Steelers Today – A Pittsburgh Steelers blog

Steelers Today has hooked up with 31 other NFL bloggers from around the country to do a bloggers’ mock draft. All 32 NFL teams are represented in the mock draft.

The mock draft is sponsored by Cleveland Browns blog No Logo Needed. For more details on the bloggers’ mock draft, click here.

With the fifteenth pick of the 2009 NFL Draft the Houston Texans blog Houston Diehards selects…

Well, this is unexpected. The Texans picked their LT of the future in the
first round last year, but with all the players I wanted off the board -
and an elite talent like Oher slipping, I have no choice but to take him.
Oher will be the LT, Duane Brown can move to RT, and current RT Eric
Winston can move inside, which would be a significant upgrade to an
already drastically-improved offensive line.

Quick, nimble, and athletic, Oher weighs 309 and is a great fit for the
zone blocking scheme that helped to make RB Steve Slaton a rookie of the
year candidate last season.

Houston’s two biggest positions of need are OLB and DT. However Oher is
an ELITE talent, whereas the best players left at those positions may or
may not slip to Houston’s 2nd round pick.

This was a difficult choice to make because for weeks now I’ve been
railing against mocks that have the Texans taking ANY offensive players,
but since I’m a “build from front to back” guy, I can’t help but jump all
over a player of Oher’s caliber.

The draft results so far are shown below. Click on the individual pick to read the blogger’s rationale for his selection.

1. Detroit Lions: Mathew Stafford, QB (Georgia)
2. St. Louis Rams: Eugene Monroe, OT (Virginia)
3. Kansas City Chiefs: Aaron Curry, LB (Wake Forest)
4. Seattle Seahawks: Michael Crabtree, WR (Texas Tech)
5. Cleveland Browns: Rey Maualuga, LB (Southern California)
6. Cincinnati Bengals: Jason Smith, OT (Baylor)
7. Oakland Raiders: Jeremy Maclin, WR (Missouri)
8. Jacksonville Jaguars: B.J. Raji, DT (Boston College)
9. Green Bay Packers, Brian Orakpo, DE (Texas)
10. San Francisco 49ers, Everette Brown, OLB (Florida State)
11. Buffalo Bills, Clay Matthews, OLB (Southern California)
12. Denver Broncos, Malcolm Jenkins, CB (Ohio State)
13. Washington Redskins, Andre Smith, OT (Alabama)
14. New Orleans Saints, Brian Cushing, OLB (Southern California)
15. Houston Texans, Michael Oher, OT (Ole Miss)

The San Diego Chargers are on the clock.

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Steelers Today has hooked up with 31 other NFL bloggers from around the country to do a bloggers’ mock draft. All 32 NFL teams are represented in the mock draft.

The mock draft is sponsored by Cleveland Browns blog No Logo Needed. For more details on the bloggers’ mock draft, click here.

With the fourteenth pick of the 2009 NFL Draft the New Orleans Saints blog Canal Street Chronicles selects…

I can’t even believe that Cushing is actually still on the board, particularly following his awesome combine performance, but alas he is.

With the re-signing of Jonathan Vilma and the return of Dan Morgan, the Saints are just okay at the linebacker spot but really need some help in the secondary.  Because of all the talk surrounding his possible switch to safety, Malcolm Jenkins would have to be the other consideration with this pick.  But because Cushing appears to be the best player available, the Saints just can’t pass him up.

Scott Shanle, your days are numbered!

The draft results so far are shown below. Click on the individual pick to read the blogger’s rationale for his selection.

1. Detroit Lions: Mathew Stafford, QB (Georgia)
2. St. Louis Rams: Eugene Monroe, OT (Virginia)
3. Kansas City Chiefs: Aaron Curry, LB (Wake Forest)
4. Seattle Seahawks: Michael Crabtree, WR (Texas Tech)
5. Cleveland Browns: Rey Maualuga, LB (Southern California)
6. Cincinnati Bengals: Jason Smith, OT (Baylor)
7. Oakland Raiders: Jeremy Maclin, WR (Missouri)
8. Jacksonville Jaguars: B.J. Raji, DT (Boston College)
9. Green Bay Packers, Brian Orakpo, DE (Texas)
10. San Francisco 49ers, Everette Brown, OLB (Florida State)
11. Buffalo Bills, Clay Matthews, OLB (Southern California)
12. Denver Broncos, Malcolm Jenkins, CB (Ohio State)
13. Washington Redskins, Andre Smith, OT (Alabama)
14. New Orleans Saints, Brian Cushing, OLB (Southern California)

The Houston Texans are on the clock.

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Steelers Today has hooked up with 31 other NFL bloggers from around the country to do a bloggers’ mock draft. All 32 NFL teams are represented in the mock draft.

The mock draft is sponsored by Cleveland Browns blog No Logo Needed. For more details on the bloggers’ mock draft, click here.

With the thirteenth pick of the 2009 NFL Draft the Washington Redskins blog Curly R selects…

Steelers Today has hooked up with 31 other NFL bloggers from around the country to do a bloggers’ mock draft.  All 32 NFL teams are represented in the mock draft.

The mock draft is sponsored by Cleveland Browns blog No Logo Needed.  For more details on the bloggers’ mock draft, click here.

With the eleventh pick of the 2009 NFL Draft the Buffalo Bills blog Buffalo Rumblings selects…

Buffalo is in full-fledged “win now” mode.  Let’s face it – you’re not risking Terrell Owens being on your roster if you’re not desperate for a few wins.  Unlike the ’08 draft, when the Bills took small-school product Leodis McKelvin and unpolished receiver James Hardy with their first two picks, the Bills are going to look past potential for guys that can contribute immediately, particularly in the first three rounds.

Unfortunately, the team is forced to choose between prospects at this stage in the game that either aren’t worthy of a selection this high (Brandon Pettigrew) or fill needs but are inexperienced (Matthews, Aaron Maybin).  In the end, Matthews – yes, even ahead of USC teammate Brian Cushing – is the best fit.  He gives the Bills an outstanding blitz presence right out of the gate, and he adds playmaking ability to the Bills’ league-renowned special teams unit as well.

Matthews isn’t a perfect fit in Buffalo’s zone-based scheme; his coverage skills are severely underdeveloped, and it’s unclear whether he’d be a better fit as a linebacker or an end in a 4-3 defense.  In Buffalo, he’d have the opportunity to play a little of both.  Buffalo desperately needs a physical, hard-hitting presence at linebacker for run downs, and the 6’3″, 240-pound Matthews can lay the lumber.  But he also opened some eyes at the Combine when he easily recorded the fastest 10-yard split of any pass-rushing prospect; his 1.49-second time was beaten by only nine cornerbacks.  He’s very explosive in the short area, and given that fact, he also has potential as a pass-rush specialist – either standing or down on the line – for the blitz-happy Bills.  His work ethic, intangibles and unbelievable NFL bloodlines make him a safe investment, even if he’s a bit of a reach.

The draft results so far are shown below.  Click on the individual pick to read the blogger’s rationale for his selection.

1. Detroit Lions:  Mathew Stafford, QB (Georgia)
2. St. Louis Rams: Eugene Monroe, OT (Virginia)
3. Kansas City Chiefs: Aaron Curry, LB (Wake Forest)
4. Seattle Seahawks: Michael Crabtree, WR (Texas Tech)
5. Cleveland Browns: Rey Maualuga, LB (Southern California)
6. Cincinnati Bengals: Jason Smith, OT (Baylor)
7. Oakland Raiders: Jeremy Maclin, WR (Missouri)
8. Jacksonville Jaguars: B.J. Raji, DT (Boston College)
9. Green Bay Packers, Brian Orakpo, DE (Texas)
10. San Francisco 49ers, Everette Brown, OLB (Florida State)
11. Buffalo Bills, Clay Matthews, OLB (Southern California)

The Denver Broncos are on the clock.

(If you enjoyed this article, please consider leaving a comment below. Also, please subscribe to our blog by pressing the orange button below. Thanks.)

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Steelers Today has hooked up with 31 other NFL bloggers from around the country to do a bloggers’ mock draft.  All 32 NFL teams are represented in the mock draft.

The mock draft is sponsored by Cleveland Browns blog No Logo Needed.  For more details on the bloggers’ mock draft, click here.

With the tenth pick of the 2009 NFL Draft the San Francisco 49ers blog Niners Nation selects…

The 49ers have various needs this offseason, but unlike what some people are predicting, a first round QB is not one of those needs.  The 49ers have a pair of outside linebackers, one of whom turned in a very solid season in 2008.  Parys Haralson seems to have a legitimate future going forward as a pass rushing outside linebacker.  Manny Lawson is an athletic freak, but he seems less inclined to rush the passer or more likely to be a guy in coverage and in a read position.

Although Everette Brown didn’t have a ton of experience (only one season as a fulltime starter), he still racked up 23 sacks for his 3-year career.  This pick is a really tough one for the 49ers because it seems like they’re too high for guys like Oher, but they’re too low for a BJ Raji.  Andre Smith is plummeting and seems like too much of a headcase.  If the first 9 picks go in the above order, I think the 49ers will battle themselves in trying to decide between Michael Oher and Everette Brown.  What wouldn’t surprise me is if the 49ers tried to move up from the second round into the late first round to grab the right tackle they need.  They’ve shown no qualms about making those kinds of moves, so we’ll see if they do so again.

The draft results so far are shown below.  Click on the individual pick to read the blogger’s rationale for his selection.

1. Detroit Lions:  Mathew Stafford, QB (Georgia)
2. St. Louis Rams: Eugene Monroe, OT (Virginia)
3. Kansas City Chiefs: Aaron Curry, LB (Wake Forest)
4. Seattle Seahawks: Michael Crabtree, WR (Texas Tech)
5. Cleveland Browns: Rey Maualuga, LB (Southern California)
6. Cincinnati Bengals: Jason Smith, OT (Baylor)
7. Oakland Raiders: Jeremy Maclin, WR (Missouri)
8. Jacksonville Jaguars: B.J. Raji, DT (Boston College)
9. Green Bay Packers, Brian Orakpo, DE (Texas)
10. San Francisco 49ers, Everette Brown, OLB (Florida State) 

The Buffalo Bills are on the clock.

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