1. Houston Texans - Reggie Bush; RB (USC) If they make this pick it’s purely best player available before team needs. Bush would bring instant media attention to an otherwise lackluster organization, but they’d be better off dealing the pick to the Broncos or the Jets.

2. New Orleans Saints - D’Brickashaw Ferguson; OT (Virginia) I think Ferguson is definitely the second player taken in the draft, but watch for the Saints to attempt a move down to 4 or 5 and shore up their defense.

3. Tennessee Titans - Matt Leinart; QB (USC) Norm Chow was the Offensive Coordinator for USC before coming over to the Titans last year. While Tennessee has more pressing needs than a QB, all indications point to the 2004 Heisman winner becoming a Titan.

4. New York Jets - Mario Williams; DE (North Carolina State) This is probably the obvious pick for the team who just lost a three time Pro Bowl DE John Abraham. I refuse to believe they’ll trade #4 and #29 to draft Leinart, but if they decide to reach for a quarterback here, they had better hope that someone like Kiwanuka or Hali falls to 29.

5. Green Bay Packers - A.J. Hawk; OLB (Ohio State) I’m not sure if anyone could convince the Packers not to take A.J. Hawk. Brett Favre’s retirement may hinge upon the amount of protection he has, but Hawk has all the makings of a franchise player who could start immediately.

6. San Francisco 49ers - Vernon Davis; TE (Maryland) The 49ers could draft toward any position here and have it be an upgrade. After a trying first season for last year’s #1 (QB Alex Smith), a physical phenom like Davis (6’3” 263, runs a 4.38) could be just the safety valve Smith needs.

7. Oakland Raiders - Vince Young; QB (Texas) Young is a definite “boom or bust” player. While he displays tremendous athletic ability, his throwing motion, intelligence, and ability to take snaps under center are all huge question marks.

8. Buffalo Bills - Haloti Ngata; DT (Oregon) It’s pronounced “NAH-ta”, and I’m pretty sure it’s Samoan for “beast”. At 6’5” 340, he has the size and strength of the prototype NFL nose tackle. The Bills will see an instant impact to their run defense with Ngata.

9. Detroit Lions - Michael Huff; S (Texas) No, they’re not going to draft another wide receiver. Now would be a good time to solidify their O-line, but Ferguson will be long gone and Winston Justice’s value is tarnished by off-field troubles. Huff can be plugged in by week one and should be an immediate force in the secondary.

10. Arizona Cardinals - Jay Cutler; QB (Vanderbilt) The Cardinals may have painted themselves into a corner here. When Kurt Warner missed six games last year, they had Josh McCown to fall back on. If he misses work this season, it’ll be John Navarre or Rohan Davey filling his shoes.

11. St. Louis Rams - Brodrick Bunkley; DT (Florida State) The Rams need help all over their defense, but there isn’t really a safety or a linebacker worth taking here. Their defense against the run has been horrendous for years, and this could help right the ship.

12. Cleveland Browns - LenDale White; RB (USC) The Browns’ top priority targets are probably off the board and there should be plenty of defensive gems later in Day One. At 6’2” 240, LenDale can be the type of “push the pile” back Cleveland needs to improve their red zone stats for years to come. The addition of White should also prolong the career of Reuben Droughns.

13. Baltimore Ravens - Winston Justice; OT (USC) The Ravens are desperate to give Kyle Boller 3 seconds to throw the ball, and character issues have never been a problem for them. This pick may be a bit of a reach, but Boller’s helmet won’t think so.

14. Philadelphia Eagles - Santonio Holmes; WR (Ohio State) Total coin flip here. The Eagles need a number one receiver, and they different look in the backfield. Picking DeAngelo Williams would probably yield results sooner, but they probably feel Holmes will help ease the pain of the last wideout debacle.

15. Denver Broncos - Chad Jackson; WR (Florida) A similar choice to the one that the Eagles faced, but there will be more options at running back later. Having said that, I’m not sure they’d ever need to pass if they drafted the right back here.

16. Miami Dolphins - Jimmy Williams; CB (Virginia Tech) Miami doesn’t have any gaping holes (besides the one at QB for the first 8 weeks) so they’ll probably draft the best player available that fits their needs. J.W. has top 10 talent and Miami should consider him a steal at 16.

17. Minnesota Vikings - DeAngelo Williams; RB (Memphis) Things haven’t really gone the Vikings’ way for the last 15 months. They may finally catch a break if they find themselves able to draft a guy who is the all-time NCAA leader for all purpose yards. Some are unsure if his game will translate at the next level, and his size (5’8” 208) remains a concern, but Minnesota should pull the trigger quickly if he’s available.

18. Dallas Cowboys - Marcus McNeill; OT (Auburn) Typically, a guy like McNeill would never go this high. In my opinion, Dallas should use all of their picks to help buy time for Drew Bledsoe to get the ball deep to Terrell Owens.

19. San Diego Chargers - Ashton Youboty; CB (Ohio State) The Chargers need to get immediate options for it’s 3rd year rookie quarterback to throw to, or defenses will be able to key in completely on Gates and Tomlinson. However, I don’t think they’ll reach for a receiver if Holmes and Jackson are gone. Youboty is the BPA according to their needs.

20. Kansas City Chiefs - Tye Hill; CB (Clemson) The Chiefs are in the same boat as their AFC West rivals. They could use a lot of help at receiver, but will have difficulty justifying the pick for the talent available. The Chiefs need help everywhere on defense, but right now they should add stability in the secondary.

21. New England Patriots - Laurence Maroney; RB (Minnesota) The Pats would like to see Hill or Youboty fall to 21, but if that doesn’t happen then look for them to add an explosive threat to spell Corey Dillon in the backfield.

22. Denver Broncos - Tamba Hali; DE (Penn State) You can’t always get what you want. The Broncos probably want a running back here, but instead they’ll have to take a D-lineman who hasn’t been a Cleveland Brown.

23. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Mathias Kiwanuka; DE (Boston College) The Tampa Bay pass rush is getting a little long in the tooth and Kiwi lives in the backfield. A bit of a reach by most scouts’ analysis, but the best team needs pick available.

24. Cincinnati Bengals - Gabe Watson; NT (Michigan) The Bengals need to tighten up their run defense if they want to step up to the next level, and a big two gapper like Watson could be that step. A man of his size (6’ 3” 341) will be worth the extra coaching he’ll need.

25. New York Giants - Chad Greenway; OLB (Iowa) Greenway did irreparable harm to his draft status when he put up poor numbers at the combine, but he’s still considered by many to be first round talent. The Giants won’t find much first round talent that fits their needs, so they could be the ones who roll the dice on Greenway.

26. Chicago Bears - Leonard Pope; TE (Georgia) Desmond Clark is serviceable, but he isn’t the gamebreaker that the Bears need. Pope could win the starting position by midseason and would be a nice target for whoever ends up the starting QB.

27. Carolina Panthers - Sinorice Moss; WR (Miami FL) Keyshawn Johnson might take some of the heat off of Steve Smith this year, but most of KJ’s productive years are behind him. Many teams will pass on Moss because of his size (5’ 8”), but Smith (5’ 9”) should be able to show Moss how a little guy can get it done in the NFL.

28. Jacksonville Jaguars - DeMeco Ryans; OLB (Alabama) Ryans has often been accused of being too small or too slow, and he’s always overcome those objections through pure effort. The Jags need to bolster their linebacking corp and Ryans is a good value at this point.

29. New York Jets - Nick Mangold; C (Ohio State) If the Jets don’t take at least one O-lineman in the first round, then it’s confirmed that they truly hate Chad Pennington.

30. Indianapolis Colts - Ernie Sims; OLB (Florida State) Despite the fact that Peyton Manning wants better protection, Sims is the best value for the 30th pick. If I were Indianapolis, I would trade up to grab one of the better running backs in this year’s class. If they go into 2006 with Dominic Rhodes or a second rounder they may struggle to even win the AFC South.

31. Seattle Seahawks - Max Jean-Gilles; OG (Georgia) If the Colts don’t draft this big monster, then I think Seattle will. After losing Steve Hutchinson to free agency, the Seahawks need to pour resources back into their O-line if they want Shaun Alexander to have half the season he had in 2005.

32. Pittsburgh Steelers - Manny Lawson; LB (North Carolina State) Lawson played DE in college, but is expected to make the move to linebacker in the NFL. Pittsburgh’s 3-4 defense is the perfect scheme for Lawson to make the transition, and he could be a dangerous player in years to come.