2009 Preliminary Mock Draft

[A.J.]

Up and active...

http://football.realgm.com/src_feature_article/86/20080523/preliminary_2009_nfl_mock_draft/

Very early thoughts on the 2009 draft class:
The OL group is deep and almost all of them are very large and pretty athletic. There are more interior linemen that will go in the first three rounds than in the last two drafts combined.

Almost all the top QBs come from spread offenses or run-and-shoot styles that do not translate real well to the NFL. A couple of early entrants (Matthew Stafford and Sam Bradford) would dramatically alter the QB class. I

[studcrackers]

surprised you have laurinitis that low, but i like seeing maulauga that high, i saw him for the 1st time in the rose bowl and was just amazed at his speed and power. especially when he chased down juice williams, id trade up for him

big question from me is knowshon moreno, am i crazy for thinking he's as good as beanie wells? i saw him last year and thought he'd be the next 'it' running back, and now he wont split carries this year most likely. b/c im pretty sure he is elligible

how many times over the next year will we hear about michael oher's story? over/under 2500, maybe its an overestimation b/c he's a lineman but it will certainly be mentioned as the draft nears and in every ole miss game especially if they get some nat'l games

[A.J.]

You really think the Texans will be number 6?

Wow.

I like the Bradford to the Bears pick.

[CJ_18]

Does anyone know how Bradford and Stafford compare to Matt Ryan?

And yea, Micheal Oher's story is veryyyy inspirational. I wouldn't mind seeing a couple short storys about him on ESON this fall.

and Iceness, is Taylor Mays the definition of a monster?

[A.J.]

Does anyone know how Bradford and Stafford compare to Matt Ryan?

And yea, Micheal Oher's story is veryyyy inspirational. I wouldn't mind seeing a couple short storys about him on ESON this fall.

and Iceness, is Taylor Mays the definition of a monster?

From the looks of it, it looks like Bradford and Stafford will be a better prospect than Ryan.

[Icness]

big question from me is knowshon moreno, am i crazy for thinking he's as good as beanie wells? i saw him last year and thought he'd be the next 'it' running back, and now he wont split carries this year most likely. b/c im pretty sure he is elligible

Moreno would be somewhere in the 8-15 range if I included him. I have no idea what his intentions about declaring are at this point--which is part of what makes doing a mock this early so freaking difficult if you care about accuracy. I absolutely love Moreno and think he's going to be the next Clinton Portis, though Moreno might be a little quicker laterally when making that bounce cut. He's not as fast or as good a receiver as Wells, who is better than McFadden and real close to Peterson IMO right now.

He will be eligible, he's a redshirt sophmore 3 years out of HS once the season ends. Crabtree is in the same boat and I have it on reliable authority he's already shopping for agents.

[Next Coming]

Bills at 21 probably means they made the Playoffs. I almost forgots how to pronounce that word being a Bills fan.

But yeah I like George Selvie but not more than Greg Hardy. And where is Alex Mack? I think he's 1st Rd. caliber.

[lpsevier]

Not sure if I like the Falcons passing on Maualuga.

[CBS7]

Bears at 8 is higher then this year, with all the major injuries.

But I like the pick.

[studcrackers]

Bills at 21 probably means they made the Playoffs. I almost forgots how to pronounce that word being a Bills fan.

But yeah I like George Selvie but not more than Greg Hardy. And where is Alex Mack? I think he's 1st Rd. caliber.

[High 5]

-= original quote snipped =-



Moreno would be somewhere in the 8-15 range if I included him. I have no idea what his intentions about declaring are at this point--which is part of what makes doing a mock this early so freaking difficult if you care about accuracy. I absolutely love Moreno and think he's going to be the next Clinton Portis, though Moreno might be a little quicker laterally when making that bounce cut. He's not as fast or as good a receiver as Wells, who is better than McFadden and real close to Peterson IMO right now.

What are you basing the receiving part on? Wells has shown next to nothing in college while Moreno in his first year was terrific. He was extremely reliable in the passing game.

You're right about the fast part, though. The only knock on Moreno is his breakaway speed. He'd have about 3 more TDs if he was as fast as Thomas Brown was.

[Icness]

Wells catches the ball with his hands, Moreno tends to let the ball get to his pads. Wells also splits out on occasion and shows decent precision in route running once he gets out there. Moreno was not been asked to do that last year--not UGA's style for him (certainly not with Brown around) and not something that fits his game. Moreno has progressed in blitz pickup and blocking nicely and I do expect he'll see more balls than the 26 thrown his way last year. He caught 20 of those, so that is a good thing.

[High 5]

Good luck not letting the ball get near your pads with Stafford throwing it on those short routes. I would think that a good receiving back would have more than 7 catches in 26 games. That said, I don't think the receiving aspect is really an advantage for either of them.

As far as the draft, I would really be surprised if Moreno didn't leave after this year.

[CBS7]

Wells catches the ball with his hands, Moreno tends to let the ball get to his pads. Wells also splits out on occasion and shows decent precision in route running once he gets out there. Moreno was not been asked to do that last year--not UGA's style for him (certainly not with Brown around) and not something that fits his game. Moreno has progressed in blitz pickup and blocking nicely and I do expect he'll see more balls than the 26 thrown his way last year. He caught 20 of those, so that is a good thing.

Unrelated, but what have you seen/heard from the Bears about Hester at WR?