1.  Dolphins – Dan Marino (QB).  Miami would go crazy to have him back.  The Fins have tons of needs but solidifying the QB position is top priority.  The pick for “Best Quarterback Ever” could be argued endlessly, but I give the nod to Marino despite never winning a ring.

2.  Rams – Reggie White (DE).  I’m ignoring their need for O-Line right now and giving them the best DE to play the game.  He led the league in sacks for two seasons, is 2 shy of 200, and had an astonishing 21 sacks in 1987.  Not only was he an amazing player, but he was a great person as well.

3.  Falcons – Joe Montana (QB).  I still am not fully confident in this pick.  I could have easily given them about 5 different QB’s and been satisfied.  Ultimately, his 40,000+ yards, 273 touchdowns, 4 Super Bowls, and 2 MVPs put him here.

4.  Raiders – Anthony Munoz (OT).  They need someone to protect their fat quarterback JaMarcus Russell so he can throw the deep ball.  I’m giving them the best OT ever.  Munoz made 11 straight Pro Bowls and was the Offensive Linemen of the Year an astonishing 3 times.  This, mixed with the fact that he was never injured (he missed 3 games in his career), make him the 4^th selection.

5.  Chiefs – Art Shell (OT).  As you can tell, I’m a big believer that a football team needs to win the battle in the trenches to be successful.  Brodie Croyle still deserves a full season to prove himself, so QB is out as a draft pick.  The one time greatest strength of the Chiefs is now their biggest weakness.  He played in 8 pro bowls and was one of the best.

6.  Jets – Deion Sanders (CB).  “Prime Time” is arguably the best cornerback, and definitely one of the greatest personalities, of all time.  The Jets have Darrelle Revis who I think will be good, but they need someone on the other side.  Their offense has a lot of glaring holes too but I think the secondary should be their “prime” focus.

7.  Patriots – Lawrence Taylor (LB).  I don’t know how he fell this far, but the Patriots are running to the podium to hand in their selection.  Probably the most feared defensive player of all time, he would come in and immediately improve the aging corps.

8.  Ravens – John Elway (QB).  It would be perfect.  25 years after spurning the city that drafted him, they pick him again.  With Steve McNair retired and only Kyle Boller and Troy Smith left, they need a QB.  It is hard to argue against his 50,000+ yards, 300 TD’s, 5 Super Bowl appearances and 2 rings.

9.  Bengals – Joe Greene (DT).  The Bengals were last in sacks and 27^th in total defense.  I think that explains their selection of a DT.  I’d take Mean Joe for his Coca-Cola commercial alone, but he put up unbelievable numbers to back the selection.

10.  Saints – Mel Blount (CB).  Cornerback is arguably their biggest need and he was one of the best.  I’m giving Blount the advantage over others like Champ Bailey and Rod Woodson because he was an NFL MVP and an All-Pro four times.

11.  Bills – Jerry Rice (WR).  There is no need to defend having Rice as the first WR taken.  The offense would be dynamic with Trent Edwards throwing to Rice and Lee Evans, not to mention Marshawn Lynch in the backfield.

12.  Broncos – Walter Payton (RB).  The philosophy of plugging in random running backs is over.  They need to secure a true #1 back and Sweetness is there for the picking.  This is another selection where I could plug in a couple different runners.

13.  Panthers – Jackie Slater (OT).  They need a true tackle to anchor the line and Slater is the best available.  He played the most games ever for an offensive lineman and made seven Pro Bowls.  With Jake Delhomme coming back from injury and Matt Moore as his backup, QB is also a consideration with this pick.

14.  Bears – Barry Sanders (RB).  I was going to give them a QB because they need to give up the Rex Grossman experiment but with the top three gone they fall back on Sanders.  Personally, I think he would have been the best ever if he hadn’t retired early.

15.  Lions – Jim Brown (RB).  Detroit basically has no real running back and they would love to snap up Brown.  He was the MVP 3 times and All-Pro 8 times.  Their passing game is already phenomenal; adding a runner like this would solidify their offense as one of the best.

20.  Buccaneers – Champ Bailey (CB).  Ronde Barber is getting too old and they are too thin here.  Wide receiver is a big need but I think Bailey is the better value.  He seems to be getting better with age and his eight Pro Bowls give him the nod over other cornerbacks.

21.  Redskins – Paul Krause (S).  The unfortunate death of Sean Taylor opened a glaring need at safety.  He played in five Super Bowls and retired as the all-time leader in interceptions at the time.

22.  Cowboys – O.J. Simpson (RB).  Although he is now known more for his trial than for his playing, this draft is about players in their prime.  Marion Barber III is a good battering ram but he has yet to prove he can handle a full load.  The 11,000 rushing yards and 61 touchdowns prove he was one of the best.  Plus, with this pick, they could potentially trade Barber to fill other needs.

23.  Steelers – John Hannah (OG).  Pittsburgh let Alan Faneca leave in free agency and now they need help at the position.  Hannah was one of the best and his ten Pro Bowls would solidify the line for years.  Big Ben wants a big receiver but having someone like Hannah would keep him happy for another season.

24.  Titans – Deacon Jones (DE).  I know Vince Young needs a receiver to throw to, but they need help on the D-line more.  I can’t believe I’m putting him here instead of Bruce Smith, but the two played in different eras and are hard to compare.  He was the defensive player of the year twice and registered an insane 173 despite playing in 14 game seasons.

25.  Seahawks – Kellen Winslow (TE).  No, I’m not talking about Kellen “I’m a f***ing soldier!” Winslow Jr.  The original Winslow transformed the TE position and fills the biggest need on the Seahawks team.

29.  49ers – Dick Butkus (LB).  They have a ton of needs so almost any position could be justified but they need help at linebacker and somehow Butkus is still available.  Butkus and Patrick Willis could team up for the greatest linebacker corps in the NFL.  I give him the nod over other greats like Jack Lambert and Mike Singletary, but not by much.

30.  Packers – Brett Favre (QB).  This one is too obvious.  If it were any other team I would consider a different quarterback, but not the Packers.  With Favre just retiring, they now have a question mark at the position with the unproven Aaron Rodgers slated to take over.  Green Bay would jump at the chance to get him in his prime again.  On the flip side, how terrible would you feel for Rodgers if Favre came back for another 16 years?

31.  Giants – Mike Singletary (LB).  With Kawika Mitchell leaving through free agency, linebacker became a priority.  This was a toss up between Singletary and Lambert but I ultimately sided with the tackling machine from Baylor only because he had one more Defensive Player of the Year awards (2 to 1).

Players I can not believe were left out of the 1^st round (in no particular order):

Offense: Steve Young, Johnny Unitas, Franco Harris, Don Hutson, Emmitt Smith, Joe Namath, LaDainian Tomlinson, Terrell Davis, Tom Brady, Cris Carter

Defense: Jack Youngblood, Ray Lewis, Merlin Olsen, Jack Lambert, Darrell Green, Warren Sapp, Michael Strahan, Alan Page, Bob Lilly

In defense of my Terrell Davis pick: If only considering their prime, Davis was one of the best.  In a 4 season span he had almost 6,500 rushing yards and 56 rushing touchdowns.  The problem was after that he faded unbelievably fast.