McShay: Bengals, Saints Looking to Trade Up

[HoosierCat]

From Scouts Inc.'s Todd McShay...Link here.

7. N.E. Patriots (from 5-11 S.F.) -- Leodis McKelvin, CB, Troy

Record: 16-0 | Needs: ILB, CB, OLB, ROT, G, S

Previous mock selection: Vernon Gholston, OLB/DE, Ohio State

I am convinced the Patriots will trade out of this spot. For starters, coach Bill Belichick and GM Scott Pioli have made 25 draft-weekend trades since taking over eight years ago. Secondly, the team is in desperate need of secondary help, but there isn't a defensive back in this class worth selecting in the top 10. McKelvin is the most likely fit at corner, but only if the team moves down at least a few spots. And New England has been known to take value over need in the past, so DT Sedrick Ellis is a possibility here, too.

8. Baltimore Ravens -- Ryan Clady, OT, Boise State

Record: 5-11 | Needs: QB, CB, LOT, OLB, DE, ILB

Previous mock selection: Same

The Ravens are one of the wild-card teams in the top 10. They, too, are a team that likes to take the best available talent even if he doesn't fit a need, so if DT Sedrick Ellis falls this far, he is a definite possibility. I have Clady graded higher than any corner in this class, though, and he possesses the combo of size and feet to potentially take over for perennial Pro Bowler Jonathan Ogden.

9. Cincinnati Bengals -- Sedrick Ellis, DT, USC

Record: 7-9 | Needs: DT, LB, TE, C, S, DE

Previous mock selection: Keith Rivers, OLB, USC

The team is starving for a playmaking defensive tackle, and Ellis, who notched 58 tackles and 8.5 sacks as a senior, is one of only two elite prospects at the position. While it's highly unlikely he will fall to the ninth pick, I do hear the Bengals and Saints are among a handful of teams considering trading up for Ellis and/or DT Glenn Dorsey, depending on how the top of the board unfolds.

10. New Orleans Saints -- Keith Rivers, OLB, USC

Record: 6-9 | Needs: CB, DT, ROT, S, TE, LB, WR

Previous mock selection: Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, CB, Tennessee St.

If the Saints don't trade up for a defensive tackle (Sedrick Ellis or Glenn Dorsey), they are likely to bypass their need at cornerback to select the draft's top linebacker prospect, Rivers.