2008 NFL Mock Draft, Version 3.0 Authored by Jeff Risdon - 29th January, 2008 - 6:45 pm The Senior Bowl has come and gone, with the risers and faders pretty well established. This mock extends out to two rounds; the next mock update will feature three full rounds. The Top 103 overall prospects will be updated soon. 1. Miami Dolphins--Matt Ryan, QB, Boston College This pick is for sale to the highest (if any) bidders as Bill Parcells knows the Dolphins have numerous chasms to fill. Ryan has a lot of Tom Brady in him but just enough Kyle Boller to keep him from being a lock. The Tuna knows he needs someone better than John Beck to resuscitate this team, and the OL has enough good pieces to not get Ryan killed. Signability will be more of a factor than usual in the #1 overall pick. 2. St. Louis Rams--Jake Long, T, Michigan Their OL is a mess, and Orlando Pace can no longer be counted on. Long is capable of playing either LT or RT and is the best run blocking T to enter the draft in a long time. His height gives him issues with smaller, quicker DE's, but Long is no slouch in pass protection either. Trading down for an extra pick or two is a distinct possibility. Floating my own shameless rumor: Rams trade this slot to the Jets for the #6 pick and Laveraneus Coles, and the Jets take Chris Long here with the Rams still able to get Jake Long at #6. 3. *Atlanta Falcons--Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas With all the negativity surrounding this team the past year, the Falcons desperately need a new face of the franchise. McFadden is a popular southerner with humility and class, and that might matter as much to Arthur Blank as how freaking awesome he is with the football in his hands. With Warrick Dunn done and Jerrious Norwood not built for fulltime duty, a potential gamebreaking RB like McFadden is more of a need than most people realize. He?s not as dynamic as Adrian Peterson, but McFadden is pretty close. 4. *Oakland Raiders--Chris Long, DE, Virginia His HOF-er old man did Al Davis proud, and the Raiders need an impact lineman to help against both the run and pass. Long is a great leader and relentless competitor, two other qualities in short supply in Oakland. The Raiders would love McFadden, who reminds some scouts (including two of their own!) of Marcus Allen. 5. *Kansas City Chiefs--Ryan Clady, T, Boise State An early entrant, Clady has perhaps the highest ceiling of any lineman in this draft, and he?s already well off the floor. The Chiefs OL is in disparate desperation, and Clady can step right in and make a difference. The Chiefs are another team that wouldn?t mind moving down. 6. New York Jets--Glenn Dorsey, DT, LSU Surprise! The consensus top defensive player falls in this mock and don?t be surprised if it actually happens. Dorsey is an intimidating menace who would capably fill the NT needs of the Jets, and his ability to make plays in the backfield gives him the chance to be special. But the numbers have not matched the hype, and the excuse of nagging injuries isn?t exactly endearing to NFL coaches. If Dorsey is off the board, they?ll happily take Vernon Gholston or Chris Long. 7. New England Patriots (from SF)--Vernon Gholston, DE/OLB, Ohio State What?s that, you say, with the ?OLB? tag for Gholston? Consider this: he?s smaller than both Adalius Thomas and Mike Vrabel and certainly faster than the latter, and everything positive he brings to the NFL (speed/power rush package, death to screen passes and draws) translates well to 3-4 OLB. Don?t forget Vrabel was a 1st rounder miscast as a DE once upon a time; Bill Belichick certainly hasn?t, and he needs freshness at LB to keep the dynasty humming along. 8. Baltimore Ravens--Brian Brohm, QB, Louisville Scouts are divided on Brohm, who can make all the throws with great velocity and touch but lacks mobility and durability. I?m personally bullish on Brohm, who has handled all kinds of adversity with a calmness and maturity that bodes well for handling the rigors of the NFL. Know this: there was at least one Ravens' scout or front office higher-up at every Louisville game this past season, and it sure as heck wasn?t to watch Mario Urrutia. If the Ravens pass on Brohm and take Ellis or a corner, Brohm might very well fall from the first round. 9. Cincinnati Bengals--Sedrick Ellis, DT, USC The root of the Bengals' woeful defense is right up the gut, and Ellis is the active space-eater they sorely need. Ellis proved unblockable throughout Senior Bowl week and closed the gap between himself and Dorsey. The comparisons to both Kevin Williams and Warren Sapp are lofty but not out of the question for Ellis, who has that rare knack for always picking the right gap to plug. 10. New Orleans Saints--Aqib Talib, CB, Kansas Talib is not the fastest corner in this draft, but his excellent size and instincts, coupled with a flair for the reliably dynamic and WR-worthy hands, make him the first CB off the board in what?s become a pretty impressive class. The Saints' CB's weren?t as awful as their reputation, but that bad rep wasn?t exactly wrong either. Talib has a chance to be the next Champ Bailey although he reminds me more of Charles Woodson. Full round>>>> http://www.realgmfootball.com/src_feature_article/78/20080129/2008_nfl_mock_draft_version_30/ Round 2 33. Miami--Mike Jenkins, CB, South Florida 34. St. Louis--Dan Connor, LB, Penn State 35. Atlanta--Martellus Bennett, TE, Texas A&M 36. Oakland--Lawrence Jackson, DE, USC 37. Kansas City--Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, CB, Tennessee State 38. New York Jets--Andre Caldwell, WR, Florida 39. San Francisco--Lavelle Hawkins, WR, California 40. Baltimore--Reggie Smith, CB, Oklahoma 41. Cincinnati--Ali Highsmith, LB, LSU 42. New Orleans--Pat Sims, DT, Auburn 43. Buffalo--James Hardy, WR, Indiana 44. Denver--Curtis Lofton, LB, Oklahoma 45. Carolina--Devin Thomas, WR/KR, Michigan State 46. Chicago--Kenny Phillips, S, Miami FL 47. Detroit--Gosder Cherilus, T Boston College 48. Arizona--Antoine Cason, CB, Arizona 49. Minnesota--Chad Henne, QB, Michigan 50. Atlanta (from HOU)--Joe Flacco, QB, Delaware 51. Philadelphia--John Carlson, TE, Notre Dame 52. Tampa Bay--Carl Nicks, T, Nebraska 53. Washington--Andre Fluellen, DL, Florida State 54. Cleveland--Kendall Langford, DE, Hampton 55. Pittsburgh--Earl Bennett, WR, Vanderbilt 56. Tennessee--Bruce Davis, OLB, UCLA 57. Seattle--Kellen Davis, TE, Michigan State 58. Jacksonville--Chilo Rachal, G, USC 59. Miami (from SD)--Jordon Dizon, LB, Colorado 60. Dallas--Chris Johnson, RB/KR, East Carolina 61. Indianapolis--Xavier Adibi, LB, Virginia Tech 62. Green Bay--Roy Schuening, G, Oregon State 63. New York Giants--Patrick Lee, CB, Auburn 64. New England--Matt Forte, RB, Tulane For the cadre of Bears' fans who question ?Where the bleep is a QB?!??, I think the Bears take Erik Ainge or Andre Woodson in the 3rd round.
A lot of these picks make no sense or are massive reaches. And how does Kenny Phillips fall to round 2?
I like our picks, but Caldwell is a bit small I would have prefered Hardy, or if we were close to Cromartie I would have leapfrogged KC to get him, but I would not complain at all, or flat out take Kenny Phillips, damn having Dorsey and Phillips in one draft would be amazing
Uh Andre woodson falling to round 3? I dont see it. I also absolutely dispise this draft from a Jets fan perspective... Glenn Dorsey is not a 3-4 NT in my eyes. And I also have doubts about Sedrick Ellis but I think he is more likely to make the transition to the 3-4. This is probably the worst case scenario in our eyes. Andre Caldwell in round 2? If we are going WR i would prefer to have James Hardy. Also it's going to be unlikely to see Mike Jenkins falling to round 2 is unlikely but if he is there and so is Cromartie we should be taking them...
I also look at it this way, we have one more off-season with Mangini and then he will be gone so i just want pure talent, preferably 4-3 talent so that when the next regime takes over we will have some good pieces to build on that won't be awkward. There is just not the amount of players needed coming out of college to fit a 3-4 so why is it being forced
