2008 OFFICIAL DRAFT THREAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[red]

hmm, i didn't know they had 2 thirds

so they did just about trade away their whole draft. a first 2 thirds and a 4th

point wise, the jags got a steal

[BallHawk]

LOL at the Begnals Draft Party.

[Charles Woodson]

Ouch, did I hear correctly that Jacksonville gave up their first, two thirds, and a fourth? Ouch.

Yea but they moved up a ton, i mean yea it may seem alot, but it wasnt that bad... I think the Jaguars got the best part

Good pick with rivers

[Carolina_Packer]

polite golf applause for Rivers from the NY crowd

[Rastak]

1st LB off the board......


Strengths: Possesses outstanding size; is well built for his taller frame. Also has long arms (33), huge hands (11) and a strong upper body (24 reps). Not an elite athlete, but he does have good speed and athleticism for his size. Makes up for what he lack in terms of elite athleticism with great recognition skills. He is smart, tough and instinctive. Shows very good awareness. Rarely takes false steps. Is a striker as a tackler. Will make some big hits due to his short area explosiveness. Uses hands well to keep off of blocks. He refuses to stay blocked. Takes excellent angles in pursuit. Displays good range in zone coverage. Also is an underrated pass rusher. Has developed a better array of pass rush moves, hugs the rail as he turns the corner as an outside rusher and displays surprising closing burst to the QB. Knows how to jar the ball loose and generates more than his share of forced fumbles. Plays with a very good motor and will wear blockers down. Never gives up on a play and will show tremendous effort when pursuing from the backside. He's always flying around the field. Leads by example.

Weaknesses: Plays too high at times and loses his power when he does. Does a great job of sifting through traffic but needs to learn to anchor better when he's forced to take on blocks in the phone booth. Shows a bit of stiffness in his hips. Will struggle to keep with elite pass-catching RB's in the NFL on double moves and when forced to turn and run. Not an established playmaker in coverage. Good range in coverage but lacks ideal ball skills. Durability is a minor concern.

Overall: Rivers appeared in 37 games in his first three seasons at USC (2004-'06), recording 162 tackles (13.5 for losses), 5.5 sacks and two interceptions. As a senior in 2007, he played 12 games (11 starts) at weak-side linebacker, turning in 78 tackles (five for losses), three fumble recoveries, a forced fumble and four pass breakups. He missed a game (Arizona State) in 2007 after spraining his left ankle, which had required arthroscopic surgery to remove bone spurs earlier in the spring. He also missed two games in 2005 and was limited in others because of a hamstring strain. Rivers possesses very good but not exceptional overall physical tools. His outstanding combination of instincts, work ethic and experience is what separates him from other linebackers with similar skill sets. While he is the top rated linebacker on our 2008 board, Rivers is a notch below elite talents such as A.J. Hawk (Packers) and Patrick Willis (49ers) from recent NFL drafts. Some teams could consider him at inside linebacker but Rivers seems best suited to play the WILL in a 4-3 scheme. He should be selected in the middle portion of the first round.

[Bretsky]

I don't like the Baltimore trade for Green Bay

Baltimore was one of the teams I thought might try to trade up for a QB in round 2. Atlanta was another.

At 26 Baltimore may draft a QB
Atlanta already drafted theirs

It may be getting harder for TT to trade down

[Bretsky]

KEITH RIVERS ???

Did they forget about my man Odell Thurman ??

[Carolina_Packer]

tons of CB's on the board still...that's good

[SkinBasket]

Think we'll see another NE trade?

[Rastak]

I don't like the Baltimore trade for Green Bay

Baltimore was one of the teams I thought might try to trade up for a QB in round 2. Atlanta was another.

At 26 Baltimore may draft a QB
Atlanta already drafted theirs

It may be getting harder for TT to trade down

True, but he may have a solid Safety or Corner sitting there for him at 30.

[Charles Woodson]

Pats go O-line

[Lurker64]

At the same time it might be easier for TT to trade down. If there's only 1 or 2 top flight QBs left at 30 (say, Flacco and Henne), teams that need to jump up for a QB might be more desperate since after Ryan, Brohm, Flacco, and Henne the cupboard is pretty bare in terms of "guys who can play this year."

[Carolina_Packer]

I don't like the Baltimore trade for Green Bay

Baltimore was one of the teams I thought might try to trade up for a QB in round 2. Atlanta was another.

At 26 Baltimore may draft a QB
Atlanta already drafted theirs

It may be getting harder for TT to trade down

Smart move by Ozzie Newsome. He must be happy to get either Brohm, Flacco or Henne at 26th, whoever he likes from that group.

[Bretsky]

I don't like the Baltimore trade for Green Bay

Baltimore was one of the teams I thought might try to trade up for a QB in round 2. Atlanta was another.

At 26 Baltimore may draft a QB
Atlanta already drafted theirs

It may be getting harder for TT to trade down

True, but he may have a solid Safety or Corner sitting there for him at 30.

I'm OK with Philips; I expect Cason or Flowers to be there.

But I'd still prefer a trade down

[Rastak]

McKelvin or Jenkins?