2008 NFL Mock Draft
Picks 1 - 10

The Mock Draft is always an inexact science. But, its very useful in gauging where your team needs to look in the draft. Since we are so fa away from the Draft, I’m just going to do the first 10 picks of the 2008 draft. Bellow are my results, some of the players being chosen are due to trends teams have done in the past, while others are based around cuts and hirings over the past couple of weeks. But no more of me rambling, here we go!

First Up Drafting Order
- 1. Miami Dolphins (1 - 15)
- 2. St. Louis Rams (3 - 13)
- 3. Oakland (4 -12)
- 3. Atlanta (4 - 12)
- 3. Kansas (4 -12)
- 6. New York Jets (4 - 12)
- 7. New England Patriots *from San Fransisco 49ers (5-11)*
- 8. Baltimore (5 - 11)
- 9. Cincinnati (7 - 9)
- 10. New Orleans (7 - 9)

Teams tied for third need a coin flip to decide position. This could be shake up the draft alot depending on who lands in which spot.

With the first overall pick in the 2008 NFL draft, the Miami Dolphins select…
Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas
- Now this is really a dicey pick. The Dolphins seemingly have their running back in Ronnie Brown, but he’s been banged up, and with the a new Sheriff in town (Bill Parcells), they will want to make a statement pick. Now I know the Dolphins desperately need a Quarterback, but I don’t see them dealing with that in a first round pick. I think that Miami needs to take the safe pick and build on a dual attack, like Minnesota is. Bill always seems to be able to find a dependable quarterback to keep a team afloat (Vinny Testeverde and Drew Bledsoe come to mind) until he finds “his guy” at QB. Don’t be surprised to see the Dolphins sign a veteran QB to be their starter and take a QB in the later rounds to groom for the position. I think Chris Long is another possibility here, but their is no need to make the line better if there is no one to protect or open holes for. If the Dolphin’s cannot find a Veteran QB they like, they will most likely go with Matt Ryan at QB, because he seems to be the most NFL ready of the highly rated QBs.

With the second overall pick in the 2008 NFL draft, the Saint Louis Rams select…
Jake Long, OT, Michigan
- The Saints certainly have defensive problems. But, they are nothing if their offense keeps getting banged up. Last year, their offense was destroyed, particularly their QB Marc Bulger and RB Steven Jackson, this tells me that their line needs a revamp if their playmakers are going to be able to contribute. Their priority in the first round should be fixing up their offensive line, and in the subsequent rounds fixing up the defensive line, which has plenty of wholes.

With the third overall pick in the 2008 NFL draft, the Oakland Raiders select…
Glenn Dorsey, DT, LSU
- Dorsey is a can’t miss defensive prospect. And I say can’t miss specifically referencing the Oakland Raiders. The Raiders are a good defensive team, which struggles with maintaining a stable offense (outside of Justin Fargas’s rushing). But, that said, Warren Sapp is retired and the Raider’s now have a glaring hole in the middle. Because the position is DT you don’t want a glaring hole in the middle of your line for a running back to destroy, like Adrian Peterson did to the Chargers. The Raiders need WR help, especially with Jerry Porter as a free agent, but they are going to have to look at free agency or in the second round, for help with that.

With the fourth overall pick in the 2008 NFL draft, the Atlanta Falcons select…
Matt Ryan, QB, Boston College
- Now as I said with the first overall pick, I think that Ryan could be gone if free agency doesn’t find the Dolphin’s with their starter at QB, if that happened I think this pick would be Chris Long (DE). But the Falcon’s need to start the rebuilding process with a tough NFL ready QB. I’m sure there are better projects at QB in the draft, but no one is more NFL ready to lead a team than Ryan. His comeback victories with BC, showed that he has poise under pressure, which is going to be huge on a team where he will be heavily scrutinized as the successor to Micheal Vick. Chris Redman and Joey Harrington are not long term options, and I think DJ Shockley’s injury may have made him an afterthought in the teams future.

With the fifth overall pick in the 2008 NFL draft, the Kansas City Chiefs select…
Chris Long, DE, Virginia
- Herm Edwards is a defensive mind, so I think that is where he is going to look in the first round. Now the offense clearly needs to be addressed, specifically at QB and wide receiver. But the team seems content to let Brodie Croyle keep trying (at least for one more season) and this is too early to a take a wide receiver, in what is proving to be a very deep wide receiver class. Chris Long would help improve a defense that has already been showing a market improvement from where they were in the Trent Green era. Long will be a great DE for a long time, and I think the Chiefs would be smart to grab him up if he’s still on the board.

With the sixth overall pick in the 2008 NFL draft, the New York Jets select…
Ryan Clady, OT, Boise State
- The Jets have several holes that they need to address. There is a whole on the O-Line, D-Line, and at Wide Receiver (but with the return of Stuckey, that might be less of a concern). It is clear that they need to fix the whole they have on their offensive line , left by the departure of Pete Kendall, first and foremost. Ryan Clady can be that guy for years to come, and you can’t have a great running attack or keep a QB upright if you don’t have a great line on more than just one side.

With the seventh overall pick in the 2008 NFL draft, the New England Patriots select…
Vernon Gholston, DE/LB, Ohio St.
- The patriots are getting old on defense, especially at Linebacker. They will look to add some depth, and much needed youth to this core, by selecting a strong LB who can also spend time at DE. They may have a need at WR if they don’t sign/franchise Randy Moss, or Donte Stallworth, but the Patriots still have their 2006 second round pick Chad Jackson, Wes Welker, Gaffney, and are looking at signing Marty Booker, so DE/LB is their most likely hole.

With the eighth overall pick in the 2008 NFL draft, the Baltimore Ravens select…
Andre Woodson, QB, Kentucky
- Now, this is a spotty choice on my part. I’m gambling that at the Combine Woodson is going to show that the Senior bowl was a fluke. If not the Ravens will probably take the safer bet with Brian Brohm. But I think that with their last attempt at taking an arm at QB in the draft (Kyle Boller) is going to leave a bad taste in their mouth, and instead they are going to go with a mobile QB, who can get away from trouble. Woodson also has a gun for an arm, but he is fa from the traditional QB that many teams like to look at. I think the Ravens will take the guy who looks he could jump right in for Steve McNair if he goes down, because the way they play is so similar in style.

With the ninth overall pick in the 2008 NFL draft, the Cincinnati Bengals select…
Sedrick Ellis, DT, Southern Cal.
- The Bengals have struggled on defense for years. They have drafted at CB last year (Leon Hall), LB the year before (Anthony Schelgel), and now its time to add on to their defensive line in the middle. Sedrick Ellis will still be on the board and that is a steal they cannot afford to miss out on. If the team decides that they have had enough with Chad Johnson or Chris Henry, then they might look for a Wide Receiver instead, I think they would take a look at DeSean Jackson.

With the tenth overall pick in the 2008 NFL draft, the New Orleans Saints select…
Kenny Phillips, S, Miami
- Now I know some people would think that the Saints need to look at Wide Receiver, where they are a little thin. But remember that they get Robert Meachum back for this season (their 2007 NFL first round pick). The Saints are weakest at Safety on defense and need to address that, so that they are more than a high scoring offense.

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Thanks for reading my mock draft, after the NFL combine completes, and as some free agents get signed, I’ll do an updated mock draft, and a then a longer mock draft.