FOXSports.com - Mock Draft
Apr. 05, 2002
By Brian DeLucia
Special to FOXSports.com
Stock soaring: Antonio Bryant,
Pittsburgh. Stock is moving up again after a good workout.
Stock free-fall: William Green, Boston College. Dallas could still take him somewhere in the first round, but most teams have questions about some off-field matters.
Word on the street: Where will Joey Harrington go? Harrington is this year's wildcard pick that will determine how the first round falls. Does he fall to Cincinnati at 10? Does Washington trade up? Detroit and Buffalo are using the Harrington card. The darkhorse team? Kansas City has really shown a lot of interest in Harrington over the past two months. Some members inside the organization question whether Trent Green is the answer beyond this season.
Here’s an updated look at how the
first round of the NFL Draft could play out. Expect changes over the next
few weeks as teams begin their organizational next week.
| FOXSports.com's top 32 draft rankings | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Team | Player | Pos. | College | Prev. | up or down | High/Low |
| 1 | Houston Texans | David Carr | QB | Fresno State | 1st | — | 1/1 |
| Carr will be a perfect fit to provide hope for the future with his leadership ability and smarts. | |||||||
| 2 | Carolina Panthers | Julius Peppers | DE | North Carolina | 2nd | — | 2/2 |
| Mike Rucker developed into a pass rusher last season, but they need another perimeter threat to build the club's pass rush for the future. Also keep a close eye on Texas' cornerback Quentin Jammer. | |||||||
| 3 | Detroit Lions | Quentin Jammer | CB | Texas | 3rd | — | 3/6 |
| The Lions could trade down here. If they stay here, an impact defender who will provide a physical presence in the secondary is a priority. | |||||||
| 4 | Buffalo Bills | Ryan Sims | DT | North Carolina | 6th | up (+2) | 4/14 |
| How can't the Bills draft a potential "winner" at quarterback? Good question. The Bills really hope to upgrade the defensive line and have interest in Sims. | |||||||
| 5 | San Diego Chargers | Donte' Stallworth | WR | Tennessee | 5th | — | 5/19 |
| Don't be so sure the Chargers will take an offensive tackle here. They would love Jammer if he's available. Instead they go for a power wide receiver that can eat up space inside to open room for their run game. | |||||||
| 6 | Dallas Cowboys | Albert Haynesworth | DT | Tennessee | 8th | up
(+2) |
6/12 |
| The Cowboys will listen to trade offers here. Haynesworth would give them a solid complement inside to Glover as they build a solid interior. | |||||||
| 7 | Minnesota Vikings | Bryant McKinnie | OT | Miami, Fla. | 7th | — | 4/7 |
| They would love a chance to select a mammoth tackle to rebuild their offensive line with. | |||||||
| 8 | Kansas City Chiefs | John Henderson | DT | Tennessee | 12th | up (+4) | 8/21 |
| The Chiefs continue to strikeout on defensive tackles in free agency, so they must land an impact player here. | |||||||
| 9 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Mike Williams | OT | Texas | 9th | — | 4/9 |
| The Jaguars would be happy to see a big offensive tackle fall to them. Whether that happens is debatable at this point. | |||||||
| 10 | Cincinnati Bengals | Joey Harrington | QB | Oregon | 4th | down
(-7) |
4/18 |
| Harrington gives the Bengals a young franchise quarterback to build around if he falls here. | |||||||
| 11 | Indianapolis Colts | Roy Williams | S | Oklahoma | 11th | — | 3/11 |
| Williams would give Tony Dungy an enforcer to build his defense around. | |||||||
| 12 | Arizona Cardinals | Wendell Bryant | DT | Wisconsin | 10th | dawn
(-2) |
7/12 |
| The Cardinals need an impact player along their defensive line. Ideally, a perimeter player would be a perfect fit, but the interior players grade much higher at this point of the first round in 2002. | |||||||
| 13 | New Orleans Saints | Kalimba Edwards | DE | South Carolina | 18th | up (+5) | 9/20 |
| The loss of Joe Johnson to Green Bay really leaves a huge hole along their defensive line. Edwards would be an ideal addition here. | |||||||
| 14 | Tennessee Titans | Phillip Buchanon | CB | Miami, Fla. | 13th | down
(-1) |
10/14 |
| If Buchanon or one of the defensive tackles fall here, the Titans will surely scoop them up. If none are on the board, don't be surprised if they take the best athlete on the board. | |||||||
| 15 | New York Giants | Jeremy Shockey | TE | Miami, Fla. | 15th | — | 9/15 |
| Shockey would give the Giants much more production from the tight end position in the passing game, but I wouldn't be surprised if they take a defensive end. | |||||||
| 16 | Cleveland Browns | T.J. Duckett | RB | Michigan State | 16th | — | 16/25 |
| Expect the Browns to add some offensive line help this spring, but a true feature back would be a nice addition to go along with their upgrades. Sure James Jackson could be a better back with improved blocking, but he isn't durable enough as a workhorse. Duckett would give the Browns some pop on the ground, but is also versatile. | |||||||
| 17 | Atlanta Falcons | Ashley Lelie | WR | Hawaii | 14th | down (-3) | 13/28 |
| The Falcons continue to add playmakers around Michael Vick. Lelie has natural downfield skills. | |||||||
| 18 | Washington Redskins | Toniu Fonoti | OG | Nebraska | 22nd | up (+4) | 14/ — |
| The Redskins may try trading up for Joey Harrington. The Redskins would like to nab a playmaker or defensive lineman, but don't rule out Fonoti. | |||||||
| 19 | Denver Broncos | Ed Reed | S | Miami, Fla. | 19th | — | 19/30 |
| Reed would really glue the Broncos' secondary together with his feel for the game. | |||||||
| 20 | Seattle Seahawks | Charles Grant | DE | Georgia | 20th | — | 20/ — |
| Grant would be an ideal fit for the Seahawks. He would upgrade their pass rush and also help against the run. | |||||||
| 21 | Oakland Raiders (from T.B.) | Antonio Bryant | WR | Pittsburgh | 17th | down
(-4) |
13/ — |
| An Al Davis pick. Bryant would benefit learning from Jerry Rice for a year or two. | |||||||
| 22 | New York Jets | Lito Sheppard | CB | Florida | 26th | up (+4) | 21/26 |
| The Jets are still looking to rebuild their secondary with a solid young corner who can make some plays. | |||||||
| 23 | Oakland Raiders | Napoleon Harris | LB | Northwestern | — | — | 25/ — |
| The Raiders need a young linebacker. At this point, Thomas is a better fit than Napoleon Harris for the Raiders. | |||||||
| 24 | Baltimore Ravens | Levi Jones | OT | Arizona State | 24th | — | 14/29 |
| They could go for a skill player, but the offensive line needs to regroup and provide Chris Redman and Jamal Lewis the opportunity to make plays. | |||||||
| 25 | New Orleans Saints (from MIA) | Jabar Gaffney | WR | Florida | 21st | down
(-4) |
13/31 |
| Gaffney would add a much needed target to take pressure off fellow wide receiver Joe Horn. | |||||||
| 26 | Philadelphia Eagles | Andre Gurode | C/OG | Colorado | 27th | up (+1) | 20/27 |
| Gurode would definitely bolster the Eagles' offensive line and provide a nasty streak. | |||||||
| 27 | San Francisco 49ers | Mike Pearson | OT | Florida | 29th | up (+2) | 27/29 |
| The 49ers must begin looking ahead to the future along the offensive line. Pearson would be an ideal fit here. | |||||||
| 28 | Green Bay Packers | Josh Reed | WR | Louisiana State | 25th | down
(-3) |
24/ — |
| The Packers prefer not taking a wide receiver this high, but Reed is smart and polished enough to contribute immediately. | |||||||
| 29 | Chicago Bears | Bryan Thomas | DE | Ala.-Birmingham | — | up | 29/ — |
| The Bears take a pass rusher with a lot of upside potential. | |||||||
| 30 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Daniel Graham | TE | Colorado | 30th | — | 19/32 |
| Graham would give the Steelers another option in their passing game while working behind Mark Bruener. Washington State free safety Lamont Thompson continues to be the darkhorse. | |||||||
| 31 | St. Louis Rams | Reche Caldwell | WR | Florida | 28th | down
(-3) |
17/ — |
| Caldwell would be a fine addition to the Rams' passing game. | |||||||
| 32 | New England Patriots | Robert Thomas | LB | UCLA | 23rd | down
(-9) |
23/ — |
| Thomas would be a fine fit in Bill Belichick's defense due to his smarts and toughness. | |||||||
| Fallen
from the rankings:
Saleem Rashaad — Alabama (No. 31); William Green — Boston College (No. 32). |
|||||||
