6. Cincinnati Bengals

-Eugene Monroe (LT/Virginia)

NFL.com

Being a Lions fan, I completely sympathize with any loyal Bengal fan. Having to deal with Carson Palmer’s injuries, the collapse of the offensive line, and the utterly revolting season of Chad Johson. All their woes stemmed from the inconsistent play of the grossly overpaid offensive tackles (and guards). Finally, after seeing the need for change, Cincinnati decided to release RT Stacy Andrews to clear some cap space for a better suited draftee.

This is where Eugene Monroe comes in…. The Bengals have to find a way to protect Carson Palmer because Ryan Fitzpatrick is not a starting caliber quarterback in the NFL. Monroe should help to reduce the likelihood of repeating the 52 sacks allowed during 2008. He is one of the best linemen in America (1st  team All-American) and should be able to knock off Levi Jones by the end of training camp. Jones was a great player, but his career has been plagued by injuries. Eugene Monroe is an ideal pass blocker who will make a point of keeping Carson Palmer on his feet.

-B.J. Raji (DT/Boston College)

NFL.com

Although a tackle seems like a no-brainer, things get complicated by the meager pass rush of the Bengals. Tied for 2nd worst in the league (17 sacks), Cincinnati would love to have a defensive lineman that can clog the middle and rush the passer. That man is B.J. Raji. Domata Peko and John Thornton are not going to strike fear into opposing offenses. Thornton is 32 years old, and Peko is not much of a pass rusher (0.5 sacks). B.J. Raji would help the entire defense by drawing those double teams in the middle of the line.

-Brian Orakpo (DE/Texas)

NFL.com

Robert Gaithers and Antwan Odom didn’t pressure quarterbacks too much last season (5.5 sacks between the two of them). The Bengals have been seeking a stud defensive end for some time now with no luck. Odom had promise, but just hasn’t panned out. So they really should grab a guy in the draft to help them.

Orakpo would be asked to fulfill a familiar role in the Bengals defense. Instead of switching him to a rush linebacker, he would probably play right defensive end. He is a bit undersized, but his strength is far better than the majority of right ends.

All in all, I do think the most pressing need is to protect Palmer. The entire offense is built around him, and it seems foolish not to ensure he stays healthy.

Many fans would love to have a nasty linebacker in the middle like Rey Maualuga. But he probably is a better inside linebacker than a MLB in a 4-3 scheme. If for some reason, Cincinnatis swings a trade down to the middle of round 1, then Maualuga could be considered.

Next on the clock: Oakland Raiders

Make sure to vote so we can compare the fan picks with my own! At the end of my completed mock draft I will show all the results.

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4. Seattle Seahawks

- Michael Crabtree (WR/Texas Tech)

NFL.com

The Seahawks suffered last year for many reasons. Most noticeably because they couldn’t get the offense going. Matt Hasselbeck was injured for the bulk of the season, and the receiving corps suffered the same fate. Deon Branch is a capable receiver when he is healthy, but Bobby Engram (36 years old) has seen his best days fade into the distance. If new coach Mora decides to go with offense first, I think Michael Crabtree is their man.

Crabtree is a big target who plays even bigger. There are faster players on the field, but few defenders quick enough to cover him can match his power and aggression.  Even though he failed to work out at the combine, his film speaks for itself. The Red Raider receiver racked up 40 touchdowns and 3,000 yards receiving over his two years of playing!

The Seahawks would be glad to have “Crab” since he is one of the very best players in the draft.

-Eugene Monroe (LT/Virginia)

NFL.com

If Crabtree isn’t their man, then Seattle could go one of two ways: left tackle or defensive tackle. The o-line allowed an average number of sacks (36). But the anchor for the past decade, Walter Jones, is 35 years old.

Eugene Monroe could step in and play any position on the line reasonably well, where he could wait in the wings for Jones to retire.  Monroe is very athletically gifted, and is a student of the game.

If Jason Smith hasn’t been chosen by now, he could easily be considered right here. They might even wait until round 2 to select a talented tackle.

-B.J. Raji (DT/Boston College)

NFL.com

In an attempt to get bigger on the defensive front, Seattle could look at B.J. Raji from Boston College. I’ve heard how the Seahawks want to hold up better against really physical teams like the Vikings. Selecting a big tackle would help that endeavor. However, the 4-3 defensive scheme that the Seahawks run doesn’t place as high a value on tackles as does the 3-4 defense. In that case, Seattle may look to grab a quality tackle in round 2.

Next on the clock: Cleveland Browns

Make sure to vote so we can compare the fan picks with my own! At the end of my completed mock draft I will show all the results.

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2. St. Louis Rams

-Jason Smith (LT/Baylor)

NFL.com

With Orlando Pace as its anchor, the Rams used to have one of the dominant offensive lines in the NFL. As his ability has declined, so has that of the offense as a whole.  For the past few years, St. Louis has been trying to find a player to succeed Pace and return the Rams to the being one of the elite teams in the NFC. After missing out on Jake Long last year, I think the Rams jump at the chance to draft an offensive tackle with the #2 pick. And they don’t have much choice.  Alex Barron hasn’t improved much over the last two years; Marc Bulger has to be better protected; and the unit allowed 45 sacks over the regular season.

Since Jason Smith and Eugene Monroe are both talented pass blockers and have great athleticism, it’s difficult for me to say which one will be chosen. Resulting from his great combine, I would think Jason Smith gets the slight edge over Monroe. Plus Smith might be a better fit because he has that nasty nature and finishes his blocks very well. That will come in handy when he paves the way for Steven Jackson in the run game.

-Eugene Monroe (LT/Virginia)

NFL.com

Monroe has all the things you look for in a offensive tackle: long arms, quick feet, great size, intelligence, work ethic. Unfortunately, he lost  momentum at the combine when he only posted 23 reps when his peer, Jason Smith, recorded 33 reps. I suspect Monroe’s long arms make it tough to bench press as efficiently as the more barrel-chested linemen.

On a more positive note, Eugene Monroe is a less risky pick because of his experience. Whereas his counterpart Smith, only recently entered the elite talent conversation.

It comes down to whom the Rams give the slight edge. After all, there isn’t much separating these two extremely talented football players.

-Aaron Curry (OLB/Wake Forest)

NFL.com

If the Rams decide to go with the best player available, Curry would be the right choice. Although St. Louis has more pressing needs, linebacker does need help. So don’t rule out Curry because you never know if the defense-oriented Spagnolo might make a move for Curry if the Lions don’t take him first.

Michael Crabtree is a possibility here, but I just don’t see new coach Steve Spagnolo advocating that decision so early in his tenure.

Next on the clock: Kansas City Chiefs

Make sure to vote so I can include the fan picks into each post. We can make a little game out of comparing the fan picks with my own! At the end of my completed mock draft I will show all the results.

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Jason Smith photo provided by NFL.com

I had fun watching the offensive linemen and tight ends compete in today’s drills. As promised, here are some of the top prospect stats for day 1.

Jason Smith –Baylor/OT

Bench press-33 reps

40 yard dash-5.22 sec

Jamon Meredith–South Carolina/OT

Bench press- 31 reps

40 yard dash-5.03 sec

Michael Oher–Ole Miss/OT

Bench press- 21 reps

40 yard dash- 5.19 sec

Eugene Monroe–Virgina/OT

Bench press- 23 reps

40 yard dash- 5.16 sec

Brandon Pettigrew–Oklahoma St/TE

Bench press- 22 reps

40 yard dash-4.85 sec

vertical leap- 33 in

Surprise performer:

Jared Cook–South Carolina/TE

Bench press- 23 reps

40 yard dash- 4.50 sec

vertical leap-41 in

(for reference, 225 lbs are the standard weight used for bench press drill)

There are a bunch of high quality tackles this year. Eugene Monroe (Virginia), Jason Smith (Baylor), Andre Smith (Alabama), Michael Oher (Ole Miss), William Beatty (Conn), Jamon Meredith (South Carolina), and Phil Loadholt (Oklahoma) are the best of the bunch.

I want to begin with Jason Smith, who at 6’4 and 300 lbs is a converted tight end with excellent mobility. He carries his weight very well, and is a superb pass blocker. If he can prove to be equally effective in the run game, then he should be the first tackle prospect off the board. I can’t think of a tackle who has moved up draft boards more over the course of the season than Smith. In fact, the other 3 top tackle prospects have only dropped down in recent months.

Eugene Monroe is considered more of a  gifted finesse blocker than an outright mauler. At the combine, he will want to emphasize that he has a mean streak in the run game. But other than that, he is a fine prospect that probably will be chosen second behind Smith.

Andre Smith from Alabama is a huge guy at 6’4 and 340 lbs. Reports from the media have harped on how he has struggled with his weight since he was a young guy. If he can squash that virus in his interviews, then he could really help himself.

His style of play is much like Pro Bowler Jason Peters (Buffalo Bills), but he struggles with speed rushers more than Peters.

Andre Smith (NFL.com)

Last of the top prospects is Michael Oher. He decided to return for his senior year, thus passing up a probable mid-first round selection in the ’08 draft. It pains me to see that he didn’t really improve his stock much in the meantime. Questions still remain about his intelligence and consistency. Yet, there is NO question about his physical abilities, which happen to be unparallelled.

I can’t say much about William Beatty because I didn’t watch any Connecticut games this year, but I hear he is very athletic and is well suited for the left tackle position.

As for Loadholt, he is a massive guy at 6’8 and 330 pounds. He could play the right tackle position, but he has ability to play left side if he shows he can handle speed rushers.

Jamon Meredith is a very smart guy who managed to win the team’s GPA award, which is not an easy thing to achieve.  I should know, he majored in the same degree as I did with a similar GPA! And I didn’t play football at the same time. He has great strength but is a bit raw, and should go in round 2.

Out of all of the guys in this class, I have to say Jason Smith and Jamon Meredith are my favorites. I know I would be very excited if my team picked either of those two.

Who are your favorites?

Next installment: interior linemen