 J J Pesavento Draft Observations After months of watching film and evaluating college talent, the preparation for NFL teams is done and draft weekend has arrived. In this day of the salary cap, the annual NFL Draft is the most important event in the offseason. Solid drafts can make a team a contender for years to come. Bad drafts can doom a team to mediocrity and even disaster. Here is our take on some of the early draft action. The Miami Dolphins took one of the best players in the draft in former Michigan left tackle Jake Long. Long was one of the top players with virtually no downside in this draft, two of which had the same name. Long may not become the next Anthony Munoz but he doesn't really have to. Whether he becomes and anchor at left tackle, or starts at right tackle or anywhere else on the offensive line, he will fill a void and contribute at a high level. The other player I felt had very little downside was defensive end Chris Long from Virginia. Regardless of what some felt were minor flaws, Long plays at an extremely high level. For a while, possible trade talks cast doubt of where he would end up but when the smoke cleared, the Rams picked Long with the second overall pick. The Rams got themselves a real gamer with a great work ethic and non-stop motor. Whatever Long may lack according to the experts, this young man can play the game and will make an impact for the Rams. I honestly felt the Atlanta Falcons would go after LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey at No. 3, but they opted to go after Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan. Ryan was clearly the best QB in this draft, but not a real top five pick in my book. Clearly, the Falcons want to move on from the Michael Vick era as quickly as possible and Ryan is the first step in that direction. When the Raiders got on the clock, there were also trade talks about them striking a deal with the Saints. It never happened and the Raiders did what most people expected; they grabbed Arkansas running back Darren McFadden. While the Raiders clearly had needs on defense, they went after the player that would finally give them what Al Davis has been searching for...a home run threat. The Raiders have wasted loads of money over the years in search of a big play guy. They've overpaid and wasted time acquiring players like Desmond Howard, Rocket Ismail and Randy Moss (just to name a few) only to have the moves blow up in their faces. Al Davis has always preferred the big play, quick strike offense, and on draft day 2008, they may have finally gotten the player that could give them that again. For all practical purposes, the Chiefs had a gift fall right into their laps. Glenn Dorsey was still on the board when they got on the clock and even though they have glaring needs on the offensive line, the Chiefs were smart enough to know it would be insane to pass on a player like Dorsey. The Chiefs later used one of the picks they got in exchange for Jared Allen in the trade with the Vikings to secure the services of offensive lineman Branden Albert from Virginia. To me, it was one of the smartest moves in the opening round and the Chiefs addressed a real need by scooping up a good player with a lot of potential in Albert. The Jets selected the only player remaining in the blue room when they selected Vernon Gholston of Ohio State. Gholston showed flashes of brilliance at times, but he also disappeard at times as well. The Jets were looking at McFadden or a defensive player that could make an impact. Hopefully for Jets fans, they got the latter. At the tail end of the round, the Jets traded up to get Dustin Keller from Purdue, probably the best tight end in this draft. With Glenn Dorsey gone, the Saints moved up and took Sedrick Ellis from USC. Then came the worst move of the first round. The Jaguars traded up to take defensive end Derrick Harvey of Florida. Granted, the Jags addressed a need, but they paid the Ravens far too much. In exchange for the Ravens 1st rounder, the Jags coughed up the #26 overall (1st round), #71 overall (3rd round), #89 overall (3rd round) and #125 overall (5th round) picks. Far too much for a player like Derrick Harvey. The Ravens did make some noise later on in the opening round when they traded up to fill the position they couldn't make a deal for earlier by taking Delaware quarterback Joe Flacco. Flacco is maybe the most physically gifted QB in the draft, but he will need time to develop. Outside of the number of trades, the one thing that the opening round of the 2008 Draft will stick in my mind will be the fact that not one wide receiver was selected. That and the amount the Jaguars paid for Derrick Harvey.
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