VJCPatriot's Final 2008 Mock Draft 4/25

[VJCPatriot]

Without any further ado:

1. Miami - Jake Long OT
Comment: Sealed and delivered. The safe, gimme pick of this mock.

2. St Louis - Glenn Dorsey DT
Comment: Dorsey is the most talented defensive player in this draft. This also allows the Rams to slide Carriker to his natural position of DE.

3. Atlanta - Matt Ryan QB
Comment: The new face of the franchise. He can sell a lot of TIX and give Falcon fans reason for hope. It also doesn't hurt that he's the most talented QB in this draft.

4. Oakland - Chris Long DE
Comment: The best motor of any defensive player in the draft, Chris Long also has solid bloodlines. He's a perfect fit for Al Davis and the Raiders franchise. You rebuild a franchise by getting an intense competitor like this who gives 100% on every play.

5. KC - Vernon Gholston DE
Comment: Having traded away disgruntled DE Jared Allen, KC takes the best pass rusher left in the draft. Gholston has freakish athleticism but has been questioned for disappearing at times. At #5 though, he's a talent that the Chiefs can't afford to pass up considering their needs.

6. New York Jets - Darren McFadden RB
Comment: McFadden is an electric talent at the RB position. He instantly adds octane to the anemic Jets offense and gives their fans something to get excited about.

7. Denver from New England [TRADE] - Sedrick Ellis DT
Comment: The Broncos desperately want a stud DT and they are willing to overpay to get him. They move up to #7 and leapfrog the Saints by throwing in their 2nd round pick (#42).

8. Baltimore - Clady OT
Comment: Ogden is getting long in the tooth and considering retirement. The Ravens need to get younger with their OL and they get a tackle here who some scouts rate higher than Jake Long, due to his superior agility for an offensive tackle.

9. Cincinnati - Keith Rivers LB
Comment: The Bengals have serious depth issues at LB. They bring in a guy here who can solidify the middle of their defense. It's a little bit high for Rivers but it fills a huge need.

10. New Orleans - Dominque Rodgers-Cromartie CB
Comment: The Saints got outmaneuvered by the Broncos. This is a bad spot for them. There's no DT left worth taking at #10 so they fill another big need at CB instead. DRC has the highest upside of any CB in the draft. He's also extremely athletic and tall for the position. His stock ignited when he dominated at the recent Senior Bowl.

11. Buffalo - Leodis McKelvin CB
Comment: The Bills never did manage to fill the hole left by Antoine Winfield's departure to free agency. They also have need of an explosive kick returner. They fill both needs at once in the form of McKelvin, a guy who some believe is a safer pick than DRC.

12. Arizona from New England [TRADE] - Rashard Mendhenhall RB
Comment: Edgerrin James is getting long in the tooth and the Cardinals move up to make sure they got their top choice of RB. If the Cards had stayed put they take the risk of Mendenhall and Stewart going #14 and #15 respectively. Mendenhall is a strong, fast, and explosive athlete. He's the kind of player that can give James a breather and then transition smoothly into the Cards' franchise RB of the future. The Cards fork over their 3rd round pick (#81) to move up here.

13. Carolina Panthers - Chris Williams OT
Comment: With the future of Jordan Gross uncertain, the Panthers take a guy who can play RT immediately and slide over to LT in the future if contract talks with Gross end up unfavorably.

14. Chicago Bears - Jeff Otah OT
Comment: With Mendenhall gone the Bears no longer have a choice to make, they take the best OT left on their draft board.

15. Detroit Lions - Jonathon Stewart RB
Comment: The Lions should take an OT, but the best quality ones were taken just ahead of their pick. So they settle for a guy that could produce for them in case the oft injured Kevin Jones goes down again.

16. New England Patriots - Quentin Groves OLB
Comment: After harvesting a couple of extra picks, the Patriots move down no more and select a possible elite passrusher in the 1st round. Groves ran a 4.5 40 at the combine and had over 25 career sacks at the college level. With JAX and SF expressing strong interest, the Pats don't take any more chances and take their man here, while still retaining the ability to push for a 6 year contract.

17. Kansas City - Brandan Albert G
Comment: The Chiefs strengthen their offensive line and get the fast rising Brendan Albert in the process. They focused on the trenches in the first round of the draft.

2nd HALF to be posted later today...

 

[bakes781]

to be continued??? :wha: I think it's a bit presumptive to only have trades that include our team. Otherwise it's excellent but still INC

 

[VJCPatriot]

18. Washington from Houston [TRADE] - Derrick Harvey DE
Comment: The Redskins need a passrushing presence badly. When Harvey slides to this position, they waste no time in offering up their 3rd round pick (#84) to secure a very solid pass rushing end for their defense.

19. Philadelphia - Devin Thomas WR
Comment: Philadelphia is bummed that Albert is gone, so instead they fill their need at WR. Reggie Brown did not progress as much as hoped and Kevin Curtis belongs in the slot. Thomas gives the Eagles offense a true field stretching WR.

20. Tampa Bay - Mike Jenkins CB
Comment: The Bucs have a number of needs including WR, DT, and CB. They decide to take the highest rated player on their board. Jenkins has the speed and playmaking ability to become a #1 corner in this league.

21. Houston from Washington - Jerod Mayo LB
Comment: The Texans take a guy whose stock has been rising and could be a future field general in the middle of their defense.

22. Dallas - Aqib Talib CB
Comment: Dallas plays in the same division as the Eagles (TO) and Giants (Buress). They draft a large and talented CB who can handle those tall, big play receivers. Dallas has shown the willingness to take on players with character concerns in the past. See Jones, Pacman.

23. Pittsburgh - Gosder Cherilus OT
Comment: Pittsburgh takes a big strong tackle from a big time program to help protect Big Ben.

24. Tennessee - Limas Sweed WR
Comment: Vince Young needs weapons, and this is a good spot to take the talented Texan receiver.

25. Miami from Seattle [TRADE] - Brian Brohm QB
Comment: Cleo Lemon's play in 2007 hardly inspired confidence. The Dolphins offer a nice package that includes their top pick in the 2nd round and the Seahawks willingly accept since both Mendenhall and Stewart are already gone.

26. Jacksonville - Phillip Merling DE
Comment: Jacksonville fills a need at DE and strengthens their trenches. Merling is a solid young player that plays well against both the run and the pass.

27. Chicago from San Diego [TRADE] - Joe Flacco QB
Comment: Chicago knows that Rex Grossman isn't the answer. With their offensive line solidified, they move up to San Diego's slot and select their QB of the future. San Diego meanwhile stockpiles more picks to add to a talented core of players. In this deep draft, the quality difference between the late 1st round and mid 2nd round is minimal.

28. Dallas - Felix Jones RB
Comment: Dallas takes the lightning quick RB from Arkansas to complement the inside running of MB3. Additionally this gives them leverage in case MB3 holds out in training camp for a bigger contract.

29. San Francisco - Desean Jackson WR
Comment: The fast little WR that could. Teams were leery of taking this 170 lbs WR earlier because of his lack of size, but he can really stretch the field if given the chance. The receivers in SF are horrid, so Jackson should get plenty of opportunities to prove himself.

30. New England from Green Bay [TRADE] - Antoine Cason CB
Comment: The Patriots move back into the 1st round to get a CB who is not the most physically talented, but is a great fit for their system. Green Bay sees a lot of quality available to them in the second round and has a number of needs and so accept the Patriots offer of the #42 and the #81 picks of the draft.

31. New York Giants - Kenny Phillips S
Comment: A bit of a reach for the defending champs, but Kenny Phillips is arguably the best safety in this year's draft. He has physical gifts, but has not dominated with them. He will come into a low pressure situation where he can learn the ropes slowly.

 

[VJCPatriot]

Patriots Draft Haul for Rounds 1-3:

#16 Quentin Groves OLB
#30 Antoine Cason CB
#62 Fred Davis TE
#69 Duane Brown OT
#94 Kevin Smith HB

Flame away. *Puts on flame ******ant outfit*

 

[VJCPatriot]

Scoring my own mock.

Point scoring system: 1 point for player taken in 1st round. 1 point for matching a player with the team that takes him. 1 point for matching a player to the exact draft slot that he was taken.

1. Miami - Jake Long OT
3 points. This was a gimme.

2. St Louis - Glenn Dorsey DT
1 point. Had him going to the wrong team.

3. Atlanta - Matt Ryan QB
3 points. My first bingo pick of the draft. It made a lot of sense.

4. Oakland - Chris Long DE
1 point. Had him going to the wrong team.

5. KC - Vernon Gholston DE
1 point. Wrong team. Didn't think Dorsey would make it this far down.

6. New York Jets - Darren McFadden RB
1 point. I think Jets would have taken him if he lasted this long, but the Raiders ruined that.

7. Denver from New England [TRADE] - Sedrick Ellis DT
1 point. Outsmarted myself, when I knew the Saints were a more logical trade choice. But I wanted a 2nd round pick out of the deal.

8. Baltimore - Clady OT
1 point. I had no idea the Jags would move up to this spot. Totally didn't see that coming.

9. Cincinnati - Keith Rivers LB
3 points. Finally another bingo. He's a good fit for the team's needs.

10. New Orleans - Dominque Rodgers-Cromartie CB
1 point. Obviously the Pats took Mayo here instead.

11. Buffalo - Leodis McKelvin CB
3 points. Bingo. Fills the void for Winfield and gives the Bills a great kick returner.

12. Arizona from New England [TRADE] - Rashard Mendhenhall RB
1 point. Arizona coveted DRC more than Mendenhall.

13. Carolina Panthers - Chris Williams OT
1 point. Panthers went with Stewart instead.

14. Chicago Bears - Jeff Otah OT
1 point. Right position, wrong player. Bears end up with Chris Williams.

15. Detroit Lions - Jonathon Stewart RB
1 point. Detroit takes a tackle. They pick up Kevin Smith in the 3rd instead of a RB here.

16. New England Patriots - Quentin Groves OLB
0 points. Apparently the medical red flag was a more serious issue than I thought. Groves drops all the way to round 2 for the Jags. The crazy thing is that I think Groves has the chance to outperform their first round pick, Harvey.

17. Kansas City - Brandan Albert G
2 points. Right player and team, wrong draft slot. Chiefs moved up to secure Albert.

 

[VJCPatriot]

18. Washington from Houston [TRADE] - Derrick Harvey DE
1 point. Harvey is a good player but I didn't dream that JAX would jump into the top 10 to take him. I thought somebody would move up for him, but not that far up.

19. Philadelphia - Devin Thomas WR
0 points. Not a single WR taken in the first round. Philly does take a WR in round 2 though, Desean Jackson.

20. Tampa Bay - Mike Jenkins CB
1 point. Right position, wrong player. Tampa takes Talib instead.

21. Houston from Washington - Jerod Mayo LB
1 point. Houston takes another OT to protect Matt Schaub instead. I can easily believe that if the Pats had not scooped up Mayo, the Texans would have been willing to draft him.

22. Dallas - Aqib Talib CB
1 point. Right position, wrong player. Dallas ends up with Jenkins instead. I guess Tampa scooping Talib prevented this from happening.

23. Pittsburgh - Gosder Cherilus OT
1 point. Pitt gets best value in Mendenhall. I could not believe what a steal they got at 23.

24. Tennessee - Limas Sweed WR
0 point. Tennessee reaches for Chris Johnson instead of getting a weapon to help out Vince Young. The stupidity of their drafting boggles my mind. They have so many busts at RB, it's not even funny.

25. Miami from Seattle [TRADE] - Brian Brohm QB
0 points. Miami waited until round 2 for their QB. Brohm did go in round 2, but not to Miami. Go figure.

26. Jacksonville - Phillip Merling DE
0 points. The Jags moved up for Harvey instead and Merling dropped out of round 1.

27. Chicago from San Diego [TRADE] - Joe Flacco QB
1 point. The Ravens traded down then back up to get Flacco. I had him going to the wrong team.

28. Dallas - Felix Jones RB
2 points. Dallas drafts the speedy RB out of Arkansas earlier than I expected. It's still a pretty good fit.

29. San Francisco - Desean Jackson WR
0 points. San Fran went with Balmer instead.

30. New England from Green Bay [TRADE] - Antoine Cason CB
1 point. Cason was indeed too good to drop out of round 1. The bad news is that the Chargers get him to pair up with Cromartie for a stifling defensive backfield.

31. New York Giants - Kenny Phillips S
3 points. We have the last bingo of the draft. Phillips is too physically talented to ignore even if he underachieved at the college level. The defending Champs can afford to take a luxury pick with their 1st rounder.

Final Score: 1st half 25 + 2nd half 12 = 37 points for Round 1.
Not too shabby. I got a little too clever with my trades and JAX move up completely blindsided me.