| Mock Draft |
| Pick |
Team |
Pos. |
Player |
College |
Class |
Ht. |
Wt. |
| 21 |
 |
LB |
Jon Beason |
Miami |
Sr. |
6-0 |
230 |
Mike Shanahan loves athleticism at the linebacker position -- what coach doesn't these days? -- and Beason is the kind of rush 'backer the Broncos think they can use from sideline to sideline.
|
| 22 |
 |
CB |
Chris Houston |
Arkansas |
Jr. |
5-10 |
185 |
Not the clinging cover corner you'd like to see for a first-rounder, but Houston's the kind of physical corner Wade Phillips likes in his secondary. Fast, too -- consistently in the 4.4-speed range.
|
| 23 |
 |
RB |
Marshawn Lynch |
California |
Jr. |
5-11 |
215 |
Remember when Chiefs picked Larry Johnson with Priest Holmes still apparently in his prime? Lynch is insurance for a Johnson trade -- or in the event he demands so much money that the Chiefs let him walk after 2007.
|
| 24 |
 |
DE |
Jarvis Moss |
Florida |
Jr. |
6-6 |
250 |
TRADE: Dan Snyder can't resist, and the Patriots are perfect partners. Washington deals a first-round pick in 2008 to move into the late first-round area to get a guy they really need -- a defensive end for the future, which they don't have.
|
| 25 |
 |
TE |
Greg Olsen |
Miami |
Sr. |
6-5 |
250 |
Olsen's definitely the Jets' man, if he lasts this long. Maybe he'll be the anti-Shockey and Winslow. Maybe he'll be able to stay on the field for 16 games.
|
| 26 |
 |
S |
Brandon Meriweather |
Miami |
Sr. |
5-11 |
195 |
Eagles are pretty good at sniffing out the bad apples, and Andy Reid thinks Meriweather, whose well-replayed infamous stomping of the Florida International player last fall scared some teams off, is worth the risk.
|
| 27 |
 |
S |
Reggie Nelson |
Florida |
Jr. |
6-1 |
195 |
Good value pick for a team that wants to shore up the back end of the defense. Nelson will give the secondary a shot of adrenalin and aggression that was sorely lacking in the NFC title game loss to Chicago.
|
| 28 |
 |
S |
Michael Griffin |
Texas |
Sr. |
6-0 |
202 |
The Patriots could go cornerback, linebacker or safety with this pick. They'll get one of each in this draft, for sure. Some playmaker, this guy. Had 23 tackles and a blocked punt his junior year in a game against Texas A&M.
|
| 29 |
 |
OL |
Tony Ugoh |
Arkansas |
Sr. |
6-5 |
301 |
This is the heir to Jon Ogden, either in 2008 or 2009, depending how much longer the great Ogden plays. He's the kind of athletic, long-armed guy that has become prototype for left tackles.
|
| 30 |
 |
WR |
Dwayne Bowe |
LSU |
Sr. |
6-3 |
220 |
A.J. Smith does it again. Picks a guy who should never have been there and fortifies the weakest position on his team. In Bowe, the chargers get a 220-pound target who played big last fall, catching 12 touchdowns for the Tigers.
|
| 31 |
 |
DT |
Justin Harrell |
Tennessee |
Sr. |
6-5 |
314 |
The Bears can wait to fortify the receiver spot, because they've got to grab a tackle from the perilously thin defensive tackle crop. Harrell missed most of 2006 with a torn biceps, but he should be fine to join the Chicago DT rotation.
|
| 32 |
 |
OT |
Joe Staley |
Central Michigan |
Sr. |
6-6 |
306 |
Meat-and-potatoes pick by the Colts, who figure they can get defensive tackle or receiver help with their two third-round picks. Staley is the number three tackle on many NFL boards.
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