The Official 2008 NFL Draft Thread

Post your predictions, rumors, rants, and questions here.


The deadline for underclassmen to declare draft eligibility is 15 January 2008.
The draft begins on 26 April 2008.

As far as draft order is concerned, the first nineteen slots have been (mostly) determined and the remaining thirteen slots will be determined by the outcome of the playoffs. I'll update this thread as the order develops.

2008 NFL Draft Order:

1. Miami Dolphins
   
2. St. Louis Rams
   
3. Atlanta Falcons #
   
4. Oakland Raiders #
   
5. Kansas City Chiefs #
   
6. New York Jets
   
7. New England Patriots (from 49ers)
   
8. Baltimore Ravens
   
9. Cincinnati Bengals
   
10. New Orleans Saints
    
11. Buffalo Bills
    
12. Denver Broncos
    
13. Carolina Panthers
    
14. Chicago Bears
    
15. Detroit Lions
    
16. Arizona Cardinals
    
17. Minnesota Vikings
    
18. Houston Texans
    
19. Philadelphia Eagles
    
20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers *
    
21. Washington Redskins *
    
22. Dallas Cowboys (from Browns) *
    
23. Seattle Seahawks *
    
24. Pittsburgh Steelers *
    
25. Tennessee Titans *
    
26. New York Giants *
    
27. San Diego Chargers *
    
28. Jacksonville Jaguars *
    
29. Green Bay Packers *
    
30. Dallas Cowboys *
    
31. San Francisco 49ers (from Colts) *
    
32. New England Patriots ^
    

Key:
# - Subject to coin flip
* - Subject to playoffs
^ - Pick forfeited

The ties for 11th and 14th slots were broken by typical means (the conference tie-breaker -- DEN beat BUF and DET beat CHI twice, so BUF and CHI took priority). Due to a tie for placement in which ATL/OAK/KC had the same strength of schedule and the same record in 2007, their precise order will be determined by coin flip.

According to NFL.com:

Since Kansas City finished third in the AFC West Division and the Raiders fourth (the tie was broken on the basis of record in common games), the Raiders will draft ahead of the Chiefs. Atlanta and Oakland will flip a coin for the third position at the NFL Combine in February. If Atlanta wins, the Falcons will draft third, the Raiders fourth, and the Chiefs fifth. If the Raiders win the coin flip, they will draft third, and the Falcons and Chiefs will flip a coin to determine the fourth and fifth positions.

/tn.

I held off for a bit on updating this while the NFL debated whether or not to reseed the draft, but today they decided against it. Very few changes were made to the initial projections. Here's the official draft order for round one:

1 Miami Dolphins
2 St. Louis Rams
3 Atlanta Falcons
4 Oakland Raiders
5 Kansas City Chiefs
6 New York Jets
7 New England Patriots (From 49ers)
8 Baltimore Ravens
9 Cincinnati Bengals
10 New Orleans Saints
11 Buffalo Bills
12 Denver Broncos
13 Carolina Panthers
14 Chicago Bears
15 Detroit Lions
16 Arizona Cardinals
17 Minnesota Vikings
18 Houston Texans
19 Philadelphia Eagles
20 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
21 Washington Redskins
22 Dallas Cowboys (From Browns)
23 Pittsburgh Steelers
24 Tennessee Titans
25 Seattle Seahawks
26 Jacksonville Jaguars
27 San Diego Chargers
28 Dallas Cowboys
29 San Francisco 49ers (From Colts)
30 Green Bay Packers
31 New York Giants

/tn.



[edit on 2-4-2008 by teleonaut]

Any predictions on where Colt Brennan will go in the draft? Many think he's undersized and lacks arm strength. His Sugar Bowl outing sure didn't help him. I find it odd that in november he seemed to be one of the top quarterbacks and two months later analysts are questioning if he even has a future in the NFL?

Originally posted by Scramjet76
Any predictions on where Colt Brennan will go in the draft? Many think he's undersized and lacks arm strength. His Sugar Bowl outing sure didn't help him. I find it odd that in november he seemed to be one of the top quarterbacks and two months later analysts are questioning if he even has a future in the NFL?

eric crouch

brad banks

a heisman winner and runner up

crouch never played QB in the nfl, and banks was never drafted

his pro day should be on nfl.com now

[edit on 3-4-2008 by OSSkyWatcher]

[edit on 3-4-2008 by OSSkyWatcher]

OSSkyWatcher makes a couple of decent points... Sometimes guys with talent get the shaft for whatever reason. But I think Brennan will show up one someone's roster.

In my opinion, it is becoming increasingly difficult to win in the NFL without a very good quarterback. Most of the teams who rode into the playoffs last season all had above par quarterbacks. The odd exception is that Eli Manning played abysmally early in the year but stepped it up later in the season. Looking at Eli's career as a whole, he's one of the worst QBs I've ever seen win a Super Bowl, but he definitely made a good showing for that Super Bowl victory. Hopefully, he'll step it up next season and turn into the QB he has the talent to be. But I'm digressing a bit...

The QB talent in the NFL is definitely lacking. With Favre gone, there aren't many stud QBs still around. I think Brennan will get picked up for three main reasons: 1) QB talent in the league is low; 2) QB talent (and quarterbacks in general) are low in the draft this year; 3) Quite a few teams are going to have to try and pull a QB this year.

Take the Falcons, Dolphins, Chiefs, Rams, Jets, and Ravens, for instance. They all could use some assistance in the QB position. I feel that guys like Matt Ryan and Brian Brohm will go in reasonable spots in the first round to a couple of those teams listed above. I'm not completely convinced that Brennan has a chance at being taken in the first round, but I do think he'll wind up somewhere in a later round. I would be taken aback if he was ignored completely.

/tn.

EDIT: As for being undersized and lacking arm strength, I don't think he could possibly be any worse than, say, Chad Pennington .


[edit on 4-4-2008 by teleonaut]

Originally posted by Scramjet76
Any predictions on where Colt Brennan will go in the draft? Many think he's undersized and lacks arm strength. His Sugar Bowl outing sure didn't help him. I find it odd that in november he seemed to be one of the top quarterbacks and two months later analysts are questioning if he even has a future in the NFL?

Colt just had hip surgery and will be out 8-12 weeks. Not a good thing to happen before the draft.

I think the keys to the draft is where Matt Ryan and Darren McFadden will go. Because if either make it out of the first couple picks, there will be some teams that will want to move up to grab them.

[edit on 4-4-2008 by testrat]

reply to post by testrat


Oh, wow. Somehow that piece of news escaped me. That certainly does harm him in the draft.

I don't see either McFadden or Ryan going to the Dolphins (meaning as the first pick). They picked up a QB in the draft last year (Beck) and I think they'll give him his shot. It's also a fair bet that Ronnie Brown will be back in shape for next season. They are lacking in so many other positions that I expect them to go OL, DL, or WR. As of now they don't have any decent passing targets.

I could see Ryan or Brohm going to the Falcons or Chiefs. The Ravens and Jets really need some fresh blood at the helm of their offense as well. I could see the Raiders picking up McFadden. I could also see the Jets going for him. If McFadden slips through the first six picks, I would not be surprised at all to see the Patriots or Bengals pick him up. I'd be surprised if he didn't fall somewhere in the top 10 picks.

/tn.

reply to post by testrat


I did not know that about Colt either... bad news for him.

As for Ryan and McFadden... I just don't see either of them slipping under the fourth pick. There is just a shortage of good QB's in the NFL and I think McFadden is the real deal. People questioned A. Peterson last year with the injuries he suffered while at Oklahoma. He's now a top back in the league.

I heard on Mike Tirico's ESPN radio show that Miami is now trying to choose between OL Jake Long or DL Vernon Gholston. Previously they seemed set on Long, but Gholston is new to the mix now. Parcells likes to trade the top picks from time to time, too, so who knows, maybe they'll drop down.

Peter Gammons was also on the show this afternoon, great stuff.

[edit on 4/10/2008 by Megaton]

reply to post by Megaton


I guess Parcells has been talking about drafting Jake long but rumors say he always drafts linebackers or D-Linemen so they'll probably take Gholston...

reply to post by Scramjet76


As of now, I'm more convinced that McFadden will go to the Jets as pick #6. No one who picks prior to them desperately needs a running back, with the possible exception of the Falcons, but they need a decent QB more.

The Dolphins, Rams, Chiefs, and Raiders are pretty set as far as RBs are concerned. The Raiders have 3 playable RBs, so I don't see them reaching for McFadden.

/tn.

reply to post by teleonaut


Agreed. McFadden or Ryan could fall out of the top 5 but both will be picked in the top 10.

Well so much for the suspense of the first overall pick.

Dolphins sign Long, will select OT No. 1 overall

(ESPN)-The Miami Dolphins have signed Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long to a multiyear contract and will select him with the No. 1 overall pick in Saturday's draft.

sports.espn.go.com...

Full story here
sports.espn.go.com...

reply to post by Black_Fox


Yeah, that doesn't surprise me in the least. They've been courting Jake for awhile now and no one wants to take that #1 slot from them. Also, it's pretty clear from last season that the Miami OL is in shambles. Their success in the running game was entirely the result of Ronnie Brown's dominance before his injury.

Expect St. Louis to pull Chris Long, Ghoulston, or Dorsey and Atlanta to take Matt Ryan (most likely Ryan) or Dorsey if he's still around. The Falcons have to plug the gaps at QB and Tackle. I still think McFadden will go to the Jets. If the Raiders take him, then they're likely going to use him as trade fodder. They should really beef up on defense instead of putting their eggs in McFadden's basket. If New England doesn't take a DE, CB, or LB, then they're stupid. If Ghoulston is still around, they'll take him. Joe Flacco has increased seriously in value and I think he may go to Baltimore. I wouldn't be surprised if the Panthers or Chiefs snagged a QB either -- maybe Brohm or Henne.

This year's draft is going to be weird. I've had a hard time pinning down pretty much anything but the first three picks.

/tn.

$30 million guaranteed... wow.

I'm hoping the Pats trade down and pick up a couple CBs. That, or pick up a top LB/DE with their existing pick.

A semi-random aide note, does anyone have a link to the rules of the NFL Draft drinking game... would be apreciated...

The Fins picked Long, how many minutes do you think thier pick will last to start the round... i say 9 min 38 secs...


Couple big trades today too...

Cheifs - vikes Allen for a first rounder + 2 3rdf rounders... Vikes prove again that they are HUGELY dumb... or mabye they are throwing this season so they can Move to LA in a couple years (If thats the Case i can't wait for the LA Vikings starring AD...) I mean the Vikes traded away 3/4 top picks for a DE, when all they really need is a decent QB... This is like the Seatle Sonics of this past season, just going to throw the season and a great young player piles up good stats, then move the team... I would condem them, they get in line for my season tickets to LA's new football team...

Also, Pac-Man Jones, known for bringing the Phrase "make it Rain' into modern every day use, has been traded to the Dallas Cowboys... for the Randy Moss discount price of a 4th round pick... Either Pac-mac turns all pro, or he and TO get arrested mid July for driving 130 MPH thru the city high on coc aine and in a car full of drunk 19 year old girls...

Oh this is going to be a good football season...

But realy, that draft game, i will serach, for it, it is the best thing if you have not heard of it either... lots of drinking... smashed by the 20th pick of the draft, and goes all the way til the end of round 3... which can be dangerous... 8+ hours of drinking and footaball... hmm... its a good time of year...

Also, i think that a team might trade up into the Pats spot to grab Matt Ryan, the Pats will trade down... if anyone answers thier phone calls, im not sure the rest of the league is on speaking terms with the pats...

The Raiders will pick the Fastest guy in the draft with thier top pick... that is just the way it goes... so even though they have good RB's, they probaly will go with Mcfaden...


I just have a hunch that the Falcons will not pick a QB or RB... just a hunch...

reply to post by TKainZero


I've decided that there is a possibility that the Raiders could ignore the fact that they have four reasonable running backs, one of the worst rushing defenses in the NFL, and almost no hope of a decent season in sight and draft McFadden for one reason: Al Davis is crazy. I've been thinking about the Raiders in a logical way and ignoring the fact that Al Davis is a complete lunatic.

Logically, they should beef their D. Assuming they make a logical pick, I still think McFadden falls to the Jets.

/tn.

OK, we're roughly 10 minutes away from the draft. I'll put out pick updates every so often (at least one update per hour minimum).

We already know that Miami will take Jake Long with their first pick of round one.

/tn.

Had to stop in at the office this morning but shortly I'll be on my way back to the house to watch, much to my girlfriend's dismay I'm sure.

Go Texans!!!!! (# 18)

Peace

Draft Update 2:35pm CST

Round One Picks

01> MIA - Jake Long
02> STL - Chris Long
03> ATL - Matt Ryan
04> OAK - Darren McFadden
05> KC - Glenn Dorsey

Looks like I'm eating crow on the McFadden pick... And consequently, that Al Davis is nuts.

***

Draft Update 3:20pm CST

06> NYJ - Vernon Gholston

NO traded spots with NE.

07> NO - Sedrick Ellis

JAC strangely traded up to BAL's spot.

08> JAC - Derrick Harvey
09> CIN - Keith Rivers
10> NE - Jerod Mayo
11> BUF - Leodis McKelvin

***

Draft Update 4:20pm CST

12> DEN - Ryan Clady
13> CAR - Jonathan Stewart
14> CHI - Chris Williams

KC traded spots with DET.

15> KC - Branden Albert
16> ARI - Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie
17> DET - Gosder Cherlius

BAL traded up for HOU's spot.

18> BAL - Joe Flacco

CAR traded up for PHI's spot.

19> CAR - Jeff Otah
20> TB - Aqib Talib

***

Draft Update 5:20pm CST

ATL traded up for WAS's spot.

21> ATL - Sam Baker
22> DAL - Felix Jones
23> PIT - Rashard Mendenhall
24> TEN - Chris Johnson

DAL traded up for SEA's spot.

25> DAL - Mike Jenkins
26> HOU - Duane Brown
27> SD - Antoine Cason
28> SEA - Lawrence Jackson
29> SF - Kentwan Balmer

***

Draft Update 5:35pm CST

NYJ traded up for GB's spot.

30> NYJ - Dustin Keller
31> NYG - Kenny Phillips

***

And that's the first round, folks. I won't give steady updates for subsequent rounds, but will post a full recap once the draft is over.

/tn.


[edit on 26-4-2008 by teleonaut]