Mock Draft, version 3

April 25, 2003 by Steel Phantom

Mock Draft, pre-Combine and pre-free agency:

Mock Draft, version 3:

Those that explicate chaos see, in some Ceylonese butterfly, incipient tornados in, say, Topeka.� Well, I guess; for sure, mocking drafts go something like that.� Any trade, any reach (any collective brainfart) in any team�s War Room fogs projections far down the line.� ��Then there�s espionage; hundreds of little folk trying to make good, on the great day, flinging insider info about the league whether by E-mail, fax or, inside the hall, indiscreet body talk.� The Steelers� selection of Randle-El is a good example of the last; ready for Denny until (it is said) some secretary blabbed their biz, the PS FO settled for a player who, subsequently, developed as the finest ST weapon seen here since Rod Woodson.� �

Venality aside, the limit of human foresight does factor.� Every team, and every guru, wants to see �value at the spot� but it is inarguably true that analysis of subsequent performance on the field yields little relation with draft order.� ARE was a reach but ARE had more to do with the Steelers� successes last season than any of their �02 class.� Had the Steelers �reached� for, say, SS Tank Williams in the 1^st and FS Dante Wesley in the 3^rd (keeping Tylski for another go to compete with Vincent at ROG) then, whatever else happened last year, we wouldn�t be talking about the safety position today.

Since any projection is predicated on dubious information, it�s best to measure mocks as works of fiction, rather than evident acumen.� Any might be, more or less, credible potentialities but set in flickering bytes, they�re more like the lepidopterist trade than the actual life of the clan Lepidoptera.� Aiding this particular fiction then, or just for laughs, the following trades are projected:

New England exchanges first round selections with Chicago Bears moving up to #4 in exchange for #14 and #19.� In addition, these teams flip picks in round two with the Bears receiving an additional 2^nd day pick, or two.

New Orleans exchanges first round selections with Dallas, moving up to #5 in exchange for #17 and #18.

Oakland exchanges first round selections with Cleveland, moving up to #21 in exchange for #31; additionally, the Browns get the Raiders 2^nd round selection, #63 overall.

Green Bay and Houston make a deal; Houston moves from #36 to #29 and Green Bay picks up on of the Texans� three third round picks, say, #67 overall.

First Round:

Slot	Team	Player	Remarks
1	Bengals	Carson Palmer, QB	This is a done deal.
2	Lions	Charles Rogers, WR	Local player and may be the BPA overall; however, #2 overall is far too high for any WR (IMO).
3	Texans	Andre Johnson, WR	GM Charlie Casserly has said that the quality this year is in the WR position at the top of the first round.� Well, we�ll see.
4	Patriots (From Bears)	Dewayne Robertson, DT	Big and exceptionally quick, will pair with Richard Seymour to give the Pats an excellent interior DT duo; that tandem will allow the Pats to play a 3-4 too.
5	Saints (From Cowboys)	Terrence Newman, CB	Saints get a lockdown CB in Newman, the prospect most likely to make immediate impact next season.
6	Arizona	Terrell Suggs, DE	Cards need a pass rush, and they need the marketing opportunities that this player affords.� Collegiate production suggests that Suggs will deliver on the field; workouts say not.
7	Vikings	Jimmy Kennedy, DT	A big DT stuffer to pair with Chris Hovan
8	Jaguars	Bryan Leftwich, QB	Jags are at their annual contractual impasse with Mark Brunell.� Selecting Leftwich gives them some options; the question is whether or not their FA studded defense will still be effective when Leftwich is ready.
9	Panthers	Jordan Gross, OT	Panthers get their man.
10	Ravens	Kevin Williams, DE	Excellent fit for the Raven 3-4.
11	Seahawks	Jerome McDougle, DE	Lightning quick and a good character guy; the Seahawks need help all along their front.� Kevin Williams would have been a strong possibility here too.
12	Rams	Marcus Trufant, CB	St. Louis lost two of their top four CB; Trufant should start immediately with Aeneas Williams functioning as a NCB.
13	Jets (Compensation for the L. Coles deal).	Boss Bailey, OLB	The Jets are getting old at LB; Bailey has the athleticism to stay on in package situations.
14	Bears (From Pats)	Kyle Boller, QB	Has all the tools and will have a year or two to develop behind Kordell.
15	Chargers	William Joseph, DT	A pocket pushing DT is need #1 in San Diego.
16	Chiefs	Chad Kelsay, DE	Dick Vermeil has said that a rush DE is need #1 in Barbeque City; the jury is split on this prospect but he does have that Grant Wistrom whiff about him.��
17	Cowboys (From Saints)	Jonathan Sullivan, DT	Dallas needs a big DT to pair with Leroi Glover.� This selection should improve the �Boys air and ground defenses.
18	Cowboys (From Saints)	Larry Johnson, RB	Has both the rushing and receiving skills to develop as a franchise RB.
19	Bears (From Pats)	Kwame Harris, OT	Figures to move in for Big Cat immediately.
20	Broncos	Eric Steinbach, OL	DE is a possibility, as is DB, but Denver absolutely has to give their QB some protection.� Steinbach has the talent and versatility that this team needs.
21	Raiders (From Browns)	Troy Polamalu, SS	Derrick Gibson has disappointed; Raiders move up to get Polamalu, a prospect with big impact potential.
22	Jets	Kelly Washington, WR	Great size and speed; injuries and temperament are at issue but this player does have game breaking ability.
23	Bills (From Falcons for Peerless Price)	Michael Haynes, DE	Haynes had an excellent senior season and outstanding Senior Bowl but a poor Combine; however, he is a solid big school prospect at a position of need
24	Colts	Kenny Peterson, DT	Fits the T-Buc-speed mode at a position of need.� Could be DB here but Dungy built the Bucs defense front to back and, probably, will do so here too.
25	Giants	Tyler Brayton, DE	Moves up on the strength of an excellent off-season performance.� Huge, fast and strong, was a team leader at Colorado; on the downside, the Buffalo defense was not especially stout.� Still, figures in the near term as an rotation player and may develop as a strong-side DE with rush skills so, in the long range, moving in for Mike Strahan.
26	49ers	George Foster, OT	49ers have written Rex Grossman�s name on their draft slip when a guy wearing a Cabe McNown Bear�s jersey walks by their table. McNown, a 1^st round QB who busted is in SF now; shocked to their collective senses, the Niner FO selects Foster, a player whom they did have in for a visit.
27	Steelers	Andre Woolfolk, DB	PS have ignored their secondary for years but move to correct that here with a player who has enormous upside.� While Sammy Davis is #3 on many team boards (and mine too), the Steelers are said to love Woolfolk.� Note: 4^th DB projected.
28	Titans	Tyrone Calico, WR	Titans have said that speed on the O-side is job #1.� Calico is extremely raw but is a huge WR who clocked a sub 4.3 40.� Has #1 ability on the level of Terrell Owens, should develop quickly under the peer leadership provided by McNair and George.� A reach here, but would not get past Baltimore or KC in the 2^nd, IMO
29	Texans (From Packers)	Willis McGahee, RB	Texans move ahead of Eagles and Pats to land this top five talent.�
30	Eagles	Dewayne White, DE	Not very big, not very fast, just a very productive football player.
31	Browns (From Raiders)	EJ Henderson, ILB.	Browns are said to be looking at OL Harris and Steinbach, LB Henderson and Bailey and DB Woolfolk, Davis and Wilson. Of those remaining, Henderson carries the highest rating.
32	Raiders (From Tampa)	Jeff Faine, OC	Presuming Barrett Robbins is released, this prospect figures as a rookie starter

Second round:

�

Slot	Team	Player	Remarks
33	Bengals	Sammy Davis, CB	Should start soon, bumping Artrell Hawkins to NCB.
34	Lions	Lee Suggs, RB	Hard-nosed, high character player who made it all the way back from a career-threatening knee injury.
35	Patriots (From Bears)	Bryant Johnson, WR	Big WR who made a lot of plays and timed well too, though on a very fast surface.� Good value at the spot; complements the Pats stable of small WR.
36	Packers (From Texans)	Rex Grossman, QB	Some have described this player as the next Brett Favre; Pack gets him about where Favre was selected years ago.
37	Cardinals	Taylor Jacobs, WR	Quick rather than fast but is a polished skill position prospect and BPA at a position of need.
38	Cowboys	Dennis Weathersby, CB.	CB with size and speed; should be a good complement opposite the smallish Derek Ross.
39	Jaguars	Jason Witten, TE	Best at position, will give the Jags an option in dealing with Kyle Brady.
40	Vikings	Rashean Mathis, DB	Should move in for Jack Brewer at FS.
41	Ravens	Wayne Hunter, OT	Has all the tools but is very raw; gets a year to learn behind Zeus and Ethan Brooks before moving in as a bookend with Jon Ogden.
42	Seahawks	Rien Long, DT	High motor guy but not a bulky run stuffer.� Need pick but decent to good value for this local product.
43	Rams	Chaun Thompson, LB	Raw but very athletic; the Rams do not shy from reaching for small school talent.� Thompson has the skills to play inside or out; will be located at the spot of least complexity.
44	Redskins	Mike Doss, SS	Big school producer, high character guy who is the #2 prospect at a position of need here.
45	Carolina	Chris Simms, QB	NYG connection with John Fox; will bump Weinke from the roster and Fasani to TE.
46	Chargers	Kevin Garrett, CB	Chargers want speed in their secondary and select the fastest CB in this class; Garrett is short but not small and, as it happens, is Quentin Jammer�s cousin.
47	Chiefs	Terry Pierce, ILB	Poor workouts cause slide but Pierce did make plays in the best conference in college football.
48	Bills	Terrence Holt, FS	High character, big school safety and an outstanding ST player who may play a reserve role this season and give the Bills an option in 2004 for Ike Reese.
49	Dolphins	Jon Stinchcomb, OT	Finesse OT who demonstrated great strength and agility at Combine.� Reportedly, the Dolphins would like to move up.�
50	Bears (From Patriots)	Onterrio Smith, RB	Has some character issues but is most likely to be the Clinton Portis of this class.
51	Broncos	Calvin Pace, DE	High character player who was pretty much the whole deal at Wake Forest.� Is the latest in a long line of 2^nd round Denver reaches at this position; however, this one may pay off.
52	Browns	Nick Barnett, LB	Barnett is a sideline-to-sideline player who should be able to stay on in package situations.
53	Jets	Vince Manuwai, OC/OG	BPA
54	Saints	Dallas Clark, TE	Deep receiving threat at the position.
55	Falcons	Ty Warren, DT	Big, talented lineman for the Falcon 3-4.
56	Giants	Tony Pashos, OT	Powerful OT to aid in re-building the NYG O-line right side.
57	49ers	Nick Eason, DT	49ers have to toughen up inside, Eason has 1^st round ability, though there are said to be some issues with this player.
58	Colts	Bennie Joppru, TE	Colts run a lot of two TE sets.
59	Steelers	Ken Hamlin, FS	Tackling machine at Arkansas where he played as an in the box safety.� Note: 11^th DB projected.
60	Titans	Al Johnson, OC	Titans have lost two DT from their rotation; however, they have need on the interior O-line too and this prospect carries a somewhat higher grade than any DT now on the board.�
61	Eagles	Justin Fargas, RB	Tremendous Combine but three days doesn�t make a career.� Still, speed and strength provides a lot of upside.
62	Eagles (From GB for Al Harris)	LJ Smith, TE	Polished and powerful, may be the best receiving TE in the class.
63	Browns (From Raiders)	Brett Williams, OT	Polished at the position.� Cleveland�s cap problems are embedded in their under-performing O-line; Browns would be delighted to get this prospect here.
64	Bucs	Eugene Wilson, CB	With Dwight Smith replacing Dexter Jackson at FS, the Bucs need a NCB.� Wilson is a polished CB who did make plays on the ball at Illinois.�

Third Round:

Slot	Team	Player	Remarks
65	Bengals	Ben Nelson, OC/OG	Big 10 tough guy who will be groomed to replace Gutierrez. .
66	Lions	Gerald Hayes, ILB	May be over-rated as a top 40 player but does have value at this spot.
67	Packers (From Texans)	Kindall Moorehead, DET	Hoping for Hayes, the Pack settles for a decent strong-side DE prospect.
68	Bears	Antwan Peek, DE/OLB	May develop in the hybrid role created for Rosevelt Colvin.
69	Cowboys	Cory Redding, DE	Has top ability but production was inconsistent; still, is a local talent at a position of need.
70	Cardinals	Dave Ragone, QB	Developmental QB behind Blake.
71	Vikings	Brandon Lloyd, WR.	#2 WR play opposite Moss.
72	Jags	Chris Brown, RB	A quality back up for Fragile Freddy; power runner if only in the Stacy Mack mode.
73	Seahawks	Julian Battle, CB/FS	Has the talent to provide quality depth at both safety and CB; however, dealing with the complexities of an NFL defense may be a challenge for this player.
74	Rams	Kevin Curtis, WR	Sub-4.4 40 and highly intelligent.�
75	Redskins	Kenny King, DT	Need pick but pretty good value at the spot.
76	Panthers	Drayton Florence, CB	Small school big CB who, along with Dante Wesley (another small school CB), could develop as bookend CB here.��
77	Ravens	Justin Gage, WR.	Big WR with some speed.
78	Patriots (From Saints)	Montrae Holland, OG	Superb value for a unit that needs an upgrade.
79	Bills	Robert Johnson, TE	May be the best blocking TE in the draft.
80	Chargers	Victor Hobson, LB	High try guy.
81	Patriots	Brady James, LB.	Sabin to Belichick pipeline yields a LB who lacks measurables but did produce inside and out in college.
82	Broncos	Nnmadi Asomugha, FS/CB.	Broncos lost Denard Walker and Ike Reese, Asomugha projects at either position.
83	Texans	Ian Scott, DT	NT for the Texan 3-4.
84	Browns	Teyo Johnson, WR/TE	Huge hybrid receiver who will give the Browns a red zone threat.
85	Jets	Ovie Mughelli, FB	Athleticism to replace Ritchie Anderson.
86	Saints	Anthony Adams, DT	Penetrating, stumpy prospect for the DT rotation here.
87	Dolphins	Talman Gardner, WR.	Criminal but quick.
88	Texans	Tully Banta-Cain, OLB	Highly productive DE at Cal but projects as a 3-4 OLB; Combine and Pro Day were Porter-like.
89	49ers	Musa Smith, RB	49ers may move Garrison Hearst for cap purposes.
90	Colts	Charles Tillman, CB/FS	Small school prospect with size and the kind of speed craved here.
91	Giants	Donald Strickland, CB	Good cover man and willing in run support but smallish frame gets him beat up.� Still, should be a solid NCB who could start in a pinch.�� Note: 17^th DB selected.
92	Steelers	Artose Pinner, RB.	Last season, was widely regarded as the best RB in his conference.
93	Titans	Jarrett Johnson, DT	High try guy to replenish their DT rotation.
94	Packers	Ben Johnson, OT	Local product and a devastating drive blocker.� Pack has real need at this position too.
95	Eagles	Arnaz Battle, WR	High football IQ, good size; despite lack of speed, this prospect is a developing talent at WR.
96	Raiders	Alonzo Jackson, DE	Package rusher.
97	Bucs	Kareem Kelly, WR	Tremendous speed but, as yet, not a great player.

98. Bengals:� Sam Aiken, a big WR.

99. Detroit:�� Torrin Tucker, OG road grader.�

100.Chicago:� Todd Johnson, FS.� Will compete with Mike Green.

Steeler-centric wrap-up:

1.27: CB/FS Andre Woolfolk, 6013, 197#, 4.46, Oklahoma:� A big school player who, unlike those previously selected in the Colbert Era, was notably unproductive in college.� Does have excellent size and agility, good speed, intelligence and leaping ability but is weak and lacks all technique.�� Physical skills project this player as a CB but fits Steelers� depth chart best as a FS; at either position, is better suited for the Steeler zone schemes than both Sammy Davis and Dennis Weathersby.� Should help in packages and on ST immediately; had (39) receptions as a sophomore WR and, conceivably, could figure as a 5^th WR when the Steelers run a spread.�

2.59:� SS Ken Hamlin: 6024, 207#, 4.55. �A big school player producer; Hamlin is a devastating hitter and has the frame to play TE; 40 time isn�t great but is better than the TE and about with the larger WR, demonstrated excellent agility in workouts.� Would challenge and IMO quickly surpass Chris Hope at the SS position.

3:92:� RB Artose Pinner, 5098, 229#, 4.56, Kentucky.� Regarded as top 60 prospect until he broke his leg at the Senior Bowl; since then has dropped out of most Hot Hundred mocks.� Can run inside and did factor as a receiver; on the downside, had trouble with blitz pick-up and was afflicted with fumble-itis.

4.125:� NT Colin Cole, 6015, 307#, 5.15, Iowa.� Steelers would be fortunate to land this prospect here; however, there seems to be a constellation of NT prospects in this area including Cole, Terrence Martin and Matt Leonard (see D-line version 2 for others).� Any such selection here figures to free the FO to make some kind of training camp deal involving Kendrick Clancy.

5.163:� DE Osi Umenyiora, 6030, 278#, 4.68, Troy State.� There are a fair number of OLB/DE prospects here to include Sam Williams and Shantee Orr.� However, Umenyiora has the best upside and this selection would suggest that the Steelers were divorcing the 3-4.

�

6.200:� SS Jeremy Shabazz, 5112, 202#, 4.47, New Mexico State:� Said to be a highly intelligent player and, with Polamalu and Hamlin, is the biggest hitter in this year�s secondary class; however, has absolutely no pass coverage technique.� Still, is a willing worker and (presumably) coachable; at minimum, projects as a solid ST player for 3-4 years and could develop further.

7.242:� OT Derrick Brantley, 6042, 301#, Clemson:� Suffered a knee injury last season; figures to redshirt in 2003 but could develop as a functional player thereafter.�

The Steelers� prime deficiency last season was in the secondary and, there, it was the safety corps (more than the CB) that was unable to cope with the pass-first systems endemic in the league today.� SS Lee Flowers is gone and won�t be back but, of the returning group, only Chris Hope and Erik Totten are both uninjured and under 32 years of age. The Steelers have chatted with a few FA safeties but spurned Eric Brown and were in turn jilted by both Cory Hall and Dexter Jackson.� The big name guys remaining (Sammy Knight and Kwame Lassiter) were (like Lee Flowers) +3M dollar men last year; whether either would accept some minimum package is open to question, as is the Steelers� ability to pay much in excess of that minimal figure.� This DB heavy projection yields (3) safeties including (1) CB hybrid and two SS; two of the latter may be too many but, then again, it is not known which spot suits Hope best, or whether Logan will play again.� However, within the limits of projection, each pick could be acceptable value.

Of note: (17) of Kwame Lassiter�s 20-odd career INT came in 1998 (8) and 2001 (9)).�

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Mock Draft, version 3

April 25, 2003 by Steel Phantom

Carson Palmer, QB

Patriots

Saints

Terrell Suggs, DE

Kevin Williams, DE

Bears

Kyle Boller, QB

Cowboys

Cowboys

Bears

Raiders

Kenny Peterson, DT

Steelers

Andre Woolfolk, DB

Texans

Browns

Sammy Davis, CB

Patriots

Bryant Johnson, WR

Packers

Jason Witten, TE

Rashean Mathis, DB

Ravens

Wayne Hunter, OT

Kevin Garrett, CB

Bears

(From Patriots)

Calvin Pace, DE

Al Johnson, OC

Browns

Packers

(From Texans)

Kindall Moorehead, DET

Antwan Peek, DE/OLB

Rams

Ravens

Chargers

Patriots

Texans

Browns

Texans

Tully Banta-Cain, OLB

Colts

Donald Strickland, CB

Steelers