NFL Draft: On the Clock....

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-Digger's Daily-

It's NFL Draft time! Teams are busy contacting future stars and negotiating trades for draft positioning. Will 2009's #1 become an instant sensation or the next million dollar bonus baby flop?!?

On the clock with big decisions to make is 2008's record breaking winless Detroit Lions (0-16). Draft or trade has been debated by analysts, bloggers and fans. NFL.com's Reader Poll asks readers Who should the Lions select with the No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft? Matthew Stafford, QB (Georgia), Aaron Curry, LB (Wake Forrest) and Jason Smith, OT (Baylor) have been mentioned most often as prizes of this years draft.

I think Detroit's most prudent play is to make a pre-draft deal. Detroit owns picks 1 & 20 placing them in a tremendous win, win situation. They should be able to work out a beneficial deal for players and draft picks for #1. No need to throw top dollar after an unproven player when this team needs many to right their ship. I'm sure there's plenty of low round teams willing to deal away players or picks to secure #1. Especially a powerhouse team drafting deep (New England, Philadelphia, Giants, Pittsburgh). Dallas Cowboys do not have any first round picks. Jerry Jones has been known to wheel and deal. Cowboys unveil their new $1B+ stadium and are thirsty for a Championship.

Here's the current NFL draft order and what I think each team needs heading into selection day (April 25):
1 Detroit Lions - Trade down. Select offensive lineman, defensive lineman or game changing LB.
2 St. Louis Rams - Defense, defense, defense. One of NFL's worst units in yds/game and points allowed (465).
3 Kansas City Chiefs - Offense and defense. Going after a top LB is key.
4 Seattle Seahawks - Not nearly as bad as record suggests. WR (who catches more than drops!), OL, DL would help.
5 Cleveland Browns - QB, RB. Browns and interesting team. QB & WR are draft needs.
6 Cincinnati Bengals - Perhaps they should consult a psychologist or two to interview potential draftees.
7 Oakland Raiders - Who would want to play for Al Davis Raiders?
8 Jacksonville Jaguars - Jags just got Holt. Cornerback, LB and OL keys for immediate success.
9 Green Bay Packers - Protection for QB, DB.
10 San Francisco 49ers - Singletary's first draft. Defense, defense, defense. Special teams help in later rounds.
11 Buffalo Bills - Offensive line needs help. FB & TE would be welcomed additions. 2 1st round picks (11, 28) gives Bills flexibility.
12 Denver Broncos - Quickly rebuilding via trades for new coach Josh McDaniels. Two 1st round picks. They'll probably go for best available game changer. Needs are plentiful. QB and defense especially on line and LB's.
13 Washington Redskins - Pass rusher. field leading QB. Campbell was efficient but doesn't have the instincts to lead Skins to division title.
14 New Orleans Saints - Pass rusher, linebackers, CB, Safety and WR. If the Saints can stop opposing offenses then they'll go from average to great overnight.
15 Houston Texans - Solid young nucleus of talent. Pass rushers & secondary help. Perhaps a stud interior lineman if one's still available.
16 San Diego Chargers - Defense. Big game LB would be an instant upgrade. Heavy hitting Safety.
17 New York Jets - I'm expecting NY to deal before they get to #17. QB is a MUST. DB's and Safety needs upgrading.
18 Denver Broncos - See #12
19 Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Offensive line and special teams. For whatever reason, special teams is usually TB's biggest weakness costing them field position and points.
20 Detroit Lions - See #1
21 Philadelphia Eagles - WR's. Eagles wideouts historically can't catch or break free from defenders. McNabb takes the heat but has no help. Front office decision making not great. Philly should trade up.
22 Minnesota Vikings - Go with best available. Offensive line to patch up holes. LB. Minnesota one or two players away from challenging in up for grabs division.
23 New England Patriots - RB, backup QB, pass rusher, depth. Best drafting guru's in NFL reside here. New England is best team at developing talent and making the right picks. It's probably best to just sit back and see which surprise is snagged.
24 Atlanta Falcons - Coming off an eye opening '08. Defensive play makers will keep this team focused on winning.
25 Miami Dolphins - Draft guru Parcells like tough defenders. Miami needs help in many areas on both sides of the field.
26 Baltimore Ravens - New speedy targets for QB Joe Flacco. Baltimore found out the short conservative attack only goes so far. Deep threat WR to spread the field helps immediately.
27 Indianapolis Colts - Defense. The difference between being an NFL dynasty and a great team has been the lack of a killer D. Head Coach slash Defensive Guru Dungy retired. Colts could quickly become the Rams if they're not careful.
28 Buffalo Bills - See #11.
29 New York Giants - WR & CB. Giants need to step up passing game and stop opponents passing game. A mid round LB couldn't hurt either.
30 Tennessee Titans - QB, WR. Titans need to think out of the box and beyond '09. Collins may or may not repeat success from one year ago. Either way, he's only a one season solution. Deep threat wideouts and better pass protection needed.
31 Arizona Cardinals - Offensive line and defense. Super Bowl runner ups want to prove '08 wasn't a fluke. Lack of run stoppers has been a sore spot for years.
32 Pittsburgh Steelers - Super Bowl Champs draft last. Solid team could use a bruising offensive lineman or shut down corner. If they don't trade up then they'll probably tackle weak spots on the depth chart or special teams.

My top rated players by position:
QB: Matthew Stafford (Georgia)
RB: Chris Wells (Ohio State)
WR: Michael Crabtree (Texas Tech)
TE: Brandon Pettigrew (Oklahoma State)
OL: A.Q. Shipley (Center, Penn State)
DL: Peria Jerry (DT, Mississippi)
LB: Aaron Curry (Wake Forrest)
CB: Malcolm Jenkins (Ohio State)
S: Patrick Chung (Oregon)

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