2007 NFL Mock Draft CrossBlog Spectacular

In what we hope evolves into at least a bi-monthly feature until the draft (if not weekly)and eventually involves all four memebers of both sites (Our Turn Next and The Brew City Beat), Gaddis and I have completed the first "CrossBlog Mock Draft". Representing the Brew City Beat, I selected the odds, Our Turn Next rep Gaddis took the evens. Without further any further ado...

1 .Oakland Raiders – Joe Thomas – OT - Wisconsin
I’m just assuming Thomas will have a monster combine and workout showing. The Raiders line was awful last year, by selecting Thomas they would have two nice young tackles (Robert Gallery). Brady Quinn and JaMarcus Russell aren’t considered can’t miss prospects, so I don’t see either QB going number one here. Russell has more upside, but Quinn is more polished, neither seem like the type of QB a number one pick should be though. They may also opt to go after Calvin Johnson here, but Thomas makes the most sense.

2. Detroit Lions- Brady Quinn – QB - Notre Dame
I think the Lions would be heart broken if Thomas was taken first. They do need a QB for Martz's system so this pick will come down to Russell and Quinn. I think the accurate Quinn will trump the strong-armed Russell. I think the best player on the board here is Calvin Johnson, but Matt Millen can't take another WR. Who knows though, maybe he wants the title of "Craziest GM" back from Isaiah Thomas.

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers *(coin flip) – Calvin Johnson – WR – Georgia Tech
The Bucs offense is anemic. Joey Galloway is old and Michael Clayton mailed it in last season and can officially be labeled a disappointment. Johnson is the best player in this draft and will make an immediate impact on the offense. Absolute no brainer.

4. Cleveland Browns *(coin flip) - Alan Branch – DT - Michigan
The surprise of the draft will be Russell falling past Cleveland. Crennel will win the the fight in the war room and get an impact player on the defensive side of the ball. Branch, who started his college career at Defensive End, has great athletic ability and a non-stop motor. He was the most dominant player on the best defense in the Big Ten. Cleveland has an aging line and Branch is a perfect tackle in the 3-4 because of his pass rushing ability.

5. Arizona Cardinals – Gaines Adams – DE – Clemson
The Cardinals need help on the offensive line, and on defense. No lineman other than Thomas warrants a top 10 selection, so they’ll go for a pass rusher here. Adams and Bertrand Berry will give the Cardinals two good rush ends, which should help their porous secondary.

6. Washington Redskins - Jamaal Anderson – DE - Arkansas
The third straight defensive lineman and some have Anderson rated the highest DL on the board. The Redskins didn't get the production out of free agent Andre Carter last year and need a pass rushing presence. The Redskins will have a hard time passing on Russell because of his talent, but Jason Campbell was a first round pick.

7. Minnesota Vikings – JaMarcus Russell – QB – LSU
Perhaps the luckiest team in the draft, Russell falls right into the Vikings lap. To say Brad Johnson is old and on the brink of being ineffective is an understatement, and Tarvarious Jackson looked god awful and nowhere near ready in limited action last season. How fitting that Russell gets drafted to replace the void left by the departure of the quarterback he is most compared to.

8. Houston Texans - LaRon Landry – S - LSU
The Texans will once again pass on a local guy, Adrian Peterson, to draft the more pressing need. If they are sticking to their plan they will continue to improve the defense for a team that plays in the same division as the Colts. They have safties that nobody has heard of Landry is a big time hitter with good speed. Reggie Nelson is more of the ball hawk, but Landry has more of an NFL body.

9. Miami Dolphins – Darrelle Revis – CB – Pitt
The Dolphins secondary was just awful last season, and needs a lot of help. In fairness, they still haven’t recovered from the losses of Sam Madison and Pat Surtain. Revis is a physical corner and very fast. The only knock is he’s a tad undersized.

10. Atlanta Falcons - Ted Ginn Jr - WR - The Ohio State University
They need some more weapons for Vick or Schaub and Ginn has the speed to really stretch a defense. They will debate between Ginn and Dwayne Jarrett, who is a more polished route runner. The new coach, Bobby Patreno, will look for a weapon that he can add to exciting offense.

11. San Francisco 49ers – Dwayne Jarrett – WR – USC
Jarrett is more polished and arguably more skilled than Mike Williams when he came out. He has ideal size, good speed, and excellent hands. Alex Smith, Frank Gore, Vernon Davis and Dwayne Jarrett is a very good young nucleus to build the offense around for years to come.

12. Buffalo Bills - Leon Hall – CB - Michigan
Last year the Bills took a reach on a saftey in Donte Whitmer and this year they will go after a DB again. With Nate Clements ready to leave for more money, Buffalo will need another starting CB. Some people have Hall as the top cover corner and a disappointing Senior Bowl makes him the second corner taken, but he is ready to be a starter right away.

13. St Louis Rams – Reggie Nelson – S – Florida
Nelson is an athletic freak, a playmaker, and smart enough to be the quarterback of the defense. The Rams defense has huge holes in the secondary, so he’ll be a welcome addition. He’ll also get the benefit of playing next to one of the smartest safeties in the league in Corey Chavous and will undoubtedly benefit from that. He’ll be a Pro Bowler for years to come, and they’ll have one of the best safety tandems in the league until Chavous hangs em up.

14. Carolina Panthers - Lawrence Timmons – LB - Florida St
There true need is a middle linebacker with Dan Morgan's future uncertain. They could also use a WR, but once the top three are gone there is a bit of a drop off. They will take Timmons who is a very good athlete but short on playing time at Florida St. He played behind some good linebackers and only started one year. With Timmons at one outside linebacker and Thomas Davis at the other they have great speed on the outside.

15. Pittsburgh Steelers – Adrian Peterson – RB – Oklahoma
Although their record wouldn’t indicate it, the Steelers don’t really have a lot of holes on their roster, so they’ll go for the best talent on the board. They like what Willie Parker can do for them, but they like him a lot better as a change of pace used in tandem with another back. New head coach Mike Tomlin may want to use the pick on the defensive side, but Peterson is too talented to pass up. Questions regarding his durability are the likely reason for his slide, but they won’t be an issue since he’ll be used in tandem with Parker.

16. Green Bay Packers - Amobi Okoye – DT - Louisville
They need some help at WR and RB, but the talent on this kid is too much to pass up. He is only 20 years old and started playing D1 football at 16. DT is not the number one need on defense, but Okoye in the middle with bring some pass rushing ability and also allow the linebackers to play in some space. Okoye, Kapman, and Pickett gives the Packers a good front 4 for a few years to come.

17. Jacksonville Jaguars – Michael Griffin – S/CB – Texas
They are an average team in a lot of areas. They don’t really have any weaknesses, but they don’t really have many strengths other than overall defense. Griffin is the best defensive player on the board, and Donovan Darius is getting older and seems to be breaking down more and more, not to mention he’s a free agent. Other than he and Rashean Mathis, there’s little to be desired in their secondary.

18. Cincinnati Bengals - Greg Olsen – TE – DA U
The Bengals top two needs are a lawyer and somebody to stay out of trouble. A good TE makes this offense even more dangerous and Olsen can stretch the field down the middle. This opens up even more on outside for Ohco Cinco and TJ. They have some very average positions on defense, but their TE position is horrible. Another plus of taking Olsen is that he is used to playing next to criminals.
19. Tennessee Titans – Marshawn Lynch – RB – Cal
They might go O-line, just to ensure Vince Young is protected, but I doubt it. Their best running back last season was Young. LenDale White was taken in the second round last year, but was a major disappointment. Lynch is good at catching the ball out of the backfield, and at times looks like a poor mans Reggie Bush. Every young quarterback needs a tight end and a running back with hands. Young will now have both and only continue to get better.

20. New York Gaints - Levi Brown – T - Penn State
The Giants will be scrambling here because they were hoping that Lynch would fall to them. They will be stuck trying to see if Jacobs can be an every down back. They realize though that the only way Eli Manning will have a chance is if they can protect him. With Luke Petitgot getting old, they will take the massive tackle out of Penn St. This could be a reach for Brown and they do need some help at corner, but they will to look make the offensive line a strength of this team.

21. Denver Broncos – Marcus McCauley – CB – Fresno State
The Broncos are another team that doesn’t really have any pressing needs, so they’ll use this pick on a corner, which I guess you can now call a need after the senseless and tragic death of Pro Bowler in the making Darrent Williams.

22. Dallas Cowboys - Dwayne Bowe – WR - LSU
You can call this pick TO Insurance. I assume either Norv Turner or Jason Garrett will be the head coach of this team. They will look the pass the ball more with those coaches and Romo will need another weapon. Who knows about the future of TO and Glenn while still being productive is getting older. They need a saftey, but Bowe has the most upside of anyone left on the board.

23. Kansas City Chiefs – Justin Blalock – OT/G – Texas
The Chiefs would have loved Dwayne Bowe here, but the left side of their line could use some help as well. Will Shields will be entering his 15th season, if he returns, and Kyle Turley was a liability at times last season. Herm Edwards builds his teams on defense and a running game, so the line will be vital. Blalock could slide into the left guard spot if Shields retires, or replace Turley as the starter at tackle.

24. New England Patriots - Paul Posluszny (from Seattle) – LB - Penn State
Their linebacking core is starting to age and Polsuszny fits the Patriots mold. He is a hard nosed football player, with decent speed, and a sure tackler. He played outside in college, but he could probably handle the inside in a 3-4 defense. The Patriots could also good cornerback or saftey, but I think they will take the player who fits the Bruschi mold.

25. New York Jets – LaMarr Woodley – LB/DE – Michigan
Fits the Mangini/Belichik mold. He could stand for adding more bulk to his frame and play end, but as it is now he’ll probably be a outside rush specialist. He was one of the best pure pass rushers I saw last year and could serve as the “Willie McGinnest” of the Jets defense.

26. Philadelphia Eagles - Sidney Rice – WR - South Carolina
They really could use a saftey here, but they don't want to reach on Weddle from Utah or Merriweather from Miami. Rice has a lot of talent and has really never had the advantage of playing with a good QB. His height helps to win jump balls in the end zone. He still has to develop his route running, but he will be a great slot WR for the Philly offense.

27. New Orleans Saints – Daymeion Hughes – CB - Cal
The Saints need help on defense and especially in the secondary. If you watched the NFC Championship game, you saw the Bears blatantly pick on Fred Thomas. Thomas is at best a nickel back, but forced to start due to the lack of talent in the secondary. Hughes has better height and speed than Texas’ Aaron Ross, so the Saints will opt for him.

28. New England Patriots - Aaron Ross – CB - Texas
The second New England pick this round and the second defensive player. With Troy Brown considering retirement, they need to add more depth at defensive back. They would have liked to see Sidney Rice drop to this spot, but instead they have address one of their other important needs. They will consider Jarvis Moss because of their ties to Florida, but instead pick Thorpe winner Ross, the second DB from Texas to go in the first round. Ross might not have top flight speed or be the biggest CB, but he is a playmaker.

29. Baltimore Ravens – Tony Ugoh – T – Arkansas
Jonathon Ogden is mulling retirement, and Tony Pashos is the started at right tackle. I’d say they could use some help. Depending on who you ask, Ugoh is rated as high as the second best tackle prospect and a top 15 pick, so the Ravens potentially land a steal here.

30. San Diego Chargers - Robert Meachem – WR - Tennesse
A need pick over the best value pick. There are still some good DEs on the board, but they need someone to stretch to field and open the middle for Gates and the edges for LDT. Meachem has a history of knee problems but he still has 4.4 speed and is rather big at 6-3, 210 pounds. He will eventually be able to replace the aging Keenan McCardell.

31. Indianapolis Colts – Quinn Pitcock – DT – The Ohio State University
The Colts run defense is just awful, but for some reason they’re actually playing with pride in the playoffs. Pitcock is stout against the run, and can provide some pass rushing skills. He should step in and make an immediate impact on the defense, something that’s not too common for the second to last pick of the first round.

32. Chicago Bears - Zach Miller – TE - Arizona State
The Bears, despite being Superbowl Champs, have a lot of needs to fill. Lance Briggs could leave via free agency, Defensive Tackle depth looked bad with Tommy Harris out (they do have Dusty Dvorckek on IR), and their offensive line is looking old. They will not pass on a TE this year like they have done in previous years. Miller, who is the younger brother of Pittsburgh TE Heath Miller, will give them a solid option down the middle of the field. The Bears shown this year when there offense is going good they throw to the TE. Desmond Clark is more of a blocking TE and Miller will bring some pass catching ability.