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Final mock draft
Chiefs could benefit from Dorsey's slide
By Nolan Nawrocki
April 26, 2008
Posted at 11:35 a.m. EDT Saturday, April 26
What follows is our final mock draft, as of Draft Day morning. Although we did not project any trades, we expect several to occur and simply matched teams with the players we thought were being targeted, regardless of trades. While we did not include Michigan QB Chad Henne or Louisville QB Brian Brohm to be taken in the first round, we predict that a team, or maybe two, will move into the back end of the first round to secure the draft's second passer. The Seahawks could still land the defensive lineman they desire if they were to move back. The Packers are also a prime candidate to drop down.
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LSU DT Glenn Dorsey
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The Saints' interest in landing a defensive tackle could throw this mock out of whack, as the Chiefs will be in a position of power at the No. 5 spot as soon as LSU DT Glenn Dorsey falls, as our well-placed sources suggest he will. The Saints are prepared to move up to either No. 4 or No. 5 to land Dorsey, although the Chiefs may not want to give up a player as talented as the Tigers' defensive tackle if he falls to them, considering their needs on the defensive line. The Chiefs have the potential to really disrupt the first round with all of their draft picks and could not only move up and down the board several times, but may just wind up with three first-round picks. The Falcons could also wind up with a second first-rounder, with the need to protect top pick Matt Ryan critical.
The Ravens are a very likely candidate to move down, at least a few spots, if they cannot land Ryan. The Saints have expressed by far the most interest in trading up, and we expect they will land a defensive tackle. However, the prospect of coming away from Draft Day with both DT Sedrick Ellis and Giants TE Jeremy Shockey will prove to be more attractive to the Saints than ending up with Dorsey. We also expect the Eagles will make a strong push to land an offensive tackle, and we see the Cowboys, with two first-rounders, considering trade offers to move down with a lot of demand already being shown for teams looking to move back into the first.
Arrows reflect the trade interest of teams — up or down — in the last 72 hours, when the phones of club decision makers have been ringing frequently, as have ours. Juniors are denoted by an asterisk.
1. Miami Dolphins — OLT Jake Long, Michigan
2. St. Louis Rams  — DE Chris Long, Virginia
3. Atlanta Falcons — QB Matt Ryan, Boston College
4. Oakland Raiders — RB Darren McFadden, Arkansas*
5. Kansas City Chiefs — DT Glenn Dorsey, LSU
6. New York Jets — OLB Vernon Gholston, Ohio State*
7. New England Patriots  — CB Dominic Rodgers-Cromartie, Tennessee State
8. Baltimore Ravens — OG-OT Branden Albert, Virginia*
9. Cincinnati Bengals — DE Derrick Harvey, Florida*
10. New Orleans Saints — DT Sedrick Ellis, USC
11. Buffalo Bills — CB Leodis McKelvin, Troy
12. Denver Broncos — OLT Ryan Clady, Boise State*
13. Carolina Panthers — RB Jonathan Stewart, Oregon*
14. Chicago Bears — OT Chris Williams, Vanderbilt
15. Detroit Lions — LB Jerod Mayo, Tennessee*
16. Arizona Cardinals — RB Rashard Mendenhall, Illinois*
17. Kansas City Chiefs — OT Jeff Otah, Pittsburgh
18. Houston Texans — OLB Keith Rivers, USC
19. Philadelphia Eagles — OT Gosder Cherilus, Boston College
20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers — CB Mike Jenkins, South Florida
21. Washington Redskins — DE Phillip Merling, Clemson*
22. Dallas Cowboys — WR Devin Thomas, Michigan State*
23. Pittsburgh Steelers — WR James Hardy, Indiana*
24. Tennessee Titans — WR Limas Sweed, Texas
25. Seattle Seahawks — DT Kentwan Balmer, North Carolina
26. Jacksonville Jaguars — S Tyrell Johnson, Arkansas State
27. San Diego Chargers — CB Brandon Flowers, Virginia Tech*
28. Dallas Cowboys — RB Felix Jones, Arkansas*
29. San Francisco 49ers — LB Curtis Lofton, Oklahoma*
30. Green Bay Packers — OT-OG Sam Baker, USC
31. New York Giants — S Kenny Phillips, Miami (Fla.)*
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2008 Draft Preview
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If you would like to read more about the players who are about to enter the April 26-27 NFL draft, Pro Football Weekly has two publications that will fit the bill — the 2008 Draft Preview book and the 2008 Draft Guide.
The 200-page 2008 Draft Preview book, which sells for $19.95, contains detailed scouting reports on nearly 500 prospects with each player's height, weight, 40-time, positives and negatives. You'll also get our rankings of more than 900 draft prospects and a breakdown of each NFL team's needs, by position. Written by PFW personnel analyst Nolan Nawrocki and the editors of PFW, the Draft Preview book is widely recognized as the "bible of the draft." Books are now ready to be shipped.
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2008 Draft Guide
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Meanwhile, hot off the presses, the 2008 Draft Guide is a 152-page magazine that sells for $6.99, showcasing feature stories on Arkansas RB Darren McFadden and the secret to drafting success, a sleeper watch, a fantasy forecast and more. In addition, you'll find scouting reports on more than 350 players, draft previews for all 32 teams (including each club's top five areas of need and a "hot list" of prospects who fit the team's schemes) and rankings of the prospects by position.
The 2008 Draft Guide is available now at newsstands and bookstores throughout the country. Both of the above publications can be ordered now from the PFW store. You will receive a discount if you purchase both the 2008 Draft Preview book and the 2008 Draft Guide magazine from the PFW store with our Combo-Pack offer.
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Links to our online draft coverage
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