| Published:
Apr 25, 2008 5:20 PM EST |
Untitled Document
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2008
NFL Mock Draft by Bryan Pinkston |
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| This mock draft has a total score of
6750 from
1606 users for an average of
4.2
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| Picks 1-16
| 17-31
| 32-47
| 48-63
| 64-95
| 96-127
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| By trading J. Allen the Chiefs obviously need a DE. The best one available is P. Merling, who is a great run stopper but wouldn't replace Allen's pass rush. I believe they got this pick to make sure they got an elite OT and they didn't want to risk leftovers in the 2nd round. The Chiefs will finally land the OT they've needed since W. Roaf retired. Williams is a smart player who really did a good job this past season and had a great week of practice and game at the Senior Bowl, which is why he is moving up draft boards. In the Senior Bowl he positioned himself well in the run game and excelled in pass protection. He didn't show a lot of strength at the combine, but he made up for it in speed and agility which will make him a great fit at LT for the Chiefs. |
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| With the Texans just missing OT C. Williams and J. Otah not fitting their style of play the will be happy to settle for the best CB on the board. I don't believe Jenkins is the shutdown CB some make him out to be, but he would be good value for the Texans at point in the draft. Jenkins started the season hot, but was inconsistent as the season went on. However, he silenced all concerns about his physical capabilities at the Combine (4.38 40, 18 bench reps). He's quick and shadows whoever he is covering well. He can sometimes be fooled on certain routes, but he can usually recover with his speed. His overall college production along with his measurables should allow him to translate into a fine NFL CB. |
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| As much as the Eagles could use another gamebreaking WR there is no one available at this spot that is a significant upgrade or the type of WR's they already have. However, they could use a new safety to play opposite of or groom behind the great B. Dawkins. When looking for such a safety, "The U" is a great place to start. The 'canes didn't do too well this past year, but every game I saw involved Phillips making tackles and/or plays on the ball. The lack of playmaking safeties in this draft class pushes his value up a bit. Phillips had a solid showing at the combine and has the standard size, speed and strength to play safety at the next level. His junior year wasn't as good as his sophomore, but he'll still be a great addition to this defense. . |
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| **Pet Cat Explaination** During Bill Parcells' tenure Jerry Jones referred to a term for draft prospects known as "Pet cats". This would be a player that would be a personal favorite of a scout or coach and he would try and insist the player be drafted with a certain pick regardless of who was on the draft board when the team's pick came around. Let's face it, every fan of the draft has a player they would want to draft regardless of who else was available at the time and for me it would be Avery. J. Galloway is one of the NFL's best kept secrets, as he is a great deep threat but is usually playing with a QB or offense that doesn't best match his talents. He has shined in Tampa, but it may be too little too late as he will be 37 next season. After months of analysis I've come to the conclusion that no one of the top 5 or 6 WR's will have more of an impact in the NFL than the other. Who goes first will just be based on team preferences and I think Gruden would prefer the fastest WR who isn't a "me" guy, which eliminates D. Jackson. Avery has been moving up draft boards and after having a great week of practice and game in Mobile at the Senior Bowl he has proven he is worth this pick. He didn't run quite as fast as expected at the combine (4.4 40), but he did much better at his pro day. He posted a 4.35 40, 6.29 3-cone and a 37" vertical. He has reliable hands and gets good sepration from defenders. |
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| A. Carter has proven to be a solid DE but the Bills could use help on the other side. Merling is one of the best run stopping DE's available in this draft, and that's just what the Redskins need. Merling is still developing in terms of technique and consistency, but he also has what it takes to get to the QB. He is considered by many scouts to be the best DE against the run available in this draft. He would have benefited from staying at Clemson one more year to polish his skills, but he's definitely worth taking at this spot. |
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| The Cowboy offense has been downright unstoppable at times this year, but their two best WR's are both well into their 30's and played in about 16 games this regular season COMBINED due to injury. It's time to get more depth at that position. Thomas has looked better and better to scouts as they review his film. He really seperated himself from many of the other WR's at the combine with his size (6'2" 216 lbs., 4.4 40) and performance during the drills. He had a great senior year at Michigan St. and is well worth a selection at this point in the draft. |
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| The Steelers don't have many holes on their team again this year, but with Faneca leaving there will be an opening on the line. Since no OG is worth taking at this spot, they will look to either move someone inside or select someone in a later round (or both). The Steelers are a little thin at OT and Otah seems like their kind of player. Otah has the size to play guard, but Otah has played OT the last two seasons and would probably be best served staying there and continuing to develop. Otah had terrible measurables at the Combine (5.56 40, 22.5" vertical), but rumor is he had a high ankle sprain. He did much better at his pro day (5.3 40). |
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| The Titans were in need of a play-making WR last year during the draft, so I can't imagine them going in any other direction this year. Sweed hasn't been a stellar WR in all his seasons at Texas (he wasn't anything special when V. Young was there), but he showed he was one of the better WR's in college football his junior year. He has had his senior year slowed down by a wrist injury, but when healthy he shows good hand-eye coordination in bringing in passes and he is tough to bring down once he gets going. He had a solid day at the Combine as well (4.46 40, 35" vertical). |
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| By releasing S. Alexander the Seahawks have sent a message that they are still open for business at the RB position. Jones showed his speed and burst at the combine (4.47 40, 33.5" vertical), but his lack of upper body strength (8 bench reps) will hurt him in pass protection. A RB like Jones is a great change-up to M. Barber's hard-nosed running style. F. Jones averaged over 8 yds/carry last season! He also averaged over 10 yds/catch last season so would fit well in Holmgren's west coast offense. |
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| Now that the Jags have addressed their need for a deep threat with T. Williamson (who was a steal for a 6th round pick) they can move to their other areas of need: DT or DE. The Jaguars are another team that is tough to run on due to the play of their D-linemen. However, with M. Stroud gone they have a new hole to fill. Balmer is quick and is at his best when rushing the QB or chasing down runners laterally. He has fallen a bit in this mock due to the fact that I feel Laws is a better fit for Seattle. Balmer is best as a 3-4 DE, but still has the strength to play DT in a 4-3. He has trouble beating double coverage, but his upper body strength (33 bench reps) allows him to consistently fight through traffic and make tackles against single blockers. I'm sure Del Rio can find a way utilize his strengths. |
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| Okay, so the decision to take a chance on A. Cromartie with a 1st round pick when he had only played about 12 college games: good decision. Taking "Buster" Davis in the 1st round last year (they needed a WR but a 1st rounder on him?): bad decision. The best move would be for A.J. Smith to swallow his pride, admit he made a mistake and take a WR here. But, that's wishful thinking. This is quite a jump for Cherilus into the 1st round, but old A.J. Smith is stubborn and will simply take the best player at a position of need; one of which is RT. The O-line took a step back last year and Cherilus will help them out. I had to go back and look at clips from his junior year at RT because he wasn't a good LT this past season. However, he did show some improvement at the Senior Bowl. What jumps out is that he always positions himself well at the snap which isn't surprising since BC coaches their O-linemen well. However, Cherilus needs to improve his lower body strength a bit before he's ready to start for the Chargers. |
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| **Pet Cat Alert** I honestly don't feel a guy like M. Barber who broke about 8 tackles in the end zone to prevent a safety against the Pats needs a 1st rounder as a backup, but the Cowboys are solid at every other position. As far as pure running goes, Rice has all the tools necessary to be successful on the next level. He doesn't weigh as much as the guys that will be drafted before him, but his short stature makes him more compact gives him the ability to run with a lot of power. He regularly drags defenders to pick up an extra 2-3 yards but also has the speed to run away from defenders. He didn't catch the ball much down the field so that fact combined with his so-so pass blocking makes him a question mark in the passing game, but overall this guy has what it takes to challenge M. Barber for playing time. |
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| The 49ers trading their 1st round draft pick for OT J. Staley last year was a good idea, but putting Staley, who was barely 300 lbs. and ran under a 4.8 at RT was not. That along with many other questionable moves last offseason (new off. coordinator, A. Lelie, etc.) resulted in an awful offense. One of the steps to correcting it will be improving their receiving core and Jackson will definitely do that. Jackson posted one of the fastest times at the Combine (4.35 40) and also has great hands, which is a requirement for the demanding M. Martz. He's not the biggest WR which is why he falls this far, but he fits Martz's style of smaller guys who can get deep quick. |
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| The starting duo of CB's (Woodson and Harris) have played very well for the Packers, but they are both at least 32. The Packers have to continue to groom guys behind them and Talib has a lot of potential. Talib is a CB who can break on the ball very quickly once he reads a route (which happens often). He's fast and is also a good tackler. He is almost built like a safety with his thicker calfs and ankles carring a 6'0" 202 lb. frame, but his 4.47 speed will allow him to cover NFL WR's. |
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| Though the Giants won the Super Bowl, Eli spent most of last season being chased around in what was once the pocket. Baker is one of those guys that just gets the job done, which the Giants will appreciate since that was what L. Petitgout used to bring to the table. Baker is an underrated LT that has done nothing but make so-so looking NFL players (R. Bush, L. White., M. Leinart) look like superstars while they were in college. He has slipped a little this past season in that he wasn't as consistent (his 5.37 40 at his pro day didn't help him either, but he ran a 5.10 at the combine). However, much more often than not he neutralizes whatever man he faces. He only allowed 2 sacks last season, so he should help keep E. Manning on his feet. |
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