1. Miami Dolphins- Jake Long, OT Michigan
That is a lot of money for a guy that might be a better RT than LT.
Still, Long will do nothing but help a potentially explosive running
game. Is Joe Flacco the pick at #32??
2. St. Louis Rams- Glenn Dorsey, DT LSU
Chris Long has been the pick here for a long time, but he might be just
a little too similar to last years first rounder Adam Carricker. Dorsey
is a true DT who can get to the passer and collapse the pocket. This
will allow Carricker to move back to the outside.
3. Atlanta Falcons- Chris Long, DE Virginia
Pairing Long with last years first round pick Jamaal Anderson will make
for a very promising pass rush. Long Can play almost any position on
the line and that makes him very valuable to a team with so many holes.
4. Oakland Raiders- Darren McFadden
They need to put some playmakers on the offensive side of the ball, but
do they really need another running back? With their limited cap space
they may not draft McFadden, but I think he is the only offensive
player worth taking here.
5. Kansas City Chiefs- Vernon Gholston, DE Ohio St.
They made out better than expected in the Jared Allen trade, but his
departure leaves a big hole. This draft is deep at tackle so there’s no
need to reach for a guy here. Instead, they grab arguable the best pass
rusher in the draft. While most projected him as 3-4 guy, Gholston
could be a dynamic player for the Chiefs. But he maybe a bit of a
workout warrior and the compressions to Vernon Davis are valid.
6. New York Jets- Keith Rivers, LB USC
This is a near worst case scenario for the jets. They’d almost be wise
to take Matt Ryan and force a trade, but here they add Rivers. Rivers
played mostly outside in college, but should move inside for the Jets.
Having added a nose tackle in FA, the Jets LB’s should be able to run
free, but right now no one knows who those LB’s will be…
7. New England Patriots- Leodis McKelvin, CB Troy
The Pats have two weaknesses on defense DB and LB. I think they’d jump
at the chance for Ghoston, but the need at DB is too great to ignore
otherwise. There isn’t a clear cut #1 DB this year, but McKelvin seems
to be a consensus front runner. If McKelvin can play well, the Pats
could push for another 16-0 season with that easy schedule…
8. Baltimore Ravens- Matt Ryan, QB BC
It seems this is their guy and they may even trade up to get him, but I
think they should go a different direction. I’d prefer to see them
fortify the line with Ryan Clady or add a CB. I also think Ryan is the
wrong pick because the Ravens window for winning is closing quickly.
Ray Lewis Ed Reed et al are getting older and grooming a young QB takes
time…. Years. But that seems to be the way they are leaning.
9. Cincinatti Bengals- Sedrick Ellis, DT USC
The Bengals could consider trading up to get this guy, but here they
stand pat and still land him. Ellis fills the biggest need for a
defense that has struggled to stop anyone. Ellis is stout and can
easily collapse the pocket or the running lanes. Jeff Otah could be the
pick if Ellis wasn’t available.
10. New Orleans Saints- Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, CB Tennessee St.
They’ve admitted to the fact that they want to trade up as high as #2
to grab their guy, presumably Glenn Dorsey, which makes some sense. But
the Saints are still very weak at DB and passing grabbing Cromartie
would go a long way to helping that defense.
11. Buffalo Bills- Limas Sweed, WR Texas
I know there’s a lot of hype around Devin Thomas, but the Bills really
need a big guy to throw to and Sweed fits that bill. The Bills seem to
be making some noise, but they really need a red zone guy to push them
over the top. Personally, I’d looking into trading for Jeremy Shockey…
12. Denver Broncos- Ryan Clady, OT Boise St.
The Broncos line looks really thin this year, but they never take
linemen this high. Their RB situation looks a little shaky, but they
never take RB’s this high. Shannahan better not be that stubborn,
because they need to address one of those two positions here. Clady is
also a bit rough, but he has the potential to be a relative steal.
13 Carolina Panthers- Jeff Otah, OT Pittsburgh
The Panthers have been very inconsistent on offense and a lot of that
has to do with poor protection. Otah is also a bit of a project, but
looks to be athletic enough to hold down the LT position. Rashard
Mendenhall has to get a look here as well.
14. Chicago Bears- Chris Williams, OT Vanderbilt
The third OT in a row? Yeah well there are a lot of good ones and these
teams desperately need to find some consistency on offense. Williams is
a last ditch effort to find some of Cedric Bensons long lost talent.
Will they ever address the QB need??
15. Detroit Lions- Derrick Harvey, DE Florida
Another ‘tweener to a 4-3 team? Well the Lions really need a pass rush.
Harvey grades out very close to Vernon Gholston, but he didn’t put up
the gaudy combine numbers. Harvey is a relative steal at this point.
16. Arizona Cardinals- Rashard Mendenhall- RB, Illinois
The Edge never really worked out here. I think he still holds some
value to the team, but Mendenhall adds a promise for consistency that’s
been lacking for some time. Whiz likes to pound the ball and Mendenhall
might be the best back in the draft for that.
17. Kansas City Chiefs (From Minnesota)- Mike Jenkins, CB South Florida
Like I said, this draft is deep at OT and they can address that later.
The Chiefs have a lot of picks in the 2-5 rounds to fortify the line.
Instead, they get arguably the best CB in the draft. While he still
needs some coaching, Jenkins has a really high ceiling and could be the
most natural pass defender in the draft.
18. Houston Texans- Aqib Talib, Kansas
The Texans would love to grab Mendenhall if were still on the board,
but Talib would also be a great pickup. He is one of the more balanced
corners in the draft possessing good but not great size and speed.
Paired with Robinson, the Texans should be able to take advantage of
the pressure created by their talented Dline.
19. Philadelphia Eagles-.Jerod Mayo
It seems that the Eagles need a receiver every year, but not here. Mayo
is a big hitter and team leader that should fit in well here. His stock
has skyrocketed in recent weeks and could go much higher.
20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Devin Thomas, WR Michigan St
The Bucs don’t have a ton of glaring holes, but they could use a young
receiver. I’ve seen DeSean Jackson here, but Thomas is a much more
traditional receiver. He only had one big year in school, but Thomas
has good size and speed and is probably the most balanced WR prospect
in the draft.
21. Washington Redskins- Phillip Merling, DE Clemson
The Redskins need a DE badly. Calais Campbell could be the pick, and
probably has more potential, but he is deemed too much of a risk.
Merling probably won’t be spectacular, but he should be very solid. The
Redskins need to be much better with their pass rush in order to
compete in the tough NFC East.
22. Dallas Cowboys- DeSean Jackson, WR California
The WR’s on the other AFC East teams don’t warrant another CB, so the
Boys add their dynamic playmaker. Jackson could fit in great with this
offense as opposing defenses will be forced to focus on TO or Witten.
Jackson will also be relied on to jump start and pretty boring return
game.
23. Pittsburgh Steelers- Gosider Cherilus, OT Boston College
This Steelers need to get some talent back on the oline. WR may be a
concern, but Big Ben needs to be protected. Cherilus is the last of the
2nd tier OT’s in the class and could start right away for the Steelers.
24. Tennessee Titans- James Hardy, WR Indiana
The Titans need to give Vince Young some targets. I would have said
that Malcolm Kelly would have been a great fit, but he’s really hurt
his draft stock recently. Hardy may not be the most explosive guy, but
he’ll catch the ball and that makes him an instant upgrade.
25. Seattle Seahawks- Jonathan Stewart, RB Oregon
Shaun Alexander is officially out and the Seahawks are officially
average at the RB position. The rest of this team is pretty solid and
should make another playoff run, but they need to get a RB first.
Stewart had a great college career and should be familiar to many of
the fans.
26. Jacksonville Jaguars- Kentwan Balmer, DT North Carolina
They let Stroud go to the Bills so the Jags would do well to replace
him with the third best DT in the draft. He is a very up and down
player, but playing next to John Henderson should give him the ability
to take advantage on some one-on-one blocking.
27. San Diego Chargers- Brandon Flowers, Virginia Tech
The original Cromartie emerged as one the better DB’s last year, but it
also exposed the lack of talent around him. Flowers isn’t fast but is a
good size and should compliment Cromartie well. If Jonathan Stewart was
still available he might get a look as well.
28. Dallas Cowboys- Felix Jones, RB Arkansas
The Cowboys add yet another offensive playmaker to compliment Marion
Barber. Jones was a #2 RB in college and should fit right in to this
role. Adding these two guys gives the Cowboys one of the most dynamic
offenses in the league.
29. San Francisco 49ers- Malcolm Kelly, WR Oklahoma
Sure he’s had his problem recently, but he is still a first round guy
and could be a steal here. As Raiden will remind you, he could be an
Anquan Boldin type of guy and that’s exactly that the 9ers need right
now.
30. Green Bay Packers- Antoine Cason, CB Arizona
The Packers are very old at CB and could use some youth there. Cason
had a stellar career in college, but may not be fast enough to be a top
flight guy. Still, a could #2 CB is very valuable.
31. New England Patriots- Forfeited
32. New York Giants- Kenny Phillips, S Miami
The defense lost some playmakers this offseason, but Phillips could
help that situation. Once considered a possible top 10 pick, Phillips,
like the rest of the Miami team, disappointed. Still, there is no
denying the talent here and he could end up being a top safety in this
league.
