NFL Draft Preview JCATO Style

I love the NFL Draft. The surprises, the live coverage, the 3500 picks, the Minnesota Vikings mishaps. I'm just waiting for them to add a musical element to it. You know, like when they say, "With the first pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions select (insert Matt Stafford's name here)" there should be an entrance song like in baseball or boxing or MMA.

Sadly, there's not. At least not yet.

So instead, I decided to do it myself. Based on ESPN's mock draft, I looked at the top 10 selections and picked a song for each one of them. In some cases, the song describes the athlete, in others it describes the needs of the team, in still others it describes the situation the athlete will be drafted into.

Here's what I came up with:

1) Detroit Lions - Matthew Stafford, QB, Georgia. Timbuk 3 - Future's So Bright (I Gotta Wear Shades). Given that the Lions finished last season winless, any future is brighter than their past. They clearly need a franchise quarterback, but they also need a lot of other pieces as well. But hey, they already took a step in the right direction by changing their logo. Well, sort of.

2) St. Louis Rams - Jason Smith, OT, Baylor. Ashford & Simpson - Solid As A Rock. The Rams had a dreadful season last year and are looking to replace all-pro tackle Orlando Pace. Scouts seem to agree that Smith will be a premier starting left tackle, which will help keep quarterback Marc Bulger upright and healthy.

3) Kansas City Chiefs - Aaron Curry, LB, Wake Forest. Joe Esposito - You're the Best Around. The consensus seems to be that Aaron Curry is the best all-around football player in this draft. Logically (?) therefore, he's projected to be taken 3rd by the Chiefs. And he's not only the best player in the draft, he also may be the best person, too.

4) Seattle Seahawks - Mark Sanchez, QB, USC. Eagles - New Kid in Town. The Seahawks are hoping that Sanchez will be the heir apparent to current and aging quarterback Matt Hasselbeck. But I'm not sure any quarterback can be successful with shoddy protection and receivers that drop balls like they're point-shaving.

5) Cleveland Browns - BJ Raji, DT, Boston College. The Beatles - Help! The Browns took two huge steps backward last year after a 10-win season two years ago. They have offensive weapons, but need a lot of help on defense. BJ Raji seems to have the ability to stop the run and rush the passer...which would certainly help.

6) Cincinnati Bengals - Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia. Bruce Springsteen - Protection. The Bengals have been on a steady decline since their playoff berth (and Carson Palmer injury) in 2005. They are looking for someone to anchor their offensive line and provide Palmer with some protection. Of course, Chad Ochocinco will probably request (or demand) a trade any time now meaning that wide receiver would be a need as well...wait, what? The trade rumors have started already? Really? This close to the draft? Shocking!

7) Oakland Raiders - Jeremy Maclin, WR, Missouri. Tracy Chapman - Fast Car. There is actually a double meaning to this song. First, scouts seem to agree that Michael Crabtree is the best wide receiver in the draft, but they also agree that Al Davis is old, scary-looking, and senile. And that he loves speed. Therefore, they give the edge to Maclin in this spot. Second, Al Davis represents the deadbeat dad in "Fast Car," singlehandedly running the Raiders organization into the ground. Kind of disappointing to me, because I happen to like Maclin (disclaimer - he was on my U-Sports college fantasy football team) and would hate to see him go into Oakland's Black Hole.

8) Jacksonville Jaguars - Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech. LL Cool J - Phenomenon. As I said, Crabtree gets the scouts' nod as the best receiver. I agree with them. He's a physical specimen and probably had the highlight of the year last year in Texas Tech's upset of then-#1 Texas. Granted, Texas Tech throws the ball 600 times a game which probably inflated his numbers a bit, and he had a nagging ankle injury, but he's still going to be a great pro receiver.

9) Green Bay Packers - Andre Smith, OT, Alabama. ABBA - Take a Chance on Me. Don't do it, Packers. It's really kind of hard to believe how far Smith has fallen in the last few months. By the end of the college football season, he seemed to be a lock as a top 5 pick. Then he got fat and lazy, and left the NFL combine early and unannounced. Either he thinks he's already been drafted and signed or he's getting really bad advice. Big gamble.

10) San Francisco 49ers - Michael Oher, OT, Mississippi. Destiny's Child - Survivor. Oher may be one of the best stories in the draft. If you haven't seen it yet, you can watch it here. Or you can probably watch it during ESPN's 15 hours of pre-draft coverage. Oher has a reputation as being a great run blocker, which would help Frank Gore. And it seems that head coach Mike Singletary wants to run the ball, which should be easier now that Mike Martz is gone.

As with any mock draft, there is zero chance that the picks fall into place this way. So check back next week for my draft recap.