Pat Kirwan's Mock Draft

http://www.nfl.com/draft/story/9378806
"(April 15, 2006) -- This is my first of three mock drafts that I will create for NFL.com leading up to the draft at the end of the month. I will assume that there will be no pre-draft trades that could change the decision making along the way. I will combine the activity in free agency, the needs of the teams, and the grades of the players as draft boards start to take shape.

1. Houston: Reggie Bush, RB, USC
Bush is a once-in-a-decade player and a matchup nightmare. He had 38 touchdowns in three years at USC.


2. New Orleans: D'Brickashaw Ferguson, OT, Virginia
He could move down but a 10-year starter is too hard to resist. The Saints traded Wayne Gandy, a starter at tackle last season, to Atlanta.

3. Tennessee: Matt Leinart, QB, USC
Leinart threw for more touchdown passes in college than Vince Young and Jay Cutler combined. He also knows the Titans' offense, having played under coordinator Norm Chow at USC.

4. N.Y. Jets: Mario Williams, DE, N.C. State
Williams can replace John Abraham, who was traded this offseason. He reminds new coach Eric Mangini of the Patriots' Richard Seymour and can play in either the 3-4 or 4-3.

5. Green Bay: Haloti Ngata, DT, Oregon
Having Ngata in the middle makes Green Bay defensive ends Aaron Kampman and Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila better. Ngata stops the run and has a rare combination of size and speed.

6. San Francisco: Vernon Davis, TE, Maryland
A young quarterback like Alex Smith always needs a tight end to be effective and Davis can provide major matchup problems.

7. Oakland: Vince Young, QB, Texas
Aaron Brooks signed a two-year deal with the Raiders, but owner Al Davis likes Young's upside. Randy Moss could make a perfect partner.

8. Buffalo: Brodrick Bunkley, DT, Florida State
The best under tackle for the new 'Dungy' defense, Bunkley has a talent that is hard to find.

9. Detroit: Michael Huff, DB, Texas
The safest pick in the draft, Huff can play either cornerback or safety. He is a leader and a Matt Millen-type player.

10. Arizona: Jay Cutler, QB, Vanderbilt
Kurt Warner is old and brittle and Cutler is Brett Favre-like. He's still two years away, though.

11. St. Louis: A.J. Hawk, OLB, Ohio State
Hawk should have been gone by now but will become a cornerstone for Jim Haslett's defense.

12. Cleveland: Kamerion Wimbley, DE, Florida State
Wimbley is the perfect fit for the 3-4 defense and reminds general manager Phil Savage of Peter Boulware, who Savage helped draft in Baltimore.

13. Baltimore: Winston Justice, OT, USC
The Ravens can use Justice at right tackle until Jonathan Ogden retires.

14. Philadelphia: Chad Jackson, WR, Florida
The Eagles failed to land Eric Moulds and released Terrell Owens, so they could use Jackson right away.

15. Denver: Santonio Holmes, WR, Ohio State
The Broncos can trade Ashley Lelie right after this pick.

16. Miami: Ernie Sims, OLB, Florida State
Sims is a tackling machine and replaces Junior Seau on the Dolphins defense.

17. Minnesota: Chad Greenway, OLB, Iowa
Greenway has a high character, the type of player that new coach Brad Childress wants on the team.

18. Dallas: Manny Lawson, LB, N.C. State
Lawson is the perfect complement to DeMarcus Ware.

19. San Diego: Jimmy Williams, DB, Virginia Tech
Williams can be a corner or safety and the Chargers need to replace Sammy Davis in the secondary.

20. Kansas City: Antonio Cromartie, CB, Florida State
Cromartie is a tremendous athlete and has had excellent workouts. The Chiefs really need to focus on defense in the draft.

21. New England: DeMeco Ryans, OLB, Alabama
The Patriots replace Willie McGinest with Ryans, a highly productive linebacker.

22. Denver: DeAngelo Williams, RB, Memphis
The Broncos got the wide receiver earlier in the draft and the running back completes their first round.

23. Tampa Bay: Mathias Kiwanuka, DE, Boston College
Kiwanuka can learn for a year behing Simeon Rice. He had 34 sacks in college.

24. Cincinnati: Nick Mangold, C, Ohio State
Bengals center Rich Braham is 36 years old and in the last year of his contract.

25. N.Y. Giants: Bobby Carpenter, OLB, Ohio State
The son of former Giants running back Rob Carpenter, he is a versatile linebacker than can fill two needs.

26. Chicago: Tye Hill, CB, Clemson
This pick could change if the Bears acquire a cornerback in free agency.

27. Carolina: Laurence Maroney, RB, Minnesota
With Stephen Davis gone, the Panthers need a back to complement DeShaun Foster.

28. Jacksonville: Tamba Hali, DE, Penn State
A slow time in the 40-yard dash drops Hali, but he could be used replace Paul Spicer.

29. N.Y. Jets: Eric Winston, OT, Miami
The Jets missed out on Ferguson earlier and left tackle is a top need.

30. Indianapolis: Thomas Howard, OLB, Texas-El Paso
USC running back LenDale White is there but the Colts also lost linebacker David Thornton.

31. Seattle: Davin Joseph, G, Oklahoma: Joseph is an immediate replacement for Steve Hutchinson.

32. Pittsburgh: Rodrique Wright, DT, Texas: White looks tempting, but Wright answers a bigger need."

He does the second round too.

I like it.
Dont know much about the TE at #48, Anthony Fasano Notre Dame, but heard he is good and could be a good pick.
At #51, Brodie Croyle, who is rated the forth best QB in the draft by SI.com. Not bad, but I think Clemens from Oregon might be the steal of this years QB prospects
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/mul...7.exclude.html

Yeah i really dont like his mock draft. i dont know why we would pick a TE with our second pick. To me it seems like a bad move. I also really dont like Greenway, i just dont think he will turn into a great LB. The Croyle pick is fine with me however, and i just really want to see who we get as our QB of the future.... sick of waiting.

Yea but if sims isnt there for us id take Greenway.

"Overall, Greenway should make an immediate impact as a rookie and will be a longtime starting linebacker in the NFL with the versatility to make plays in all areas of the game. Athletically, he's like former Texas linebacker Derrick Johnson, but Greenway is a much more instinctive and productive player. An added bonus is that Greenway was an elite special-teams player at Iowa, especially when rushing the punter, and will make an immediate impact on special teams in the NFL."
http://www.nfl.com/draft/profiles/2006/greenway_chad

I agree about the TE pick. Seems like we have other needs before TE.

I know a lot of people hate the idea of trading up, but if Hawk falls to #6 I am a firm believer that we should start throwing packages at San Fran, and if they don't accept AND don't take Hawk do the same with Oakland, Buffalo, etc...

I don't see him falling out of the top 5 let alone top 10.

"mnwildfan79" wrote:

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I know a lot of people hate the idea of trading up, but if Hawk falls to #6 I am a firm believer that we should start throwing packages at San Fran, and if they don't accept AND don't take Hawk do the same with Oakland, Buffalo, etc...

I don't see him falling out of the top 5 let alone top 10.

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Yea i was thinking that.. Hawk at 11? thats really farther than i think he will go, but a trade up would be nice if that does happen. I think he would improve our Lb core immediately. We wouldnt even need to worry about drafting another later in the draft.

If Hawk falls that low, I would really hope they trade up to get him. While he may not have a huge impact in his rookie season, he could be the difference in making our linebackers ( and our entire defense ) one of the better groups in the NFL over the next few seasons.

Also, I don't mind the TE pick in the second round, but if Leonard Pope was still around and they took Fasano, I would not be happy. If they get a linebacker in the first round, I would hope they get a CB and a QB in the second, then maybe go TE, OL, RB, or WR in the third.

Why would we pass up Manny Lawson to take Greenway...Lawson is very highly regarded by many of the experts. Also, it would be pretty hard to pass up DeAngelo if he were still on the board.

Like many have said, the biggest problem i have with that mock is Hawk falling that low, if he does i think just about every team will be trying to trade up for him. I dont mind the idea of taking Greenway...I THINK he will be a solid linebacker, but with any draft pick there is some risk.

"cajunvike" wrote:

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Why would we pass up Manny Lawson to take Greenway...Lawson is very highly regarded by many of the experts. Also, it would be pretty hard to pass up DeAngelo if he were still on the board.

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Yeah i agree on Lawson, id much rather have him than greenway but thats mostly because i just dont see Greenway turning into a great LB in the NFL.
Although Most people think Lawson would be a much better fit in a 3-4 defense.

h