Here’s my first ever NFL Mock Draft.

My assumptions to note:

Based on all of the talk lately, it appears Braylon Edwards is on his way out of Cleveland.

Same with Chad Johnson and Cincinnati

With that in mind, here’s my projected 1st Round.

1st: Detroit Lions

Matthew Stafford, QB, Georgia: The Lions need many things, and unfortunately no one wants to acquire the first pick. That said, I’m probably one of Stafford’s biggest critics, but I’m sure the Lions will undoubtedly buy into his hype and draft him anyways.

2nd: St. Louis Rams

Jason Smith, OT, Baylor: The best available offensive lineman, the Rams also need help in a lot of areas, but they will most likely take the safest pick and draft Smith. Smith is a man-moving machine and what impresses scouts the most is his work ethic and attitude, which separates him from that other Smith, Andre.

3rd: Kansas City Chiefs:

Aaron Curry, LB, Wake Forest: Remember the last player drafted from Wake Forest in the first round? Neither do I. But Curry is about as well-rounded as middle linebackers come, and he will probably make a Patrick Willis type impact right away.

4th: Seattle Seahawks:

Malcolm Jenkins, CB, The Ohio State University: The Seahawks could use Eugene Monroe, but a more pressing need is in the defensive backfield. Jenkins has everything the Seahawks need: size, work ethic, attitude, and skill set, and guess what, Eben Britton (Arizona) will be sitting there with the 36th pick. In my opinion, the Seahawks are better off taking Jenkins and Britton than Monroe and a second tier safety.

5th: Cleveland Browns:

Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech: Mel Kiper stole this pick from me. As soon as I heard the Browns were shopping Edwards around for a first round pick I assumed we would draft a receiver at #5 and worry about defense later on in the first round. If this is the case, I’d love for the Browns to take Laurinaitis as well.

6th: Cincinnati Bengals:

Andre Smith, OT, Alabama: A friend of mine once told me he’d be ecstatic if the Bengals could land Smith. Well now they can, and Smith’s character issues play right into Marvin Lewis’ coaching philosophies.

7th: Oakland Raiders:

Jeremy Maclin, WR, Missouri: Speed, return skills, ball adjustment skills, soft hands. Al Davis’ dream receiver. But if Randy Moss went from afterthought in Oakland to 23 TD’s in New England, doesn’t that suggest that Oakland can mess up any prospect’s career? I’m a big Maclin fan, and I hope he succeeds in the Black Hole.

8th: Jacksonville Jaguars:

B.J. Raji, DT, Boston College: Jaguars could team up Raji and Henderson to form a dangerous tandem in the middle (no disrespect to Meier).  The Jaguars will most likely take the player their war room has highest ranked that’s still available rather than a team need because the Jaguars suffer from inconsistency, not lack of talent.

9th: Green Bay Packers:

Brian Orapko, DE/OLB, Texas: I wasn’t sure of Orapko until I watched him against the Bucks in the Fiesta Bowl. ‘Nuff said.

10th:  San Francisco 49ers:

Robert Ayers, DE, Tennessee: The 49ers need some defensive line help moreso than any other position.

11th: Buffalo Bills:

Aaron Maybin, DE, Penn State: With the addition of TO, the Bills will look at address their pass rushing, or lack thereof.

12th: Denver Broncos:

Matt Sanchez, QB, USC: After Jaygate, Cutler Fiasco, whatever you want to call it, the Broncos need a franchise QB. I’m much more sold on Sanchez than Stafford and I think Sanchez will end up with a better pro career.

13th: Washington Redskins:

Tyson Jackson, DE, LSU: Albert Haynesworth, Andre Carter, Jackson? Wow. Now if only the Redskins can get production from their talented group of playmakers they took last year in Devin Thomas, Malcolm Kelly, and Fred Davis.

14th: New Orleans Saints:

Vontae Davis, CB, Illinois: Second best CB in the draft, he’s a physical corner who started out his Illini career as a halfback. He’s that athletic.

15th: Houston Texans:

Brian Cushing, OLB, USC: The Texans need a third linebacker to pair up with the talented DeMeco Ryans and Xavier Adibi, the talented Viriginia Tech product who is poised for a breakout 2009 campaign. 

16th: San Diego Chargers:

James Laurinaitis, MLB, The Ohio State University: Imagine Little Animal in powder blue teamed up with the rest of the speedy talented San Diego defense. The only downside? He’ll take away playing time from one of my favorite Ohio State products of all time, Matt Wilhelm.

17th: New York Jets:

Josh Freeman, QB, Kansas State: Of all of my picks, I WILL get this wrong. The Jets will either be sold on Clemens (mistake), Ratliff (mistake), or take someone other than Freeman, who I think fits perfectly with Rex Ryan’s Jets.

18th: Denver Broncos (from Chicago):

Everette Brown, DE, Florida State: Hmm,I’ve seen this player before. His name is Kamerion Wimbley. The Broncos need a DE who can help against the run, but unfortunately Jackson and Ayers are gone.

19th: Tampa Bay Buccaneers:

Clay Matthews, OLB, USC: Replaces Derrick Brooks. Kind of.

20th: Detroit Lions (From Dallas):

Michael Oher, OT, Mississippi: Lions shore up their offensive line.

21st: Philadelphia Eagles:

Chris Wells, RB, The Ohio State University: Brian Westbrook has to break down eventually, right?

22nd: Minnesota Vikings:

Percy Harvin, WR, Florida: The Vikings will hope he turns out better than the last speedster they drafted out of the SEC, Troy Williamson.

23rd: New England Patriots:

Paul Kruger, OLB, Utah: We’ve seen this before.  Unheralded small-school star who blows up in the NFL because of the Patriots system.

24th: Atlanta Falcons:

Rey Maualuga, MLB, USC: Replaces Keith Brooking, and would look great doing the Jamal Anderson dirty bird.

25th: Miami Dolphins:

Kenny Britt, WR, Rutgers: Big playmaking receiver who can be a #1 to Ted Ginn’s #2.

26th: Baltimore Ravens:

Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR, Maryland: Speedy playmaker who can help team out at both receiver and kick returner.

27th: Indianapolis Colts:

Perria Jerry, DT, Mississippi: Who would have thought there would be two Ole Miss prospects taken in the first round.

28th: Philadelphia Eagles (From Carolina):

Louis Delmas, S, Western Michigan: Needed to replace Dawkins.

29th: New York Giants:

Hakeem Nicks, WR, UNC: After Burress got cut, the Giants will need someone to replace him. Note, this pick will be wrong because I personally feel that the Giants will include this pick in a trade to the Browns for Braylon Edwards.

30th: Tennessee Titans:

Brian Robiskie, WR, The Ohio State University: This is a serious pick folks. The Titans need a receiver who’s proven, and Robiskie is the best route runner available.

31st: Arizona Cardinals:

Knowshon Moreno, RB, Georgia: Edgerrin James will likely be cut, JJ Arrington’s gone, and Moreno is a lot better than Tim Hightower.

32nd: Pittsburgh Steelers:

Darius Butler, CB, Connecticut: Playmaking, solid reliable corner. Whoever the Steelers draft here probably won’t play much his rookie season.