1. Detroit. QB Matthew Stafford, Georgia. The Lions and Stafford appear to be a compatible mix. Everything suggests that the Georgia product has the mental wherewithal to handle the pressure of being a No. 1 pick, and Detroit needs someone to deliver the ball to wide receiver Calvin Johnson on a regular basis. While he probably won't start the season as the No. 1 quarterback — "Don't you know who I am? I'm Daunte Culpepper! I made the Pro Bowl! You can't bench me!" — he'll likely be under center by the end of the year.

2. St. Louis. LB Aaron Curry, Wake Forest. New head coach Steve Spagnuolo would love to craft the Rams' defense in the mold of his Giants' teams, and Curry would be an excellent first step in that direction. The best defensive player in this draft, Curry will be a dependable presence for a long time. There's a lot to like about Curry, but this is one of the best reasons I can think of.

3. Kansas City. OL Eugene Monroe, Virginia. Monroe has the tools to be the next Jonathan Ogden or Orlando Pace -- a monumental lineman who can be a cornerstone for your line for years to come. (If Kansas City doesn't go for Monroe, they can always grab Jason Smith.) Plus, he'll do a lot to make the name "Monroe" tougher -- right now, this is probably the toughest Monroe out there. Mr. Rush!

4. Seattle. OT Jason Smith, Baylor. If Monroe is taken at No. 3, the Seahawks will go for Smith. (They would likely have gone for Michael Crabtree here if they didn't sign TJ Houshmanzadeh.) Smith is a Pro Bowl-caliber lineman who can be an eventual replacement for Walter Jones.

5. Cleveland. LB Brian Orakpo, Texas. B.J. Raji might be a better fit for the Browns, who must be able to stop the run if they are going to compete in the AFC North against the Ravens and Steelers, but Orakpo is simply too good to be overlooked at No. 5. If Curry is the best defensive player in this draft, Orakpo isn't far behind. (If Orakpo's football career doesn't work out, he can always fill in for Joe Morgan — the linebacker told the media at the combine, "A versatile guy is a guy who can be very versatile and can play any position." Right.)

6. Cincinnati. OL Andre Smith, Alabama. The Bengals aren't shy about picking someone with character issues, and Cincinnati has a real need for offensive line help. There's going to be no middle ground for Smith — if his head is screwed on straight, he could be a real find. If not, he'll be a colossal bust. Either way, I cant seem to get this picture of him out of my mind. Someone get that guy a "bro."

7. Oakland. WR Darrius Heyward-Bey, Maryland. He's a ridiculous reach here, but Al Davis craves speed and no one in this draft is faster than Heyward-Bey — his 40 time at the combine (4.3 seconds) was fastest among all wide receivers and running backs. They could also go after Texas Tech's Michael Crabtree. (Al is forced to settle on Crabtree after he realizes Tim Brown, Cliff Branch and Fred Biletnikoff are all off the board.)

8. Jacksonville. WR Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech. Crabtree's slide means good things for the Jags, who need help at wide receiver. Even if Crabtree isn't as fast as he was before his foot injury, he'd still be a great addition to the Jags' passing attack. No team needs receivers like Jacksonville -- Matt Jones and Reggie Williams have been picked up over the last year on drug charges. One more Jaguars' receiver gets busted for drugs and the team will qualify for a VH-1 reality show.

9. Green Bay. OT Michael Oher, Mississippi. The Packers are thinner than Kate Moss at tackle, and Oher is the best offensive lineman left on the board. The subject of Michael Lewis' "The Blind Side" is charged with protecting Aaron Rodgers' blind side for the next 10 years. Green Bay also needs to build depth along the defensive line, and could go for a B.J. Raji here as well.

10. San Francisco. QB Mark Sanchez, USC. Mike Singletary will laugh like Jack Edwards when he finds Sanchez available at No. 10. He'll be a quality quarterback for years to come.

11. Buffalo. LB/DE Everette Brown, Florida State. The Bills need help with their pass rush, and Brown has filled the bill for the Seminoles the last few seasons. If Brown is off the board, they could also find Penn State's Aaron Maybin. Regardless, it's likely they're looking for one of those defensive end/linebacker hybrids, and are in a good spot to find what they're looking for.

12. Denver. DT B.J. Raji, Boston College. If Josh McDaniels is unable to trade up to land a quarterback (Mark Sanchez), he'll follow the Bill Belichick team-building approach here and try and build from the line out. Raji would be an excellent fit for a Denver defense that had major issues all over the place last season.

13. Washington. DE/LB Robert Ayers, Tennessee. The Redskins could go in a few different directions here -- including USC linebacker Brian Cushing or Rey Maualuga -- but our guess is that Washington goes for Ayers, a versatile presence who could improve its pass rush. (NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock has him rated as the fifth best overall prospect in this entire class.) There's nothing weird about Ayers, so instead, here's a video of Tennessee men's basketball coach Bruce Pearl rapping.

14. New Orleans. RB Beanie Wells, Ohio State. With the departure of Deuce McAllister, the Saints need an every-down back, and either Wells or Georgia's Knowshon Moreno would be a good fit at No. 14. Has a chance to be the first running back named Beanie to be taken in the first round.

15. Houston, CB Malcolm Jenkins, Ohio State. The Texans have made plenty of quiet moves to try and improve their defense in the offseason, and the addition of Jenkins -- who will probably switch to safety in the pros -- is another piece of the puzzle.

16. San Diego. LB Rey Maualuga, USC. There are other needs here — San Diego would love a defensive tackle to replace Igor Olshansky — but Maualuga is a nice fit here at No. 16. If Maualuga is gone here (or if they really believe they need to fill Olshansky's shoes that badly), they could also go after LSU defensive tackle Tyson Jackson. The mention of Maualuga provides us with a cheap excuse to show this video of him with Erin Andrews.

17. New York Jets. WR Percy Harvin, Florida. The Jets, desperate for someone who can stretch the field, fall in love with his playmaking abilities. Somewhere, Bill Belichick thinks to himself: Go ahead, take a wide receiver out of Florida. What could go wrong?

18. Denver. DE/LB Aaron Maybin, Penn State. With McDaniels continuing to remake the Broncos in New England's image, he'll get a pass rushing force off the edge who can make the transition from collegiate defensive end to professional outside linebacker.

19. Tampa Bay. LB Brian Cushing, USC. The Bucs solved their quarterback question with the addition of Byron Leftwich, so they shore up the other side of the ball with the selection of Cushing.

20. Detroit. OT Eben Britton, Arizona. Britton has positional versatility, and could provide some depth along the Detroit offensive line. They could also go after a cornerback like Connecticut's Darius Butler at No. 20 as well.

21. Philadelphia. RB Knowshon Moreno, Georgia. The Eagles are looking to take some of the load off the shoulders off veteran Brian Westbrook, and they have a good collection of backs to choose from here at No. 21. Depending on who New Orleans takes at No. 14, at least one quality running back should be left, and Moreno is the best of the bunch.

22. Minnesota. WR Jeremy Maclin, Missouri. The Vikings' pursuit of Houshmanzadeh shows that they are looking for a wide receiver to take some of the offensive workload off Adrian Peterson, and Maclin would provide the Minnesota passing game with a jolt. Plus, Maclin can probably say "Let's play hockey."

23. New England. LB/TE Connor Barwin, Cincinnati. The Patriots make a bit of a reach here and go for Barwin, a versatile presence on both sides of the ball. If Barwin is gone — or if they have a change of heart — it'll be USC linebacker Clay Matthews.

24. Atlanta. TE Brandon Pettigrew. The Falcons provide another pass-catching threat for Matt Ryan. They also need help at defensive tackle — they passed over Glenn Dorsey for Ryan last year — so if Tyson Jackson isn't taken by the Chargers earlier in the first round, he could also go here. (In that same vein, they may go for Peria Jerry of Mississippi.)

25. Miami. CB Vontae Davis, Illinois. The Dolphins get a surprise with Davis falling all the way to No. 25. If Rey Maualuga isn't taken by San Diego at No. 16, they could take him as well. But Davis loves tennis, and loves South Florida.

26. Baltimore. WR Hakeem Nicks, North Carolina. The Ravens need receiving help, and as long as Nicks' proves his head is screwed on straight, he could be groomed as Derrick Mason's eventual replacement. As long as he keeps making catches like this, he should be OK.

27. Indianapolis. DT Peria "Fusilli" Jerry, Mississippi. If Jerry isn't scooped up by Atlanta, he could go here to the Colts, a team in desperate need of help along the interior line. (Just an FYI: That's not really his nickname. I just wanted to get a reference to one of the most underrated "Seinfeld" episodes in here somewhere.)

28. Philadelphia. C Alex Mack, Cal. The Eagles are woefully thin at center, and Mack would bring a sense of stability to the position. A slam-dunk.

29. New York Giants. WR Kenny Britt, Rutgers. The Giants need a tall, playmaking receiver, and the 6-foot-3 Britt might be able to ease New York into the post-Plaxico Burress Era. Plus, he doesn't own a gun, so he's got that going for him.

30. Tennessee. DT Evander "Ziggy" Hood, Missouri. The Titans go a bunch of ways, but will likely stick to the defensive side of the football, where they will try and make up for the loss of Albert Haynesworth.They could also look at LSU's Tyson Jackson or Peria Jerry of Mississippi.

31. Arizona. RB Donald Brown, Connecticut. Brown had a terrific college career, and with Edgerrin James likely to be a goner, the Cardinals need some depth at running back behind Tim Hightower and Brown is the best remaining running back on the board. They could also try and land a linebacker at this spot — maybe Larry English. And yes, this is a mock draft that could have two UConn players taken in the first round and no Miami guys.

32. Pittsburgh. QB Josh Freeman, Kansas State. If the Jets pass on Freeman at No. 17, the Steelers will call his name at No. 32. Byron Leftwich's departure opens up the backup quarterback spot in Pittsburgh -- what, you thought they'd turn the keys over to Charlie Batch? Freeman's stock has risen steadily since the combine. Pittsburgh also lost Bryant McFadden, and could take a shot at Alphonso Smith, Darius Butler or Vontae Davis if they're available.

Christopher Price covers the Patriots for WEEI.com.