| Published:
Apr 22, 2008 8:32 PM EST |
Untitled Document
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2008
NFL Mock Draft by Matt Chase |
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| This mock draft has a total score of
11885 from
2257 users for an average of
5.3
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| Picks 1-16
| 17-31
| 32-47
| 48-63
| 64-95
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| The Vikings grabbed Bernard Berrian in Free Agency lowering their need to draft a WR in the 1st round (which is something Brad Childress probably wouldn’t do anyways). Therefore, the next biggest need is at DE where rushing the passer has been severely lacking in Minnesota. Derrick Harvey is hands down the next best DE in this class whose specialty is getting after the QB. He didn’t time extremely well at the Combine, but he is a nice payer who is awfully similar to last years first rounder and former teammate Jarvis Moss. For Minnesota this is ideal as they are looking for a potential impact pass rusher off of the edge. He is very likely going to go higher than this (I have seen Mocks that have had him go as high as #7), but on my board he doesn’t fall past Minnesota where he will be plugged in Day One. |
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| The Texans have glaring needs in their secondary and at RB. It is a real tough call between Jonathan Stewart, Mike Jenkins & Gosder Cherilus; however I think Stewart grades out better and is worthier of the pick. Jonathan Stewart is one of my favorite prospects as he is a physical specimen and a big time player who owned teams that he played against last season. He ran a sub 4.5 40 at 235 lbs and cemented himself as a top 15 talent with that type of speed for his size/strength. For a strong runner he has tremendous vision and patience, but once he hits that hole he is gone and can really put a hurting on the opposing tackler. I am not concerned by his turf toe surgery and I think that doesn’t force him to slide come draft day. He would be a major upgrade over the journeymen crew they have in place consisting of Ahman Green, Ron Dayne and Darius Walker. CB and OT are huge areas of need, but I can’t put any of those players remaining (Cherilus, Jenkins) over Stewart, even with his turf toe issues. |
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| Donovan McNabb made it pretty clear that he wants playmakers. The Eagles have a really nice roster on paper and could go in several directions. They have needs at OLB, OT and WR. Since the better OT’s and Keith Rivers are off of the board I think they should heed their QB’s words and get some speed at WR, and if they want speed they should look no further than Devin Thomas. Thomas is a bit raw, but he is over 6’1 feet tall, 215 lbs, and posted a 4.40 at the Combine. As far as all the physical tools are concerned, this young man has them all, however, he is risky as he only has one nice college season to show for himself. I think his measurables get him selected and that the Eagles will roll the dice on him because his potential is just too awesome. He has the talent to be a game changer, and because of his combo of size and speed he is my first WR off of the board. Watch out for a wild card like Mike Jenkins here, as word is the Eagles will dump Lito Sheppard on draft day and be looking to add a CB early. |
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| Tampa Bay had a nice resurgence with Jeff Garcia under center last year, but any true Bucs fan will tell you that they have some major needs to fill this off season to stay on top in the NFC South. I could see them going in several directions here, with WR, DT and CB being the biggest areas of need. Quality players are available at all spots, but I think that Tampa would be wise to add a CB who can play their Cover 2 system. Jenkins can definitely be that guy and is actually a great value here at #20. He runs in the 4.4 range and more importantly is natural in coverage. He is not a shut down CB by any stretch, but he very well could be a high quality starter in the NFL. He had a great Senior year at South Florida and would be a real nice value for Tampa Bay here in the draft as their CB corps have been hurt in Free Agency (Brian Kelly) and are getting older (Ronde Barber). |
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| The Redskins would love to grab a quality Defensive Lineman in Round 1, and preferably a DE. Probably a better 3-4 prospect, Merling is a well rounded Defensive Lineman who will not scare anyone with his speed but is relentless with pads on. He does a great job at shedding blocks and plays with a chip on his shoulder. He is a better football player than most will give him credit for and although he is being marginalized after his poor combine performance and his sports hernia surgery, I think he is still a top 15-20 talent. I think he is versatile enough to potentially line up as a DT, which boosts his stock in Washington where they need help there as well. He is a nice compliment to the pass rushing style of Andre Carter and will ultimately replace the aging Phillip Daniels. Watch out for a big WR (Limas Sweed) or a Safety (Kenny Phillips) as those are major areas of concern for Washington as well. |
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| Everyone is speculating that Jerry Jones wants to trade up for McFadden, but I think he should stand pat and let Felix Jones fall in his lap. To me Jones isn’t very far away from McFadden, Mendenhall and Stewart as a premiere RB. He averaged over 9 yards a carry at Arkansas and also had his fair share of highlights in the process. To me he would be a nice compliment to the hard running Marion Barber, as Jones has tremendous speed and fantastic vision as a runner. I like Felix Jones a lot and if he fell to the Cowboys they would be hard pressed to pass him up. WR and CB are also areas of concern, but the Cowboys would be wise to grab Felix here before a team like Seattle or San Diego get their hands on him. |
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| The Steelers need help at all O Line positions as they rely heavily on Offensive Line production for their scheme on offense which is heavy on Power Football and Play Action. If Cherilus is around I just think it makes to much sense to take him. The Steelers had problems at OT all last season and need to upgrade that area to protect their $100 Million investment in Ben Roethlisberger. Cherilus hails from O-Lineman University at Boston College and projects to be a solid Pro at R OT. At this point it makes too much sense as he is the best O Lineman prospect available, and fills a glaring need. |
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| Tennessee has invested a lot of draft picks on WR over the years, but have yet to come home with anything special. In the second year of the Vince Young Era, the young and talented QB took some steps backward as his team still managed to climb into the playoffs. I think to keep the progression of VY moving forward they need to start surrounding him with better weapons. To me it makes too much sense to go with VY’s former teammate in Limas Sweed. Sweed is a nice prospect who ran a 4.5 at 6’4, 215 lbs. He is definitely a mismatch against most CB’s because of his size, but beyond that he is a player with nice hands and under-rated speed. He isn’t afraid to go across the middle and is a player who will push himself to get better at the next level, as he is a real worker and high production type of guy. He reminds a bit of Keyshawn Johnson and could be that playmaker Tennessee has lacked at WR. |
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| Seattle might go for Dustin Keller here, and I don’t know if I could blame them for it. However, I have them addressing one of their biggest needs by acquiring Defensive Tackle Kentawn Balmer. Balmer is a nice athlete who is probably going to go higher than this as he is a big player who has a lot of upside at DT. At 6’4, and over 300 lbs Balmer is the perfect sized DT and can be played in a one technique in the NFL, which is a real premium position. The Seahawks could use an infusion of talent and depth on their D Line and Balmer would potentially be a starter by his first season. As mentioned above TE is also a possibility here, but none of the TE’s in this class are worthy of a first round pick, even Keller, who is a nice athlete, but he doesn’t grade out better than a Greg Olsen or Heath Miller who were late first round picks. |
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| The Jaguars are actually very loaded and one can see how this team did so well last year by looking at the production they got out of their roster. They have been busy in free agency and have added pieces at O Line, WR and CB, with that being said I think their primary concern will lie at DE where they could use some quality talent. Lawrence Jackson is severely under-rated as he is a real nice hand on the floor DE with the prototypical size, speed and strength for a 4-3 system. The major criticism on Jackson is that he is a hot/cold prospect, meaning he either dominates or he disappears. This is a fair criticism, but after his performance in Indy at the Combine, I believe he is definitely worth that risk. At one point I had Calais Campbell going here, but he really turned me away with his lack of strength at the Combine and he is just not as impressive when you watch him as Jackson. |
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| The Chargers need to make this pick count as it is the only one they have until Round 4. One could make a sound argument that San Diego is the most “talented” team in football and it really shows on their depth chart as they are not really hurting for any need. I struggle between 3 prospects here in CB Brandon Flowers, S Kenny Phillips and LB Dan Connor. Because they have 2 good Safeties in play (Weddle and newly extended Hart) and because their 3-4 ILB’s are decent with nice athleticism, Flowers gets the nod to fill in as the third CB. Brandon Flowers did not have one of the better Combine’s but I had the pleasure of actually watching him play and I will tell you that he is one of the better man-on-man CB’s in College Football. He comes from a University rich in College CB’s in Virginia Tech and I think is under-rated. He is physical and flat out knows how to play football. Truthfully, this will be a spot where teams will trade up to go after the remaining QB’s in Brohm and Flacco. With only one pick in the first several rounds, AJ Smith will be more than willing to take calls. |
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| There are mixed opinions about DeSean Jackson, some believe he is an over-rated return man who played well in Jeff Tedford’s system, while others believe he is the ideal West Coast WR with his great combination of speed and quickness. I fall more in the middle leaning towards the latter, as I do believe that if he is utilized correctly he could be a very nice weapon. However, part of me thinks back to many smaller (and more importantly lighter) WR’s before him who got physically abused in the NFL, and Jackson weighed in very light and measured pretty short in Indy. With Terry Glenn getting up there in age a speedy threat will be needed to compliment their bigger WR’s in Terrell Owens and Patrick Crayton. I think WR wins out over a CB like Antoine Cason because I believe Pacman is heading to Texas, which makes Jackson's cause all that stronger.
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| After trading away their first rounder for…wait for it…Joe ‘Freaking’ Staley, the Niners are picking 29th instead of 7th. Since the Niners have been so active in Free agency I think they should grab the best player here rather than scrounge for need. I have them selecting Quentin Groves from Auburn, who is tailor made to play an OLB in the 3-4 scheme. At 6’3, 260 lbs, Groves put up impressive numbers at the combine and wowed many scouts, giving him a strong first round possibility. I think the Niners could play him opposite Manny Lawson and really have one of the best LB corps in all of football (not to mention one of the youngest). WR may be tempting, but they can easily find one of those in round 2. However, if any of the top 3 WR’s (Thomas, Jackson, Sweed) are still available here I think the Niners would go in that direction. |
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| The retirement of Brett Favre really doesn’t change the draft plans of Ted Thompson and the Pack. Their biggest needs are at CB, S, TE and OT. I have them going for the best player of those positions and grabbing Kenny Phillips. A CB like Antoine Cason makes sense as well, but Phillips grades out better and gives them someone they can play immediately. To me Kenny Phillips gets a really bad rap and I think he is a top 20 talent. He had a disappointing senior season, but one cannot deny his natural ability and his talent as a football player. Hailing from the U, a university rich in Safety and CB talent, Phillips could be a version of Ed Reed in the Pro’s (another player who fell in the draft) and become a real steal for the Pack. In my opinion, he is the best Safety in this draft and I think a lot of teams are going to regret passing on him. He is a hitter, nice cover man, and playmaker with the ball in his hand. This would be a great addition for the Packers. |
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| The Super Bowl Champs have been nailed this off season as they have lost their 2 starting OLB’s and their Safety. I have them addressing their needs at OLB in Round 1 by grabbing Jerod Mayo. I have him being plugged in right away and actually being an upgrade over both Reggie Torbor and Kawika Mitchell, who are no longer with the team. Furthermore, I like him much better than Mathias Kiwunuka, who is a more natural DE.
Mayo is a highly talented LB from Tennessee who impressed me by running a 4.54 40 in Indy. He has nice size and can deliver the lumber. He scores bonus points for New York as he can play ILB or OLB, giving them scheme versatility and incredible depth. He would be a real steal here as many have him going as high as #15 to Detroit.
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Picks 1-16
| 17-31
| 32-47
| 48-63
| 64-95
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Untitled Document
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This mock draft has a total score of
11885 from
2257 users for an average of
5.3 |
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