The Early Mock - Second Inaugural Edition (11/18/07)
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by Drpatriot
"Because it's never too early to be wrong."
Welcome to the second inaugural edition of the Early Mock, an NFL mock draft created ridiculously early that will likely be completely irrelevant come draft time. Begun nearly a half year ahead of schedule, The Early Mock will keep up to date until the big day finally arrives with a fresh new mock draft every week, week-and-a-half, two weeks, or whenever I feel like it.
Until the season is over, The Early Mock will use the draft order provided by www.gbnreport.com, which organizes teams according to record and strength of schedule, after which point the actual draft order will be used.
And without further ado...
1 Miami: Glenn Dorsey, DT, LSU: The Dolphins are unable to stop anyone defensively, and Dorsey is an impact defensive lineman who should stabilize their team for a long time. The Dolphins could also trade down with someone who wants Long or McFadden.
2 St. Louis: Jake Long, OT, Michigan: Long was the basis of the Wolverines’ blocking scheme and don’t be too surprised if he gets selected here as the heir incumbent to Orlando Brown.
3 New York Jets: Darren McFadden*, RB, Arkansas: McFadden will most likely declare and the Jets need an impact player in the rushing game now that Curtis Martin is gone, and Thomas Jones doesn’t seem to be doing the job.
4 New England (from San Francisco): Chris Long, DE, Virginia: Long is the best defensive player available and the type of player that Belichick covets at OLB in his 3-4 scheme.
5 Oakland: Calais Campbell, DE, Miami: Campbell is a literally huge presence at DE and the Raiders make the call for the best defensive player still available.
6 Cincinnati: James Laurinaitis*, MLB, Ohio State: The Bengals defensive is putrid, and Laurinaitis could be the player that leads it into the top 10.
7 Atlanta: Brian Brohm, QB, Louisville: The Falcons get their pick at QB, and if Petrino still likes his guy then he will take him here. If not, except Brohm’s stock to plummet immediately.
8 Minnesota: Andre Woodson, QB, Kentucky: The Vikings offense needs some excitement, and Woodson is a very exciting player.
9 Arizona: Dan Connor, OLB, Penn State: Whisenhunt will like Connor’s passion for the game and will find him a place in his 3-4 defense as an impact playmaker.
10 New Orleans: Malcolm Jenkins*, CB, Ohio State: This one is very easy. The Saints can’t cover ANYONE.
11 Baltimore: Aqib Talib*, CB, Kansas: The Ravens can cover #1 wide receivers, but they are letting up huge gains against #2 wide receivers and Talib could help solve that problem.
12 Kansas City: Michael Oher*, OT, Ole Miss: The Chiefs’ line is aging and degrading, and Oher should bring an immediate jump back into this position.
13 Houston: Kenny Phillips*, FS, Miami: The Texans need a runningback, but Phillips is too good to let pass and they do still need help in their secondary.
14 Carolina: Matt Ryan, QB, Boston College: Delhomme is out, Carr is underperforming, and Vinny Testaverde is 44. The Panthers need a quarterback and Ryan could light a fire under this team again.
15 Denver: Keith Rivers, OLB, USC: It’s very tempting to take a DE here, but don’t forget that the Broncos will have Jarvis Moss back next year. Rivers will provide another impact player to a defensive that, quite frankly, has been pathetic thusfar.
16 Chicago: Ryan Clady*, OT, Boise State: The Bears’ offensive line is aging fast and Clady could bring back both youth and strength.
17 Philadelphia: Alex Boone, OT, Ohio State: Though Sam Baker is still on the board, after the Winston Justice incident they Eagles decide not to take a USC tackle this time around.
18 Seattle: Sam Baker, OT, USC: It’s odd to have three OTs go off the board in a row, but the Seahawks have one of the worst offensive lines in the league and Baker could make an immediate improvement at RT.
19 Tampa Bay: DeSean Jackson*, WR, California: After missing out on Calvin Johnson last year, the Buccaneers bring in an impact wide receiver to their offense.
20 Dallas (from Cleveland): Malcolm Kelly, WR, Oklahoma: The Cowboys add speed and youth to their WR corps, who need the help with Terry Glenn’s perpetual injuries and T.O.’s aging body.
21 Buffalo: Antoine Cason, CB, Arizona: One of my favorite prospects from last year lands with the Bills, who hope to add depth and youth to their secondary.
22 San Diego: Gosder Cherilus, OT, Boston College: No one talks about it, but LT’s offseason is in part because his right side can’t block for him. Cherilus should change that,
23 Washington: Vernon Gholston*, DE, Ohio State: The pass rush of the Redskins needs to get younger and faster, and Gholston is player who can make this happen.
24 Tennessee: Adarius Bowman, WR, Tennessee: The Titans add this local prospect to give Vince Young a big target in the endzone.
25 New York Giants: Early Doucet, WR, LSU: Amani Toomer is aging and the Giants’ passing game has been horrible. The Giants should give Manning one more year to prove it isn’t because of him.
26 Jacksonville: Quentin Groves, DE, Auburn: The Jaguars’ passing offense, despite the lack of wide receivers, really isn’t that horrible, and the team should start putting its first-round picks elsewhere. Groves is an impact player who will bring a big pass rush at DE.
27 Detroit: Jake Ikegwuonu*, CB, Wisconsin: Who would’ve thought that the Lions would be here at the beginning of the season? Nevertheless, the Lions never replaced Dre’ Bly and Ikegwuonu's coverage skills should suit him well in the NFL.
28 Pittsburgh: Justin King*, CB, Penn State: The Steelers need cornerbacks as well and so they reach a little for the rising prospect out of Penn State.
29 San Francisco (from Indianapolis): Sedrick Ellis, DT, USC: The 49ers have a lot of needs, but Ellis can play in a 3-4 or a 4-3 at DT and his strength should give at least some semblance of a rush defense to the 49ers.
30 Green Bay: Steve Slaton*, RB, West Virginia: The Packers seem to have found a new runningback in Ryan Grant – sort of. If he keeps it up, this pick could change. When he doesn’t, the Packers add a prolific back to a backfield that desperately needs one.
31 Dallas: DeJuan Tribble, CB, Boston College: The Dallas secondary is aging and the Cowboys need a young cornerback to train in the wings.
32 New England: Pick stolen by Roger Goodell. Er, forfeited.
