| Published:
Apr 25, 2008 11:27 PM EST |
Untitled Document
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2008
NFL Mock Draft by Matt Horkman |
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| This mock draft has a total score of
1406 from
256 users for an average of
5.5
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| Picks 1-16
| 17-31
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| As of this typing Jake Long appears to be the front runner for the #1 overall pick. Even though I don't rank Jake Long as my #1 player overall it would be hard to argue against Bill Parcells if he decides to go in this direction. Joe Thomas did wonders in Cleveland last year and with the addition of guard Justin Smiley via free agency, Miami's offensive line could be one of the most improved in football. That would make it easier on Ronnie Brown and whomever ends up playing Quarterback this season. Chris Long, Glenn Dorsey, and Matt Ryan are all real strong possibilities as well but Jake Long might be the easiest to reach a contract. Unlike last year, Miami will likely have a contract agreed upon before they select. |
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| It's looking like the Rams are leaning towards taking a defensive lineman with the 2nd overall pick even if Jake Long is available. The two defensive lineman are Glenn Dorsey and Chris Long. If both are on the board then the Rams are going to have quite the decision to make. This pick is tough to project because both players are deserving of this pick in my opinion. Dorsey is my #1 overall player and Chris Long is my #2 overall player. When he was healthy there was no question to who was the most disruptive player in this draft. Dorsey's pro day reiterated that in a big way. He arguably had the best pro day workout of anyone. When you're picking this high value becomes the top priority and while Chris Long would be worth the pick you can't pass on the potential best player in the draft. In my opinion that's Glenn Dorsey. |
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| The Falcons as an organization might not be on the same page with this pick. Rumors suggest that Arthur Blank is very interested in seeing Boston College Quarterback, Matt Ryan in a Falcon uniform. However, new coach Mike Smith and GM Thomas Dimitroff would probably prefer to take Glenn Dorsey and select a QB later on in the Draft. Unfortunately for them ownership normally wins out. It's very likely that the Falcons will be selecting the new face of the organization with this pick and Matt Ryan would an ideal candidate for this. Ryan is all football and in my opinion is worth a top 5 pick in the draft. |
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| In my last mock draft I said the only way Oakland passes on Darren McFadden is if Chris Long is on the board too. Looks like that might be the case come draft day. For the most part you can't argue against Chris Long. On the field he is one of the most versatile players in the draft and clearly the best pass rusher. He can rush the passer from the outside or the inside and he'll get there in any defensive scheme. Al Davis is all about two things. Winning and tradition. Chris Long will help the Raiders win now and he's Howie Long's son. Darren McFadden is still going to tempt Oakland but Chris Long is the type of guy you can build a team around. |
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| It's tough to project what Kansas City is going to do. On one hand you expect them to draft for value but on the other hand it appears they're leaning towards an offensive lineman with their first selection. It's clear that they want to move down but unless Matt Ryan is here I don't think they'll be able to fine a trading partner. If forced to pick at #5 then Branden Albert is the pick with Jake Long off the board in my opinion. Albert is all over draft boards. While he's a consensus 1st round pick, some teams view him as a guard but others as a left tackle prospect. If Kansas City takes him this high then I think their intentions will be to move him to left tackle. If he works out then the pick will look like gold in the a few years because left tackle is arguably the 2nd most important position next to your QB. |
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| The New York Jets have been one of the most active teams in this years free agency but the one thing they've failed to address is their need for an explosive play maker on offense. The Jets are clearly interested in Darren McFadden and if he's here at #6 they will most likely pick him. McFadden isn't Adrian Peterson in my opinion. I don't believe he'll have anywhere near the impact that Peterson has had in the NFL but I do think he is a home run threat every time he touches the ball. He's a dynamic player that other teams are going to have to game plan for. Off the field problems and his inability to run through tacklers makes him a boom or bust pick though. |
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| New England does have it's share of needs for a team that is coming off a Super Bowl appearance. Keith Rivers, Leodis McKelvin, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, and Vernon Gholston are all possibilities at this point but Gholston offers the best value. There is kind of a misconception out there that Gholston wasn't a top 10 pick prior to the combine. That's not the case at all. He's always been considered one of the 10 best players in the draft. At the NFL Combine he became one of the elite players of the draft. Whether Gholston lives up to his hype is probably the big question right now but with Bill Belichick, I'd be surprised if he didn't. |
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| The Baltimore Ravens would love for Matt Ryan to fall to them at this pick. If Ryan is here then it wouldn't matter who else is available, he would be the choice. Tto get Matt Ryan, the Ravens are probably going to have to trade up as high as #2 which doesn't seem likely. If they stay put then defense is probably going to be put into play. The Ravens need to get younger on the defensive side of the ball and Sedrick Ellis solidified his spot in the top 10 with an outstanding Senior Bowl week. Ellis at one time was rated out as high as Glenn Dorsey but that hype has quiet down. Ellis would add youth to a Ravens defensive line that already includes former 1st rounder Haloti Ngata. CB is also in play here but nobody else is as good as a prospect as Ellis in my opinion. |
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| Perhaps the most intriguing off season developments are in Cincinnati right now. Chad Johnson is clearly unhappy and wants out. T.J. Houshmandzadeh would like a new contract and the Bengals finally parted ways with receiver Chris Henry. The sad part is receiver is considered the team's strength. The weakness is on the defensive side of the ball where the Bengals haven't been able to stop anybody. Keith Rivers is all over the draft board. Some don't believe he's a top 20 pick and others believe he's a top 15 pick. I firmly believe Rivers is worth this selection. He was the most productive player on a USC defense that is full of NFL prospects. Rivers also doesn't have any character issues to my knowledge making him an even better selection for the Bengals. If that's not enough for you the consider that the Bengals were so depleted at linebacker that they actually were using safeties at one point during the year. Well he's not as athletic as an A.J. Hawk or Ernie Sims, Cincinnati will put that aside for the reasons stated above. |
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| Jay Cutler appears to be on his way to being a pretty good QB. While a lot of other younger quarterbacks got all the hype, Cutler put up numbers that would of earned him a trip to the Pro Bowl in the NFC. One thing Denver must do is fine a left tackle to protect their franchise QB's blindside. Ryan Clady is rated out as the #2 offensive tackle in the draft and this would be the ideal landing spot for him. Clady fits the zone blocking scheme extremely well and Denver has ran that for some time now. If Clady is off the board then Chris Williams probably gets put into play here as he's the next best fit for zone blocking. |
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| A story that has gone unnoticed in the past few days leading up to the draft is the retirement of Mike Rucker. With Rucker out of the picture, Carolina will need to focus on their defensive line in this draft especially since Julius Peppers long term future is actually in question. Derrick Harvey is a fast rising prospect and even a potential top 10 pick. If he does fall out of the top 10 then Carolina will be waiting to select him at #13. The Panthers are in the market for an offensive lineman and Chris Williams is going to be tempting but it doesn't look like the Panthers are going to pass up on one of the better pass rushers in this draft. |
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| Just two seasons ago the Bears were supposedly built to win the NFC North for years to come but with an absolutely putrid offense, Chicago now fines itself picking first among all NFC North teams. I do believe Chicago can contend in the NFC North next year but to do so they'll need to address their QB, RB, WR, and OL. The Bears might as well start by getting a play maker since there isn't a QB worth this high of a pick left. Rashard Mendenahll is just that and he proved his worth in the Rose Bowl where he played very well against a USC Defense that is very highly rated. With an injury to Jonathan Stewart, Mendenhall has emerged as the consensuses #2 back and if Chicago doesn't take him, rival Detroit probably will. |
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| If I were the GM of the Lions I'd select an offensive or defensive lineman with this pick. Derrick Harvey is probably the guy they want but he might not be here when they pick. Matt Millen will probably avoid an offensive lineman for reasons that are unknown to me and that opens the door for Jerod Mayo. Mayo is the fastest rising prospect in this draft. He's bigger and faster than Keith Rivers and he was productive in the tough SEC. Even though I'd prefer an offensive lineman like Chris Williams, I can't argue with Mayo. Detroit has been desperate for an inside linebacker and pairing Mayo with Sims would give Detroit a young tandem that should be good for many years. |
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| The Arizona Cardinals seem to be improving. Not as fast as a lot of people thought but none the less, they're heading in the right direction. Last year Arizona took Levi Brown with the 5th overall pick but Levi Brown is a RT. The Cardinals could really solidify their offensive line with the selection of LT, Chris Williams. I'm a big Chris Williams fan. I think he has great technique. He also went up against a lot of quality pass rushers in the SEC and got the job done. Arizona could look at CB because they want to move Antrel Rolle to FS but Chris Williams offers more value and fills a need. |
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Picks 1-16
| 17-31
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Untitled Document
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This mock draft has a total score of
1406 from
256 users for an average of
5.5 |
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