1. Miami Dolphins
Jake Long

2. St. Louis Rams
Glenn Dorsey

3. Atlanta Falcons
Matt Ryan

4. Oakland Raiders
Vernon Gholston

5. Kansas City Chiefs
Chris Long

6. New York Jets
Darren McFadden

7. New England Patriots
Sedrick Ellis

8. Baltimore Ravens
Branden Albert

9. Cincinnati Bengals
Rashard Mendenhall

10. New Orleans Saints
Keith Rivers

11. Buffalo Bills
Devin Thomas

12. Denver Broncos
Derrick Harvey

13. Carolina Panthers
Ryan Clady

14. Chicago Bears
Chris Williams

15. Detroit Lions
Jeff Otah

NFL Mock Draft Video:

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-At three, the Atlanta Falcons reportedly want either Glenn Dorsey or Matt Ryan. If Dorsey isn’t taken by the Rams, expect the Falcons to pick him. Ryan, a franchise quarterback who could possibly replace Michael Vick, would be the other option.

-The Oakland Raiders are tough to figure, as usual. The three players most linked to the Raiders are Chris Long, Darren McFadden and Vernon Gholston. Right now, Gholston appears to be in the lead, but that could change at any point.

-At five, the Kansas City Chiefs supposedly like either Vernon Gholston, Chris Long or Branden Albert. Long is believed to be the preferred pick.

-The Cincinnati Bengals, with the ninth overall pick, may surprise draft experts and go with Rashard Mendenhall. Mendenhall, a running back, would add even more power to Cincinnati’s offense.

-The Miami Dolphins are reportedly shopping Jason Taylor. In return, the Dolphins are said to want a first round draft pick.

-The Dallas Cowboys continue to look at scenarios in which they trade down. With two first round draft picks, the Cowboys may trade one of the picks for multiple picks lower in the draft.

Who will pick Darren McFadden? See what he says:

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In the 2008 NFL Draft, the Texans have the 18th pick in the first round. While their roster on the whole is strong, there is one major weakness – running back. Ahman Green was brought in last year but he didn’t solve the problem. Ron Dayne isn’t the long-term answer.

At running back, the best player in the 2008 draft is no doubt Darren McFadden, however he’ll long be off the board for the Texans. Rashard Mendenhall is the next best running back and there’s not a very good chance he’ll be there at 18. If he is, he’d be a no-brainer pick for the Texans.

Two players that will likely be on the board and should tempt the Texans are running backs Jonathan Stewart and Felix Jones. Stewart is a bit bigger and a tougher runner, while Jones has better speed and is more explosive. Either player would see plenty of action in 2008 for Houston.

If the Texans don’t like the available running backs, look for them to go with a cornerback (Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Leodis McKelvin?) or an offensive tackle (Gosder Cherilus, Jeff Otah?).

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Heading into the 2008 NFL Draft, the Bears have a lot of holes in their roster. Offensively, they still have Rex Grossman at quarterback. Cedric Benson was a disappointment at running back and he’s returning as the likely starter. Muhsin Muhammad and Bernard Berrian were lost to free agency – thinning an already thin corps of wide receivers.

With the 14th pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, the Bears will likely be in the market for the best offensive player available. Although they’ve invested a lot of time and effort in Benson, the team could very well take another running back this year. Rashard Mendenhall could be on the board and he’d give another option if Benson struggles again in 2008.

At wide receiver, the Bears will likely consider Malcolm Kelly and Devin Thomas. If Kelly is still on the board, he’d make a very solid pick. Thomas would be a bit of a reach but the team is so desperate for wide receiver help that it’d be understandable.

Grossman appears safe for another year because this draft isn’t very top heavy when it comes to quarterback. It’s extremely unlikely that the Bears will pick a quarterback in the first round.

Overall, expect the Bears to target either Kelly or Mendenhall. If both are off the board, Thomas would make sense. If all three are off the board, the Bears could look at another receiver such as Limas Sweed or Mario Manningham.

Check out this Rashard Mendenhall video:

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2) Leodis McKelvin, Troy
While Leodis McKelvin doesn’t possess great size, he’s extremely quick and has all the skills to be a successful cornerback on the NFL level. He could very well be the first cornerback picked in the 2008 NFL Draft.

3) Mike Jenkins, South Florida
Mike Jenkins is a true speedster who can make plays when the ball is in the air. He’s an erratic run stopper but he has enough bulk to eventually improve in that area. He has very good natural instincts when it comes to playing cornerback.

4) Brandon Flowers, Virginia Tech
Although he’s relatively short for the position, Brandon Flowers is a very aggressive cornerback who has a knack for making big plays. He also has an NFL-ready mentality because he typically doesn’t make the same mistake twice.

5) Aqib Talib, Kansas
If it weren’t for some off the field issues, Aqib Talib would be ranked as a top three cornerback in the 2008 NFL Draft. He has great size and is an outstanding physical specimen. On the field, there’s not much to not like about how he plays.

Read more 2008 NFL Draft information.

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In the 2008 NFL Draft, the Ravens should get some help. With the eight pick in the draft, there should be a solid player still on the board when it comes their turn to pick.

The good news for the Ravens is they aren’t that far away from being a playoff team yet again. Defensively, they have a lot of star players and have great coaches. Offensively, the team has some decent enough pieces and has built a good amount of chemistry over the years.

With the eighth pick, the Ravens could decide to go in any number of directions. Although, there is a slight problem for the Ravens – their biggest weaknesses on their team are also the biggest weaknesses at their spot in the first round. The Ravens need a quarterback of the future but only one quarterback (Matt Ryan) is expected to go in the top ten, and Ryan will likely be off the board when it becomes the Ravens turn to pick. Wide receiver is another weakness of the Ravens but there aren’t any wide receivers in this draft worthy of a top ten pick.

If Ryan were to drop to the Ravens, the Ravens should definitely snatch him up. At the eighth pick, that is great value. If Ryan isn’t available, the Ravens should look at adding a cornerback. The team suffered a lot of injuries at cornerback last season and bringing in a young gun at that position will help. Names such as Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Aqib Talib and Leodis McKelvin would make sense at eight for the Ravens.

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In this offseason, the Raiders have made a few subtle moves that should help them on the field in 2008. Their biggest splash was arguably the acquisition of wide receiver Javon Walker, who will enter this coming season as the team’s number one wideout option. With Oakland already naming JaMarcus Russell as their 2008 quarterback, the Raiders should be improved.

In the 2008 NFL Draft, the Raiders have the fourth overall pick. The an offense that has potential at each position, defense should really be the focus of the team’s draft. That said, most draft experts currently think the Raiders will think offense. Specifically, running back Darren McFadden.

McFadden at fourth overall would be an exciting pick for the Raiders but it doesn’t make a lot of sense. First of all, their running game wasn’t a problem in 2007. With their newly implemented zone blocking scheme, finding a running back to grind out yards shouldn’t be a priority. On top of that, McFadden and the Raiders will struggle to agree to a contract.

Better picks for the Raiders would be Chris Long (who happens to be the son of Raiders legend Howie Long) or Glenn Dorsey. Even Sedrick Ellis would make more sense for the Raiders than McFadden.

Check out this Chris Long video of him at the NFL scouting combine:

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With Bill Parcells manning the ship, one would assume that the Dolphins will go with a defensive player. Parcells has a defense first philosophy and Miami can certainly fill a need defensively.

If the Dolphins do decide to go with a defensive player, look for Chris Long or Glenn Dorsey to be the selection. Both players could be impact players right away on the NFL level.

However, if you look at the 2007 Dolphins, their weakest point was their offense. Specifically, their quarterback play was terrible. After Trent Green went down, his replacements were even worse. While this draft doesn’t have any superstar quarterback talents, Matt Ryan out of Boston College could make a lot of sense as the top overall pick. Ryan is good enough to be a franchise quarterback and he could conceivably start at some point in his rookie season.

The one position where the Dolphins were actually pretty good at was running back. Ronnie Brown was having a great season before he got hurt. After he went down, a number of other backs stepped up and were productive. That said, the most exciting player in the draft is Darren McFadden. McFadden, a running back out of Arkansas, has elite skills and is probably the likeliest player out of the whole draft to become a superstar. If Parcells wants to swing for the fences, McFadden could be the pick.

One final option I will mention is the possibility of trading the pick. If a team will offer multiple draft picks or a couple players to help the Dolphins right away, that might end up making the most sense for Miami.

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