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2008 NFL Mock
Draft
by Paul Eide
Senior
Writer
4/20/08
1. Miami Dolphins- Chris
Long, DE, Virginia
Parcells past relationship with University of Virginia head
coach Al Groh makes this selection even easier for him. Additionally,
having
Long on one side and Jason Taylor on the other make this a dream
situation for
Parcells. Miami’s needs
along the
O-line can be filled later in the draft and if Joey Porter can prove he
isn’t
washed up, Miami’s
defensive front
seven suddenly looks solid.
2. St Louis Rams- Jake Long, OT, Michigan
The Rams are praying the Dolphins talk about signing Jake
Long to a contract are a smokescreen and I think they are. As fellow
TFE
columnist Gregory Cox noted in his mock draft the Rams “have
given up 40+ sacks in every season this decade.” Bulger is
useless when even slightly injured and in turn so is St.
Louis’ offense. With
a weak defense the Rams must protect him at all costs.
3. Atlanta Falcons- Glenn Dorsey, DT, LSU
The Falcons may have had nothing but bad luck recently, but
having the best overall player fall in your lap at three makes up for
some of
it. Matt Ryan is not a necessity and selecting him here guarantees at
least one
to two more seasons of misery.
4. Oakland Raiders- Vernon Gholston, DE, Ohio State
I think they could even reach for Sedrick Ellis here. Or
there is equal chance they trade it. But if Gholston is there, his
versatility as
a DE/OLB is extremely hard to pass up.
5. Kansas City Chiefs- Branden Albert, G/OT, Virginia
This pick came down to either Albert or Ryan Clady. Albert
wins out because of his versatility, because Albert is better in the
run game,
and because he is nastier than Clady. The Chiefs have multiple needs
along the
O-line and Albert allows them to mix and match with the current set of
o-linemen and does not require a set position to excel. I just don’t
think
Clady has this much value where Albert could at least develop it if he
doesn’t
already possess it.
6. New York Jets- Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas
Thomas Jones will be on the wrong side of 30 soon and with
GM Mike Tannenbaum addressing all other significant needs via free
agency, this
is the perfect spot for McFadden.
7. New England
Patriots (From SF)- Sedrick Ellis, DT, USC
Belichick has never drafted an LB on the first day of the
draft since he came to New England. He won’t do
it now
unless Gholston is here. Keith Rivers is also intriguing, but all of
the
Patriots D-linemen are 30+ and Ellis could be the next Warren Sapp
anchoring
the 3-4 for years to come.
8. Baltimore
Ravens- Matt Ryan, QB, Boston College
Blame Steve McNair
for this one. Your mom has more composure in the pocket and is a better
decision
maker (she picked your dad, didn’t she?) than Kyle Boller and Troy
Smith will
not be given the chance to develop into a franchise QB. Smith’s lack of
height
makes it easy for Ozzie Newsome to “overlook” him.
9. Cincinnati
Bengals- Keith Rivers, OLB,
USC
The depth
amongst
the Bengal’s linebacking corp is non-existant and when Dhani Jones is
your
leading returning tackler an upgrade is need ASAP. A bow tie on EVERY
television appearance, seriously? Anthony Schlegal and Rashad Jeanty?
Who are
these guys?
10. New Orleans Saints- Leodis McKelvin, CB, Troy
Adding
McKelvin into
the fold makes Randall Gay and Jason David better by association. Plus,
Mike
McKenzie is still effective when healthy but that is the big concern as
an ACL
tear usually takes 9 months to recover and his was suffered in Week 16.
11. Buffalo
Bills- Mike Jenkins, CB, South Florida
After
Nate Clements departed
via a mega-deal with the Niners, the Bills defense struggled versus the
pass,
giving up 238+ passing yards per game which was 29th in the league.
Also, they
gave up a league high 55 pass plays of 20+ yards. Historically, rookie
CB’s
make a more significant impact than rookie WR’s, another area of need.
12. Denver
Broncos- Ryan Clady, OT, Boise St.
Kentwan Balmer is
tempting here, but he hasn’t proven he has
the motivation to match his sizeable talent, which mirrors last year’s
first
round selection Jarvis Moss too much to repeat. Clady @ 12 could be an
incredible bargain and the Broncos need an LT as bad as those kids
abducted by
the government in Texas
need
their moms.
13. Carolina
Panthers- Derrick Harvey, DE, Florida
Julius
Pepper’s
needs this almost as much as Carolina’s D as whole. Because they couldn’t get any
pressure on the QB, it made their DB’s have to cover for far too long.
Offensive line is also a consideration here.
14. Chicago
Bears- Chris Williams, OT, Vanderbilt
The
Bears need an
O-lineman in the worst way. How can they even consider drafting Rashard
Mendenhall after the Cedric Benson saga? No O-line means no matter how
good the
RB, he cannot play up to his full potential. No matter how good a
rookie RB
looks, he also doesn’t aid in the passing game (i.e. pass protection).
Almost
every player on the O-line is over 30 or just horrible. Yes Terrence
Metcalf,
I’m looking at you when I say that.
15.
Detroit
Lions- Jerod Mayo, LB, Tennessee
Yes,
Rod Marinelli would
prefer a veteran at MLB but GM Matt Millen thinks a rookie could do the
job as
well. “"I would just drop them in the middle and just
go," Millen said. "If he's going to be your middle linebacker, let
him be your middle linebacker." Mayo’s speed is the clincher, but a lot
of
what happens with this pick will be determined by what happens with Al
Wilson.
But with the amount of time has passed since they have been rumored to
be
interested in Wilson, it
gets less
likely with each passing day. Cornerback is the alternative selection
here.
16. Arizona
Cardinals- Aqib Talib, CB, Kansas
Former
CB Antrel
Rolle moving to free safety means the Cards have only Rod Hood and Eric
Green
to rely on. Defensive end is another possibility but signing Travis
LeBoy makes
it less likely in the 1st round. Talib is a playmaker who could turn
out to be
the best CB in this year’s draft. A #2 RB can be picked up later in the
draft
and the need for a CB outweighs the need for highly touted RB here.
17. Minnesota
Vikings- Philip Merling, DE, Clemson
Plain
and simple the
Vikes need a DE as bad as any team needs to fill any position in this
entire
first round. Kenechi
Udeze’s illness makes him a major
question mark and Erasmus James has had knee injuries the past two
seasons
meaning he cannot be relied upon. With Derrick Harvey gone, the team is
forced
to reach on Philip Merling though it may prove to not be such a reach.
But if
the team trades for Jared Allen this whole pick could be a moot point.
18. Houston
Texans- Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, CB, Tennessee St.
I would’ve put
Mendenhall here, but with the signing of
Chris Brown and the presence of Ahman Green, a guy they threw a ton of
dough at
last year, I think they go defense. Plus
undrafted rookie Darius Walker looked better than expected over the
last month
of the year and averaged nearly five yards a carry. In the past two
years the
team has invested a first round pick in a defensive player (Mario
Williams,
Amobi Okoye) and the defense has gotten better each year. And with the
emergence of DeMeco Ryans and Morlon Greenwood at LB, the defense is
literally
a playmaking CB away from ascending into the top 10 overall defense’s
in the
league.
19. Philadelphia
Eagles- Devin Thomas, WR, Michigan St.
NFL
teams are not
about to be snake bitten by a WR and all of them are aware of the three
year’s
of development it takes for a WR to make a serious impact. which is why
Thomas
isn’t selected by the Bills at #11 and ultimately falls here. He has
all the
tools, but the lack of a consistent track record in college raises
questions.
Pro scouts are hard enough on WR’s who produce for several years in
college as
is to be seduced by a one year wonder. That said, Philly needs a
playmaking WR
and Thomas could develop into one.
20. Tampa
Bay Buccaneers-
DeSean Jackson, WR, California
Size is the only
concern regarding Jackson. He has amazing speed and can score anytime he has the ball.
The Bucs
didn’t have a steady return man last year and Jackson can
easily fill that role. With Galloway on one side, Antonio Bryant on the other and
Mark Clayton integrated as well, Jackson could work
the slot or anywhere else and
create match-up hell.
21. Washington
Redskins – Limas Sweed, WR, Texas
In
Jim Zorn’s West
Coast passing attack, a big target at WR is needed which is something
the Skins
just don’t have. Moss and Randle El will be more effective with a WR
like Sweed
in the fold, providing he stays healthy.
22. Dallas
Cowboys (from CLE) – Rashard Mendenhall, RB, Illinois
What
a backfield the
‘Boys would have? And why not? The two most likely teams for Mendenhall
to go
to prior to this pick are Arizona and Houston and they both need defensive help more than
a flashy RB. Splitting reps with Marion “The Barbarian” could be an
ideal fit
for the MVP of the Big Ten.
23. Pittsburgh
Steelers- Jeff Otah, OT, Pittsburgh
Branden
Albert would
be ideal here, but he is long gone. Marvel Smith is entering his ninth
NFL
season and the Steelers could use a young stud at LT. The offensive
line as a
whole needs to be revamped so why not build it around the former Pitt
Panther.
24. Tennessee
Titans- Calais
Campbell, DE, Miami
Kyle
Vanden Bosch
could use some help on the other side and Jevon Kearse is not a long
term
solution. Getting an end to play on the other side also makes DT Albert
Haynesworth job on the inside much easier. Campbell is big
and long and can stop the run or rush
the QB.
25. Seattle
Seahawks- Godser Cherilius, OT, Boston College
In college
Cherilus was so massive and at times so
dominating, that it became apparent even to the novice football fan
that he
would eventually be playing on Sundays. His immense frame (6-7, 318)
and
physical gifts will translate well to the pro game, but he needs to
improve on
the mental aspects of his performance. Seattle’s O-line
should be better with the addition of Mike Wahle but adding a guy like
Cherilius
would improve RT immediately and he may convert to LT once Walter Jones
retires.
26. Jacksonville
Jaguars- Kentwan Balmer, DT, North Carolina
Marcus
Stroud is
gone and John Henderson isn’t getting any younger. Putting Balmer along
side
Henderson would eat up a ton of space on the interior and solidify the
run
defense while freeing up the LB’s. At 6-4, 308 Balmer is easily the
third best
DT in the draft.
27. San Diego
Chargers- Jonathan Stewart, RB, Oregon
The
Chargers don’t
really have any specific need that can be addressed here because they’d
overpay
aside from RB or OT. That coupled with the fact that their next pick
isn’t
until the fifth round means this pick will probably be traded. If not, they go after the best player
available which in this case is Stewart who slips because of injury
concerns
and depth in this year’s RB class. With Michael Turner’s departure and
concerns
over LT’s knee, Darren Sproles is the next guy in line to start. At
5-6, 181 he
just isn’t big enough to be relied upon to carry the ball in a
starter’s
capacity. I don’t think they go CB here because they spent their fourth
round
pick in the Supplemental draft on Georgia CB Paul Oliver.
28. Dallas
Cowboys- James Hardy, WR, Indiana
Imagine
having him
opposite T.O. and Patrick Crayton in the slot. At 6’6,”
Hardy is
a potent red zone threat who finished this past season with 16 TD
receptions
while averaging an impressive 14.2 yards/catch. Has scored 36 TD’s in
the last
three years.
29. San
Francisco
49ers (from IND)
- Quentin
Groves, OLB, Auburn
Groves could
play either OLD or DE in the Niners
3-4 which are two areas they need help in, especially with Manny Lawson
coming
off of a serious injury. A very aggressive player, Groves is known
for his ability to rush the QB and
fits in with what Mike Nolan is trying to establish.
30. Green
Bay
Packers- Antoine Cason, CB, Arizonoa
When
Charles Woodson
missed a couple games with a leg injury this season, it became apparent
that
the team’s biggest need was adding depth at corner. Al Harris isn’t
getting any
younger and adding a premier corner would make the Packers D even more
stingy. Cason’s
size and blend of physicality plus speed is somewhat reminiscent of a
young
Woodson and fits the Packers style.
31. New
York
Giants- Kenny Phillips, S, Miami
With
the departure
of Gibril Wilson for Oakland, Watson makes perfect sense here. Phillips is the highest
ranked safety
in this year’s class and continues the University of Miami’s legacy for churning out talented safeties.
Plus, he would be starting opposite Sammy Knight a 12 year pro who will
need to
be replaced after this season. If he is available this late in the
draft, it
would be perfect for the Giants. |
