1. Miami Dolphins
- Dorsey, Glenn, DT LSU
Trading down here may be the best option, but in the end the Dolphins will go with the best defensive player in the draft. When he is healthy Dorsey is absolutely amazing. |
2. St. Louis Rams
- Long, Jake, OT Michigan
Not quite Joe Thomas, Jake Long will be a very productive Tackle in the NFL for years to come. Orlando Pace has been hampered by injuries and his ever increasing age, so Long is the obvious choice here. |
3. Oakland Raiders
- Long, Chris, DE Virginia
Just like his father Howie, Chris will be a fantastic DE for the Oakland Raiders. Chris is clearly the best DE in this draft and will help fill one of the Raiders many gaping holes. |
4. Kansas City Chiefs
- Clady, Ryan, OT Boise State
Drafting Clady this high is a bit of a stretch, just as Arizona drafted Levi Brown 5th last season, but Clady is undoubtedly the 2nd best OT in this draft and the line is undoubtedly the Chiefs biggest need. |
5. Atlanta Falcons
- McFadden, Darren, RB Arkansas
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| A QB is the Falcons biggest need but getting McFadden at #5 is a steal. Darren is unquestionably the most athletic and explosive player in this draft. I would look for the Falcons to grab McFadden here and draft a guy like Erik Ainge or Colt Brennan early in the second round. |
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6. New York Jets
- Gholston, Vernon, DE Ohio State
With their top two targets (Chris Long and Darren McFadden) already drafted the Jets turn to an amazing pass rusher in Vernon Gholston. Gholston showcased his talents against Michigan this season pressuring Chad Henne just about every play. |
7. New England Patriots
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I know, I know, Belichick never drafts LB's early. However Linebacker is just about the Patriots only need and with McFadden off the board this is the only choice that makes perfect sense. |
8. Baltimore Ravens
- Ryan, Matt, QB Boston College
Personally, I was shocked when the Ravens fired Brian Billick. Whoever the new coach is however is almost certainly going to draft a QB in the first round. At best Kyle Boller is a backup and Steve McNair is done. Troy Smith looked decent against Pittsburgh, but lets be serious does anyone think he can do that week in and week out? I don't. With all that said I think they go with Matt Ryan. It is very tough to decipher who is the best QB among the Big 3 in this class (Brian Brohm, Matt Ryan, Andre Woodson) but it seems like most scouts are leaning towards Ryan. I don't think the Ravens will be any different. |
9. Cincinnati Bengals
- Ellis, Sedrick, DT USC
The Bengals have many needs, even a few on offense but the D-line should be their first priority. The Bengals did not get a whole lot of pressure on opposing QB's this year and were even worse at stopping the run. The two other logical options year would be Penn State's Dan Conner or fellow Trojan, DE Lawrence Jackson. |
10. New Orleans Saints
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Malcolm, only a junior is in my opinion the best CB in the nation. One could make strong arguments for South Florida's Mike Jenkins or Kansas's Aquib Talib as well. While determing who is the best corner may cause some debate their is no doubt the Saints must upgrade their secondary if they want to be true contenders for the Super Bowl. |
11. Buffalo Bills
- Kelly, Malcolm, WR Oklahoma
There isn't much not to like about Kelly. He's got size (6-4, 217) and speed (4.5 40 time) as we;; as plenty of sucess on the field. Even though they have Lee Evans already the Bills would benefeit greatly from drafting a reciever as talented as Kelly. |
12. Denver Broncos
- Connor, Dan, OLB Penn State
Winner of the Bednarik Award, Conner is truely a special player. He recently set Penn State's all-time tackle record, eclipsing Paul Posluszny. That's saying something when you play at a school nicknamed "Linebacker U." With Al Wilson's injuries the Broncos Defense really struggled at times this season, allowing large chunks of rushing yardage. DJ Williams is a fine linebacker, but he can't do it alone. Drafting Conner will be the Broncos first step towards returning to the top of the AFC West. |
13. Carolina Panthers
- Phillips, Kenny, S Miami
The biggest need for the Carolina Panthers right now is a quaterback. However coach John Fox will be on the hot seat from the start assuming he returns for next season. Using his first pick on a player who will not have an immediate impact will almost certainly spell the end for him. The Panthers are perenerially the leagues most underachieving team. There is too much talent there to keep going 7-9 and 8-8. A linebacker could also be an option here, (because Dan Morgan gets hurt every year) but the two best LB's will probably already be gone by this point. |
14. Chicago Bears
- Woodson, Andre, QB Kentucky
Rex Grossman's days as a Bear are numbered. Brian Greise was even worse than Rex. Kyle Orton played well the last couple of games, but none of those games had any meaning behind them. The Bears may make a move for Donovan McNabb, but even if they sucessfully do so, I think they still draft Woodson. At best McNabb has 3 good years as a starter left in him. Ideally Woodson won't have to start until year 3 of his career. By that time the most talented QB of the big 3 (but also the least polished and proven) should be more than ready to lead the Bears to the promise land. |
15. Detroit Lions
- Baker, Sam, OT USC
Some think Baker's stock has fallen, but from what I've seen he is still the 3rd best tackle in the draft. That's why I think the Lions chose him over Jeff Otah or Gosder Cherilus. I would be very suprised if the Lions use their first pick on something other than the O-line, which is one of the NFL's worst. They could possibly use it on a linebacker or defensive back, maybe even on a DE, though it is unlikely. |
16. Arizona Cardinals
- Jenkins, Mike, CB South Florida
The Cardinals secondary was among the NFL's worst this season. Teams like the Saints and Seahawks lit them up. Adding Jenkins should help some, though it will take many more additions to the D-line and secondary until Arizona can rely on its defense play-in and play-out. |
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