Quick Draft Update

The NY Jets reportedly have decided to stick with Chad Pennington and Kellen Clemens. That means that Matt Ryan with the 6th pick no longer makes any sense. Also Laurinaitis has decided to return for his Senior year which I suggested would happen in Picks 1-6, but doing what one should never do I second guessed myself in Picks 7-12 and suggested he was NFL and New England bound. To ratify those egregious errors here's a Draft Update 2.5, complete with an extra pick.

With the 6th pick the New York Jets fans will be looking running back or offensive lineman. Well they've got Thomas Jones and although he only had one rushing TD last year he performed well (3.6 YPC) and Leon Washington gave him a few breathers and managed to rack up a 5 YPC average over 70 carries. I don't think Running Back is where they'll be going but their running game does need a lot of help. Here we should see OT from Boise State Ryan Clady coming off the board and heading out to New York as the Jets fans boo, because that's what they do on draft day.

Now at 7 the Patriots have a choice to make. And for them this is more of a luxury pick than anything. Lawrence Maroney had a decent year in a pass first offense so I don't think they're going Running Back here despite some good Running Back talent waiting to be picked up. Laurinaitis is no longer available so are they still looking at LB. I see Penn State LB Dan Connor getting picked up. Their Linebacking corps is still getting older by the Minute and they should be looking to the future. Dan Connor could easily be that future.

Of course at 8 now Baltimore is looking at Matt Ryan or Brian Brohm. Yes I know they still have Troy Smith and Smith looked pretty good in the last few games of the season when he saw some playing time but passing up on Matt Ryan for a 5th rounder who's barely 6 feet tall is going to be hard to explain to Ravens fans. If they aren't looking to get Ryan then they better start listening to some trade offers. If Matt Ryan really is available going in to pick 7 or 8 expect to see a lot of phones ringing in an effort to make a move up there where no one thought they would be available. I say Ryan but I expect a trade.

Now at 11 Buffalo is also licking it's chops at a top QB that didn't look to be available, Losman even said he wants out of Buffalo and I don't think Trent Edwards is the future. So Brohm and Woodson are available here. I think Brohm has the edge right now but all of that could change going into the combines. Maybe Woodson moves ahead, maybe Brennan surprises a lot of people, maybe Dennis Dixon still interests, but Brian Brohm should be the pick here.

And for the additional pick that I promised, the Carolina Panthers with the 13th pick go to the offensive backfield and they will take Andre Woodson from Kentucky. Delhomme has been average since that Super Bowl run, Matt Moore is not the future, and Testaverde simply can not play another year, it's against the laws of phyisics. If they aren't one of the teams to trade up looking for the slipping Ryan, then expect them to jump all over Andre Woodson right here. Unless they think they can get Brennan or Dixon in Round 2 and they're happy with that.

So an updated Recap:
1. Miami - Glenn Dorsey, DT - LSU
2. St. Louis - Chris Long, DE - Virginia
3. Atlanta - Darren McFadden, RB - Arkansas
4. Oakland - Sedrick Ellis, DT - USC
5. KC - Jake Long, OT - Michigan
6. NYJ - Ryan Clady, OT - Boise State
7. New England - Dan Connor, LB - Penn State
8. Baltimore - Matt Ryan, QB - Boston College
9. Cincinnati - Vernon Gholston, DE - Ohio State
10. New Orleans - Mike Jenkins, S - South Florida
11. Buffalo - Brian Brohm, QB - Louisville
12. Denver - Kenny Phillips, S - Miami
13. Carolina - Andre Woodson, QB - Kentucky

Don't forget to keep up with the draft action with Picks 1-6, picks 7-12 , picks 14-20 , and an UPDATED picks 21-31.
More after the jump...

2008 NFL Mock Draft 7-12

Here for another edition of Dom's NFL Mock Draft we got picks 7 through 12 for you guys. Go ahead and take a look back at picks 1-6 to get caught up. A quick recap for you:

1. Miami - Glenn Dorsey, DT - LSU
2. St. Louis - Chris Long, DE - Virginia
3. Atlanta - Darren McFadden, RB - Arkansas
4. Oakland - Sedrick Ellis, DT - USC
5. KC -Jake Long, OT - Michigan
6. NY Jets - Matt Ryan, QB - Boston College

I still stand by those picks since I think Atlanta has a chance at solving their QB problem before draft day and McFadden is an incredible pick-up anywhere in the draft. With that said, Matt Ryan could also be the 3rd pick by Atlanta and McFadden would most likely drop to Oakland. There is also chances of picks 3, 4, and 5 being different since they are subject to a coin toss. As I said before though I'm sticking with 1-6 until majro developments change them. With that said here are picks 7 - 12.

Brady Bunch - They really don't need anything as proof of their dominating season. Furthermore they really, really, don't need anything on the offensive side of the ball. Barring injuries or trades. I think the best outcome for New England here is bolstering their Defense, specifically their linebackers. The 4 starters this weekend are Tedy Bruschi (12 years) Adalius Thomas (8), Junior Seau (18), and Mike Vrabel (11). That's a combined 49 years, next year it's 53. That's a lot of miles. Plus Rosie Colvin is on and off the IR all season, every season, has been since he left Chicago. I think the only pick is Ohio State LB James Laurinaitis. If Laurinaits comes out of college, and is here, he will be the next Mike Vrabel.

B-More - The Billick-less Ravens will be looking for something, anything, to get out of their rut. I think that comes in the form of a new QB. Right now that pick looks to be solid as Brian Brohm. But if Ryan goes to the Falcons and the Jets pick up Brohm then this will be Andre Woodson from Kentucky. I feel safe saying that this will be Louisville's Brohm though. The Kyle Boller experiment is done and it was not overwhelmingly successful.

Bungles - The Nasty Natti has tricked people for a few years now and no one realizes they're not in on the joke. The Bungles had one playoff season and everone thought they had shed the Bungles image. Think about it for a second. They've only had one winning season since 1991. That 11-5 fluke in '05. Other than that they've had four 8-8 seasons and a bunch sub .500. They need a lot of help. Besides trying to get prison terms lowered they need some help on the Defensive side of the ball. They need it bad. So the question is who? Ohio State DE Vernon Gholston? Penn State LB Dan Connor? South Florida CB Mike Jenkins? Florida DE Derrick Harvey? It think they go Gholston, but could surprise many with Dan Connor. This pick will rely heavily on what happens in the coming months. The only downside of the above players is none of them have any priors so I'm not sure they'll get along with the rest of the Bungles roster creating some serious character clashes.

America's Saints - They slipped a little this year after their emotional 2006-07 season. They had a good run but couldn't overcome their slow start. They've still got a very good team and this pick will help them in the future. They could use some help in the defensive backfield with Mike McKenzie and Roman Harper being the only DBs there with name recognition for many of us. They need a playmaker back here. I think the nod goes to USF's Mike Jenkins here but look out for Arizona's Antoine Cason. He has silently been moving up some draft boards and his character impresses many of the people who have contacted him. It will be interesting to see if the 2007 Thorpe Award winner can garner enough interest at the Combine and in workouts to steal the spotlight from Jenkins. As of right now I'm 60/40 that the Saints go with Jenkins but that could obviously change.

B-lo - The frigid northern New Yorkers need some help. Recently they've been looking back on the early 90s and their back to back to back to back Super Bowl losses and the Music City Miracle with fondness compared to what they've been watching the last 8 seasons without a post-season. Though they finished with the same record (7-9) as they did last season, they actually did look a little bettter but still have a ways to go. Especially after the emotional loss of Kevin Everett. Buffalo needs to look to a new young talent to garner some interest nationally and make Buffalo worth discussing. So the question is, which offensive weapon do they go after Early Doucet, Mario Manningham, DeSean Jackson, Ray Rice, or Kevin Smith? I think one of the best picks they could make here would be OT Ryan Clady from Boise State and he would be one of the top steals of the draft. Of course the chances that Clady is still available at 11 are slim, in my draft it's possible and is the best pick for Buffalo. He would be a solid pick but don't be surprised if the Bills go for Flash over Substance and chase down one of the talented backs or receivers.

Broncs - Shanahan's troops have seemingly been at a standstill since their Super Bowl victories. They've had 4 post-season trips in the 9 years since then and 3 times lost in the wild card. Jay Cutler made a nice turn for the better this season and it appears maybe the whole Plummer/Cutler fiasco wasn't the worst thing to happen to Denver since Dikembe left the Nuggets. The offense has looked better and better by the game. The defense isn't really making Tom Jackson proud. They could use a safety or a defensive tackle right about now and with most of the top D-Linemen already off the board Safety is naturally the way to go. It's really going to be a coin toss at pick 12 between Florida DE Derrick Harvey and Miami Safety Kenny Phillips. I think they're gonna go with Phillips here but this is one of the biggest either or picks of the first round. Either way they're going to get a solid player who can have a great career and bolster the Denver Defense. I really don't see a wrong choice between the two.

That's it for now don't forget to get caught up with picks 1-6. I'll have 13-18 sometime later this week/early next week along with the updates as far as who declares and who doesn't.

UPDATE: A couple picks changed since the original posting of this article. An updated list can be found here in Picks 1-13 version 2.0

Don't forget to keep up with the draft action with picks 14-20.

Keep up with the Finalized 1-31 for the 2008 NFL Draft
More after the jump...

2008 NFL Mock Draft 1-6

NFL Draft season is a few very short months away, despite the fact that it's a leap year. And I'm sure many of you out there are wondering just where we think your favorite players are going to land. So, since we don't know exactly who's coming out, who did what at the combine, and what the draft order is I'm going to go very slow so I don't have to eat too many of my own words. So I have today's top 6 picks. It is important to note draft positions 3, 4, and 5 are depending on a coin toss to be done in February, so this could all change in a month.

Fins – Miami still has Jon Beck and Trent Green, I would assume they’re gonna try at least one more year before making another QB run. I feel like if you’re in the position you can use help in pretty much every position. Jason Taylor and Zach Thomas are getting old. I think they’re gonna need to take the best player available and in my opinion that player is LSU’s Glenn Dorsey.

The Lou – I also think that what I think about Miami easily could be said for the St. Louis Rams. Dorsey will most likely be off of the board (barring trades or something else of that nature) so you gotta think who’s the next best player available. Once again, in my opinion, the 2nd best available also happens to be the 2nd best Defensive player in the draft and the 2nd best DLineman in the draft. Howie’s son Chris. He has (warning way overused draftday term) tremendous upside and potential. He’s a little thin but bulk can be easily added and you know he has the genetics for it (look at Howie). There is also potential for him to be the reverse Urlacher with the same result. Instead of bulking up and moving up a weight-class, Long could potentially drop down a class and play some OLB in the NFL.

ATL – Atlanta's pick will be made most likely by their new coach signifying where the future of this program is. There are a few solid picks to make here for Atlanta with an aging veteran line-up and a lack of a pro bowler. I love Warrick Dunn but he’s going into his 12th NFL season. That’s a lot of miles for a Running back, especially the featured back in a run first offense like Atlanta has used over the years (2006 = Vick = bad passer, 2007 = no Vick = no QB). I wouldn’t mind seeing Warrick get a little help here in the backfield and possibly in the form of Razorback Darren McFadden, saying he goes to the draft which most people are suggesting. Of course this is the pick that has the most opportunity to change of the first 3. Atlanta needs a QB too and Brian Brohm, Matt Ryan, and Andre Woodson could be good pro QBs. If they can address the QB position in the off season and McFadden comes out this should be a lock, but if there’s still a QB question in the air, this one could surprise many.

Raider Nation – Next season will be JaMarcus’ first full season for Oakland after selfishly holding out for half of the 2007 season he will finally get a chance to learn to O and show whether or not he can run it. He has the potential, especially after sitting out his rookie season to be a HUGE bust in the NFL. I for one HAD nothing against him, but I hope Karma bites him in the ass and he fails due to his selfish nature. Too bad for Oakland. But back to the draft. QB looks to be in pretty good control, for now, with JaMarcus and Daunte Culpepper so Oakland can address any one of it’s lacking areas. There are 3 picks that easily make sense here and to no one’s surprise they’re all on defense. Warren Sapp has announced his plans on retiring and though he hasn’t been his old Pro Bowl form since leaving Tampa he will be missed. Buckeye End Vernon Gholston could be a good pass rushing fit here to help out the line, but if you’re looking to replace Sapp, Trojan Tackle Sedrick Ellis makes a little more sense. There is an outside chance that Buckeye Laurinaitis might skip his senior year but I think the Tigers left a bad taste in his mouth and will want some redemption making him unavailable.

KC – I think it’s down to 2 picks for the Chiefs right here. Either stick with the Croyle/Huard melodrama that’s been unfolding since Trent Green’s injury in the 2006 season and hope one of them finally pans out meaning that a QB is not needed or go for the revival and bring in one of the aforementioned QBs. This could weigh a lot on what Atlanta does with their pick. Also This pick could be appealing to some for trade purposes, especially if Brohm, Ryan, and Woodson are all still available. Saying that they don’t trade the pick it’s either Matt Ryan or some protection in the form of Michigan Monster Jake not Howie’s son Long. Tentatively I’m going to say Kansas City will be going Jake Long because I definitely think that would make the most sense for them.

J-E-T-S - I think the team from Jersey will (depending on how things fall in front of them) take the first QB of the draft. Matt Ryan could be heading to New York in place of Chad Pennington. I think it's actually very smart and lucky pick for the Jets if Ryan slips this far in the draft. It will also be interesting to see how Ryan plays pro ball. That will be one of the things I'm most interested in following as this year's crop of Juniors and Seniors takes to the NFL. This pick has major potential for the Jets, especially if Brohm and Ryan are coming into the draft at pretty similar projection as far as NFL impact and both are still available. New England (7), Cincinatti (9), and New Orleans (10) don't look to be needing new QBs and Baltimore (8) could take it's pick between Ryan and Brohm. The Jets could potentially trade this one away and pick up a few helpful players/picks and still have a chance to get the leftover of Ryan/Brohm or possible Woodson later and gain some much needed help in other areas or picks. Of course if Ryan or Brohm go earlier anywhere else, or one of the 3 top QBs falters in the months to come/combine, it might be safe to use the pick there, in which case if Ryan is still on the board, that's the pick. If he went earlier then most likely it's Brohm.

And before you say anything, yes I know. I have 4 Linemen in my top 5 picks and no quarterbacks in what could be a strong NFL QB class. I feel that these are the positions that a team must build around. Your QB can be the 2nd coming of Marino, but if he's getting sacked before he gets in his dropback it doesn't matter much. Same holds true for a running back. He could be the next Barry Sanders but if there aren't any holes to hit, his career and numbers will fall short of expectations. And if you don't have a solid defensive line then your linebackers will get eaten alive and your defense will give up 35 pts a game. It's the way of the game, and if you think I'm wrong, then make your site and tell me why you think Brohm, Ryan, McFadden will go 1, 2, 3. I'm not saying my picks are what will happen, I'm saying they're what should happen.

Continue here for picks 7-12. I will continually update these at least once per week.

UPDATE: after some more research, and James Laurinaitis deciding to stay, picks 1-13 have been updated here at 1-13 version 2.0.

Don't forget to keep up with the draft action with picks 14-20.

Finally an updated 1-31 for the 2008 NFL Draft

More after the jump...