First Round Mock Draft - Pre-Combine

This is a piece by long-time poster steelers8036, the first in a series of first round mock drafts.  Thanks to steelers8036 for putting together a well-thought-out early mock that places a premium on team needs and value.  Keep checking back for more draft content this offseason - we're a busy draft bunch most years, but especially in the afterglow of a 6th championship.

First, I would like to thank the staff here at Steeler Fury for giving me the opportunity to share my thoughts. I don’t have the credentials of Mel Kiper, Todd McShay, or Rich Gosselin, but I did out-mock all of them last year.

With that said, the NFL Draft is just over two months away and it’s time to start figuring out which prospects will go where. My plan is to do three or four mock drafts: one pre-combine (the article you are reading right now), one post-combine and two weeks after the beginning of free agency, possibly one the beginning of April, and then a final one the day or morning before the draft. Hopefully, this article will give you a general sense of where some guys are projected to go based on the draft order and team needs, and at the same time give you a general sense as to who might be available for the Steelers to pick with the 32nd choice.

Without further ado:

1. Detroit- Matthew Stafford, QB, Georgia

Why it makes sense: There’s some sentiment in Detroit for an offensive tackle, but the Lions signed Jeff Backus to a six-year deal two years ago and drafted Gosder Cherilus in the 1st round last year. The Lions need to look at what Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco did to their respective franchises and go with the franchise QB (although I’m not the biggest Stafford fan out there.)

2. St. Louis- OT Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia

Why it makes sense: Orlando Pace is about done and Alex Barron hasn’t panned out as hoped. Make that back-to-back dips into the University of Virginia talent pool for the Rams.

3. Kansas City- Aaron Curry, LB, Wake Forest

Why it makes sense: The best defensive player in the draft on a team that needs to upgrade its linebacking corps. This is a good fit, and with Curry, Glenn Dorsey, Derrick Johnson, and Brandon Flowers, the Chiefs would be amassing quite the young talent on the defensive side of the ball.

4. Seattle- Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech

Why it makes sense: If you remember, the Seahawks were decimated by injuries to the WR position this year. When you also consider that their wide receivers consist of Deion Branch and a bunch of nothing, why not give them the best WR in this draft?

5. Cleveland- Malcolm Jenkins, CB, Ohio St.

Why it makes sense: The bigger need is probably at outside/inside linebacker, but there’s no one at either of those positions that is worthy of this selection. Jenkins is too good of a prospect to pass up here and the new front office would endear themselves to the fans by taking the local product.

6. Cincinnati- Andre Smith, OT, Alabama

Why it makes sense: Stacy Andrews will be coming off a torn ACL he suffered late in the season, so there’s a hole at right tackle. What better way to fill it than with a 6’4, 330 lb mountain of a man who could shift over to left tackle when ready.

7. Oakland- Jeremy Maclin, WR, Missouri

Why it makes sense: This much we know: Al Davis loves speed. They don’t come much faster than Maclin. Another option would be an offensive tackle, but the Raiders staff is reportedly high on Mario Henderson’s progress towards the end of the season.

8. Jacksonville- Jason Smith, OT, Baylor

Why it makes sense: Jacksonville’s left tackle Khalif Barnes is a free agent and is unlikely to return. Smith is a guy who is rising up draft boards, with some projecting him as early as #2 to the Rams.

9. Green Bay- Everette Brown, DE/OLB, Florida St.

Why it makes sense: With Green Bay’s transition to the 3-4, they need an outside pass rusher to team up with Aaron Kampmann. Brown is probably the best defensive end candidate that would be able to make the transition to 3-4 OLB.

10. San Francisco- B.J. Raji, DT, Boston College

Why it makes sense: The space-eating nose tackle the 49ers desperately need. Raji was an absolute force at the Senior Bowl and has solidified himself as a top-15 pick.

11. Buffalo- Brian Orakpo, DE, Texas

Why it makes sense: The Bills have zero pass rush threat opposite Aaron Schobel. Orakpo falls this far now, but could position himself into the top-10 with a good combine.

12. Denver- Rey Maualuga, LB, USC

Why it makes sense: Opinions run hot and cold on Maualuga, but one thing that can’t be debated is that the Broncos need to shore up their run defense. Maualuga will help do that. However, there are concerns he’s nothing more than a 2-down player. For now, we’ll slot him here, but this pick could look foolish in April.

13. Washington- Michael Oher, OT, Ole Miss

Why it makes sense: Look at the Redskins offensive line. They’re old. Really old. Chris Samuels, Randy Thomas, Jason Fabini, Pete Kendall, Jon Jansen. All are getting up there in years. This is probably their biggest need, and with no picks in the 2nd or 4th rounds, the Skins can’t really go BPA and have to address it. Oher fits the bill.

14. New Orleans- Vontae Davis, CB, Illinois

Why it makes sense: Cornerback play has been the Saints Achilles heel for quite some time. They’ve got some youngsters in Tracy Porter and Usama Young, but they can’t pass on the opportunity to add a guy of Davis’ quality to the stable.

15. Houston- Aaron Maybin, DE, Penn State

Why it makes sense: The Texans #1 need is a pass rusher to take some of the load off Mario Williams. They’ve shown a commitment to heavily investing in their defensive line (Williams, Travis Johnson, Amobi Okoye, Jason Babin) so this is a pick that really makes sense for them.

16. San Diego- Knowshon Moreno, RB, Georgia

Why it makes sense: This is assuming Darren Sproles flies the coop. We’ll know for sure in about a month, but if he does, the Chargers are going to need a ball-toter who can share the pigskin with a declining LaDainian Tomlinson.

17. New York Jets- Mark Sanchez, QB, USC

Why it makes sense: Rex Ryan was part of an organization that saw what could happen if you make a commitment to a young QB. The time is now for Ryan to draft his franchise QB, while his slate is still clean and he can take the time to let him develop.

18. Chicago- Michael Johnson, DE, Georgia Tech

Why it makes sense: Johnson is a freak of an athlete with a huge wingspan, and could boost a defensive line that used to be one of the league’s best but has turned mediocre.

19. Tampa Bay- Peria Jerry, DT, Ole Miss

Why it makes sense: A perfect fit for the Bucs defensive scheme, Jerry is an athletic disruptor who could start right away inside. The Buccaneers looked extremely vulnerable on defense down the stretch.

20. Detroit- James Laurainatis, LB, Ohio St.

Why it makes sense: With the Lions likely to address the offensive side of the ball with the 1st pick, Detroit almost has to help their anemic defense with this one. Laurainatis was a consensus top-10 pick before the season, and while he has slid a bit, he’s the type of guy new head coach Jim Schwartz would probably love.

21. Philadelphia- Eben Britton, OT, Arizona

Why it makes sense: Tough call between Britton and Beanie Wells, but with Minnesota sitting right behind them and in need of a tackle, the wise move would be to take Britton and hope Wells makes it to #28.

22. Minnesota- D.J. Moore, CB, Vanderbilt

Why it makes sense: The Vikings attempted to fill their need of a #3 CB by drafting Marcus McCauley a couple of years ago, but he hasn’t panned out and the need still exists. Moore is a bona-fide 1st rounder who could also boost the Vikings subpar special teams return game.

23. New England- Brian Cushing, LB, USC

Why it makes sense: Even with the drafting of Jerod Mayo, the Pats still need youth at linebacker. Cushing is the type of smart, instinctive linebacker that Bill Belichick loves to stockpile.

24. Atlanta- Brandon Pettigrew, TE, Oklahoma St.

Why it makes sense: A perfect fit between need and BPA. The Falcons lack a true target over the middle, and he’d open things up for Roddy White and Michael Jenkins. With Matt Ryan, Michael Turner, White, Jenkins, and Pettigrew, the Falcons would suddenly have one of the most explosive offenses in the league.

25. Miami- Alphonso Smith, CB, Wake Forest

Why it makes sense: After solidifying the defensive line last draft with Phillip Merling and Kendall Langford, Bill Parcells and Jeff Ireland turn towards re-shaping a secondary that finished 25th in the league in pass defense. Smith is a fluid, instinctive corner with ball skills but falls this far because of his height (or lack thereof).

26. Baltimore- Percy Harvin, WR, Florida

Why it makes sense: Baltimore really needs a corner, but with all the 1st round-quality ones gone, the Ravens turn to a game-breaking weapon who will help Joe Flacco develop even more and add a new dimension to their speed-deficient offense.

27. Indianapolis- Sen’Derrick Marks, DT, Auburn

Why it makes sense: Similar to Jerry in Tampa Bay, Marks fits the ideal profile of a Colts defensive tackle. Quick and undersized. A wide receiver like Darrius Heyward-Bey could also be an option.

28. Philadelphia- Chris Wells, RB, Ohio St.

Why it makes sense: Probably a little lower than most mocks have him going, but a lack of a runningback need around the league, along with durability concerns, could drop him this far. If he does, expect the Eagles to pounce and provide Brian Westbrook some relief.

29. New York Giants- Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR, Maryland

Why it makes sense: Obviously, a lot of this hinges on what they do with Plax, but if he goes it opens up a need for a playmaking wide receiver. We all saw what happened to the Giants offense without Burress to stretch defenses. Heyward-Bey has loads of talent and could do that in time, but he is a bit raw.

30. Tennessee- Hakeem Nicks, WR, North Carolina

Why it makes sense: Seems like it’s every year that the Titans are projected to take a wide receiver in the 1st round. Their only real needs are at wide receiver and cornerback, so Hicks gets the nod over a guy like Sean Smith from Utah, who could play corner in the NFL but may ultimately have to move to safety.

31. Arizona- Lesean McCoy, RB, Pittsburgh

Why it makes sense: Edge is on his way out, and Tim Hightower doesn’t look to be a 3-down back. McCoy is the last of the worthy 1st round runningbacks, and this seems like a good match.

32. Pittsburgh- Tyson Jackson, DE, LSU

Why it makes sense: No offensive lineman available worthy of this pick. No cornerbacks worthy of this pick. No receivers worthy of this pick. So why not turn to a guy who seems like a perfect fit for the 3-4 at defensive end and could add some sorely needed youth to an aging positional group?

APPENDIX:

Where the talent is coming from (A breakdown of my projected 1st round picks by conference):

SEC: 9
ACC: 8
Big 12: 5
Big 10: 5
Pac 10: 4
Big East: 1

Position breakdown (A breakdown of my projected 1st round picks by position. Since the Steelers are drafting 32nd, this can give you an idea of what type of player they could draft, i.e. the 6th best wide receiver, the 6th best offensive tackle, the 1st best offensive guard or center, etc.):

OFFENSE (16)

QB: 2
RB: 3
WR: 5
TE: 1
OT: 5
OG:0
C : 0

DEFENSE (16)

DE : 5
DT : 3
OLB : 2
ILB : 2
CB : 4
S : 0