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Charles Woodson
04-25-2008, 04:33 PM
Been working on this the past few days, i do this for fun but i doubt many of these will be true. feel free to comment


1. Miami Dolphins: Jake Long, OT, Michigan
It’s been a tough year for the dolphins. But what better way to jumpstart your offense next year than protecting your QB, and RB with a 6-7 monster. The Phins are relatively fine on the defensive line. They signed 2 new DT’s that are expected to start. Jason Taylor wont retire this year, and Matt Roth will start opposite of him. With that said, Long can be put at LT, and that gives them the freedom to move Vernon Carrey to the RT.

2. St. Louis Rams: Chris Long, DE, Virginia
The rams need some serious help on the defensive line. Their first round pick last year, Adam Carriker, added some youth on the line. But whenever a team has two players over 33 years old on the line, then its time to look for some replacements. The rams would like to have Jake Long, but since he goes number one, they will take a hard look at Glenn Dorsey or Vernon Gholston. While Dorsey looks promising, I think he is passed up because they already switched Carriker to DT. Long has more starting experience and is bigger than Gholston.

3. Atlanta Falcons: Glenn Dorsey, DT, LSU
Glenn Dorsey is still the same DT that was projected to go number 1 this year. Granted some injuries and a hell of a lot of double teams have dropped him down 2 spots, but he is still a dominant DT. Other possibilities for the Falcons would possibly be Matt Ryan, but frankly he isn’t good enough for a top 5 pick.

4. Oakland Raiders: Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas
Although Warren Sapp’s retirement leaves a big gap on the D-Line, I still don’t think Justin Fargas is the answer at RB. Right now their backfield is filled with a bunch of underachievers, like Dominic Rhodes, and Lamont Jordan. McFadden gives them that spark that every time he touches the football it could be a TD. But still Gholston shouldn’t be ruled out of this pick, especially with him being everything Al Davis likes.

5. KC Chiefs: Ryan Clady, OT, Boise St.
The Chiefs are in a similar predicament as the Cardinals last year at 5. Both of the teams wanted the top tackle, but he was taken early. So they both will reach for the next best thing. Drafting a good tackle makes your whole offense better. It gives the young QB that the chiefs have, more time in the pocket. It also helps out Larry Johnson and takes some stress off of him. The chiefs will still need to draft another G to complete their offensive line though. If the chiefs don’t reach on Clady, then look at them to reach for Branden Alberts, a versatile G/T.

6. NY Jets: Vernon Gholston, DE, Ohio St.
The Jets somehow went from a playoff team to a 6th pick team. They have already brought in a few players via FA. But they need to get more pressure on the QB. Basically if this happens, then the Jets dream just came true. Gholston is a little undersized to take on being a 3-4 end, so instead he drops back and fills in on the lolb. RB is also a good fit, and if the Raiders don’t take McFadden, then the Jets would surely snatch him up.

7. NE Patriots: Derrick Harvey, DE, Florida
This pick is a tossup between the best cornerback and the best DE/LB. I think the patriots are more likely to address their line backing crew with their top pick because that is what they have done in the past. The best LB on the board is Keith Rivers, but most see him as a reach at this spot. Since they run a 3-4 I think they will look for a tweener, which is becoming more and more common. Although a guy like Mike Jenkins or McKelvin is tempting, Derek Harvey helps put their defense back on top.

8. Baltimore Ravens: Matt Ryan, QB, BC
With the recent retiring of Steve Mcnair, if Matt Ryan is available he will be the pick. There is too much at stake to pass up. Kyle Boller wasn’t the answer but Ryan is fully capable of reviving this team to the playoffs. CB is the next position they could target along with a WR. But based off need and BPA Ryan is a perfect fit here.

9. Cincinnati Bengals: Sedrick Ellis, DT, USC
The Bengals Defense last year was a joke, and it starts up front with the line. Domata Peko is solid, but next to him is a gaping hole. Sedrick Ellis is big enough to fit it and just like that their defense becomes better because of the ability to pressure the QB. Chad Johnson may or may not be with the team next year, and if he’s not they will need to look for a WR, in a later round.

10. New Orleans Saints: Leodis McKelvin, CB, Troy St.
Mike McKenzie will turn 32 on draft day. They brought in Randall Gay and he will most likely start opposite of him but they need to draft some depth. Leodis is a lock down CB that fits well not only as a CB but also as a kick returner and maybe takes some pressure off of Reggie Bush as a PR. They did a good job of addressing their LB with Jonathan Vilma, but they could use a upgrade on the weak side, and Keith Rivers could be the pick.

11. Buffalo Bills: Limas Sweed, WR, Texas
Buffalo is building an offense that will be really special soon. Pair Lee Evans, with a 2nd receiver and you really have something. Sweed has great size, and is tough when running routes. He is the perfect companion to Evans, because Evans is the burner while Sweed is the sure thing. Every now and then everyone has drops but Sweed will give Edwards another good target.

12. Denver Broncos: Chris Williams, OT, Vanderbilt
It was tough to decide on this pick. The broncos are being fairly open on their desire on taking Williams, but that may not always be true. The Broncos defense looked awful this year. Ranking 30th in the run, and 28th in points scored against. If they truly aren’t into Williams, then they should look to address their defense with a true playmaker. Someone like Keith Rivers could also be the pick.

13. Carolina Panthers: Jeff Otah, OT, Pittsburgh
Carolina has been counting on getting one of the top OT in this draft. Enough so that they let go their other tackle. John Fox will be on the hot seat this year, and to get off that they need to revert to what has worked for them in the past which has been power running. Otah is a good tackle that knows how to block.

14. Chicago Bears: Branden Albert, OG, Virginia
Since the Bears won’t be taking a QB this high, they will do the next best thing for it. Get some protection for him. The Bears have holes at Tackle and Guard which is why Albert is perfect. Now I’m hoping that the bears flat out blow this pick. But Albert’s would help get their running game back on track, and give some time for whoever will be under center next year for the circus animals.

15. Detroit Lions: Rashard Mendenhall, RB, Illinois
Detroit has holes in a lot of places right now. Lucky for them, the 2nd best running back is sitting right at number 15. Detroit averaged 80 yards a game last year which is pretty bad, but that doesn’t top the fact that there defense ranked last in the league. But still Mendenhall really could help Detroit a lot, especially with the fact that their new Offensive coordinator runs a run happy scheme. Jerod Mayo is another option here.

16. Arizona Cardinals: Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, CB, Ten. St.
Besides the issue at QB, the Cardinals offense doesn’t need much work. On the opposite side of the ball, they could use another corner opposite of Rolle. Hence the fact that they ranked 28th against the pass. The Cardinals might also look at a RB, to compliment, or soon take over James.

17. KC Chiefs: Philip Merling, DE, Clemson
Kansas actually in my opinion got the better part of the trade. Allen was 1 DUI away from a year suspension, and was becoming trouble. The Chiefs look for someone to take over Allen’s spot, which Merling, a balanced DE will have no trouble doing. Last year Merling was a force in the backfield.

18. Houston Texans: Aqib Talib, CB, Kansas
The Texans don’t really have a good RB for the 2008 season and they need one. I don’t think anyone available now is worthy of a first round pick so they go another way. Aqib Talib is a very athletic good CB that can help improve the Texans secondary which is poor. They also have some problems at receiver with injuries so they could look to get a durable receiver if they really like one of them. Talib is a good NFL Draft prospect and he should be a good pro. The reason that he fell this far is that he is known to have some character issues. So if these surface and are discussed a lot before the 2008 NFL Draft Talib may even fall into the second round.

19. Philadelphia Eagles: Kenny Philips, S, Miami
The Eagles were a very streaky team in 2007 and they are going to look to change this in 2008. They already added Asante Samuel to help with their secondary issues. While the sexy pick is for them to take a WR, i think that they can wait till later rounds, and use the 1st to take the best safety, or a top corner. What it comes down to is not only is Dawkins is getting old, and Mikell is not the answer

20. Tampa Bay Bucs: Desean Jackson, WR, Cal
This has been the sexy pick in the months leading up to the draft, and it’s a good chance he will be the pick. Mike Jenkins is another possibility, with Kelly going to Detroit, and Ronde Barber getting up there in age. Jackson has the ability that John Gruden loves, to break a small play into a touchdown every time he touches the ball. They went defense last year, and missed out on a big time WR, and they won’t make the mistake again.

21. Washington Redskins: Calais Campbell, DE, Miami
Calais defines the word mammoth in every aspect. At 6-7 290 lb, he will be able to cause a ruckus in the backfield. The pick makes sense because the current D-line coach for the Redskins was the D-line coach for Miami, in 2006 when Campbell had his breakout year putting up over 20 tackles for losses and 10 sacks. This also fits the need for a replacement for the 35 year old Philip Daniels, currently the right DE.

22. Dallas Cowboys: Mike Jenkins, CB, USF
Jerry Jones wants to win, and he wants to win now. But to win with the Cowboys, they first have to patch up the secondary, and Jenkins is the first step towards that. Whoever they pick will need to be a big physical corner to put up with the likes of Plaxico Burress. Jenkins has a good shot of being gone at pick 20, but if he isn’t then look for him to slip no more and be taken by the ‘Boys.

23. Pittsburgh Steelers: Gosder Cherilus, OT, BC
One in every ten times Big Ben dropped back, he was sacked. On top of that, they let one of their top guards go. They need to fix some spots up on the line and to do so, they reach a lil for Cherilus, a big strong tackle. Cherilus started all 4 years and protected the top QB Matt Ryan. James Hardy would be another fit here, but before the QB can pass the ball, he must have the time to do so.

24. Tennessee Titans: Devin Thomas, WR, Michigan St.
The Titans need a receiver for Vince Young to throw to. They need to get their offense going, because that’s what’s going to help the team the most. Thomas wouldn’t be my favorite pick for them, but it is how it plays out. Thomas is a solid receiver that was very consistent last year.

25. Seattle Seahawks: Jonathan Stewart, RB, Oregon
-They are thin and weak at RB. Stewart will have a year to get the hang of it before becoming the full time back.

26. Jacksonville Jaguars: Kentwan Balmer, DT, UNC
After trading away Stroud, the Jags look to fill the inside. Balmer and Henderson in the middle next year will make it extremely hard to run on.

27. San Diego Chargers: Keith Rivers, LB, USC
Rivers is definitely the BPA right now. The Chargers could use a 2nd running back, or a corner, but Rivers is too hard to pass up. He helps solidify the defense.

28. Dallas Cowboys: Felix Jones, RB, Arkansas
Jerry Jones fetish for Arkansas is the motive behind the pick. He has express interest in both backs. Some feel like Jones is the better, but i would have a tough time saying that. Jones and Barber would make a nice duo next season

29. San Francisco 49ers: James Hardy, WR, Indiana
Alex Smith needs all the help he can get. Hardy gives San Fran a touchdown threat in the red zone. They go WR because they don’t have any
outstanding receivers.

30. Green Bay Packers: Antoine Cason, CB, Arizona
Cason right now is the best fit for the pack. We can all agree that our biggest need is a nickel corner. Cason is a proven veteran that won’t take long to make a difference. He has good size, but questionable speed. One thing that he has that makes him good is his instinct. Watching film of him really brings out his ability to make good decisions. If one of the other top corners are here then we would take them. Other than that moving down into the 2nd would be the best possibility.

31. Forfeited Picks: New England Patriots

32. New York Giants: Tyrell Johnson, S, Arkansas St
With Kenny Philips being gone, the giants make a reach for the next best safety. Although Tyrell didn’t play in a elite conference, he possesses the variables you would like in a safety. They lost Gibril Wilson in FA so they fill this whole, and take a LB with the next pick.

DonHutson
04-25-2008, 04:42 PM
Poor Keith Rivers. You see that guy's name all over the place. I hope he's not invited to the green room.

Tyrell Johnson is an intriguing name to keep an eye on for the Packers. He sounds like Nick Collins, only with brains and instincts. Just kind of feels like a potential Ted pick.

I still have Cason first in my mock as well, but I just can't shake the feeling he's not that much better than any of the CB's we might be able to get in the 2nd.

Plus, I'm not sold that Ted sees CB as as big of a need as the rest of us do. Finally, I'm not convinced Ted cares if it's the biggest need or not.

I think the best value at #30 may end up being WR, QB, OL, or possibly S depending on what happens.

Charles Woodson
04-25-2008, 05:02 PM
Poor Keith Rivers. You see that guy's name all over the place. I hope he's not invited to the green room.

Tyrell Johnson is an intriguing name to keep an eye on for the Packers. He sounds like Nick Collins, only with brains and instincts. Just kind of feels like a potential Ted pick.

I still have Cason first in my mock as well, but I just can't shake the feeling he's not that much better than any of the CB's we might be able to get in the 2nd.

Plus, I'm not sold that Ted sees CB as as big of a need as the rest of us do. Finally, I'm not convinced Ted cares if it's the biggest need or not.

I think the best value at #30 may end up being WR, QB, OL, or possibly S depending on what happens.
I agree, thanks for the feedback.
If we dont go Corner in the first round, my dream would be that with the 1st 2nd we take Dustin Keller-Purdue TE, and with the 2nd Tyvon Branch-Ucon CB

chain_gang
04-25-2008, 05:13 PM
Good looking first round mock, you can make a case for the players drafted by every team in here. One question, though. The New England pick of Derrick Harvey, do you see them actually taking him at #7 or moving down to land him? #7 just seems a little high for him, and I don't see three DE's in the top 10.



Like I said though, Great looking mock, and a different look to it. Good Job.

BF4MVP
04-25-2008, 05:18 PM
I like Cason..Good mock..

There's really no one at 30 that I'm particularly excited about though..I'm hearing Talib may slip to late 1st early 2nd..Yeah he smokes pot but I wouldn't pass up on his talent if he were there, if I were our GM..I get the feeling that TT will follow what he has done all along..Take who he feels is the best player available regardless of need in the first, and then fill needs later in the first day (56 and 60).

Charles Woodson
04-25-2008, 05:24 PM
Yea nice catch Cg,
As for the Pats... History has shown us that the Pats like to focus their top picks on their Defensive front 7. I think Harvey would be a good fit, because hes a great pass rusher, and a bit of a tweener. I think he will play a OLB in a 3-4. Not many people have him going that high, but yes if the patriots have a trade partner then they would deffienetly trade down and try to get him, but if they dont, hes the top player i see them taking... If they pass on him, Carolina and Detroit are big on him

BF4MVP
04-25-2008, 05:26 PM
Tyrell Johnson is an intriguing name to keep an eye on for the Packers. He sounds like Nick Collins, only with brains and instincts. Just kind of feels like a potential Ted pick.
Hmm, he might be a pretty good player then 8-) :lol:

HarveyWallbangers
04-25-2008, 05:28 PM
Everything I've read says Cason is a zone corner, and would be a bad fit for a press coverage scheme. I just can't see the Packers taking him.

Charles Woodson
04-25-2008, 05:34 PM
Everything I've read says Cason is a zone corner, and would be a bad fit for a press coverage scheme. I just can't see the Packers taking him.

I think he played zone in college, but i figured he could make the switch to man. Hes got decent speed, but i have read that hes physical. He threw up 20 reps on the bench at the combine, which was one of the best for corners.

HarveyWallbangers
04-25-2008, 05:54 PM
The USA Today bio on him under Negatives says that "he fails to good hand placement on receivers" and then says "he is only adequate in attempts to press, failing to consistently impede the receiver's route progression"

Another bio said that he can be good, but won't fit everyone's scheme. It said that he's a zone corner that could be another Ronde Barber if he goes to a Tampa Cover-2 zone scheme.

Charles Woodson
04-25-2008, 06:10 PM
The USA Today bio on him under Negatives says that "he fails to good hand placement on receivers" and then says "he is only adequate in attempts to press, failing to consistently impede the receiver's route progression"

Another bio said that he can be good, but won't fit everyone's scheme. It said that he's a zone corner that could be another Ronde Barber if he goes to a Tampa Cover-2 zone scheme.

Hm, ive read the 2nd bio. Besides mike jenkins, who else would fit our scheme well?

red
04-25-2008, 06:16 PM
i got a couple issues with the cowboys picks

the first is, i'm not so sure if CB is still as high on their list now that they traded for pacman, and someday might get to use him

the other, and this isn't mine, someone posted this on PFT forums today. its about the so called jerry jones/arkansas fetish. i guess he's only eve drafted one player from arkansas before. so if thats true, then someones been feeding us a line about jerry jones, and what he might do in the draft

HarveyWallbangers
04-25-2008, 07:46 PM
The USA Today bio on him under Negatives says that "he fails to good hand placement on receivers" and then says "he is only adequate in attempts to press, failing to consistently impede the receiver's route progression"

Another bio said that he can be good, but won't fit everyone's scheme. It said that he's a zone corner that could be another Ronde Barber if he goes to a Tampa Cover-2 zone scheme.

Hm, ive read the 2nd bio. Besides mike jenkins, who else would fit our scheme well?

Not many guys. We may wait to draft one that fits. It seems like Patrick Lee and Terrell Thomas would be two of them. I've read conflicting reports on the press abilities of Talib and Charles Godfrey. It's hard to find guys like Al Harris. Then again, some of these guys will have the ability to do it if they are taught correctly.

red
04-25-2008, 08:40 PM
The USA Today bio on him under Negatives says that "he fails to good hand placement on receivers" and then says "he is only adequate in attempts to press, failing to consistently impede the receiver's route progression"

Another bio said that he can be good, but won't fit everyone's scheme. It said that he's a zone corner that could be another Ronde Barber if he goes to a Tampa Cover-2 zone scheme.

Hm, ive read the 2nd bio. Besides mike jenkins, who else would fit our scheme well?

Not many guys. We may wait to draft one that fits. It seems like Patrick Lee and Terrell Thomas would be two of them. I've read conflicting reports on the press abilities of Talib and Charles Godfrey. It's hard to find guys like Al Harris. Then again, some of these guys will have the ability to do it if they are taught correctly.

something i've been wondering about

why can't we switch to the cover 2? everyone else is doing it and it works just fine. there seems to be a lot more talent for the cover two, and the quality doesn't really have to be top notch

sure we play man now, and we have two of the best corners at doing it, but harris is on his last leg and woodson probably isn't too far behind

why not make it easy on them, and us in the future?

to me it seems like it would be a pretty simple conversion, well maybe not with our coaches on d, but we should get rid of them anyways

is it really a difficult transition?

Charles Woodson
04-25-2008, 09:02 PM
i got a couple issues with the cowboys picks

the first is, i'm not so sure if CB is still as high on their list now that they traded for pacman, and someday might get to use him

the other, and this isn't mine, someone posted this on PFT forums today. its about the so called jerry jones/arkansas fetish. i guess he's only eve drafted one player from arkansas before. so if thats true, then someones been feeding us a line about jerry jones, and what he might do in the draft

My bet is that if that since theres no word about pacmans reinstatement they will go ahead and draft a corner, especially if its a top guy.

I think the reason why everyone is putting felix jones and jerry together, is because since jerry is a proud alum from arkansas, and the cowboys need a running back, people are giving felix the uperhand, if that makes sense

HarveyWallbangers
04-25-2008, 11:17 PM
It's heard to know who to trust. Here's what GBPG wrote about Cason:


Cason might be the highest-rated of the group, or at least the safest prospect among them. He has a glaring lack of recovery speed but is smart, instinctive and has the strength to play the bump-and-run coverage the Packers demand of their cornerbacks.

"He does a nice job of (bump and run)," said a scout who has a second-round grade on Cason. "He doesn't have great speed — unless you have great safeties, that's my only thing. Is that guy a top 64 pick? Yes. We need corners, too. But the guys we have now I know are faster than him, and that bothers me."

If this is the case, I like him. I liked him before I read he couldn't play bump and run. However, I'm not sure he's a 1st round talent. I think Thompson goes elsewhere in round 1, and then looks at corner in the 2nd or perhaps 3rd round. Draft is supposed to be about 4 rounds deep at corner.

HarveyWallbangers
04-25-2008, 11:19 PM
Well, then later in the same article it has this:


The talk: "Cason's a pretty damn good corner. He just can't run," the scouting director for an NFC team said. "I like (Penn State's Justin) King better. King has more of an upside speed-wise, cover skills. Cason is a football player, that's really what he is. … "He's a very good zone player, Tampa 2, Indianapolis, New England, that type of system," said an AFC scout, "but also he can play man because he's smart. He knows his limitations and plays within those limitations. I think on the next level, he's going to do fine. He's got some size to him, his speed is just adequate, but he's got really good ball skills and awareness and route recognition." … ". I don't know, I don't get all jacked up about him," another scout said. "He's not a quick-twitch athlete." … A fourth scout said: "I thought he was (as good as) former Packers cornerback) Craig Newsome-type guy, but he's really not. He's a pretty good football player, but just not the whole package."