(Updated 02.06.08)
1. Miami Dolphins: Glenn Dorsey-DT- LSU Tigers -
The Dolphins are in serious trouble at most positions. They need to start their rebuilding process on the defensive side of the ball and what better way than to add this game changing DT. Dorsey is one of the best defensive tackles to come out of college ever. With Bill Parcels the man in charge of personal decisions he knows that getting an outstanding defensive lineman would be one of the key rebuilding steps. He would be their defensive anchor for many years to come.
2. St. Louis Rams: Jake Long: OT- Michigan Wolverines:
The St. Louis Rams need an impact offensive lineman and Long is there man. He is a force at the tackle position who is one of the best linemen to come out of college in awhile. As a junior he won the Big Ten Lineman of the year award over Joe Thomas and Levi Brown. There is a chance you have heard of them. Oh yeah they went top 5 in last year’s draft. He will be an immediate help to their offensive line who have already allowed 44 sacks through 15 weeks.
3. Atlanta Falcons: Matt Ryan: QB- Boston College Eagles:
The Atlanta Falcons have no answers at their QB position this season. They have shuffled through Joey Harrington, Byron Leftwich, and Chris Redman and none of them have had any success. Matt Ryan has established himself as the top quarterback prospect this year. He has single handedly carried the Eagles to their 10-3 record. He did not have an overwhelmingly talented receiving corp. but still led his team to the ACC title. The Falcons will be heading in the right direction with him being under center. There are a lot of wholes in this team but with a weak quarterback class in next year's draft look for them to grab a QB and then go to free agency to give him an Oline.
4) Oakland Raiders: Darren McFadden: RB- Arkansas Razorbacks
:
The running back position is not the biggest need on this Raiders team. However, Al Davis will NOT PASS UP MCFADDEN. He knows he needs a big draft pick here and Mcfadden is their man. He will help generate the most interest as a rookie and he is a force. With him and Jamarcus playing side by side it will be a lethal combination of run pass for many years to come. He is an Adrian Peterson type talent who will impact a team right from the first day. Justin Fargas has had a good year but he is not feature back.
5. Kansas City Chiefs: Chris Long: DE: Virginia Cavaliers
:The running back position is not the biggest need on this Raiders team. However, Al Davis will NOT PASS UP MCFADDEN. He knows he needs a big draft pick here and Mcfadden is their man. He will help generate the most interest as a rookie and he is a force. With him and Jamarcus playing side by side it will be a lethal combination of run pass for many years to come. He is an Adrian Peterson type talent who will impact a team right from the first day. Justin Fargas has had a good year but he is not feature back.
5. Kansas City Chiefs: Chris Long: DE: Virginia Cavaliers
The Chiefs have a lot of work to do to get back to being a playoff team. They must improve defensively and Chris Long is too good to pass up. With Long as an addition they would likely move Tamba Hali into a 3-4 outside linebacker, like the Cowboys do with Demarcus Ware. With Long, Jared Allen, and Tamba Hali the Chiefs would have the youngest group of dominant pass rushers. Long is an impact defensive end who had 14 sacks (10th nationally), 6.3 tackles per game (4th), and 7 pass breakups (6th) as a senior for the Cavaliers.
6. New York Jets: Vernon Gholston: DE: Ohio State Buckeyes:
6. New York Jets: Vernon Gholston: DE: Ohio State Buckeyes:
Everyone knows that Mangini is a defensive minded coach. One of the best ways to improve his 3-4 defense is to get an impact defensive end. Vernon Gholston has been one of the anchors that has helped Ohio State become the number one defense in college football. At 6'4 267 do not be suprised to see a 40 time at the combine in the high 4.5s or low 4.6s. He was recruited as a linebacker, which he could play in the pros. Do not mistake him as strictly a speed rusher though as he bullrushed Jake Long several times in their games and had very good success against the All American.
7. New England Patriots (via San Fran): Mike Jenkins: CB- South Florida Bulls
The Patriots are one of the most complete teams top to bottom in NFL history. It is going to be very difficult to afford Asante Samuel into their salary cap and their is a great possibility that he will no longer be a Patriot. This is a very deep cornerback class and Jenkins is the most talented. Belicheck would love this addition because of his speed and playmaking ability. He has been the defensive leader for this Bulls defense. Head coach Jim Leavitt says, "Has as much speed as anybody in the country."
8. Baltimore Ravens: Andre Woodson, QB: Kentucky Wildcats
The Ravens need a young quarterback that can lead them in the future. Kyle Boller is not the answer and Steve McNair is far past his prime. I do like Troy Smith but he is not what they are looking for in a long term solution. Woodson is. Without Woodson at QB the Wildcats would have been the laughingstock of the SEC. Woodson led them to big wins such as against then ranked: #1 LSU, #9 Louisville, and Arkansas. The loses they had were no indication of Woodson’s performance as he put up 50 points against Tennessee and 37 against Florida. Woodson has unbelievable potential as the pro-style quarterback Ravens would love to build there team around.
9. Cincinnati Bengals: Sedrick Ellis: DT- USC Trojans:
The Bengals are a bad defensive team and need a franchise DT to help stop the run and pressure the QB. Ellis can do both and has been a force for the Trojans. As an athletic 6'2 305 the Bengals would love him to plug gaps to help this team get back into the playoffs.
10. New Orleans Saints: Aqib Talib: CB Kansas Jayhawks:
Another team with some serious issues defending the pass. Teams have exploited their weak pass defense all season. Talib has star potential He is also a big corner at 6’2 205 and is one of the main reasons why Kansas had the best defense won the Orange Bowl . In the Orange Bowl, Talib's pick 6 helped get his name out there to a national audience after being one of the most underrated players on a great Kansas team.
11. Buffalo Bills: Calais Campbell: DE- Miami Hurricanes:
The Bills need more youth in their defense. Bring in Calais Campbell who's potential is through the roof. He is a freak of an athlete at 6’8 280 pounds. He will be a great pass rusher in the NFL with his size and speed.
12. Denver Broncos: Keith Rivers: OLB: USC Trojans:
The run defense for the Broncos has been atrocious this season. Bring in Keith Rivers who is a big (6’3 235lb) force at outside linebacker. He is nicknamed “The Shark” because of his aggressive play and this is exactly what the Broncos need to help make a difference on the defensive side of the ball.
13. Carolina Panthers: QB: Brian Brohm: Louisville Cardinals
.jpg)
No team had a worse display of qbs this year than the Panthers and they would be ecstatic to get Brohm here. No other pick here would have the impact on the Panthers than Brohm. Jake Delhomme has had a magical run at QB for them but look for that to be about done as he is already 32 years old, he is injury prone, and his production has dropped year after year since their Super Bowl run. Bring in Brohm who could start by mid-year and help them get back into the playoffs.
14. Chicago Bears: Sam Baker: OL- USC Trojans:
With the top three QBs off the board the Bears will look to help out the offensive line, who has struggled all year. Only two teams were worse at running the ball and their QB's got sacked 43 times this year. The Oline is at fault and are a very old group. Offensive line is the one position where players will always jump the draft board unexpectedly because there is such a need for quality linemen such as last year with Levi Brown Had he not gotten injured his name would sound a lot more familiar and even could have had him ahead of Jake Long. It is no surprise that once he recovered from his injury, USC became a force.
15. Detroit Lions: Ryan Clady: OT: Boise State Broncos:
15. Detroit Lions: Ryan Clady: OT: Boise State Broncos:
This team has defensive needs and some help at offensive line. With an aging oline and a unit that surrendered more sacks than any other team in the NFL than look.
16. Arizona Cardinals: Kenny Phillips: S: Miami Hurricanes
The Arizona Cardinals have been exploited in the passing game to much this season. They currently are ranked 24th in passing yards allowed and Phillips will be a great solution to help in this area. He is a great prospect who is solid in coverage and is a phenomenal tackler. As a freshman at Miami he had 88 tackles, 71 as a sophomore (missing 3 games) and has 95 now as a senior.
This team must get younger on defense to be a playoff contender. They are the league’s best run stopping teams but are the worst in the passing game. They are lucky this class is deep in talented cornerbacks because McKelvin is another good one. He has emmerged out of nowhere to become a top 20 pick. He had a great week of practice, showing that he's capable of playing with the top athletes in the country. Also a dangerous return man.
18. Houston Texans: Antoine Cason: CB: Arizona Wildcats:
The reasoning for drafting Mario Williams over Reggie Bush a couple years ago was to solidify its defense to stop players like Peyton Manning. Not too bad of a decision as Mario Williams is second in the NFL in sacks with 13. Look for them to add to this young defense with a talented cornerback in Antoine Cason. He is a very good cover man who could lock down that position for the Texans.
19. Philidelphia Eagles: DE Phillip Merling- Clemson
20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Desean Jackson: WR: California Golden Bears:
One word to describe Jackson, electric. Desean is the type of athlete who could single handedly change games on offense and special teams. Tampa Bay got their first kickoff return for a TD this year and expect their fans to see more of those as Desean has that Devin Hester type of electric ability. Unlike Devin though, he is a proven receiver who will help this offense.
21. Washington Redskins: Derrick Harvey: DE: Florida Gators:
The Redskins desperately need some help putting pressure on the quarterback. Harvey can do that, ask Heisman winner Troy Smith. Harvey sacked Troy 3 times and recovered a fumble deep in Buckeye territory to lead the Gators to a win. He will continue to be a good speed rusher in the pros and the Redskins could put him to use.
The Redskins desperately need some help putting pressure on the quarterback. Harvey can do that, ask Heisman winner Troy Smith. Harvey sacked Troy 3 times and recovered a fumble deep in Buckeye territory to lead the Gators to a win. He will continue to be a good speed rusher in the pros and the Redskins could put him to use.
22. Dallas Cowboys: (via Cleveland Browns): Early Doucet: WR: LSU Tigers:
The cowboys would love a young playmaker here in Doucet.. The Cowboys two main receivers are 34 and 32 years old. A young difference maker like Doucet will give Tony Romo a great weapon for many years.
23. Seattle Seahawks: Steve Slaton: RB: West Virginia
The Steelers would like to get a chance to help out their front three. Groves has plenty of speed as he is a converted linebacker and in the Steelers system should only be able to improve in his limited experience as a D End.
25. Tennessee Titans: Malcolm Kelly: WR: Oklahoma Sooners
The Titans need to surround Vince Young with some more talent if they want him to have any success. Kelly is a playmaker that they would love to have here. He has size (6’4) and skill that would create instant mismatches that Young would love to be able to exploit.
26. San Diego Chargers: Dan Connor: LB: Penn St:
Connors fits perfectly into this 3-4 defense. The Chargers defense has been suspect to the run giving up 113 yards per game. Connors is a blue collar tackling machine that is a very safe pick because he will produce results.
27. Jacksonville Jaguars: Mario Manningham: WR: Michigan Wolverines:
The Jaguars have struggled in drafting wide receivers. They currently do not have anyone on the team with more than 39 catches. That is an atrocious sub 3 catches a game. Reggie Williams and Ernest Wilford are big possession receivers. Look for the Jaguars to add a burner like Manningham to give Garrard a home run threat that they have not had ever in Jacksonville.
28. Green Bay Packers: Fred Davis: TE: USC Trojans
Credit Ryan Grant for having such a great season. I, along with any other fan, had them penciled in to take a running back with this pick but week after week Grant proved himself and running back is no longer an issue. As explosive as their offense has been they still could use help at tight end. He has an knack for finding the end zone and could be a dangerous red zone threat.
29. San Francisco 49ers (via Indianappolis Colts): Reggie Smith: CB: Oklahoma Sooners:
This team is in so much trouble that their best bet will be to take the best available player on the board at this time. A young cornerback is a good start for them as they can’t rely too much on starting CB Walt Harris down the road. (He is 34) His game changing ability helped him get preseason Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. He could make an impact here as a 49er.
30. Dallas Cowboys: Brandon Flowers: CB: Virginia Tech Hokies:
Teams will often try to find other mismatches in the Cowboy secondary as Terrance Newman is a lockdown defender. Flowers would be a perfect complement to this secondary as he helped lead the Hokies to college football’s best defenses.
31. New York Giants: CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie: Tennessee State
Probably the best name you have never heard of. That is because he is at a small school but he has emerged as a first round talent. He's tall at and has been timed at sub 4.4 in the forty yard dash and has been a solid lock down corner this season. Had the best week of practice at of all of the defensive backs.
Probably the best name you have never heard of. That is because he is at a small school but he has emerged as a first round talent. He's tall at and has been timed at sub 4.4 in the forty yard dash and has been a solid lock down corner this season. Had the best week of practice at of all of the defensive backs.
