2009 NFL Draft - Top 3 Favorite Drafts
by Michael Abromowitz
NFL Draft Director
4/29/09


Immediately after the NFL Draft, every expert/radio host/person with a blog wants to give each NFL team a grade.  I used to be one of them, but realized it is somewhat pointless.  On paper a draft may look good, but on the field it is a different story.  You don’t tell someone that the Tuna Tartar is divine because it looks good on the menu.  Eat the tartar and then give me your opinion.  However, I will still give you the three teams’ drafts that I did like, without grades.  At least on paper I liked these teams’ drafts.


Cincinnati Bengals
Andre Smith over Eugene Monroe may have been questionable, but many NFL teams believe if Smith stays focus he could be a pro bowl caliber offensive tackle.  The Bengals desperately needed a tackle to protect their franchise quarterback Carson Palmer and Smith can start from day one on either the left or right side.  In the 2nd round, the Bengals may have gotten the steal of the draft.  Rey Maualuga was considered the consensus top inside linebacker and almost certain first rounder.  My immediate thought when the Broncos traded up ahead of the Bengals in the 2nd round was because they were going to take Maualuga.  After the Broncos took CB Alphonso Smith, I knew the Bengals had to take Maualuga over center Max Unger which was more of a need.  The Bengals have lacked that dominant inside linebacker ever since the Odell Thurman fiasco and getting another potential star player in Maualuga, in my opinion, is complete robbery.  Maualuga fell to the 2nd round because of character questions along with being a liability on passing downs.   The 3rd round the Bengals continue to thrive and picked up one of their most glaring needs in adding the pass rusher Michael Johnson of Georgia Tech.  Johnson, at 6-7 with 4.6 speed, is a true physical specimen.  His stock dropped because of his questionable lack of motivation and his “taking off plays.”  NFL teams usually won’t see a pass rusher with a ceiling as high as Johnson’s in the third round.  On measurements alone I thought he should have gone in the early 2nd round.  The Bengals continue to add great value with the Mackey Award winner, tight end Chase Coffman.  Tight end was not a glaring need, but the Bengals have lacked a true receiving weapon at the tight end position since Carson Palmer has been quarterback.  The Bengals thought they had it in free agent signing Ben Utecht last season.  Coffman has the potential to be as good as Jason Witten.  The Bengals finally filled their most glaring need by taking Jonathan Luigs, the center from Arkansas.  I don’t think it was a reach for punter Kevin Huber of Cincinnati as I projected him going in the mid 5th round.  Punter Kyle Larsen struggled last season, and what better way to fix it then with the top punter in the draft who is familiar with the weather as he played college football in the same city.  The only pick I didn’t like was running back Bernard Scott.  I am extremely high on Scott and actually mentioned in a chat before the draft that he is the one late draft pick I saw having a potential to be a starting back in this league.  The problem is his police record is 2 miles longer than Chris Henry’s.  The Bengals should have probably bypassed on Scott and taken another back such as Rashad Jennings. 


New York Giants
Before this draft, the five positions I targeted for the Giants were WR, OLB, OT, RB, and TE, and the Giants hit a home run on all of them.  Actually the first two picks I should say they hit a grand slam, as I correctly projected both picks.  WR Hakeem Nicks and OLB Clint Sintim both fill the Giants’ two biggest needs at WR and OLB.  Nicks is a sure handed receiver, while Sintim is a solid linebacker that should be able play the SAM for the Giants.  I continued to love this draft with the Giants drafting their left tackle of the future in William Beatty of Connecticut.  By going to the Giants, Beatty will have plenty of time to develop.  I actually expected a run on tackles, and never projected Beatty to last until the 60th pick in the draft.  If Maualuga is my steal of the draft, William Beatty may be the 2nd biggest steal of the draft.  All of the first three picks could have gone in the first round and no analyst would have complained.  The Giants continued to add talent with the 6-6 receiver Ramses Barden from Cal Poly.  With Nicks only being 6’1, Barden looks to replace the height the Giants loss with releasing Plaxico Burress.  Unlimited potential with Barden, I expect him to be very similar to Vincent Jackson of the Chargers.  The Giants then added depth at the tight end position, with Travis Beckum in the 3rd round.  I have always been a fan of Beckum.  He may me more of an H-Back in the NFL, but the idea of Beckum and Kevin Boss at tight end creates chaos for defenses.  The Giants were able to get a 4th round steal in RB Andre Brown of North Carolina State, who should be a solid replacement for Derrick Ward.  Brown who is 6’0 tall, with sub 4.5 speed, was projected by many analysts to be a 2nd round pick.   However, running backs were not as in demand in the early rounds causing the Giants to be able to get Brown at the 129th pick.  I loved the Giants’ 5th round pick in quarterback Rhett Bomar.  With the Giants’ needs all addressed in the first four rounds, the Giants were able to go with value and develop a backup for Eli Manning.   I thought the Giants did a great job not only filling needs, but gaining excellent value in all their picks.


Philadelphia Eagles
This draft was great and I am not even considering the trade for pro bowl offensive tackle Jason Peters.  The Eagles were able to fill their 3 most pressing needs in the draft: WR, RB, and TE.  Each pick also ended being a value pick.   I love the Maclin pick.  The only criticism is he may be too like DeSean Jackson, but just like Jackson, Maclin is extremely elusive and has the ability to get to the end zone every time he touches the ball.  I am just trying to figure out which player will be the punt returner.  In the 2nd, the Eagles added RB LeSean "Shady" McCoy, who should be the perfect complement to the all-everything Brain Westbrook.  Just like Westbrook, McCoy is a great receiving back.  The Eagles really dominated this draft in the 5th round with the addition of TE Cornelius Ingram, CB Victor Harris, and OT Fenuki Tupou.  All 3 players were excellent values.  Before missing all of 2008 with an ACL injury, Ingram looked to be a 2nd round draft pick.  Ingram’s performance at the Combine showed that he has fully recovered from his injury.  Ingram should be able to fill the void left by L.J. Smith and eventually should overtake Brent Celek for the starting tight end spot.  Victor "Macho" Harris has 1st round playmaking ability, but lacks top speed (4.68 40).  Look for him to make the switch to free safety.  He is a ballhawk as he had 15 interceptions and even played some offense for Virginia Tech.  Fekuki Tupou of Oregon adds tremendous depth to the offensive line.  I considered Tupou to be a late 3rd round prospect, and the Eagles ended up getting him at 159.  At 6-5, 314 lbs, Tupou has great size and potential.  The Eagles added more depth with WR Brandon Gibson and OG Paul Fanaika.  I really like their last pick, OLB Moise Fokou from Maryland.  Fokou is a speedy, athletic linebacker that should add value immediately on special teams.  On, they also traded for CB Ellis Hobbs from the Patriots. 


Michael Abromowitz has been quoted in numerous publications, both internet and print and is a proud member of the Football Writers Association of America.


Abromowitz's 2009 NFL Mock Draft - 7 rounds
Cox's 2009 NFL Mock Draft - 7 rounds
MockDraftDatabase.com (our mock draft database)