NFL.com's Mayock Breaks Down Almost Every Player in the Draft

Well, not really, but it felt that way during a two-hour conference call that NFL.com draft guru Mike Mayock held with members of the media this afternoon. I'm pretty sure every NFL writer and every college writer in the country was on the call, and that everyone got to ask a question. Mayock is, I am 100 percent certain, either a computer or the 21st-century version of the robot 2XL (without, of course, the 8-track tapes). Only one time in the entire two hours did he fail to answer a question, and that was because somebody asked about a kicker, and he admitted he didn't really look at kickers in the draft.

Hitting some of the highlights, Mayock rates Mark Sanchez the No. 1 quarterback in the draft and doesn't think the Lions should take Matt Stafford (or Sanchez) at No. 1, rates Tennessee's Robert Ayers as the No. 1 defensive end and the No. 3 overall player in this draft and said he believes every team in the top 10 wants out because, "Everybody knows we're upside-down now with this draft. The rookies are getting paid way too much relative to their value."

"Every team in the top 10 is looking to trade out," Mayock said early in the call. "Never seen the situation quite this heavy."

But because every team is looking to trade out, he believes it will be hard for any team to do so. He did cite three possible circumstances that could cause teams that aren't in the top 10 to want to trade into the top 10:

-If one of the top three quarterbacks (Stafford, Sanchez or Josh Freeman) goes in the top four picks, teams needing a QB could look to trade up to make sure they get one. And if Stafford and Sanchez both go in the top four, the scramble for Freeman could really heat up, because there's a big dropoff to the No. 4 QB, whoever that is.

-If the top three offensive tackles -- Eugene Monroe, Jason Smith and Andre Smith -- all go in the top six or eight picks, teams could look to trade up to make sure they get the fourth, Michael Oher, since there's a dropoff after him too.

-If Aaron Curry or Michael Crabtree drops into the 7-8-9 range, teams could trade up thinking they have a chance to snag the best player in the draft.

As for the Lions, if they stay at No. 1, Mayock thinks they should take Monroe rather than Stafford and worry about the QB position with their second pick or even next year, because Sanchez is better than Stafford and "personally, I couldn't afford to take a shot at No. 1 where, if I'm wrong, I set the franchise back a number of years."

Other highlights from the call:

·On the Denver Broncos, who have the 12th and 18th picks in the first round following the trade of Jay Cutler:

"If they don't try to trade up and get Mark Sanchez, I think they're crazy. The bottom line to me is that, if their head coach goes 4-12 with Kyle Orton, he probably gets fired this year. If he goes 4-12 with Mark Sanchez, he's rebuilding. There's only six or seven franchise quarterbacks in this league. Getting rid of one of them, I don't understand the whole thing. But now you've got to go and get another one."

·Rating the quarterbacks:

"Stafford and Freeman have huge arms. They're both more athletic than people think for their size, and they both have tremendous upside. The safest pick is Sanchez. I like all three of them, but I wouldn't bang the table for any of them the way I did for Matt Ryan last year. If I had to pull the trigger on a quarterback in the top 10, I would take Sanchez, because his floor is higher than the other guys.

"The bottom line for me at the quarterback position is guys that can process information and get the ball wwhere it's supposed to go 100 percent of the time. I think Sanchez is the most accurate of the three, and in the USC type of offense I see him make every throw he needs to make in the NFL. He may not be as exciting, but if I've got a top-10 pick and my job's on the line and I'm taking a quarterback, I'm taking Sanchez."

·Mayock's top 10 players in this year's draft:

"What I look at is, three years from now, who are going to be the best football players from this draft? And then I look at who can step in and help right now. So my top 10 is:

1. Monroe
2. Crabtree
3. Ayers
4. Knowshon Moreno
5. Brandon Pettigrew
6. Jason Smith
7. Curry
8. Andre Smith
9. B.J. Raji
10. Sanchez

·Why Monroe over Jason Smith?

"Monroe has the best feet of any tackle in the draft. His feet remind me of Joe Thomas. In the NFL, run blocking isn't as big a deal at that position, and I think Monroe is the best pass-protection left tackle in this draft."

·Why so high on Robert Ayers?

"I think, if he gets with a creative defensive coordinator who's willing to move him around like a Justin Tuck, three years from now he'll be the best defensive player from this draft."

·Where do you think Sanchez goes?

"Seattle has a decision at 4. Hasselbeck is 33, had an injury last year and they're rebuilding a bit.. Sanchez's style is similar to Hasselbeck a little bit, but I think Hasselbeck has another two or three years left in him. After that, the next pressure point is Jacksonville at No. 8, San Francisco at 10 might look to him, and then Denver at 12, who I think have to go get him."

·What will teams do about Pat White?

"Pat White is not a gimmick. He's one of those special players that there aren't many of every year, and I'll probably say the same thing about Tim Tebow next year. They're the kind of kid you want with the ball in their hands. There are teams that like him only as a quarterback and would take him in the third round. Other teams see added value with the wildcat and would take him in the second round. I would take him in the wildcat this year and try and develop him as a full-time quarterback over the next two or three years, because I think he has that type of ability. Teams like Jacksonville and Minnesota ought to be killing to get the kid -- teams that are struggling to gain yardage in chunks."

·Team-Specific Stuff:

Chiefs (No. 3 overall pick) - "They could go one of two ways. One way is Aaron Curry. I'm not as much a Curry advocate when it's a 3-4, although I think he could do it and bring some versatility to it because he's so athletic. The other way, which I kind of like is, he's a Belichick guy, and they build from the inside out. And if Stafford goes No. 1, Kansas City would be guaranteed one of the two big offensive tackles, either Monroe or Jason Smith. So I think it's either Curry or one of the two tackles."

Packers (9) - "I think they look at a tackle if one of the big guys is available, maybe Oher, though that may be a little high for Oher. Or they look defense at a guy like Orakpo."

49ers (10) - "If not Sanchez, then the best edge rusher available. Orakpo, if he's still there. Brian Cushing could be a good fit for them, but it might be early to take him. Maybe too early for Aaron Maybin or Larry English too."

Redskins (13) - "I'm not ready to give up on Jason Campbell. I think the kid's had too many different offensive coordinators in a short period of time. And if they wanted to trade up to get Sanchez, they would need draft picks, of which they don't have many. At 13, they'll be looking offensive tackle, but if Oher's gone, there's a dropoff between Oher and Eben Britton. Maybe a defensive end, like a Tyson Jackson or Ayers? Or maybe the outside linebacker position. The problem with 13 for them this year is that they don't have much ammunition to move up, and Oher and Sanchez will probably be gone. Cushing would be very logical there."

Jets (17) - "When you're sitting at 17, you've got to be a little bit flexible. The quarterback thing is No. 1 for them. I think they've got to look at wide receiver next. Harvin, Darrius Heyward-Bey, Kenny Britt, Brian Robiskie and Hakeem Nicks all should be available at that point. Of those, Heyward-Bey is the fastest. Britt and Nicks are more control receivers. Robiskie's more of a second-round guy."

Eagles (21 and 28) - "My favorite running back this year is a guy I know they like a lot, Knowshon Moreno from Georgia. I've got him graded higher than Beanie Wells. He's 217 pounds. He's got everything but long speed. His lateral quickness and speed burst is incredible. He makes people miss. His acceleration is incredible. I think he's going to go somewhere in the 15-to-25 range, so the Eagles will be holding their breath there a little bit.

"If Brandon Pettigrew was available at 21, I think it would be shortsighted not to consider him. Pettigrew helps you in both phases of the game. He's the best blocking tight end in the draft, and he's a better pass receiver than people give him credit for. He ran 4.8 at the combine, but he's faster than that. Could he go at 11 to Buffalo? Probably not, but probably somewhere in the 20s. I can't imagine he can get past Atlanta at 24."

Vikings (22) - "The Vikings need to find a way to get bigger chunks of yardage than just giving the ball to Adrian Peterson. They need to find a playmaker. If a guy like Percy Harvin slides, do you take a chance with a kid that's got some real off-field issues but might be a human highlight reel? They have some questions at right tackle, but they need to find a way to make some plays.

"If I'm the Vikings, I take Pat White in the second round and line him up at the wildcat with Adrian Peterson. I think that would give defensive coordinators nightmares."

Ravens (26) - "Heyward-Bey is a local guy and the fastest guy in the draft. I'm not 100 percent convinced on his hands, but he's a guy they'd have to look at given Flacco's arm. Robiskie's the one guy I would look at if you had a true No. 1 on the other side. I think he could step in and give you 60 catches just because he's so well disciplined."

Whew. There's actually more, but I'll stop there for now and pick through the rest. I'll post it if I find anything especially brilliant. But that should be plenty to chew on for now.