MadDog's Winter Solstice First Round Mock

On the first day of Winter 2009-2010, with the shortest amount of daylight in the Northern hemisphere, I present the latest installment of the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft, picks 1-12. Projected from GBNreport.com for the full 16 game season, the Niners will select 11th (their own selection), and again with the 12th (the Panthers). Note: As of this date, through 14 games, the order would be reversed. However, since we play two stinkers to end the season, our opponents' W-L record will soon hit the gutters.

Final note: I'll project a Redskins loss in tonight's MNF game to the Giants, dropping them to 4-10.

1- St; Louis Rams- Ndamukong Suh (pronunciated "En-DOM-uh-ken Soo)- Nebraska- DT- The Rams need help everywhere, and while a QB would be a sexy choice, the run and pass defense is never a bad place to start. Suh never leaves the field, and is the best player in this draft entering the NFL.

2- Detroit- Gerald McCoy- Oklahoma- DT- The Lions rank dead last in the NFL in defense, and McCoy will post eye-popping numbers at the combine, and look terrific at his campus workout. Can play virtually anywhere on the line, but best suited to be a 4-3 undertackle.

3- Tampa Bay- Russell Okung- Oklahoma State-OT- The Bucs seem to have their franchise QB in Freeman; now they need to keep him upright. Why not grab the best LT in the draft, in Okung? Penn and Trueblood are average at best at the two tackle positions.

4- Cleveland- Eric Berry- Tennessee- S- Sorry, KC fans. The Browns are staring at Polamalu and Reed four games every year, and wonder what it would be like to have a stud defender in the back end. Wonder no more. Berry makes a huge impact from Day One. Quinn has been decent enough for another year. Look for offensive playmakers in Round Two.

5- Kansas City- Derrick Morgan- Georgia Tech- Sam Backer- I'll go on a limb here and say that Morgan can make the transition from 4-3 DE to 3-4 OLB, and if he looks good in drills, the Chiefs have picked up a solid bookend OLB to create problems for offenses in the AFC. The Chiefs rank at the bottom in total defense and points allowed.

6- Washington- Jimmy Clausen- Notre Dame- QB- Daniel Snyder is one impatient man, so even though Jason Campbell has played decently during the second half of the season, he will be dealt to another team, and the Skins will begin anew at QB. They select the most NFL-ready in Clausen. Certainly not the direction I would go, but I don't own the team.

7- Seattle- Anthony Davis- Rutgers- OT- The Seahawks could pull the trigger on Bradford, but give Hasselbeck one more year to get the team in the right direction. The Rutgers junior has a huge upside, and replaces the irreplaceable Walter Jones.

8- Denver (from Chicago)- Cameron Heyward- DE- Ohio State- Heyward is going to be a fast-rising player in this draft. His improvement in 2009 was remarkable, and simply was unblockable for most of the year. The Broncos 3-4 DE's have a grand total of 1 sack in 2009, making this a huge need pick.

9- Buffalo- Sam Bradford- QB- Oklahoma- The Bills are looking for a QB, and if they cannot grab Vick in FA, will have a tough call to make on draft day. Bradford may not be ready to fully throw effectively before the draft, but his resume is impressive. Let's say the team throws caution to the wind and makes the pick.

10- Oakland- Carlos Dunlap- Florida- DE- The Raiders love their athletes, and don't mind taking risks on guys with character questions. Dunlap provides big time talent, with the ability to get after the QB. Maybe the most athletic defender in the draft.

11- SF (own pick)- Trent Williams- Oklahoma- OT- The Niners finally solve the black hole at RT with the selection of Williams, who is solid in both run and pass blocking. Big and experienced, the team will have no problem running behind him. A no-brainer pick.

12- SF (Panthers' pick)- Joe Haden- Florida- CB- Another no-brainer selection for the Niners, whose pass defense is 28th in the NFL. Yikes!!! Nobody knows the future for Nate Clements, but virtually everyone knows that Haden is clearly the cream of the crop for CB's in this draft, and if he starts, will vie for Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2010. He's simply way too good to pass up.
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Final note: The correct draft order may be slightly altered from the above sequence. The 5-9 teams are bunched together in the projected opponent's W-L record.

How about Golden Tate in the 2nd....

Love the 1st round picks....

Make it so Maddog. That would be a first round to savour.

And, as an unsexy but necessary pick, how about taking our first (of two) OGs in either the 2nd or 3rd.

Originally posted by genz22:
How about Golden Tate in the 2nd....

Love the 1st round picks....

In the above draft scenario, the Niners still need help at the PR position. However, I'm not sure they will pick up a WR to fill that role. I'd expect a 4th rounder at CB/PR to fill that role.

I think the team need to look at safety and guard in the second and third rounds. Of course, what happens in free agency, and the decisions they have to make on Clements, Baas, Franklin, will be huge. Finally, I'm not sure what will happen with M. Lewis this offseason. He may call it quits, or give it a go one more year.

In other words, this team may have to replace five or even six starters in 2010, and the draft may be largely needs-based if players walk away, or are released.
Should be a highly interesting offseason with the uncapped year approaching.

I would love those two picks. As soon as the second pick happens, I would start praying that Mike Iupati would be available in the second round.

its not sexy, but I'll take it.

Originally posted by English:
Make it so Maddog. That would be a first round to savour.

And, as an unsexy but necessary pick, how about taking our first (of two) OGs in either the 2nd or 3rd.

A standing QB is very sexy to me, so I think an OG in the second round is not a bad option. Keep an eye on Illinois OG Jon Asamoah this offseason. Big, strong, and excellent footwork. Very mobile, athletic player.

The Niners have a lot of talking to do about Baas and Rachal this offseason. I wouldn't be surprised to see Baas walk, and Rachal moved to the LG position.

Originally posted by PA9erFaithful:
I would love those two picks. As soon as the second pick happens, I would start praying that Mike Iupati would be available in the second round.

Iupati has almost zero chance of being around in the second round. In fact, don't be surprised to see Iupati selected in the top 15 picks, and moved to RT.

Originally posted by MadDog49er:

Originally posted by PA9erFaithful:
I would love those two picks. As soon as the second pick happens, I would start praying that Mike Iupati would be available in the second round.

Iupati has almost zero chance of being around in the second round. In fact, don't be surprised to see Iupati selected in the top 15 picks, and moved to RT.

Hence the praying.

Cheers.

Originally posted by MadDog49er:

Originally posted by English:
Make it so Maddog. That would be a first round to savour.

And, as an unsexy but necessary pick, how about taking our first (of two) OGs in either the 2nd or 3rd.

A standing QB is very sexy to me, so I think an OG in the second round is not a bad option. Keep an eye on Illinois OG Jon Asamoah this offseason. Big, strong, and excellent footwork. Very mobile, athletic player.

The Niners have a lot of talking to do about Baas and Rachal this offseason. I wouldn't be surprised to see Baas walk, and Rachal moved to the LG position.

O line is the biggest problem, I would love for us to sign Logan Mankins on top of your predictions in this mock.

Hey MadDog, right now where do you see T. Cody going in this draft? Another player I'd like your opinion on is Dan Williams from Tennessee, do you think he could play NT in the 3-4?

The teams/players make sense, but I'd be shocked to see two DTs go off the board first. I think Clausen to the Rams is more likely, even though Suh is a stud.

I have a feeling KC tries to make a play for Suh, using Dorsey as bait.

If the draft plays out this way, some names to consider in the second and third round.

First, the aforementioned Asamoah, OG from Illinois, with a big upside. Second, Nate Allen, of South Florida, may not post eye-popping combine numbers, but is solidly steady.

The draft world is awaiting the return of Myron Rolle from Oxford, and will be looking to see how he appears at the combine and campus workout. Here is a guy who will probably be around in the third round, and you know you are getting a leader, the smartest guy on the football field, a disciplined athlete, and a superb locker room guy. In other words, if he can still run and hit well, he's the complete player. Rolle might end up the best bargain in the draft.

Most sensible mock draft yet...

-9fA

I know this is kind of petty but if this scenario was to happen I feel that Haden would be picked 11th and Williams at 12. I feel that management doesn't want to pay a RT with that type of money.

but this addresses 2 big areas as I don't see Bly back next year and expect Clements to move to FS and Goldson to slide to SS. Brown and Spencer can man the CBs till Haden is ready to take over after being the nickel back.