Tyson Jackson moves to No. 3
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published: "2009-04-24"
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By Mel Kiper
ESPN.com
Archive
Editor's note: Below is Mel Kiper's final pre-draft projection.
Well, we're closer to the draft, and while the top of it looks pretty set, with the Detroit Lions looking to wrap up the signing of Georgia QB Matthew Stafford, there still is quite a bit of intrigue in the first five picks.
The pivotal team will be the Kansas City Chiefs. Much has been made of new general manager Scott Pioli's penchant for trading because of his past with the New England Patriots. But I expect him to stay where he is for this draft (third overall) and turn the draft upside down by picking LSU DE Tyson Jackson. This kid is the best fit for the Chiefs' 3-4, and Pioli clearly knows the value of a good defense. In my previous mock draft, I had Jackson going to the Denver Broncos at No. 12, but Jackson fits perfectly with the Chiefs and Pioli isn't afraid to make a big play.
Another high riser in this draft is USC quarterback Mark Sanchez. He was criticized in some circles for not waiting a year and possibly being the overall No. 1 pick in 2010, but it looks like his gamble might pay off, as I have him going No. 4 to the Seattle Seahawks. Now, this could get interesting for Sanchez, because if Seattle doesn't take him, he could fall to No. 13 and the Washington Redskins or No. 17 and the New York Jets. If he's available after the Seahawks' pick and before the Redskins are up, don't be surprised to see the Jets move up to take him. They are very high on him.
Kansas State's Josh Freeman is another quarterback who could go in the first round. If he doesn't go to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at No. 19, I wouldn't be surprised to see someone trade back into the first round to get him like the Cleveland Browns did to pick up Brady Quinn in 2007. Freeman has first-round talent, and it's going to be hard for a quarterback-needy team like the Jets, St. Louis Rams, San Francisco 49ers or Minnesota Vikings to let him pass by.
This also could be a year when we see a couple of trades with teams moving up to get their guys. The Philadelphia Eagles, the Jets, Tampa Bay and Denver's second first-rounder (18th pick) all are in places where those teams might not get the guys they want.
One of the hottest guys in this draft is wide receiver Kenny Britt. He has moved up quite a bit, and I have him going No. 22 to the Vikings. Many believe he is one of the best route runners in the draft and has tremendous upside. He has had some great individual workouts and has impressed. On the flip side, wide receiver Hakeem Nicks has dropped due to his subpar workouts and might fall out of the first round.
With that in mind, here's my opinion on how the first round could unfold:
1. Detroit Lions: Matthew Stafford, QB, Georgia
2. St. Louis Rams: Jason Smith, OT, Baylor
3. Kansas City Chiefs: Tyson Jackson, DE, LSU
4. Seattle Seahawks: Mark Sanchez, QB, USC
5. Cleveland Browns: Aaron Curry, LB, Wake Forest
6. Cincinnati Bengals: Andre Smith, OT, Alabama
7. Oakland Raiders: Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia
8. Jacksonville Jaguars: Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech
9. Green Bay Packers: B.J. Raji, DT, Boston College
10. San Francisco 49ers: Jeremy Maclin, WR, Missouri
11. Buffalo Bills: Brian Orakpo, DE/OLB, Texas
12. Denver Broncos: Robert Ayers, DE, Tennessee
13. Washington Redskins: Brian Cushing, OLB, USC
14. New Orleans Saints: Malcolm Jenkins, CB, Ohio State
15. Houston Texans: Aaron Maybin, DE, Penn State
16. San Diego Chargers: Michael Oher, OT, Mississippi
17. New York Jets: Percy Harvin, WR, Florida
18. Denver Broncos (from CHI): Chris "Beanie" Wells, RB, Ohio State
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Josh Freeman, QB, Kansas State
20. Detroit Lions (from DAL): Rey Maualuga, ILB, USC
21. Philadelphia Eagles: Knowshon Moreno, RB, Georgia
22. Minnesota Vikings: Kenny Britt, WR, Rutgers
23. New England Patriots: Donald Brown, RB, Connecticut
24. Atlanta Falcons: Vontae Davis, CB, Illinois
25. Miami Dolphins: Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR, Maryland
26. Baltimore Ravens: Brandon Pettigrew, TE, Oklahoma State
27. Indianapolis Colts: Peria Jerry, DT, Mississippi
28. Buffalo Bills (from PHI, which received from CAR): Phil Loadholt, OT, Oklahoma
29. New York Giants: Clay Matthews, OLB, USC
30. Tennessee Titans: Darius Butler, CB, Connecticut
31. Arizona Cardinals: Everette Brown, DE, Florida State
32. Pittsburgh Steelers: Max Unger, C, Oregon
Wow kind of shocking how far jackson has moved up
btw if this is how the draft works out, the pack should trade down to Denver and we'd most likely still have Orakpo or Raji on the board.
I can't believe the OLB larry english isn't off in the first round, which would be a great thing for the pack