This is a different take on the 2008 draft. In this mock draft (which took way more effort than it should have) the concept of BPA was completely removed from the equation and teams drafted to fill their most desperate need with the best player for their scheme and system. The results were very different from most of the projections which I have seen and very different from many of them which I have made.
The idea here was less about predicting the draft, an exercise which is self-defeating, as teams take seemingly random and irrational action (or over rational, in defiance of the 'experts' in the case of choosing Mario Williams over Reggie Bush) and more about scripting the needs of the team vs. the available talent and the likelihood of filling particular needs in the subsequent rounds vs needs that can't be filled with quality players in the middle rounds.
With that overly complicated explanation out of the way, here is what I came up with:
1. Miami Dolphins - Jake Long, OT, Michigan - Aside from being a dominant OT, aside from having a great combine, aside from only allowing one sack in his senior season, Miami only has two tackles on their roster and neither of them is great. Having a rock at LT has been the in road to building championship teams (cite: St. Lewis with Orlando Pace). Jake Long makes the fins better on the offensive side of the ball, protects their young QBs (Either Beck or McCown). Chris Long is the sexy pick here, and he is a good one, who I wouldn't be shocked to see the Dolphins take here, but statistically the value added from offensive linemen makes them the safest pick in the top five.
2. St. Louis Rams - Chris Long, DE, UVA - With Jake Long going at #1 this offers a huge opportunity for the Rams to make improvement to their ailing Defense. Again, the sexy pick has Jake Long going to the Rams here, but I have issues with that, even if he is still on the board. The Rams really haven't shown a loss of faith in Orlando Pace nor do they seem interested in a complete rebuilding project.
3. Atlanta Falcons - Sedrick Ellis, DT, USC - Ellis and Dorsey have flip-flopped all over draft boards around the league as the number one and number two DTs. Atlanta released one of its starting tackles, apparently positioning for this pick. While Dorsey may be the better of the two on pure talent, Ellis is a safer pick for an organization that just got burned badly and needs to retool a whole franchise. Players from USC have been quality contributors to other franchises (New Orleans, Arizona, Kansas City, Seattle) and Dorsey has some question marks about lingering injuries.
4. Oakland Raiders - Ryan Clady, OT, Boise State - Many have prognosticated that Raiders continue their tradition of F*#%ing themselves in the draft by taking DMac here, but I have some faith that with the vertical passing game Al Davis covets just around the corner that the silver and black make a pick that actually improves their team. Does Clady deserve to be drafted this high? Probably not, but Oakland needs help on the line to protect their new QB. As a bonus, this pick screws the Chiefs out of much needed O-Line help...
5. Kansas City Chiefs - Glenn Dorsey, DT, LSU - With both of the premium OTs off the board and nothing among the WRs that merit a pick in the top 5, the Chiefs get put in a tough position. They can't fix their woes, so they console themselves with Dorsey and the hope that he can be a compliment to DE Jared Allen and put some bite back into the interior defensive line.
6. New York Jets - Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas - This one is going to make Jets fans happy. Though OLB/DE Vernon Gholston would probably be the better fit, the chance to take a potential RB here is too much to pass over. Though there are questions about his durability and draft genius Mike Mayock has concerns about his ability to get yards after contact, the simple fact that the Jets need an infusion of offense makes this a pretty good gamble for them.
7. New England Patriots - Aqib Talib, CB, Kansas - Sure mike Jenkins rates a little higher on most draft boards, and Gholston adds to their aging corps of linebackers, but Talib offers some help in a secondary that was decimated by free agency, gives the pats another option in the punt/kick return game and has the size and versatility to make the move to FS which is something
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