Originally Published: April 7, 2009

Tuesday with Mel Kiper Jr.

Mel works overtime to bring you the latest news from the NFL draft

In this week's roundup of his draft analysis on all ESPN platforms, Mel Kiper makes sense of the fallout from the Cutler trade. Also, he tells us Denver is sure to hunt for a quarterback late in the draft, a la Tom Brady.

Quarterback Musical Chairs

Welcome to Quarterback Musical Chairs with Mel Kiper. With Jay Cutler taking the quarterback seat in Chicago, Kiper tells us what chairs that leaves open for prospective NFL signal callers.

Matthew Stafford, Jr., Georgia: Because the Lions did not trade for Cutler, they will likely draft Stafford with the No. 1 overall pick, Kiper said. In fact, at this point, they have to.

Mark Sanchez, Jr., USC: With a solid pro-day workout, Sanchez is hot property -- "He's kind of the buzz right now," Kiper said. Either St. Louis (No. 2) or Seattle (4) could go for him, but there is concern that he has only 16 starts under his belt. This rise up draft boards is surprising because, a month and a half ago, some people had him dropping to the Jets at 17. "But at this point, that's not happening," Kiper said.

Josh Freeman, Jr., Kansas State:Kiper said Freeman will likely go at 19 to Tampa Bay. But the valuable thing about Freeman is that, once he's off the board, Kiper said there is a huge drop off in talent. "The next quarterback goes in round four or round five," he said. So will a team reach to grab the last elite QB on the board?

Will the next Tom Brady land in Denver?

So what does all this QB shuffling mean for the Broncos and their picks at No. 12 and 18? After all, this Cutler trade is a first -- a quarterback being traded right before he does into him prime. "We've never seen anything like this in the history of the NFL," Kiper said.

Right now, Denver has Kyle Orton (from the trade with Chicago) and Chris Simms. If the Broncos decide to address their problems on defense, those two will battle it out for the starting job. It's not a long-term answer, but it may be the only answer. "They need defensive help in the worst way," Kiper said. Some have said Sanchez could slip to the Broncos at 12, but Kiper said there are way too many teams who want him before 12. So if they want Sanchez, they will have to package their two first round picks -- No. 12 and No. 18 -- to move up.

However, the Broncos' new coach, Josh McDaniels, comes from the Patriots' philosophy of finding quarterbacks late in the draft, i.e. Tom Brady and Matt Cassel. So the Broncos will likely go with defense early on and address the quarterback problem late. "They will definitely look for someone later in the draft, round five, six or seven," Kiper said. So listen for it on draft day: When the Broncos select a QB late in the draft, the commentators are sure to bring up the Tom Brady comparison.

Saints could find Bush's running mate

"They're only a step away from being one heck of a football team," Kiper said. So what's that next step?

The Saints, who pick 14th, are already loaded on offense, led by Drew Brees, Reggie Bush andMarques Colston. But the addition of a power running back would make an already potent offense even deadlier, especially after the loss of Deuce McAllister. One possible pick for New Orleans is Chris "Beanie" Wells, the powerful running back from Ohio State. He would compliment Bush and make him a better player.

However, there are holes on defense that need to be addressed. Darren Sharper was signed in the offseason to fill the gap at free safety and, though he's getting old, he's the best option because there are no free safeties to consider in the middle of the first round, Kiper said. So if they go with defense, an outside linebacker would be ideal to compliment Jonathan Vilma andScott Fujita. A good option would be USC's Brian Cushing, who has been skyrocketing up draft boards in recent months.

Redskins need to find help for QB Campbell

The Redskins (No. 13) won the offseason -- again. They signed DT Albert Haynsworth and are paying him more than $10 million a year. But no matter how much you pay him, he can't play quarterback. That's Jason Campbell's job.

"It's all about Jason Campbell in my opinion," Kiper said. "Jason Campbell is the guy they thought would be the next Doug Williams. He's shown flashes of brilliance, but he has not been consistent."

So here's the laundry list of things Campbell needs to improve upon: "More assertive, more of a passion for the game, more leadership, more enthusiasm." Phew, that's quite a few things. But Kiper said, "It's not about ability; it's about the intangibles." (Hmm, sounds a lot like Cutler.)

But this draft isn't about replacing Campbell, who is still the man in Washington. Instead, it's about helping him. Last year, the Redskins drafted Michigan State receiver Devin Thomas in the first round, but he has not been productive thus far. Also, second year receiver Malcolm Kellyneeds to step it up, too.

This year, they may opt to get help on the offensive line. A good pick would be right tackle Andre Smith out of Alabama, who was once projected by some as the top player in the draft. But Smith tumbled down draft boards after off-field problems.

However, if they choose to address their defense, the Redskins will look to find help at defensive end and outside linebacker. A great pick at this spot would be DE Aaron Maybin from Penn State, a defensive end.

Bills could go for DE Brown, TEs Pettigrew or Cook

Quick, what team does Terrell Owens play for? You had to think a bit before saying the Bills, right? Thing is, the Bills are getting desperate to return to the playoffs, but getting Owens has put them back on the map. However, there are a handful of holes to patch up in Buffalo and, because of those needs, the Bills could go several directions with their No. 11 overall pick.

One good option would be Florida State defensive end Everette Brown, whose draft stock has been quite volatile. Kiper said, "Great kid, great character has really helped him. He's had multiple sack games in several contests; good physical skills, not great, little small, not super fast, but fast enough to be a good pass rusher, not a great one."

The Bills also need a guard and maybe a tight end, which would help 25-year-old quarterback Trent Edwards in the passing game. They could go with Oklahoma State's Brandon Pettigrew, but Kiper said that would be a little early at pick No. 11, especially with South Carolina TE Jared Cook on the board, who will likely be available when the Bills pick in Round 2. Also, the hefty Pettigrew will be more valued for his blocking than his pass catching.

This week's edition of 'Cutler is overrated'

Cutler supporter haven't been friendly to Kiper lately, especially after he compared Cutler to Jeff George. But Kiper holds firm on his stance: " I don't think he has the intangibles. He's got to use this as a wakeup call. 'You're not the legend -- yet. You're not a hall of famer -- yet.'"

Some have said Cutler's great numbers prove he's already a great quarterback. But Kiper said several of Mike Shanahan's quarterbacks have put up similar single season numbers, including Jake Plummer and Brian Griese.