| Team | 1st Round |
| 1. Miami Dolphins –Chris Long, DE, Virginia - Chris Long is almost a unanimous number one. He will go here because he has all the physical tools as well as the intangibles. He’s got a motor that never stops running, and with pass rushers becoming suck a force in this league, the NFL’s worst team will want a solid one to build the team around for years to come.
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| | 2. St. Louis Rams –Vernon Gholston, DE/OLB, Ohio State - St. Louis might go offensive line here, but with the combine performance and the improvement at his Pro Day shot his stock. I considered him for the top pick in the draft, and it may very well happen. But nevertheless, the Rams take a stud pass rusher at two because while the offensive line was poor at best last year, Orlando Pace wasn’t there, so the Rams use this pick for need rather than depth, as Leonard Little is getting older and James Hall isn’t the future at the end spot. The Rams invest in the second pick of the draft and take one of the top pass rushers and workout warriors seen in years.
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| 3. Atlanta Falcons –Matt Ryan, QB, Boston College - The Atlanta Falcons need a quarterback. Let me reiterate that. Atlanta NEEDS a quarterback. Joey Harrington isn’t the future there, and Vick just isn’t coming back, and Atlanta won’t keep him if he does. Matt Ryan brings unbelievable intangibles and a good arm. His only problem in college was interceptions, and that can be corrected with the proper coaching. I’m not saying Atlanta has the proper coaching, but his INT’s can be controlled.
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| 4. Oakland Raiders –Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas - Al Davis has his quarterback, Jamarcus Russell. He has the pieces in place for a really good defense. While Justin Fargas is good, (over 1000 yards this year) Al Davis won’t be able to resist D-Mac. Like I said in my last draft, he probably crapped in that adult diaper of his when 4.27 showed up on the clock for McFadden’s 40 time. Mark my word, Al Davis will choose McFadden to pair with Jamaracus Russell for years to come, and that would have the potential to be pretty explosive. One day.
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| 5. Kansas City Chiefs –Jake Long, OT, Michigan - I didn’t originally see Long falling this far, but if he gets here the chiefs will definitely grab him immediately. They need help on the O-Line and he’s the consensus top offensive lineman in this year’s draft. He could solidify the left tackle spot, stop Brody Croyle from being slaughtered, and give Larry Johnson somewhere to run through. It would be a great fit for everybody.
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| 6. New York Jets –Leodis McKelvin, CB, Troy State - The Jets aren’t going to reach for a player of greater need, and they might trade down in this scenario, but if they stay put they’ll probably shore up the defensive backfield since they are in the AFC East, the division with the Patriots. The Patriots have so many offensive weapons, that a team that plays them twice a year will need a few extra corners.
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| 7. New England Patriots (From 49ers) –Mike Jenkins, CB, South Florida - Even though my top corner in the draft, Leodis McKelvin, is off the board (I wanted him in Dallas, so I built the corner selections off that in my first mock) the Patriots need corners with the departures of Asante Samuel and Randall Gay. Mike Jenkins is a solid pick that would get a chance to be great learning from the players and coaches New England has. It’s still not fair the Pats have a top ten pick after going 18-1 last season.
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| 8. Baltimore Ravens –Glenn Dorsey, DT, LSU - When I started making this mock, I put Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie in this spot, but that might be a bit of a stretch. Even though they spent a high pick on Haloti Ngata two years ago, Dorsey is too good to pass up here, especially after his solid Pro Day workout. He could replace Kelly Gregg and help the Ravens incorporate some youth into their aging defense without sacrificing talent.
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| 9. Cincinnati Bengals –Sedrick Ellis, DT, USC - The Bengals will probably call this pick in within a minute, and after how pathetic their defense was last year, I don’t blame them. Ellis would provide a solid base to start an overhaul on this pathetic defense.
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| 10. New Orleans Saints – Keith Rivers, OLB, USC - The signing of Randall Gay will hopefully be able to keep Jason David from having to play, so with cornerback fixed up, I think the Saints boost up their defense by shoring up their linebacking corps. With Jonathon Vilma, Dan Morgan, Keith Rivers, and no Jason David, the Saints look like a serious contender next season.
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| 11. Buffalo Bills –Malcolm Kelly, WR, Oklahoma - The Bills have got a somewhat solid offensive line, the quarterback and running back of the future, and the only thing missing is a big, tall red zone possession receiver to pair up with speedy big-play man Lee Evans.
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| 12. Denver Broncos –Ryan Clady, OT, Boise State Denver needs an offensive tackle and defensive tackle. With Sedrick Ellis and Glenn Dorsey off the board, Denver addresses its secondary need by drafting a tackle that can protect Jay Cutler for the next decade.
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| 13. Carolina Panthers –Philip Merling, DE, Clemson - Julius Peppers registered a career low 2.5 sacks this season, partially because teams were double-teaming him on every snap. They need a new defensive end that can free up J.P. from some of the double teams and give the Panthers an elite pass-rush tandem.
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| 14. Chicago Bears Rashard Mendenhall, RB, Illinois - Cedric Benson can’t carry the load on his own. The Bears were Super Bowl contenders with Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson sharing the rock. Mendenhall would give them a big fast workhorse to wear the defense down, then bring Benson in to finish the job.
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| 15. Detroit Lions –Jeff Otah, OT, Pittsburgh - Jon Kitna cannot take advantage of his Matt-Millen created all-pro potential receiving corps if he’s being plowed into the ground by a defensive end before he can finish his drop. Detroit NEEDS a tackle. And they get a big ugly mauler in Otah.
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| 16. Arizona Cardinals –– Jonathan Stewart, RB, Oregon - Edgerrin James definitely showed signs of slowing down last season, and even though he had the toe injury, Jonathon Stewart is an elite running back with good hands and great speed for a guy that weighs 235 pounds. He would bring another dimension to an already loaded offense.
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| 17. Minnesota Vikings –– Derrick Harvey, DE, Florida - With Kenechi Udeze battling Leukemia, Minnesota needs an edge rusher to make an impact so that they can better their pass defense and take the jump to the playoffs.
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| 18. Houston Texans –Chris Williams, OT, Vanderbilt - Houston has needed a prime-time offensive lineman since they started. That’s the reason David Carr failed as their starter, and it’s probably why no running back has ever really shined in Houston. The Texans finally take their franchise left tackle, and finally start moving towards a division title.
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| 19. Philadelphia Eagles –Quentin Groves, DE/OLB, Auburn - He’s probably better suited to play linebacker in a 3-4, but he is more used to playing with his hand on the ground. The Eagles need a number one receiver, but considering Andy Reid’s last four first round pick have been a defensive end, guard, and two defensive tackles, I’m presuming he’ll continue that trend and finally find the pass rusher he’s been paying for the last three years.
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| 20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers –DeSean Jackson, WR/PR, California - Joey Galloway will get old. He will slow down. Behind him the Bucs have no one to catch the football. Jackson could take over as the speedy receiver once Galloway retires and will have an instant impact on the return game.
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| 21. Washington Redskins –Kenny Phillips, FS, Miami - The tragic death of Sean Taylor (once again my prayers go out to his family) has left the Redskins with a huge hole at safety. LaRon Landry solidifies one safety spot for a long time, and with the elite pass rushers off the board, the Redskins give themselves one of the best young safety tandems in the NFL.
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| 22. Dallas Cowboys (From Browns) –Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, CB, TSU - Dallas needs cornerback help. If DR-C is still there at 22, there is almost complete certainty (based on the pictures posted on The Landry Hat, he’s the top corner on Dallas’ draft board) that we’ll take him. He would provide corner help and if he develops into a solid player this year we could move Roy Williams into a run situation safety and have Anthony Henry as pass situation safety.
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| 23. Pittsburgh Steelers –Branden Albert, G, Virginia - Losing Alan Faneca will hurt if Pittsburg doesn’t get a new guard to open running lanes for Willie Parker and protect Ben “8 year 102 million dollar hope he doesn’t ride a motorcycle anymore” Roethlisberger.
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| 24. Tennessee Titans –Limas Sweed, WR, Texas - Vince Young to Limas Sweed.Touchdown. Sound familiar? This would give VY someone that won’t intentionally drop passes to keep them out of the playoffs.
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| 25. Seattle Seahawks –Kentwan Balmer, DT, North Carolina - The Seahawks have, it seems like, a Pro Bowler at every position except defensive tackle, and Kentwan Balmer would give them a legitimate starter at defensive tackle and stop the wavering of starters.
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| 26. Jacksonville Jaguars –Lawrence Jackson, DE, USC - Jacksonville could use a fresh defensive end, and Calais Campbell could also go in this spot. Both are the big physical defensive lineman the Jags favor, but Campbell’s poor combine definitely hurt his draft stock.
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| 27. San Diego Chargers –Dan Connor, ILB, Penn State - With Kenny Phillips off the board, the Chargers will probably trade this pick for more first day picks, but if they stay, they take the top inside linebacker of this year’s draft, shoring up the only other weak spot on the Charger defense.
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| 28. Dallas Cowboys –Devin Thomas, WR, Michigan State - Devin Thomas is a fantastic receiver, the top wideout on Mike Mayock’s board, and he is the perfect guy to infuse some youth into the Dallas receiving corps. Some scouts are comparing him to Dallas’ current top receiver, Terrell Owens, and who better to take him under his wing than T.O. himself. T.O. and T.O. 2.0, not bad.
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| 29. San Francisco 49ers (From Colts) –Gosder Cherilus, OT, Boston College - The 49’ers need offensive line help. Joe Staley is going to be a solid tackle in this league for years to come, and he could move to left tackle and insert Cherilus at right tackle, and San Francisco could have their tackle tandem for the next 10 years.
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| 30. Green Bay Packers –Aqib Talib, CB, Kansas - Charles Woodson is on the backside of his career, and Talib is the perfect big-play, bump-and-run cover corner the Packers want. He would be perfect to eventually replace Woodson, and could learn from two of the best bump-and-run corners in football.
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| THE TEAM OF SCUM. |
| 31. New York Giants –Antoine Cason, CB, Arizona - The Giants need some depth in the defensive backfield, and Cason is a premier talent and would give the Giants a terrific young cornerback tandem.
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