2nd Round...

Virginia's Chris Cook should hear his name called at some point on Friday night. Is he a 2nd rounder? I think he is...



With no real introduction, let’s just slam right into Part II of the First Annual Wahooze Mock Draft!


SECOND ROUND

Pick #33, St. Louis Rams – Golden Tate, WR, Notre Dame
I’ll be shocked if this pick isn’t traded to some team desperate to move up for Jimmy Clausen. But we’re not plotting trades in this mock, so the Rams stay put and attempt to address their glaring need for a #1-type receiver for Bradford to throw to. I’m not sure if Golden Tate is a legit go-to receiver, but his talent certainly helps to lift the Rams at this position.

#34, Detroit Lions – Rodger Saffold, OT, Indiana
Opting to forego their sucking need for o-line help in order to draft Suh in the first round, the Lions now need to circle back and find a tackle. Saffold has first-round talent but not first-round name recognition or hype. I think Detroit would be very happy with this pick in the long haul, as Saffold has better raw tools than any of the first round tackles.

#35, Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Ricky Sapp, DE/OLB, Clemson
The Bucs need a speed rusher to pair with McCoy to rebuild the d-line. Sapp fits the bill, and instantly becomes the team’s best pass rusher the second his name is called by the commissioner.

#36, Kansas City Chiefs – Charles Brown, OT, USC
He’s a ho-hum, middling member of this loaded offensive tackle draft class, but he fits the Chiefs’ primary need at this point and brings pretty impressive ability to the table.

#37, Philadelphia Eagles – Nate Allen, S, South Florida
Now with Robinson and Allen (a very solid free safety prospect) in tow, the Eagles secondary appears to be officially rebuilt.

#38, Cleveland Browns – Jimmy Clausen, QB, Notre Dame
No way he slides this far, but if he does, Browns fans rejoice. (Or do they? I seem to remember another “NFL-ready” Notre Dame quarterback failing in Cleveland. And pretty recently, too.)

#39, Oakland Raiders – Tim Tebow, QB, Florida
Wouldn’t this just be the ultimate irony? I really can’t avoid this projection, try as I might. It’s just too perfectly imperfect. It’s crazy. Al Davis crazy. I have goosebumps just thinking about the potential of this happening. Everyone knows JaMarcus Russell is a bust with a capital B, so on some level it makes sense that the Raiders would make this pick. Tim Tebow in the Black Hole... I just love it.

#40, San Diego Chargers – Jonathan Dwyer, RB, Georgia Tech
They made the luxury pick of Demaryius Thomas at #28 knowing that they’d have some nice options to fill their RB need here at #40. Dwyer is the second best bellcow-type runner in this draft, behind Mathews.

#41, Buffalo Bills – Colt McCoy, QB, Texas
I really love how and where the QBs are falling in this mock draft. Trent Williams / Colt McCoy is just about the best possible scenario for the Bills with their first two picks. For the record, McCoy is my favorite QB in this draft. I think he has Brees-esque tools.

#42, Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Carlos Dunlap, DE, Florida
Perhaps a bit redundant with the Ricky Sapp selection seven picks earlier, you must keep in mind that the Bucs really need help at the defensive end position. Sapp is a small, fast edge rush type and Dunlap is a big, athletic power rusher, so the two are really complementary, and should work well in tandem.

#43, Denver Broncos – Damian Williams, WR, USC
A slick, polished receiver with solid #2 potential, Williams doesn’t completely fill the massive void left by Brandon Marshall, but he’s a very good start. This is the type of receiver that ends up being a rock-solid player and citizen that other teams end up coveting while they try to wrangle their own divas at the position.

#44, New England Patriots – Rob Gronkowski, TE, Arizona
Da Gronk should be a nice fit with Tom Brady and the Patriots offense. He’s not flashy, but he’s effective and complete. If it weren't for the back injury he suffered last season, Gronk would have been a first round lock. He's eerily similar to Heath Miller.

#45, Denver Broncos – Thaddeus Gibson, OLB, Ohio State
A major coup for the Broncos here. Gibson is just a hair behind Graham, Kindle, and Sapp in the explosive 3-4 edge rusher pecking order.

#46, New York Giants – Toby Gerhart, RB, Stanford
The Giants backfield is a bit of a muddled mess, but Gerhart’s hard running and high energy level should play well in the NFC East. Gerhart is the grinder that the team always hoped Brandon Jacobs would become.

#47, New England Patriots – Corey Wootton, DE, Northwestern
Wootton is a nice plug&play option for the Pats, who have a big need at defensive end.

#48, Carolina Panthers – Everson Griffen, DE, USC
Welcome to the party, Panthers. Griffen is immensely talented, but constantly needs a fire lit under his ass. In other words, the perfect player to replace Julius Peppers.

#49, San Francisco 49ers – Terrence Cody, DT, Alabama
The Niners roll the dice on the immense girth of Mount Cody to fill their need at nose tackle. Cody is a truly galvanizing player in this draft. Some see his clear first round potential, while others can't get past his ballooning weight issues. In the end, I think the film of last season and especially 2008 sells some team in the second round. The Niners need a nose tackle, so here it fits.

#50, Kansas City Chiefs – Brian Price, DT, UCLA
In a draft this loaded with talent, you will see some surprising slides. Here, the Chiefs gladly reap the rewards of one such slide. Worthy of a first round pick, Price is a very good player, as a penetrating-type one gap tackle who makes tons of plays in opposing backfields.

#51, Houston Texans – Tyson Aluala, DT, California
Aluala is another fast-riser in this year’s draft. Teams covet his versatility, non-stop motor, and high character. He fits with the Texans as an instant-impact part of the Amobi Okoye/Shaun Cody DT rotation.

#52, Pittsburgh Steelers – Kareem Jackson, CB, Alabama
The Steelers have to do something about their cornerback position. Jackson has elite physical skills, and just needs refinement. Great pick for Pittsburgh here.

#53, New England Patriots – Brandon LaFell, WR, LSU
The Patriots are getting old at the wide receiver position. LaFell gives them a contingency plan for when Randy Moss walks as a free agent after the 2010 season.

#54, Cincinnati Bengals – Chris Cook, CB/S, Virginia
This pick kills two birds with one stone for the Bengals, who need a rangy ceterfielder type of safety and also a solid developmental #3 corner and nickelback. Cook’s ultimate position in the pros is undecided, but Cincy can use him either way. Projecting him to the NFL, I think Chris Cook has an awful lot of Rod Woodson in his game.

#55, Philadelphia Eagles – Linval Joseph, DT, ECU
Joseph is an incredible athlete at 330 pounds. His meteoric late rise up draft boards culminates with being picked in the second round by the Eagles, who can use reinforcements all along their d-line.

#56, Green Bay Packers – Vladimir Ducasse, OT/G, UMass
Ducasse is a massive but raw o-line prospect. He’s a nice fit for the Packers, who can grant him the luxury of learning behind Chad Clifton and/or Mark Tauscher for a year or maybe two.

#57, Baltimore Ravens – Aaron Hernandez, TE, Florida
The Ravens need an heir apparent to Todd Heap, and Hernandez fits the bill. He’s a great receiving tight end with the potential to really improve quickly as a blocker.

#58, Arizona Cardinals – Perrish Cox, CB, Oklahoma State
BPA for the Cards. Cox should quickly become a good starter, giving the team numerous options in the secondary.

#59, Dallas Cowboys – Lamarr Houston, DT, Texas
The Cowboys will likely flex Houston out to end. He’s a squat, bowling ball type of lineman who is very good against the run.

#60, Seattle Seahawks – Jahvid Best, RB, California
Pete Carroll is on record saying the Seahawks will be looking for a workhorse-style power back. Best isn’t that. He’s a 10-12 carry per game big play weapon ala Reggie Bush. The ‘Hawks can wait on the power back, and enjoy the idea of having the explosive Best in their rebuilding backfield.

#61, New York Jets – Morgan Burnett, S, Georgia Tech
Burnett fills a big need at safety for the Jets. He’s a bit of a work in progress, but has all of the measurables to emerge as a quality starter in time.

#62, Minnesota Vikings – Akwasi Owusu-Ansah, CB, Indiana (PA)
This small school stud has Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie type potential at a position of immediate need for the Vikes. AOA is also a top-notch return man.

#63, Indianapolis Colts – Daryl Washington, LB, TCU
Washington, a smallish, athletic, attacking-style linebacker, is an excellent fit with the fleet-footed Indy defense.

#64, New Orleans Saints – John Jerry, G/T, Ole Miss
The Saints fortify their o-line with this talented swing man. Jerry has the potential to fill any of three spots along the line – LG, RG, or RT.