Kiper's mock draft

I just saw Mel's first mock draft and he has the Texans choosing Andre Johnson with the third pick in the draft. Does anyone else think that the Texans would be reaching a bit by doing this especially if there are many teams salivating at taking Leftwich with our pick.

 

First-round projection:
Palmer solid at No. 1
Tuesday, January 21 Updated 2:15 PM EST


Jan. 20
Editor's Note: Following is Mel Kiper Jr.'s initial projection for the first round of the NFL draft. The draft takes place Saturday, April 26 (rounds 1-3) and Sunday, April 27 (rounds 4-7).
The first round of All-Star games is over, so it's time for my initial first-round projection, which includes 12 defensive linemen and 11 underclassmen (*) among the first 32 picks. Here's how I forecast that group:

1. Cincinnati Bengals -- Carson Palmer, QB, USC
He solidified his status as the overall No. 1 pick at the Senior Bowl practices. He has Troy Aikman/Drew Bledsoe-like potential. If the Bengals get blown away by a trade offer, they could drop as far as No. 4 and still get Byron Leftwich, but no matter who's picking, I expect that Palmer will go No. 1.

2. Detroit Lions -- *Charles Rogers, WR, Michigan State
A young quarterback like Joey Harrington needs a big-time receiver, and Rogers would fit the bill with his size, speed and natural pass-catching skills.

3. Houston Texans -- *Andre Johnson, WR, Miami
The same scenario holds here as in Detroit. David Carr and Johnson would give the Texans the great pass-catch tandem they're looking for, and they would have Jabar Gaffney developing as a nice No. 2 option.

4. Chicago Bears -- Byron Leftwich, QB, Marshall
The Bears could trade up to get Palmer, but if they remain here they'll get a quarterback who could still fill a major void for them. Chicago needs a passer whose arm can cut through the wind and who can play in the cold weather. Leftwich throws a great ball and dealt with that kind of weather while playing at Marshall. He and Palmer are the best pure passers to come out in years.

5. Dallas Cowboys -- Jimmy Kennedy, DT, Penn State
Kennedy is a huge presence. New Cowboys coach Bill Parcells likes big, physically imposing players. At 6-4¼ and 335 pounds, Kennedy fits that description. The Cowboys need a beefy run-stuffer up front, and he would fill a major void for them.

6. Arizona Cardinals -- *Terrell Suggs, DE, Arizona State
Suggs' 22 sacks this year broke the NCAA single-season record, and he has the frame at 6-4½ to eventually carry up to 280 pounds. He's a great rusher off the edge and would join DE Kyle Vanden Bosch and DT Wendell Bryant as the building blocks for a terrific defensive front.

7. Minnesota Vikings -- Terence Newman, CB, Kansas State
The Vikings need defensive help in the worst way, and while Brian Williams has potential at either corner or safety, they need a big-time cover man in the mix. Newman could be a shut-down corner, and the Vikings also could use him in the return game as a Champ Bailey-type player.

8. Jacksonville Jaguars -- Marcus Trufant, CB, Washington State
Trufant has move steadily up the board and would fill an important need for the Jags. He had a great week of practice at the Senior Bowl and was glued to the receivers at all times.

9. Carolina Panthers -- Jordan Gross, OT, Utah
Carolina's first major need is at quarterback, but this may be a bit early to look at the other QBs available. Gross is the top left-tackle prospect in the draft and would fill the second major need for the Panthers, giving them a starting point to build some protection for that young quarterback when he arrives.

10. Baltimore Ravens -- Eric Steinbach, OL, Iowa
Steinbach was a guard at Iowa who worked at left tackle in Senior Bowl practices and also played there some in the game, and some NFL people feel he could even be a right tackle. The Ravens need help at both guard spots and at right tackle. Steinbach played for former Ravens assistant Kirk Ferentz, Iowa's current head coach.

11. Seattle Seahawks -- *Rien Long, DT, Washington State
At 6-5 and 291 pounds, Long had 13 sacks this past season on his way to the Outland Trophy. He played through a knee injury all year and claims he doesn't need surgery, but that's something to keep an eye on.

12. St. Louis Rams -- Taylor Jacobs, WR, Florida
Why another wideout for the Rams? Because the Rams need a third wide receiver to fill the slot position, and Jacobs would be an ideal fit. He was one of the best players on the field at the Senior Bowl practices before suffering a deep thigh bruise, solidifying a mid-first-round grade.

13. Washington Redskins -- Kevin Williams, DT, Oklahoma State
He weighed in at 301 pounds in Mobile and had a heck of a year as one of the most underrated players in the Big 12. Williams has plenty of upside and would be an ideal hole-filler for the Redskins, who need help on the defensive front.

14. New England Patriots (from Buffalo) -- *Johnathan Sullivan, DT, Georgia
The Patriots need someone next to former Bulldogs standout Richard Seymour to anchor the defensive front, so why not go back to Georgia? Sullivan is quick for a 6-3, 298-pounder and made 15½ tackles behind the line of scrimmage this year. He's been a solid, productive player week-in and week-out. The Pats acquired this pick in the Drew Bledsoe deal.

15. San Diego Chargers -- William Joseph, DT, Miami
San Diego needs someone who can be solid against the run and provide a pass-rush threat from the DT spot. At 6-4 and 291 pounds, Joseph has that multidimensional ability. He had a good but not great year, or else he would be among the first five to 10 picks.

16. Kansas City Chiefs -- Chris Kelsay, DE, Nebraska
Kelsay had a hamstring injury and missed four games late in the year, but he was outstanding at the Senior Bowl and had an excellent career at Nebraska. He has outstanding size and long arms, excellent natural instincts and a motor that never stops. Chiefs head coach Dick Vermeil had Grant Wistrom, another Nebraska defensive end, in St. Louis, and I think there's a little of Wistrom in Kelsay.

17. New Orleans Saints -- Andre Woolfolk, CB, Oklahoma
The Saints' defense didn't stop many teams, and the secondary has some questions at corner. Woolfolk is still a little raw after switching over from wide receiver a couple of years ago, so he could use some technique work. But he's an excellent athlete with tremendous upside potential.

18. New Orleans Saints (from Miami) -- *Jason Witten, TE, Tennessee
Witten averaged 12.6 yards on 39 receptions last season and is also an excellent blocker. Iowa junior TE Dallas Clark would also make sense here, giving Aaron Brooks another weapon to work with in the Saints' offense. The Saints acquired this pick in the Ricky Williams deal.



19. New England Patriots -- Boss Bailey, OLB, Georgia
New England needs some speed and athleticism on the outside, and there is no better prospect than Bailey in terms of size/speed ratio. He reportedly has a 46-inch vertical jump and can run consistently in the 4.5 range in the 40-yard dash. Bailey would certainly upgrade the speed of the Patriots linebackers.
20. Denver Broncos -- *Rex Grossman, QB, Florida
With Brian Griese's questionable situation and Steve Beuerlein getting up there in age, Grossman would be a good value with this pick. He played behind a sub-par offensive line at Florida and had very little help at the receiver position outside of Taylor Jacobs, yet showed the mettle to still remain a first-round pick. Broncos coach Mike Shanahan has ties to the Florida program (he was once an assistant there).

21. Cleveland Browns -- *Kwame Harris, OT, Stanford
Though he is an underclassman, Harris is very experienced and a gifted athlete. He could be the best offensive lineman the Cardinal has produced since Bob Whitfield. He doesn't always dominate consistently, but at 6-6 and 325 pounds Harris is worth taking a chance on later in the first round.

22. New York Jets -- *Dewayne Robertson, DT, Kentucky
The Jets could use another tackle to rotate with Josh Evans and Jason Ferguson. Robertson is a tough 313-pounder who was a three-year starter at Kentucky. He's quick and got some pressure on the quarterback this past season, and he would be a good mid-to-late first-round choice.

23. Atlanta Falcons -- *Kelley Washington, WR, Tennessee
Washington is a 23-year-old former minor-league baseball player who played only two years at Tennessee. He had an excellent freshman year but was plagued by injuries in 2002 and watched the last six games from the sidelines. But he has great size (6-3½, 225) and is a gifted athlete. Kelley can stretch the field, haul in the deep ball and give a team an advantage over smaller corners. Had he been healthy he likely would have been a top-10 pick. If he checks out OK medically, he would be a great value for the Falcons, who desperately need capable receiving targets for QB Michael Vick.

24. Indianapolis Colts -- Kenny Peterson, DT, Ohio State
Indianapolis has lots of smallish defensive tackles. At 6-3 and 294 pounds, Peterson would bulk them up. He had an outstanding season and an excellent week at the Senior Bowl. He would give the Colts a combination of size, muscle and quickness up front that they don't really have right now.

25. New York Giants -- Ty Warren, DT, Texas A&M
The Giants had some trouble against the run when DT Keith Hamilton went down with an injury. Warren, at 6-4 and 298 pounds, would give them a good run-stuffing defensive tackle.

26. San Francisco 49ers -- Jerome McDougle, DE, Miami
While he's a bit undersized at 6-1½ and 264 pounds and doesn't have long arms, McDougle is a natural pass rusher who can get after the quarterback. The 49ers need a complement to Andre Carter, who was the only pass-rush threat for them last year, and McDougle is one of the best rushing ends available in this draft.

27. Pittsburgh Steelers -- Mike Doss, S, Ohio State
Doss probably would have been a second-round pick had he come out last year, but he went back to OSU and now has a chance to be in the first-round mix. He's a team leader and played at a consistently high level his past two seasons. While he's only about 5-10 and 200 pounds, he's a tough, productive and instinctive performer. Doss would be an ideal fit for the Steelers, who had all kinds of problems against the pass.

28. Tennessee Titans -- George Foster, OT, Georgia
The Titans could use help on the offensive line, and Foster could play guard or tackle in the NFL. He's a tough, fiery kid would have gone much higher if he hadn't missed some time after sustaining a wrist injury in a car accident back in August. Foster checks in at 6-5 and 333 pounds, with extremely long arms, and would be a good value choice.

29. Green Bay Packers -- Kyle Boller, QB, Cal
The Packers must start thinking about an heir apparent to Brett Favre, who may be entering his last season. Boller had a turnaround year last season at Cal, throwing 28 TD passes and just 10 interceptions while completing 53.4 percent of his passes. He showed a live arm at the Senior Bowl to possibly push his way into the first round.

30. Philadelphia Eagles -- E.J. Henderson, LB, Maryland
The Eagles lost LB Jeremiah Trotter to free agency and may not bring back Levon Kirkland next year, and Henderson would be an ideal middle linebacker. He started slowly after undergoing back surgery in April, but he was back to an All-American level late in the year and had an excellent game in the Peach Bowl against Tennessee. Speed has always been the question mark for Henderson, so he needs a good combine and workout -- running in the 4.7 range in the 40 -- to get into the first round.

31. Oakland Raiders -- Larry Johnson, RB, Penn State
Johnson would be the bigger back the Raiders need to complement Charlie Garner. Johnson can catch the ball out of the backfield and is the only running back projected to go in the first round this year, but he's still borderline right now.

32. Oakland Raiders (from Tampa Bay) -- *Clint Mitchell, DE, Florida
Mitchell has the ability to play any position up front and seems to be coming into his own. He has been solid and consistent all year and has growth potential on his 6-6 frame. Oakland has always liked defensive linemen early in the draft. The Raiders also could look at a safety, because former first-rounder Derrick Gibson has not developed as they hoped and USC's Troy Polamalu could fill that need. The Raiders acquired this pick as part of the compensation for former Oakland and current Tampa Bay head coach Jon Gruden.

 

It just seems like if we really wanted this guy than we could easily trade down a few spots and pick up him and an extra pick or two.

 

Most people I've heard said that Redding will slip to the second or third round at least unless he really impresses at the combine and Kiper must have really fell in love with Boller because he is about the only guy I've heard who says that he'll be taken this high.