Pewter Plank Mock Draft Version 1.1 Picks 1-16

Would like to let you guys know that this Mock Drafts and all subsequent Mock Draft and Draft Coverage will be handled by The Pewter Planks new resident draftnik, expert, whatever the hell you want to call this guy, John Crimmins!  John has some front office experience in minor league baseball and is a graduate of Florida State University with a bachelors degree in Straight Knowledge (ya, you know this), as well as a Master Degree in Sports Administration from Georgia State University.  He is one of the few people I know that follow college football to the degree that it requires to be able to do multi-round Mock Draft’s without just ripping off some other internet hacks’ mock draft.   He is super pale (I’m talking Powder pale), so I won’t be putting his picture up on the website!

He will be releasing picks 17-32 tommorow afternoon, so for all of you jamokes whose teams were in the playoffs, or are still in the playoffs, you’ll just have to wait until tommorow.

Please give us feeback.

Without further ado….
 

#	Team	Pick
1		Detroit Lions (0-16)	Andre Smith OT Bama – Most online mocks either have Smith or Stafford in this spot.  Since Stafford is a guy that will need some time to develop it makes a whole lot more sense to take the lineman now and find a QB somewhere later on.  Smith is an outstanding tackle, who may just be so big that he’ll have some issues with pure speed rushers, nevertheless this is a guy you can feel very comfortable taking #1 overall and manning your LT spot for many years to come.
2		St. Louis Rams (2-14)	Michael Oher OT Ole Miss – Just the second pick and already a bit of a surprise.  Many draftnicks have Monroe ahead of Oher due mostly to character concerns with Oher.  Anyone who has read Michael Lewis’ excellent book, The Blind Side, can tell you that Oher is an absolute physical freak, there aren’t any DL in the NFL who will find bull rushing Mr. Oher very easy.  Monroe may have more polish than Oher, but I think Oher’s upside is what gets him up this high.
3		Kansas City Chiefs (2-14)	Eugene Monroe OT Virginia – Speaking of Eugene Monroe, I have the third OT of the draft going, well, third.  With Scott Pioli taking over in KC he will take a quick glance at his roster and see quite a bit less talent than he had in Boston.  The Patriots were always built on solid line play on both sides of the ball, and with guys like Tamba Hali, Glenn Dorsey and Tank Tyler on the defensive side there is some young talent there.  The O-line, on the other hand, has last year’s top pick Brandon Albert, veteran guard Brain Waters and no one else worth mentioning.  Monroe has worked at right guard as well as LT and has shown good strength as well as good pass pro technique, so he should be able to slide into whatever spot the Chiefs need him at
4		Seattle Seahawks (4-12)	Michael Crabtree WR Texas Tech – I have yet to see a mock that had the hawks taking anyone else.  Crabtree looks like the closest thing to Larry Fitzgerald we have seen since the original product, having everything you want in a receiver aside from game breaking speed, and if you look at Larry Fitz, his lack of speed hasn’t really slowed him down, if you get my drift.  I will be looking forward to watching this man on Sundays, he should be a special one.
5		Cleveland Browns (4-12)	Aaron Curry LB Wake Forest – This may be a bit high for a LB to be going off the board, especially one that won’t be asked to mostly a pass rusher, which makes me think guys like Aaron Maybin and Everette Brown are real possibilities here as well.  However, Curry is an excellent prospect that has the ability to play in any scheme and at any LB spot.  He and D’Qwell Jackson would form a fear inducing MLB duo in Cleveland. (Michael Jenkins would also make a lot of sense here as Brandon McDonald is better suited for a nickel role, and Jenkins is something of a local product)
6		Cincinnati Bengals (4-11-1)	Jason Smith OT Baylor – Yes, another OT off the board, and unless you have been doing a lot of draft research or went to Baylor you probably haven’t heard too much about this guy.  A converted tight end that is still rather new to the OT position, he has been shooting up draftnicks boards recently thanks to some excellent play of late.  He has the making of a very good LT, and the versatility to line up at a number of different spots.
7		Oakland Raiders (5-11)	Jeremy Maclin WR Missouri – If there were still any OTs left I think they’d be silly not to take one, Kwame Harris and Cornell Green as your bookends just ain’t gonna cut it.  Since all of them are gone you gotta go with what the old crypt keeper likes best of all – speed.  They were starting Johnnie Lee Higgins and some guy named Chaz (Hey, Ma! The meatloaf! We want it now! Fuck!) as their wide receivers, so an upgrade at the position is certainly merited.  Maclin is one fast hombre, he will need to work hard to become a true receiver and not just a gadget guy, but should be electric in the return game and can even work out of the backfield although Oakland’s is a bit crowded at the moment.
8		Jacksonville Jaguars (5-11)	BJ Rajii DT BC – Another team disappointed by the early run on OTs, Khalif Barnes was horrible last year, so if one of the OTs is still here look for them to pounce on him.  Since they are all gone in this mock the Jags decide they really lost their team identity when the dealt Marcus Stroud last year, and Rajii is easily the closest thing to a Marcus Stroud in this draft and has been shooting up boards of late.  A man of monster size he actually moves extremely well for such a giant, in fact he had 7 sacks this past year.  With Rajii and Henderson in the middle and the 2 DEs from last year’s draft, Harvey and Groves, the Jags would have the makings of one dangerous DL.
9		Green Bay Packers (6-10)	Malcolm Jenkins CB Ohio St. – An easy choice for the Pack.  They have an excellent CB tandem in Al Harris and Charles Woodsen, but both those guys are one knock away from retirement and it’s time to start looking for their replacements.  Jenkins has the look of a young Charles Woodsen, so it would be fitting for him to learn from C-Dub, both big and physical corners who like to support the run but can also turn and run with the best of them.  I foresee many pro bowls in this man’s future.
10		San Francisco 49ers (7-9)	Mark Sanchez QB USC – Finally a QB goes off the board, but wait this isn’t the one that was supposed to go first.  Sanchez has been surging up boards since his Rose Bowl performance and for good reason, the guy has all the tangible skills you want in a QB and despite what Pete Carroll says, he has plenty of qualities you want in a leader.  San Fran is also smart enough to know that the Hispanic Cali native would be a huge draw for their team.  Also, despite only starting one year, he looks to me to be further along in his pro development than Stafford.
11		Buffalo Bills (7-9)	Everette Brown DE FSU – Buffalo’s starting DE’s generated 6 sacks this year, and while Chris Kelsay and Ryan Denney seem like nice guys, that number ain’t cutting it.  Some think Brown may be a bit under-sized and is better suited to a 3-4 as a rush LB.  But as a huge FSU fan I watched him all year and he sure looked like a pro DE to me, he’s just as big as Orakpo and actually plays a good deal bigger than Michael Johnson, so I feel he will make a fine DE.  With Aaron Schobel set to return from injury, he and Brown could really change the Bills defense.
12		Denver Broncos (8-8)	Rey Mualaga LB USC – A slight reach, though not by much, and it fills Denver’s biggest glaring hole which is MLB.  Nate Webster may have been the worst starting MLB in football last year and it showed.  Despite having an excellent high powered offense Denver couldn’t win with their terrible defense dragging them down.  Mualaga is such a big upgrade from Webster that the difference should be instantly noticeable.  The guy is like a bigger Lofa Tatupu, flying to the ball and making some truly devastating hits.
13		Washington Redskins (8-8)	Brian Orakpo DE Texas – The Skins expected to have a very good pass rush last year after dealing for future HOFer Jason Taylor and returning DE Andre Carter coming off a 10+ sack season in ’07.  Well things didn’t turn out the way they hoped and both DE’s severely underperformed.  With Taylor getting up there finding his replacement and maybe someone who can do his job a bit better than he can is a must.  Orakpo is seen as the best DE in the draft by many, though he disappeared at the end of the year.  He is still a great talent and should help get the skins some more sacks.
14		New Orleans Saints (8-8)	Vontae Davis CB Illinois – New Orleans secondary has been getting torched for more years than I can remember, and Davis has the looks of a can’t miss cornerback prospect.  He could have the same kind of impact that Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie has had for the Cards this year, The Saints offense is so good one can’t help but think this team may be a couple defensive adjustments away from playing in next year’s super bowl.  With a super talented big corner like Davis they’d be making the right first step in that direction.
15		Houston Texans (8-8)	Michael Johnson DE Ga Tech – The Texans still have a number of holes to fill, but took some big strides this year in terms of becoming a truly competitive team.  By teaming the speedy Johnson with the super duper freak Mario Williams they could have a DE duo that is the envy of just about anyone.  Johnson has a strange frame at 6’7” and 260 you’d think he was another giant DL but he looks more like a basketball player and plays more like a speedy rush end, he has some great natural pass rush ability that should help free up Super Mario on the other side.
16		San Diego Chargers (8-8)	William Moore S Mizzou – There will be a clamoring for SD to take a RB here as many are speculating that LT’s days in San Diego are numbered.  However with the emergence of Darren Sproles and having taken Jacob Hester recently, there are some replacements on the roster already.  Moore is easily the best safety in a very weak safety class and would represent a huge upgrade from Clinton Hart.  Eric Weddle proved to be one of the top young safeties in the league this past year and pairing him with this physical freak would give them the best young duo in the league and the best secondary in football.