Mock Draft: Picks 1-4

As promised, today marks the start of an eight-day sequence in which I will cover all 32 first-round picks. Without further ado, here are the first four picks of the mock draft:

1. Oakland Raiders (2-14): JaMarcus Russell, QB, LSU
- The Raiders have had a tumultuous off-season, bringing in an entire new offensive coaching staff and excising many players. Lane Kiffin’s first task as the team’s new head coach is to resurrect an offense that was historically bad in 2006. The team has just two quarterbacks on the active roster, and one of them, Marques Tuiasosopo, is on his way out. The team will draft a quarterback at #1 – Andrew Walter is not an NFL starter. Russell (right) gets the nod for now, but Brady Quinn will make a major push to be picked by the Raiders.

2. Detroit Lions (3-13): Brady Quinn, QB, Notre Dame
- In their first season under Rod Marinelli, Detroit was not nearly as bad as their 3-13 record indicates. The team hung close in a lot of games that they shouldn’t have. With that said, the Lions still have a long way to go. Jon Kitna had a solid ’06 season, but too many turnovers from the quarterback lost his team games. He will also be 35 years old. This is the year that the Lions will draft their QB of the Future – especially if Brady Quinn (left) is available with this pick. The team may consider trading down, but Quinn is too good to pass up here. Quinn, in my opinion, is the best QB option in the draft - he's got adequate size and arm strength, and he is a fantastic team leader. Russell is more of a project than Quinn as well. Any team that passes on Quinn will regret it for a long time.

3. Cleveland Browns (4-12): Adrian Peterson, RB, Oklahoma
- Cleveland is entering their third year under the direction of Romeo Crennel, and this is a make-or-break year for the coach and his staff. The pressure is on for the Browns to show marked improvement this year. The team is absolutely not sold on Charlie Frye as its starter, so they will look very hard at JaMarcus Russell and Brady Quinn with this pick. With both gone, Adrian Peterson (right) represents the best value – Jamal Lewis was only signed to a one-year deal and is not the long-term answer. Alan Branch is a very real possibility here as well. One of the most productive college runners of all-time, Peterson's lone knock at this point is his questionable durability. Peterson runs high, which results in him taking a lot of big hits. If he wants to stay healthy at the next level, he'll need to run with a little more caution regarding his body.

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-12): Calvin Johnson, WR, Georgia Tech
- The Buccaneers have struggled mightily the last few years under the leadership of head coach Jon Gruden. The team has spent this off-season bringing in veteran leadership, such as QB Jeff Garcia and DE Kevin Carter. If the top three picks fall as they have above, the Bucs will have one of the more difficult decisions in the draft: Joe Thomas or Calvin Johnson (left)? At this point, the answer to that question is Johnson. He is the top talent at any position in this draft, and as much as the Bucs need line help, Johnson is simply a “must-draft” at this point.

Picks 5-8 coming tomorrow!

The Rich Get Richer
The New England Patriots continued their aggressive off-season free agent purge today by signing wideout Donte' Stallworth to a six-year deal. Stallworth will team with the recently acquired Wes Welker and incumbents Reche Caldwell and Jabar Gaffney to give the Patriots a much stronger wide receiving corps.

Stallworth's deal is a six-year accord, but what is interesting is that the deal may be voided after one season. Essentially, if Stallworth makes it through training camp and the first season of the deal without any football or legal problems, the Patriots will pay him an $8 million roster bonus next off-season and keep him around. If Stallworth can't handle the transition, the Pats can cut him at any point, paying only $1.3 million in signing and workout bonuses. It's a win-win for both sides.

Add one more threat to the Patriots' offensive arsenal. Will an AFC East team ever catch the Pats? It makes me sick to my stomach...

For an update on all the free agent movement, see my master list.