NFL Draft First Round Predictions
by Joel, Best Damn Producer

1 – Detroit Lions – The Lions need every pick in the first round to rebuild their franchise, not a new fierce logo!  Any team that has their kicker model their new uniforms for the public has issues.  New GM Martin Mayhew has his hands full with this pick.  We know one thing...he will not be selecting a WR!  The Lions are doing everything in their power to get a deal done before the draft, and the pick will come down to signability.  Pick = QB Matthew Stafford - Georgia  

2 – St. Louis Rams - The Rams will look to replace Hall of Famer-to-be Orlando Pace at offensive tackle.  If Jason Smith is not the #1 pick he’ll go here.  Pick = OT Jason Smith - Baylor

3 – Kansas City Chiefs - Trading down will be tough, so the Chiefs will take the best defensive player on the board. Curry may not be a perfect fit for the 3-4, but he'll instantly help this weak defense.  Pick = LB Aaron Curry – Wake Forest

4 – Seattle Seahawks – Lots of posturing here!  Will the Seahawks really draft Mark Sanchez???  Or are they hoping to lure another team into a trade?  If Sanchez is there and the Seahawks can’t move out of the spot, then the air apparent to Matt Hasselback will be Sanchez.  Pick = QB Mark Sanchez - USC

5 – Cleveland Browns – Defense...defense...defense.  The Browns could trade out of this spot and end up taking USC LB Clay Matthews later in the first round to follow in his father’s footsteps, but if the Browns can’t move down they’ll take the best player available.  Pick = DE/OLB Brian Orakpo - Texas

6 – Cincinnati Bengals – Get Carson Palmer some protection!  The Bengals will waste no time here and pick one of the OT left on the board.  Pick = OT Eugene Monroe – Virginia

7 – Oakland Raiders – Al Davis still believes in the vertical passing game as a means to winning a Super Bowl!  The only way the Raiders will ever return to “Greatness” (if you wanna call it that) is for Al to check himself into Shady Pines Retirement Home!  They’ll go with speed over playmaker.  Pick = WR Jeremy Macklin – Missouri

8 – Jacksonville Jaguars – If somehow Mark Sanchez falls to this pick, then USC alum Jack Del Rio will not pass on him.  If he’s gone then they’ll go WR.  Pick = WR Michael Crabtree – Texas Tech

9 – Green Bay Packers – Will Andre Smith prove to be a Tony Mandarich type bust for Green Bay?  They’ll take the chance on the off-field troubled Smith.  Pick = OT Andre Smith – Alabama

10 – San Francisco 49ers – Yet another team hoping Mark Sanchez falls to them.  This will not happen!  The 49ers will go OL to protect the QB they don’t have.  Pick = OT Michael Oher – Mississippi

11 – Buffalo Bills - They need help on the OL after Jason Peters was traded to the Eagles, but the big 4 OT’s will all be gone at this point, forcing the Bills to take the best player on the board.  Pick = DE Aaron Maybin – Penn State  

12 – Denver Broncos – Denver worked out Mark Sanchez in the hopes that he falls to them, but they'll have to trade up to get him!  Not being able to make the trade will force them to draft on the side of the ball that they so desperately need help with.  Pick = DT BJ Raji – Boston College

13 – Washington Redskins – This just in...Mark Sanchez holds the keys to this draft!  The Redskins want him badly, but it will take a lot to slide up to the top 5 of this draft.  Daniel Snyder will send his jet to Louisiana to pick up...  Pick = DE Tyson Jackson – LSU  

14 – New Orleans Saints – Here starts the run on USC LB’s all going in order!  Pick = LB Brian Cushing – USC

15 – Houston Texans – Clay Matthews will join his uncle Bruce Matthews who is on the Texans staff.  Pick = LB Clay Matthews – USC

16 – San Diego Chargers – San Diego will hope to capture lighting in a bottle twice! First with Junior Seau out of USC and now...  Pick = LB Rey Maualuga - USC 

17 - New York Jets - The Jets would rather get Mark Sanchez but they can’t move up, so they are stuck with soon to be the next QB bust Josh Freeman, a pure potential pick.  Why draft a QB that doesn’t even have a winning record in college, going 15-19 for his career at K- State?  Pick = QB Josh Freeman – Kansas State

18 – Denver Broncos – Denver will go defense again and will be shocked that this guy is still on the board for them.  Pick = DE Everette Brown – FSU

19 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – T-Bay will draft what they hope to be the next Warren Sapp.  At the end of the season this guy was a possible 3 - 4 rounder.  Pick = DT Peria Jerry - Mississippi

20 – Detroit Lions – The Lions hope they’re will be an OT left, but the big four are long gone by this time, so they’ll pick the best player on the board.  Pick = CB Malcolm Jenkins - Ohio State 

21 – Philadelphia Eagles – No-brainer here.  The Eagles have suffered every time Brian Westbrook is banged up throughout the season.  Knowshon’s hands in Philly’s pass-happy offense is what gives him the edge over Chris Wells.  Pick = RB Knowshon Moreno - Georgia

22 – Minnesota Vikings – Anyone know if there are good trees in Minnesota???  Because this will help in the signability of the Vikings first pick.  Pick = WR Percy Harvin – Florida

23 – New England Patriots – Mitch Mustain is rumored to be leaving early now that he won’t be playing ever at USC, and the Patriots will go for another QB that never started at USC.  Fiction!  The Pats wish they could have selected either Cushing or Matthews from USC to be the next Mike Vrabel but they’re gone so they’ll go offense and secure another weapon for Tom Brady.  Pick = WR Darrius Heyward-Bey – Maryland

24 – Atlanta Falcons – The Falcons traded for TE in Tony Gonzalez, so now they'll look for defense and a pass rusher / OLB.  Pick = DE Larry English – Northern Illinois

25 – Miami Dolphins – Bill Parcells loves drafting defense, and James Laurinaitus is staring right at him!  However, the last LB Bill took form “THE” Ohio State University was Bobby “Barbie” Carpenter, so Bill will go offense.  Pick = WR Hakeem Nicks - UNC  

26 – Baltimore Ravens – The war room is in an uproar that both receivers they had slated are gone (Heyward-Bey and Nicks), but the Ravens are excited the drug rumors scared everyone away from the DB they wanted.  Baltimore feels the best pure corner in the draft is...  Pick = CB Vontae Davis – Illinois  

27 – Indianapolis Colts - The Colts need to bolster the interior of the DL.  The guy they had slated is there.  Pick = DT Evander “Ziggy” Hood – Missouri

28 – Buffalo Bills - The Bills will continue to surround Trent Edwards with weapons, and the guy they have targeted is on the board.  Pick = TE Brandon Pettigrew – Oklahoma State

29 – New York Giants – They need help at WR with the loss of Plaxico, and they’ll go with the local kid.  Pick = WR Kenny Britt - Rutgers

30 – Tennessee Titans – Defense is the focus for the Titans with this pick, even though I would go with a playmaker WR such as Brian Robiskie or Derrick Williams.  Pick = CB Alphonso Smith – Wake Forest

31 – Arizona Cardinals – Edge is old and Hightower is not “Who the Cardinals thought he was."  Pick = RB Chris (we will not call him Beanie) Wells – Ohio State 

32 – Pittsburgh Steelers - OL is the only need for the defending Super Bowl champs.  Pick = C Alex Mack – Cal