2008 NFL Mock Draft

 

1) Miami Dolphins- Jake Long OT (Michigan)

They’ve already signed him to a contract, so Miami has made the decision to take Jake Long, probably because he’s the safest pick. If he doesn’t pan out at left tackle, he can certainly switch to right tackle or even left guard.

 

2) St. Louis Rams- Chris Long, DE (Virginia)

The versatile end will bolster the Rams line, and will provide a great tandem with Leonard Little, not to mention a continuation of the youth movement started with last year’s selection of DE/DT Adam Carriker.

 

3) Atlanta Falcons- Matt Ryan, QB (Boston College)

The Falcons are in a good position here, as they can fill their biggest needs (QB, OL, DT) right here. Of course, the most obvious pick here is Matt Ryan, for two reasons. One, the Falcons need to start their rebuilding with a quality quarterback. Two, there is too much depth at OL and DT to use this early on pick on either when Atlanta’s franchise QB is waiting for them.

 

4) Oakland Raiders- Darren McFadden, RB (Arkansas)

Al Davis loves flash, and Darren McFadden fits that bill. He may not be the best player for Oakland to take, as they need help at OL very badly, but McFadden will be the player they draft.

 

5) Kansas City Chiefs- Glenn Dorsey, DT (LSU)

Even though the Chiefs now have a glaring need at DE with the loss of Jared Allen (traded to the Vikings) they will pass on Vernon Gholston for the most dominant defensive player of the draft, Glenn Dorsey.

 

6) New York Jets- Vernon Gholston, DE/OLB (Ohio State)

With all the other top players off the board, Gholston makes sense because of his pure ability, plus pairing him with Calvin Pace will make for an excellent pass rush combo that will undoubtedly be able to improve upon the Jets’ pitiful 2007 sack total (29)

 

7) New England Patriots- Leodis McKelvin CB (Troy)

The loss of Asante Samuel, Randall Gay and Eugene Wilson leaves a major void at DB. The Patriots can fill that void by taking the best CB in the draft.

 

8) Baltimore Ravens- Ryan Clady, OT (Boise State)

Jonathan Ogden is likely going to retire, and the Ravens will need a young star to fill that void, so that they don’t get any worse offensively. With Jake Long already gone, Clady is the obvious choice for the Ravens, even though a QB would also be good.

 

9) Cincinnati Bengals-Keith Rivers, LB (USC)

The secondary is the only notable part of the Bengals defense, but they looked bad this year simply because the front seven couldn’t put pressure on the QB. Keith Rivers, the heart of the USC defense, is only the beginning of the Bengals defensive rebuilding, but he will be a powerful inside force for them.

 

10) New Orleans Saints- Mike Jenkins, CB (USF)

Offensively, the Saints are matched by only the Patriots in terms of explosiveness. But their porous secondary made them play catch up half the season, so the Saints missed the playoffs. Seeing as the Patriots will draft McKelvin, the Saints will have to “settle” for Mike Jenkins, who will be a perfect addition to the Saints, who can dominate the NFC again, so long as they have a shutdown defense to go with their high- powered offense.

 

11) Buffalo Bills-Devin Thomas, WR (Michigan State)

The Bills have no one past Lee Evans in their wideout corps, and opposing teams keyed in on that this year, limiting the Bills passing game immensely. Josh Reed is not a speed threat, and he can’t even be counted on as a possession receiver like he used to. Roscoe Parrish is great as a PR and a burner, but is too small and lacks the durability to be used as an every down receiver. Devin Thomas has shot up draft boards, and drafting him will give the Bills two solid wide receivers, and this will allow them to make strides as an offense, and maybe give them a shot at a wild card spot.

 

12) Denver Broncos- Jeff Otah, OT (Pittsburgh)

The retirement of Matt Lepsis, the cornerstone of two Bronco Super Bowl lines that protected John Elway, greatly hurts the offense. Denver’s blocking scheme has always been anchored by veterans who knew their system, and this allowed them to churn out 1000 yard rushers every year. Now they must look to the future, and unfortunately for them, both Jake Long and Ryan Clady are gone, so they’ll have to settle for the next best lineman. Otah is big and strong and will need some molding, but he can be a fresh start for the Bronco line.

 

13) Carolina Panthers- Sedrick Ellis, DT (USC)

Carolina’s defensive line has been steadily losing its talent over the past few years, and now they need to rebuild it. Ellis can provide the dominant inside force that every D-Line needs, helping Carolina regain its defensive prowess for years to come.

 

14) Chicago Bears- Chris Williams, OT (Vanderbilt)

With Rex Grossman being given one more year to prove his mettle, a quarterback is not worth squandering the Bears’ first rounder here, considering their other glaring needs. Chris Williams will fill the void at OT for a long time, perhaps even long enough for Grossman to make a play.

 

15) Detroit Lions- Jonathan Stewart, RB (Oregon)

Although many criticized the offensive plan for the Lions in 2007, which was heavily pass oriented, Mike Martz really didn’t have much of a choice, seeing as he had Kevin Jones, T.J. Duckett and Tatum Bell to work with (basically all power and no speed). Jonathan Stewart, who is 5’11” and 235 lbs, negates all three. He can bowl through defenders, but can use his speed (4.4 40 time) to break big runs.

 

16) Arizona Cardinals- Derrick Harvey, DE/OLB (Florida)

The Cardinals are making great strides as a team, and are maybe a year or two away from making the playoffs. When healthy, they have one of the best receiving duos in the league (Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin), and with a strong offseason, Matt Leinart will be ready to lead this team. Defensively, the only stars are the players not affected by the switch to the 3-4: the secondary. The addition of Harvey will give Arizona a tough outside force that can play standing or on the line, and give the fledgling 3-4 a good start for the future, seeing as Calvin Pace (Jets) was just lost in free agency.

 

17) Kansas City Chiefs- Sam Baker, OL (USC)

With the extra first rounder they picked up in the Jared Allen trade, the Chiefs can address their other glaring, need, O-line. Sam Baker will start immediately for the Chiefs and will provide an anchor on the left side.

 

18) Houston Texans- Rashard Mendenhall, RB (Illinois)

Ahman Green was injured far too much, and Ron Dayne does not have the running ability he had when he came into the league eight years ago. Rashard Mendenhall will not only break the streak of first round defensemen taken by the Texans, but he will provide the thing the Texans have been missing ever since they entered the league: a franchise running back.

 

19) Philadelphia Eagles- DeSean Jackson, WR (California)

Kevin Curtis is an excellent receiver, but he was the Eagles only threat and so teams neutralized him down the road, limiting the Eagles passing attack. DeSean Jackson is a great playmaker who will give Philadelphia a great WR opposite Kevin Curtis and a defense stretching weapon, something they’ve lacked since Donte’ Stallworth left after 2006.

 

20) Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Dominique Rogers-Cromartie, CB (Tennessee State)

The fact that Ronde Barber is the Bucs’ only consistent DB is not good news. He is aging, and they will not be able to rely on him much longer. With a deep CB class this year, two teams have already picked CB’s and the Bucs still get to land DRC, who will eventually replace the horribly inconsistent Philip Buchanon.

 

21) Washington Redskins- Kentwan Balmer, DL (UNC)

Defensive line was a weak spot for the Redskins this year, and big Kentwan Balmer can help with that. Balmer can play anywhere on the line, and will fit will with the Redskins base 4-3 scheme.

 

22) Dallas Cowboys- Felix Jones, RB (Arkansas)

Although there are rumors that Dallas is looking to trade for Miami’s draft pick in order to get Darren McFadden, they won’t be able to because they’ll have to give up too much. So they’ll have to “settle” for McFadden’s counterpart at Arkansas, Felix Jones. Jones is fast enough to breakaway from the pack, and he can also run between the tackles. With Julius Jones leaving, Felix Jones makes perfect sense.

 

23) Pittsburgh Steelers- Branden Albert, G (Virginia)

With the loss of Alan Faneca to the Jets, the Steelers need a tough, nasty OL to fill the void he left. Albert is the only first round- worthy guard, and Steelers should waste no time in snapping him up.

 

24) Tennessee Titans- Early Doucet, WR (LSU)

It seems kind of foolish to draft a player like Vince Young, and give him no weapons to work with, and then criticize him as a quarterback who runs too much, or as an ineffective passer. The Titans will rectify their mistake, and grab a flashy playmaking receiver to give them a better shot in the playoffs next year.

 

25) Seattle Seahawks- Fred Davis, TE (USC)

With the signing of Julius Jones, the Seahawks no longer need to hold their breathe to see if Felix Jones, Rashard Mendenhall or Jonathan Stewart will still be available at No. 25. Instead, they can fill their more pressing need of tight end. Ever since Jerramy Stevens left, they have been lost at that position. Davis is the best TE of the draft, and will add nicely to the Seahawks.

 

26) Jacksonville Jaguars- Quentin Groves, DE/OLB (Auburn)

The Jaguars have monsters on the inside of their defensive line, but lack a strong outside presence. Groves is better than this twenty-sixth overall spot, but his injury hurts his value. The Jaguars will find themselves lucky to reap a player of Groves’ talent.

 

27) San Diego Chargers- Gosder Cherilus, OT (Boston College)

The Chargers aren’t in need at any great position, but an upgrade at tackle would help the offense return to what it was two years ago.

 

28) Dallas Cowboys- Limas Sweed, WR (Texas)

Two first round picks allow Dallas to take care of its greatest needs on offense: a franchise RB and a big guy to replace aging star Terrell Owens. Limas Sweed is an in- state talent who will go over well with fans.

  

29) San Francisco 49ers- Malcolm Kelly, WR (Oklahoma)

With the 49ers WR corps possibly the weakest in the league (in terms of production), they will need to draft a play-making, sure handed receiver to bolster the unit. Kelly’s draft stock has slipped because of a weak pro-day, but this works to the 49ers advantage.

 

30) Green Bay Packers- Antoine Cason, CB (Arizona)

Yet another team with no glaring needs. Cason is drafted because depth is always good to have at DB, and Charles Woodson is aging.

 

31) New York Giants- Dan Connor, LB (Penn State)

Drafting a tough, hard working LB like Connor makes perfect sense here, for two reasons. One, it allows the Giants to move Mathias Kiwanuka back to DE, with no worry over whether or not his replacement (Connor) will be a success (Connor is from Penn State, which never fails to turn out quality LBs). And, it allows the Giants to rebuild their defensive unit around a young player, after they were hit heavily by losses to free agency (Gibril Wilson, S; Reggie Torbor, LB; and Kawika Mitchell, LB)