Dallas Cowboys Take Aqib Talib, Felix Jones In The Truth Mock

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The Truth handed in his first mock for The Landry Hat last week. Not a whole lot to argue here. The Truth makes some solid picks here and I couldn’t really find anything to argue here.

He has the Dallas Cowboys taking Aqib Talib with the 22nd pick and Felix Jones with the 28th pick.  Talib is very likely to fall down the draft ladder, while Jones may not be there at No. 28.

Team1st Round

1. Miami Dolphins – Jake Long, OT, Michigan

  • Makes more sense financially instead of Chris Long.  Between the Longs, Jake is more likely to end his career with the team that signs him on draft day.  Also, it’s not like anyone would be taking a gamble drafting Chris Long, BUT Jake Long is by far the safer pick.  Parcells doesn’t want to look like an idiot with the biggest decision of his life, and he’ll go with the slam dunk of all the other choices.  An offensive lineman as number one overall isn’t flashy, but it’s the best choice.
2. St. Louis Rams -Chris Long, DE, Virginia

  • The Rams can basically draft anyone at any position and a major need for their team will be filled.  They will draft by the best player available and that will be Chris Long.
3. Atlanta Falcons -Glenn Dorsey, DT, LSU

  • At one point I had Dorsey possibly slipping all the way to # 9.  No more.  I think the Falcons will pass on Matt Ryan and settle for Brian Brohm.  They’re rebuilding, and what good is a “franchise” QB when you don’t have any other pieces to the puzzle?  Dorsey will be their first piece.

4. Oakland Raiders -Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas

  • I don’t know how they get this done with all the other ridiculous expenditures this offseason, but they’ve addressed all other needs.  They still have several holes, but if JaMarcus Russell plays well, the addition of McFadden will actually make the Raiders a scary team.  My prediction for the Raiders: they will be the bounce back team of the year, then in 2-3 years, their salary cap issues will catch up to them and they will once again be a laughing stock of the NFL.

5. Kansas City Chiefs -Ryan Clady, OT, Boise State

  • John A. said it best.  They will try to trade out of this spot and get another O-lineman later on. If they can’t do that, they may pick Matt Ryan, but then he would just be in the same scenario as their previous QBs… no protection.  If they don’t trade down for a lesser OT, why not take the second best in the draft?
6. New York Jets -Vernon Gholston, DE, Ohio State

  • Jets will also draft by best player available strategy.  They could use just about anything. Gholston is the best player left at this point.  If the Raiders pass on McFadden, then he would be the obvious choice, but I don’t think they will, so this is who the Jets get.
7. New England Patriots (From 49ers) -Leodis McKelvin, CB, Troy

  • This is more of a lock than just about any other pick in this draft.  They lose Asante Samuel,  so they will replace him with the best choice of this year in that position.  They could surprise everyone with something different here, but I doubt it.

8. Baltimore Ravens -Matt Ryan, QB, Boston College

  • A lot depends on if the Falcons chose to pass on Ryan.  I think they will, and Ravens are thankful.  They need a QB, and he’s the man

9. Cincinnati Bengals -Sedrick Ellis, DT, USC

  • This just in… The Bengals just completed a trade for Shaun Rogers… wait… no they didn’t!  Well, the deal that was done, then no longer done, and the gap will have to be filled by the next best thing.  They will fill their biggest need through the draft instead of free agency, and they might just like Ellis even better
10. New Orleans Saints -Keith Rivers, OLB, USC

  • They signed Randall Gay.  They still need help in secondary, but they will wait until later rounds for secondary depth.  Rivers is the best available here.

11. Buffalo Bills – Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, CB, Tennessee State

  • Bills need a WR.  They also need a CB.  After weighing the talent level from each position,  I think they will chose to go with a CB.  DRC can provide more of a spark his rookie year than even the TOP wide receiver this year could

12. Denver Broncos -Chris Williams, OT, Vanderbilt

  • No secret here.  The Broncos will be targeting an OT.  Williams is the best one left, so he is the logical choice.


13. Carolina Panthers -Jeff Otah, OT, Pittsburgh

  • Steve Smith and Jake Delhomme are so great together.  I think the Panthers want to keep them together for a complete season, for a change.  They take the 4th best OT in Otah

14. Chicago Bears -Branden Albert, OG, Virginia

  • Rex Grossman obviously has some pretty good blackmail material on Lovie Smith, or possibly  even the Bears organization in general.  He will use this leverage to rack up many 15-20 interception seasons as the Bears starter and single-handedly lose at least 1/4 of their games until a crazy Bears fan assassinates him.  So, they won’t address the QB issue.  Cedric Benson was NOT impressive, but I think he can be.  Usually, if there is an offense with no passing game AND no running game you can blame that on the O-line.  This is the trend of this year’s draft due to the depth…  A lot of CBs and O-linemen.

15. Detroit Lions -Rashard Mendenhall, RB, Illinois

  • The Lions are dedicated to not being a one-dimensional, pass happy team.  They want a run game.  Most people think they have secondary issues, but they just recently signed two new CBs.  They could wait for a RB in later rounds, but then you’re getting 2nd tier guys, too.  They want a RB that can make a major difference right away.
16. Arizona Cardinals -Jonathan Stewart, RB, Oregon

  • They could use defensive help here, but they are the Cardinals.  Offense comes first, then defense.  With Edgerrin James turning 30 before this season starts, AND he’s not that great anymore anyway, Stewart will be his replacement.

17. Minnesota Vikings -Derrick Harvey, DE, Florida

  • They could go with Phillip Merling, but I personally think Harvey is better.  He put up 225 on the bench 31 times compared to Merling’s 23.  He has also faced better competition in college.  The Vikings rush defense in the middle is stellar.  Now its time to improve their pass rush.
18. Houston Texans -Mike Jenkins, CB, South Florida

  • What is the Texans biggest weakness?  Their secondary.  They will get the best CB still available.
19. Philadelphia Eagles -Limas Sweed, WR, Texas

  • I hope this does not happen but I think it will.  They could go with DeSaun Jackson.  They could go with Devin Thomas.  They could even go with James Hardy because he and Sweed are almost identical in every aspect, but I think Sweed’s popularity has grown tremendously, and they would prefer to have him.  They will pass on Jackson because of his size, and I think Sweed passed Thomas in the rankings.  Surprisingly, most mocks don’t have the Eagles taking a WR in the first round, but that is exactly what the Eagles fans want… a WR.  Most of the time, the fans know best.
20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – DeSaun Jackson, WR, California

  • Possibly the biggest steal of the draft.  He’s ranked as the best WR this year, but his size will keep most teams from taking him.  The Bucs will have their fingers crossed for this scenario to unfold, and I think it will.

21. Washington Redskins -Phillip Merling, DE, Clemson

  • Some may think that the Redskins would draft to replace Sean Taylor, but the actual consensus is that they need a DE.  If the Vikings choose to take Merling instead of Harvey, then it would obviously be Harvey here instead, but I think this will be the order.
22. Dallas Cowboys (From Browns) -Aqib Talib, CB, Kansas

With the Pacman deal nearing a conclusion, and assuming he is reinstated, this could have a SMALL affect on the Cowboys draft strategy by flip-flopping a CB pick from # 22 to # 28, but  they still will take a CB in the first round one way or another.  Out of the teams that are 23-27, the Titans are the only team that could pick a RB, and chances are they will go with WR over RB.  Also, the Pacman deal would allow them to take a WR with # 22, but they only WR I think they would consider would be Limas Sweed.  That would be the dream pick in my opinion, but I don’t think he’ll make it that far.  With the preferred WR gone, and the way the teams in between their 1st pick and 2nd pick lie, they will pick a CB even if they get Pacman.
23. Pittsburgh Steelers -Gosder Cherilus, OT, Boston College

  • With the line not that good to begin with, the loss of Alan Faneca makes it even worse.  The Steelers will pick the best available offensive lineman
24. Tennessee Titans -James Hardy, WR, Indiana

  • The Titans really wanted to reunite Vince Young with Limas Sweed but he will be gone.  Like I said earlier, Hardy and Sweed are almost identical.  They won’t have the chemistry right away as they would with the Young-Sweed combo, but it’s the next best thing.

25. Seattle Seahawks -Devin Thomas, WR, Michigan State

  • This was one of the hardest ones to choose.  The Seahawks really don’t have a weakness anywhere throughout their entire team that can be filled in the draft.  They aren’t great in any areas really, but they just aren’t bad either.  WR would be the best choice.  They could also go with Fred Davis or Dustin Keller, but I don’t see them drafting a TE in the first.  I think they will try to trade down, and if they cannot, they will go with a WR.  Also, Branch tore his ACL, and they no longer have D.J. Hackett, so this would add depth for a position that isn’t weak, but is probably their weakest compared to the rest.
26. Jacksonville Jaguars -Quentin Groves, DE, Auburn

  • Jacksonville is a lot like Seattle.  They aren’t great at everything, but they don’t have any holes either.  The most likely position to be drafted and plugged into its “jack of all trades, master of none” roster is DE.
27. San Diego Chargers -Kentwan Balmer, DT, North Carolina

  • Yet ANOTHER team with no obvious need.  This is a team that is almost CERTAIN to trade down for more picks.  They don’t have a second round OR third round pick.  The talent they will get at pick 27 is not that different than 2nd rounders, so why waste it on someone and then wait around until day 2.  But, since I’m forced to pick someone, I think Balmer is the best choice.
28. Dallas Cowboys – Felix Jones, RB, Arkansas

  • Unlike the 3 previous teams, Dallas is a MASTER of most positions and they DO have some obvious holes to fill.  Once filled, they will be a master of all positions and I’m pretty confident that this draft will address every one of those weaknesses.  They need a CB, RB, and WR.  For the reasons I explained earlier, I think they will draft a CB first and then a RB.  If for some reason they chose to wait until the 2nd round for RB, Jamaal Charles and Chris Johnson would still be excellent options, but if they go with RB in the first, it will be the man who averaged 8.7 yards per carry last year, Felix Jones.
29. San Francisco 49ers (From Colts) -Malcolm Kelly, WR, Oklahoma

  • The 49ers acquired Isaac Bruce and Bryant Johnson in the offseason, but they have a decent defense, young QBs, a good running game, and all of the standout O-linemen will be gone.  With Bruce at age 35, I’m not so convinced he’s still got it and neither will the 49ers.  Bruce will act as a skilled tutor for the young talent.
30. Green Bay Packers -Antoine Cason, CB, Arizona

  • Green Bay has good CBs, but not much depth there, and they’re getting old.

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31. New York Giants -Kenny Phillips, FS, Miami

  • The Giants lost Gibril Wilson.  Phillips will be their replacement.  He is likely to fall this far, and considering the Giants other needs, this is their greatest, and they will have the opportunity to get the best safety in the draft.  This one was a no-brainer.