Mock NFL Draft

Staff writer Sam Farmer prognosticates the first round of the NFL draft starting today at 9 a.m. on ESPN:

TEAM; POS.; PLAYER; SCHOOL; HT.; WT.; COMMENT

1. Cincinnati; QB; Carson Palmer; USC; 6-5; 232; His grasp of USC’s sophisticated offense will help him make a smooth and speedy transition to the pros.

2. Detroit; WR; Charles Rogers; Michigan State; 6-2; 202; A year after making Joey Harrington a surprise pick, Lions could reach for Terence Newman here.

3. Houston; WR; Andre Johnson; Miami; 6-2; 230; Johnson would give them a second deep threat who can stretch a defense, but Texans will grab Rogers if he’s available.

4. N.Y. Jets; DT; Dewayne Robertson; Kentucky; 6-1; 317; If one of the top two receivers falls to this spot, Jets might change directions. They need to replace Laveranues Coles.

5. Dallas; CB; Terence Newman; Kansas State; 5-10; 189; This guy reminds some scouts of Deion Sanders. Besides, Bill Parcells would love to bolster Cowboy defense.

6. Arizona; DE; Terrell Suggs; Arizona State; 6-3; 262; A couple of lousy workouts -- complete with sluggish 40-yard times -- could mean this Sun Devil stays home.

7. Minnesota; DT; Jimmy Kennedy; Penn State; 6-4; 320; If the Vikings can get a big nose tackle, they can free up Chris Hovan, who gets double-teamed every game.

8. Jacksonville; QB; Byron Leftwich; Marshall; 6-5; 231; The new Jaguar regime realizes Mark Brunell isn’t the answer. He’s 19-27 the last three seasons.

9. Carolina; T; Jordan Gross; Utah; 6-4; 300; He’s the best player available and fills a major need for the Panthers, who are wafer-thin on the line.

10. Baltimore; CB; Marcus Trufant; Washington State; 5-11; 199; Ravens might try to trade down. Their wish list -- in this order -- is Leftwich, Gross, Kennedy and Trufant.

11. Seattle; DT; Kevin Williams; Oklahoma State; 6-4; 304; He isn’t the wide-bodied run-stopper that Robertson is, but the league’s worst run defense sorely needs a tackle.

12. St. Louis; LB; Boss Bailey; Georgia; 6-3; 233; He fits the mold for Ram linebackers -- smallish, but extremely quick and able to get from sideline to sideline in a flash.

13. Chicago; DT; Jonathan Sullivan; Georgia; 6-3; 313; Bears need a cornerback in the worst way, yet they love the way Sullivan can collapse a pocket.

14. New England; DE; Ty Warren; Texas A&M; 6-4; 307; Patriots like Sullivan a lot, too, and if he’s around they likely will take him.

15. San Diego; DT; William Joseph; Miami; 6-5; 308; Jamal Williams hasn’t played a complete season in a couple years, and the Chargers need to fill the John Parella void.

16. Kansas City; DE; Jerome McDougle; Miami; 6-2; 264; Now that they have Vonnie Holliday, the Chiefs have the luxury of grooming a young pass rusher.

17. New Orleans; C; Jeff Faine; Notre Dame; 6-2; 303; The Saints would love to trade up for a chance to get Robertson, whom they’ve coveted for a long time.

18. New Orleans; SS; Troy Polamalu; USC; 5-10; 206; They could wind up taking Polamalu, then trading him to Buffalo or Pittsburgh, both of whom also want him.

19. New England; LB; E.J. Henderson; Maryland; 6-0; 245; Patriots want to move Richard Seymour to outside backer, so they’d like someone who can play inside.

20. Denver; DE; Michael Haynes; Penn State; 6-3; 281; Kavika Pittman came out in passing situations last season. The Broncos are looking for an every-down defensive end.

21. Cleveland; T; Kwame Harris; Stanford; 6-7; 310; The Browns need linebackers like crazy, but there might not be any first-rounders left at this spot.

22 Chicago; QB; Rex Grossman; Florida; 6-1; 217; Chicago might draft a cornerback here, then -- if Grossman is gone -- pick Texas quarterback Chris Simms later.

23. Buffalo; DE; Christopher Kelsay; Nebraska; 6-4; 273; Kelsay is a bit on the light side, but he’s fast. Bills also like Texas A&M; cornerback Sammy Davis Jr. Yes, that’s his name.

24. Indianapolis; G; Eric Steinbach; Iowa; 6-6; 297; The Colts need a tight end, too. If Steinbach falls this far, though, Indianapolis might grab him.

25. N.Y. Giants; DE; Kenny Peterson; Ohio State; 6-3; 298; The Giants need bodies all over the defensive line, especially with Keith Hamilton hurting.

26. San Francisco; WR; Taylor Jacobs; Florida; 6-0; 205; He’s the most ready to step in and play a vital role in Dennis Erickson’s spread offense.

27. Pittsburgh; QB; Kyle Boller; California; 6-3; 234; Improved his stock this spring. Could go earlier in the first round, possibly to the 49ers. Watch for a trade with the Saints.

28. Tennessee; CB; Andre Woolfolk; Oklahoma; 6-1; 197; It’s debatable whether Woolfolk is good enough to move into the first round, but this is a glaring area of need for the Titans.

29. Green Bay; QB; Chris Simms; Texas; 6-4; 220; Brett Favre will turn 34 in October, and the Packers are definitely looking for an understudy. Florida’s Grossman would be a good fit here.

30. Philadelphia; TE; Ben Joppru; Michigan; 6-4; 272; Eagles aren’t really in the market for a tight end -- they need a defensive end more -- but if Joppru falls this far, he might be irresistible.

31. Oakland; DE; Dewayne White; Louisville; 6-2; 273; In recent years, the Raiders haven’t spent high-round picks on defensive ends. That could change this year.

32. Oakland; RB; Willis McGahee; Miami; 6-0; 223; Before his knee injury, McGahee would have been a top-five pick. And he’s way ahead of his rehab schedule.