== 01. DOLPHINS - Chris Long, DE/OLB, Virginia == 02. RAMS - Vernon Gholston, DE/OLB, Ohio State == 03. FALCONS - Matt Ryan, QB, Boston College == 04. RAIDERS - Glenn Dorsey, DT, Louisiana State == 05. CHIEFS - Sedrick Ellis, DT, Southern Cal == 06. NY JETS - Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas == 07. PATRIOTS - Jake Long, OT, Michigan == 08. RAVENS - Derrick Harvey, DE/OLB, Florida == 09. BENGALS - Rashard Mendenhall, RB, Illinois == 10. SAINTS - Dominique Cromartie, CB, Tennessee State == 11. BILLS - Leodis McKelvin, CB, Troy == 12. BRONCOS - Jonathan Stewart, RB, Oregon == 13. PANTHERS - Brian Brohm, QB, Louisville == 14. BEARS - Ryan Clady, OT, Boise State == 15. LIONS - Chris Williams, OT, Vanderbilt == 16. CARDINALS - Quentin Groves, DE/OLB, Auburn == 17. VIKINGS - Phillip Merling, DE, Clemson == 18. TEXANS - Mike Jenkins, CB, South Florida == 19. EAGLES - Jeff Otah, OT, Pittsburgh == 20. BUCCANEERS - Keith Rivers, OLB, Southern Cal == 21. REDSKINS - Aqib Talib, CB, Kansas == 22. COWBOYS - Dan Conner, ILB, Penn State == 23. STEELERS - Branden Albert, OL, Virginia == 24. TITANS - Limas Sweed, WR, Texas == 25. SEAHAWKS - Malcolm Kelly, WR, Oklahoma == 26. JAGUARS - Antoine Cason, CB, Arizona == 27. CHARGERS - Gosder Cherilus, OT, Boston College == 28. COWBOYS - Ahtyba Rubin, NT, Iowa State == 29. 49ERS - James Hardy, WR, Indiana == 30. PACKERS - Felix Jones, RB, Arkansas == 31. GIANTS - Sam Baker, OT, Southern Cal == 32. DOLPHINS - Joe Flacco, QB, Delaware == 33. RAMS - Kenny Phillips, S, Miami == 34. RAIDERS - DeSean Jackson, WR, California == 35. CHIEFS - Carl Nicks, OT, Nebraska == 36. NY JETS - Devin Thomas, WR, Michigan State ==
Is Gholston now a top tier prospect in your eyes? The one pick i don?t see is the broncos take a RB on day 1. They have a history of finding good RBs that fit their system well, in the late rounds or UFA. Keith Rivers there would make much more sense, imo. btw. whey did he drop that far? is it only because you don?t see anybody need him, or does he have a knock i don?t know?
Yeah the Rivers slide was mostly due to needs and the way the board fell, but he would be a steal at 20 As for Gholston, his combine and pro day cannot be ignored, he was off the charts, very impressive .. I don't know that he'll go as high as #2, that might be pushing it, but the Rams are hot for a pass rushing DE and they can now justify taking Gholston that high if they want too .. but I still suspect he'll be there for the Jets at #6 if he gets by Miami and STL Once he passes the TOP 2, I think he cruises to 6 or 7 {Jets or Pats}
I'm a Jabba fan but, not too sure on Mcfadden. I think the interview will play a HUGE role in this pick... Not too sure they spend that money and pick on an idiot (if he is an idiot)
I still want Gholston. He is going to be a beast for years. I would hate to draft McFadden and he become a bust and Gholston be an all pro for years in New England. If he is drafted by the Rams though, not much we can do about that.
I can't see the chiefs passing on Long and I think the Giants would draft Kenny Phillips - James Butler is awful. I would love to see us get Nicks in the second, Brick, Faneca, Mangold, Woody, Nicks would be tough to move.
Wow Jabba, you really think their will be seven (eight if you count Albert) Offensive Tackles taken in the first 36 picks?? There have been six in the first two rounds each of the last three years. It seems a bit extreme in my eyes. Also, very surprised to see Rubin up there. It seems like he is still all hype and while that will boost him up the charts, I can't see him as a first rounder just yet.
On the OT's, Rambo, I really hadn't noticed that but its an interesting observation .. this is just one of those quirks, a class that is very top heavy with highly regarded OT's on a year when so many teams can be in the market for an OT {i.e. teams that can definitely list OT as a need} .. the Steelers can list both OT and OG after losing Faneca, so I really like that Branden Albert projection from a needs and value point of view .. anyhow, that was a really interesting stat you dropped on me, I had no idea there was such a disparity As for Rubin, I was waiting for someone to point that out and I'm surprised it took this long You know every year at least one selection gives Kiper a heart attack, not necessarily because he's not a good player {as Kiper often explains}, but it's just bad value in RD 1, this is a player they could have drafted in RD 2, blah blah blah .. you know what I mean :grin: Well if I have to project that selection this year, it would be Rubin to the Cowboys at 28 1. Because Rubin should and does likely carry a 2nd RD Grade, and even an early 2 might be pushing it 2. Because Rubin is a really good player, its not like you can't hit the Jackpot 3. AND THIS IS KEY .. because Rubin might be the only legit "HIGH UPSIDE NOSE TACKLE" in the entire draft .. think about that, might be the ONLY "HIGH UPSIDE NOSE TACKLE" in the entire draft, and I mean bona-fide NT 4. As we Jet fans know all too well, the 34 defense simply cannot function properly without a talented lard@$$ clogging up the middle, as if missing that one ingredient undermines the entire scheme .. and to call Nose Tackle a dire need for the Cowboys would be an understatement, especially after they dealt Jason Ferguson to Miami .. forget about a backup Nose Tackle, they don't even have a player who should start at that position in my view, so they are in a major bind at NT in my view .. and if I were in their shoes, because I like Rubin's upside and because I know he's a NT, and because I would fear some team taking him prior to my LATE 2ND ROUNDER, I would do exactly what I have the Cowboys doing here, I would reach for Rubin at the end of RD 1 despite the mid 2nd RD Grade he carries on my board .. I would have too
would bengals really need a rb? i know rudi's hit the wall and all but i think defense is a more pressing need
At that point it is probably all value. I see them going hard after DL but most of the top guys are taken already so it is either Merling or BAP which in this case is a decent need. It is as much a replacement for Rudi as a backup I think.
I agree that defense is the much greater need for Cinci, but they can certainly use an elite feature back as well, therefore I think they can make the best value pick in that spot with Mendenhall .. and I think so highly of Mendenhall that I wouldn't even be upset, AT ALL, if the Jets took him at #6, even with McFadden still on the board hmy: Anyway, that tells you how I view Mendenhall in terms of value, and since the elite front seven defensive players all fell off the board ahead of Cinci in this mock, I would take Mendenhall over one of the CB's if the board fell this way
I think you are right with the second round grade, people would still be nervous about taking him in the second but would understand the risk due to the scarcity of players of his type. Part of me thinks there is no way the Cowboys take him because they tend to be smart value drafters with good talent evaluators and draft guys. On the other hand, part of me thinks they will be the team to reach for him because their two picks allow them to be a little crazy in the first. So in this case they take a relatively safe and good value pick in Dan Connor and then swing for the fences in Rubin. What do you think of the other Nose Tackle prospects in the draft? I know you said he is the only one but I've heard people kicking around Red Bryant as a solid Nose Tackle prospect. Apparently he was a pretty solid anchor at the Senior Bowl (which I obviously did not witness). Do you think he or anyone else will pan out in that role besides Rubin?
Is there a pick missing there? If we pick 6th in the first round don't we pick 6th in the second round? 31 + 6 = 37 Or am I missing something?
I like Red Bryant, Rambo, and there are one or two more who have a chance to be Quality NT's with Bryant leading the pack, but I was referring to "high upside" NT's, meaning someone you can draft at NT and he turns into an elite NT {Jammal Williams, Vince Wilfork, etc.} .. and while Bryant certainly has a chance to emerge as that kind of player, I don't think you can count on it to the same degree you can invision that scenario unfolding for Rubin, which is why I believe Rubin carries a significantly higher grade on most boards, but I could be wrong, maybe I'm just protecting my own feelings
