| 2009 NFL Draft | |||||
| Round/Pick | Team |
Player, Position, School | Comments | ||
| 1.1 |  DET |
QB Matthew Stafford, Georgia | Stafford has impressive skills, and the Lions needed to make this pick. Stafford didn't really have to carry his team at UGA, as talented as they were, so it remains to be seen how he does in such a talent-poor situation. | ||
| 1.2 |
 STL |
LT Jason Smith, Baylor | mith is an impressive athlete, and a good player on tape. By my evaluation, he isn't as good as Clady, Otah, or Long last season, but he's ahead of Chris Williams and Sam Baker. In this Draft, Smith is fine as the 2nd Pick. | ||
| 1.3 |
 KC |
DE Tyson Jackson, LSU | This is not surprising, considering the team has been leaking this to the media for a week, so as to limit the criticism for reaching. Jackson is talented, and will fit well in the scheme that KC is implementing. This is philosophy over value, because there are better players available. | ||
| 1.4 |
 SEA |
SLB Aaron Curry, Wake Forest | There is a lot to like about this pick. Curry is a player who can help Seattle compete with Arizona for a division title now. I think Curry is an instant upgrade over the departed Julian Peterson, and I credit Seattle for doing something smart here. | ||
| 1.5 |
 NYJ |
QB Mark Sanchez, Southern Cal | You have to hand it to the Jets for doing what it takes to get their guy. Sanchez seems to be a guy who can be successful under the NYC microscope. He's more likely to play right away than Stafford, due to the lack of good incumbent options for the Jets. For the Browns, they got a nice haul for the pick, and it was pretty unconventional, favoring players over picks. Well-played by both teams. |
||
| 1.6 |
 CIN |
T Andre Smith, Alabama | his is a Bengals type of O-Lineman, and he will be good for a lot of years. He's not really the quick-footed guy you usually see on the Left, but he's physically dominant. He's like Jake Long. Cincinnati did well here, assuming he grows up and does the right things. | ||
| 1.7 |
 OAK |
WR Darius Heyward-Bey, Maryland | Al Davis takes the second-coming of Ashley Lelie. Evidently, he's not satisfied with only having the first-coming on his roster. An "interesting" pick, like Mike Mayock said. | ||
| 1.8 |
 JAX |
LT Eugene Monroe, Virginia | Monroe is very good in pass protection, and very well-coached. He comes from a UVA program which has been churning out good pro offensive linemen. Jacksonville had a huge need on the O-line, and made a great value pick here. | ||
| 1.9 |
 GB |
NT BJ Raji, Boston College | The Packers bolster their new 3-4 scheme with the addition of the Draft's best NT. Their priorities are questionable, as they have the worst OT situation in the NFL, and Michael Oher is still on the board, but Raji is a great pick for shoring up the defense. | ||
| 1.10 |
 SF |
WR Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech | rabtree is going to be terrific in San Francisco. The 49ers just hit a homerun with this pick. The delicious part is that he's right across the bay from Oakland, and will serve as a constant reminder of Al Davis's foolishness. | ||
| 1.11 |
 BUF |
DE Aaron Maybin, Penn State | aybin has a great first step, and plays with a high motor, but he can't really play right away. This is about projection to what he could be more than what he is right now. For my money, Brian Orakpo and Robert Ayers are both better. | ||
| 1.12 |
 DEN |
RB Knowshon Moreno, Georgia |
This isn't the direction I would have gone, but Moreno is an impressive young talent. Zappa and Steve O' are happy, and if they're happy, I can be a little happy too. The idea seems better as the minutes go by, and this gives us reason to hope for a very potent running game in 2009. |
||
| 1.13 |
 WAS |
DE Brian Orakpo, Texas | Orakpo will be a good player in the Redskins scheme. This is a case of taking the best player available. The Redskins showed pretty rare discipline (for them) staying in their spot, and not mortgaging the future for Sanchez. | ||
| 1.14 |
 NO |
DB Malcolm Jenkins, Ohio State | Jenkins lacks the speed to play man-to-man at CB in the NFL, but he can be a good player if the Saints play a lot of zone. Jenkins' long-term future is probably at S. | ||
| 1.15 |
 HOU |
LB Brian Cushing, Southern Cal | Cushing will be a key piece of what is shaping up to be a talented Houston front-7. Houston is on its way to being a winning team, and Cushing will be a big part of that ascendancy. | ||
| 1.16 |
 SD |
DE/OLB Larry English, Northern Illinois | This is a pretty smart pick for the Chargers, and signals that they won't be paying big money to Shawne Merriman after this season. Hey, somebody has to get stoned by Ryan Clady, right? You could do worse than English for that job. | ||
| 1.17 |
 TB |
QB Josh Freeman, Kansas State | This is a good situation for Freeman, where he can sit behind a serviceable guy like Bryon Leftwich until he is ready to play. Freeman's talent is second-to-none in this draft. | ||
| 1.18 |
DEN |
DE Robert Ayers, Tennessee | Robert Ayers only really did it for one season at Tennessee, but he's a guy who is going to be an excellent player. His scheme versatility will be very helpful considering that Mike Nolan wants to use a hybrid front sometimes. This is a guy who should be a key piece of an improved defense. | ||
| 1.19 |
 PHI |
WR Jeremy Maclin, Missouri | This is a very interesting pick. Maclin is a great value at #19, and will team with DeSean Jackson to give Donovan McNabb some scary weapons on the outside. You kind of waste the return ability of one of the two, though, in this case. | ||
| 1.20 |
DET |
TE Brandon Pettigrew, Oklahoma State | This is a smart pick. Pettigrew is the rare TE who blocks and catches equally well. A good TE is a young QB's best friend. | ||
| 1.21 |
 CLE |
C Alex Mack, California | This is a solid pick, the kind you make in the course of building a winning football team. He can play RG or C in the short-term, but he'll eventually man the C position for a decade. The only question I have is, why not Beanie Wells here? Jamal Lewis is washed-up. | ||
| 1.22 |
 MIN |
WR Percy Harvin, Florida | This is the most explosive offensive player in the whole draft. If he can stay healthy, and leave the grass alone, he'll play in lots of Pro Bowls. An inspired pick for the Vikings. | ||
| 1.23 |
 BAL |
OT Michael Oher, Ole Miss | This is typical of Baltimore, to draft for value. Oher will probably play on the right side at first, but I think he is better than Jared Gaither, and he may ultimately bump Gaither to the right side. Nice pick for Ozzie Newsome, as usual. | ||
| 1.24 |
 ATL |
DT Peria Jerry, Ole Miss | The second Rebel in a row to be drafted, Jerry is a Falcons kind of D-Lineman. He will be asked to play one gap and penetrate, and that's what he does well. | ||
| 1.25 |
 MIA |
CB Vontae Davis, Illinois | If Davis matures and finds consistency, this could be a steal. If he continues to show the immaturity he showed in college, he won't. He was reportedly coddled in college, and that certainly won't happen in Miami. | ||
| 1.26 |
GB |
OLB Clay Matthews, Southern Cal | This is a pretty underwhelming trade-up for the Packers. Is Matthews going to play behind AJ Hawk and Aaron Kampman, or is he going to bump Hawk inside? There were better players and bigger needs that the Packers could have taken care of here. The price to move up 15 spots was high too. A real head-scratcher here. | ||
| 1.27 |
 IND |
RB Donald Brown, UConn | This is an inspired pick. The Colts struggled some on offense this past season, especially in running the ball. Brown and Addai will make for an excellent tandem. | ||
| 1.28 |
BUF |
C/G Eric Wood, Louisville | This is the best interior Offensive Lineman in this Draft. Buffalo had a bigger need at T, but Wood is a better player than Eben Britton or William Beatty. Nice value pick here. | ||
| 1.29 |
 NYG |
WR Hakeem Nicks, North Carolina | A big, physical receiver who will fight for the ball in traffic. I think the Giants should have traded for Braylon Edwards, but Nicks will be a good player for them. | ||
| 1.30 |
 TEN |
WR Kenny Britt, Rutgers | The Titans finally took a WR in Round 1, and Jamie Dukes can't even celebrate that much, since his man Vince Young isn't the starting QB anymore. | ||
| 1.31 |
 ARI |
RB Chris Wells, Ohio State | This is a pick which makes the Cardinals better. They have to be thrilled that he fell this far, but there was talk about a bone injury in his foot. | ||
| 1.32 |
 PIT |
DT Evander Hood, Missouri | Hood is a good player, but this is weird from a priorities standpoint. They need help on the offensive line more than a developmental DE. | ||