Kenny recently turned in an update to his mock draft so I thought it would be a good time to put up my first round mock with some brief (and some not so brief) comments. Of course, I reserve the right to edit this thing right up until the draft starts.

Without further ado allow me to present:

Jeff Wright’s 2007 Mock NFL Draft

1. Raiders – Jamarcus Russell
In designating Russell the number one pick I am operating on the assumption that the Raiders realize they need a quarterback in order to play football. That could very well be a faulty assumption, considering the Raiders demonstrate consistent organizational insanity. I (along with the rest of the world) have a sneaking suspicion that Al Davis has a man-crush on Calvin Johnson and thus we’ll be seeing Calvin in Black and Silver. The other factor, secondary to the Raiders-are-insane issue, is that drafting Russell means a re-tooling (if not necessarily rebuilding) year for the Raiders, not something I can see Randy Moss accepting graciously. With David Carr off the market, Trent Green likely headed to Miami, and Daunte Culpepper apparently applying at your local Wal-Mart as a physically disabled greeter, can the Raiders not take a QB? Yeah, they could. But they shouldn’t.

2. Lions – Gaines Adams
You were expecting Calvin Johnson, right? Actually, here’s a real question: is there a joke that could possibly be made about the Lions drafting WRs in the first round that hasn’t been beaten to death already? I think not and that very well could be a historical anomaly worth documentation. Think of it, a subject being exhausted of all comedic potential. Someone call Stephen Hawking and get him working on this. Anyway, the pick: this is a need and Adams is a good player. There isn’t any way that the Lions feel good about any position on their team so I’m going with “best player plus team’s most gaping hole.” On the other hand, the team could take any player available in this draft and stand a reasonable chance of upgrading over the talent already on their roster.

3. Browns – Brady Quinn
And thus the Charlie Fry era ends. I don’t like Brady Quinn and will openly root against him. However, the Browns need a long-term QB and Brady is from Ohio or something. Who cares, they’ll probably take him even though (and this kills me) they could have set still and taken Adrian Peterson then rolled the dice for a year with David Carr, going Brian Brohm next year if it didn’t work out. Instead they get a very poorly re-treaded tire in Jamal Lewis and the opportunity to pick Quinn too early. Congrats Dawg Pound. Now let the Adrian Peterson (the 2nd best prospect in this draft to my mind) tumble begin.

4. Bucs – Calvin Johnson
Yeah right. No way Calvin Johnson drops to fourth. If, in some Twilight Zone altered reality, another team doesn’t trade up to get him with the Lions pick then please prepare to see John Gruden abandon the Chucky face for an entire season due to overwhelming joy at his team’s good fortune. If this scenario plays out he should immediately leave the draft room (who cares how the rest of it plays out) and start ordering lotto tickets from every state that sells them before flying to Vegas. When your luck runs that strong you gotta ride the wave as far as it’ll go baby.

5. Cardinals – Joe Thomas
Ken Wisenhunt is supposed to be all about a “smash mouth” football scheme so a big meat-mover like Thomas wouldn’t hurt. This would be a practical, appropriate football move: a great prospect at a position the team needs which will enable its stars (Edge, Boldin, and Leinart) to perform at a higher level. The sheer reasonableness of this pick could sabotage my projection as NFL franchises are required to do at least one insane thing per year. I’m willing to give Wisenhunt the benefit of the doubt until he proves me wrong. Countdown begins…now!

6. Redskins – Amobi Okoye
Here is another “never going to happen” moment that comes up in mock drafts where you have to put a player’s name in. This one is even less likely than the Johnson-to-Tampa scenario. The Redskins’ only have this pick between them and the fifth round. Great asset management I must say. They are going to trade back and give themselves something to do the rest of the first day of the draft. Not sure who they will be trading with but since Okoye is the best prospect/highest upside guy left on the board I’m placing his name here. Perhaps the Patriots trade up here to take…whoever they want. I say that because they always have extra picks and seem bent on amassing a talent pool like none seen since before the days of the salary cap.

7. Vikings – Leon Hall
I don’t really believe this one. I think that the Vikings have other needs and that this would be a reach. However, I’m going with best player at need point because I (again) have to stick a name in here. The Vikings are another team I anticipate trading their pick and going in a different direction. If they don’t, Hall, to my mind anyway, is the best cornerback in this draft so it wouldn’t be too bad of a move.

8. Falcons – Alan Branch
I’m not a fan of the Falcon’s secondary so I could just have easily stuck LaRon Landry in here. Branch makes almost as much sense and the Falcons need someone who casts a big shadow up front. The other factor here is that if my friend Kenny read me predicting Landry to the Falcons (he’s a Panthers fan and they need a safety) it isn’t out of the realm of possibility that he’d beat me up. Having said all of that I must also say that it is entirely possible (maybe even slightly likely) that Atlanta won’t be picking here. They got a slew of picks in the Shaub trade. Is it possible that they use that haul to re-tool the team to fit new coach Bobby Petrino’s needs/wants/system? Sure. Is it also possible they trade all those picks to the Raiders/Lions for the privilege of picking Calvin Johnson? Oh yes, yes it is.

9. Dolphins – LaRon Landry
The Dolphins always have a good defense. Somehow they are able to do this despite featuring players who possibly voted in the election which introduced “Reaganomics” into our cultural vocabulary. You’ve got to start adding some youth on that side of the ball. Landry combined with last year’s first rounder Jason Allen should set the ‘Fins up nicely in the secondary for a long time. They also need some offensive line help (“need some” is probably not strong enough; “desperately” might have been more appropriate) so they could go there with this pick. Last but not least, if they fail to land Trent Green, they look forward to making a decision between Cleo Lemon and The-Artist-Formerly-Known-As-Daunte-Culpepper to begin the season. Since his name came up let me ask: has there been a player more victimized by having good backups than Trent Green? You might say Drew Bledsoe but Drew’s own failings are bigger factors in his scenarios than Green’s. He’s a good quarterback, darn it. Maybe it’d be good for his psyche to come to Miami…not much chance that Cleo steals his thunder any time soon.

10. Texans – Levi Brown
Please, if you are reading this and have any connections within the Texan organization, contact them immediately and insist that they use the draft to upgrade their offensive line. Do it for Matt Schaub. Also, if you are close to David Carr, try to get him outside of the house on draft day. I can’t imagine the volume on his “NOW THEY DRAFT A LINEMAN!” exclamation once the Texans hand this pick in. He probably shouldn’t be alone when this plays out. In fact, it’ll be better if he doesn’t get the news until right after Delhomme goes down with his first injury.

11. 49ers – Adam Carriker
Here’s a spot the Niners didn’t fill during this year’s offseason. Carriker plugs in along the line nicely for years to come. If the Niner’s coaching staff can do the voodoo they put on Alex Smith to Carriker we’re probably looking at a hall of famer.

12. Bills – Adrian Peterson
If this scenario plays out then I (a) feel horribly bad for both Adrian Peterson and the Cleveland Browns fanclub as well as (b) come to believe that God is paying Buffalo back for all the years of having to be in Buffalo. I believe Peterson will give the Bills the vast majority of what they lost in McGahee this year and will continue to develop beyond him in year’s to come. That is not so much a commentary on Willis as it is Adrian. It would also insure that I use an early pick in my fantasy draft this year to lock Peterson up long term.

13. Rams – Patrick Willis
Okay, I know the Rams have some holes to fill and I’m not sure where linebacker is on their list of “must address.” Having said that, Willis looks like he’s going to be a star and would be good value at this point. If the Rams have linebacker pegged as a position they need to address early they’ll be quite happy to see Willis fall into their lap.

14. Panthers – Reggie Nelson
This was a toss up for me between Jon Beason and Reggie Nelson. The Panthers need help at both positions and one player is as good as the other to my mind. Either one wouldn’t surprise me. Actually, this pick probably gives us a glimpse into how the Panthers evaluate their own players – is old Mike Minter more of a problem than Dan Morgan’s Swiss cheese skull? Nelson wouldn’t be a bad consolation prize after seeing Laron Landry go off the board.

15. Steelers – Jon Beason
6 of 1, half-dozen of another here. I could swap the Panther’s and Steelers’ picks here with no shock on my part. Really, I think the Steelers need an OLB more than a safety. That’s about all the commentary I got.

16. Packers – Marshawn Lynch
I’ve seen several mock drafts that have the Packers taking Robert Meachem here. That will not happen, do I make myself clear? More on that to come. In the meantime, two years ago when Samkon Gado grabbed everybody’s attention did you not find yourself thinking “Wow…when the Packers get their RB’s all healthy they are going to be deeper than anyone in the league.” They had Ahman, Najeh, and Samkon. [Editor’s note: great name lineup there]. Now none of those backs suit up for the Pack. Irony. Anyway, the Packers need to take Lynch for the same reason the Raiders need to take a quarterback: you need one to play modern football. If they were smart they’d trade up and get Peterson. However: They. Must. Not. Take. Robert. Meachem.

17. Jaguars – Jamaal Anderson
Um, how about a tall, thick WR instead? They like those in Jacksonville. Maybe that Rice kid out of South Carolina. Nah. This Anderson kid is a terror to quarterbacks. Some are saying it was because he was in a scheme that put him in position to get in the backfield. Question: playing beside John Henderson and Marcus Stroud won’t free him up? Yeah. He’ll be fine in Jacksonville.

18. Bengals – Darrelle Revis
Jokes about the Bengals’ players’ legal problems are almost as played out as the situation in Detroit about taking wide receivers. I’m going to skip it here. Revis is talented enough to have gone higher than this and very well could be off the board by now. If not, Marvin Smith gets a player who is more talented than his draft position and the opportunity to address the needs at linebacker later in the draft.

19. Titans – Robert Meachem
See, this is how it’s going to play out. No doubts. None of the other 18 teams are going to want to take the 2nd best receiver in the draft. None. In fact, here’s the rest of the Titan’s offseason for you: they will sign Al Wilson, they will trade for Michael Turner, and they will draft Robert Meachem. This must happen to make the previous months’ departure of 45% of our impact players to other teams. This will also offset the problems…well, just call it “problem” in the singular: Pacman. Maybe not so much on the field (we’ll still need to get a corner back early) but at least in the fanbase. I’ve seen mock drafts that have the Titans going with Ted Ginn, Jr. here. Let me go on record: if that happens I cannot be held responsible for my actions. I screamed at the television for the Titans not to draft Pacman then attacked it when they did. I don’t know what I’ll do if they take Ginn but I do know I won’t be in my right mind.

20. Giants – Paul Posluszny
Hopefully he’s hardnosed; you have to be in order to play for the man who made Tiki retire (can someone get Tiki a handkerchief please?) They need linebackers. Not just in the sense that they need an impact player here; they really need linebackers on the roster. You can’t scrimmage without them and what’s the position coach going to do with his time? Posluszny should be on the field early and often.

21. Broncos – Joe Staley
Hmm…an athletic offensive lineman. So now not only do defenders have to worry about losing their career to a Denver o-lineman but now the Donkeys go get one that can take our your knees swiftly. That’s got to be exciting for the rest of the league. Prediction: Staley is either (a) the first rookie from this class to permanently disable an opposing player or (b) the first rookie from this class to be beaten senseless by an opposing player because Staley almost ended his career.

22. Cowboys – Aaron Ross
I think I’m sure the Cowboys are going to address their secondary with the first pick. Ross is as likely as any other. They signed Ken Hamlin to be their free safety for a year, Newman has one side of the field locked down, and Roy Williams has his spot sealed up tight. Another cornerback makes as much sense as anything else.

23. Chiefs – Dwayne Bowe
I think Bowe’s Senior Bowl performance, combined with his size, talks Edwards in to pulling the trigger. The Cheifs have been getting by with Gonzo plus a bargain bin collection of wide receivers and their offense has begun to show it. Bowe should play right away, takes attention off of Gonzales and Larry Johnson, and gives the Chiefs a faster scoring threat.

24. Patriots – Chris Houston
Does it matter? How could the kid ever get on the field? Houston is likely the best remaining cornerback which gives them depth and an insurance policy in the coming years if Asante Samuel can’t be locked up long term. However, they could just as likely trade out of this pick.

25. Jets – Greg Olsen
I would like to write something along the lines of “Tired of their stadium mates featuring an elite tight end…” but Shockey is either hurt or sucky nowadays so that doesn’t make sense. I’m going with tight end because the Jets need one bad. Chad Pennington played better than anticipated last year but he’s never had a strong arm (nor a consistent TE threat). Enter Olsen who brings Miami pedigree without as much Miami mental disease. Now Chad can waft those passes out to the flat and see them turn into something other than a loss of down. Of course, the Jets could take Rolando Blackman (as an homage to Isaiah Thomas) just to keep their regularly scheduled appoint with their fan base to break their collective hearts.

26. Eagles – Steve Smith
This is by far my biggest reach on this board, I realize that. Let me at least explain myself. One, the Iggles are precariously close to their old WR woes after Dante departed. They need to add some talent. I might think linebacker here (and they very well could take one at this spot instead) but they did just get Takeo Spikes. Lastly, Donovan needs a great bounce-back season after Garcia played so well when McNabb was hurt. Nothing greases the wheel for a good comeback for a QB like a good WR. Now, Steve only gets this spot because his workout was so good and his teammate Jarrett’s was so bad. The last time Smith ran he posted two 4.4’s in the 40 and his pro day apparently impressed scouts. I’m going on limb and saying the Iggles think he’s first round worthy and put him in a green uni.

27. Saints – Brandon Meriweather
The Saints need quite a bit of help in the secondary after it was discovered that Fred Thomas had been playing for three years without a pulse. They won’t be able to repeat last year’s feel-good joyride with that shaky secondary. Meriweather has dropped in my draft due to character concerns but I think that drop has ended at N’awlins. His talent will be worth the Saints taking a chance with him. Sure, he goes to sin city. On the other hand, all the sin dens can’t be up and running yet, right? Also, a veteran heavy team with a mentally tough coach should be a good environment for Meriweather to reform himself in. Lastly, if none of that works, the Saints might need a gangsta to give the team some street cred (and maybe even protection) in a city with a growing security problem.

28. Patriots – Anthony Spencer
I’m of the opinion that the Pats will stay at this pick if Spencer is still available. He’s supposed to be an old skool football player, the kind the Pats love. Combine with it that he’s projected as being able to handle DE and OLB duty and you know the Pats will fall for him – he could play DE,OLB,FB, and TE by the time the Pats are done with him considering how they use their linebackers.

29. Ravens – Ben Grubbs
I would prefer for the Ravens to choose the bubonic plague but I’m fresh out of wishes. Suffice it to say that the Raven’s line is getting old, their QB needs protection, and their offense is predicated on being able to beat people up front. That spells O-lineman to me.

30. Chargers – Ted Ginn, Jr.
I really hate to do that to anyone, particularly LT’s team. I’m convinced that Ginn is by far the most over-rated and over hyped player in this year’s draft, bar none. “Oooooo…he returns kicks…look at Devin Hester….oooooo.” Spare me, please. Ginn is fast I guess. He’s also rail thin and demonstrates a consistently inconsistent set of hands. “But he can return kicks.” That is worth a first round pick? Let me put some names out there: Desmond Howard. Charles Woodson. Chad Morton. Dante Hall. Question: how many of them made an impact on their team’s offense beyond the first season they “broke out” as a kick returner? What about two years later? What about now? The point is this: you only have major success as a kick returner for a year or so until teams figure you out and either quit kicking to you or otherwise game plan to stop you. So is one year’s worth of potential to score TDs on kick returns worth taking a crappy wide receiver? I can’t imagine why it would be for anyone working in an NFL front office. I’m not convinced Ginn can have an impact as a wide receiver without bulking up consistently (and even that assumes that his hands improve). I’m not convinced he can bulk up and maintain his one unique characteristic: speed. I’m not convinced he can go across the middle or even handle being jammed on the line often – his frame makes me think he’ll play in a manner that makes Marvin Harrison look like a bruiser. Buyer beware. Someone will probably take him in the first. If it is any earlier than this it is a catastrophic mistake. If it is the Titans I might be going to jail.

31. Bears – Lawrence Timmons
I’ve got Timmons in here by default, considering that he’s too good to slip out of the first round. I thought this might be Dwayne Jarrett but apparently his stock is suffering from comparisons to fellow former Trojan Mike Williams after a bad pro day. I can buy that, I’d be scared too. I’ve got him here though because he’s got size and hands (or at least appears to.) Muhsin Mohammed is getting older and Jarrett could be his long term replacement, one that compliments Bernard Berrian’s speed. I couldn’t blame the Bears if they got scared off and went in another direction though. Lawrence Timmons would be too good to pass over at this slot.

32. Colts – Justin Harrell
I’m going to join the throng projecting Harrell as the Colt’s first round solution. One, he’s first round talent that slipped because he got hurt. Two, he fits a need on the Colts. Three, this makes two University of Tennessee Volunteers drafted in the first round and that makes me happy.