2008 NFL Draft

"Buffalo Bills: Taking a wide receiver -- their biggest need -- at No. 11 would have been a reach. They got the highest-rated cornerback in the draft in Leodis McKelvin, then took 6-foot-5 receiver James Hardy in the second round. Other than those two picks, though, nothing very exciting. Grade: C+"

" The Cardinals needed to address their pass defense, which ranked 28th in the NFL last season. CB Rogers-Cromartie was a steal at 16 and defensive ends Campbell, Iwebema and Harrington can help dial up the heat up front."

"Let's be honest: It's almost impossible to say which teams are winners and losers in the immediate aftermath of the NFL draft. It takes at least two years to figure out the true diamonds, dogs, reaches, bargains and busts of any draft class."

"The trade for Lorenzo Booker and the additions of return man Jackson and Laws give the Eagles three guys who should be able to make a contribution right out of the gate. Multiple picks in the fourth round made Ikegwuonu an affordable investment."

"Flacco will need time to develop, but second-rounder Rice should be a nice immediate complement to Willis McGahee."

"Ryan was the best quarterback in the draft, but Baker was a reach lower in the first round. Lofton will strengthen the interior defense. Six of the last seven picks were on defense."

"Rodgers-Cromartie will be making a big jump from Division I-AA football to the NFL but doesn’t have to start right away. Campbell did not reach his potential at Miami and fell deep in the second round. Doucet lacks speed but will be third receiver, replacing Bryant Johnson."

"1. Kansas City: The Chiefs had six of the first 84 picks and seem to be committed to rebuilding. They drafted the best-rated player (defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey) and an immediate offensive line starter (Branden Albert) in the first round. Later, they added cornerback Brandon Flowers and running back Jamaal Charles."

"Because the NFL opted to begin its draft at 3 p.m. Saturday instead of noon, only two rounds were completed. The Post looks at the most impressive picks from Day 2. Both the Jets and Giants made the list and former Jets and Giants coach Bill Parcells, who did a great job in the first two rounds for the Dolphins, kept it going."

"At the end of a cul-de-sac on Mulberry Lane, a few blocks from the cornfields and tractors that make this place home, a new black Ford F-250 pickup is waiting in Jake Long's driveway. The street where the new anchor of the Miami line grew up is simple, nothing like the circus that is the NFL Draft in New York."

"It was exhausting to watch the The Newest Hope work the room on this, his first day officially representing the Miami Dolphins to the world. ''I've got to stop sweating,'' giant Jake Long said to himself in the bowels of Radio City Music Hall, taking off his Dolphins baseball cap and wiping his brow with the sleeve on his expensive beige suit."

"Chris Long wants to see the Gateway Arch as soon as he gets to St. Louis. The Rams want to see sacks from Long as soon as he gets here. Straying from their final board to address a major need, the Rams selected Long, a defensive end from the University of Virginia, with the No. 2 overall pick in the draft Saturday."

"In one respect, the Rams' draft process worked to perfection. Billy Devaney was brought in to run the show, and he did. Devaney's influence carried the day when the Rams made Virginia defensive end Chris Long their first-round draft pick, and the No. 2 overall selection."

"The suspense -- and the Michael Vick era -- are over. With their first pick in the NFL draft Saturday, No. 3 overall, the Falcons selected Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan."

"Raiders owner Al Davis spoke. Glamorous size and world-class speed trumps glaring need. He proved it by taking Arkansas running back Darren McFadden with the fourth overall pick of the NFL draft Saturday, with Raiders coach Lane Kiffin nodding in agreement afterward."

"But with that $31 million quarterback, JaMarcus Russell, now the full-time starter, this is a win-now year. Running back Darren McFadden may not have made the most sense. But he was the win-now pick."

"Glenn Dorsey could stop sweating now. The big defensive tackle sat in New York and talked about moving to Kansas City and how hot it gets for a 300-pound man in the room where they keep the top draft prospects."

"The glaring hole in Glenn Dorsey’s game was made obvious Saturday afternoon. Chiefs coach Herm Edwards announced that with Dorsey’s acquisition journeyman defensive tackle Alfonso Boone will move to left defensive end. Boone’s flip to end indicates that Turk McBride, Kansas City’s second-round pick a year ago, is a flop."

"Addressing their sorry pass rush, and perhaps swiping a player from the rival Patriots, the Jets picked Ohio State defensive end Vernon Gholston in yesterday's draft. It was anti-climactic, considering the build-up surrounding McFadden, but the offensively challenged Jets later made an aggressive move for a less celebrated playmaker."

"It took just a few painful minutes for the Jets to first lose Matt Ryan, their potential quarterback of the future, and then Darren McFadden, who would have provided the burst their singles-hitter offense desperately needed."

"They made no secret about their desire to land one of the top two defensive tackles, calling every team that picked ahead of them to talk about trading up. And eventually they got their man, Southern California defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis, by moving up three spots to No. 7 overall."

"If Glenn Dorsey wasn't just being modest, if he knows what he's talking about, Sean Payton took a giant step toward mending his team's Achilles' heel in drafting Sedrick Ellis, a 6-foot-1, 307-pound tackle from Southern Cal."

"The future is now. That was the message from the Jaguars on Sunday when they made a bold move to improve their pass rush by trading up to select defensive end Derrick Harvey of Florida and Quentin Groves of Auburn in the first two rounds."

"Jaguars defensive line coach Ted Monachino hid out in his office during the first round of the NFL Draft on Saturday, thinking there was no way his team would land the guy he coveted. Interestingly, that guy - Florida defensive end Derrick Harvey - thought otherwise."

"The Bengals selected a fine player at No. 9 in Southern Cal linebacker Keith Rivers, a sure-handed tackler who should help upgrade the run defense. But the Bengals ignored defense again in the second round, giving in to the temptation to add a wide receiver from a small school who played against sub-par competition and doesn't even return kicks."

"Before the NFL draft, Arthur Rivers said he had only one lasting impression of the Cincinnati Bengals: "I was watching ESPN, and I saw one of their players, Frostee Rucker, spit on another guy at practice. I told my son, 'That's not the kind of pro — not the kind of teammate — you want to be. You can be just the opposite of that.' " Now Keith Rivers will get that chance."

"The way they dealt with New Orleans, moving down from the No. 7 spot to the No. 10 position after the pieces played out, merely is the latest example of how well they play the draft game. In Tennessee’s Jerod Mayo, they selected a linebacker who will allow them to get younger at the position, especially if he’s as good as the Pats had him rated."

"Finally, a young linebacker. The position where the Patriots most desperately needed an infusion of youth received just that yesterday with the somewhat surprising selection of Tennessee’s Jerod Mayo with the 10th overall pick in the NFL draft."

"The Bills filled a big need by drafting Troy University cornerback Leodis McKelvin with the 11th overall pick. He gives them another weapon in the defensive backfield to contend with the Patriots’ passing offense, which is the best in the NFL."

"I can’t promise you that Leodis McKelvin will be a Pro Bowl defensive back one day, a true lock-down corner. I can’t guarantee that James Hardy is the second coming of Michael Irvin, a big, dynamic wide receiver who will turn a perennially weak offense into one of the NFL’s best."

"Ryan Clady was able to share his special moment with about 150 of his favorite loved ones. His younger brother and two younger sisters were there. Aunts, uncles, cousins, both sets of grandparents, dad. Even 93-year-old great-grandmother Elmia was at Clady's draft party Saturday afternoon at the Los Angeles Airport Hilton, sharing in the joy that erupted the second NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced the Broncos had selected Clady with the No. 12 pick. "

"Not to suggest Broncos coach Mike Shanahan has a foot fetish, but he so fell in love with the twinkle toes of his top pick Ryan Clady that it's difficult to tell if Shanahan was looking for an offensive tackle or auditioning a partner for "Dancing with the Stars.""

"The Carolina Panthers used a one-two power punch in the first round of Saturday's NFL draft to change the personality of their offense. Thinking old-style smash-mouth football, the Panthers picked Oregon running back Jonathan Stewart with the 13th overall pick, then went to work immediately to move back into the first round to get him a blocker."

"With the first pick, the 13th overall, the Panthers selected Jonathan Stewart, a running back out of Oregon. The Panthers weren't scheduled to pick again until dark. Their next pick was the 43rd. Instead of waiting, they turned aggressive, trading their second and fourth-round picks in this draft and their first pick in the next one. "

"The Bears' first-round pick wasn't even a starter when his senior season began in 2002. The left tackle ahead of him was injured, and Williams took the job after the jamboree game to open the year. When college coaches came to recruit eventual Houston Texans safety Brandon Harrison, who wound up going to Stanford, they had one question."

"It's nice he's trying to plug a crater at left tackle with Vanderbilt's Chris Williams, whose claim to fame was smartly refraining from punching out a rambunctious rival at the Senior Bowl. And I'm pleased he took a potential replacement for the banged-up bust, Cedric Benson, in Tulane's Matt Forte, a 6-1, 220-pound locomotive whose forte is said to be breaking tackles and moving chains."

"The Cardinals hope that's the case with their first-round pick in the NFL draft Saturday, cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie of Tennessee State. The Cardinals loved his speed (4.29 seconds in the 40-yard dash), size (6 feet 2, 182 pounds) and production in college (a four-year starter)."

"How dare the Cardinals ruin my fun. How dare they make the safe, sensible selection in taking cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie with their first-round pick."

"So the Lions traded the 15th overall pick in the NFL draft to Kansas City, moved down to No. 17 and took Boston College offensive tackle Gosder Cherilus over the likes of Illinois running back Rashard Mendenhall and Pittsburgh offensive tackle Jeff Otah."

"Gosder Cherilus. That’s the pick. Gosder Cherilus. Yep. An offensive lineman with a name more suited to a horror film (the old guy in the haunted house?) has filled the spot that has been fretted over, agonized over and argued over for months."

"The Ravens had long targeted Ryan, but the Atlanta Falcons took the top quarterback in the draft with the No. 3 pick. That led the Ravens to trade back to the end of the first round before moving back to the middle where they selected Flacco, a risky small-school pick who was the clear-cut No. 2 quarterback on the Ravens' draft board."

"The Ravens drafted one of college football's best quarterbacks in the first round yesterday. It set the stage for some exciting yet anxious moments in the development of Delaware's Joe Flacco."

"So naturally, the Bucs selected a defensive back, using the 20th overall choice on Kansas cornerback Aqib Talib."

"When you hear a player has "character issues," it's just code for saying he can't be trusted. So reads the label now tattooed on Aqib Talib after three positive tests for marijuana in college and a two-game suspension in 2006. The penalties for drug violations in the National Football League are even steeper."

"Southern California left tackle Sam Baker had an inkling that he would be drafted by the Falcons. Just not in the first round, with the 21st pick overall."

"Arkansas running back Felix Jones became the first offensive player taken in the first round by the Cowboys since tight end David LaFleur in 1997, who like Jones was the 22nd overall pick. They then took South Florida cornerback Mike Jenkins with the 25th pick of the first round and Texas A&M tight end Martellus Bennett with the 61st pick of the second round."

"At this time of year, the man loves his gambling, rambling image, and definitely has the draft-day scars that go along with the risk-taking. But on Saturday, Jerry Jones found football religion. Either that, or Jerry's new acquisition of PacRat Jones has finally scared him straight."

"The Chargers took cornerback Antoine Cason with the 27th pick in the NFL Draft today. “Size and speed,” assistant general manager Buddy Nix said when asked what made the 6-foot Cason win out among the players available when the Chargers finally picked."

"The trade, not unexpected the way Seahawks president Tim Ruskell was talking in the days leading up to the draft, set the stage for Seattle to choose USC defensive end Lawrence Jackson of USC with their first-round pick at 3:14 p.m. Saturday."

"With their first pick in the draft, 29th overall, the 49ers tabbed Kentwan Balmer, a versatile 6-foot-5, 300-pound defensive lineman from North Carolina who can play either nose tackle or end. The club seems more inclined to play Balmer at nose tackle but he could also end up replacing the retired Bryant Young at left end."

" In a perfect world, Chilo Rachal would be enjoying spring on the USC campus and getting ready for his senior year. But the world isn't perfect. Rachal has learned that the hard way in his 22 years."

"That's the plan, anyway, after the Steelers selected Illinois running back Rashard Mendenhall with the 23rd overall pick, and 6-foot-4 wide receiver Limas Sweed of Texas in the second round."

"With a screaming need for offensive linemen, a crying need for defensive linemen and a somewhat lesser but still demanding needs for a wide receiver and an outside linebacker, the Steelers used their first pick in the NFL draft to select a running back -- a position already manned by a young Pro Bowl performer."

"The Titans pledged to add playmakers in the NFL Draft. They delivered with their first-round pick Saturday, selecting speedy East Carolina running back Chris Johnson and vowing to turn him loose."

"The Titans gave offensive coordinator Mike Heimer-dinger a homecoming present on Saturday. In Heimerdinger's first term on the staff, from 2000-04, the Titans never took an offensive player with their first pick back then. It was a running joke between Heimer-dinger and Coach Jeff Fisher."

"Smith then rolled the dice and gambled that Brown still would be available, trading back to the 26th spot with Baltimore and acquiring third- and sixth-round picks from the Ravens. The Texans then waited as the picks came off the board, keeping their fingers crossed that Brown would still be there."

"Sometimes a team makes a pick in the first round of the NFL Draft that triggers all sorts of wonderment and surprise. That was not the case yesterday, as the Super Bowl champion Giants did the expected by selecting Miami safety Kenny Phillips with the 31st overall selection. They also, despite much pre-draft hubbub, did not trade away tight end Jeremy Shockey . "