2008 NFL Mock Draft
An Early Look at the Top Five Picks of the 2008 NFL Draft
Will teams pick players that fill needs, or go for the best available player (talent wise). Here is a quick look at the possible top 5 picks of the 2008 NFL Draft.
As the NFL season winds down and teams are mathematically eliminated from the playoffs fans and GMs tend to look toward next year, specifically the 2008 NFL Draft. As of today if we were to start a mock draft, the top five teams would be the Miami Dolphins, St. Louis Rams, New York Jets, Atlanta Falcons, and the Kansas City Chiefs. Who should Miami pick first? This years Heisman winner, Tim Tebow, is only a sophomore, thus not eligible for the draft that leaves a question of who will be the number one pick. The best player Darren McFadden, is a junior (it is assumed that he will leave Arkansas), and there is the lack of a senior standout player (other than Glenn Dorsey) worthy of being the top pick.
Does anybody think the Miami Dolphins are one player away from making the playoffs? The fact that they are in need of a major talent overhaul, combined with the hiring of Bill Parcels as the Miami Dolphins VP lends on to think that the number one pick could be traded to a team that makes a qualifying offer. The $100,000 question is…. what would be a qualifying offer? Miami can’t expect a San Diego Charger like haul, in which they landed the rights to the 2004 4th overall pick (QB Philip Rivers), a 2005 1st round pick ( LB Shawne Merriman), a 2004 3rd round pick (K Nate Kaeding) and a 2005 5th round pick (which was traded for tackle Roman Oben) from the Giants for the rights to the 2004 number 1 pick (Eli Manning). Taking all of these factors into account, I throw into the wind the Top 5 of my Initial 2008 NFL Mock Draft (Subject to change, especially after the combine).
1. Dallas Cowboys – Darren McFadden RB Arkansas. This is far fetched, but here is the scenario; Dallas gives up both of their first round picks, a 3rd rounder next year, and a player (Jason Ferguson) for the replacement in the two back attack, as Thomas Jones departs via free agency. The Dolphins need so much that the one pick doesn’t help them at all.
2. St. Louis Rams – Glenn Dorsey DT LSU. The Rams need to improve both the offensive and defensive lines, more so the defensive line, as they were undersized and simply wore down late in games in 2007.
3. New York Jets – Jake Long T Michigan. The jets have to address the protection problems that got both of their quarterbacks injured this year. They need a guard to get the running game untracked, but none rates this high of a pick.
4. Atlanta Falcons – Matt Ryan QB Boston College. When rebuilding a franchise from the bottom up, if you have the opportunity to draft your franchise quarterback, you pull the trigger. Ryan has the football I.Q. and skills to make the transition to the next level.
5. Oakland Raiders – Chris Long DE Virginia. They need a DT to help stop the run, but Sedrick Ellis at number five is a stretch, if they can’t move down and still pick Ellis, Long is the pick.
Remember to keep your ears open for trades or rumors, and this will be updated after the Senior Bowl and NFL Combine workouts.
