2008
NFL Mock
Draft - 7 Rounds
by Gregory Cox
Director of College
Football and NFL Analysis
4/25/08
Round 4
101) Miami – WR Jerome
Simpson (Coastal Carolina)
Receiver is a big problem and the quarterback needs some targets. Marty
Booker
led the team in receiving the last two years and was cut. The closest
thing
they had to a #1, Chris Chambers, was traded to San Diego not to
mention the huge mistake of
sending Wes Welker to New England before the season began. Their two returning leaders from
2007, Ted
Ginn Jr. and Derek Hagan from the past two drafts, had a combined
793 yards receiving with just 63 catches and 4 touchdowns.
Free agent addition Ernest Wilford was another step in the right
direction and
this is another.
101) St.
Louis –
OLB/ILB Beau Bell (UNLV)
They can use spark at outside linebacker where they have an aging Draft
(32
this month) Chillar (gone to Packers) and injury prone Tinoisamoa (12
games
missed the past two seasons) surrounding team MVP Witherspoon. Bell is
versatile and helps their depth.
102) NY
Jets – DE/DT Kendall
Langford (Hampton)
New York has been very active in free agency, adding a pair of players
to the
front seven of their 3-4. More help will come in the draft. Langford
wasn’t
going up against top competition, but did post 24.5 sacks in 47 games
and
brings with him a lot of experience. They can find a place for him on
the line,
or possibly even at linebacker.
103)
Atlanta –
OLB Geno Hayes (Florida State)
They might take another shot at linebacker here since they will be
tinkering
with the 3-4 defensive alignment and area lacking in depth even if they
don’t.
Hayes could have made a mistake leaving college early and would have
been a
much higher pick next year.
104)
Oakland – DT DeMario
Pressley (N.C. State)
Since sporting the #3 run defense in 2002 en route to the Super Bowl
the
Raiders have not ranked higher than #22. It was such a problem they had
to
throw Monopoly money at Tommy Kelly and sign William Joseph (Giants)
hoping he
can tap into the talent that made him a first round pick in 2003 out of
Miami,
FL. Pressley’s stock has been given a lift because a lot of the
defensive
tackles in this class have problems. In reality he shouldn’t be here at
this
point.
105) Kansas
City –
CB Terrence Wheatley (Colorado)
Ty Law has been cut and Patrick Surtain is nearing the end of the line
without
replacements. Wheatley’s speed can be very useful on special teams as
well.
106)
Baltimore –
DE/OLB Darrell Robertson (Georgia Tech)
Pryce is
aging at end
while at inside linebacker Lewis is almost done although Suggs has been
retained with the franchise tag. Jarrett Johnson didn’t get it done replacing
Adalius Thomas (free agent departure to New England) at outside
linebacker. Other than Suggs
no player had more than 3 sacks last year on a once dominant defense.
This pick
will be used somewhere on the front 7 I guess is what I’m saying.
107) San
Francisco –
DE/OLB Marcus Howard (Georgia)
Their defensive front 7 needs to get better and would love to add a
pass
rusher. Someone has to get after the quarterback. Manny Lawson was
supposed to
be that guy. Two seasons and 2.5 sacks later in 18 games it hasn’t
worked out
so far. Tully Banta-Cain hasn’t been great either. Once given his
chance for
the ‘Dawgs
he made the most of it with 10.5 sacks last year. He’s too short to stay at
defensive end in the pros, but is fast and athletic enough to make the
transition to outside linebacker. It’s unlikely he is going to fall
this far,
it just depends on how the draft shakes out. He was fast at the combine
and has
been rising up the draft board in a hurry so we’ll see.
108) Denver
– RB Tashard
Choice (Georgia Tech)
Denver got a great first month out of Travis Henry, but in his final
six
appearances as he struggled to stay healthy he had just 193 yards on 65
carries
(2.97 average). He also hits the dreaded 30th birthday this
October.
Choice hasn’t garnered much attention with all the talk of the Arkansas duo,
Stewart and Mendenhall. However, he
has just enough all around skill to succeed and racked up 2,852 yards
rushing
over his final two seasons for the Yellow Jackets.
109) Carolina – QB John David
Booty (USC)
Jake
Delhomme might come
back healthy and he might not. They have abandoned the David Carr
experiment
after only one season. Matt Moore is a good player who is likely to be
a career
backup. Booty is one of the more underrated and overlooked prospects in
this
draft at the position. He was a perfect 9-0 against top 25 teams with a
sparkling 23/4 touchdown to interception ratio. An injury marred his
senior
season and took USC out of another national title game when he played
hurt against
Stanford. However, Booty is a proven winner and leader. He is a
reliable,
steady quarterback who could probably win games as a rookie. As an
added bonus
he reunites with Panther receiver Dwayne Jarrett who disappointed in
his rookie
season. Booty’s presence could spark a revival.
110)
Chicago –
WR Dexter Jackson (Appalachian State)
With
Berrian in Minnesota and Muhammad in Carolina their top returning receiver is Hester.
Yes, seriously. Adding Marty Booker and Brandon Lloyd is fine. However,
Booker
is no #1 and will only be good for 40-50 receptions. Lloyd disappeared
in Washington and shouldn’t be counted on for
anything. Mark Bradley has just 38 receptions in three years after
being taken
early in the second round of the 2005 draft. He might step up or he
might not. Jackon’s
sub 4.3 speed in the 40 made him a big play threat, averaging 22.9
yards per
reception. Can you imagine him lining up with Hester? It might not seem
like Jackson’s kickoff return skills would be needed
with Hester on hand. However, last year on 43 returns Hester averaged
just 21.7
yards. If you throw out his two touchdown returns that average dips to
just
18.3 and if the Bears could put both of them deep it would be
frightening.
111) Detroit – CB Orlando
Scandrick (Boise State)
Brian
Kelly was signed from Tampa Bay, but he’ll be
33 when the season is over. Leigh Bodden was a nice trade acquisition
from Cleveland and now they
look to add a little more youth and someone to truly make plays for
their
defense. Scandrick has
quietly been gaining momentum since running a 4.32 40 at the combine
while also
finishing among the best at cornerback in the three cone drill and
broad jump.
112) Cincinnati
– DE Jeremy
Thompson (Wake Forest)
They brought in Antwan Odom to replace Justin Smith. I don’t think
they’re done
considering that the team leader in sacks was Robert Geathers at 3.5.
They also
lost Bryan Robinson who was mostly a backup last year.
113) NY
Jets (via New Orleans) – WR Will Franklin (Missouri)
As I
expected, the team
made Laverneous Coles happy with an adjusted contract. He has been a
steady
performer at receiver. Last year he missed 4 games, breaking a string
of six
straight seasons playing a full 16. They have a good #2 in Jerricho
Cottchery
who has 2,091 yards over the past two seasons. Franklin has
great speed.
114)
Buffalo –
ILB/OLB Philip Wheeler (Georgia Tech)
They hope to have solved their weakness at defensive tackle with the
acquisition of Marcus Stroud (Jaguars) to team up with John McCargo and
Kyle
Williams because let’s face it this team has been run over for
the past three seasons. However, even after adding Kawika Mitchell the
Bills
could be looking for some help at outside linebacker. Their defense was
the
opposite of Arizona last year, with a much better rank in scoring (#18) than
yardage (#31).
Finding another player who can tackle will cure that. Wheeler’s
stock dipped at the combine where he struggled in the drills and ran
the 40 in
the high 4.7/low 4.8 range, limiting his value to run stuffing. Those
times
improved slightly at his pro day.
115)
Philadelphia –
DT Andre Fluellen (Florida State)
At defensive tackle late season addition Kimo von Oelhoffen could be
retiring
or at least not returning and Mike Patterson was busted for marijuana
possession. A little bit of depth should be added in the draft.
116)
Arizona –
OG/OT Jeremy Zuttah (Rutgers)
They definitely need more youth on the
offensive line even with Levi Brown, Deuce Lutui and Elton Brown from
the past
three drafts. Tackle Oliver Ross was released. Zuttah ram sub-five in
the 40
and pumped out 35 reps at 225 on the bench press, second best among
offensive
linemen at the combine. Now he is even being talked about at center. It
is
obviously great to add a player who can help out in multiple spots on
the line.
117) Minnesota
– QB Josh Johnson
(San Diego)
If Tarvaris Jackson is the answer, the question must be “Should we shoot for
mediocrity at quarterback?” If Gus Frerotte is the answer, the
question must be “Who can we get to fire up the team with a nice head
butt?”.
This is what the Vikings are doing at the moment. Since they’re
not taking a serious look at quarterback early they might grab one
later on. Johnson
had 43 touchdown passes last year against 1 (that’s “one”)
interception. In three seasons as the starter he had 15 interceptions
in 41
games while throwing for 113 touchdowns and nearly 10,000 yards. The
last two
years he combined for 1,446 yards rushing and 26 more touchdowns. Some
people
are projecting him as high as the middle of the third round.
118)
Houston –
CB Chevis Jackson (LSU)
Rookie
Fred Bennett had
3 interceptions to lead the team this past season, and no other player
has more
than 2 in any season over the past three years. As a team Houston tied for
the NFL low in interceptions
with 11 last year in 16 games. Dunta Robinson’s injury status is
another issue as he is expected to be out until midseason. Free agent
signing
Jacques Reeves just gives them another healthy body. Those who think he
is the
answer don’t
understand the question or haven’t watched any Dallas games.
119) Denver
(via Washington) – TE Jermichael Finley
(Texas)
They
added a lot of
defense in free agency. Daniel Graham was pretty mediocre in his first
year
with the team so another player to pair with Tony Scheffler might be
sought.
With their situation at receiver and emphasis on the tight end position
this
makes sense because someone needs to be on the other end of Cutler’s
throws.
Finley has slipped after a slow 40 (4.82) and weak showing on the bench
press
at the combine with just 20 reps at 225.
120) Tampa Bay – CB Tyvon Branch (Connecticut)
Brian
Kelly is gone to Detroit and their other starter is so old he has
a twin working as an analyst at NBC. The defense has been quietly
retooling
since their Super Bowl title and this is one area yet to be addressed.
They
have signed veteran Sammy Davis and their safeties are great, but when
Philip
Buchanon represents your depth at corner it’s a big issue. Maybe
Gruden has him around as a reminder of his days in Oakland
considering part of the compensation Tampa Bay
provided (the #21 pick in the 2002
draft) was used for the Raiders dealing up for Buchanon. They also
added safety
Eugene Wilson to the secondary which could be a savvy move.
121)
Seattle –
OG Eric Young (Tennessee)
They
added free agent
guard Mark Wahle, but the Seahawks got really poor play from their
offensive
line. Their guard depth was improved with the addition of Mike Wahle
and while
they are lacking depth at center Chris Spencer is a solid young
starter. Young will
be groomed to take over for Wahle who is
just a short term solution.
122)
Cleveland – DE/OLB Bruce
Davis (UCLA)
Trading
for quarterback
Brady Quinn bounced them out of the first round. Acquiring defensive
tackle
Corey Williams put them out of day one, and now the Shaun Rogers deal
has them
out of the top 100. They have all sorts of other problems on defense
and aren’t
likely going to solve them in this draft considering this is their
first pick,
but probably will try. They want a pass
rushing linebacker, but when you don’t pick until #122 it makes things
a little
difficult. Shantee Orr signed on, but he’s not much help. This
would be a great option if he is still on the board. Davis is active
with the
ability to sack the quarterback, which he did nearly once per game over
his
final two seasons for the Bruins although some question him as the
dreaded ‘tweener,
too small for defensive end and not quick enough for linebacker.
However, it
isn’t easy to find players who can generate a pass rush.
123) Pittsburgh
– DT Ahtyba Rubin
(Iowa State)
Starter Casey Hampton and backup Chris Hoke are both over 30. Coach
Mike Tomlin
wants to get younger on the defensive line and Rubin is one of a few
potential
nose tackles in this draft. In fact he joined Sedrick Ellis (USC) as
the only
two players given the classification at the combine. The depth could
have been
helped by Anthony "Booger" McFarland, but he failed his physical and
the team withdrew their offer to the veteran. Rubin’s stock has jumped
since he did 35 reps of 225 on the bench press at the combine, but off
the
field issues have held him down a bit.
124) Tennessee
– C Steve Justice (Wake Forest)
This has to be Kevin Mawae’s final season at center. Justice can
compete for
the right to succeed him or at least replace him on the depth chart. He
is also
another valuable addition on the interior line where they have gained
one guard
and lost two.
125)
Jacksonville – OLB/ILB Ezra
Butler (UNLV)
With four
picks in the
top 90 I could easily see the Jaguars making some moves up to grab
players they
covet. They just don’t have that many needs and addressed
their wide receiver problem prior to the draft by adding Troy
Williamson
(trade) and Jerry Porter (free agent). This is a value selection. Mike
Peterson
is almost ready to call it a career. Butler is a versatile
player who. He can also get
after the passer.
126) Tennessee
(via Dallas) – OG Drew Radovich
(USC)
Offensive
line is a
problem. Stewart (tackle) has been tendered to a one year deal and
might be
signed long term. The aging Olson (guard) retired while Bell (guard)
signed with the Rams. One spot
was filled by guard Jake Scott (Colts). They need more.
127)
Indianapolis –
OLB Brian Kehl (BYU)
After
winning the Super
Bowl their defense lost some players yet finished the season #1 in
scoring and
#3 in yards allowed, a lot better than their title campaign. The
defensive
tackle position has three rookies who look to be with the team long
term.
Still, there is a need for another outside linebacker.
128) Green Bay
– OT Kirk Barton
(Ohio State)
The
Packers are getting
old at the tackle positions. Also, right now other than Spitz looking
set at
one starting guard spot several others including Colledge, Barbre and
Coston
could be competing for the other spot.
129) New England – TE Martin
Rucker (Missouri)
Suddenly
the Patriots
are thin at the tight end position. Daniel Graham left last year for Denver, Garrett
Mills was snatched off waivers
by Minnesota this past September and recently Kyle
Brady was cut loose because at 36 he might be finished. Mix in the
injury to
their only reliable threat Benjamin Watson which could cause him to
miss
training camp and there is cause for concern. I’m pretty sure David
Thomas and
Stephen Spach won’t be significant factors and although Marcus Pollard
was
signed how much does he have left? Rucker had a great senior year with
84
receptions and 8 touchdowns, but has seen a late drop in his stock.
130) NY
Giants –
DT Frank Okam (Texas)
New York
has some youth
at defensive tackle, but also some age with Fred Robbins and Russell
Davis both
over 30. It wouldn’t
surprise me to see them use a middle
round pick on a little depth. Okam’s lack of drive has dropped him because
he showed up out of shape at the combine. His condition improved at his
pro day
and if properly motivated he can make an impact.
131) Philadelphia (compensatory) –
RB Chauncey Washington (USC)
The Eagles have sorely missed a tough complement to Brian Westbrook.
Correll
Buckhalter was always supposed to be that guy, but has already missed
three
seasons with injuries plus 4 games in the ones he did play. Turning 30
this
October isn’t
going to help. Is Tony Hunt really the answer? It’s better to take
another shot before they find out too late he isn’t since Westbrook will
also hit the magical 30 by the time next season begins. Washington
wowed scouts who timed his 40 in the mid
4.3s at his pro day.
132)
Buffalo
(compensatory) – FB Owen Schmitt (West Virginia)
The Bills have a trio of running backs led by last year’s stud rookie
Marshawn
Lynch. Now they need a sledge hammer to lead them. Schmitt
can also provide some rushing relief from the fullback spot if
needed. He carried the ball 353
times and scored 18 touchdowns in college and can be their go to player
in
short yardage situations. For a team that had only 8 rushing touchdowns
last
year he can certainly help them score.
133)
Baltimore
(compensatory) – WR Marcus Monk (Arkansas)
Mark Clayton’s
production took a step back in his third year, typically the season
most
receivers break through if you follow fantasy football. Derrick Mason
had his
sixth season out of the past seven with over 1,000 yards but is 34.
Demetrius
Williams is a contributor, but not starter material. They need someone
to come
in and catch passes considering only two receivers (Mason and Clayton)
had more
than 20 receptions last year. Monk says he doesn’t regret returning to
college,
but his stock plummeted. Still, he’s a good prospect who ran the 4.4
range at
his pro day although he carries a medical red flag on his knee.
134)
Tennessee
(compensatory) – WR Keenan Burton
(Kentucky)
It was a good move to bring back Justin McCareins giving them
essentially three
decent threats at the position. Since they can’t make good receiver
decisions early in the draft it might be smarter to take a shot later
on. Some
believe the team will draft a wide receiver sooner, even in the first
round. If
that was the case I think D.J. Hackett or Bryant Johnson would have
been more
hotly pursued by them in free agency. Burton’s stock
is hurt by injuries, but he
stayed healthy as a senior and finished with 1,036 yards receiving and
12
touchdowns.
135) Green Bay
(compensatory) – CB DeJuan
Tribble (Boston College)
The Packers should be active in trading their picks. They don’t
have that many needs and probably will be looking at the proverbial
“BPA” but
can’t part with this one. Given their serious lack of depth and
relatively few
needs it’s worth taking another shot at cornerback.
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