NFL Mock Draft 8 - 12/8/09

1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Ndumakong Suh DT, Nebraska
Suh is one of the biggest play makers in college football. Tampa needs to get back to their roots and restrengthen their defensive front. He could very well be a Heisman candidate, although it's unlikely he'll get many votes.

2. St. Louis Rams Jimmy Clausen QB, Notre Dame
It wasn't getting punched in the face that pushed Jimmy to declare early, but Charlie Weis. Maybe Weis bet Jimmy that if he could eat a whole cow, Jimmy would have to declare for the draft. The Rams have passed up a QB the past few years in the draft, and Bulger's hurt again.

3. Cleveland Browns Jake Locker QB, Washington
Who knows what the Browns plan to do with Brady Quinn, but it's too early to tell. I'm assuming the Lions game was an aberration (of course) and he isn't what he had potential to be...in Cleveland at least.

4. Detroit Lions Russell Okung OT, Oklahoma State
The Lions have a good start to their rebuilding, but they need to keep Stafford on his feet. He's gotten injured twice now and he's too important to their franchise to become injury prone. Okung is the best tackle in this year's draft and he'll be able to start from day one.

5. Washington Redskins Sam Bradford QB, Oklahoma
The Redskins have a talented roster, however they just haven't put together a good record. Dan Snyder will probably get rid of Jim Zorn, Jason Campbell, and who knows who else. Starting over will probably involve a new QB and Bradford will sure be at the top of Snyder's board somewhere.

6. Kansas City Chiefs Eric Berry S, Tennessee
Scott Pioli will get really lucky here, at least in this mock. I think Berry is the best prospect this year, with Suh a close second. Bernard Pollard was a huge mistake to let go. So they make up for that mistake somewhat here.

7. Oakland Raiders Taylor Mays S, USC
Best forty time. Bingo! At least Mays won't be a major reach here, unlike Heyward-Bey last draft. However, Mays' stock is dropping because of a sub-par season. Al Davis' team has quite a bit of talent, but are under achievers.

8. Buffalo Bills Gerald McCoy DT, Oklahoma
The Bills have improved against the run in recent weeks, but still are last ranked. Marcus Stroud is getting too old and injury prone and there are no other DTs on the Bills now that are sufficient.

9. Tennessee Titans Joe Haden CB, Florida
What a comeback this team has made, that's Jeff Fisher for ya. Oh, and FYI...it's not Vince Young, it's Chris Johnson. As far as I'm concerned, Young is just a glorified Trent Dilfer, only with running ability. (Not to mention that since the Tits apologized to The Towel, they haven't lost and Fisher's Peyton Manning jersey thing).

10. Seattle Seahawks CJ Spiller RB, Clemson
They need a running back and a playmaker. All of the legit first round QBs are gone, so they'll have to go for the best running back. We'll have to see during the post season whether or not Spiller is top 10 talent.

11. San Francisco 49ers Rolando McClain LB, Alabama
Takeo Spikes is getting kinda old and the 3-4 requires a lot of linebackers. The 49ers get a lot better at the LB position if they add McClain here. That is quite a linebacker core then.

12. Houston Texans Jahvid Best RB, California
The Texans need a running game. That may be the underlying factor that is holding them back. It could also be their defensive backfield as well. They have two options it looks like now: improve their secondary or running game with this pick.

13. Denver Broncos (from Bears) Brandon Spikes LB, Florida
The Broncos 3-4 defense needs to continue to be transformed. It takes more than one off season to switch to a 3-4. You must continuously collect linebackers (ala Pittsburgh).

14. San Francisco 49ers (from Panthers) Trent Williams OT, Oklahoma
San Fran needs a good tackle. Tony Pashos and Adam Snyder are not good. Williams is looking like he'll be a right tackle in the pros.

15. Pittsburgh Steelers Bryan Bulaga OT, Iowa
Not much the Steelers need, except to find a way to win without Polamalu. Year in and year out they are in the hunt, although this year is a little bit of a disappointment. I'll be the last person to count out Big Ben, but they may have dug themselves into a hole they can't get out of after the loss to Oakland.

16. New York Jets Dez Bryant WR, Oklahoma State
Sanchez needs a big play, favorite target. Bryant's stock won't be too affected by his suspension from this season.

17. Miami Dolphins Sean Weatherspoon LB, Missouri
I had the Dolphins taking a WR here earlier, but I don't think that Parcells would take a WR in the first round. WRs are a dime a dozen and you can always find them in later rounds. Weatherspoon was a Butkus award finalist.

18. Baltimore Ravens Brandon LaFell WR, LSU
LaFell is the WR that Joe Flacco has been praying for in Baltimore. He really needs a number one receiver, especially since Mason won't be back next year.

19. Atlanta Falcons Greg Hardy DE, Mississippi
Hardy has some injury issues and is out for the rest of this season. The Falcons definitely need help on defense. Ryan will have this team in the playoff hunt each and every year if they can get the defense squared away.

20. New York Giants Sean Lee LB, Penn State
The Giants need a middle linebacker since Pierce is out for the year and he's getting older. The defense could use an infusion of new talent at linebacker.

21. New England Patriots Jared Odrick DT, Penn State
Aging defense needs help. They're still winning, but they need to continue to replenish.

22. Jacksonville Jaguars Morgan Burnett S, Georgia Tech
Jacksonville needs pass defense...desperately. If only they could get a pass rush. Reggie Nelson can't tackle worth a ****.

23. Philadelphia Eagles Carlos Dunlap DE, Florida
The Eagles look like they'll need defense this after this season. They could go with the big upside of Dunlap here. At this point in time, I'm unsure where to put Dunlap. He has loads of potential, but like Michael Johnson last year, seems to have work ethic issues, plus his DUI.

24. Green Bay Packers Charles Brown OT, USC
Aaron Rodgers really needs protection. He may hold on to the ball more than he should, but the tackle position definitely needs an upgrade.

25. Seattle Seahawks (from Broncos) Terrence Cody, DT Alabama
The Seahawks need help at defensive tackle massively...almost as massive as Mount Cody. He'll provide a cog in the defensive line to help improve the Seahawks improve against the run. Early indications are that he's only a 2 down player, but that can always change.

26. Dallas Cowboys Bruce Campbell OT, Maryland
Dallas needs a new LT. Flozell Adams should be gone and Campbell would be able to come in and maybe start in his rookie season.

27. Arizona Cardinals Adam Ulatoski OT, Texas
They need tackle help. Levi Jones and Gandy aren't doing as well as they could be. A better offensive line could help their running game out lots. There more than likely could be a run on offensive tackles in the first round.

28. San Diego Chargers Damian Williams WR, USC
The Chargers could continue the run on offensive tackles, because they really need one to help the running game. But they have wide receivers that are leaving, so I think they'll go with Williams.

29. Cincinnati Bengals Trevard Lindley CB, Kentucky
This could be their year if they put it all together, hopefully LJ helps and doesn't distract. Kudos to Marvin Lewis for turning this team around. They could also go WR. They're pass defense could use a little help.

30. Minnesota Vikings Corey Wooton DE, Northwestern
They've got a great defensive line. Taking Wooton would give them another good defensive end. I'm surprised they didn't get any sacks against the Cardinals.

31. Indianapolis Colts Dan Williams DT, Tennessee
Colts really need help to clog up their middle of that defensive line. Wonder if they'll ever realize they need a decent defensive tackle? Maybe Bill Polian's son will finally realize it.

32. New Orleans Saints Eric Norwood LB, South Carolina
Nothing much that this team needs. It seems like they're getting tested now. Their games are getting closer and closer. They're getting battle tested for the playoffs though, which is good. Put the Pats in their place on MNF, but almost lost to the Redskins.

If there's anyone out there that reads this...and I doubt there are...Once 2010 starts, I'm going to include Value Boards with my posts every once in a while. I haven't decided if I'll update them every week or every other week yet. I will also start to add on more rounds to my mock, eventually building up to all 7 rounds and include rookie free agents that you should be watching for. Thanks for reading and stay tuned.