My thoughts on every pick in the 1st round of the NFL Draft

1) Detroit- Mathew Stafford, QB/Georgia

- I can't wait to see him throw a deep one to Calvin Johnson. Whether or not he can play tomorrow doesn't matter because the Lions had to pick him. They could have gone with Jason Smith or Aaron Curry, but Stafford made the most sense. In a perfect world, Stafford shouldn't be seen as the savior of the franchise. Unfortunately, that's just what he's going to be seen as the second he puts his signature on that monstrous contract.

2) St.Louis- Jason Smith, OT/Baylor

- Good to see Mel Kiper Jr. live up to his bet by mentioning ESPN Radio's Jason Smith. Jokes aside, I like this pick. The easiest way to win a football game is to control the line of scrimmage with a solid offensive line and a powerful running game. The Rams, who already have a workhorse in Steven Jackson, took a major step towards doing so by drafting the top rated tackle in the draft. Hopefully Smith helps the Rams stop the game of musical chairs they've been playing on the offensive line the past few seasons.

3) Kansas City- Tyson Jackson, DL/LSU

- Timing is everything! Jackson wasn't necessarily the third best overall player in the draft, but he was the top rated prospect at the critical 3-4 DE position that every team in the AFC West seems to need all of a sudden.

4) Seattle- Aaron Curry, LB/Wake Forest

- Despite allowing Leroy Hill to become a free agent, the Seahawks should still have one of the better linebacker units in the league with Curry learning from former defensive rookie of the year, Lofa Tatupu.

5) New York Jets (from Cleveland)- Mark Sanchez, QB/USC

- I guess Eric Mangini still works for the Jets considering he gave the pick away for a steak dinner (No. 21 Alex Mack) and a couple bags of Lay's potato chips. (Brett Ratliff, Abram Elam, Kenyon Coleman and a 7th round pick) You gotta love Sanchez though if you're a Jets fan.

6) Cincinnati- Andre Smith, OT/Alabama

- Thank the lord the Bengals were smart enough to watch the tapes and put all the other things to the side! Smith might not make the next cover of Men's Health, but all you have to do is watch the films of Smith destroying people on a weekly basis in the SEC over the last three years to see why he's Carson Palmer's new bodyguard.

7) Oakland- Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR/Maryland 

- Leave it to the crazy old man in the jump suit to throw a monkey wrench into things!

8) Jacksonville- Eugene Monroe, OT/Virginia

- I'm sure the Jags thought long and hard about Michael Crabtree, but you can't blame them for drafting the best player possible at the position where they obviously needed some immediate help. How is it that Al Groh keeps producing 1st round picks (D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Chris Long) but Virginia is consistently stuck in the middle of the pack in the ACC?

9) Green Bay- B.J. Raji, DT/Boston College

- It's hard to play an effective 3-4 defense without a man in the middle to occupy multiple blockers on every play. Raji, at a disruptive 6'2 and 330, fits the bill. 

10) San Francisco- Michael Crabtree, WR/ Texas Tech

- I love Crabtree as a player. The problem is that Mike Singletary is going to feed the ball to Franks Gore and at last check, the 49ers don't exactly have a difference maker at quarterback to get Crabtree the ball.

11) Buffalo- Aaron Maybin, DE/Penn St.

- All of those "experts" you saw on television during the draft thought the Bills would take TE Brandon Pettigrew.  All those experts were wrong.

12) Denver- Knowshon Moreno, RB/Georgia

- Some people probably think this pick was a reach, but give Josh McDaniels credit for drafting the most complete back in the draft. He's still going to have to turn Kyle Orton into a pro bowler to justify the Cutler debacle, but at least Moreno will slow down the turnstile that has become the Broncos' backfield.

13) Washington- Brian Orakpo, DE/ Texas 

- Hopefully, for the Redskins' sake, this bullish pass rusher is more productive than Malcom Kelly, Devin Thomas and Fred Davis were last year. It will be interesting to see if the Redskins put him next to Albert Haynesworth.

14) New Orleans- Malcom Jenkins, CB/Ohio St.

- Considering he might be moved to safety at some point in his career, this smart player would be wise to learn everything he possibly can from free agent acquisition Darren Sharper.

15) Houston- Brian Cushing, LB/USC

- As if a defensive front seven with Mario Williams, DeMeco Ryans and former Cardinal Antonio Smith needed another aggressive and versatile defender to come into the fold.

16) San Diego- Larry English, OLB/Northern Illinois

- The Chargers got one of the better hybrid defensive players in the draft to protect themselves just in case Shawne Merriman doesn't return to form this season or they can't resign him to a long term deal in 2010

17) Tampa Bay- Josh Freeman, QB/Kansas St.

- He might not be ready right now, but he doesn't have to be with Byron Leftwich on the roster. 

18) Denver- Robert Ayers, DL/Tennessee

- McDaniels drafts a guy to play in the trenches in his new 3-4 defense. It's a decent pick, but the Broncos need a lot more work to get their defense where it needs to be.

19) Philadelphia- Jeremy Maclin, WR/ Missouri 

- It's a shame Donovan McNabb had to throw his weight around a little bit just to get the Eagles to get him some help at receiver.  

20) Detroit- Brandon Pettigrew, TE/Oklahoma St.

- Good job Jim Schwartz! Matt Stafford has a wide out to throw deep balls to in Calvin Johnson. He's got a running back to hand it to in Kevin Smith. Now he's got a security blanket in Pettigrew, who was the most complete TE prospect in the draft.

21) Cleveland- Alex Mack, C/California

- Eric Mangini couldn't convince the Jets to let him have Nick Mangold so he drafted who he thought was the best center prospect on the board.

22) Minnesota- Percy Harvin, WR/Florida

- Brad Childress took a chance on the electric play maker who was foolish enough to burn the green stuff before he was tested at the NFL Combine. If he gets things in order he could be a steal, but if he winds up missing games because he's violated the league's substance abuse policy, he'll be a waste of a lot of money.

23) Baltimore- Michael Oher, OT/Ole Miss

- The team that consistently drafts well does it again with a solid offensive lineman.

24) Atlanta- Peria Jerry, DT/Ole Miss

- Jerry, an underrated play maker with a non stop motor, is just what Mike Smith and the Falcons were looking for.

25) Miami- Vontae Davis, CB/Illinois 

- Another guy who will be a steal if plays up to the potential that his athleticism suggests he has.

26) Green Bay- Clay Matthews, OLB/USC

- The forgotten man of USC's vaunted linebacking corps is headed to the land of cheese and brawts to play on the edge in the Packers' new 3-4 defense.

27) Indianapolis- Donald Brown, RB/UConn

- After watching them draft guys like Edgerrin James and Joseph Addai, I think it's safe to say the Colts know what they're doing when it comes to picking running backs in the 1st round.

28) Buffalo- Eric Wood, C/Louisville

- Hard to have an offense these days without a guy to snap the ball to the quarterback. Wood should fit nicely as the Bills try to rearrange their o-line after trading All Pro LT Jason Peters to the Eagles

29) New York Giants- Hakeem Nicks, WR/North Carolina

- The Giants might not have Plaxico Burress anymore, but that hasn't stopped them from trying to build one of the best group of young receivers in the league.

30) Tennessee- Kenny Brit, WR/Rutgers

- I think Brit can play, but can he impress Jeff Fisher enough in training camp to make the Titans throw the ball more than 15-20 times a game?

31) Arizona- Chris "Beanie" Wells, RB/Ohio St.

- The powerful Wells should be the perfect complement to Tim Hightower for the Cardinals' running game.

32) Pittsburgh- Evander "Ziggy"Hood, DT/Missouri

- It's amazing how the Steelers always seem to draft well. Hood is probably the eventual replacement for Casey Hampton. Besides, you've got to love a defensive lineman with named Ziggy.