This is the day I fill you in on the behind-the-scenes action that went into my mock (I hate that word) draft. No more padding. No more prelims. Here we go. (*projected trade)

Dr. Z's Mock First Round Pick Team Pos. Player College 1 QB Alex Smith Utah Aaron Rodgers was the frontrunner. Stronger arm. Measurables. But love is blind and Mike Nolan loves Smith. We think. But the club doesn't like the amount of money his agent wants. If this drives the Niners to Rodgers, then the owner, John York, will get holy hell for being cheap. If they don't take Rodgers, they'll catch a few bullets for ditching a local guy (U. of Cal) who wanted to play for the Niners all his life, even though it was mentioned to him at 4 or 5 he was far too young. I'm writing this on Wednesday, and I'm sure the verdict will be in by draft day. I just hope it's Smith, because nothing looks worse on a mock (isn't there some other word I can use?) draft than a wrongo at the very top of the board. 2 * RB Ronnie Brown * Auburn The trade was strictly my idea. No one on the Bucs confirmed it, and the Dolphins only weakly agreed that "Anything can happen." (If you're a Mouseketeer you know that Wednesday is Anything Can Happen Day). Bucs GM Bruce Allen shrewdly offered the Dolphins Warren Sapp as a throw in for the position swap. Just before the deal was signed, it was pointed out that Sapp now plays for the Raiders. Curses, foiled again! Almost killed the deal, but Jon Gruden is really nuts about Brown -- especially his terrific pass-catching ability. Well, yeah, he'd like to have a QB, too, and there's a good chance that Rodgers or Smith could drop to No. 5, but I close my eyes and see Paul Tagliabue adjusting his glasses and reading from the little slip of paper, "There has been a trade at the second spot." 3 WR Braylon Edwards Michigan A few weeks ago I would have said that it's gotta be a QB or an RB, but then the Browns traded for Reuben Droughns, and I offered a hearty congratulation to both Romeo Crennel and GM Phil Savage for the deal (they took it calmly). Actually what I said was, "You guys ought to be put in jail ... Droughns for Ekuban and Myers? C'mon now ... there's a law against stealing." Where was I? Oh yeah, the draft choice. Well, taking a QB still seems more logical to me than choosing Edwards, but everyone in the organization has supported the pick, so who am I to argue? 4 RB Carnell Williams Auburn Well, they have a young QB, and the Muhsin Muhammad pick up addressed their WR problem. When I talked to Lovie Smith, he said, "We're interested in three running backs and two wideouts." So I narrowed it down to the two premier runners left, Cadillac and Hyundai -- I mean Cadillac and Cedric Benson -- and chose the former on gut instinct. What did GM and personnel director Jerry Angelo tell me? Nothing. He hasn't talked to me in 20 years, ever since his Giants days. Bears writers tell me he doesn't talk to anybody. Maybe someone can figure out a different method of communication. 5 QB Aaron Rodgers * California GM Rick Spielman put me through this line of questioning: "So what do you think is our most pressing need?" "Quarterback." "You don't think we can use a runner like Ronnie Brown?" "Quarterback. You can get a runner lower down." "You don't like the QBs we have?" "Quarterback." I could see him getting off the phone and telling someone, "You know, that guy from SI sounds demented or something." To that I answer, "Quarterback." Never mind who they want, this is what I want for them and it's my mock (there's that word again) draft. 6 CB Adam (Pac-Man) Jones West Virginia Everyone has them down for Antrel Rolle, the Miami corner. "We like Pac Man better," said my super confidential, deep throat Titans source. "Faster than Antrell." I'm rooting hard for my pick to come in, so everyone else can be wrong and old Zee be right -- a draft handicapper's dream. If it happens the other way around, then I'll be a very bitter bloke and there'll be still another person on my "don't send him a Christmas card" list. 7 WR Mike Williams USC "We'll have to re-think it if Rolle or Pac Man are there," Mike Tice said. "Why do you need to draft a corner this high?" I said. "I mean, you've got two fine ones now with Smoot and Winfield." Not noticing, of course, the look Tice was giving me that said, "Oh, so you know my team better than I do, huh?" That's a major problem of mine. I get carried away. And get real stupid about it. So I guess that's two problems. 8 RB Cedric Benson Texas If the trade for Bills RB Travis Henry goes through, then Dennis Green will take the best corner remaining -- Rolle, Pac Man or Auburn's Carlos Rogers. Green says the deal -- Henry for tackle L.J. Shelton, plus they'd switch second round positions, Arizona's No. 44 for Buffalo's No. 55 -- could happen. But, he says, the Bills seem to want more, which is what's holding up the trade. They'd be happy to get Shelton, he adds. Didn't seem right. Why would the Bills want Shelton, a great big right-tackle type coming off a knee injury? They need a left, not a right tackle. So I called my man on the Bills. "Why would we want Shelton?" he said. "We need a left, not a right tackle." Huh? I tapped the side of my head to let some of the sawdust fall out. Didn't I just hear that somewhere? 9 CB Antrel Rolle Miami The Broncos' trade changes everything. At the 25th pick. The ninth is still the best CB on the board. 10 OLB Derrick Johnson Texas It'll be defense. One of the two top corners could oust Johnson. And if he's gone, too, then the Lions will trade down -- assuming they can find someone to do the deed with them. If they go mid-round they'll take any of three outside rushers, David Pollack, Shawne Merriman or Erasmus James. But if they drop waaay down, maybe to the second round, they'll look hard at center Chris Spencer. And if by some fluke either of the top two QBs is around, then, whooo boy, something weird and wonderful could happen. 11 DE-OLB Demarcus Ware Troy The Cowboys' A-list of outside pass rushers includes Ware, Merriman and Marcus Spears. They want two of them. The problem is which one goes first -- how they can position themselves to have a shot at another one at pick No. 20. I solved the problem by giving them both Ware and Spears. It's youngsters they want. New Orleans offered them Darren Howard, who's 28 and coming off an 11-sack season. Even though the Cowboys haven't had a double-digit sacker in nine years, they nixed the deal. 12 DE-OLB Shawne Merriman Maryland Two picks in the first round, two positions to fill, D-line and WR. That's their game plan. OK, I'll give you the six names they mentioned, pick two, one here, one lower down: James, Merriman, Spears (where have I heard those before?), plus wideouts Mark Clayton, Troy Williamson and Roddy White. I've already showed my hand with pick No. 12, but still remaining is the 28th, unless they trade it. As of this writing, which is, as I've mentioned, on Wednesday, the 28th pick is ... No, I won't ruin the suspense and give it away. You'll simply have to hang in for another 16 selections to find out. 13 WR Troy Williamson South Carolina The one and only name mentioned by my spy in Houston is that of tackle Alex Barron, and he certainly makes sense, but Spy No. 2, who's lobbying for Spy No. 1's job, says don't believe a word of it. They're blowing smoke. Williamson's the guy they really want. Don't fight, boys. Tell you what I'll do. I'll give Barron to the magazine and Williamson to the Web site. How's that? 14 T Alex Barron Florida State Are you suspecting some kind of flimflam here? Some mock draft (oy, those words!) dipsy doodle? Or perhaps the assumption that I don't take this whole endeavor as seriously as I should? No, nothing like that. The Panthers have expressed a definite desire to make Barron's overlong arms and crushing fingers part of their offensive line. 15 S Thomas Davis Georgia Dick Vermeil is a friend, actually a wine friend, which is even better -- so I offered him all sorts of miraculous defensive stars: the versatile Pollack, who, as of last week, had shot up on the board like a rocket; the gigantic, athletic Spears; Rogers, the No. 3 cornerback in a class that's loaded with them. No, he said, there's a li'l ole safety in Georgia (breaking out his guitar) who can just do so many things ... "can give me so many options back there," etc. The option play is not dead in football. Davis it is. 16 CB Carlos Rogers Auburn Yes! A big need for Jim Haslett. He has pass rushers, plenty of them. He wants help in the rear rank. He likes Davis (gone). He also likes Barron (gone). Rogers is right up there with the other blokes. Mock Draft Continued