Mel Kiper's 1st Mock

[ThunderCard]

Tuesday, January 18 2005 @ 08:16 PM CST
Mel Jiper's Mock Draft 1/17/05


1. San Francisco- Alex Smith, QB Utah

2. Miami- Cedric Benson, RB Texas

3. Cleveland- Aaron Rodgers, QB Cal

4. Chicago- Ronnie Brown, Rb Auburn

5. Tampa Bay- Cadillac Williams, RB Auburn

6. Tennessee- Adam Jones, CB West Virgnia

7. Oakland- Dan Cody, DE Oklahoma

8. Arizona- Travis Johnson, DT Florida St.

9. Washington- Braylon Edwards, WR Michigan

10. Detroit- Heath Miller, TE Virginia

11. Dallas- Shawne Merriman, OLB/DE Maryland

12. San Diego- Derrick Johnson, LB Texas

13. Houston- Mike Williams, WR USC

14. Carolina- Jamal Brown, T Oklahoma

15. Kansas City- Antrel Rolle, CB Miami

16. New Orleans- Thomas Davis, S/LB Georgia

17. Cincinnati- Erasmus James, DE Wisconsin

18. Minnesota- Shaun cody, DT USC

19. St. Louis- David Pollack, DE Georgia

20. Dallas- Troy Williamson, WR South Carolina

21. Jacksonville- Alex Barron, T Florida St.

22. Baltimore- Roddy White, WR UAB

23. Seattle- Darryl Blackstock, LB Virginia

24. Green Bay- Channing Crowder, MLB Florida

25. Denver- Matt Roth, DE Iowa

26. NY Jets- Carlos Rodgers, CB Auburn

27. Atlanta- Brandon Browner, Cb Oregon St

28. San Diego- Roscoe Parrish, WR Miami

29. Indianapolis- Bryant McFadden, CB Florida St.

30. New England- Justin Miller, CB Clemson

31. Philadelphia- Justin Tuck, DE Notre Dame

32. Pittsburgh- Alex Smith, TE Stanford

Not sure if I should be posting this, but oh well.... I see Ronnie Brown is starting to shoot up and I have a strong feeling either Brown, Rolle, or Johnson will be available when we pick 8th. Or I am hoping

 

[jrjbritt]

I just dont see Chicago going RB... then like TJ and he did good for them this year, they will go WR ....IMO... that will leave Williams for us.

NO MOSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[ThunderCard]

I am really leaning towards Brown after watching a few Auburn games. Also really like Carlos Rogers as well. I bet Brown moves up the draft boards after workouts and turns out to be a top 5 pick.

 

[ThunderCard]

I just dont see Chicago going RB... then like TJ and he did good for them this year, they will go WR ....IMO... that will leave Williams for us.

NO MOSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

His mock is really early and they never turn out this way when draft day comes.

 

[Redsz]

If we are posting mocks. Here is nfldraftcountdown.com's mock of our pick. Even though it is clear that he doesn't know too much about the Cardinals. I still like the pick:

8. Arizona Cardinals: Ronnie Brown, RB, Auburn

The Cardinals actually played much better than most expected this season, albeit it in the weakest division in football, but they still have a lot of needs. The majority of the glaring weaknesses are on the defensive side of the ball but when Denny Green was in Minnesota he was notorious for investing the majority of the teams resources in the offense so there is no reason to believe that will change in Arizona. Emmitt Smith enjoyed a solid year but he is near the end of his Hall of Fame career and Marcellus Shipp is coming back from injury and was in Green's doghouse prior to getting hurt anyway. Ronnie Brown didn't get the attention he deserved while playing second fiddle to Cadillac Williams at Auburn but he is a tremendous prospect in his own right and could ultimately end up being a better pro prospect due to his superior physical tools. With Josh McCown showing progress down the stretch and a great young receiving corps in place a premier running back could be the last piece of the offensive puzzle for the Cardinals. If they choose to go defense here Antrel Rolle, Travis Johnson, Erasmus James or Derrick Johnson could all be possibilities but with Green's track record and history of preferential treatment towards the offense the odds favor him using this pick to address that side of the ball

Ronnie Brown

Official Bio College: Auburn Height: 6-1
Position: Running Back Weight: 224
Class: Senior 40-Yard: 4.45

SCOUTING REPORT
Strengths: Has very good size...Great speed...Excellent receiver out of the backfield who runs good routes and has reliable hands...Very strong and runs hard...Is a good blocker...Has good balance...Displays good vision and hits the hole hard...Can run over defenders or run away from them...Character is excellent and has a team first mentality.

Weaknesses: Never had the opportunity to be the main ball carrier in college...Not real shifty or elusive...Has had some minor injuries problems and durability might be a question mark...Not an explosive runner and isn't as exciting as Cadillac.

Notes: Nickname is "H2"...Overshadowed by Cadillac Williams but may in fact be the better pro when all is said and done...You have to admire the fact that he went back to school despite being a potential first rounder after his junior season knowing he would be the backup and have to split carries with Williams...May be the best all-around running back prospect in the Draft.

 

[Evil Ash]

The majority of the glaring weaknesses are on the defensive side of the ball

From this quote alone, you can tell that they didn't pay any attention to the Cardinals. lol

Lets see now...

On defense we need a DT, FS, and depth at a couple of other positions.
On offense we need a RB, a right guard (and maybe a right tackle), TE, deep threat at WR, and depth at QB

So yeah we clearly need more help on defense

 

[Cbus cardsfan]

It's early but there is no way 3 RB's go in the top 5.I think Kiper is going by who he thinks should be selected where according to his ratings and not being realistic about what the teams will actually be thinking.

 

[Southpaw]

I just dont see Chicago going RB... then like TJ and he did good for them this year, they will go WR ....IMO... that will leave Williams for us.

NO MOSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I see Bears taking Braylon Edwards.

 

[Stout]

From this quote alone, you can tell that they didn't pay any attention to the Cardinals. lol

Lets see now...

On defense we need a DT, FS, and depth at a couple of other positions.
On offense we need a RB, a right guard (and maybe a right tackle), TE, deep threat at WR, and depth at QB

So yeah we clearly need more help on defense

I think you meant a starting QB, not QB depth

 

[Syracusecards]

From this quote alone, you can tell that they didn't pay any attention to the Cardinals. lol

Lets see now...

On defense we need a DT, FS, and depth at a couple of other positions.
On offense we need a RB, a right guard (and maybe a right tackle), TE, deep threat at WR, and depth at QB

So yeah we clearly need more help on defense

I agree that we need a safety, but for some reason, they resigned Ohalete to a 2 year deal so we'll probably go for depth instead of a starter. I thought he was horrible this year and I couldn't understand why we extended his contract.

 

[Russ Smith]

Derrick Johnson at 12 and we pass on him to take an undersized DT who had one good year? Don't get me wrong Travis Johnson has a lot of talent, he was the top rated DL in California coming out of HS, one of the top ones in the country if you read his bio. But he basically backed up Dockett's running mate Womble for much of his first 3 seasons only starting when Womble was hurt or Dockett missed a game. No embarassment to be behind Dockett of course but Womble was an undrafted FA signed by the Vikings this year, released him and I think he wound up on their practice squad. Womble was a NG at FSU as was Johnson until this year.

Interesting, while reading about Johnson and Womble I came across this on Dockett, as a soph Dockett was being touted as the next great FSU lineman, his only weakness was he was only 260 pounds! He's up to 300 now! So far he's that rare kid that bulks up pre draft and is able to hold the weight and play with it, what a great pick that was by Green.

Travis Johnson doesn't seem to make a lot of sense to me, from what I can gather he's a similar player to Dockett but not nearly as good.

 

[clif]

If you read the little blurb Kiper wrote before his mock draft he said this first one is based more on need rather than what teams will do as far as BPA, so I dont put too much into this mock because I don't see Alex Smith as #1 overall, not to mention the rest of the picks

 

[slanidrac16]

So much depends on what happens in free agency. If we go out and sign a rb then I have to believe there is no way in hell that we draft one in the first round.
After seeing the performance of the Patriots linebackers vs. the Colts can you imagine the havoc our defense could reek with a LB corp of Dansby, Darling, Hayes, and Rodgers?
Remember last year when Green kept talking about Fitzgerald? he never waivered from that. Now he is on record saying how he likes Benson and Brown. That leads me to believe we will take one of those guys at #8.

It makes sense too. This offense needs a lot of help to get it to where Green wants it to be. For the same money we would spend on a f/a RB, we could sign and fill 3 holes on this offense. A right tackle, te and a veteran QB to go along with a guy like Ronnie Brown is what it is going to take.

If we spend all the $ to sign a top notch f/a RB like Jordan, we will be drafting for those other holes.

 

[Russ Smith]

If you read the little blurb Kiper wrote before his mock draft he said this first one is based more on need rather than what teams will do as far as BPA, so I dont put too much into this mock because I don't see Alex Smith as #1 overall, not to mention the rest of the picks

That's why Travis Johnson makes no sense we don't need a DT who bulked UP to 301 this year we already have Dockett and King at that size and position.

I know what Kiper is thinking, he's thinking at times we called Davis a NT and since Johnson is a NT that's logical. But Green has said many times we need to get BIGGER, and Davis is bigger than Johnson unless Johnson puts on 20 pounds from end of senior year to start of rookie year(which is essentially what Dockett did).

The only way I see the Johnson pick making sense is if we go to a 3-4, he'd be the NT with Dockett on one end and King on the other, Berry and Dansby at OLB, hayes and someone else inside but to be honest I think that would make no sense(and I'm a big 3-4 fan). Berry would just about have to move to LB in a 3-4 and I don't think it makes sense to move our best defender to a new position.

Derrick Johnson at 8 makes sense, I just don't see the sense in Travis Johnson at 8 no matter how you slice it?

 

[Schaub4MVP]

http://www.hailredskins.com/Draft/NateMock.htm

this is a pretty decent mock, i doubt the falcons will use a first rounder on an offensive lineman, especially after the kenyatta walker debauchle in tampa. plus gibbs likes old lineman.

i can see the cardinals taking antrell rolle and many of you guys have said you'd like him on yoru team.

 

[Renz]

I really hope we get a RB in FA so we can draft Derrick Johnson or Antrel Rolle. Hopefully D. Johnson.

 

[Russ Smith]

http://www.hailredskins.com/Draft/NateMock.htm

this is a pretty decent mock, i doubt the falcons will use a first rounder on an offensive lineman, especially after the kenyatta walker debauchle in tampa. plus gibbs likes old lineman.

i can see the cardinals taking antrell rolle and many of you guys have said you'd like him on yoru team.

Couple of glaring mistakes. Says Green may consider Alex Smith at 8 and then has NOBODY drafting Smith in the first round?

Has Rodrique Wright in the draft, he's already announced he's staying at Texas. Says it was updated the 17th did Wright change his mind and I haven't heard?

 

[D-Dogg]

NO! I don't want Brown to not fall to us.

Thank god this is an early mock....

 

[clif]

That's why Travis Johnson makes no sense we don't need a DT who bulked UP to 301 this year we already have Dockett and King at that size and position.

I know what Kiper is thinking, he's thinking at times we called Davis a NT and since Johnson is a NT that's logical. But Green has said many times we need to get BIGGER, and Davis is bigger than Johnson unless Johnson puts on 20 pounds from end of senior year to start of rookie year(which is essentially what Dockett did).

The only way I see the Johnson pick making sense is if we go to a 3-4, he'd be the NT with Dockett on one end and King on the other, Berry and Dansby at OLB, hayes and someone else inside but to be honest I think that would make no sense(and I'm a big 3-4 fan). Berry would just about have to move to LB in a 3-4 and I don't think it makes sense to move our best defender to a new position.

Derrick Johnson at 8 makes sense, I just don't see the sense in Travis Johnson at 8 no matter how you slice it?

Oh I agree with you. I really dont know anything about travis johnson. FWIW there was a mention that the cards did experiment with the 3-4 alot during the last few games and especially in the tampa game where they had success. I dont know if that is a sign of things to come.

I want either a top RB at #8 or a corner. Everything thing else will come later IMO.

 

[azdad1978]

Here's a little tidbit about DT Johnson;http://www.profootballweekly.com/PFW/College+Football/College+Football+Extras/2004/modglin122204.htm

 

[DevonCardsFan]

http://www.hailredskins.com/Draft/NateMock.htm

this is a pretty decent mock, i doubt the falcons will use a first rounder on an offensive lineman, especially after the kenyatta walker debauchle in tampa. plus gibbs likes old lineman.

i can see the cardinals taking antrell rolle and many of you guys have said you'd like him on yoru team.

Real good Mock. You can tell that guy pays more Attention to the Cards then Mel Kiper and he is not paid to do it. I hate Mel kiper he is a douche who sucks at the draft!!!!

 

[Russ Smith]

Here's a little tidbit about DT Johnson;http://www.profootballweekly.com/PFW/College+Football/College+Football+Extras/2004/modglin122204.htm

He's a pretty interesting guy but it's hard to say someone is "more explosive than Darnell Dockett" when he backed up Dockett and Womble for most of 3 years before taking over fulltime as a senior. Prior to his senior year the most games he started in any season was 8 and that was due to injuries and suspensions.

Very talented kid. Who knows, I thought Simon was highly overrated, huge injury history in college, and he's been terrific with the Eagles.

of course if we take Johnson at 8 then we'll be in a contract dispute with Dockett

 

[Rocco]

I don't think Derrick Johnson makes it out of the top 5 but if he drops to 8 we have to grab him.

 

[jw7]

It's early but there is no way 3 RB's go in the top 5.I think Kiper is going by who he thinks should be selected where according to his ratings and not being realistic about what the teams will actually be thinking.

Maybe not, but I don't think it is out of the realm of possibility that 3 of them go before #8. None of the teams above #8 have an all-pro caliber RB, and 6 of the 8 don't even have a reliable every down back.

It depends on how many of those above the Cards fill the RB need via FA.

 

[binkar]

I agree that we need a safety, but for some reason, they resigned Ohalete to a 2 year deal so we'll probably go for depth instead of a starter. I thought he was horrible this year and I couldn't understand why we extended his contract.

Or he could be the depth. Just because he was extended doesnt mean he will start.