....the New England Patriots (represented by theologic) select....

Brian Cushing, LB, USC

If I were the Patriots I would trade for Julius Peppers. If they had done so prior to this pick I would've gone CB, but from what I'm hearing this deal isn't looking as likely as it did before. There's still a chance they could sign Jason Taylor, but it hasn't happened yet. I think the Patriots go a long way towards reestablishing their pass rush and getting younger on defense with this pick. Cushing will likely line up at OLB for the Patriots. Cushing lined up at DE, ILB, and OLB while at USC so Belichick will his love his versatility. Cushing played TE in high school so his understanding of offense makes him effective in coverage, but he doesn't shy away from contact and attacks the QB with aggression. To quote nfldraftdog.com "He doesn't hit to make a tackle; he hits because he likes to. The harder the better." With an aging defense that has been soft the last couple years, the Patriots can use that kind of attitude. Cushing combined with last years pick, Jerod Mayo, will give the Patriots a solid young dou to rebuild the D around and allow them to continue cheating and annoying me for many years to come.    

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....the Minnesota Vikings (represented by Gonzo) select....

Percy Harvin, WR, Florida

The Vikings would have an interesting dilemma if either Sanchez or Stafford were to fall to this spot. But since there's pretty much zero likelihood of that happening, and I'm not thoroughly enamored with any of the OTs at this point in this scenario, it's time to go for the ever-popular "best player available" and take the multi-dimensional threat from Florida. Harvin has outstanding speed (4.4 in the 40) and great moves in the open field. He can be used as a runner, a receiver, and as a kick/punt returner (despite never having returned a kick or punt in his college career). With Bernard Berrian and a hopefully improved Sidney Rice on the outside, the Vikings could use a threat like Harvin in the slot.

Other players that were considered here were Wake Forest CB Alphonso Smith, Arizona OT Eben Britton, Oklahoma TE Brandon Pettigrew, and California C Alex Mack.    

The New England Patriots are now on the clock..

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....the Philadelphia Eagles (represented by awjackso) select....

Chris "Beanie" Wells, RB, Ohio State

While the signing of Stacy Andrews didn't eliminate OL as a need in the draft, it no longer was a mandatory position that needed to be addressed the first round. Due to the fact that the Eagles lost Buckhalter to the Broncos in free agency the RB position seems to be of the most immediate concern because they need a back to share the carries with Westbrook to hopefully cut down on the amount of injuries he has during the season. Also at this point even though all reports say Westbrook and his knee will be 100% for OTAs by the time the season starts he will have turned 30 and we all know that after 30 it has been proven that this is the beginning of the end for running backs in terms of their ability to be productive backs. With his size Wells will be the perfect complement to Westbrook and a great short yardage back. But the biggest factor in making this selection was his recent Pro Day results where he showed 4.4 speed and apparently was extremely agile which hopefully means that he will be a component in the screen game that Andy Reid loves to run so much.    

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....the Detroit Lions (represented by zap93) select....

Peria Jerry, DT, Ole Miss

The Lions got trampled on the ground all season and with Schwartzy running the show now we of all people should know he's going to want to plug up that hole in the middle. This is a perfect fit for the Lions @ the 20 spot and who knows how good Schwartz can make this guy. Stafford was an easy choice if he dropped this far, however he got snapped up 2 picks earlier. Look for Jerry to help turn around their run D and give Ernie Sims & new acquisition Julian "I wish I was Adrian" Peterson some much needed support on the front line. Solid pickup @ the 20 spot. P.S. Thank You Jerry Jones!    

The Philadelphia Eagles are now on the clock..

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....the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (represented by hal) select....

Josh Freeman, QB, Kansas State

The Bucs are in full blown rebuilding mode, and they need a QB.  Freeman is raw, but a team in year 1 of a rebuilding period has plenty of time to develop a new guy with a lot of potential.  The Bucs new coach, Raheem Morris, was the D-Coordinator at K State in 2006, so rest assured he will have all the inside info on Freeman-  whether that will help Freeman's case, I do not know.

The major limitation of a Mock Draft is fully realized here though: no way to predict trades.  The Bucs are one of the teams that keep popping up in the Cutler hysteria, and if they do pull that off, QB will obviously not be the pick here.  The Bucs have an unbelievable mountain of cap space, so if they can find something the Broncos want on their roster (or this pick), they could break the bank on a new deal for Cutler and have a franchise QB locked up for years to come.  The other possibility that is also very likely is that the Bucs trade down and try to stockpile some more picks.  This Bucs team is probably not going to be very good this year, and they have a lot of holes to fill, so unless they really like Freeman (or someone else) here, my best guess is that they won't pick in this spot at all.  Whether or not it's because they want more picks or because they send the pick to Denver for Cutler remains to be seen.

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....the Chicago Bears (represented by me) select....

Matthew Stafford, QB, Georgia

This is another funny draft for the quarterbacks involved.  I have a feeling that one quarterback is going to be in a free fall on draft day, but it will probably be Sanchez and not Stafford.  

The line on Stafford, and if you have watched any Georgia game in the past 3 years you have heard it, is that he has an NFL arm.  Unfortunatelfy for Stafford and whatever team picks him, he doesn't have an NFL brain.  I know he will go in the top 10 in the draft, but I am not sold on him as an NFL QB at all.

That being said, if he were to fall to the Bears at 18 they would be thrilled to get him.  They can't be thrilled with the prospects of another season of looking at The Neck Beard and Sexy Rexy under center.

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....the New York Jets (represented by August West) select....

Vontae Davis, CB, Illinois

After being heralded as the elite CB prospect of the 2008 class when he first declared, Davis has seen his stock drop lately.  Still, he's a definite 1st rounder and the kind of high-ceiling player the Jets would take a chance on.  

Under new head coach Ryan the Jets will be a defensive-oriented team that blitzes and relies on CBs who can cover and play a physical bump-and-run style.  Rex Ryan needs a talented corner to start opposite of young stud Darrelle Revis, and Davis should fit the bill.   Davis is one of the few CBs in this draft who has the combination of size and speed to make it work.  Percy Harvin is another option here, but expect Ryan to make a statement with this draft that there's a new regime in town.

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....the San Diego Chargers (represented by DannoE) select....

Knowshon Moreno, RB, Georgia

Long-time Chargers fans might not want to admit this, but the truth is the
truth: Ladanian Tomlinson is getting old. He will not ever be again what he
once was. And although he played pretty well in the playoffs, the idea that
pure scat-back Darren Sproles can carry the full load next season is just a
fantasy. And so, although I really wanted to pick on Defense with this
pick, at this point most of the best Defensive picks seem to be taken.
Taking yet another LB/DE seems a total reach at 15, so with that in mind,
the Chargers will try to strike gold twice in one decade by picking
Knowshaun Moreno, a guy that I think is one of the most electrifying RBs
I've ever seen.    

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