But I am not against Raji and would be happy with either, but if I had to make the call I would take Maualuga and try to get a NT later or next year through the draft or free agancy (I think Vince Wolfork will be a FA next year) or look at a boy named Suh who plays in Nebraska next year.

The biggest reason I like Maualuga is that he brings a fire, intensity, leadership, and playmaking ability to the LB corps, but he also makes the other players around him better. He has I guess what I call an “it” factor, someone like Ray Lewis or Junior Seau, that just brings that ability to get the players around him to play better.

Raji obviously is a physcially gifted athlete and will likely be a force at the next level, but I think Maualuga is a special brand of player that does not come around that often and we won’t get another shot at a player like him in awhile.

The temptation of finding a DL anchor is too hard to pass up (ref. ’08 Clady). The LB situation is just not as dire as the DL.

It usually takes awhile for the defensive line to get up to speed. It would be better to start that process now.

I am leaning toward Maualuga, but that’s because a) I live in So. Cal and know of him and b) I’ve not heard of this Raji character. However, since we’ve yet to even be done with the post season, the Mocks will all change here following the Combine, most likely pushing Maualuga and Raji either up or out of the first round. Remember, the name Cutler was nowhere on anybody’s list at this time in 2006.

Now, what Orangeblood says is entirely true. If you’re hunting for Mock Drafts, this is (though a Redskins site) the first and last stop. They maintain a database of over 100 mock drafts and it’s updated every day. However, I do dig MHR’s running tally thing that was just put up for the Mocks linked to….

Sometimes the off season is almost as good as the regular season… In fact after an 7-9 season followed by an 8-8 season some could argue even better….

J

Seriously though, I think Raji will be the pick if possible. I’m currently trying to wrap my brain around our needs (NT, DE, ILB/OLB, S, RB and IOL?) and the way we could address all that in the draft.

I was waiting for someone to name a RB. I should have included somewhere in the post, WE DON’T NEED A RUNNING BACK IN THE 1ST ROUND!

Yes, not a need, but think of the WR group and ST that you would have with Marshall, Maclin, Royal, and Stokely, we would never need to run the ball again. LOL And since our defense will stink we can at least keep the games exciting with Maclin and Royal returning kicks, so bassically we would probably start on the 50 yd line three passes to the 5 yd line, Hillis plows in from there or pass to one of the TE.

That’s not a bad idea – perhaps not Maclin, but the fact that Stokley has had another concussion and we could lose him at anytime, so get another big, quality receiver to match with Marshall and move Royal to the slot when the time comes.

Sorry…premature post. I live in Oregon and have watched countless Pac10 games over the last few years. Maualuga is a physical beast but not the greatest football player available. If you watch a lot of USC games you will see guys like Cushing or Mays in on every play or always near the ball. They are football players. Maualuga reminds me of a Vernon Gholsten type of player.

I want the Broncos to go after football players first and physical beasts second. Raji would be an excellent pick. If the draft were tomorrow Raji would not be available for us. Please don’t make the pick because you are assuming all Samoans are created equal! Junior Seau was a football player first. Look at the Patriots with the pick of Jerrod Mayo last year. Best defensive rookie but hardly on anybody’s radar leading up to the draft. He was a player first and a beast second. I also feel laurinitis is overrated, a beast first, a player second etc.

 If we were not able to get the defensive player we want with the 12th pick, we should trade down and end up with something like one late first round pick and two second round picks. That would be infinitely better for a team that is looking to rebuild one half of the team!

To recap, let’s go after football players first and scouting combine studs second.

6. Bengals – Boston College DT B.J. Raji

The Bengals coveted Sedrick Ellis last April and almost certainly would’ve drafted him ninth had New Orleans not traded up for Ellis at the No. 7 pick. Raji is an inch and 29 pounds bigger, and just as disruptive. Adding a widebody to pair with Domata Peko would clear lanes for LBs Keith Rivers and Dhani Jones to make plays, which is defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer’s ideal scenario.

12. Broncos – USC ILB Rey Maualuga

Denver needs a banger for the middle of its new 3-4. With DEs Elvis Dumervil and Jarvis Moss moving to outside linebacker, Maualuga (6’2/254) would set the tone up the gut while D.J. Williams makes plays sideline to sideline. Some early projections had Maualuga higher than this, but his stock took a slight hit after reporting to the Senior Bowl out of shape and failing to stand out in early practices.

Two things stick out…one BJ isn’t available at 12 and Erin Silva makes a strong argument why…two How does Rey show up to the Senior Bowl out of shape?? Isn’t this his chance to improve his stock?
 

But this year he has the Bengals taking a LT, the Pack taking Orakpo, DE, and us taking Beanie – all with Raji, Rey and KM on the table. I think that’s stretching credibility, but what do I know?

This is from a few of the Senior Bowl blogs. I just did a cut and paste. In all, no one else mentioned him being out of shape, and I would have expected that to be news (if it was in a few that I missed, well and good). The knock against him is on-field discipline – a tendency to overpursue at times. He was one of the top 5 whose draft stock rose on Tuesday, so I’m not sure that being out of shape would create that. Cushing’s injury history is a black mark, but his work ths week has people speechless. Matthews is also going up fast. At any rate, here it is:

• Maualuga shows elite explosiveness||Maualuga showed good recognition, did not hesitate when reacting to the play and got downhill extremely quickly in USC’s win over Stanford. His explosiveness at the point of attack is elite. Maualuga is able to jolt blockers and run through ball carriers upon contact, and he is at his best when playing on the opponent’s side of the line of scrimmage. However, Maualuga showed vulnerability in the open field, sometimes leaving his feet in an effort to make a tackle and missing the ball carrier. His over-aggressiveness can get him into to trouble as he has a tendency to overrun plays and allow runners to cut back. A perfect example came on Stanford’s first possession of the game when Maualuga was unable to break down and contain Cardinal QB Tavita Pritchard, allowing Pritchard to cut back for a 40-yard gain and set up Stanford’s first touchdown of the game.

• MOBILE, Ala. — The temperature dipped nearly 20 degrees Tuesday, and swirling winds factored into both practices. It was the first of two days in which both teams will practice in full pads, and the intensity level was ratcheted up a few notches as a result.

• We have yet to reach the midway point of the 2009 Senior Bowl week, yet players are beginning to separate from the pack in positive and negative ways. Here’s a quick list of some of the early-week standouts from both rosters:

• Biggest risers
1. Boston College DT B.J. Raji
2. Southern Miss TE Shawn Nelson
3. USC linebackers Rey Maualuga, Brian Cushing and Clay Matthews
4. Western Michigan S Louis Delmas
5. California C Alex Mack

• The South team’s second day of practice at the 2009 Under Armour Senior Bowl was notable for a few reasons, including USC linebackers running wild, a Clemson QB frustrating scouts and an LSU lineman’s surprising struggles.

• • USC’s Brian Cushing is the rare prospect who will fit in any defensive scheme in the NFL. He can play inside or outside in either a 3-4 or 4-3. Very few linebackers have that ability. Where he looked best, though, was over the tight end as a strongside linebacker in the 4-3. His body type, power and aggression lend well to doing battle with opposing tight ends. For a taller linebacker, he gets low and is not a leverage liability. He showed quick hips turning and running with the tight ends. The one area in which he didn’t look quite as comfortable was in his read-and-react skills while working in zone coverage. But overall, Cushing’s wide skill set drastically reduces his draft-bust factor. If anyone here is a great fit for New England, it’s Cushing.

• • Cushing’s teammate at USC, Clay Matthews, continues to be extremely impressive. He bends very well and always seems to be in proper football position. His change of direction is abrupt yet smooth. As an edge rusher, he did not lose speed bending the corner and got his shoulder low to the ground, making him very difficult to block. His pad level is consistently exceptional and he is an excellent hit-on-the-rise player who makes contact with the same leg and shoulder when taking on blocks. Matthews is very fundamentally sound but also very athletic. He would be an immediate demon on special teams while learning the linebacker position at the NFL level. At this point, it won’t surprise us if the USC trio of Cushing, Matthews and Rey Maualuga are all off the board in the first 40 picks.

If he’s available.

If not, Moreno.

We need more than 1 player…….. DT,MLB,FS,SS, Sounds like Raji will be gone.