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Managing editor Mike Holbrook's pick: Patriots LB Jerod Mayo
It was a mild surprise that the Patriots drafted a linebacker in the first round, something they hadn’t done during Bill Belichick’s time running the team. However, everyone knew how desperately the Pats needed to bolster their aging LB corps and, for once, the Patriots made the expected move. Belichick has traditionally preferred savvy veterans to carry out the myriad duties required of ’backers in his complex defense. But Mayo has the size (6-1¼, 242), versatility, instincts, intelligence and desire that the Patriots couldn’t pass up. Plus, he has excellent speed (4.59), something New England’s LB corps had been sorely lacking. Mayo, who played both inside and outside at Tennessee, was a tackle machine in college, tallying a team-best 140 in 2007 on his way to being honored as a first-team All-SEC pick. It wouldn’t surprise me if he had the kind of impact that the 49ers’ Patrick Willis, the Panthers’ Jon Beason and the Jets’ David Harris had last year. Unlike those players, Mayo will be playing on a prime Super Bowl contender, creating a perfect recipe for Rookie of the Year.
Senior editor Eric Edholm's pick: Jaguars DE Derrick Harvey
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Derrick Harvey
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I am not saying that the Jaguars were one player away and this is the guy. But I am saying that this defense needs exactly this: a pass-rushing, pocket-collapsing defensive end who can wreak havoc. The Jaguars have some good players up front, and getting a strong, active end who can play either side and start right away as a rookie makes this one of the better units in the NFL. With Marcus Stroud gone, the front four needed some reinforcements. Harvey delivers for a defense that will look different than the group that Mike Smith ran last season. Now, it’s Gregg Williams’ crew, and with those cornerbacks and the linebackers they have, you can bet that Williams will blitz and play a fair share of man defense. That means Harvey should get a lot of one-on-one blocking, and I think the kid has 10 sacks in him as a rookie. Better still, Harvey’s strength against the run is underrated, and he’ll help pick up the slack of losing a guy like Stroud from a group that allowed barely more than 100 rushing yards per game. I was surprised the Jaguars were able to move up into the top 10 picks and get a player of his caliber. He’ll be good right away.
Senior editor Mike Wilkening's pick: Raiders RB Darren McFadden
A running back has garnered Offensive Rookie of the Year honors from Pro Football Weekly and the Professional Football Writers of America in 11 of the last 15 seasons. McFadden, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2008 draft, is one of the most naturally talented runners to enter the NFL in years. He joins a Raiders offense that runs the ball well and will be all the more committed to the run with QB JaMarcus Russell learning on the job. What’s more, he could potentially play eight games against teams with run defenses that ranked 25th or worse a season ago, including a pair of division games vs. Denver and Kansas City. Fumbles are a concern with McFadden, as are his receiving skills; he’s going to have to improve in those areas, certainly. What’s more, he’ll have to beat out several experienced backs, most notably Justin Fargas, to get the carries needed to win ROY honors. But that shouldn’t be a problem. McFadden is Al Davis’ pick, so he’s going to play, and play a lot. The transition to the professional game is an imposing one, but I expect him to handle it well. A wealth of talent usually helps in such matters.
Associate editor Dan Parr's pick: Panthers RB Jonathan Stewart
The best is yet to come for Stewart, who didn’t get the chance to start at Oregon until the middle of his junior year, and he’ll get plenty of opportunities to tote the rock in Carolina. He has the size and speed to be an instant impact player in an offense that is firmly committed to the ground game. Panthers GM Marty Hurney opened the offseason by saying he wanted the Panthers to restore their power running attack, which fueled the squad’s run to the Super Bowl in 2003. Carolina drafted Stewart, 5-10¼, 235 pounds, to become the workhorse in the backfield, and history is on his side, as running backs have dominated the top rookie award in recent years. It will be extraordinarily difficult to be the difference maker that Adrian Peterson was as a rookie in ’07, but it’s Stewart, not Raiders RB Darren McFadden, who is in the best situation to become Peterson’s heir apparent as Rookie of the Year. Stewart has a better offensive line in front of him and won’t have to compete for playing time in a crowded backfield as McFadden will in Oakland.
Associate editor Matt Sohn's pick: Chiefs DT Glenn Dorsey
Critics will point to the ambiguous status of his much-scrutinized lower extremities. They’ll say he had the benefit of playing on an LSU defense littered with NFL talent. They’ll say Kansas City is where promising careers go to die. While each of those concerns has merit, the fact that he’s the most dominating defensive tackle to enter the NFL since Warren Sapp in 1995 is the overriding reason Glenn Dorsey will emerge as Rookie of the Year. Overshadowed by the controversial trade of Pro Bowl DE Jared Allen to Minnesota is the reality that the Chiefs still have the makings of a strong, young defensive line. He’ll team with ’07 draftees Tank Tyler and Turk McBride and ’06 first-round selection Tamba Hali to do damage to the questionable offensive lines of the AFC West. Dorsey should be the best of the bunch immediately. Remember, he was the best defensive tackle in the college game the last two years despite playing through a stress fracture as a junior and a sprained knee as a senior. Now healthy, he’s primed for stardom.
Associate editor Michael Blunda's pick: Saints NT Sedrick Ellis
Though most considered Glenn Dorsey to be the top DT prospect in the draft, Ellis will be the one who makes the most immediate impact. The hulking lineman had 12½ sacks and 58 tackles in his senior year at USC en route to being named Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year, and now he’s ready to wreak havoc at the next level. The Saints, seeing an opportunity to add a huge difference maker, traded up to No. 7 to grab Ellis, who should slide right into their starting lineup. Ellis’ specialty is collapsing the pocket and pressuring the quarterback, something that New Orleans seriously needs after registering only 32 sacks a year ago. With offenses forced to pay attention to DEs Will Smith and Charles Grant, Ellis should have a field day charging up the middle and destroying opposing QBs. He also is a great run stuffer, so tackling ballcarriers in the backfield should become a regular occurrence. Ellis is more than just a space-eater — he’s a defensive force who will improve the Saints’ “D” right away. Coach Sean Payton and company will be very pleased that they moved up to take the 2008 Rookie of the Year.
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