| PICK | TEAM | PLAYER | ANALYSIS |
| 1.01 |  | WR Jordy Nelson | Is this the correct choice? It doesn't matter. Steelers GM Tim Miller has made his view extremely apparent in the support of any Kansas State alumni. Jordy Nelson will be a Pittsburgh Steeler, come hell or high water. |
| 1.02 |  | WR James Hardy | The best news the Chiefs have heard all offseason was that the Steelers traded ahead of them for the first overall pick. Kansas City covets James Hardy and now he will be their wide receiver of the future. |
| 1.03 |  | CB Aqib Talib | This pick would have been Chris Long, but the Colts declined the option to match Dwight Freeney's max offer from Cleveland. With the defensive end position locked up, Cleveland takes the best cornerback in the draft. |
| 1.04 |  | LE Chris Long | The Dolphins are in a pretty good spot. With two receivers foolishly going at both 1.01 and 1.02, the Dolphins get one of the better players in the draft. Long is a slam dunk for them and the next best defensive stud in Miami. |
| 1.05 |  | HB Jonathan Stewart | There were some people mocking Stewart to the Cardinals at 1.01. The Cardinals were cap-concious and traded out of both of the top picks but still get the player they truly want at 1.05. That's what I call a win. |
| 1.06 | | TE Gary Barnidge | The Cardinals actually have a few holes to fill, but Gary Barnidge is a generational talent. He instantly gives new quarterback Rex Grossman an excellent target and should bolster the Cardinals offense. |
| 1.07 |  | RT Carl Nicks | A dream scenario for the Chicago Bears, truly. They got their franchise quarterback, but an upgraded offensive line may push them over the edge and back into the playoffs. Nicks is a stud and fits in nicely to protect Matt Hasselbeck. |
| 1.08 |  | LOLB Chris Chamberlain | Carolina really wanted to draft Long, but couldn't pull the trigger on a trade to ensure they could draft him. Instead, they signed John Abraham, so I think they reach on an outside linebacker and take a speedy OLB with this pick. |
| 1.09 | | CB Terrell Thomas | I'm a firm believer that we will see a surprise cornerback pick somewhere in the first round of the draft. Kansas City traded Carlos Rogers for 1.02, so grabbing a player with a solid workout, such as Thomas might have (I have no idea), would make sense. |
| 1.10 |  | RG Chilo Rachal | The Patriots are getting old along the offensive line. The obvious selection might be a MLB, but I think GM Travis Robbins identifies that as a second-round need for New England. Rachal works well at this juncture. |
| 1.11 |  | HB Matt Forte | The Raiders have been looking for a franchise running back for a few seasons now, having to opt for veterans. I think Forte gets the nod here and becomes a franchise runner for the Raiders, whose GM, Garth Pearce, loves to pound the ball down the middle. |
| 1.12 |  | CB Leodis McKelvin | Once again, I think cornerbacks will go earlier than most naysayers expect. Good private workouts could be a motivator. McKelvin isn't tall, but with a decent skew, he's a starter in this league, filling a need on the Detroit roster. |
| 1.13 |  | QB Brian Brohm | Tennessee is in the market for a new QB. Rumor is they're trying to trade this pick to the Eagles, but the trade is getting hamstrung by the trade committee. They likely trade out, but may draft the best quarterback in the class, if forced to. |
| 1.14 |  | CB Brandon Flowers | Okay, this might sound crazy. A nickel cornerback at 1.14? I've said it before, these corners will fly off the board quicker than you expect, as GMs will be hamstrung to possibly get a good one. |
| 1.15 |  | DT Red Bryant | This seems like the most obvious slam dunk of the draft. Baltimore needs a solid defensive tackle in the middle of their defensive line and they're easily positioned to get the player they want. I'd be shocked if this wasn't the pick. |
| 1.16 |  | RE Calais Campbell | Indianapolis just let Dwight Freeney go to Cleveland (for the Browns 1st next year). The Colts will need to draft his replacement and with Campbell still available, I doubt they pass on his skillset. |
| 1.17 | | RT Gosder Cherilus | The Ravens already upgraded their defensive line -- but now it's time to upgrade their offensive line. Cherilus is a really good selection at the middle of the first round and could likely start for Baltimore next season. |
| 1.18 |  | WR Andre Caldwell | Minnesota thrives off winning on offense. Adding another decent receiver makes sense for them and Caldwell is the best left in the draft. It could be Malcolm Kelly, but I think Caldwell gets the nod from GM Neal Wintermute. |
| 1.19 |  | RT Oniel Cousins | GM Kevin Mullendore enjoys finding quality offensive linemen in the draft. This is the type of draft that he thrives in and I doubt he pauses on selecting Cousins at 1.19. He's good value and could replace someone in New York. |
| 1.20 | | C Kory Lichtensteiger | Baltimore has to be looking at players that will be retiring soon on their roster. Filling a hole at center has to be top of mind and adding strong, athletic offensive linemen for the budding Tyler Thigpen is important. |
| 1.21 |  | RG Daniel Dye | Green Bay looks to be improving their offensive line. This changes if the Bears let Adrien Clarke walk, but I doubt they do so. The Packers need to boost their OL and Dye is a solid interior option for a team in need. |
| 1.22 |  | WR Malcolm Kelly | Well, GM Rock Hewko said he won't be drafting Andre Caldwell. I believe him, he's an honest Canadian. That makes me think that Malcolm Kelly is more the player he's hoping drops to him and snags him here at 1.22. |
| 1.23 |  | SS Domonique Barber | Oops, I did it again. Barber drops to the Bengals, but will likely go hire than this selection. I think there's no way he makes it past Cincinnati, however. The Bengals desperately need a stud safety. |
| 1.24 |  | LT Jake Long | Tampa Bay has made a couple of real smart trades over the past 24 hours, but right now I think they're looking to continue and bolster their offensive line. Long likely is an offensive guard in the SFL and could start at RG next season. |
| 1.25 | | HB Darren McFadden | Tiki Barber won't last forever, so the Bengals have to be looking to the future. McFadden isn't a bruiser, but he is fast and should do well if he has good blockers. Cincinnati appears to be focusing on that and this seems like a good fit. |
| 1.26 |  | ROLB Keith Rivers | I really like the fit of Keith Rivers to the San Francisco 49ers. He doesn't awe you out of the gate, however Rivers could become an impact starter on the 49ers defense -- something they desperately need. |
| 1.27 | | LOLB Mike Humpal | I'm deferring to Tom Collins here and I like the selection of Humpal to Seattle. I think they may actually hope Rivers drops to them, but Humpal is the poor man's version. I doubt he starts in Seattle, but he could with a good skew. |
| 1.28 | | WR Stevie Johnson | GM Tom Collins is a Stevie Johnson fan IRL. I do think he fits a good spot here though and could provide positive value for the Browns in a weak draft class where you aren't finding starters in the late first round. |
| 1.29 |  | QB Matt Ryan | Buffalo needs a quarterback. That much has been openly shared. It's a question of which quarterback. Erik Ainge or John David Booty might make more sense, but I think GM Brandon Lindgren takes a gamble on Ryan (maybe with a private workout). |
| 1.30 |  | RE Lawrence Jackson | Have you heard? The Redskins lost a stud defensive end to a division rival. Really, it's not a big deal, but everything out of Washington is "drama." I assume he'll pick a defensive end here and bitch all the way to the podium about the defending NFC East champs.  |
| 1.31 | | QB Erik Ainge | GM Tim Miller seems unaware that his team doesn't have a quarterback. Kyle Boller seems almost as bad an idea as Vince Young was -- so I assume this pick is a quarterback to roll the dice on and hope for a "Brady Quinn" style season. |
| 1.32 |  | CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie | GM Nathan Jones likes to roll the dice. He did so on David Greene and brought home a Lombardi Trophy. I wouldn't be surprised to see his gamble of DRC, especially if a private workout skews his speed up. |
