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1. St. Louis Rams — Ndamukong Suh, DT — Nebraska
The Rams have a lot of holes to fill, including at QB, but short of trading down and taking one, Suh has to be the pick. There’s been a lot of talk about how DTs aren’t typically good picks this high — recently, see how the Atlanta Falcons struck gold with Matt Ryan, while the Rams and Chiefs are still drafting in the Top 10 after taking Chris Long and Glenn Dorsey. Suh, however, is better than both of those players. – Jason A. Churchill

2.   Detroit Lions — Gerald McCoy, DT — Oklahoma
Detroit has two solid young safeties or Berry might be the pick here. The Lions best bet may be to trade down, otherwise McCoy makes too much sense and certainly fills a need on the D-line. Matt Stafford could always use more protection and an improved running game, so if either of the top few tackles ultimately warrant the pick here, Detroit could also go in that direction. Good thing for Lions fans — no wide receivers warrant consideration within several picks of No. 2. – Jason A. Churchill

3.   Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Eric Berry, S – Tennessee
Tampa needs players all over the field, and could spring for an offensive tackle here. Berry, however, is perhaps the best play maker in the draft and is too good a player to pass up at No. 3. This might be the first pick in the draft that draws extensive trade interest as teams below the Bucs look for a shot at Berry, Bradford or Okung, and Tampa would be wise to listen, as they are in dire need of about eight impact players and the draft is a great way to load up on such talent. – Jason A. Churchill

4.   Washington Redskins — Joe Haden, CB — Florida
The Redskins defense played fairly well for a 4-12 team, but the lack of sucess on third down kept the team on the field too long, and Haden has the ability and fluidity to be a shut down corner. Washington would love for Berry to slip to them here, and Sam Bradford is a good possibility here. But we think Mike Shanahan may take a QB in round two or three (Colt McCoy?) and give Jason Campbell another shot. – Chris Crawford

5.   Kansas City Chiefs — Russell Okung, OT — Oklahoma State
Very little doubt that the Chiefs go OT, it’s just a matter of which one they snag. Okung has as much ability as any player in the draft and has been more productive than any of the other OL options. For a team that failed with their last high pick (Tyson Jackson) and hasn’t gotten optimum results out of the pick before (Dorsey), the Chiefs cant afford to take many risks. – Chris Crawford

6.   Seattle Seahawks — Derrick Morgan, DE — Georgia Tech
Seattle could conceivably take any number of routes here, including QB Jimmy Clausen or OT Anthony Davis. If this is the way the first five picks end up, Seattle may be very active in looking to trade down (perhaps to No. 9 with Buffalo) and acquiring extra picks, even though they already possess two firsts. Davis would help fill the team’s biggest area of need on the O-line, but Morgan is generally considered a better talent, and Seattle certainly needs to get better at pressuring the quarterback, having tallied just 28 sacks this past season, fifth-worst in the league. – Jason A. Churchill

7.   Cleveland Browns — Rolando McClain, LB – Alabama
Please do not be fooled by the end of the year run — this team is awful. In spite of the two wide receivers picked in the 2nd round last year, this could be a spot for Dez Bryant, but McClain makes too much sense. McClain is a play maker from the inside position, who also brings high character to the organization, something Holmgren craves. – Chris Crawford

8.   Oakland Raiders — Carlos Dunlap, DE — Florida
Oh, the Raiders.  If there’s one thing you know the Raiders covet (and no, it’s not mediocre football players) it’s speed and size. With Tom Cable officially coming back, you could possibly see them make a play on a quarterback — I think its fairly safe to say that JaMarcus Russell isnt going to work out, but Dunlap is the perfect blend of talent and risk that seems to magnetize to Oakland. – Chris Crawford

9.   Buffalo Bills — Sam Bradford, QB — Oklahoma
Bills fans can rejoice, the dream situation has occurred — at least in this mock. Bradford has the intangiles, accuracy, and release to be Mark Sanchez with more pure arm strength. Of course, the Bills don’t have near the defense or coaching staff that the Jets do, but that’s nit picking. They may need to trade up to do it, and maybe they like Clausen more — but an upset would need to occur for this not to be a QB. – Chris Crawford

10. Denver Broncos — Dez Bryant, WR — Oklahoma State
Brandon Marshall has about as much chance of staying with the Broncos as Carlos Silva has on being in the next SI Swimsuit Issue. The Broncos defense fell apart over the last 10 weeks, but Bryant is a special playmaker. Even if somehow Josh McDaniels makes lovey dovey with Marshall, the lack of playmakers on the offensive side of the ball is enough to warrant another WR. – Chris Crawford

11. Jacksonville Jaguars — Jason Pierre-Paul, DE — South Florida
How this team won seven games I will never know. The Jaguars have a stellar running back in Maurice Jones-Drew, an up-and-coming receiver in Mike Sims-Walker and a somewhat-underrated coach in Jack Del Rio. But the fact this team was in the playoff race until the final week is a head-scratcher. Jacksonville had no pass rush, so we say they take the best pass rusher on the board in Paul. – Chris Crawford

12. Miami Dolphins — Brandon Spikes, LB — Florida
Chad Henne looks like he might be the real deal, and few teams can run the ball better than the Dolphins. Problem is, that in spite of the defense being on the field less than any other in the league they were still a terrible unit. Some of the improvement will come through the natural progression of the two rookies that started at cornerback most of the season — and they were hurt by the injury bug. But adding Spikes to the line-backing core is a natural fit — Spikes was made for the 3-4. – Chris Crawford

13. San Francisco 49ers — Sergio Kindle, OLB — Texas
San Francisco might have been the most confusing team to watch play last year. They were a miracle touchdown pass vs Minnesota and a last second field goal in Seattle from being a 10-6 football team, but instead finished with a mediocre record and missed the playoffs again. If there’s one thing we’ve learned from the Mike Singletary era, it’s that they are going to lean toward defensive play makers — and that’s Sergio Kindle, even with the struggles this year. – Chris Crawford

14. Seattle Seahawks — Anthony Davis, OT — Rutgers
The Seahawks landing the draft’s top pass rusher and the second-best offensnive tackle with their first two picks would probably make a lot of people in the Emerald City happy. y. But there are so many avenues head coach Pete Carroll and GM John Schneider can go, including QB, trade-down scenarios and even the possibility of trading up from one or both of these spots in round one to land the player they really want. Gerald McCoy? Dez Bryant? Russell Okung? Eric Berry? – Jason A. Churchill

15. New York Giants — Navarro Bowman, LB — Penn State
The Giants are another team difficult to figure out. After a hot start, the defense and pass rush that was once the main cog of a championship team struggled to get to the quarterback or cause turnovers. While Bowman does have a few character issues, the top-end speed at the outside position is something the Giants desparately need. Though it wouldn’t be a huge shock to see a defensive lineman here, either. – Chris Crawford

16. San Francisco 49ers — Earl Thomas, S — Texas
For the majority of the season, this looked like a top-10 pick, but still amazing value for an end who struggled to find the field. You won’t find too many years where you see two safeties picked in the first half of the draft — but this year is an exception. Thomas is the perfect fit into an underachieving (and expensive) defensive backfield and can likely be counted on to produce immediately. – Chris Crawford

17. Tennessee Titans — Brian Price, DT — UCLA
For the first half of the year, this was a spot that a lot of people would have projected a quarterback, but with the development of, and cash-commitment to Vince Young we can safely rule that out. No team in football drafts defensive lineman as well as the Titans, and while the tackles performed to acceptable levels in the Titans’ first year without Albert Haynesworth, Price makes too much sense as a replacement as the Titans look to get back to 2008 form. – Chris Crawford

18. Pittsburgh Steelers — Trent Williams, OT — Oklahoma
It’s not that Trent Williams isn’t good, it’s just a matter of value. It’s pretty safe to say that Williams is a right tackle after showing below average results on the left side this past year. With that being said, Williams and Pittsburgh is a perfect marriage. It allows the dissapointing Willie Colon to move inside, and you can book Williams on the right side for a long time. – Chris Crawford

19. Atlanta Falcons — Bruce Carter, LB — North Carolina
Some people would say that the Falcons took a step back last year, but those people didn’t pay much attention. While the Falcons won two less games and missed the playoffs, this was more a result of injuries and a much tougher 2009 schedule. While the offensive line could probably use some work too, adding a jack-of-all trades linebacker like Carter to replace Keith Brooking will vastly improve the defense, both this year and in the future. – Chris Crawford

20. Houston Texans — Dan Williams, DT — Tennessee
Lets congratulate the Texans for finally making the jump to nine wins after seemingly going 8-8 for a decade. Anyone who watched the Texans play knows they can score, but they’ve never had an inside presence on defense in their short history. Williams could either drop or falls based on his performance at the combine, but is probably a safe bet to go in this area. – Chris Crawford

21. Cincinnati Bengals — Jermaine Gresham, TE — Oklahoma State
It may sound redundant, but Gresham to the Bengals just makes too much sense. The Bengals were vastly improved last year because of their performance on defense, but too often the Bengals were unable to pick up third and mediums. The addition of Gresham — if he shows he’s healthy — would open up the offense for Ochocinco and Coles, and give Carson Palmer another weapon with which to play. – Chris Crawford

22. New England Patriots — Ricky Sapp, LB — Clemson
The Patriots have more holes on defense than at any time in the Bill Belichick era. Some of this is due to age, but can also be attributed to some poor personnel choices and falling in love with trading down in the draft a time or two too many. Sapp has been described by experts as the perfect OLB for the 3-4 D, and essentially would be the new Mike Vrabel — without the touchdowns. – Chris Crawford

23. Green Bay Packers — Bryan Baluga, OT — Iowa
Anyone wondering why the Packers would take an offensive-lineman here clearly didn’t see the team play this year. While some of this can be attribued to Aaron Rodgers holding on to the ball too long, the line didn’t play that well either. Baluga is listed at tackle, but has the size and versatility to slide inside — and with the injuries to Chad Clifton among others, versatility is something on which the Packers can’t afford to pass. – Chris Crawford

24. Philadelphia Eagles — Bruce Campbell, OT — Maryland
This may come as a surprise after the trade for Jason Peters last year, but there are two things the Eagles do well; understand the theory of best player available and not settle because of similiarities. The fact’s are that Shawn Andrews was an average right-tackle last year, and Campbell has as much talent and potential of any player in the draft. If Campbell is not their cup of tea you could see a safety or defensive tackle here as well. – Chris Crawford

25. Baltimore Ravens — Aaron Hernandez, TE — Florida
My goodness, do the Ravens need playmakers. While Derrick Mason and Todd Heap have been productive players for close to a decade, the Ravens haven’t been able to move the ball downfield for three years. Hernandez would allow the team such a threat in the middle of the field, and he can also run the screen pass to perfection, a staple of the Ravens offense. – Chris Crawford

26. Arizona Cardinals — Valdimir Ducasse, OG — Massachusetts
The Cardinals really could go a lot of ways here. They could add a linebacker to replace the inproductive and expensive Chike Okefor, or maybe a free safety as the heir apparrent to Adrian Wilson. Unfortunately, the Cardinals interior line is too big of weakness to draft future contributors at other positions. Snatching up the mammoth Ducasse should allow either Kurt Warner or Matt Leinart to find their plethora of WR. – Chris Crawford

27. Dallas Cowboys — Taylor Mays, S — USC
There was not a hotter defense at the end of the year than the Cowboys. That was, of course, until the Vikings completely exposed a below-average secondary. Seahawk fans know as well as anyone that while Ken Hamlin can hit hard, his pass coverage skills are replacement-player level. Adding a superior athlete like Mays is a risk after a poor senior season, but the potential is too large to pass up this late in the first round. – Chris Crawford

28. San Diego Chargers — C.J. Spiller, RB — Clemson
We thought about giving Spiller to the Cardinals, but realized this wouldn’t be fair. No one truely believes that Darren Sproles can be an every down back, and it’s very unlikely that Ladanian Tomlinson can ever be an offensive force again, despite being paid like one. Spiller fits seemlessly into the Chargers offense and allows them to go 13-3 and lose in the divisional every year (sorry Charger fans). – Chris Crawford

29. New York Jets — Golden Tate, WR – Notre Dame
A match made in heaven — minus the USC quarterback throwing to the Notre Dame receiver. Edwards and Cotchery are decent players, but the lack of playmakers is one of the chief reasons the Jets were a 9-7 football team. Tate doesn’t have ideal route running skills, but he makes plays as well as anyone in the draft. Also a guy who can line up in the wildcat position, something Brian Schottenheimer and the Jets love to do. – Chris Crawford

30. Minnesota Vikings — Jimmy Clausen, QB — Notre Dame
Probably the lowest spot you’ll see Clausen in a mock draft right now, but there just aren’t a lot of teams that match up well with Clausen. If you see Sam Bradford go to eeWashington or Seattle, than you might so Clausen go some 20 spots higher, like to Buffalo. But for now, Clausen is a perfect fit to replace Favre in 2011 (come on, you know he’s coming back). – Chris Crawford

31. New Orleans Saints — Everson Griffen, DE — USC
Will Smith was able to give the Saints 13.5 sacks, but they received little pressure from the other defensive lineman. Griffen would be able to step into a rotation with Smith and Charles Grant and help pressure the opponents QB. No team relied more on turnovers to succeed on defense, and while they were oustanding at the task in 2009, it would be a mistake to expect a repeat performance. – Chris Crawford

32. Indianapolis Colts — Patrick Robinson, CB – Florida State
The Colts have very few holes, but the depth in the defensive backfield could use some re-stocking. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the team try and upgrade the offensive line depth, as the running game pretty much evaded the Colts this season. But adding a corner as talented as Robinson this late in the draft would allow the Colts to draft line depth in the later rounds. – Chris Crawford

As your reading this, feel free to picture me wearing Larry King glasses and turning towards whatever camera wants to see my beautiful mug.

Jim Mora wants our offensive lineman to be dirt-bags. I just want them to not be bad at football.

Dave Cameron of USSMariner.com is right when he says we should be “Dancing in the Streets.” Cliff Lee is a legitimate ace, and we acquired him for a reliever, a fourth outfielder, and a pitcher with high upside that’s three years away and could easily still be a reliever. Jack Zduriencick is really good.

Bob Condotta, on his blog, talked about Jake Locker coming back doesn’t help this year, it helps next year.  Not only will the recruiting take a huge jump-up if the Dawgs are better next year, but the ability to red-shirt Nick Montana is invaluable. Don’t believe me? Take a look at Jake Locker.

I really miss being able to see NBA games in Seattle, but the NBA is atrocious right now. Does anyone rotate the ball anymore? Or is that banned?

Basketball, however, in the entire state is amazing right now. Washington State’s Klay Thompson is a first-round pick for sure,  Gonzaga just keeps re-loading, and despite the struggles against Texas Tech and Georgetown, UW is the class of the Pac-10. And look at the high school talent we’ve had. Abdul Gaddy, Josh Smith, Tony Wroten. Ten years ago it was amazing that Michael Dickerson was from Federal Way.

Getting rid of Carlos Silva by itself is a masterful job, but getting someone who can help the next two years for him?  That’s not just good, that’s other worldly. Jason Churchill from Prospectinsider.com says the next move will be  “trading 40-year-old Ken Griffey, Jr. for 26-year-old Ken Griffey, Jr., and dealing two prospects to the 1927 Yankees for Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.”  I find this a bit unrealistic, as we should probably get Whitey Ford in the deal too.

I realize it’s not the most positive thing in the world to say, but the difference between 7-9 and 6-10 is negligible. The higher the draft pick, the better. In the age of parody, the ability to reverse your record is easier than it’s ever been. Are their a lot of holes? Yep. Are three picks in the top 40 going to help eliminate some of those holes? I think so. So … go Titans and Packers.  I could care less about going 8-8, and I want championships.

These are my thoughts. Our guest next week will be Dr. Joyce Brothers and the hottest actor in the business right now — Stephen Dorff.  Until next time …

As a kid, one of my favorite things to do this time of year was write my letter to Santa.  Telling him about the good things I’ve done this year, why I deserved to be on the good list, and if I was really desperate for that Super Nintendo — what I was willing to do/not do for the next year.

For me, part of the thrill of writing the letter was not only my somewhat selfish wants — but it was also what Santa prioritized for me.  Was Optimus Prime (the real one, not that action figure who couldn’t bend nonsense) more essential to receive than the 1990 Topps Rated Rookie set? The VHS copy of TMNT II: Secret of the ooze, or Tecmo Super Bowl?  Santa always seemed to know what what was necessary, and also for some strange reason what was reasonable….

As Seattle sports fans — we probably all have pretty similar big items on our list.  Super Bowls and World Series, or maybe a new NBA team.  I decided to do a somewhat grocery list style of letter to Santa/whoever is listening as a sports fan, and we’ll see how many of these come true (if any…no, that’s negative thinking,  turning on the positivity for Santa and whoever)

* The Mariners don’t hand out long contracts to the likes of Jason Bay or John Lackey

* Mike Holmgren becomes President of the Seahawks and hires Eric DeCosta ( Who’s Eric DeCosta? Director of player personnel for the Ravens, aka one of the best drafting/scouting teams in the NFL.)

* Jake Locker stays

* The Mariners DO sign Nick Johnson, Ben Sheets and John Lackey to  reasonable contracts (Santa, or again, whoever is listening — this may confuse you.  I want John Lackey at…. 4 years 62 million.  I don’t want John Lackey at 5 years 90 million or anything ridiculous like that. Comprende?)

*The Huskies to add one more top 100 recruit to a very solid football class

*The Huskies to add one more top 100 recruit to a very fringe recruiting class (Santa/whoever is listening, nothing against Turkey, and Enes Kanter may be a great player, but he could easily be Patrick Femerling, too. So give me Terrence Jones JUST to be safe.)

*Jake Locker stays

* Seattle University gets into the West Coast Conference

* Ken Griffey Jr. gets about 150 at bats, and makes the most of em.  Love ya Griff/Santa/whoever.

* The Broncos lose their next four games and miss the playoffs

* The Seahawks lose the next four games and miss the playoffs

* With our two top 15 draft picks, we take Carlos Dunlap and Trent Williams

* Jake Locker stays

* Charlotte, Memphis and New Orleans continue to play poorly and not draw fans ( This ones selfish Santa-ever, but I want an NBA team again.)

* Clay Bennett to…… never mind.

* Jake Locker stays

* The Sounders add whatever is necessary to win the MLS cup next year

* No more green jerseys.  For everyone. Ever.  Seriously.

* Last, but certainly not least, Jake Locker stays

There you have it Who-ta (That’s Santa and whoever combined).  If you can give me these things over the next few months…  I promise I’ll be a good boy.  For a little while anyway.