| 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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| Truth be told I like what Kansas City did with the Jared Allen trade. It was a smart move. Are the Chiefs that much worse after trading Allen than they were with him? Probably not. That to me suggests that the team needs to rebuild and the best way to build your team is through the draft. Kansas City now has plenty of picks and they could go in a lot of directions with them. If Derrick Harvey is here I think they'd take him but I don't see Carolina or Detroit passing on him. That makes CB the best position to look at. Mike Jenkins is overlooked. In reality he could still be a top 10 pick but that's unlikely with the emergence of DRC and Leodis McKelvin. Jenkins fits the Chiefs defense well and has great recovering speed. He has the talent to develop into a true #1 CB. If the Chiefs opt to go with a DE or QB at #5 then offensive line would have to be the pick here. |
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| This would probably be the first shocker of the Draft baring any blockbuster trades. Jonathan Stewart has dropped in a lot of people's eyes because of surgery to his toe. If Stewart falls to round 2, he'd be an absolute steal in my opinion and some people see that happening. Stewart has the best blend of size and speed of any back in the Draft. At one time he was a lock to be a top 20 pick and an injury shouldn't prevent that. The Texans are a RB away from putting together a potent offense and Stewart could be that player that puts them over the top. Corner is also a need but it's going to be tough to land one of the fab 4 with this pick as each of the 3 teams ahead of them could take a corner. None the less Houston is now in position to solve their running back problems and I think they should take advantage of this opportunity. |
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| Andy Reid has a soft spot for offensive lineman. He loves to take them. The Eagles offensive line is getting older and they need to start thinking ahead especially if an injury were to happen this year. Jeff Otah would be a steal at #19. Otah is a power blocker who really could go in the top 10 if the Chiefs were to move back. He can project to tackle or guard and could battle for a starting job right away. Philly will look at Devin Thomas but I think they would pass on one if they can get one of the 5 best offensive lineman of this draft. A lot of people think 5 offensive lineman will be gone by this point but I think the chances of one falling to Philly is increasing as the draft draws closer. |
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| I think the Buccaneers want to go corner with this pick and in this case they'll have an excellent chance to get one of the "fab" 4. Aqib Talib has seen his stock drop because of character concerns but he has top 15 type of talent. Talib would be the ideal selection for Tampa who continues to get younger on defense and specifically in the secondary. Ronde Barber is over 30 and Brian Kelly is now in Detroit. Phillip Merling might be intriguing to them as they're in the market for a DE to play opposite of Gaines Adams but I think they'd go with either Talib or Jenkins over him. |
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| Washington wants a receiver. They've made trade offers to Cincinnati and Arizona but were reportedly turned down. If the Redskins can't trade for one then they're probably going to draft one. Devin Thomas is the best receiver in this class. Even though he's a one year wonder in college, Thomas has the best combination of size and speed out of any of the receivers in my opinion. Thomas fits the west coast offense and might even be worth trading up for in the case of Washington. The Redskins need to look at defensive line and if they can't get Thomas, I think Phillip Merling is probably the pick. Look out for a trade here whether it's for a receiver or just moving back to take one. |
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| The Cowboys are expected to select a RB with one of their first 2 picks. Obviously anything can happen but the consensus is that Felix Jones is the backup plan in case Jerry Jones is unable to move up for Darren McFadden or even Rashard Mendenhall. Felix Jones played in the shadow of Darren McFadden but was very productive and is a consistent player. The Cowboys could look at corner here but after being very defensive minded under Bill Parcells, I expect Dallas to now go offensive in the draft at least twice on Day 1 as they prepare for what seems to be a future under Jason Garrett that might be here sooner rather than later. bilities since Dallas wants to get younger on offense. |
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| The Pittsburgh Steelers would love for Branden Albert to fall to them at #23 but Albert is gaining a lot of momentum at the moment and that now looks very unlikely to happen. With Albert off the board and know corner really worth this pick, Pittsburgh's selection becomes the toughest for me to project in the Draft. If this scenario played out I think they'd look to move down for an offensive lineman like Anthony Collins or Sam Baker. If they can't then Gosder Cherilus would be the selection. Cherilus is a right tackle prospect in the NFL and Pittsburgh could use a long term upgrade at that position. Keep in mine at left tackle Cherilus was a total disaster at times so I'd be surprised to see any team select him with the intention that his future is at left tackle. One possibility to look for is the Steelers moving back to 27 and the Chargers moving up to 23 to take Cherilus. If something like that happens then the Steelers could take a guy their next best offensive lineman on the board or even move down again. Either way the Steelers are expected to use the draft to upgrade the overall quality of their o-line and Cherilus would do that. |
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| The Tennessee Titans have their present and future invested into Vince Young. Young while helped get the Titans in the playoffs, was not very good last season. Tennessee needs to make it easier on him by giving him an upgrade at receiver. Limas Sweed played with Vince Young at Texas and is a big physical receiver that could develop into a decent #1 receiver in the NFL. Tennessee could also opt to go with Kentwan Balmer as their run defense basically lives and dies with the play of Albert Haynesworth but receiver is a much bigger need and it needs to be addressed. The Titans might be better off moving up for Devin Thomas or they could leapfrog Dallas to make sure they get DeSean Jackson. |
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| Seattle had one of the most improve defenses in football last year but it can still get better. The defensive line needs depth and Kentwan Balmer would be an ideal fit. He had excellent coaching at North Carolina last year and seems to be the #3 DT in the draft even though I think a case can be made for Trevor Laws. The Seahawks will have to think about TE with this pick but Dustin Keller might not be worth this selection and they should be able to add one in round 2 or 3. Limas Sweed is a dark horse for this pick if he's on the board as Seattle needs to add a taller receiver that fits their offense. |
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| The Jaguars need defensive line with this pick. Even though they're an elite AFC team, the defensive line could cost Jacksonville some games this year and you need as many as you can get in the AFC. Whether it's through trade or the draft I think the Jaguars will look to come out of this draft with a starter on the defensive line. Phillip Merling was once regarded as a top 15 pick but injuries I think have dropped him out of the top 15 for sure and possibly the top 25. Merling isn't the greatest pass rusher but he plays the run extremely well. The Jaguars traded Marcus Stroud to the Buffalo Bills for a 3rd and 5th round pick so Kentwan Balmer is in the mix for this pick. I also think Lawrence Jackson is also a name to think about when the Jaguars are on the clock. |
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| I think there really has been two teams to draft real well and built their team via the Draft. The Chargers are one of them and because of that they don't have any real glaring needs. San Diego would probably look to trade down but if they stayed here, corner depth wouldn't hurt. Flowers doesn't have great timed speed but he is a 1st round caliber player in a corner heavy draft. Gosder Cherilius I think is the ideal pick for the Chargers. They could start him at right tackle from the get go but they'll be sweating it out if they don't move up. That's why I think they could move up as high as 21 to take him. |
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| The Packers are the other team I believe who have drafted very well in recent years and like the Chargers, Green Bay doesn't have any glaring needs. They're a complete team that has everything resting on the shoulders of Aaron Rodgers. If he performs as well as they think he's capable of, Green Bay should contend for a playoff spot once again. Something I found very interesting was that Packers GM Ted Thompson reportedly left the owners meetings early to go to the USC pro day. By doing that he also skipped out on receiving his executive of the year award. That tells me the Packers have an interest in someone from USC and my guess is it's Sam Baker. Baker kind of fell off the radar for a while there but he's reemerged as a solid late 1st to early 2nd round prospect. Everyone talks about the age of Al Harris and Charles Woodson but Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher aren't much younger. Baker would project as a potential left tackle down the road but could immediately push for a starting job at guard too. Green Bay could look at a corner like Patrick Lee or maybe Fred Davis was that USC player they liked. |
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| After losing Gibril Wislon to the Raiders via free agency, New York will look to address safety in this draft. Kenny Phillips is the best safety in the draft in large part due to the position being fairly weak. Phillips was once expected to be a top 10 pick and perhaps in the same level of play as an Ed Reed or the late Sean Taylor but Phillips has never lived up to that hype. He has top 20 talent in my opinion but his play last season and his off season workouts have left me scratching my head wondering if this is the same guy who was rated highly as a freshman and sophomore at Miami. Dan Conner is also a possibility as his versatility could add something to an already stout Giants defense. |
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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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