2008 NFL Draft: Final Mock

My favorite day of the year has arrived! The 2008 NFL Draft is just a couple of hours away, and it's time to unveil my final projections. We know who is going #1 overall, but picks 2,3,4, and 5 remain a big mystery and will generate plenty of interest from teams wanting to trade up. These trades are impossible to predict, so we'll see how far off my picks are. There are some notable changes from my last projection, but I still believe that Sedrick Ellis and Keith Rivers will USC's only first rounders, but they will be among the top 10 players selected. Here's my final mock, excuse the lack of color, minor software malfunction...

Here is the spreadsheet

Pick Team Selection School

1 MIAMI (1-15) OT Jake Long Michigan

2 ST. LOUIS (3-13) DE Chris Long Virginia

3 ATLANTA (4-12) DT Glenn Dorsey LSU

4 OAKLAND (4-12) RB Darren McFadden Arkansas

5 KANSAS CITY (4-12) DE Vernon Gholston Ohio State

6 NY JETS (4-12) QB Matt Ryan Boston College

7 NE* from SF (5-11) OLB Keith Rivers USC

8 BALTIMORE (5-11) DT Sedrick Ellis USC

9 CINCINNATI (7-9) OT Ryan Clady Boise State

10 NEW ORLEANS (7-9) CB Leodis McKelvin Troy

11 BUFFALO (7-9) WR Devin Thomas Michigan State

12 DENVER (7-9) OT Chris Williams Vanderbilt

13 CAROLINA (7-9) OT/G Branden Albert Virginia

14 CHICAGO (7-9) OT Jeff Otah Pittsburgh

15 DETROIT (7-9) RB Rashard Mendenhall Illinois

16 ARIZONA (8-8) CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie Tennessee State

17 KC* from MIN (8-8) CB Mike Jenkins South Florida

18 HOUSTON (8-8) RB Jonathan Stewart Oregon

19 PHILADELPHIA (8-8) S Kenny Phillips Miami

20 TAMPA BAY (9-7) WR DeSean Jackson California

21 WASHINGTON (9-7) DE Derrick Harvey Florida

22 DAL* from CLE (10-6) CB Aqib Talib Kansas

23 PITTSBURGH (10-6) WR Jeff Hardy Indiana

24 TENNESSEE (10-6) DT Kentwan Balmer North Carolina

25 SEATTLE (10-6) WR Limas Sweed Texas

26 JACKSONVILLE (11-5) DE Phillip Merling Clemson

27 SAN DIEGO (11-5) OT Godser Cherilus Boston College

28 DALLAS (13-3) RB Felix Jones Arkansas

29 SF* from IND (13-3) LB Jerod Mayo Tennessee

30 GREEN BAY (13-3) CB Antoine Cason Arizona

N/A NEW ENGLAND (16-0) **Pick Forfeited**

31 NY GIANTS (10-6) LB Dan Connor Penn State

2008 NFL Draft: Mock#1

Well, believe it or not, the 2008 NFL DRAFT is only one week away. Though I usually have about 4 or 5 mock drafts done by this time of year, I've been a little side tracked this spring and have only been able to do 2 of them. This is my 2nd projection, but it's the first that I have published on this blog. A lot has changed since my first mock (which you can enlarge and see below), and a lot will change up until posting my final mock on the eve of the draft. The only thing that does seem certain is that the Miami Dolphins will make Michigan OT Jake Long the #1 selection. The bottom line is that they just have too many holes on both lines, but they need to protect last year's 2nd round pick, QB John Beck, so that they can get a fair evaluation of him and his future. Jake Long can anchor their offensive line for the next 10-12 years, allowing them to address other needs next off-season. Good news for Trojans fans is that DT Sedrick Ellis and LB Keith Rivers have seen their stock rise recently and are shooting up the draft boards. Ellis and LSU's Glenn Dorsey are the by far the best DT's in the draft and will both be coveted by many teams. Expect someone to trade up into the top 6 because teams like the Ravens (#8), Bengals (#9), Saints (#10), and Broncos (#12) will not be able to sit and land Dorsey or Ellis at their current spots. As far as Keith Rivers goes, he is clearly the best LB in this year's class. Rivers is NFL ready, having played for Coach Carroll for 4 years, and would be an excellent fit with the New England Patriots at #7 overall. These are the only 2 players from USC that I see going in the 1st Round, but I expect a number of Trojans to go in rounds 2-4 (F. Davis, L. Jackson, S. Baker, C. Rachal, C. Washington, J.D. Booty, T. Williams). As for my lowly Atlanta Falcons, please don't draft QB Matt Ryan!! The Falcons are rebuilding and as bad as their current QB situation is, Matt Ryan (or any other rookie QB) will not be any better in his first year than Joey Harrington or Chris Redman. This team needs to solidify the offensive line and bolster the defensive front seven in this draft, and then make a push for next season's playoffs during the 2009 off-season. Draft fever has hit me, let the countdown begin!

Here is my projection, you can click on the image to enlarge...

This was my first projection of the year from late February, click on the image to blow it up...

Tailback-Who

Here's a great article from WeAreSC discussing USC's 6-headed competition at tailback.

Tailback Queue

It appears as though Stafon Johnson and Joe McKnight are the favorites to occupy the 1 & 2 spots. However I love the fact that Allen Bradford is out there competing for playing time, consistently making his presence felt.

I'm also happy that CJ Gable is 100% healthy and looking to regain the form he displayed his freshman year. However, If he plans to remain healthy I suggest he avoid #58 and hits like this on the practice field....

Rey stalks his prey...



Attacks...

R.I.P

Fight On!

Ellis and Krumrie: The Perfect Duo

Above: Ellis works with Tim Krumrie, the greatest position coach in NFL history, at USC's Pro Day. [Photo: courtesy of NFL.com]

Sedrick Ellis is on his way to being a top 10 pick in this year's NFL Draft. He was truly one of Troy's all-time greats and will have a very long, productive career in the pros. Whether it's been through his play on the field, his individual workouts or his interviews with NFL coaches and personnel, he is definitely one of the most valued and coveted prospects in this year's draft. Every team picking in the top 10 of the draft has enough of a need at defensive tackle to select Ellis, but the question remains, how high will he go? As much as I love my Atlanta Falcons and that I would just be overcome with joy if Ellis were to go #3 overall to the Falcons, I really want Big Sed to go to the Kansas City Chiefs at #5.

If he goes to Kansas City, Ellis will develop into the greatest DT ever under the guidance of the greatest defensive line coach ever, Tim Krumrie. For those of you that watched HBO's Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Kansas City Chiefs series last August, you know exactly what I mean. If you missed the show, here's a little bit of what Krumrie is all about:


And finally, here's a video of Big Sed's Pro Day Workout, you'll see Krumrie working with him towards the end of the video:


As the draft approaches, Ellis' stock will only grow. I haven't really had a chance to analyze this year's draft and its prospects, but I'll get to that soon. School work and college basketball have taken away from my draft time, since I usually have about 7-8 mock drafts done by this time of year. I'll unveil my first mock next weekend.

Fight On!

"cuz da ball playas know me"

Tennessee Titans' running back, and former USC tailback, Lendale White makes a brief (very brief) cameo appearance in Snoop Dogg's newest music video, Life Of Da Party.

Check out Lendale at the 01:16 mark... (don't blink)



Hopefully Lendale has left Vegas and has started preparing for the Titans' mini-camp.

Fight On!

Final Four Preview

Well, I've finally moved past USC's early exit from the Tournament (returning from spring break and going back to studying and paying bills will do that to you), and still dealing with the fact that fucla is still in it, but there's been some nice moments in this year's Big Dance that have helped me get through it.

There was that nice cinderella run by Davidson that led to a star being born in sophomore guard Stephen Curry.

There were some fantastic finishes in first weekend games:

San Diego over UConn (which derailed my bracket)

Western Kentucky over Drake

Stanford over Marquette

and fucla over Texas A&M (with a little help from the refs)

The second weekend provided us with an NCAA Tournament first...all four #1 seeds advanced to the Final Four. Due to my personal bias, I picked only 3 of the 4 correctly in my bracket (Unfortunately, I had UConn beating fucla in the Sweet 16), but my championship game prediction is still intact and I'll stick with my projections.
In the Roy Williams Bowl featuring North Carolina against Kansas, I like Roy to lead his Tar Heels to victory against his former team. How do you pick against a team led by Psycho T? Tyler Hansbrough is by far the most impressive and inspirational player that I have ever seen. He is the definition of a leader and just wills his team to victory. Kansas is probably the best team in the country, but Bill Self is a joke, and he'll have no answer for the AP National Player of the Year.

In the other game, I like Memphis (surprised?) to end fucla's very fortunate run towards another banner. Unfortunately for them, John Wooden and those previous banners won't factor into the scoreboard. I picked Memphis to win it all because they are a complete team, very athletic and really get after it on both ends of the court. Sound familiar? Yes, they remind me a lot of the back to back champion Florida Gator teams that embarrassed fucla two years in a row. I think the only team that can beat Memphis is Kansas, which features a tough duo inside in Arthur and Jackson, whereas fucla offers nothing in the frontcourt after Kevin Love. I hate to admit it, but Love is an incredible player and will give Memphis all they can handle. The only problem for the bruins is that Love's backups (Keefe, Mata, and Dragovich) pack very little punch offensively. Expect Josh Shipp, who has been ice-cold all season, to continue his slump and take himself out of the game with a 20% shooting night. All the pressure will be on Darren Collison, Russell Westbrook, and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute to provide some assistance for Love. Offensively, Memphis has only two minor concerns: their free throw shooting and their tendency to settle for jump shots. If Memphis plays aggressive and breaks down the bruins off the dribble, they have the athleticism and the muscle to finish at the rim. I guarantee that Derrick Rose and Chris Douglas-Roberts won't back down from Love and will take it strong to the rack. Go get 'em Tigers!

Like I said earlier, I picked Memphis over North Carolina in the Championship. Regardless of this weekend's outcomes, I just want to see some good games and some fair officiating. Oh and by the way, Kansas and fucla, you both suck!!

Go Memphis!!

A True Beast

Saw this over on TrojanWire...



Trojan fans are in for a treat in 2008.

Fight On!

Spring Ball

Pete Carroll is probably the only person capable of coaching Rey Maualuga. Not only does Rey own the police, he's capable of inflicting pain, and even more pain... For Coach Carroll to approach Rey, let alone yell at him in practice is admirable. I can't wait for the 2008 season to begin and for Rey to unleash more suffering to opposing players.