Kansas City won’t trade its third overall pick. Seattle is bluffing over taking Mark Sanchez. Oakland will shock everyone again.
The Redskins still won’t get Sanchez. Instead, they’ll take Texas defensive end Brian Orakpo. And, that would be a great move.
Picking the NFL draft is like juggling chainsaws — one of them is going to cut you down. The first 13 picks are largely about receivers and linemen. There are plenty of both, plus a couple quarterbacks.
The most sure thing appears Detroit taking quarterback Matthew Stafford. Afterwards, even St. Louis going for offensive tackle Eugene Monroe is uncertain. The Rams will choose an offensive tackle, but which one is uncertain.
Then we hit the shuffle. Anything can happen. Kansas City has flirted with dealing its pick, but I think that’s smoke and the Chiefs will grab Wake Forest linebacker Aaron Curry. Seattle is expected to choose Sanchez as its future quarterback, but that also feels like a ruse. Teams rarely spend top 5 picks on a long-term player anymore, especially quarterbacks if they have a passer with a few years left. Instead, the Seahawks take offensive tackle Andre Smith.
Cleveland needs a receiver, but reports say Michael Crabtree rubbed them wrong. It could be a bluff, but I’ll choose Jeremy Maclin. Cincinnati certainly doesn’t need another high-maintenance receiver so they’ll select Jason Smith. Oakland then pulls the stunner, taking Maryland receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, who’s not a top-10 talent but the Raiders seem to love his speed. Otherwise, Heyward-Bey goes to Baltimore at No. 26.
Jacksonville has a tough choice — Crabtree or Sanchez? The Jags could go either way, but Crabtree is the choice. Green Bay stays with defense for tackle B.J. Raji before San Francisco breaks the Redskins’ hearts by grabbing Sanchez at No. 10.
Buffalo then grabs offensive tackle Michael Oher before Washington gets him. Denver would take Sanchez if still available, but settles for defensive end Tyson Jackson.
Washington must choose between Southern Cal linebacker Rey Maualuga, Penn State defensive end Aaron Maybin or Orakpo. All three are good choices, but always take a pass rusher over linebacker if possible and Orakpo is quicker off the line than Maybin.
The Redskins secondary is thinner this season. With the offseason pickup of tackle Albert Haynesworth, a pass-rushing end is the final piece to remaining a dominant defense.
Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more at TheRickSniderReport.com or e-mail [email protected].
