Category Archives: Football

The NFL Draft – My Guesses

Anyone who’s done a mock draft knows that it isn’t a science, it’s a guessing game. No general manager of an NFL team tells the truth and the “so-called experts” honestly are guessing as well. Here is my best guess and this Saturday I’ll see how well (or more likely bad) I did.

 

1 – Jake Long OT – Miami Dolphins – I got this one right since they already signed him.

2 – Chris Long DE – St. Louis Rams – He fits their system best.

3 – Glenn Dorsey DT – Atlanta Falcons – Beast of a man who will improve their defense immediately.

4 – Darren McFadden RB – Oakland Raiders – Raider fans cheer for this explosive running back.

5 – Ryan Clady OT – Kansas City Chiefs – They need line help and he provides it.

6 – Vernon Gholston – DT – New York Jets – Hopefully his career follows his workouts.

7 – Leodis McKelvin – CB – New England Patriots – The lost Asante Samuel and need to replace him.

8 – Matt Ryan – QB – Baltimore Ravens – They can’t believe their luck getting a new QB.

9 – Sedric Ellis – DE – Cincinnati Bengals – More help for their beleaguered defense.

10 – Keith Rivers – LB – New Orleans Saints – This guy can play and they need linebacking help.

11 – Devin Thomas – WR – Buffalo Bills – An instant upgrade to their offense.

12 – Branden Albert – OG – Denver Broncos – This guy can be a great guard or tackle in the NFL.

13 – Chris Williams – OT – Carolina Panthers – Happiness in Pantherland when he falls to them.

14 – Jeff Otah – OT – Chicago Bears – Him or Mendenhall at RB but I think they have bigger needs in the offensive line.

15 – Rashard Mendenhall – RB – Detroit Lions – They have so many needs but this is a solid pick (at least its not a WR).

16 – Derrick Harvey – DE – Arizona Cardinals – Another happy team with their pick.

17 – Phillip Merling – DE – Kansas City Chiefs – Replacing Allen on the D-Line was the purpose of this pick

18 – Mike Jenkins – CB – Houston Texans – Surprise pick but a definite need.

19 – Dominque Rogers-Cromartie – Philadelphia Eagles – No one saw this coming but it makes sense.

20 – Ketwan Balmer – DE – Tampa Bay Bucs – More defense equals more wins.

21 – Limas Sweed – WR – Washington Redskins – Returner and receiver is just what the Skins need.

22 – Felix Jones – RB – Dallas Cowboys – Everyone saw this one coming from miles away.

23 – James Hardy – WR – Pittsburgh Steelers – They need weapons and he is one of them.

24 – Calais Campbell – DE – Tennessee Titans – Boost the defense in this round, offense in the next one.

25 – Dustin Keller – TE – Seattle Seahawks – Matt Hasselback throws a party now that he has a top TE to throw to.

26 – Marcus Harrison – DT – Jacksonville Jaguars – Solid pick.

27 – Ryan Clady – OT – San Diego Chargers – His drop surprises many, Chargers are happy.

28 – Kenny Phillips – S – Dallas Cowboys –  Why not?

29 – Dan Connor – LB – San Francisco 49ers – Now they have a solid LB corps for years with Patrick Willis.

30 – Chad Henne – QB – Green Bay Packers – They either trade him for more picks or get a backup to Aaron Rogers.

31 – Tyrell Johnson – S – New York Giants – Real value pick.

NFL Draft Part III – Picks 21-32

My last picks.

21 – Washington Redskins – Chris Williams OT Vanderbilt – He could go much higher but the Redskins would be happy with him here thank you.

22 – Dallas Cowboys – Jonathan Stewart RB Oregon – If they don’t trade up with the Pats for McFadden, they pick the next best thing here.

23 – Pittsburgh Steelers – Gosder Cherlius OT Boston College – They solidify their line with this pick.

24 – Tennessee Titans – Limas Sweed WR Texas – Another weapon for Vince Young.

25 – Seattle Seahawks – Kentwan Balmer DT North Carolina – They want to make a run at the Super Bowl again and this helps improve their defense.

26 – Jacksonville Jaguars – Early Doucet WR LSU – They would be thrilled if he lands here at #26.

27 – San Diego Charges – Dan Conner OLB Penn State – Everyone they want is off the board but they can solidify an already marvelous linebacking crew with this guy.

28 – Dallas Cowboys – Felix Jones RB Arkansas – Again if they don’t trade up, they take the other Arkansas running back.

29 – San Francisco 49ers – James Hardy WR Indiana – I feel that someone will jump up here and trade for Brian Brohm but if not, hardy is the obvious choice.

30 – Green Bay Packers – Dustin Keller TE Purdue – Brett Farve does not retire after seeing this pick.

31 – New England Patriots – Forfeited pick.

32 – New York Giants – Keith Rivers OLB USC – This is what they need and they are overjoyed to get Rivers at #32.

NFL Draft Part II – Picks 11-20

Here is my second in the three part series.

11 – Buffalo Bills – Malcolm Kelly WR Oklahoma – The Bills need offensive weapons and this kid looks like the real deal.

12 – Denver Broncos – Ryan Clady OT Boise State – One of the better tackles in the draft, this is a definite need position for the Broncos.

13 – Carolina Panthers – Calais Campbell DE Miami – Could go for Philip Merling another DE but I’m betting on Campbell

14 – Chicago Bears – Sam Baker OT USC – They need help on the line and I just can’t see them taking QB Brian Brohm this high.

15 – Detroit Lions – Aqib Talib CB Kansas – Holy cow, they don’t pick a WR in the first round. They need help in the secondary and if Talib is available, they go for him.

16 – Arizona Cardinals – Philip Merling DE Clemson – They may like either RBs left Mendenhall or Jonathan Stewart but they really need help on the defensive side more.

17 – Minnesota Vikings – Mario Manningham WR Michigan – Amazing how they still need a WR despite picking so many in previous drafts but they do.

18 – Houston Texans – Rashard Mendenhall RB Illinois – They have a tough choice between him and Stewart but I believe this guy has better upside potential.

19 – Philadelphia Eagles – DeSean Jackson WR California – This will greatly help their offense which hasn’t had a top-notch WR for a while.

20 – Tampa Bay Bucs – Jeff Otah OT Pittsburgh – So many of the players they want are gone but this guy is no slouch.

The NFL Draft – Part 1

Yes, it is that time of the year again. As some of my readers know, I am an NFL draft junkie. While my main focus of life is on the effect of environmental toxins on health, sometimes you need a diversion to retain focus and the National Football League Draft is one of my favorites. Being a Jet and 49er fan, way too often, unfortunately, they draft early.

Predicting the draft is strangely futile as you never can guess which team will pick which player but it is fun for me to try even though I never have gotten it right. Today I pick numbers 1 – 10.

 

1 – Miami Dolphins – Jake Long OT Michigan – The way to build a team is to start at the lines, both offensive and defensive. This guy is huge (6’7”/315 lbs) and extremely talented. This pick may last up here for a while unless the Dolphins trade down.

2 – St. Louis Rams – Glenn Dorsey DT LSU – This would give the Rams a formidable defensive front for many years to go after drafting Adam Carriker last year.

3 – Atlanta Falcons – Matt Ryan QB Boston College – Given that Mike Vick is in jail, they need a franchise quarterback and this guy been rated as the best one available.

4 – Oakland Raiders – Chris Long DE Virginia – His dad Howie played for the Raiders, now the son adds his mark to a team desperate to become better defensively.

5 – Kansas City Chiefs – Vernon Gholsten DE Ohio State – The Chiefs let out a groan when Jake Long was picked as O-Line is where they need help. Gholsten was the Big Ten defensive player of the year and could be a great one.

6 – New York Jets – Sedrick Ellis DE USC – This guy fits into the 3-4 defensive scheme but having Darren McFaden still available may be too tempting to pass up.

7 – New England Patriots – Darren McFadden RB Arkansas – The Patriots would be crazy to pass up a runner with this guys talent.

8 – Baltimore Ravens – Leodis McKelvin CB Troy State – This is a need pick but a good one. McKelvin has all the tools and the speed to be a major impact for the Ravens secondary.9 – Cincinnati Bengals – Derrick Harvey DE Florida – They need help defensively and he is one of the best at the position available.

10 – New Orleans Saints – Mike Jenkins CB South Florida – They were burned in the secondary last year and this guy can close that hole.