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 NCAA Scouting:
Mock Draft V4.0 – 24th April
by Sam Monson & Ben Stockwell
24/4/2008
1) Miami Dolphins Jake Long OT, Michigan (+1)
– Well, the deed is done and Jake Long it is for the Dolphins and what Bill Parcells and his head coach (puppet?) Tony Sparano hope will be their franchise left tackle for the next decade. Doubts still remain about whether Long will ever achieve the true heights of being an elite left tackle with question marks still present over his ability against elite speed rushers, but he appears to have the lowest bust potential of anyone in this draft and when you’re putting a reported $30million of guaranteed money in a player, you’d rather he was playing at a good to above average level for your team rather than flipping burgers by the end of his contract.
2) St Louis Rams Chris Long DE, Virginia (-1)
– It’s going to be a Long day on Saturday…sorry, terrible pun. But it certainly seems possible that the Longs will be the first two players off of the board in this year’s NFL draft. Chris provides versatility and quality for a Rams defence that is still trying to pull itself up from the very bottom of the NFL in terms of defensive efficiency. This pick is the 2nd step along that path providing one of the most complete defensive players to come along in some time. Long would line up at left defensive end for the Rams where he can provide a stout presence against the run as well as a tenacious pass rush threat to complement the experienced Leonard Little.
3) Atlanta Falcons – Matt Ryan QB, Boston College (+2)
– This is not necessarily the best pick for the team in Atlanta but it is absolutely the pick that the franchise needs. After the debacles with Michael Vick and Bobby Petrino this franchise has found itself in absolute tatters and Arthur Blank is absolutely desperate for someone to re-build his franchise around. A Dorsey or an Ellis may make more sense for the team, but the fact remains that they have no QB and no face for the franchise, Ryan can provide both.
4) Oakland Raiders Glenn Dorsey DT, LSU (-1)
– The Raiders just said good bye to Sapp, now they can welcome in Baby Sapp. Dorsey has some question marks surround him in terms of durability but his talent is absolutely undeniable and he may well be the best one gap penetrating defensive tackle since Warren Sapp entered the NFL, The Raiders defensive line was really lacking last year, Dorsey can provide a real shot in the arm for that ailing unit.
5) Kansas City Chiefs Vernon Gholston DE, Ohio St (-1)
– With the trade of Jared Allen on the cards the Chiefs suddenly have a pressing need for a defensive end and with this pick they can pick up arguably the best pure pass rusher in the draft to compliment fellow former Big Ten defensive end, Tamba Hali. Gholston came up big in big games in college and with a distinct lack of talent at left tackle in the AFC West, Gholston could have a massive impact replacing Jared Allen.
6) New York Jets – Darren McFadden RB, Arkansas (+3)
– With all that investment in the offensive line what could be better to add to the Jets arsenal than a nice new running back with massive home run potential to take advantage of those new road graders up front paving some wide avenues for him to run all over the AFC East. That’s the plan anyway.
 7) New England Patriots (f. San Francisco 49ers) Branden Albert OT/OG, Virginia (+11)
– How do you improve the almost perfect? Good question that, the casual viewer would opine that the reason the Patriots lost the Superbowl because of their pass blocking and that is true that it was a contributory factor, but not everyone has a pass rush like the New York Giants. That said, there is a distinct lack of talent and depth on the line for the Pats, so Albert upgrades that. Passing on McKelvin courtesy of a defensive scheme that doesn’t require talented cornerbacks.
8) Baltimore Ravens Leodis McKelvin CB, Troy (-1)
– Samari Rolle was diagnosed with epilepsy this season and suffered other injuries this season, Chris McAlister finished the season on injured reserve with a knee injury, with their depth unable to cope with Rex Ryan’s unwillingness to adapt his defensive scheme away from a pure man coverage scheme the Ravens are in dire need of adding top notch man coverage at corner, McKelvin is the best in the draft running man for man, a match made in heaven?
9) Cincinnati Bengals Sedrick Ellis DT, USC (-1)
– The Bengals have been searching for a strong presence at defensive tackle seemingly since the year dot, in this scenario that search could finally come to a close with the Bengals acquiring one of the truly blue chip prospects available in this draft at their prime need position, an upgrade which could propel the Bengals towards the playoffs in a division that is truly lacking a clearly dominant team.
10) New Orleans Saints Mike Jenkins CB, South Florida (+1)
– The Saints have spent big money on two corners in recent years in free agency, last year acquiring Jason David from the Colts and this year acquiring Randall Gay from the Patriots, the sole flaw in that spending is that on both occasions they’ve tried to put zone corners into the aggressive, man coverage scheme. David was an abject failure in his first season, the jury is still out on Gay but there is grave danger of that move being a carbon copy. Jenkins can provide the strong man coverage presence opposite Mike McKenzie.
 11) Buffalo Bills Devin Thomas WR, Michigan State (+13)
– A reach from the Bills? Well that’s what the media would purport this pick to be in all likelihood, much as they did with the selection of Donte Whitner a couple of years ago, even though many NFL front office honchos have come out and stated how highly they rated Whitner. Thomas has recently risen to the top of the WR rankings and seems to be sky rocketing up the boards and could provide an excellent complement to the explosive Lee Evans in Buffalo.
12) Denver Broncos – Ryan Clady OT, Boise St. (-2)
– At #5 we mentioned the lack of talent at left tackle in the AFC West (barring Marcus McNeil, before we get a flood of e-mails from disgruntled Chargers fans), well this would be the Broncos step towards improving the talent level in the division but most importantly, on their own roster. Erik Pears was passable at left tackle two years ago in place of Matt Lepsis but for the long term passable really isn’t good enough. Clady could protect Jay Cutler’s blindside for the next decade.
13) Carolina Panthers Derrick Harvey DE, Florida (-7)
– With his show of athleticism and fluidity in workouts at the combine as well as sporting a chic new 271lb frame it’s not out of the realm of the possible that Harvey could be seen as the best 4-3 DE prospect in this year’s draft class. At that size he will anchor well against the run and clearly has the athleticism and pass rush moves to be a strong presence there. With Mike Rucker very close to the end, Julius Peppers coming off of a disappointing season and Stanley McClover really not making the impact that John Fox had hoped, the Panthers can get a much needed infusion of talent at defensive end here.
14) Chicago Bears Jeff Otah OT/OG, Pittsburgh (=)
– The Bears need upgrades everywhere on offence except for tight end pretty much; it is an absolutely atrocious unit in terms of talent so they can’t go wrong with any of the available offensive talent at value. That said, in an old school Chicago style, it’s time to build from the lines and build a dominant, physical line. Otah steps in straight away at RT and can in short order slide over to LT. Don’t be surprised to see a long look at Joe Flacco here, the Bears were the first team reported to be enamoured with him this off-season but with his rising stock they almost certainly have no chance to take him in round 2.
15) Detroit Lions Rashard Mendenhall RB, Illinois (=)
– The Lions are transitioning from a 4 WR offence to what if possible I think Jim Colletto and Rod Marinelli would love to make a 4 TE offence, now to take advantage of this emphasis on running (with a line that is already made up mostly of road graders) the Lions need a new tailback and Mendenhall could provide that stud running back that could help re-build the Lions offence after the departure of Mike what’s a run? Martz. Mendenhall may need some time transitioning from a shotgun offence in college but his raw blend of speed, size and power is seemingly undeniable.
16) Arizona Cardinals Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie CB, Tennessee St. (=)
– With Rod Hood and Eric Green at corner the Cardinals are in a position where they can stick or twist and still come out with a passable corner pairing for a division that really doesn’t have outstanding wide receivers going up against the Cardinals (Torry Holt excepted). Here they twist and get a corner who could be the rough diamond of this draft, he needs a bit of polishing but the DRC may have the biggest upside of any corner in this draft.
17) Kansas City Chiefs (f. Minnesota Vikings) Chris Williams OT, Vanderbilt (-4)
– With trading away Jared Allen the Chiefs can jump back in ahead of two or three teams that are in need of help at offensive tackle and allows them to fill a prime need. With new project/franchise QB Brodie Croyle they desperately need to keep him on his feet and oft-injured Damion McIntosh isn’t going to achieve that. Williams is probably the most polished tackle in this draft in terms of pass protection technique but early on will lack the leg drive to fit into the Chiefs’ power running style.
 18) Houston Texans Jonathan Stewart – RB, Oregon (+9)
– Ever since Domanick Williams (or was that Domanick Davis?) picked up a serious knee injury the Texans have not had a true threat at running back and with an emerging passing attack a tailback is a pressing need for the Texans. Strangely they thought spending $4mill per season on an aging Ahman Green would fix the problem, not sure of the sense or the value for money there, but Stewart with his blend of size, speed and power has an air of Jamal Lewis about him, and we all know how good he was at his very best.
19) Philadelphia Eagles DeSean Jackson WR/KR, California (=)
– Donovan McNabb is forever bleating on about a lack of weapons in Philadelphia so this pick is either to pacify him or plan for the future with Kevin Kolb by giving him probably the most explosive receiver in this draft class. Questions will be asked about his size and toughness but what cannot be argued about is Jackson’s big play ability, raw speed and also the fact that he will upgrade a return game in Philadelphia that only ever shows signs of life when Westbrook is deployed as their returner.
20) Tampa Bay Buccaneers Keith Rivers LB, USC (-8)
– For the last decade and more there has been one constant in the Buccaneers franchise, a good (or better) defence that features Derrick Brooks as one of the key pieces. For now that is still the case but he can’t be relied upon forever and Keith Rivers is the prime replacement for him, he seems to be out of a very similar mould and can also provide an immediate upgrade of Cato can’t tackle June at the opposite outside linebacker position whilst he learns from Jedi Brooks.
21) Washington Redskins Phillip Merling DE, Clemson (=)
– A non-mover at 21. For teams that look for the flashy picks Merling may not deliver the excitement that you might look for, but he would appear to be one of the surest prospects available in the draft. He is probably the strongest defensive end in the draft class in terms of stoutness against the run and offers a competent pass rush at both defensive end and defensive tackle, filling somewhat of a need for the Redskins.
22) Dallas Cowboys (via Cleveland Browns) Limas Sweed WR, Texas (-2)
– Cowboys hook a Horn and upgrade their wide receiver corps which may not seem like a pressing need, but with T.O. advancing in years and in spite of improved behaviour can you really depend on him not to do something stupid? Sweed will have time to learn in Dallas and adjust to the NFL which many top rookie receivers never have time to do; having the ball thrown to him by a QB such as Tony Romo won’t stunt his development either.
23) Pittsburgh Steelers Gosder Cherilus OT, Boston College (=)
– Steeler football, tough, hard-nosed, football. All about beating the man in front of you and driving him off the field. This is still the ethos even with Mike Tomlin aboard but their offensive line wasn’t quite up to scratch this year. Cherilus provides an immediate upgrade at RT to help pave the way for Willie Parker.
24) Tennessee Titans Jerod Mayo LB, Tennessee (+35)
– Ryan Fowler? Stephen Tulloch? Hmmmm, Jerod Mayo. Neither Tulloch or Fowler is a great weakness and playing behind Albert Haynesworth will make both look better than they actually are. However, with the top wideouts no longer to be found on the board the Titans can upgrade at MLB with a linebacker fast rising on draft boards everywhere (well, media boards).
25) Seattle Seahawks Fred Davis TE, USC (=)
– This class really lacks the elite tight end prospect that some previous draft classes have had and the converted college wide receivers are higher on most media boards for their impact in the receiving game, Davis is the most proven of this type of receiver and exploded in his senior season winning the Mackey Award as collegiate football’s top tight end. He’s not the all-round tight end that the Seahawks may desire but he can add an extra weapon to Matt Hasselbeck’s arsenal to try to find a way back to the Superbowl.
26) Jacksonville Jaguars Lawrence Jackson DE, USC (-5)
– A distinctly copycat selection here of the best remaining defensive end for the Jaguars and with a team that has no glaring holes this may be a team primed for a trade down with a team from the top of the 2nd round looking to secure the 2nd tier quarterback of their choice. However, if the Jaguars stay put they could do worse than pick up Jackson who can upgrade an aging unit at DE.
 27) San Diego Chargers Trevor Laws DT/DE, Notre Dame (+16)
– The Chargers starters on the defensive line are outstanding, Olshansky, Williams and Castillo are absolutely tremendous. What Bolts’ fans learnt this year was that their depth when these guys are hurt is at best ordinary and at worst, poor. Laws can provide depth at DE and NT with his motor as well as using his natural talent and speed to provide an inside pass rush in obvious passing situations.
28) Dallas Cowboys Felix Jones RB, Arkansas (+22)
– With the thunder of Marion Barber III at running back the Cowboys need a new dose of lightning to complement and balance their running game. Jones’ strength and toughness may be in question but for 15 or so touches per game his potential impact is incredible. As another plus, if he takes #21 then Cowboys fans don’t need to throw out the jerseys from when they thought Julius Jones was the second coming of Emmitt Smith.
29) San Francisco 49ers (via Indianapolis Colts) Quentin Groves DE/OLB, Auburn (+10)
– Tully Banta-Cain was nothing close to what the 49ers had hoped they were getting from the Patriots and even with the glimpses of promise from Parys Haralson the 49ers are in desperate need of a pass rushing threat opposite the returning Manny Lawson (what they wouldn’t give to be in their original spot with a shot at Vernon Gholston). Groves is a tweener project and could give the 49ers an excellent pair of young studs coming off of the edges.
30) Green Bay Packers Antoine Cason CB, Arizona (=)
– Woodson and Harris were key to the Packers success this year but how long they have left at their peak is up for debate and the quality of their depth is up for serious debate. Cason is the type of physical corner that will fit perfectly in the Packers defensive scheme and as a former Thorpe award winner he has the proven track record to bring to the Packers secondary. He is an immediate upgrade at the nickel spot and could push for a starting spot at cornerback sooner than some may expect.
31) New York Giants Dan Connor LB, Penn St. (+9)
– As with every Superbowl winner the Giants have seen some departures at well above the contract value the player warrants (eyes firmly on Oakland and Buffalo at this time). Linebacker was one position that was targeted with Kawika Mitchell’s departure and Gerris Wilkinson may be able to fill that role. However with Mathias Kiwanuka returning from injury and far from a sure project at strong side linebacker and Antonio Pierce on the downside at MLB there is a need across the LB corps for some depth and also competition for starting spots, Connor’s quality and versatility would fit very well with this need for the Superbowl champions.
ROUND TWO
1. (32) Miami Chad Henne QB Michigan
2. (33) St. Louis Mario Manningham WR Michigan
3. (34) Atlanta (from Oakland) Sam Baker OT USC
4. (35) Kansas City Aqib Talib CB Kansas
5. (36) New York Jets Justin King CB Penn State
6. (37) Atlanta Brandon Flowers CB Virginia Tech
 7. (38) Baltimore Brian Brohm QB Louisville
8. (39) San Francisco Malcolm Kelly WR Oklahoma
9. (40) New Orleans Kenny Phillips S Miami (Fl)
10. (41) Buffalo Early Doucet WR LSU
11. (42) Denver Pat Sims DT Auburn
12. (43) Carolina Kentwan Balmer DT North Carolina
13. (44) Chicago Joe Flacco QB Delaware
14. (45) Detroit Carl Nicks OT Nebraska
 15. (46) Cincinnati Jamaal Charles RB Texas
16. (47) Minnesota John Carlson TE Notre Dame
17. (48) Atlanta (from Houston) Curtis Lofton LB Oklahoma
18. (49) Philadelphia Reggie Smith S/CB Oklahoma
19. (50) Arizona Chris Johnson RB East Carolina
20. (51) Washington James Hardy WR Indiana
21. (52) Tampa Bay Dre Moore DT Maryland
22. (53) Pittsburgh DaJuan Morgan S NC State
23. (54) Tennessee Calais Campbell DE Miami (Fl)
24. (55) Seattle Eddie Royal WR Virginia Tech
25. (56) Green Bay (via Cleveland) Erin Henderson LB – Maryland
26. (57) Miami (from San Diego) Martellus Bennett TE Texas A&M;
27. (58) Jacksonville Earl Bennett WR Vanderbilt
 28. (59) Indianapolis Xavier Adibi LB Virginia Tech
29. (60) Green Bay Anthony Collins OT Kansas
30. (61) Dallas Patrick Lee CB Auburn
31. (62) New England Cliff Avril DE/LB Purdue
32. (63) New York Giants Charles Godfrey CB/S Iowa
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