NFL Draft: Pro Sports Daily

O's like their options for No. 4 draft pick

May 21

Baltimore Sun

"For the second consecutive year, the Orioles pick in the top five in baseball's first-year player draft, and the club's philosophy is simple: Emerge with a top-quality player, regardless of the position. "Baseball is not a draft where you draft need. It's not the NFL," Orioles president Andy MacPhail said recently. "I just want them to get the guy that they think will be the most productive big league player." After snagging Georgia Tech catcher Matt Wieters with the fifth overall selection last year, the Orioles will pick fourth on June 5. It's the highest the Orioles have selected since 2002, when they took Canadian left-handed pitcher Adam Loewen at No. 4."

Grading the NFL Draft

April 29

Florida Today

"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+"

Rick Gosselin's NFL draft analysis

April 28

Dallas Morning News

"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."

Picking the NFL's winners and losers

April 28

Los Angeles Times

"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."

NFC Draft Report Card

April 28

Philadelphia Daily News

"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."

AFC Draft Report Card

April 28

Philadelphia Daily News

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

Mike O'Hara grades the draft

April 28

Detroit News

"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."

Grading the NFL draft

April 28

Kansas City Star

"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."

NFL Draft Winners and Losers

April 28

Washington Times

"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."

Grabbing Bargains In The Later Rounds

April 28

New York Post

"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."

Dolphins add big block to rebuilding effort

April 27

Miami Herald

"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."

Dolphins hopes riding on Long

April 27

Miami Herald

columnist Dan Le Batard

"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."

Rams go Long

April 27

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"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."

Rams drafted the man more than the player

April 27

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

columnist Bernie Miklasz

"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."

Falcons draft QB Ryan

April 27

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

"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 Take McFadden

April 27

San Francisco Chronicle

"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."

Selection of explosive back is about winning now

April 27

San Francisco Chronicle

columnist Nancy Gay

"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."

LSU defensive tackle Dorsey has too much upside to pass up

April 27

Kansas City Star

"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."

Chiefs make good picks for a bad team

April 27

Kansas City Star

columnist Jason Whitlock

"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."

Jets select Ohio State's Vernon Gholston with No. 6 pick

April 27

New York Daily News

"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."

Darren McFadden and Matt Ryan go early, so Jets take Vernon Gholston

April 27

New York Daily News

columnist Gary Myers

"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."

Saints call an audible and trade up to get their man

April 27

New Orleans Times-Picayune

"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."

It's wait-and-see for Saints defense

April 27

New Orleans Times-Picayune

columnist Peter Finney

"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."

End arounds

April 27

Jacksonville Times-Union

"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."

Harvey happy, not surprised

April 27

Jacksonville Times-Union

"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."

Bengals bamboozled

April 27

Cincinnati Enquirer

"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."

Character now part of Bengals' draft focus

April 27

Dayton Daily News

columnist Tom Archdeacon

"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."

Pats trade down, add Mayo at 10

April 27

Boston Herald

"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."

What did this team need? To get young at linebacker

April 27

Boston Herald

"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."

Bills turn corner at draft

April 27

Buffalo News

"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."

Draft nudges the Bills another step forward

April 27

Buffalo News

columnist Jerry Sullivan

"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."

Broncos bolster left side

April 27

Denver Post

"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."

Shanahan: smart or just desperate?

April 27

Denver Post

columnist Mark Kiszla

"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.""

Carolina picks Stewart, Otah

April 27

Charlotte Observer

"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."

Future is now for Panthers

April 27

Charlotte Observer

columnist Tom Sorensen

"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."

Dedication pays for late-blooming Bears pick Williams

April 27

Chicago Sun-Times

"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."

With reputation in doubt, Angelo plays it boring

April 27

Chicago Sun-Times

columnist Jay Mariotti

"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."

Cardinals take Rodgers-Cromartie

April 27

Arizona Republic

"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)."

Cardinals wise up, play it safe in draft

April 27

East Valley Tribune

columnist Scott Bordow

"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."

Lions trade down, take offensive tackle

April 27

Detroit Free Press

"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."

Completely different: Lions take OT Cherilus at No. 17

April 27

Detroit Free Press

columnist Mitch Albom

"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."

Future is Flacco

April 27

Baltimore Sun

"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."

For Flacco, proof will be in passing

April 27

Baltimore Sun

columnist Mike Preston

"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."

Bucs pick cornerback Talib in NFL draft first round

April 27

St. Petersburg Times

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

Talib Must Prove He Is Worthy Of This Risk

April 27

Tampa Tribune

columnist Joe Henderson

"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."

Baker had a feeling about Falcons

April 27

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

"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."

Instead of a rewrite, Cowboys go by book

April 27

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

"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."

Contrary to his nature, Jerry quietly makes safe, 'need' picks

April 27

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

columnist Randy Galloway

"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."

Bolts go for Arizona cornerback Cason with 27th pick

April 27

San Diego Union-Tribune

"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."

Hawks trade down in first, move up in second

April 27

Seattle Times

"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."

2008 NFL Draft