DRAFTX.com MOCK DRAFT IV (01/29/06) This is the NFLfans' Experts Mock Draft compiled by DWG's team of cyberScouts and cyberGMs. This panel of NFL enthusiasts study both team needs and potential NFL Draft prospects (likely underclassmen are included). They meet at an agreed to time and make their selections, rapid-fire and on the clock. In future iterations, more rounds, possibility of trades and more information about teams/likely declarees are included. Eventually, the NFLfans will hold a 7 round Public Mock with with the most reliable underclass eligibilty and trade scenarios available. Sel# Team Player Selected Discussion 1 AFC South Texans Texans War Room Discussion: For its entire existence Houston has been handicapped with a subpar offensive line lacking an anchor on the left side. With D'Brick, that problem is solved in one smooth stroke - which should allow David Carr, one of the most sacked QB's in the league due to poor line play, the chance to finally flourish in the NFL. 2 NFC South Saints Saints War Room Discussion: The Aaron Brooks experiment has come to an end in a far from glorious fashion in New Orleans. Every great offense revolves around a strong centerpiece at Quarterback, and Matt Leinart has the talent and ability to be all that and more for the Saints. 3 AFC South Titans Titans War Room Discussion: Norm Chow, formerly of USC, would love to get his hands on one of his former proteges in the NFL, and with Reggie Bush on the board that is exactly what happens. The Titans running back situation has been clouded since the demise of Eddie George, but that is a worry no longer. 4 AFC East Jets Jets War Room Discussion: Two consecutive devasting injuries to the throwing shoulder of Chad Pennington have derailed his once promising career. With the best player on some draft boards still available, the Jets cannot resist pulling the trigger - a new day has come for the NY offense with dynamic Vince Young at the helm. 5 NFC North Packers Packers War Room Discussion: The Green Bay defense was putrid last year, and the complete lack of pass rush shouldered a large share of the blame. In Williams they are drafting a physical freak with the ability to dominate coming off the edge against any blocker. Super Mario will soon become a fan favorite for the Cheeseheads in Wisconsin. 6 NFC West 49ers 49ers War Room Discussion: If Alex Smith is to succeed, he will need weapons - and nobody can deny that Vernon Davis is the very definition of weapon when it comes to the tight end position. A collegiate phenom with skill potential that could match any at his position currently in the league, Davis should immediately upgrade the San Francisco offense. 7 AFC West Raiders Raiders War Room Discussion: Regardless of which defense the new coaching staff chooses to employ (3-4 or 4-3), one thing is certain - an aggressive, talented presence is needed at linebacker in Oakland. That problem is solved with the acquisition of Hawk, who brings all world talent and prototypical physical attributes for the position with him from The Ohio State University. 8 AFC East Bills Bills War Room Discussion: After the loss of Pat Williams last offseason to Minnesota, Buffalo was left with a void in the center of their defensive line that was exposed as a weakness time and again last fall. That is a weakness no longer with Ngata - this mountain of a man also possesses stunning quickness and immense strength; he is a disruptive force to be reckoned with and will bring stability to the center of an already potent Bills defense. 9 NFC North Lions Lions War Room Discussion: Touted last summer as an up and coming team, Detroit tanked in the standings due to faults on both sides of the ball. With the selection of Huff, the best defensive back in the NCAA, they bring a hard hitting ballhawk to their defensive backfield, making this the first quality selection for Detroit in the opening round since the hiring of Matt Millen. 10 NFC West Cardinals Cardinals War Room Discussion: Kurt Warner is nearing the end of the road due to repeated thumb injuries, and Josh McCown peaked as a rookie. Enter the fast rising SEC gunslinger, Jay Cutler. Compared by some to a better version of a young Brett Favre, he has a long way to go to live up to such aspirations, but the tools to have a chance to get there. 11 NFC West Rams Rams War Room Discussion: The Rams defense (along with injuries on the offensive side of the ball) was largely responsible for their fall from grace last season. To begin the path back to NFC West dominance, they must start first with defense - and Chad Greenway was the top defender on the board. He brings a dominant playmaking presence to a linebacker corps that had been anything but that for some time. 12 AFC North Browns Browns War Room Discussion: Cleveland hasn't been excited about a young player at offensive tackle since Orlando Brown had an unfortunate run-in with an officials flag. Consider that problem solved with the addition of this massive blocker from Auburn. McNeil did not surrender a single sack his senior year, and his outstanding physical attributes project well to the NFL. 13 AFC North Ravens Ravens War Room Discussion: Jamal Lewis, due to age, prior injuries and legal issues, has lost a step - and when that happens to running backs, their future is usually not long in the league. In his stead, they now have a tough, multi-faceted runner in DeAngelo Williams, who can take any play to the house, run or pass. 14 NFC East Eagles Eagles War Room Discussion: With in state star Tamba Hali still on the board, the Eagles couldn't resist pulling the trigger. He should team with Jevon Kearse to form one of the better pass rushing tandems in the NFL, but thats not all - Hali is also one of the most complete defensive ends in the draft, equally adept at stopping the run as he is at rushing the passer. 15 NFC South Falcons Falcons War Room Discussion: Safety has been for some time a glaring weakness in Atlanta, but drafting Ko Simpson should go a long ways toward solving that. He brings a tough, intimidating presence to the middle of their defensive backfield, equally strong covering the run and pass. Be it laying the wood to flatten a man over the middle or going up to make an acrobatic pick, this kid can do it all. 16 AFC East Dolphins Dolphins War Room Discussion: After getting over the initial shock of having the top rated corner in the draft still on the board, Nick Saban and Co. waste no time in making him a Miami Dolphin. Williams brings lockdown corner skills and elite size to a position in transition, as Sam Madison is likely on his way out due to salary cap considerations. 17 NFC North Vikings Vikings War Room Discussion: Michael Bennett is a free agent, Moe Williams is far from an everydown back and you certainly can't count on Ontario "The Whizzinator" Smith for any length of time. That leaves the Vikings again searching for a running back, but this time they get their man - White brings a true between the tackles power running presence to a Minnesota offense that sorely needed it. 18 NFC East Cowboys Cowboys War Room Discussion: Bill Parcells loves his linebackers - and the fast rising Manny Lawson could make for one heckuva partner in crime with last years draftee, DeMarcus Ware. Likely to play as a standup 3-4 OLB in the Dallas scheme, Lawson will be freed up to use his incredible athletic abilities to torment opposing offenses across the NFC. 19 AFC West Chargers Chargers War Room Discussion: The Chargers had problems holding leads last season, and a large part of that issue had to do with their porous pass defense. Antonio Cromartie was considered a top 10 pick prior to his knee injury last season, and if he is back at full strength in 2006 the Chargers will have themselves an outstanding young corner. 20 AFC West Chiefs Chiefs War Room Discussion: The Chiefs came into this draft targeting defensive upgrades (as has been the theme for many of their recent drafts) and with their primary target sitting on the board in Mathias Kiwianuka they do not hesistate to grab him. Kiwi is a dominating pass rusher with the size and strength to stop the run, he should become a bookend on the Chiefs defensive line for years to come. 21 AFC East Patriots Patriots War Room Discussion: This pick was made nearly instantaneously by the Patriots, as they could not believe such a talented cover corner was still available to them at the 21st pick. Tye Hill has the speed, skills and hands to do it all at cornerback in the NFL, and he will become the new Ty Law in New England - a man capable of taking away half the field from opposing offenses. 22 AFC West Broncos Broncos War Room Discussion: With their first pick in the first round (re: Washington, 2005 trade) the Broncos grab a playmaker - TE Leonard Pope can simply do it all on the offensive side of the ball. He can stay in tight to block down as well as run routes, and once he catches the ball he is nearly unstoppable in the open field, racking up yards after the catch. 23 NFC South Buccaneers Buccaneers War Room Discussion: Tampa has tried the route of veteran upgrades along the line the past few years to varying degrees of success, but with this in state stud on the board that method is scrapped. Winston is an elite LT prospect who only slid due to a knee injury which he was working his way back from this last year, by the start of 2006 he will be anchoring the line for Chris Simms in Tampa Bay. 24 AFC North Bengals Bengals War Room Discussion: The one glaring weakness on the Cincinnati defense was the void that was their central defensive line. To fill that void they have brought on stout DT Rodrique Wright from the National Champion Longhorns, and he should be all the power they need at the position. The only knock on Wright was motivation, and coming to a team coached by Marvin Lewis should be the perfect fit to get him ready to rock the National Football League. 25 NFC East Giants Giants War Room Discussion: The linebacker corps of the New York Giants was devasted last season by injuries and ineptitude, and those defiences were one of the biggest reasons behind their early exit from the playoffs. DeMeco Ryans is a force to reckon with at the WILL, where he should start and drastically upgrade the Giants D from day one. 26 NFC North Bears Bears War Room Discussion: The Bears vertical game has been lacking in recent years, especially at tight end. Mercedes Lewis should turn all of that around though, as he is an outstanding receiver at his position with the ability to open up the underneath routes, clearing room for the Chicago receivers to work over the top, finally complementing their potent rushing attack and defense. 27 NFC South Panthers Panthers War Room Discussion: With all of their primary targets off the board, Carolina reached a bit for a man they felt would fit their system and be able to play an integral role in their offense with Martin Nance. His size and route running abilities, along with good hands and a head for the game, should give Jake Delhomme a solid second option to all world receiver Steve Smith. 28 AFC South Jaguars Jaguars War Room Discussion: Fred Taylor has been a good to great player at times when healthy, but the years of injuries are really starting to wear him down. With Laurence Maroney slipping a bit due to the abundance of talent, Jacksonville had to snag their man - he should compete for the starting job from the moment he arrives, and his great size, speed and power combination is perfect for the feature back role in the NFL. 29 AFC West Broncos Broncos War Room Discussion: Matt Lepsis is a very good left tackle, but his age and contract cost is starting to become a concern. With a prospect that fits their blocking scheme as well as Scott available, he is the easy choice. Outstanding feet, size and mobility should allow him to step into Lepsis' spot in the starting lineup in the near future without the team missing a beat. 30 AFC South Colts Colts War Room Discussion: The Colts are faced with some tough decisions at linebacker this offseason, with many of their top guys looking at free agency and big paydays elsewhere. Abdul Hodge is an instinctive MLB with the speed and skills to match his mind, and he will have an immediate positive impact on the Colts defense. A field general in every sense of the term, it'd be surprising for him to do anything less than great in a Dungy defense. 31 NFC West Seahawks Seahawks War Room Discussion: The top overall wide receiver was still on the board, but no longer - much to the glee of the Seattle front office. The primary problem of Seahawk receivers the last few years has been a persistent drop problem and finding a true complement to Darrell Jackson. The search has ended here, with the outstanding junior speedster from OSU. 32 AFC North Steelers Steelers War Room Discussion: In somewhat of a surprise move at this point in the draft, Pittsburgh went back to what has become NFL U for its first round pick - University of Miami DT Orien Harris. In Pittsburgh's 3-4 scheme he will be moved to defensive end, where his run stopping ability will be showcased day in and day out.