2008 NFL Mock Draft

4/21/08

Presented by Dale Sims

The 2008 NFL draft has many question marks.  The football talent pool is actually good across the board but there are not a lot of acknowledged playmakers at the skill positions.  It seems to be unlikely that there will be any trades at the very top of the NFL draft, and trades are a crap shoot predicting in any mock. However, if McFadden or Gholston are still on the board at five Kansas City may get some interesting offers, more on that later. Jacksonville is a team which may be looking at trading out of the first round altogether.

Miami is talking to Jake Long and possibly others; some think this is a smoke screen.  The talk about Long not being a left pro tackle is a bit overstated.  His body of work in college suggests that his natural tendency is to play straight ahead as a power blocker.  He has the necessary agility though. His results in the agility drills were actually better than Joe Thomas had last year.  His footwork is not nearly as good as Thomas' was leaving college and in the combine.  Good coaching will improve that possibly quickly.  Even if it does not he will be immediately effective on the right side.  If he avoids injury he is going to be an immediate contributor and productive at a high level for a decade or more.  This is a good choice because it has minimal risk for the investment that they are going to have to make anyway.

The reason to go offense here instead of defense is that Parcels might believe that Miami is closer to being competitive on offense and this will help get Brown going.  On defense, they have so many holes up front that DE Chris Long might not be very effective.  It is hard to see how they could field a 3-4 front, which is likely to be that best fit for that type of player and the defense Parcels wants to install.  (Gholston also has been mentioned in this spot and is an outside linebacker in the 3-4.)

My 2008 NFL Mock Draft

Miami – Jake Long, OT makes sense for the team for all the reasons listed above as it currently stands and it is the right way to build a team.  Miami is not going to have any quick fixes to turn there franchise around in one season.

St Louis – Glen Dorsey, DT would be another defensive tackle pick to try to fix the problems with the defensive line of the Rams.  As snake bit as the rams have been selecting defensive tackles in the draft they might look elsewhere but this is their biggest need and Dorsey is that good.  (Jake Long might be the safer pick here.)

Atlanta – Matt Ryan, QB may not be the best pick for immediate help but the franchise needs to have a face and a quarterback establishes that here.  Hopefully they will give him about half the season to get prepared in what rates to be a long rebuilding process.

Oakland – Chris Long, DE/OLB gets to play for his father’s former team if he is still on the board here.  Oakland would rather have Dorsey if he was available on a need basis and also McFadden might be a candidate just because they love speed.

Kansas City – Ryan Clady, OT looks to be the Chiefs pick as they try to rebuild their offensive line.  They might actually get him with pick seven rather than pick five as all kinds of trade intrigue is possible here.

New York Jets – Darren McFadden, RB is a logical pick after investing in offensive line talent as they have.  Vernon Gholston, DE/OLB also makes sense here, as the Jets need a dedicated pass rusher for their defense.

New England – Vernon Gholston, DE/OLB he has the skills that the Patriots like and brings the average age of their linebacking corps to under 35.  They also have significant needs in the secondary but the improvement in the pass rush should help there.

Baltimore – Chris Williams, OT the Ravens have two retirees to replace and the most difficult one will be Ogden.  Williams will have big shoes to fill literally and figuratively but fits the current Ravens line scheme at this point, Matt Ryan would be a choice here if available.  (More trade intrigue possible here as teams interested in Ellis try to trade up.)

Cincinnati – Sedrick Ellis, DT the Bengals need a defensive tackle and an appropriately rated one is available at this spot.  The Bengals have to improve their defensive front and that is really going to be their focus here.  If Ellis is not available, they will still be looking for defense perhaps linebacker.

New Orleans – Leodis McKelvin, CB small school prospect makes it big the Saints would like to get Ellis and a trade is possible but they still need to improve their defensive backfield, a lot and he will be a solid corner.  Linebacker Keith Rivers is a possibility here also.

Buffalo – Devin Thomas WR, this receiver class is not particularly exciting and fairly even in talent but the Bills need a second receiver desperately and a big wide receiver would be a nice complement to Evans.  The other direction here would be a corner here.

Denver – Jeff Otah, OT the decline of the Denver offensive line last season was precipitous.  The retirement of Lepsis is the obvious hole to be filled here.  They would probably prefer to get a defensive tackle and might be a candidate to make a move to get Ellis.

Carolina – Derrick Harvey, DE they need a complementary pass rusher for Peppers.  They have some other needs at offensive tackle but the early run on offensive linemen has thinned that group.  Mendenhall might get some consideration here.

Chicago – Branden Albert, G yet another offensive lineman goes off the board Albert is an athletic guard who is versatile enough to play right tackle also, both positions of need for the Bears.  A running back could get the nod here.

Detroit – Rashard Mendenhall, RB, the Lions have a number of needs beyond this, especially on defense but can not pass on this opportunity.  A defensive lineman is also a possibility here.

Arizona – Mike Jenkins, CB a need pick but the Cardinals will be delighted to find this player available here.  A running back is possible here as James is not getting any younger.

Minnesota – Phillip Merling, DE, this has become a need pick and with the tackles the Vikings have Merling could be very productive as a rookie.  Some help on the offensive line or a receiver would be another option here.

Houston – Jonathan Stewart, RB the Texans need to improve the talent at running back, Stewart is a one-cut runner who fits their offensive scheme and is a decent blocker.

Philadelphia – Keith Rivers, LB while the Eagles could use a receiver the value pick here is Rivers, a good athlete who makes a good defense a bit better.

Tampa Bay – Limas Sweed, WR the receiver corps needs to get younger and Sweed at 6’ 4” has great agility and explosiveness will make a good red zone target.

Washington – Lawrence Jackson, DE the Redskins need to improve their line play on both sides of the ball.  Jackson is an underrated but very effective player who can contribute immediately.

Dallas – Felix Jones, RB a good fit replacing Jones with a Jones here but one with more evasiveness and speed around the edge.  Dallas could also opt for a corner back at this position.

Pittsburgh – Gosender Cherilus, OT the Steelers have to improve their offensive line to protect the investment they have in Roethlisberger.

Tennessee – James Hardy, WR a raw wide receiver who was formerly a basketball player, very soft hands and very effective in the red zone at 6’5” with a 37” vertical leap.

Seattle – Early Doucet, WR a sure-handed receiver who has excellent hands.  Seattle has good but aging receivers and some concern about injuries at that position.

Jacksonville – Andre Fluellen, DT has good speed and can get pressure on the quarterback from the tackle spot something the Jaguars need desperately, a reach though. 

San Diego – Beau Bell, ILB a strong player he plays with an attitude that should fit in with this defense.

Dallas – Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie CB, Dallas is still looking to get their coverage woes worked out and this should help.

San Francisco – Quentin Groves, LB a good pass rusher, something needed particularly in this division where prolific passing attacks flourish.

Green Bay – Dustin Keller, TE an explosive player with decent speed and superior athleticism.  The Packers could look for a corner here but the tight end position is a more immediate need.

New York Giants – Brandon Flowers, CB plays intelligently, has good instincts, is a good tackler, and will provide needed depth in the defensive backfield.

Observations

The 2008 NFL draft is tough to call because of the balance and lack of clear stars.  This is a decent draft class with good depth but the running back and quarterback positions have many questions and very few answers.  Some of the players are at the spots above because of how well they fit a particular team or scheme. 

There is a bumper crop of outside linebacker defensive end “tweeners” for example.  There is also likely to be some movement in this draft at a couple of different places and a few bargains will slide into the second round.  I am predicting a run on offensive and defensive linemen in my mock, but there just as easily could be a run on cornerbacks.

I actually think the NFL draft swings on what happens at position three and who trades into the fifth position.  It should be a very interesting draft.

Dale “at” footballforecasters.com