NFL Draft

Pick 1 – St. Louis Cardinals – Sam Bradford – QB – Oklahoma

The St. Louis Rams have given up on QB Marc Bulger and had no faith in Kyle Boller to begin with. Boller was brought in to be the back-up to the eventual starter. It looks like that starter will be Sam Bradford.

This would not be a bad pick if it were not for Bradford’s injury history. Notre Dame QB Jimmy Clausen is more durable and better equipped to play behind that horrible offensive line in St. Louis. But the Rams need to also put fans in the seats, and Bradford is the guy to do that.

Pick 2 – Detroit Lions – Russell Okung – OT – Oklahoma State

If the Detroit Lions do not do something to fix their offensive line then they will wind up getting QB Matt Stafford killed before the end of the 2010 season. Okung is fast, strong and smart. He is a natural on the offensive line, and he is just what the Lions need to protect Stafford’s blind side.

Pick 3 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Gerald McCoy – DT – Oklahoma

The Buccaneers lost more games last season because they could not put the other team away than any other reason. They could not put pressure on the opposing QB, they could not stop the run and they could not prevent other teams from throwing the ball up the middle. McCoy is a big and fast DT that can get to the QB and clog up the middle in time for the linebackers to get there and shut the run down. McCoy will start and make an impact for the Buccaneers.

Pick 4 – Washington Redskins – Jimmy …

Everyone and their mother comes out with a mock draft.  I’m far from a “draft expert” nor pretending to be, I honestly just wanted to get my predictions on paper and see how things end up shaking out.  So here it goes.  Here is The Pass Rush’s 2008 NFL mock draft:

Just a note: I just went off on a tangent, I’ll be proof-reading and editing later.  So here it goes.

1.) MIAMI DOLPHINS — CHRIS LONG (DE) — Knowing Parcells, the Dolphins will go defense.  Pressure wins football games, just ask the Giants.  Chris Long is their guy.  Howie’s kid is a lock to be a phenom in the NFL. He had an incredible combine.  A 277-pound man who can run a 4.7 — that’s impressive.  He also looked sharper in other drills compared to the other defensive players.

2.) ST. LOUIS RAMS — JAKE LONG (OT) — The first 4 players to be drafted will be Chris Long, Glen Dorsey, Darren McFadden, and Jake Long.  I’m sure that’s a lock.  Well, maybe Dorsey falls to 5.  Walter Football has the Rams reaching for Gholston after Chris Long is taken #1 to fill their need for a DE, but I think they would opt for Chris Long if the Dolphins pass on him; if the Dolphins take Chris Long, the Rams take Jake Long.  The Rams need a pass-rusher and a a guy who could prevent just that — that will  and prevent their QB Marc Bulger from getting another concussion.  I say they go Jake Long.  I don’t see Gholston going to the Rams with the 2nd pick.  The Browns went for Joe Thomas with the 3rd pick last year, something they don’t regret.

3.) ATLANTA FALCONS — …

The draft order for non-playoff teams is set.  Here is the order that the teams will be drafting in  2008 NFL draft:

1) Miami
2) St. Louis
3) Atlanta
4) Kansas City
5) Oakland
6) New York Jets
7) New England (via San Fransisco)
8) Baltimore
9) Cincinnati
10) New Orleans
11) Denver
12) Buffalo
13) Carolina
14) Chicago
15) Detroit
16) Arizona
17) Minnesota
18) Houston
19) Philadelphia
20) Dallas (via Cleveland)
21 to 24) Wild Card Round Losers
25 to 28) Division Round Losers
29 to 30) Conference Championship Losers
31) Super Bowl Loser
32) Super Bowl Winner…

The 2007 NFL Draft was the year of the wide receiver.  Six wide receivers were taken in the 1st round and 16 were taken in the first three rounds.  With the wide receiver (WR) position, a lot of players turn out to be busts, and at other times, teams can discover gold in the later rounds (e.g.: Marques Colston in the 7th round).  Here is a comparison of the wide receivers taken in the first 3 rounds of the 2007 draft and the impact they made on their teams their rookie season.

1.) Calvin Johnson – Detroit Lions – Round 1 No. 2
48 receptions, 756 yards, 4 TDs

2.) Ted Ginn, Jr. – Miami Dolphins – Round 1 No. 9
34 receptions, 420 yards, 2 TDs
Notes: Ted Ginn made a bigger impact returning kicks where he had 1,322 kick returning yards with 37 returns of 20+ yards and 2 returns of 40+ yards.  Ginn also had 23 punt returns for 224 yards with 1 return for a TD.

3.) Dwayne Bowe – Kansas City Chiefs – Round 1 No. 23
70 receptions, 995 yards, 5 TDs
Notes: Bowe was the most outstanding wide receiver out of the 2007 draft class and was almost the only rookie WR to record 1,000 yards.

4.) Robert Meachem – New Orleans Saints – Round 1 No. 27
Notes: No stats recorded.

5.) Craig Davis – San Diego Chargers – Round 1 No. 30
19 receptions, 173 yards, 1 TD

6.) Anthony Gonzalez – Indianapolis Colts – Round 1 No. 32
37 receptions, 576 yards, 3 TDs

7.) Sidney Rice – Minnesota Vikings – Round 2 No. 44
31 receptions, 396 yards, 4 TDs
Notes: I think Sidney Rice is going to turn …