2008 NFL Mock Draft: Presented by TheScoreBoards Sports Forums

For those of you who have been following my articles since I started writing for Bleacher Report, some of this information will be old news. But, given that this 2008 NFL Mock Draft is not a complete work of my own, I will need to give credit where it is due, which means giving the readers of Bleacher Report a little background as pertains to the writers of this piece.

My name is Chris Radez, and I'm one of the founders of TheScoreBoards Sports Forums, which now considers Bleacher Report one of our official content providers. (I'm still working on those logos Dave, thanks for your patience)

TheScoreBoards was born in August of 2006, and currently boasts a member-base of more than 4000 people from around the globe. What makes our forum different from the rest, is the sense of community. We're not just strangers that talk sports on the internet... we're friends. We invite intelligent, respectful discussions from anyone who wishes to join in.

With that being said, we have finished the first round of our 2nd Annual NFL Mock Draft, and the members who took part in the draft and I would like to share the results with our friends at Bleacher Report. Please let us know what you think of our picks either in the comment section below, or directly in the thread in which the draft took place.

I'd like to thank Tyler Adams (TyPenn613) for stepping up and moving the draft along over the last month, as life outside the internet has kept me away from the forums lately. Tyler is one of the other founders of TSB. You can contact either him or I with any questions you might have about our community.

Onto the draft:

1. Miami Dolphins - Chris Long, DE (University of Virginia)

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Originally Posted by TyPenn613 It was a hard choice between Long and Dorsey. The QB position is a troubling matter for the Dolphins, but there is no one that is worth a 1st overall pick at the spot. In my opinion, Brian Brohm is the best QB in the draft, and I could see him falling out of the top 8. Matt Ryan I believe to be overrated. As it came down to it, there was Dorsey and Long. Since I signed up for this draft, the plan in my mind was Dorsey. However, since then, Parcells has come into a position with the Dolphins. While Dorsey may still get the nod in terms of overall play, he really isn't fit to be a nose tackle, or at least he is unproven as such. Chris Long I would say is probably just as good, but is a defensive end. Now with Parcells in Miami, I very much believe they will use a 3-4 defense rather than the more common 4-3, hence the pick. If the Dolphins can find a decent nose tackle this offseason, they suddenly have a very nice DL with Jason Taylor and Chris Long on either end. As I see it, it significantly fixes one of the many problems this team has.

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Originally Posted by ScreamingLife Dang, I wanted Long. Oh, wait, I can still get Long, just not the one I wanted.

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Originally Posted by skinner The Falcons are an oganization desperate for leadership and stability. Ryan provides that. He led BC to contention for both ACC and National Titles with a below average team. He makes smart decisions and can read a defence well and has the tools to become a good QB for a long time.

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Originally Posted by Hendu With the 4th pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, the Oakland Raiders select Glenn Dorsey, defensive tackle from LSU.

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Originally Posted by Mecca With the 5th pick in the 2008 NFL Draft the Kansas City Chiefs Select: Sedrick Ellis Defensive Tackle Southern Cal

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Originally Posted by slagonia The Jets select RB Darren McFadden out of Arkansas

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Originally Posted by sc37 There's no denying the fact that Bruschi and Junior Seau are old. With that in mind, and no James Laurinaitis in the draft, the Pats go with the another Ohio State Buckeye- Vernon Gholston, who will probably fit well in a 3-4 scheme as a LB.

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Originally Posted by TyPenn613 Alright, the 24 hour deadline as come and gone. I will pick for trademaster. The Baltimore Ravens will select Brian Brohm (QB, Univ. of Lou.) meth0ds isn't going to be around to make his pick, so he left it with me. The Cincinnati Bengals select Dan Connor (OLB, PSU).

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Originally Posted by m3th0ds I took Connor for the Bengals just because they sorely need defensive help, anywhere they can get it. I viewed him as the best defender left on the board, as he is Penn State's all-time leader in tackles. For a place called "Linebacker U" that should speak volumes. I would have preferred to take Sedrick Ellis or Vernon Gholston, but since both were off the board, Connor was the pick.

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Originally Posted by 558561 The New Orleans Saint select Wide Receiver DeSean Jackson. I think he makes a great fit in New Orleans

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Originally Posted by Hendu I think Jackson is either gonna be great or a complete washout. He may just be a guy who needs to be a pro in order to focus, but Cal isn't shedding any tears at him leaving. I don't like his chances.

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Originally Posted by m3th0ds I agree that Jackson is a good fit for the Saints. They can also have him return kickoffs. He seems like a nice big play threat to go with the possession receiver that Colston is.

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Originally Posted by TyPenn613 I'm going to say we give Blueman till tomorrow morning to make a pick for the Buffalo Bills. He hasn't logged on since November, so I don't see it happening, but just to be fair.

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Originally Posted by TyPenn613 The Buffalo Bills select Keith Rivers, OLB out of USC. The Bills really need help with their front seven on defense, and Keith Rivers I think is the first step. Rivers is a guy I could see going in the top ten, and almost definitely the top fifteen.

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Originally Posted by NEsince92 With the 12th pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, the Denver Broncos select: Derrick Harvey, DE from Florida. 30 tackles for loss with 15.5 sacks in the last two seasons ... this one's a no brainer. Now, I realize the Broncos made similar types of selections with high draft picks last year, but the defensive line is still an issue. The addition of Harvey should, without question, rectify the issue.

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Originally Posted by canes97 With the 13th pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, the Carolina Panthers select Ryan Clady, OT from Boise State. With both starting OT's hitting the free agent market, the Panthers can't go wrong with the best OT in the draft. QB is a need as well, but Clady is a beast at 6-6, 317.

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Originally Posted by InfinitePulse The Bears are in desperate need of an OT, but I'd like to see them get someone in FA. I see QB and RB as another need, but most of all, you need a line to protect those guys... With the 14th pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, The Chicago Bears Select Jeff Otah, OT, Pitt.

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Originally Posted by goofey1978 I was just wondering if we could draft a new president as well? Because over any player I would love to replace Matt (the mustache) Millen. With the 15th pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions select Mike Jenkins CB out of South Florida.

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Originally Posted by TyPenn613 It's been more than 24 hours since the last pick was made, so I'll make one for the Arizona Cardinals. This one was hard as the team as quite a few needs. Ultimately, it was narrowed down to two positions, runningback and cornerback. If the Lions didn't draft Mike Jenkins with the previous pick, I think he would have been the obvious choice here. Seeing that there are quite a few good CBs entering the draft this year, I'll gamble on the other position. Edgerrin James ran for a lot of yards last year, but with many believing he is on his last legs, I think a good backup at the position is needed. With that the Arizona Cardinals will select Jonathan Stewart, runningback out of the University of Oregon. Stewart is certainly the best big back out of the draft this year, and arguably the best that isn't wearing McFadden on his jersey. Given his ability to catch in the backfield as well, I don't think Arizona can go wrong with this pick.

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Originally Posted by TyPenn613 We seemed to have hit a bit of a lull here as we pass yet another 24 hours. The Minnesota Vikings select Kenny Phillips, Free Safety out of the University of Miami. The Vikings will be very fortunate if Kenny Phillips falls to them. He is certainly the best safety entering the draft this year, and the only one I think would be worth taking in the first round. With the only two first round QBs off the board already, the Vikings should either look towards free agency or find someone in a later round. Also, I don't see a wide receiver that really stands out at this point.

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Originally Posted by NebraskaSPORTSfan With the 18th Pick in the 2008 NFL Mock Draft the Houston Texans select Aqib Talib CB Kansas We might as well start calling the Texans defense, the first rounders. Mario Williams, Travis Johnson, Amobi Okoye, Dunta Robinson, Demeco Ryans, and now Aqib Talib. This defense should be a force in the NFL for the next 5 to 7 years.

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Originally Posted by TyPenn613 Another absentee... The Philadelphia Eagles select Sam Baker, Offensive Tackle out of USC with the 19th overall pick in the draft. Sam Baker would be lucky to make it down this far, and to be honest, I'm not sure how exactly he did. Lots of talent at the position this year, and there is even another guy that probably shouldn't be around.

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Originally Posted by TyPenn613 The Tampa Bay Buccaneers select Malcolm Kelly, Wide Receiver out of Oklahoma. Kelly is the only wideout I can see going before Desean Jackson in the draft, so I suppose I can't complain with this pick. I don't even have a real reason, but I'm just not thrilled about it though. If not Kelly, the Bucs most certainly should look to defense unless one of the top QB's fall down to them, but I don't see that.

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Originally Posted by MoonlightJ As a lifelong Skins fan, there are two easy choices here. The team needs an upgrade at wide receiver because it is bad when a TE leads your team in receiving as much as Cooley did. The Chiefs never got anywhere with that gameplan and the Skins haven't either. Zorn wants to run the west coast so the team needs an outside receiver to put Randle-El in the slot where he belongs. I would have taken Malcolm Kelly here but I have faith that Snyder will overpay to bring Ocho Cinco to DC. The next big need is a pass rush defensive end. Andre Carter actually got pressure last year but the Skins have lacked book end rushers since the old glory days of Gibbs I. Those days end now. The Redskins take Calais Campbell of "Da U" There are OL needs, but Campbell helps the pass rush and can play the run as well.

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Originally Posted by Patronus As the TSB Jerry Jones...I had to do a little paper shuffling after the Buccaneers pick of Malcolm Kelly. After Kelly went off the board, I considered going with Limas Sweed and potentially waiting to our later pick in the first round and going with Early Doucet, however... The Cowboys select Mario Manningham, WR, Michigan There are a couple of directions the Cowboys could have went with this pick, given that we have a legitimate need for secondary help and could use a change of pace back to fill the void left by Julius Jones' inevitable departure. I have a feeling that Adam "Pacman" Jones will be sporting the blue and silver in 2008 so we could afford to wait a little bit for our secondary help. Manningham is a big play wide receiver who can stretch the field. He could easily fill the role that Terry Glenn was set to play in the offense before missing most of 2007. He also would allow Patrick Crayton to step back into slot role and be used more as a possession receiver on plays which is where his strengths are. Jerry Jones has never shied away from players with character issues in the past and I don't see him being all that concerned when he has a potential game changer staring him in the face with this pick.

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Originally Posted by House of Steel With the First Round Pick in the NFL Draft. The Pittsburgh Steelers has selected: BRANDEN ALBERT, Offensive Guard, University of Virginia This was surely a very difficult pick for me as a Steelers Main Man. We got a few holes to patch up on both sides of the ball. Let me explain why I picked Albert. First and foremost, The Steelers are assured that Free Agent, Alan Faneca, is more than gone. Another issue concerning the Steelers, is Max Starks being a free agent. I don't expect Starks to be back either. Then, we have Marvel Smith and his issues of injuries which really concerns me anymore. Marvel has only one year left on his contract. With this in mind, the Steelers will have to look into the future. This is where Albert comes into play. The Steelers will look to assure themselves of the best offensive lineman available and that is Albert, who is a junior entry. Believe it or not, he would fit to play both guard and/or tackle. Good fit here. I will tell you what, if I was the owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, I would surely do anything in my power to spare and re-sign, Alan Faneca. He is going to be a huge loss for us. I feel this is going to really open a huge hole in the offensive line and Ben Roethlisberger is going to find himself in more trouble and in more rushing opportunities than ever. Stay Tuned.

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Originally Posted by alex124 vince young can only go so far with the receivers he currently has. he needs a true #1 receiver to get to the next level, and despite the fact that this guy reinjured his wrist in the senior bowl, i think they take the risk. With the 24th pick in the draft, the Tennessee Titans select Limas Sweed, WR from Texas.

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Originally Posted by TyPenn613 I gave KB another shot at making his pick since he knows better than to disappear when it is his turn. I'm going to give JasonBay a little longer since he was just around as well, and is normally very active. KB's pick for the Seahawks was Martellus Bennett, TE out of Texas A&M. Shimmer would be proud.

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Originally Posted by JasonBayMVP With the 26th overall pick the Jags select James Hardy out of the Univeristy of Indiana. That's a big target at 6'7 for Garrard.

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Originally Posted by Patronus The Chargers don't have a ton of holes and don't have a lot of draft picks, so I could definitely seem them trading out of this slot for multiple picks. That said, they could definitely improve at safety and there is still a player on the board that many project to go a few slots higher. The Chargers select Reggie Smith, DB, Oklahoma Reggie Smith played safety early in his career at Oklahoma and could very easily replace Marlon McCree and be an upgrade from day one. If Reggie Smith falls to the Chargers at this pick there is no question they'd be more enticed to keep the pick and draft him.

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Originally Posted by Patronus The Cowboys select Felix Jones, RB, Arkansas This isn't a hard pick to make for Dallas Cowboys owner and Arkansas alumni Jerry Jones. Felix Jones will step in to compliment pro bowler Marion Barber III and make the Cowboys offensive more explosive. An ideal change of pace back to Barber, Jones could also return kickoffs for the Cowboys if they are unhappy with Miles Austin or do not elect to make a play for Pacman Jones or be their return guy if they put in a bid on Asante Samuel.

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Originally Posted by TyPenn613 Well the 49ers pick as came and went, so I'll cover it. I don't know if I like the pick, but San Francisco needs someone who can catch the ball. Therefore, they will be taking LSU wide receiver, Early Doucet.

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Originally Posted by TyPenn613 Possibly the best cornerback going into the draft this year, the Green Bay Packers select Leodis McKelvin out of Troy University.

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Originally Posted by areogunz3 31. New York Giants - Highsmith, Ali, OLB LSU