2008 NFL Draft Review - Picks 1-10

It seemed like forever from the conclusion of the Super Bowl until the NFL Draft and now the draft has already come and gone like a thief in the night. It's time to break down the first round to see which teams passed with flying colors and which teams flunked on draft day. Jimmy Boyd gives you his take on picks 1-10 in this 2008 NFL Draft review.

Jake Long, OT, Miami Dolphins

Bill Parcells had this deal done before draft day, feeling very confident that Mr. Long was his man. The reality is that a player like Chris Long or Glenn Dorsey may have made more of an immediate impact as the defensive side of the ball is better for the Fish. But that's likely why the Dolphins went with Long because it's high time they started building an offensive unit. Long should become a good pro, but if Matt Ryan ends up excelling for the Falcons, the Dolphins could end up kicking themselves. However, this team was in no state to take any major risks at pick number one.

Chris Long, DE, St. Louis Rams

The Rams desperately need help on the defensive side of the football and they should get it with the best pass rusher in this year's draft. The Rams could have gone with Glenn Dorsey here, rated by many as the best overall talent, but as a tackle, Dorsey would likely make a lesser immediate impact on a team that needs to get more heat on opposing QBs.

Matt Ryan, QB, Atlanta Falcons.

The Falcons have made Matt Ryan their new franchise QB to hopefully distance themselves further from the Michael Vick drama. Ryan was the best QB in this year's draft but not that much better than any of the other high profile signal callers coming out. That's likely why the Dolphins, who also need a QB, passed. I'm not sold on him, but for Atlanta's sake, I hope he's the man.

Darren McFadden, RB, Oakland Raiders

The Raiders got the guy they wanted and needed. Their offense had no big play ability at all and the addition of McFadden should do for the Raiders what the addition of Adrian Peterson did for the Vikings last year. McFadden should also make the maturation process easier on JaMarcus Russell, last year's number one overall pick. The only way this move fails in my opinion is if the Raiders can't surround him with enough other talented players.

Glenn Dorsey, DT, Kansas City Chiefs

What a gift for the Kansas City Chiefs for Mr. Dorsey to fall into their lap at pick number five. Herm Edwards is a defensive minded coach and he has perhaps landed the most dynamic defensive player in the draft to be a building block of his scheme.

Vernon Gholston, DE, NY Jets

The Jets are notorious for making poor reads on draft day when being blessed with top ten picks, and once again, they may or may not have landed a winner in Gholston. Fans were excited about adding another outside pass rusher, but many experts feel Gholston is a potential bust. There's no question his talent is fierce, but reports that this kid doesn't even like playing football are enough to scare anyone off.

Sedrick Ellis, DT, New Orleans Saints

The Saints had to go defense and Ellis was the best available defensive player at pick seven. The Saints really needed a defensive back as well and could have gone with Leodis McKelvin who slipped to the 11th pick. I think this pick will work out, but I stand with the theory that interior defensive lineman aren't able to make a serious impact until they are surrounded with other playmakers which teams must worry about.

Derrick Harvey, DE, Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jags were hell-bent on landing a defensive end to put some heat on Peyton Manning as they look to emerge as the elite team in the AFC South. They spent their first pick on Harvey and their second pick on another defensive end, Quentin Groves. With Miami clearly in rebuilding mode and the Jags in a position to challenge for a title now, they may have been able to use their top two picks and some money as a nice bargaining tool to land Jason Taylor. I guarantee he has more sacks over the next couple season than Harvey.

Keith Rivers, OLB, Cincinnati Bengals

Rivers will start whether he is ready or not as the Bengals are hurting on defense. They wanted Ellis, but were beat to the punch by the Saints. If Ellis was there guy, they should have done something to counter the Saints.

Jerod Mayo, ILB, New England Patriots

The Pats are just that much smarter than anyone else in football, which is why they would have never gotten caught with their video taping scandal if it were the roaring twenties and they could have had Mangini snuffed out. The Pats traded down to the 10th pick when none of the elite defensive players were left to gain a draft pick and they still landed a high quality linebacker to start the rebuilding process at a position where they have a couple ancient vets.

Check out Jimmy's other draft review articles to get his full take on the 2008 NFL Draft from picks 11-20 and then finally 21-30.

April 29th, 2008