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 NCAA Scouting:
Mock Draft V2.0 – 5th Mar
by Sam Monson & Ben Stockwell
5/3/2008
1) Miami Dolphins Chris Long DE, Virginia (=)
– V2.0 and nothing changes for the Dolphins at #1 overall. Chris Long had an outstanding Combine, and remains one of the top players in the entire draft. He also provides the kind of flexibility Miami will be keen on, as well as the kind of motor, intelligence, and attitude Bill Parcells will love. Unless Miami can manage to trade out of this spot this will be the pick.
 2) St Louis Rams Sedrick Ellis DT, USC (=)
– The Rams found themselves tossing a coin in V1.0 between Sedrick Ellis and Glen Dorsey. While Ellis didn’t have a great Combine workout, it doesn’t matter, firstly because he showed all his skills on tape, when it mattered, and secondly because some lingering injury concerns have begun to surface over Glen Dorsey. The Rams don’t want to throw #2 money at a guy who might break.
3) Atlanta Falcons – Matt Ryan QB, Boston College (=)
– The Falcons need squeaky clean, and Matt Ryan is that guy. There’s debate as to how highly Ryan would be ranked if he was in the QB class of 2004, 2006, or even 2007, but the fact remains he is the cream of the QB crop this year, and Atlanta badly need an answer to the position and a new face of the franchise. They’re not passing on him.
4) Oakland Raiders Glenn Dorsey DT, LSU (=)
– Rumours are swirling about the extent of Glenn Dorsey’s injury history, and what may still be lingering. But at the moment, that’s all they are. Until things start to snowball, Oakland can’t pass on a player who might be the best in the entire draft. Baby Sapp gets to meet real Sapp, and really helps out Oakland’s D-line. They think about Jake Long here, but thoughts of Gallery are still too fresh in the mind.
5) Kansas City Chiefs Jake Long OT, Michigan (=)
– The Chiefs need help all over their O-line. Jake Long had a great Combine, and cemented his spot as the elite OT prospect available. The Chiefs take him as a massive upgrade wherever he projects in the NFL, and they get a great locker room guy as a bonus.
6) New York Jets – Vernon Gholston OLB, Ohio St. (=)
– The Jets gave serious consideration to Darren McFadden here, but the reality of the situation is the Jets’ Offense is passable, their Defense is woeful. The thing that really seals the deal though is that if they pass on Gholston they know full well New England would jump on him. They don’t want to be reminded twice a year of the guy they passed on.
7) New England Patriots (via San Francisco 49ers) Leodis McKelvin CB, Troy (=)
– New England lost Asante Samuel as expected to Free Agency, but they also lost Randall Gay to the Saints. That leaves them with a starting corner tandem of Ellis Hobbs anduhoh dear Leodis McKelvin is the top corner prospect, and the Patriots can’t afford to pass on him.
8) Baltimore Ravens Derrick Harvey DE/OLB, Florida (+1)
– Derrick Harvey weighed in at the Combine at 271lbs, not 291 as was initially reported, and he still looked athletic and explosive in his drills. Harvey gives the Ravens a long-term solution to the Suggs issue, and loads their D with another round of talented young ammunition.
9) Cincinnati Bengals Darren McFadden RB, Arkansas (+7)
– The Bengals don’t want to make this pick. Marv Lewis has said he won’t touch a guy with character concerns this year – and McFadden is gunning for Travis Henry’s crown as the Arch-Inseminator – but the reality is Lewis needs to save his job this year, and he can’t fix that D in one move, so he’s going to take a shot at outscoring everybody else to the playoffs again. McFadden might make it possible, so principles go out the window.
 10) New Orleans Saints Mike Jenkins CB, South Florida (+9)
– The Saints spent some money on Randall Gay from the Patriots during Free Agency, but he projects more as the answer at nickel back, not as a starter. Jenkins is a corner with great man cover skills, and having just run a 4.38 at the combine, he has the speed to match up with top receivers. He is the long-term answer for the Saints.
11) Buffalo Bills Limas Sweed WR, Texas (+3)
– The Bills filled some holes with their spending during Free Agency, and it gives them the luxury of being able to cherry pick the best player at a number of positions. They elect to take the best receiver in this year’s draft, Limas Sweed. Sweed is a big, tall receiver who showed he had plenty of speed at the combine by running in the 4.4s. He’ll provide a nice big target opposite Lee Evans and give the Bills a nice young duo.
12) Denver Broncos Kentwan Balmer DT, North Carolina (+1)
– The Broncos swung and missed with several deals to try and solve their problems along the D-line, and they’ve forced themselves into jumping on Balmer here. Balmer is the clear cut third defensive tackle, and the Broncos need to secure somebody in the middle. It’s tough for them to pass on Ryan Clady, who would represent excellent value, but they’re driven by need.
13) Carolina Panthers Ryan Clady OT, Boise St. (-1)
– Denver’s loss is Carolina’s gain. The Panthers jump on the guy who many believe could be the best tackle prospect in this draft. Clady has excellent footwork, and is a natural left tackle, having only moved to the position in the last couple of years. He provides them with a long-term answer at left tackle.
14) Chicago Bears Jeff Otah OG/T, Pittsburgh (+13)
– The Bears should go wide receiver here, since they have comfortably the worst receiving corps in the NFL after waving goodbye to Bernard Berrian. But instead they decide to start working over their O-line, which is in bits. At least this way they might be able to keep some QB upright in the future.
15) Detroit Lions Rashard Mendenhall RB, Illinois (=)
– Detroit snags the most complete back in the draft. Mendenhall again falls to the Lions at 15 and he remains the perfect back for the new man in town. Mendenhall is a tough runner with great vision and instincts, and he proved at the combine he’s faster than was believed.
16) Arizona Cardinals Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie CB, Tennessee St. (+4)
– The Cardinals don’t find McFadden falling into their laps this time around, so instead they tackle another position. Antrel Rolle is moving over to Safety, which means the Cardinals are currently starting Roderick Hood, and Eric Green. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie has limitless upside, and is grabbed without much thought here.
17) Minnesota Vikings Phillip Merling DE, Clemson (-9)
– The pick didn’t fall too kindly for Minnesota here. The Vikings addressed most of their key needs in Free Agency, leaving DE as the only major hole. Whilst they might still add a free agent at the position, Merling has fallen far enough, and would take over the spot left by Kenechi Udeze while he battles leukaemia, enabling Ray Edwards and Brian Robison to try and form pass rush from the other side.
18) Houston Texans – Jonathan Stewart RB, Oregon (=)
– Houston again find themselves with a match made in heaven. Stewart did nothing but improve his stock with a good showing at the Combine, and the Texans feel they’ve found the missing piece of the puzzle. With Stewart on board, they look to take the fight to Jacksonville and Indianapolis in the cut-throat AFC South.
 19) Philadelphia Eagles Chris Williams OT, Vanderbilt (+12)
– Philadelphia went aggressive in the early days of Free Agency, and they signed Asante Samuel to his monster contract. With that in mind the Eagles look, as they often do on draft day, into the future. Winston Justice was shaky at best in his limited duty, and neither OT is getting any younger, so the Eagles take a prospect on the rise, Chris Williams.
20) Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Malcolm Kelly WR, Oklahoma (+4)
– Kelly provides a big, talented receiver for John Gruden in Tampa Bay to play with. Joey Galloway isn’t going to last forever, and any excuse the Buccs can make for playing Michael Clayton less would be gratefully received. Jackson has the talent to be a big time receiver for the Buccs, and should be visible enough for Garcia when he scrambles.
21) Washington Redskins Lawrence Jackson DE, USC (New Entry)
– Lawrence Jackson is a versatile player who had a poor Senior Bowl week, but went some way to mending his profile at the Combine. Jackson had previously been talked about as a 3-4 end, but looked athletic enough to stand up and dominate during drills. The Skins take him to play in the 4-3, and hope that the Senior Bowl performance was just a blip.
22) Dallas Cowboys (via Cleveland Browns) Aqib Talib CB, Kansas (=)
– Dallas could do with some depth at corner, and they grab a guy who’s fallen due to some inconsistency in his play. Talib might be as physically talented as any corner in this draft, and shows great ball skills, but he had alarming lapses at times for Kansas, and he falls right into the Cowboys’ lap.
23) Pittsburgh Steelers – Branden Albert OG/OT, Virginia (=)
– No change in this pick. The Steelers lost Alan Faneca as expected, and they plug his replacement straight in. Albert is a tough, mean and dominant guard, who could kick outside to tackle in the NFL, providing the Steelers with an immediate upgrade and a dominant player.
24) Tennessee Titans DeSean Jackson WR, California (+2)
– The Titans need receiving help. DeSean Jackson worried people by checking into the Combine at only 5’9 and 165lbs, but in reality that’s better than his listed size of 6′ and 172lbs. Jackson did however prove he has serious wheels, running a 4.35, and would help out in the return game as well.
25) Seattle Seahawks Fred Davis TE, USC (=)
– Davis remains the perfect pick here for the Seahawks, though they would give some thought to the star TE of the Combine, Purdue’s Dustin Keller. Davis is still there guy though and gives Holmgren the toy he wanted in Marcus Pollard to try and go out on a high.
26) Jacksonville Jaguars Calais Campbell DE, Miami (-5)
– Jacksonville doesn’t have too many holes on their roster, but the D-line is thinner than it has been in recent times. Calais Campbell becomes their pick here. Campbell is a big, rangy end, who is in need of some coaching, but he has a lot of athletic potential, and provides a lot of upside here.
27) San Diego Chargers Brandon Flowers CB, Virginia Tech (-17)
– San Diego might have the best roster on paper for the third year running. The Chargers roster is without many holes at all, and they find themselves in the privileged position of being able to pick for some depth. They take Flowers, a tough, physical corner with lightning quick diagnosis skills and the ability to react instantly. The only reason he falls to their pick was his 40 time in the 4.5s.
 28) Dallas Cowboys Chris Johnson, RB, East Carolina University (New Entry)
– Everybody expects Jerry Jones to pick an Arkansas running back from this draft whatever happens, but Jerry can’t resist the mouth watering thunder and lightning combination that Chris Johnson would bring with Marion Barber. Johnson ran a 4.24 at the combine, and is an excellent receiver and return man as well. He immediately provides big play ability all over the field.
29) San Francisco 49ers (via Indianapolis Colts) Early Doucet WR, LSU (=)
– San Francisco find themselves in need of receiver help, but a little gun shy of taking risks. The gambling man takes a shot on Michigan State’s Devin Thomas, whose workouts shot him up most draft boards, but with only one year of production at college, he reminds a few too many people of Troy Williamson, so the 49ers go for the safe option, Early Doucet.
30) Green Bay Packers Antoine Cason CB, Arizona (New Entry)
– The Packers’ most glaring need is corner depth behind a quality but ageing due of Al Harris and Charles Woodson. With that in mind they select the sixth cornerback of the first round, Antoine Cason. Cason is a big, physical corner, who is perfectly suited to be groomed in Green Bay’s bump and run scheme.
31) New York Giants Keith Rivers LB, USC (-20)
– New York can’t believe its luck, and Tom Coughlin finds another reason to extend his smile for another few months when the Giants find a top 20 talent sitting on the board when they pick at the bottom of the first round. The Giants simply saunter their way to the commissioner’s desk with the card, grinning all the way.
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