Freak

Alright, here's my one-round attempt. No trades, though obviously there will be several. I can see KC ending up with MIN's pick, and BUF trading down, possibly with Philadelphia (something involving Lito Sheppard, maybe).

1. MIA - OT Jake Long, Michigan

I doubted this selection at first, given Miami's relative competence on the offensive line last season, but it's hard to argue against acquiring a franchise left tackle.

2. STL - DE Chris Long, Virginia

The Rams would have taken whichever Long was left at this point, and probably would have leaned toward Jake, but this is a low-risk pick that will help their defense immensely and immediately.

3. ATL - QB Matt Ryan, Boston College

I'd like to have them surprise people here, but I just don't see it happening. I've argued all along that Ryan was the top quarterback and that the Falcons would be fools not to select him -- even if he isn't perfect.

4. Raiders - RB Darren McFadden, Arkansas

Here's another spot where it would be more fun to watch McFadden fall, but it's just too hard to ignore Al Davis' infatuation with "athletes". I don't know how he'll fit into the offense, or what will happen with Fargas and Bush, but I'd be surprised if McFadden isn't wearing black and silver next year.

5. Chiefs - DT Glenn Dorsey, LSU

Carl Peterson is thrilled when both defensive tackles fall to him at #5, and he just happens to have Dorsey ranked higher than Ellis. The Chiefs have needs at almost every position, and this pick needs little explanation.

6. NYJ - DE/OLB Vernon Gholston, Ohio State

Even if Gholston wasn't a pass-rusher with Pro Bowl potential, Jets fans should be happy here just to piss off the Patriots in a major way by selecting him. Like the rest of the world, the Jets watched the Giants beat the Pats by pressuring Brady, and they learn from it.

7. NE - CB Leodis McKelvin, Troy

The Patriots miss out on Gholston, but in the meantime take a step toward filling their biggest need on defense.

8. BAL - OG/OT Branden Albert, Virginia

The second Cavalier in my top 10, Albert is kind of a wild card in this draft; I could see him going as high as #5 to the Chiefs, or as low as the Steelers pick. Here, I think the Ravens select him with hopes of grooming him to replace Ogden, and if that fails, he slides in at guard, where he'll be terrific for many years.

9. CIN - DT Sedrick Ellis, USC

If he's still on the board, it'd be hard to imagine the Bengals passing on a guy who could be a fixture on their defensive line for the next decade. They need someone like Ellis in a bad way.

10. NO - CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Tennessee State

The Saints need to take whichever defensive player they've got ranked highest, and DRC is that guy here. An incredible athlete with tremendous size, I do think Cromartie is a year or two away from starting, but he has All-Pro tools.

11. BUF - WR Devin Thomas

In my mind, Buffalo is the team most likely to trade down, but if they're unable to, they'll have to choose between WR and CB. The two top corners are now gone, so they go with their highest-ranked wideout.

12. DEN - OT Ryan Clady, Boise State

Denver is thrilled to have three of the top offensive tackles fall to them here, and they just happen to have Clady ranked higher than the rest -- though it's close.

13. CAR - DE Derrick Harvey, Florida

I personally breathe a sigh of relief that Harvey doesn't fall to the Vikings (though they'll probably end up with Jared Allen anyway), while Panthers fans look forward to one of the top pass rushes in the NFL.

14. CHI - OT Chris Williams, Vanderbilt

The Bears decide to bypass their other huge needs on offense here, hoping that the other positions (QB, RB, WR) will fall to them in later rounds; they need an offensive tackle, and they get a good one.

15. DET - RB Rashard Mendenhall, Illinois

Detroit fans have been hoping for this all offseason; hell, if Millen needs to trade up to secure such a franchise running back, he should do so.

16. ARI - RB Felix Jones, Arkansas

One of the biggest surprises of the first round, Arizona reaches for Jones in the middle of the 1st, hoping he'll complement Edge better than Jonathan Stewart would.

17. MIN - DE Philip Merling, Clemson

Defensive end is the Vikings' biggest need, but fans have to be a bit unhappy with this considering Merling is more of a run-stopper than a pass-rusher.

18. HOU - RB Jonathan Stewart, Oregon

They gave a big contract to Ahman Green last offseason, but there's just no way they can pass up their franchise running back here. Stewart is a physical back who can take some pressure off Schaub and the passing game.

19. PHI - OT Ryan Clady, Boise State

I could easily see Philly trading up to take one of the top tackles in the draft, so likewise I think they'd be thrilled to have one fall this far. At the very same time, it wouldn't be surprising to see them trade down and collect more picks, considering they don't have glaring needs.

20. TB - WR DeSean Jackson, Cal

Don't get me wrong here -- I'm not a Jackson fan, and I think his bust potential is higher than most other potential first-rounders in the draft. That said, the Bucs want and need playmakers, and his ceiling is also extremely high.

21.WAS - CB Mike Jenkins, USF

And so ends the semi-freefall of Jenkins, my third-highest-ranked cornerback. I could also see Washington targeting one of the wide receivers with this pick, but they simply can't ignore a prospect of Jenkins' calibre.

22. DAL - WR Limas Sweed, Texas

Not only do the Cowboys get a huge target for the red zone, they get a hometown product who could well be starting for them in 2009.

23. PIT - OT Gosder Cherilus, Boston College

The Steelers are another team with few needs, except for along the offensive line. If they're unable to draft Albert (and it seems unlikely at this point), Cherilus is a guy who can play RT for them from day one.

24. TEN - LB Keith Rivers, USC

Hard as it is to believe, linebackers are always the position that fall farthest in the draft; here, Tennessee gets the best one in the draft.

25. SEA - WR James Hardy, Indiana

After losing Hackett and Jackson in the last couple years, the Seahawks are lacking a young playmaking wideout. Hardy may have the best combination of size and athleticism in the entire draft.

26. JAX - LB Jerod Mayo, Tennessee

Mayo is a guy who I could see going as high as top-15, or falling out of the first round completely. The Jaguars are built on defense, and would be happy to add a piece like Mayo who could captain their unit within a few years.

27. SD - DE/OLB Quentin Groves, Auburn

This pick doesn't exactly fill a need for San Diego, but drafting a pass-rusher like Groves would give the Chargers the freedom to rotate guys and rush the AFC's top passers in scary, scary ways.

28. DAL - CB Aqib Talib, Kansas

For all that I know of the guy, Talib is a complete jerk, but a supremely talented one at that. With another brain, Talib would have gone much, much higher. Here, Jerry Jones bites the bullet, knowing he needs a CB badly.

29. SF - S Kenny Phillips, Miami

Phillips seems to be sliding on many teams' boards, but he also began the year as a potential top-10 pick. The 49ers need all sorts of pieces on defense, and Phillips hopefully provides one of them.

30. GB - OT Sam Baker, USC

Even as a Packers fan, this is honestly a crapshoot. They just have no glaring needs. Besides OT, I could see them going QB (Brohm, Flacco, Henne), TE (Keller, Davis), DE (Campbell), DT (Balmer), CB (Cason, Flowers, Porter, King)...

31. NE - Forfeited, Dirty Cheaters

32. NYG - LB Dan Connor, Penn State

After losing Kawika Mitchell, Connor could easily come in and start. It might also allow Matthias Kiwanuka to go back to DE, if and when Strahan retires.