2008 NFL Draft Live Blog

(Note: this whole entry got deleted and had to be repasted out of an e-mail...no excuses)

Welcome to the second annual Tremendous Upside Potential NFL Draft live blog!

I'm your host, BobbyStompy, and I look forward to a good day after having a
pretty fun time last year on my own blog doing this very same thing (though it
might be damn near impossible to top the Brady Quinn pitfall).

A few things going in: my Internet has been severely damaged, so with in-and-out
signal, it's hard to say how often the updates will be. Shouldn't be too bad,
but we'll see.

Also, I am quitting the Bears if Chad Henne gets drafted by them. Seriously.

All times are Central.

12:34PM - Well, I hadn't planned to get the ball rolling with this until around
2PM, but if the draft is going to start early, we might as well, too, right?
With Jake Long already locked in as the No. 1 pick, rumors are coming out about
the Rams already being decided with taking Chris Long at No. 2. From there, more
rumors are abound about the Falcons taking Matt Ryan at No. 3. Well, if true,
that kills about 30 minutes of the draft already, and that's not a good thing.
The top-3 is probably one of the most suspenseful parts of the draft, and if it
is already decided...bummer.

12:38PM - The NFL Draft is already my favorite sporting event of the year, but
to make matters even better, our Chicago White Sox are entrenched in a day/night
double-header with the Orioles . First game's at noon on Comcast, second's on
WGN at 6:05PM. With two TVs set up in the living room, this is about as good as
it gets.

12:44PM - Looking over ESPN.com to see what's going on in terms of draft stuff,
I see my first Brett Favre Madden cover add. I know we haven't touched on it
here, but my view on it is probably what you would expect...

How the hell did Brett Favre get the Madden cover?!

Seriously. The guy is retired (maybe for fake, maybe for real...who knows?).
It's time -- at least, for now -- to move on. It's like EA didn't realize how
much media overkill everybody outside of Green Bay was kidding. I don't know if
someone within the company thought it would be a cheeky, but, at this point,
everybody is pretty burned out on #4. It's not 1996 anymore.

12:45PM - Juan Uribe look so helpless at the plate sometimes, but he's one of my
favorite people
on the White Sox to watch hit home runs. Just so ridiculous every time.

12:46PM - Wow, I forgot how offensively awful Toby Hall is. I wonder if him and
Uribe hang out.

12:49PM - Danks is looking great. No jinxes intended, but he's yet to, uh,
surrender, uh, you know.

12:53PM - 4th inning over, Danks still going strong.

1:36PM - Just got back from a pre-draft trip to Chick-fil-A. Sox are down, 2-0.
I assume the perfect
game is over.

2:07PM - Jake Long goes #1 overall. No surprises there. My buddy Ryan and I made
some competing mock drafts, and we're squaring off with money on the line. Last
year, I pathetically beat him, 5-3. This year, I think my goal is 7.

2:10PM - Suzy Kolber asks Chris Long if he can ever remember wanting a phone to
ring so badly. He tells her his mom's phone rang, which apparently faked out
everybody at the table into thinking it was the real phone. "It's called
vibrate, mom," he finishes.

2:11PM - Chris Long goes No. 2 to the St. Louis Rams. Ryan and I are tied, 2-2.
"One away from last year," he says.

2:13PM - Long is boasting his Rams #1 jersey. "You're not number one, you're
number two, bitch!" Ryan declares.

2:17PM - Falcons on the clock, and all signs are pointing to Matty Ice. They say
he's got "it." You know, the whole teammates-follow-him-clutch-hard-working-Peyton-Manning-Tom-Brady-type
thing. If that's, in fact, a real quality, it's a good one to have.

2:19PM - Matt Ryan goes to the Falcons, and my friend Ryan has already matched
his last year's first round mock output. We're both tied, 3-3.

2:20PM - Why is Brian Brohm not considered the no-doubt consensus No. 2 QB in
the draft? Chad Henne? Really? I watched that joker for four years, and while
he's shown flashes, the guy wasn't even voted a team captain. He was a four-year
starter! Brohm has accuracy, won some games, and carried a pretty sub-par team
his senior year. Remember, this guy could have been a top-5 pick had he come out
after his junior year. I don't think he slips out of the first round.

2:23PM - A costly Konerko error gives the O's a 3-0 lead in the top of the 9th.
I think I wrote this game off when I saw it was 2-0 in the 7th inning. It seems
like double-headers are always splits. So if that's the case today, I'd rather
see the Sox get some momentum with a big win tonight instead of winning early
and sputtering late.

2:27PM - Raiders take Darren McFadden at No. 4. I'm not sure why. Actually, I
know why: they're idiots. Drafting running backs this high in the draft makes
little to no sense -- factoring in how many late selections and undrafted
players become productive NFL players. Didn't the Raiders just re-sign Justin
Fargas? Whatever, best of luck to McFadden. Ryan and I both had Dorsey going to
Oakland, so this could really screw up our respective mocks.

2:28PM - Kiper just mentioned how Oakland has Michael Bush coming off of injury,
too. Ugh.

2:29PM - I didn't realize -- with all the character questions -- that McFadden
never even had a criminal record. I don't know, man. He can't control his
family's crazy behavior.

2:32PM - I think I may have just done a 180 on the Run DMC pick. The Raiders
probably need all the offensive help they can get, and they already have a young
QB, plus, no WRs are really worth taking this high. Still, maybe O-line help?
Maybe they should have traded out of it.

2:34PM - Dorsey to the Chiefs, wearing possibly the biggest watch in the world.
And our first tears are shed during the '08 draft. I love watching emotional
defensive tackles in expensive suits.

2:39PM - The Jets fans looked the most jacked up I've ever seen them. I'm not
sure what player would upset them or what player they'd actually want. I saw
some skinny white guy mouth something about Gholston. We'll see.

2:39PM - And the White Sox are down 5-0 in the bottom of the 9th (I'd changed
the channel to breifly watch that horrible Orlando-Toronto series). Ozzie must
be loading up for the nightcap.

2:42PM - Do Jets fans go crazy because that's how the media portrays them? Or
does the media portray them that way because they're just totally insane? It's
like the chicken-egg argument, I think.

2:43PM - I was really high on Gholston going into the draft, but it seems like
his stock dropped in the last few days or so. I never realized how much he
relied on his athleticism over technique (which, I believe, Jason Whitlock said
in his analysis). I've also never seen a defensive player's stock benefit from
one sack (the one against Jake Long) in the way that Gholston has.

2:45PM - Gholston to the Jets. And the green room is six-for-six. At least we
won't have the "why is he falling?!" stories this year. The worst was when
Leinart went 10th or 11th a few years ago, and ESPN acted like he had a chance
to be homeless or something.

2:46PM - My Patriots are on the clock. I wonder what those crazy asses have in
mind.

2:46PM - Jesus. Sox are down 5-1 with the bases loaded, 2 out, and "Big Game"
Joe Crede at the bat. Interesting...

2:47PM - Crede flies out to end Game 1. O's win, 5-1. Hopefully the Pats don't
pick someone shitty. I'm hoping for one of the USC guys (Rivers or Ellis), or
maybe Clady at tackle -- but maybe that's a reach. Who knows, maybe they'll
trade down...

2:49PM - I really don't want the Pats to draft a CB. They had one of the best
last year in Asante Samuel, and he didn't make that big of a difference when
push came to shove in the playoffs. They need someone for a front-seven that
just doesn't put all that much pressure on the quarterback. Michael Smith said
Cromartie's cousin could be the pick...

2:50PM - And the Pats trade the pick to the Saints! We'll see what the details
are. All that talk about the Patriots picking high, and in the end, it never
really happened. I assume this trade is a money move, and with a franchise so
savvy with its salary cap, it makes perfect sense.

2:53PM - The Saints take Ellis, and since I had him going to the Pats in my
mock, I take the lead, 4-3.

3:32PM - Damn, I had to pick up my friend John, who just came into Iowa City
from Madison, and I missed, like, everything. Looks like the Pats took
undersized Jerod "O.J." Mayo. I have no idea what to think about this, but I
feel kinda-slightly disappointed.

Ryan and I are still tied 4-3.

3:34PM - Not to get too racial, but it was pointed out by Ryan that the top-3
picks in this draft were all white. I wonder when the last time that happened?

3:38PM - I had a pretty bad feeling going into the Bears pick, but I'm down with
that Vanderbilt guy, Chris Williams. Just no Chad Henne. God, I hate the Bears.
I was kind of feeling Mendenhall, but it looks like logic prevailed. Sorry,
Rickhouse. Mendenhell may be good (may not be), but drafting a running back when
the team has so many other glaring needs just wouldn't be what's best for this
squad.

3:43PM - Leeons trade the pick to the Chiefs. Take Branden Albert off your
boards.

3:44PM - Call me Chris Berman, because I just tipped that one, son! Albert to
the Chiefs at No. 15 -- it's official.

3:54PM - Rodgers-Cromartie to the Arizona Cardinals. The consensus seems to be
it's O.K. that he "only" has one kidney. Thanks for your approval, studio
analysts.

3:57PM - Cherlius (OT, Boston College) goes to the Lions. I ended up making a
very, very weak Chris Chelios joke.

Mendenhall is kinda slipping down the board, no? Ryan thinks he'll go to the
Texans.

3:59PM - BURN! Baltimore trades into the Ravens' spot.

4:02PM - Flacco to the Vins. Can I call the Ravens "the Vins"? Eh, it sounds
pretty stupid. Whatever. I wish the Bears would have picked Flacco. He could
have failed so well in Chicago. Tall, unproven, small school. Oh-so perfect.
This brings fat Henne back into the fold. Oh, god.

4:20PM - Aqib Talib to the Tampa Bay Bucs. Ryan called the pick, so we're tied,
4-4. My buddies friend is a walk-on at Kansas, and he said Talib is a really,
really nice guy. That's the kind of secondary information you can set your watch
to.

4:25PM - I know the Redskins had a tumultuous regular season. But watching the
montage ESPN just showed truly portrayed how tumultuous it actually was. The
death of an all-pro, the raping by the Patriots, the win-streak to get into the
playoffs, Collins becoming the starter after Campbell got hurt, the playoff
loss, Joe Gibbs retiring. They still made the playoffs, though.

Oh, also, I didn't realize the Cardinals went 8-8 last season. I really thought
they were a 6 or 7 win team. Good for them; maybe this year, they'll finally
take the next step: a first round playoff loss.

4:30PM - The Redskins trade the pick to the Falcons, who take Sam Baker at No.
21. I remember when Baker was considered a #1 or #2 tackle on most people's
draft boards. That was last year. I hope all the young kids out there learned a
valuable lesson about staying an extra year in school. It's all about the
benjamins, baby.

4:39PM - Dallas takes Felix Jones with the No. 22 pick. Mel's grade: A. Fan's
grade: C. Uh oh. In all seriousness, a pretty damn good selection, I think.

4:40PM - Felix Jones apparently had more yards-per-carry than Reggie Bush did
while in college. That is hella impressive.

4:44PM - And Rickhouse's favorite new team? The Pittsburgh Steelers, who select
Rashard Mendenhall at No. 23. I think the Steelers could have done something
better with this pick. Though "Fast" Willie Parker wasn't exactly healthy as
last season finished up. Mel's Grade: B. Fan's Grade: A. Take that, Kipe!

4:51PM - And, in possibly the biggest reach of the draft thus far, the Carolina
Panthers take Chris Johnson, RB E. Carolina. If you remember, this guy ran a
4.24 at the combine.

Mel's grade: B-. Fan's grade: F.

Big surprise, there.

Who knows, maybe he'll blaze 'em all off the field. Or maybe he'll make like
Manningham, Talib, and Josh Howard and just blaze 'em.

Zing!

4:58PM - Seattle's on the clock, and in the background, we hear "Smells Like
Teen Spirit" being played at Radio City Music Hall. Gotta love whoever
coordinated that. Mort just used the expression "long on the tooth," which marks
the 83rd time I've heard that today.

5:00PM - And we've hit the three-hour mark. Apparently the Cowboys traded into
the Seahawks pick, taking South Florida CB Mike Jenkins in the process. He had a
pretty sick highlight video that ESPN just showed. Hits, speed, finesse. Gotta
love it.

Mel's grade: B. Fan's grade: A.

Nice.

5:29PM - The Jets -- with the Packers pick -- take Purdue TE Dustin Keller. I
nail the pick to take a 6-5 lead in the mock draft contest. It's funny that my
two picks which are giving me the lead both were drafted by teams that traded
into the spot.

"This is crap," Ryan declares.

5:33PM - And the New York Giants close out the first round with the 31st pick
because of cough, Spygate, cough. ESPN says the pick is in, but it's been a few
minutes.

5:34PM - Kenny Phillips, S, Miami-FL. Ryan correctly picks it, which brings us
to a 6-6 tie as the first round finishes. Meaning? We wasted the last
three-and-a-half hours.

The final score: 6-6.

5:37PM - I love the new ESPN feature where when the time to pick drops below two
minutes, the border around the team's logo turns red. The past few times it's
happened, I've been saying "we've entered the red-zone!"... to the annoyance of
my roommate and guest.

5:43PM - I think I've decided I legitimately want the Bears to draft Brian
Brohm. Henne would be not a good idea, but I think Brohm might actually have a
chance. I really do like his accuracy. Both are still on the board...

5:54PM - Packers take K-State WR, Jordy Nelson. His highlights were sick. Side
note: white. But he does look fast, good hands, solid production in college
(120+ receptions last year).

* * * *

We're getting into the thick of the second round, so I'm calling the live
blog... unless anyone wants it to keep going. I might come back if and when a
team drafts fat Henne.