They're now reporting that Chris Long will go #2 to the Rams. We're still technically 2 1/2 hours from the draft, but Atlanta is on the clock.

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Fire Phil Emery

I wouldn't be suprised if they went with McFadden. He's the biggest name out there, and with the Vick fiasco they need a new face for the team.

Remember they just signed Turner to a big contract, so the chances of them drafting McFadden are slim.

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Fire Phil Emery

Yeah, some of the mock drafts still had them taking McFadden though, don't know what they were thinking.

Sounds like ATL is big on Ryan.

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"Mattress technology has come a long way"

- Dan Bernstein, 2016

If I were Atlanta, I would be drafting a DT, not Ryan. But I think that Ryan is the odds-on favorite for pick 3.

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Fire Phil Emery

Yeah, I think you draft the best player available. I think they have a good amount of picks, so they can address the QB situation later.

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"Mattress technology has come a long way"

- Dan Bernstein, 2016

I really hope Miami and St. Louis make their picks quickly.

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Fire Phil Emery

The Irish Boy wish list for round one:

Albert
Clady
Brohm
Otah
Mendenhall

I'll have trouble justifying anyone else, unless there's a real surprise and someone expected to go much higher falls.

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Fire Phil Emery

Doubt Brohm in the first, at least for the Bears.

Pick 1- Jake Long!

What a shock! OK, we knew this, but this would have been my pick as well. Besides from QB, there is no more important position on the field than LT. Jake Long is a no-doubt top five pick, and he survived through senior year under the serious scout scrutiny that being a major talent brings. A lot of people will bring up Robert Gallery, but I think an even better comparison is Joe Thomas.

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Fire Phil Emery

I watched his combine on NFL.com. He is an incredible athlete at his size.

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"Mattress technology has come a long way"

- Dan Bernstein, 2016

Pick 2: St. Louis- Chris Long

We found this one out earlier today. St. Louis is going the NYG route of building a big-time D-line and hoping to create havoc with the front four. Carriker played well at times last year, and having a great player off the edge will help. Chris Long would be a top-5 pick even if his last name wasn't "Long"; I'm not concerned about either one of the top two picks being disappointments. Now they'll need help in the back 7.

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Fire Phil Emery

Yeah, it's really not fair that a guy that size could have such great agility.

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Fire Phil Emery

Will everyone please stop picking on Robert Gallery? He was doomed from the start.

Pick three: ATL- Matt Ryan

I don't think Matt Ryan is worth the #3 pick. Steve Young makes a good point when he says that leaving the QB position unsettled another year in ATL leaves open the possibility that the "community" will clamor for Vick next year. That's true, but I think the danger is even worse that Ryan performs poorly next year (almost certainly he will, because he'll be a rookie) and then the hoopla over giving Michael Vick another chance begins. I think Ryan has the best chance to be a bust, although I don't think that's certain. I also think ATL would have been better served focusing on their defense, which is just as awful as their offense.

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Fire Phil Emery

Don't mean to pick on him HV, it's just the first name that comes up on the "OT bust" list. In fairness to Gallery, Mike Williams (the OT, not the WR) was an even worse pick, as Gallery is at least a league-average RG, and Williams isn't even in the game anymore.

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Fire Phil Emery

If it were any other team with a QB need, the pick wouldn't make sense, could have gotten him later, but I think the whole need to bring closure to the Vick fiasco made it a necessary move.

Lets see what Al Davis' crazy ass does.

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"Mattress technology has come a long way"

- Dan Bernstein, 2016

It's at least a logical pick. I don't know it's a good pick, but it's not a Ted Ginn headscratcher.

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Fire Phil Emery

Not a surprising pick for the Raiders. McFadden was the best player in this draft and fits with the mystique of the raiders. (He'll be arrested by Game 2)

And here comes where the draft starts to shift....The Chiefs could go OL or DL. Interested to see if they get Dorsey or Alberts/Clady.

McFadden will crash and burn in Oak, worst possible influences all around.

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"Mattress technology has come a long way"

- Dan Bernstein, 2016

Pick 4- OAK- Darren McFadden

The danger of being really bad for a really long time is that you have to keep drafting high year after year, which is a huge salary cap drain if things don't work out. Their #1 pick last year is still a wide open question. Their #2 pick last year was a RB, who now looks to be on his way out.

I'm skeptical about McFadden taking constant punishment, but more importantly, the Oakland running game wasn't that bad last year. It wasn't great, but it would stand to reason that it could improve with a better line and passing game. They still have an awful O-line.

Some will make the comparison with Peterson, and maybe that's true from a talent standpoint. But Peterson was drafted by a team with a great O-line. That's not true of Oakland.

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Fire Phil Emery

I can see the Peterson comparison. Marshall Faulk comes to mind too.

The fact that Oak had such a piss poor O-line makes you wonder about Fargas, he had some real solid games.

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"Mattress technology has come a long way"

- Dan Bernstein, 2016

Pick 5- KC- Glenn Dorsey

Not a bad pick, to be sure. There are health concerns, but a great DT when healthy. We know that.

Larry Johnson's shelf life is approaching the expiration date, however. If they are going to get any value out of him, they need to overhaul that O-line quickly. Of course, after the trade they needed to replace Jared Allen as well. Overall, the team is a mess. Trivia question: when did the Chiefs last win a playoff game?

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Fire Phil Emery

Dorsey's whole family could start at DT. Large people.

I think LJ is done.

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"Mattress technology has come a long way"

- Dan Bernstein, 2016

It's time for the Coors Light people to go away forever.

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Fire Phil Emery

I like Dorsey but remember, defensive tackles tend to have a tougher time stepping in at the next level because the interior lineman are stronger and craftier in the NFL.

Pick 6- NYJ- Vernon Gholston

The Green Room is cleaned out! There will be no Brady Quinns this year. Not a big surprise, and he should be a good fit as on outside LB in the 3-4. Still, he's going to be a bit of a project, especially when compared to the guys who went above him. If I was the Jets, I would have done my damndest to either trade down, or I would have picked an RB, regardless of value. Their O-line should be great, they hae their QB for better or worse, and Cotchery and Coles are pretty decent weapons on the outside. A real RB could make that offense click. Look for them to go that direction in the second round.

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Fire Phil Emery

Pick 7- NO (NE pick from San Fran)- Sedrick Ellis

Logical trade for both sides. NO needs interior D-line help, and NE needs corners and LBs. Sedrick Ellis won't be there at 10, so the Saints get him at 7. I don't know what other pick the Saints had to give up to get the 7; I'll guess a fourth and a 6th.

That secondary is still a mess; teams had a better completion percentage throwing at David than at holes in zone coverage last year (I'm not making that up.) Still, this is a weak CB draft.

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Fire Phil Emery