2008 NFL Draft: First Round

[Bay_Areas_Finest]

Atlanta, Kansas City, and Oakland had the same strength-of-schedule. Since Kansas City finished third in the AFC West and the Raiders fourth (the tie was broken on the basis of the Chiefs

[FNQ]

McFadden FTW!

I dont think McFadden will be an option... Yes, STL and MIA are in front of us and have Jackson and Brown... especially in STL's case, I can see them trading the pick to a team who wants McFadden.

I don't see how we could botch this one up... I see 5 great, almost can't miss prospects in the top 5:

McFadden, Chris Long, Jake Long, Glenn Dorsey, and Vernon Gholston...

My personal preference is Dorsey, who's not only familiar with JaMarcus but the reigning college DPOTY. He's just an absolute animal. I love the strides he's made the past season, and I'd only consider passing him up for McFadden...

The key to the offseason IMO is to continue retooling the O-Line and to bring in a veteran WR and a deep threat at WR... could be the same player. But having Porter and Curry as JaMarcus' #1 options is the likely reason that 19 of JaMarcus' 23 passes went to RB/TEs...

[Bay_Areas_Finest]

Well, the ONLY way I could see McFadden not being an option @ 3 is if there is a trade, as you said.

I honestly cant see Miami passing up Glenn Dorsey, and if they did, St Louis would nab him FOR SURE. And the Rams, they already have Jackson/Leonard at RB and have much larger needs, even if McFadden is available.

I hope there isn't an trades because McFadden would just be so great to have with JaMarcus next year.

Dorsey wont fall past 2, thats for sure (He would be my main guy though, much like you).

My favs go like:

1. Dorsey
2. McFadden
3. C Long
4. J Long


We for sure should address the WR position in the second round, I think. As you said, Russell needs some explosiveness out there to help him, although it would be easier to deal with Porter/Curry if we had McFadden running the ball.

And excuse my ignorance (I'm not a huge college football follower), but who is Vernon Gholston?

[FNQ]

I know a lot of mocks have Dorsey going #1, but Parcells isnt that type of coach, don't think he'd be that type of GM... I'd expect him to try and trade the pick, see McFadden go #1, and Jake Long go #2 to St. Louis...

Gholston is a DE from Ohio St. He'd be like a Burgess on the opposite end. Basically a replacement for Burgess as he gets older and as Richardson slides into the other DE spot. He's also quick enough to be an OLB. Could be a Merriman/Ware type LB.

[Fooberman]

If McFadden is there when the Raiders pick I want to trade down. RB seems awfully hit or miss in the draft, which means using a high pick is risky and a low pick has potential. Also, I think that a good O-Line can make a running back. Consequently, I think elite running backs are almost always overpaid...

DT and OT are the positions I'm most interested in at the top of the draft... maybe Kiff finds a way to get Ellis and Baker

[FNQ]

But when a top 10 RB hits... wow.

In the past decade...

Adrian Peterson, Reggie Bush, Ronnie Brown, Cadillac Williams, Cedric Benson, LaDanian Tomlinson, Jamal Lewis, Thomas Jones, Edgerrin James, Curtis Enis, and Fred Taylor were taken...

4 of those guys are/were franchise players: Peterson, Brown, James, LT. (4/11)

Bush, Cadillac, Jamal Lewis, Fred Taylor, and Thomas Jones are all extremely important cogs in their team. You could even put Lewis and Taylor in a class above the other 3, as at one time they were elite players. (5/11)

One of those guys flamed out completely (Enis). One of those guys has been relatively ineffective so far in his career (Benson).

I'm not in support of McFadden per say, but usually a consensus top 10 back produces, and produces well... with a 33% chance of being a franchise player. Not sure how that compares to other positions, but I do know there have been a lot of busts at a lot of positions, singling out RBs because they are usually more hyped seems kinda unfair...

[Fooberman]

I actually looked at old drafts (1995 to 2005) and most positions had about a 50% chance of a top pick becoming a good to great player. Leaving out the positions where there were only a few examples, the big exception was offensive line. I will say, though, that the data set is unfortunately small... so it is hard to say much meaningfully... I can say that right before a decade ago the draft had a remarkable RB bust rate, and there have been fewer lately. I'm inclined to think that is more luck than anything substantive...

Apart from the bust rate, I just don't think that the dropoff from elite running back to average (1) is as high as other positions and (2) justifies how much the elite ones are paid. Give me a great O-Line and I'll be quite happy to put a mediocre runner in the backfield.

I didn't see Joe Thomas play, but knowledgable people have said he played as well as any tackle in the league. Assuming that to be true, would you rather have him or Peterson. I'll take the left tackle. I'm a big believer that the lines make the rest of the team...

[FNQ]

Really? Thomas over AP?

I'm a big believer in O-lines too, but I think they make RBs have higher yards per carry in the long run. For example, I think the Jaguars have a great O-line - they got Fred Taylor through the first 3-5 yards, opening up his slightly watered down moves to exploit a secondary.. but w/AP, he would be breaking LB tackles, and even D-liners...

That said, I dont think McFadden is that type of player. I'd take him if Dorsey / C Long go 1/2, and even then only to see if we could harness some sort of value and move down to #6 or 7 (I really, really like Gholston)... but there's months before that kind of indepth speculation is even worth it

[Fooberman]

First f all, I agree that Adrian Peterson is a great runner. I'll add that Chester Taylor is a good runner; someone your comfortable going into a season with but not more than that. How much of an uprgrade is it, really, from Taylor to Peterson? Granted, stats don't tell anywhere near the whole story, but...

A.P - 238 carries (5.6 YPC and 1 TD per 20 attempts)
Taylor - 157 carries (5.4 YPC and 1 TD per 22 attempts)

Given the choice between paying an elite runner and paying a solid one and putting the money elsewhere... I'll shore up other areas...

If McFadden drops to the Raiders, I'd love to trade down and get more players. As I've said elsewhere, I really like Sedrick Ellis. He's a bit light (and more of a 3 than a 1 in the NFL I think), but he is very athletic and strong. I think he's a player you can go to war with in the trenches...

[Bay_Areas_Finest]

While thinking this over the past few days, I've almost gotten away from wanting McFadden at all, so I'm inclined to agree with Fooberman on that subject matter.

I think Fargas can be fine for us, and then how about Michael Bush? Damn that guy needs to start seeing carries because I believe he could be amazing for us in a couple seasons. When you think about it, with so much talent in the draft, do we really want to fill a hole that we potentially dont even have?

Definitely need to go after Dorsey or Chris Long. Those are the two main targets.

[FNQ]

I think there's more than random speculation though... these dancers, the Bushs and McFaddens, they shouldnt be taken top 10.. I'm not a fan of them.

But a guy like A-Pete? Oh yeah... a combo of quick and strong. Those types of backs dont come around but every few years. Its when they are one or the other that I'm wary of them... but in any sense, I'd only want a strong back if I was taking them top 10... Jamal Lewis and Thomas Jones stick out as the 2 I remember... struggled at 1st, but eventually came into their own, and thats why I'd still bet on Cedric Benson, but not so much on Cadillac Williams.

Dorsey is a priority to me though... I have a feeling he won't go #1 (call me crazy) but I think we have a legit shot at him at #3...

[Bay_Areas_Finest]

Latest mock draft on ESPN had Matt Ryan going first? For real? WOW. Dolphins might as well trade down if they are going to do that.

After that, it was Chris Long going 2nd, McFadden at 3, and....Dorsey going to us.

Which I would love, and so would Reggae.

[FNQ]

HELLYEAH!

Are we for sure #4 now? I thought we won a coin flip already...

But for sure, Dorsey is my unquestioned #1 for the Raiders... Sapp has retired, and we damn sure better not go to war with the oft-injured/winded Warren and Kelly as our starting tackles..

[Bay_Areas_Finest]

I assumed we were for sure picking 4th because all of the mock drafts have us there, but on the ESPN tracker thingy at the bottom of the tv, it said that us and the Falcons still had to flip a coin to decide positions.

I'm not sure when that takes place, or if it already happened and ESPN screwed up.

[shagadelic45]

trade our #1 to Dallas (who wants McFadden) for their 2 #1's and #2.

Trade Dallas's #2 to CLE for Derek Anderson

Trades one of the #1's to CIN for Ocho Cinco

Hire Norm Chow as Offense coord.

[GS Warriors 1]

Coin flip will take place sometime during this weekend.

Dorsey falling to 4 is not out of the question but I think Chris Long or Sedrick Ellis are stronger possibilities, the latter likely being the favorite to be available.

[GS Warriors 1]

You guys lost the coin toss to ATL, so the order is now set.

#3 - ATL, #4 - OAK, and #5 KC.

[FNQ]

Of course

Raiders cant catch a break... ATL has a huge need at DT as well

[HMFFL]

Battle to be first

Basically talks about the money side of things between being the first pick and 10th pick.

Link

[HMFFL]

That