NFL Draft

Thursday Blog Roundup: Deciphering draft possibilities

The NFL Draft is only two days away, so the speculation about who’s going to get who is more and more rampant by the millisecond.

With the Kansas City Chiefs trading star defensive end Jared Allen and a sixth-round pick to the Minnesota Vikings for the 17th overall pick, two third-round picks, and a sixth-rounder,

There’s no drama around who’ll be taken #1, as Jake Long will don a Dolphins cap and hold up the #1 jersey after Roger Goodell calls his name first.

But, what’s going down after that? There are plenty of scenarios, too many to count. Instead of running over all of them myself, I thought I’d do a blog roundup instead.

At #2, the Rams are most certainly going to go with defense, but who will it be? According to VanRam over at Turf Show Times, the Rams camp seems to be more and more into drafting Glenn Dorsey, but it’s not set in stone, and also not a good idea, given that VanRam points out how the move would do more harm than good.

However, at RAMblings, the opinion is a little different, or is it? Hal Schaeffer thinks that Dorsey is the best option at #2, while the poll that’s up on the site has all but one vote for Chris Long, and that other vote, it doesn’t go to Dorsey.

http://walterfootball.com/draft2008.php

What about the Falcons at #3? If the Rams do decide to take Glenn Dorsey, do they take Matt Ryan or Sedrick Ellis, or do they trade down with someone like the Ravens, so that they can get Ellis and the Ravens can get Ryan? Dave the Falconer at The Falcoholic is adamant against nabbing Ryan, and I’d have to agree. Now, if the Rams take Chris Long or Vernon Gholston, then Atlanta’s choice is a lot simpler.

Then, there’s the Oakland Raiders at #4. Al Davis loves him some Darren McFadden, but Jerry McDonald doesn’t agree with taking McFadden, looking at some of the Raiders’ past draft mistakes. The Raiders are better off drafting a defensive player, but do they take Ellis or Gholston at #4 if Chris Long and Dorsey are off of the board?

A trade down with the Ravens (who would take Ryan at #4), the Jets (who could be looking to take Gholston or McFadden) could not only land Ellis, but an extra draft pick as well, as Oakland doesn’t have another pick until the 4th round. So, the Raiders certainly don’t have a shortage of options, regardless of what happens above them.

That brings us to the Chiefs at #5. With the trade of Allen, do they try to trade up to assure themselves of one of the top defensive ends (or Glenn Dorsey, as some think they’ll do), or do they go elsewhere and wait until that #17 rolls around to take Phillip Merling, or use their second-round pick on a Lawrence Jackson? Offensive line is also a pressing need, and so is corner. Or do they go for Matt Ryan, even though Brodie Croyle has all of a handful of starts under his belt, and there’s no need to go after Ryan when there are bigger needs.

They could go for Branden Albert at #5, which could allow them to go for Phillip Merling at #17, or take one of the top corners (Jenkins or Rodgers-Cromartie, if they’re on the board), then a defensive tackle (Trevor Laws or Pat Sims) with their second-round pick, which would allow Turk McBride to move to defensive end full-time.

The guys over at Arrowhead Addict are heavy in debate about it, and I’m sure they will be up until the second that the Chiefs make their pick. As for Jon at MVN’s Chiefs blog, well, he’s still coming to terms with the Jared Allen trade. Poor guy. Don’t worry, Tamba Hali and Phillip Merling (or Derrick Harvey) will be a great combination.

Is it just me, or is the room spinning? There is a lot that could go down on Saturday afternoon, and I’ll be reporting on all of the action from the no-brainers, the surprises, and who this year’s Aaron Rodgers or Brady Quinn is. But, before all of that happens, I’ll have one final mock draft, so be on the lookout for it.

Here’s a preview:

1. Jake Long
2. Chris Long
3. Glenn Dorsey
4. Vernon Gholston (a trade is a possibility
5. Branden Albert

Related posts on The Red Zone Report

• Eddie Griffin’s Updated Mock Draft (1)
• 2008 NFL Draft First Round Questions: Picks 1-8 (1)
• Five storylines to follow in the 2008 NFL season (3)
• Dolphins tab Michigan’s Jake Long to be #1 overall pick; is it the right choice? (0)
• 2008 NFL Draft Winners: Chiefs and Dolphins take big steps towards rebuilding (3)

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