Grading The "Expert": Reviewing McShay's 7 Round Mock

With the 2009 NFL draft just 2 days away, ESPN expert Todd McShay has released his 7 round mock draft. While I don’t know how it is possible for one person to research and make predictions on all 256 players who will be drafted this year, I still find it interesting to see who Todd has going where. I looked over the whole mock draft and there were a few picks in each round that stood out to me…some good, some bad, and some truly awful that only Matt Millen could make sense of.

Round 1:

1) Matthew Stafford (QB – Georgia) to the Lions: I agree with Todd that the Lions will call Stafford’s name here…however Stafford’s pedigree reminds me too much of Rex Grossman. You gotta love his arm strength, however Stafford isn’t consistent enough to turn this team into a contender, at least not for a couple years. The Lions have Daunte Culpepper to lead the team for the next year or two, and with the off-season that he had I think they would be better off going with an OT or Aaron Curry in the first round. Stafford isn’t enough of a sure thing to build around…I think that Sanchez may turn out to be the better of the two.

14) Malcolm Jenkins (CB, S – Ohio St) to the Saints: I think this is a good pick for the Saints. Jenkins will probably come in and start at safety right off the bat. With former Hoosier Tracy Porter back at CB next year the Saints will have the makings of a very athletic and skilled secondary…and with teams passing all the time to keep up with Drew Brees and company; this could lead to a ton of turnovers for the Saints D.

22) Darrius Heyward-Bey (WR – Maryland) to the Vikings: I don’t see the Vikings picking a WR here. The Vikes already have a proven deep threat in Bernard Berrian to loosen up the defense for AP and do you really want to try and outscore teams with Sage Rosenfels at QB? Am I the only one that saw the end of the Texans-Colts game last year? He was awful.

23) Clay Matthews (OLB – Southern Cal) to the Bucs: Former walk-on goes in the first round. LOVE IT!

Round 2:

31) Larry English (DE – Northern Illinois) to the Lions: First non-BCS player to get drafted. I think this is a solid pick by the Lions.

42) Alex Mack (C from Cal) to the Bills: According to Todd, Mack will be the 3rd center taken within the first 42 picks…last year the first C didn’t go off the board till pick 59.

49) Derrick Williams (WR – Penn St) to the Bears: Don’t agree with this pick at all. William’s value comes from his versatility…and the bears have plenty of it. Both return positions are taken care of and I don’t think Williams can come in and make an impact as a quality receiver for a few years. If the Bears go WR here I want to see a consistent performer like Brian Robiskie from OSU.

50) Lesean McCoy (RB – Pitt) to the Browns: I think this is a great pick. In all the games I saw McCoy play he stood out. With the year that Jamal Lewis had last year, I think McCoy could push for the starting job. Very similar player to Matt Forte…AKA, Awesome.

Round 3:

72) Pat White (QB, RB, WR – West Va) to the Jags: I love Pat White. He is a proven winner who is arguably the best thrower in this draft class. If he was a couple inches taller he would be a first round pick at QB. The Jags will find a way to maximize his potential by lining him up all over the field.

73) Sabastian Vollmer (OT – Houston) to the 49ers: Sounds more like a hockey player than an OT.

76) Shonn Greene (RB – Iowa) to the Jets: Nation’s leading rusher will be a good complement to T Jones.

84) Chip Vaughn (SS – Wake) to the Broncos: The Broncos use the 3rd round pick acquired from the Bears to draft a safety that would have looked good in the orange and navy.

Rounds 4-7:

101) Louis Murphy (WR – Florida) to the Cowboys: Good pick for the Cowboys. If Murphy can stay healthy his speed can be a major asset.

127) Travis Beckum (TE – Wisconsin) to the Colts: Another player who will produce if he can stay healthy. Peyton Manning gets another target to stretch the field for him.

140) Courtney Greene (SS – Rutgers) to the Bears: They need a safety, however after reading his bio I don’t think he is the one to get. Susceptible to the double move…sounds a lot like some other players on the Bears defense. I still have visions of Bernard Berrian burning the Bears on a 99 yard td last year.

175) Ramses Barden (WR – Cal Poly) to the Chiefs: Small school giant goes early in round 6. Having seen him play against Wisconsin last year, he is a beast. All of 6’6” and 220 pounds he could be red zone force.

183) Nate Davis (QB – Ball State) to the Bills: I saw him play in person against the Hoosiers and a few more times on tv…he has a gun. Learning the playbook and reading the defense could hold him back though.

198) Deon Butler (WR – Penn St) to the Ravens: Will give Flacco a nice target to throw to. He was more consistent than Derrick Williams last year in the Nittany Lions offense.

220) Andrew Means (WR – INDIANA!!) to the Bills: The only Hoosier that McShay has going in the draft. Means runs in the mid 4.3s and has the size to be a solid possession receiver. I think he can surprise people if he concentrates solely on football and drops his MLB aspirations.

256) Lendy Holmes (S – Oklahoma) to the Cheifs: Mr. Irrelevant!!