Mel's Latest Mock
 

With just a few weeks remaining before the 2005 NFL draft there is plenty of shuffling happening on the draft board thanks to the results of the NFL combine and individual workouts.

Utah quarterback Alex Smith remains my choice as the No. 1 overall pick in my latest first-round projection, but Auburn running back Ronnie Brown has become the top overall prospect and moved into the No. 2 slot in the first round where he would be a great fit for the Miami Dolphins.

Overall, two quarterbacks and three running backs make up the top five in my latest mock draft, while offensive players occupy seven of the top 10 spots. There are 11 underclassmen (10 juniors and a third-year sophomore) among the 32 picks in this projection.

And keep an eye on the following players, who are on the fringe of the first round and could jump into the top 32 picks depending on workout results and shifting team needs: Khalif Barnes, OT, Washington; Justin Miller (jr.), CB, Clemson; Roscoe Parrish, WR, Miami; Matt Roth, DE, Iowa; Odell Thurman (jr.), LB, Georgia.


1. San Francisco 49ers: Alex Smith (jr.), QB, Utah
A smart player who will pick up an NFL system quickly, Smith has good size, is mobile enough to hurt teams with his running ability and is also an efficient passer who can make all the necessary throws. The Niners likely won't get a good enough deal to move down because there is not a particular player creating a buzz as the surefire No. 1 prospect, but getting Smith would be a good start toward revamping a struggling offense.


2. Miami Dolphins: Ronnie Brown, RB, Auburn
Brown is the top running back available after his outstanding combine workout. He showed impressive speed for a 230-pounder, he can catch the ball out of the backfield and also has excellent instincts and quickness, something new Dolphins coach Nick Saban knows all about having coached against Brown in the SEC while at LSU.


3. Cleveland Browns: Aaron Rodgers (jr.), QB, California
Rodgers is a smart, accurate passer with a quick release. His arm strength is adequate and he put height questions to rest at the combine. Rodgers is a better prospect at this point in his career than former Cal QB Kyle Boller, now the starter for the Baltimore Ravens.




It takes more than one arm tackle to bring down Cedric Benson.4. Chicago Bears: Cedric Benson, RB, Texas
The Bears addressed their need for a big-time wideout with the free agent signing of Muhsin Muhammad and Benson would give quarterback Rex Grossman two topflight weapons to help out on offense. Benson is a tough, productive runner who can go the distance and always showed up in his team's biggest games.

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Carnell Williams, RB, Auburn
A creative, deceptive runner with tremendous natural skills. Williams can get tough yards inside despite lacking ideal size, a point illustrated by his 29 rushing TDs over the last two years, and Tampa coach Jon Gruden is very familiar with him after coaching Williams in the Senior Bowl.


6. Tennessee Titans: Adam Jones (jr.), CB, West Virginia
A good cover man who will also contribute as a kick returner, Jones has very good closing speed and is a willing tackler in run support. That may be his most important quality with the NFL hurting pass defenses by focusing on downfield infractions by defensive backs. Jones also fills a major need after hits in free agency.


7. Minnesota Vikings (from OAK): Braylon Edwards, WR, Michigan
Edwards' size, strength, speed and overall athleticism would go a long way toward filling the void left by the trade of Randy Moss, which is how the Vikings acquired the selection in the first place. Minnesota also has needs on defense but can address them later in the first round.


8. Arizona Cardinals: Derrick Johnson, OLB, Texas
The best pure linebacker in the draft, Johnson has sideline-to-sideline speed and is always around the ball. His consistency would be welcome on a defense looking for playmakers.


9. Washington Redskins: Mike Williams (jr.), WR, USC
Williams has the size and strength to dominate corners with his 6-foot-5, 230-pound frame. He must answer questions about his speed, but beyond that his hands, body control and natural receiving skills make him a very attractive package for a team that needs to help quarterback Patrick Ramsey.


10. Detroit Lions: Dan Cody, DE, Oklahoma
The Lions need their front seven to get more pressure on the quarterback and Cody would help with his fiery attitude and relentless motor. He stepped up in big games and was one of the most consistent performers on a defense full of stars.




This mock IMO is probably the most realistic mock I have seen, Although I think Benson will be better than Brown, I don't feel you can go wrong with either one, I also think Edward's may slip past the Vik's as they go for defense, without any unforseen trades I say we have a good shot at either Edward's or William's, preferably William's.

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i dont see the bears goin RB since thomas jones was pretty solid for them last year, they might grab a WR, maybe edwards, cuz muhammad is not a long-term solution, but i supposed anythings possible

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Edwards by most scouts......is a bigger playmaker....I'll ask coach gibbs......

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I just cant see us going after a reciever.

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From reading most of the posts on this site, it seems like almost everyone here wants Mike Williams (that is, if Braylon is gone). What does anyone think about Troy Williamson out of South Carolina? Before the trade for Moss, I really wanted Williamson over Williams. I just have a hard time getting excited about a WR with 4.6 speed in the NFL who hasn't played a snap in over a year (no matter how big he is). Now that we have Moss, I suppose we already have the speedy WR to stretch the field, so I'm warming up to Williams. Overall though, a 6'1"+, 200+ lbs, WR with sub-4.4 speed (Williamson) sounds like an ideal WR in the NFL to me. Williams, on the other hand, will have to out-jump CBs in the NFL because he won't be able to outrun them.

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Just a little "Did You Know" for you guys-if Utah's Alex Smith is indeed the first pick and if, as expected, Utah C Andrew Bogut is the first pick in the NBA draft it would mark the first time ever that two players from the same school were selected number one in two different drafts

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I can't disagree more with anybody who thinks that Williamson is on the same level as Williams and Edwards. There's a reason guys like Edwards and Williams dominate in college and guys like Williamson don't. Williamson was a very good WR in college but he wasn't quite at the game changing level. He may end up being good in the NFL but Edwrads and Williams have the best chance of being difference makers. Speed is overrated. If you have size, strength, good route running, good hands, great body control and positioning and a mature attitude then you are far better off than being just a speedster. Ask TO. He may be a punk to some but when it comes to football he has only slightly above average speed. He does run great routes and have great hands. He is the absolute best at getting open in the league and he uses his body adn strength to do it. He is a team leader and works as hard as anybody. His speed offers him little but his size and receiving skills make him a play maker. Williams looks a lot like TO. Edwards looks more like Rice or Fitzgerald. Good at everything.

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Not only that, how often do you REALLY see WRs getting called for interference? If you're big you can push people around and get separation.

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Ok, you guys have just about convinced me on Williams over Williamson, and I agree with just about everything you've said, but just a few points:
1. I'm not so sure I'd be willing to conceed that Williams has a "mature attitude" yet. I wonder about anyone who wants to leave college after just two years. No doubt he's handled himself much better than Clarrett, but maturity isn't something I would assume about Williams yet.
2. I don't think speed is overrated, and I don't think it's underrated, but I do think it's a consideration for any WR in the NFL. I'd actually be curious to see what kind of 40 T.O. could run.
3. I have to attribute some of Williamson's so-so numbers to the team he was on. Let's face it, South Carolina is not the team or the offense that Michigan or USC are (my apologies to any Gamecocks out there).
4. Scouts Inc. actually rates Williamson higher than Williams (for whatever that's worth), so I don't think I'm too far off base here.

Overall though, I think I'm leaning back towards Williams because you've made some really good points. And let's not forget, we already know he'd look good in a Skins uniform (maroon and yellow aren't that far off).

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PSUSkinsFan21 - Gamecocks will be title contending next year! Viva Spurrier!

Williamson will be a great player, but I think our team can use a big receiver like Williams more than a small guy. We have four of those!

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I heard Spurrier is cracking down at SC and has suspended some players. Too bad he didn't take the same approach here.

He thought the NFL was full of men who could take care of themselves, truth is the NFL is full of the same boys from college expect now they have huge bank accounts.

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Exactly matty. He treated them like professionals - whoops!

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If Mike Williams is there I don't mind the pick. However, I really think the Skins should think defense in the draft. They need people to replace Smoot and Pierce. I think they have adequately replaced Coles and Gardner already and if they haven't, they can pursue wide outs in the later rounds.

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[QUOTE=Daseal]Exactly matty. He treated them like professionals - whoops![/QUOTE]

That's fine if he treated them like professionals but when a problem develops-player talking on the cell phone during a meeting-as head coach of the team you have to step up and take control of the team

but regardless, when can we finally put this Spurrier era behind us?

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peirce and smoot can be replaced by picks after the first round because afterall Smoot was a 2nd round choice and Peirce was undrafted so it's not like we can't find guys to replace them after the first round.
I've been a big fan of drafting Williams if available, but after reading some posts about the depth of our wrs, I'm kinda on the fence now and especially with the contract rumors about Moss. Because from day one I would think Williams would be the #1 or atleast #2 option and thus the depth chart would be Williams/Moss #1, Williams/Moss #2, Givens #3, Jacobs#4, and Thrash/Mccants#5. That's pretty deep considering some posters, including myself, think Jacobs has the ability in him to become a starting quality wr.
But on the flip side, the argument for a big playmaker @the WR position holds some weight in that, while Mccants has shown he can be a solid red zone contributor, he doesn't provide that much of a pop between the 20s. I believe Williams would be the perfect compliment to the flashy speed of our other wrs like we had hoped Gardner would be, but of course Gardner's never come close to having the same type of hands as Williams.

If we draft Williams, I'm cool with that. If we trade down to pick up more picks and add depth and actually scout talent well like they did last year, I'm cool with that as well. If it were me in charge, after watching how stagnant the offense was last year, I know I couldn't pass up on adding a playmaker to my offense.

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Smoot was first round talent, but he dropped to the second round for character issues. We lucked out while he was here.

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Williamson scares me as a top ten pick because of what I call the Gardner factor. He is a gifted athlete in terms of size and speed but performed marginally at SoCa where he should have been able to dominate. Additionally, as NFL.com says "Has adequate hands, but struggles to adjust to the over-the-shoulder tosses … Can come back for the ball, but does not show great stop-and-go action (momentum sometimes takes him out of the play, as he overruns the ball) … Sometimes takes soft angles, especially on upfield routes". Sound like another WR from the state of South Carolina? Is this a guy you want to give a top ten contract too? Later in the first round, I say Yes but with a top ten pick, you have to go for the best guy available.

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[QUOTE=TAFKAS]but regardless, when can we finally put this Spurrier era behind us?[/QUOTE]

I'm guessing never??

One of the most embarrassing tenures in team history and we keep talking about it why??

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[QUOTE=PSUSkinsFan21]From reading most of the posts on this site, it seems like almost everyone here wants Mike Williams (that is, if Braylon is gone). What does anyone think about Troy Williamson out of South Carolina? Before the trade for Moss, I really wanted Williamson over Williams. I just have a hard time getting excited about a WR with 4.6 speed in the NFL who hasn't played a snap in over a year (no matter how big he is). Now that we have Moss, I suppose we already have the speedy WR to stretch the field, so I'm warming up to Williams. Overall though, a 6'1"+, 200+ lbs, WR with sub-4.4 speed (Williamson) sounds like an ideal WR in the NFL to me. Williams, on the other hand, will have to out-jump CBs in the NFL because he won't be able to outrun them.[/QUOTE]

I couldn't have said it better! I love Williamson! But the tryouts that Williams has been having has brought me to a stand still! Both would be great I think! But Williams speed is something to think about and the lack of a CB as well! One last thing didn't Williams run faster in his tryouts in socal last week?

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[QUOTE=Mattyk72]I'm guessing never??

One of the most embarrassing tenures in team history and we keep talking about it why??[/QUOTE]

Because it's SOMETHING to talk about... :)

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[QUOTE=TheMalcolmConnection]Because it's SOMETHING to talk about... :)[/QUOTE]

There's got to be better things to talk about, we don't still talk about Marty or Norv

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[QUOTE=Mattyk72]I'm guessing never??

One of the most embarrassing tenures in team history and we keep talking about it why??[/QUOTE]
MOre emabarrasing tenure, Spurrier or Pettibon?

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Not only that, we have to have something to compare the good times to. If we never had bad times, it won't be nearly as sweet as when we win our next Super Bowl.

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[QUOTE=Paintrain]MOre emabarrasing tenure, Spurrier or Pettibon?[/QUOTE]

Petitbon was one and done, hard to fairly judge him. Spurrier at least had the chance to get some of his players and improve, we all know how that worked out.

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[QUOTE=redwagonskins]Williamson scares me as a top ten pick because of what I call the Gardner factor. He is a gifted athlete in terms of size and speed but performed marginally at SoCa where he should have been able to dominate. Additionally, as NFL.com says "Has adequate hands, but struggles to adjust to the over-the-shoulder tosses … Can come back for the ball, but does not show great stop-and-go action (momentum sometimes takes him out of the play, as he overruns the ball) … Sometimes takes soft angles, especially on upfield routes". Sound like another WR from the state of South Carolina? Is this a guy you want to give a top ten contract too? Later in the first round, I say Yes but with a top ten pick, you have to go for the best guy available.[/QUOTE]


The problem with Williamson is he didn't play in a pass oriented offense and yet was still an explosive playmaker, he probably is the most unpolished of the top reciever's, but he also may have the biggest upside, he can catch and run, hopefully a good coach can get him running precise pass routes fairly quickly, I would love to see some film on the top reciever's to make a better assesment hopefully our scouting dept. does a good job and we walk away with the best WR in the draft.

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[QUOTE=skinsfanthru&thru]peirce and smoot can be replaced by picks after the first round because afterall Smoot was a 2nd round choice and Peirce was undrafted so it's not like we can't find guys to replace them after the first round.
I've been a big fan of drafting Williams if available, but after reading some posts about the depth of our wrs, I'm kinda on the fence now and especially with the contract rumors about Moss. Because from day one I would think Williams would be the #1 or atleast #2 option and thus the depth chart would be Williams/Moss #1, Williams/Moss #2, Givens #3, Jacobs#4, and Thrash/Mccants#5. That's pretty deep considering some posters, including myself, think Jacobs has the ability in him to become a starting quality wr.
But on the flip side, the argument for a big playmaker @the WR position holds some weight in that, while Mccants has shown he can be a solid red zone contributor, he doesn't provide that much of a pop between the 20s. I believe Williams would be the perfect compliment to the flashy speed of our other wrs like we had hoped Gardner would be, but of course Gardner's never come close to having the same type of hands as Williams.

If we draft Williams, I'm cool with that. If we trade down to pick up more picks and add depth and actually scout talent well like they did last year, I'm cool with that as well. If it were me in charge, after watching how stagnant the offense was last year, I know I couldn't pass up on adding a playmaker to my offense.[/QUOTE]

William's can catch better with 1 hand than Gardner with 2!

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Worked about by scoring more PPG than a HoF coach, MAtty

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[QUOTE=cpayne5]Smoot was first round talent, but he dropped to the second round for character issues. We lucked out while he was here.[/QUOTE]

that seems to happen every year with several players and there's no reason we can't find a solid #2 cb like smoot or a young talented cb to be molded by Williams and company somewhere in the draft other than in the first 10 to 20 picks of the draft. and from what I remember he was projected around the 20th pick or so that draft with his off the field problems excluded and we got him in the middle of the 2nd round so it's not like it was a huge steal that year.

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[QUOTE=TAFKAS]Just a little "Did You Know" for you guys-if Utah's Alex Smith is indeed the first pick and if, as expected, Utah C Andrew Bogut is the first pick in the NBA draft it would mark the first time ever that two players from the same school were selected number one in two different drafts[/QUOTE]

Hey TAFKAS I think you even outscooped ESPN with that "Did You Know"..........

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[QUOTE=Mattyk72]Petitbon was one and done, hard to fairly judge him. Spurrier at least had the chance to get some of his players and improve, we all know how that worked out.[/QUOTE]

Yes, Petitbon didn't get much of a chance........our defense was okay, but our offense sucked.........hmmmmmmmmmm sounds a tad familiar.....
I wonder why Petitbon didn't stick around.......I read where he had a 2 hours meeting with Jack Kent Cooke, wonder if Cooke was trying to get him to stay........we will never know. BUT I'll say this for Petitbon he DID beat Dallas :)