2005 NFL Mock Draft

*Underclassman

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ROUND 1 | ROUND 2

1. San Francisco 49ers - Alex Smith*, QB Utah
It looks like a deal won’t be in place on draft day, but the 49ers are still likely to make Smith the No. 1 overall selection. Smith will have a lot of adjustments to make at the pro level, but his skills are a good fit for the 49ers system.

2. Miami Dolphins – Ronnie Brown, RB Auburn
The Dolphins have a second-round pick invested in A.J. Feeley, but with a new coaching staff in place, they might be tempted to grab one of the top-two signal callers. However, a running back like Ronnie Brown, who impressed scouts with his all-around skills at the combine, would fill a much bigger need at this time and should be the selection here.

3. Cleveland Browns – Braylon Edwards, WR Michigan
The Browns are in a prime location to trade down with a team looking to jump in front of Chicago to get their choice of wide receivers Braylon Edwards and USC’s Mike Williams. However, if they can’t swing a deal, GM Phil Savage will likely take the best player available despite the fact that wide receiver is not a huge need. The Browns really need an upgrade at left tackle, but Alex Barron would probably be a little bit of a reach here. Cleveland is also lacking playmakers on defense, and with Savage coming over from Baltimore, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him go after a franchise-type player he can build a defense around.

4. Chicago Bears – Cedric Benson, RB Texas
With the acquisitions of wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad and offensive tackle Fred Miller, the Bears give themselves some flexibility here, but in my opinion, they must come out of the No. 4 spot with an offensive playmaker. USC receiver Mike Williams is a possibility here, but the Bears seem to have their eye on Benson. They might also try to slide down a few slots and add an extra pick or two and still come away with Benson.

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Carnell Williams, RB Auburn
The Bucs were near the bottom of the league when it came to running the ball in 2004, and Michael Pittman has never proven he can carry the load for an entire season, so one of the top running backs could tempt Tampa Bay. Jon Gruden’s offense requires a back who can catch the ball out of the backfield, and Williams is a nice fit.

6. Tennessee Titans - Antrel Rolle, CB Miami (Fla)
The Titans suffered through a down year in 2004 thanks mostly to a slew of injuries. But prospects don’t look much better for 2005 after the team was forced to part ways with a handful of key veterans because of the strain on their salary cap. And there are a number of gaping holes that need to be filled on this roster, but none more pressing than at cornerback.

7. Minnesota Vikings (from Oakland) – Mike Williams*, WR USC
The Vikings have gone a long way toward finally shoring up a suspect defense through free agency, and they might be tempted to continue building on that side of the ball with a potential difference maker like Texas linebacker Derrick Johnson or Maryland DE/OLB Shawne Merriman. Williams doesn’t have the speed the Vikings desire, but his presence should solidify the Vikings receiving corps, which lost Randy Moss to the Raiders.

8. Arizona Cardinals – Carlos Rogers, CB Auburn
With the addition of veteran quarterback Kurt Warner, the Cardinals are probably eyeing one of the top-three running backs in this draft or an impact player on defense. They are in desperate need of cornerbacks and might strongly consider West Virginia’s Adam “Pacman” Jones with this pick, but rumor has it Denny Green has Rogers listed as the top corner on his draft board.

Picks: 1-8 | 9-16 | 17-24 | 25-32 | ROUND 2 |

Positional Rankings: QB RB FB WR TE OT OG C - DE DT ILB OLB S CB - K P

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