selections.
St. Louis will likely pick either Chris Long or Glenn Dorsey. Like a domino effect, the picks that follow will be depend upon who St. Louis takes.
St. Louis is rumored to be interested in Dorsey more than Long but it is hard to know if this is real or just a smoke screen. I believe Long would be the better fit especially since the Rams selected Adam Carriker last year who will be starting at DT.
The Falcons covet Glenn Dorsey and will take him if he is there. If not, they will take Matt Ryan. Don’t expect Ryan to fall too far if the Falcons don’t take him because the Ravens will be waiting at the eighth pick to gobble him up.
At four, the Oakland Raiders control the Jet’s destiny. They are interested in Chris Long, Vernon Gholston and Darren McFadden. Chris Long should be off the board by the fourth pick but if St. Louis passes on him, I expect the Raiders to select him.
It is too much temptation for Al Davis to take the son of one of his best players. The story line here would be great. Davis would not be doing this for sentimental value alone. He would be getting a great football player and a guy Raiders fans will love.
However, if Long is gone I believe Davis will select Vernon Gholston. Gholston has freakish athletic ability and will be hard to pass on. Davis loves speed and impact players so it will be hard for him to bypass McFadden but selecting a RB doesn’t make much sense. They have too much money tied up at the position.
The Raiders have Lamont Jordan, Justin Fargas and Dominic Rhodes who are all good backs. To bring in another guy, despite his talent, when there are still big holes to fill on defense, doesn’t make sense. If this was another guy, McFadden would have been ruled out by now but Al Davis is unpredictable. He could take McFadden for the simple reason that he loves speed and will buck convention to obtain it.
At #5 the Kansas City Chiefs would love to see Chris Long still on the board after trading away their best defensive player, Jared Allen, to Minnesota. But I just don’t see Long being there at five. I don’t believe he would get past Oakland.
Kansas City really needs help along the offensive line. They used to have one of the best units in football but they got old in a hurry and never recovered from the retirement of perennial Pro Bowlers Will Shields and Willie Roaf.
I believe the Chiefs will reach somewhat and take Ryan Clady, OT from Boise State. Don’t let the small school fool you. Boise State has produced good NFL talent the last few years and Clady will be another good one. He is very athletic and can be a shutdown LT in the NFL. The need is too great for the Chiefs to look at any other position with this pick.
Then we have the Jets, who will definitely get a good player with the sixth pick. McFadden would bring the big play dimension to an offense that has lacked playmakers for years. He will also make other players better.
QB Kellen Clemens (assuming he is the starter) will feel less pressure and will benefit from defenses stacking the line to stop McFadden. The wide receivers will benefit because they will have more space to operate with more “eight in the box” looks.
The fact that McFadden brings electricity to the offense and makes his teammates better are both compelling reasons for selecting him sixth overall. He will also be a favorite among Jets fans who will love his big play potential. Expect Radio City Music Hall to erupt if McFadden is their guy.
If the Raiders grab McFadden, the Kansas City Chiefs will think long and hard about taking Gholston. If they don’t, the Jets will almost certainly take him.
If the Chiefs take Gholston, it will be very interesting to see what the Jets do. They could be looking at Matt Ryan but I just don’t see the Jets taking him. They took Kellen Clemens with a second round pick in 2006 and he has not had enough reps to give up on him.
Ryan will be an excellent pro but the Jets would be better served trading the pick if he is the best player available. Plenty of teams, Baltimore among them, could be interested in trading up.
As is always the case, Draft Day is an exciting experience when the Jets hold a top pick. Although having high picks indicate that we were a bad team the year before they are nevertheless a part of the Jet’s history. The draft will be interesting this year as Jets fans will be watching intently to see what teams ahead of them will do in a selection process that has been one of the most unpredictable ones in recent memory.