Blogging the NFL Draft

I'm going to do brief pick by pick analysis in the first round and a little bit into the second. We'll see what happens.

31. New York Giants: Kenny Phillips, S, Miami- They need depth in the secondary, and after losing Gibril Wilson in the secondary, Phillips is a good pick. Miami's streak stays alive.

Dinner.

30. New York Jets (from GB): Dustin Keller, TE, Purdue- It seems to me that the Jets don't know what the draft is about. Or whatever Kiper said in that timeless Jets' drafting mishaps video. I think I'm close.

I don't think I mentioned the Eagles trade yet. They moved one of their 4th rounders for Lorenzo Booker from Miami. He may have potential as a kick returner, so it's a good deal.

29. San Francisco 49ers (from IND): Kentwan Balmer, DT, North Carolina- I'm not quite sure how he's going to fit in with their defense. I think they could've done better. They have to be considering taking a receiver in the second round.

28. Seattle Seahawks (from DAL): Lawrence Jackson, DE, Southern California- I wasn't sure if they would take an end since I assumed they were happy with Tapp and Kerney. However, Jackson was a pretty good player at USC, and they needed DL depth.

27. San Diego Chargers: Antoine Cason, CB, Arizona- They needed another corner, and they got one. Cason is another guy who would've been drafted higher had he come out a year earlier, but he's in a good spot. San Diego is a good team, and he should be able to play right away.

26. Houston Texans (from JAX via BAL): Duane Brown, OT, Virginia Tech- It's been a big need for them since the franchise started. It's too bad it took them several years to figure it out.

Seattle picked up a couple second day picks to move down.

25. Dallas Cowboys (from SEA): Mike Jenkins, CB, South Florida- Why did he have to go here? Jenkins was going to be my guy, and I wanted to get a jersey. Now I can't. Damn.

24. Tennessee Titans: Chris Johnson, RB, East Carolina- This was a pretty big reach, but NFLDC actually called this as a possibility. He's got awesome speed, and they can set up a very good one two punch with Lendale White. They might've been able to get him earlier though.

Maybe Tennessee will go Sweed here because of the Texas connection.

23. Pittsburgh Steelers: Rashard Mendenhall, RB, Illinois- Very good pick for Pittsburgh. They wanted to get a compliment to Willie Parker, and Rashard has some power to finish runs. It's go time.

Apparently the Bobcats hired Larry Brown. I don't know what they're going to do. They have so many young players, he almost has to play some of them.

22. Dallas Cowboys (from CLE): Felix Jones, RB, Arkansas- This was so predictable.

21. Atlanta Falcons (from WSH): Sam Baker, OT, Southern California- This may be a bit of a reach, but they want a pass protector for Ryan. His stock was sky high last year, and it dipped a little when he stayed for his senior season. Good pick for Atlanta.

20. Tampa Buccaneers: Aqib Talib, CB, Kansas- If they wanted a corner, I'm surprised they didn't take the local kid in Jenkins. However, Talib will probably fit in their system very well. Some think of him as a safety, which means he's physical. That's what the Bucs need in their corners.

The Eagles got next year's first rounder and picked up a second. I guess it's okay. We don't need more picks though.

19. Carolina Panthers (from PHI): Jeff Otah, Pittsburgh- I'm not quite sure what the Eagles are thinking. Good pick for Carolina.

18. Baltimore Ravens (from HOU): Joe Flacco, QB, Delaware- Johnny, come on. Not the way to start your Baltimore coaching career.

17. Detroit Lions (from KC): Gosder Cherilius, OT, Boston College- In Mike Martz' system, their OL was exposed as very weak. In a new system, they would still be weak, but if they're going to commit to a running game, this is a good place to start. He's a mauler that will open up holes.

16. Arizona Cardinals: Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, CB, Tennessee State- Another disappointment for Eagles fans. He has very good potential, and his return game made him interesting to Philadelphia. He didn't play against tough competition, and he's going to have to make some big adjustments to survive.

Lions got a 3rd and 5th rounder in addition to the #17 pick.

15. Kansas City Chiefs (from DET): Brandon Albert, OL, Virginia- Very disappointing for Eagles fans. This was the guy that the Eagles might've wanted, since he's most likely to stay at LT in the pros. Good move for KC to begin rebuilding their Offensive Line.

Chiefs traded up here. Not good.

14. Chicago Bears: Chris Williams, OT, Vanderbilt- As I mentioned in my mock draft, Offensive Line was a problem for them. Cedric Benson needs help, and their offense is just not good. There are some injury concerns with him, but he's a smart guy that should become a good player.

13. Carolina Panthers: Johnathan Stewart, RB, Oregon- I don't get it. I think they had bigger needs to address, and I don't think he's the best RB on the board either. They could use some help in the trenches, and that's where games are won. I don't think they should be giving up on DeAngelo Williams already.

12. Denver Broncos: Ryan Clady, OT, Boise State- The Broncos have a very good system in place, but all of a sudden, they're running out of guys to execute it. He'll be stepping into a similar system, and he should be able to start right away.

11. Buffalo Bills: Leodis McKelvin, CB, Troy- He maybe slipped a little bit, and the Bills took advantage. He's an incredibly athletic corner who will also help out in the return game. Buffalo needed secondary help, and they got one of the best in the draft.

10. New England Patriots: Jerod Mayo, MLB, Tennessee- This is somewhat surprising. Bill Belichick typically doesn't draft Linebackers high, and this one might be a bit of a reach. However, they needed youth at Linebacker, and this was a very good pick.

9. Cincinnati Bengals: Keith Rivers, OLB, Southern California- When Ellis went off the board, this one was a no brainer. Their defense is brutal, and they need an athletic playmaker that's not Dhani Jones to try and turn things around.

Looks like Baltimore is getting Jacksonville's 3rd rounders and a fourth in addition to their first rounder, obviously.

The Patriots got the #10 pick plus a 3rd rounder.

8. Jacksonville Jaguars (from BAL): Derrick Harvey, DE, Florida- He's another very good pass rusher, which as I mentioned in my mock draft, something they needed badly. He's kind of local (just like Campbell!) and he can probably start right away.

7. New Orleans Saints (from NE): Sedrick Ellis, DT, Southern California- I expected the Patriots to trade out of here, and they did. The Saints were probably afraid that Baltimore or Cincinnati would take their guy. It's a very good pick for them. They don't have much depth in the middle, and Hollis Thomas can't play.

6. New York Jets: Vernon Gholston, DE/LB, Ohio State- They need to improve the pass rush, and he might be the best pass rusher in the draft. He's a productive player who proved to be a great athlete at the combine, and that catapulted his stock this high.

The Eagles could be trading up to 7 with New England. Stay tuned.

5. Kansas City Chiefs: Glenn Dorsey, DT, Louisiana State- They were very happy to see him fall. He's a great tackle who was very productive at LSU. KC needed depth up front badly, and this was a great pick for them.

RJ from DRaysBay is reporting that Tampa is trading for Jason Taylor. Who knows if it'll actually happen.

4. Oakland Raiders: Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas- This is a very good pick for them. He might be the best player in the draft, and he'll be able to step in immediately and put points on the board for Oakland. Kudos on a job... done, Al Davis.

3. Atlanta Falcons: Matt Ryan, QB, Boston College- They need a QB, so I guess they feel obligated to spend a high pick on one. I maintain that he's not worth it, and it's too bad for Atlanta.

2. St. Louis Rams: Chris Long, DL, Virginia- His name's Long, so he has to be good, right? They need help on defense badly, and he's one of the best defensive players in the draft.

1. Miami Dolphins: Jake Long, OT, Michigan- No one was really deserving of #1 bonus money, but they need tackles in the worst way, and Long is a safe bet to be a very good player.