for a pick next year.

25, Miami — Vontae Davis, CB, Illinois Mock: Hakeem Nicks, WR, North Carolina Comment: Like his older brother Vernon, Vontae is one tough, physical corner at 6 feet, 203 pounds with 4.49 speed. One report, however, said that he doesn't take coaching well.

(Traded twice, originally Ravens pick, then New England's) 26, Green Bay — Clay Matthews, USC, OLB Mock: Baltimore, Brandon Pettigrew, TE, Oklahoma State Comment: The Packers should be extemely happy since they filled their two biggest needs: a nose tackle and an outside rush linebacker. Matthews looks like a playmaker, who closes and strikes with high impact. Ran a 4.57 40. Pack is back.

27, Indianapolis — Donald Brown, RB, Connecticut Mock: Evander Hood, DT, Missouri Comment: Marvin Harrison is gone, but Peyton Manning and the Colts offensive will continue to thrive with Brown to team with Joseph Addai at RB. Brown is a home-run threat who can catch.

28, Buffalo — Eric Wood, C, Louisville Mock: Robert Ayers, DL, Tennessee. Comment: Solid anchor who should have solid career. Although the second-ranked center rarely gets drafted in the first round, Wood should have a long career.

29, New York Giants — Hakeem Nicks, WR, North Carolina Mock: Kenny Britt, WR, Rutgers Comment: Not sure why Nicks showed up at his Pro Day, over 12 pounds overweight, but on film this 6-1, 210-pound receiver looks like Michael Irvin the way he fights for the football when it's in the air. He's strong and can break tackles.

30, Tennessee — Kenny Britt, WR, Rutgers Mock: Percy Harvin, WR, Florida Comment: A need pick and not a bad one at that. At 6-3, 216, Britt might be the best rout runner. He needs to be with Kerry Collins as your quarterback.

31, Arizona — Chris "Beanie" Wells, RB, Ohio State Mock: Wells Comment: Big back (237 pounds) with speed (4.44) and moves. Spent a lot of time on the sidelines with injuries and the question is is he tough enough to play through those in the NFL. That's the reason a top-10 talent falls to No. 31.

32, Pittsburgh — Evander "Ziggy" Hood, DT, Missouri Mock: Mack Comment: The Steeler defense just got better, if that's possible. A 6-3, 300-pounder with 4.9 speed, 35 bench, Hood is explosive and what Steeler defender isn't. One NFL scout preferred Hood over Raji (picked by Green Bay at No. 9) because Hood can play multiple spots along the defensive line.