The Football Wire Mock Draft #1

Without further ado...

1. Miami Dolphins - Chris Long. Bill Parcells is from another era of football when defenses dominated. Looking at the work he has done in building the Dallas Cowboys, Parcells knows the only way to build a team is from the defense up.

2. St. Louis Rams - Jake Long. It's pretty simple actually. The Rams just made their biggest investment in Marc Bulger to the tune of a $60+ million contract. Now, their next biggest investment should be the one who is going to protect Bulger for the rest of his career.

3. Atlanta Falcons - Matt Ryan. It's a safe pick. The Falcons are starting from the ground up and know that the quarterback position is the most important on the field.

4. Oakland Raiders - Glenn Dorsey. Rob Ryan gets a chance to replace the whole in the middle since Warren Sapp's retirement. Dorsey is the most highly touted defensive tackle in the last decade and can put a stop to an errant Raiders rush defense.

5. Kansas City Chiefs - Darren McFadden. I know, this pick doesn't make any sense the Chiefs already have Larry Johnson, right? Wrong. GM Carl Peterson has invested his job in the success of Herm Edwards and knows how important a potent rushing attack is to Herm's conservative offense. Peterson is on his way since he already announced he signed his last contract with the team and wants to make a run at actually completing one of his "5 year plans".

6. New York Jets - Vernon Gholston. Gholston will help bolster the Jets defensive line. The offense has started to click and need at least some help from the defense.

7. New England Patriots - Keith Rivers. If, big if, the Patriots stay at this spot then they need to address one of the weaknesses on their defense--the aging LB corps. Rivers can come in and contribute right away.

8. Baltimore Ravens - Ryan Clady. With the impending retirement of Jonathon Ogden, the Ravens want to keep their solid offensive line. Clady fills a need on a team that needs to get back to basics.

9. Cincinnati Bengals - Sedrick Ellis. With the market for defensive lineman much higher than in years past, consider Ellis at 9 to be a steal.

10. New Orleans Saints - Mike Jenkins. The Saints were badly burned on the pass last year. If they are going to have any success then they need to address that situation here.

11. Buffalo Bills - Leodis McKelvin. The Bills need someone to fill the void Nate Clements' departure left.

12. Denver Broncos - Dan Connor. The once proud LB corps are aging and haven't gelled since Al Wilson's departure.

13. Carolina Panthers - Brian Brohm. It's pretty safe to say that the quarterback position is a problem in Carolina since Vinny Testaverde took a few starts last year. Delhomme isn't the future and the team has determined that.

14. Chicago Bears - Limas Sweed. The secondary can and will be addressed later in the draft. The window for the Bears defense being dominant may have passed but the fans are owed one last attempt to keep that other Super Bowl window open with another offensive weapon.

15. Detroit Lions - Sam Baker. Inept and offensive line go well together in Detroit. A bit of a reach but offensive tackles are very sought out.

16. Arizona Cardinals - Aqib Talib. The offense will be humming along once Leinart gets back and now it's time to add a play maker on the other side of the ball.

17. Minnesota Vikings - Phillip Merling. Defensive end depth is needed, especially after Kenechi Udeze's recent disclosure that he has Leukemia.

18. Houston Texans - Gosder Cherilus. Offensive line help is badly needed. It already ran off one quarterback (David Carr) so the Texans can't afford to let it run another one off.

19. Philadelphia Eagles - Lawrence Jackson. They could use another play maker on offense like McNabb suggested but the defensive line is a bigger need. Going defense here could spell McNabb's departure from Philadelphia.

20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Malcolm Kelly. A quarterback could be an option but it's A) too big of a reach and B) Garcia has to have someone to throw to for the next few years.

21. Washington Redskins - Kenny Phillips. Sean Taylor not only left a whole in the hearts of his teammates but also at the safety position. It's important for the team to match Landry up with another young safety.

22. Dallas Cowboys - Rashard Mendenhall. While he's not Darren McFadden, the Cowboys know that Julius Jones is more than likely gone.

23. Pittsburgh Steelers - Jonathan Stewart. The Steelers need Willie Parker to be healthy. As a preventable measure, they need another back to shoulder part of the load.

24. Tennessee Titans - Mario Manningham. Vince Young has to succeed and the Titans will do everything in their power to make sure that happens.

25. Seattle Seahawks - Felix Jones. Shaun Alexander doesn't have many years left. Either give the reins to Felix Jones or let them split carries to extend Alexander's career.

26. Jacksonville Jaguars - DeSean Jackson. An offensive play maker for a team in need of one. Can also return kicks which is proving to be extremely important.

27. San Diego Chargers - Calais Campbell. An already stellar defense gets a bump. Campbell can add his speed around the edge to help his cause in the 3-4 defense.

28. Dallas Cowboys - Jeff Otah. Flozell Adams might be around for one more year so the Cowboys need to get his replacement in.

29. San Francisco 49ers - Chris Williams. Joe Staley back to the left side and Williams at the right. It's time to start anchoring that line.

30. Green Bay Packers - Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. Rodgers-Cromartie can step in to replace Charles Woodson in the next year or two.

31. New York Giants - Vince Hall. A good choice to complement the already outstanding defensive line.

32. New England Patriots - Forfeited.


There you have it. Now tell me where I'm wrong!