Taking a stab at the first round of the NFL Draft

By: | Inside NoVA
Published: April 19, 2009

In less than a week the NFL Draft will be held and the No. 1 pick is all but set in stone -- at least that's what we have been led to believe.

This year's draft will be held on ESPN, beginning at 4 p.m.

After a couple of weeks of research, here is how the first round should pan out if there are not trades.

With the first pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions select quarterback Matthew Stafford from the University of Georgia.

The Lions will make a strong statement about their future with this pick. Stafford should come straight into camp and win the starting position.

Here are the following 31 predicted selections:

2. Eugene Monroe (DT, Virginia) -- St. Louis Rams

3. Jason Smith (OT, Baylor) -- Kansas City Chiefs

4. Mark Sanchez (QB, USC) -- Seattle Seahawks

5. Aaron Curry (LB, Wake Forest) -- Cleveland Browns

6. Michael Oher (OT, Ole Miss) -- Cincinnati Bengals

7. Michael Crabtree (WR, Texas Tech) -- Oakland Raiders

8. B.J. Raji (DT, Boston College) -- Jacksonville Jaguars

9. Brian Opakpo (DE/OLB, Texas) -- Green Bay Packers

10. Aaron Maybin (DE/OLB, Penn State) -- San Francisco 49ers

11. Everette Brown (DE/OLB, Florida State) -- Buffalo Bills

12. Tyson Jackson (DE, LSU) -- Denver Broncos

13. Andre Smith (OT, Alabama) -- Washington Redskins

14. Chris Wells (RB, Ohio State) -- New Orleans Saints

15. Malcolm Jenkins (CB, Ohio State) -- Houston Texans

16. Rey Maualuga (LB, USC) -- San Diego Chargers

17. Jeremy Maclin (WR, Missouri) -- New York Jets

18. Brian Cushing (LB, USC) -- Denver Broncos

19. Josh Freeman (QB, Kansas State) -- Tampa Bay Buccaneers

20. James Laurinaitis (LB, Ohio State) -- Detroit Lions

21. Knowshon Moreno (RB, Georgia) -- Philadelphia Eagles

22. Eben Britton (DT, Arizona) -- Minnesota Vikings

23. Clay Matthews (LB, USC) -- New England Patriots

24. Vontae Davis (CB, Illinois) -- Atlanta Falcons

25. Darrius Heyward-Bey (WR, Maryland) -- Miami Dolphins

26. Kenny Britt (WR, Rutgers) -- Baltimore Ravens

27. Robert Ayers (DE, Tennessee) -- Indianapolis Colts

28. Peria Jerry (DT, Ole Miss) -- Buffalo Bills

29. Hakeem Nicks (WR, North Carolina) -- New York Giants

30. Darius Butler (CB, Connecticut) -- Tennessee Titans

31. Brandon Pettigrew (TE, Oklahoma State) -- Arizona

32. Eric Wood (C/OG, Louisville) -- Pittsburgh Steelers

Jeff Christian is a freelance columnist and he appears in The News & Messenger each Sunday. He can be reached at christianjeff@rocketmail.com.

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