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NFL mock draft(Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, The (KRT) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) 1. MIAMI DOLPHINS JAKE LONG, OT, Michigan: VP Bill Parcells makes the call, taking a great RT but possibly only an average LT. Long tied for fifth in a Journal Sentinel poll this month asking 20 scouts to name the best player in the draft. His five-year, $57.5 million deal contains $30 million in guarantees. By signing four days before the draft, he is the first No. 1 pick to sign this early since LB Aundray Bruce in 1988. 2. ST. LOUIS RAMS CHRIS LONG, DE, Virginia: The Rams flip a coin between Little Howie and Glenn Dorsey. Their defensive line is weak. They need a DE worse than a DT. 3. ATLANTA FALCONS GLENN DORSEY, DT, Louisiana State: This is the best player in the draft, according to the Journal Sentinel poll. The Falcons gave careful consideration to Matt Ryan but cannot pass on a much better player. 4. OAKLAND RAIDERS VERNON GHOLSTON, DE, Ohio State: The Raiders like their stable of RBs, including Justin Fargas, Michael Bush and Dominic Rhodes. Thus, Al Davis bypasses Darren McFadden for a sleek pass rusher to join Derrick Burgess outside. 5. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS MATT RYAN, QB, Boston College: The Chiefs struggle taking a pick for the future (if not the present) in Ryan against a left tackle for 2008 and the next 10 years. Gholston would have been the perfect fit to replace the departed Jared Allen. 6. NEW YORK JETS DARREN McFADDEN, RB, Arkansas: No telling how much damage McFadden might do in the AFC East . . . especially if he's with the archenemy Patriots, who are up next. If Ryan's available, the BC QB might get the call because Kellen Clemens and Chad Pennington inspire little confidence. 7. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS-a BRANDEN ALBERT, T-G, Virginia: Bill Belichick has a thing for D-linemen and Sedrick Ellis would pass muster, but NT Vince Wilfork already is one of the best in the business. Besides, his O-line was overrun in Super Bowl XLII and needs more talent. 8. BALTIMORE RAVENS MIKE JENKINS, CB, South Florida: Or it might just as well be Leodis McKelvin. Need is high at CB because Chris McAllister is coming off a knee injury and Samari Rolle has various health issues. 9. CINCINNATI BENGALS SEDRICK ELLIS, NT, Southern California: There's talk about the Bengals selecting Jonathan Stewart. But the Bengals can't really improve on defense if they keep trying to start Domata Peko and John Thornton at DT. 10. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS LEODIS McKELVIN, CB, Troy: The Saints are angling upward with Dorsey and Ellis in mind. If they can't get up there, they'd be pleasantly surprised to find the second-best CB on their board staring them in the face. 11. BUFFALO BILLS DOMINIQUE RODGERS-CROMARTIE, CB, Tennessee State: The Bills need another WR to team with Lee Evans but Devin Thomas isn't worth this pick. "DRC" is. The Bills finally find a suitable replacement for Nate Clements. 12. DENVER BRONCOS RYAN CLADY, T, Boise State: Mike Shanahan thinks long and hard about Rashard Mendenhall, who was born to run in a zone scheme. But Clady, whose recently strained pectoral muscle concerns some teams, is a far better option at LT than converted LG Chris Kuper as the successor to retired Matt Lepsis. 13. CAROLINA PANTHERS JONATHAN STEWART, RB, Oregon: The Panthers aren't enamored of DeAngelo Williams as their starting running back. Stewart is the power back whom coach John Fox hasn't had since Stephen Davis. Tackle is high on their list, too. 14. CHICAGO BEARS JEFF OTAH, T, Pittsburgh: Chris Williams is the better athlete but Otah is bigger and tougher. The Bears start rebuilding up front, then worry about a RB later. Skokie's own Mendenhall is a hard RB for GM Jerry Angelo to let pass. 15. DETROIT LIONS DERRICK HARVEY, DE, Florida: The Lions have neither an RB nor more than one competent DE. But RB is the best position in the draft and they can get one of those later. Harvey is the last good DE. 16. ARIZONA CARDINALS RASHARD MENDENHALL, RB, Illinois: Edgerrin James has played nine years and taken too many hits, especially during his two seasons in the desert. Mendenhall is big and fast. 17. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS-b CHRIS WILLIAMS, T, Vanderbilt: The Chiefs might have given up their best player in Jared Allen but recover nicely with a grooved-in LT. Old pro Damion McIntosh was their LT a year ago. They don't want to live through that again. 18. HOUSTON TEXANS AQIB TALIB, CB, Kansas: The Texans came out smelling like a rose last year, taking DT Amobi Okoye even though he admitted having smoked marijuana. Talib is a far greater character risk than Okoye but some scouts say he has turned his life around. 19. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES KENNY PHILLIPS, S, Miami: With the five best O-linemen off the board, the Eagles jump up for the best safety. FS Brian Dawkins is 34, and neither Quintin Mikell nor Sean Considine is the answer at SS. 20. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS KEITH RIVERS, LB, Southern California: Strictly the best player on the board and an excellent candidate to replacing aging LB Derrick Brooks. If Rivers is taken, don't be surprised to see Devin Thomas here. 21. WASHINGTON REDSKINS DEVIN THOMAS, WR, Michigan State: Owner Dan Snyder, coach Jim Zorn and defensive coordinator Greg Blache all attended Phillip Merling's mediocre workout Thursday. So did about 20 other teams, including Green Bay. But after trying to trade for Chad Johnson, Roy Williams and Anquan Boldin, it should be pretty obvious what the Redskins want. 22. DALLAS COWBOYS-c FELIX JONES, RB, Arkansas: The only RBs on the roster are Marion Barber and Alonzo Coleman, a player of some promise off their practice squad. Felix Jones, like owner Jerry Jones, is a Razorback. A country kid, he'll fit anywhere, even in Big D. 23. PITTSBURGH STEELERS JAMES HARDY, WR, Indiana: Gosder Cherilus would cure some ills in the O-line and Jerod Mayo makes sense because LILB James Farrior is 33. But the Steelers believe in Hardy, a big receiver with better speed than Plaxico Burress. 24. TENNESSEE TITANS CHRIS JOHNSON, RB, East Carolina: LenDale White and Chris Henry are workhorse backs. Vince Young needs a playmaker. Johnson did that in `07 and his neck problems don't concern the Titans 25. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS KENTWAN BALMER, DT, North Carolina: The Seahawks are in a jam because their top DT, Rocky Bernard, was arrested Sunday after punching the mother of his child. GM Tim Ruskell is big on character. John Carlson would walk in as the starting TE they don't have and Merling also fits, but they've got to have a DT. 26. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS PHILLIP MERLING, DE, Clemson: Coach Jack Del Rio says he won't reach for a DE but under this scenario he doesn't have to with the selection of Merling, who should be fully recovered in no time from a hernia operation. He's tempted by Antoine Cason here as well. 27. SAN DIEGO CHARGERS GOSDER CHERILUS, T, Boston College: GM A.J. Smith needs to revamp the right side of his O-line, where RG Mike Goff is 32 and RT Jeromey Clary might or might not be the answer. He has also floated numerous offers to trade down. 28. DALLAS COWBOYS ANTOINE CASON, CB, Arizona: The Cowboys have nothing behind starters Terence Newman and Anthony Henry and are high on Cason despite his average speed. Jerry Jones wants a CB from his top two picks and isn't eager to move up. 29. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS-d MALCOLM KELLY, WR, Oklahoma: Some teams backed off Kelly because of his pedestrian workouts and his ridiculous post-workout remarks, but the 49ers aren't one of them. Remember, Jerry Rice was barely able to break 4.6 when he came out of Mississippi Valley State in 1985. 30. (FROM PACKERS) ATLANTA FALCONS-e BRIAN BROHM, QB, Louisville: The Packers would have taken all kinds of people, including Merling, Cherilus and Cason among the last four picks. Now they have to look at this depleted board with no one left carrying a first-round grade other than Mayo, and they have enough LBs. Thus, Ted Thompson trades down with the Falcons, Chiefs (if they don't draft Ryan), Jets or Ravens, all of whom have second-round picks between 34 and 38 and need a QB. Some of those teams prefer Joe Flacco or Chad Henne to Brohm. 31. NEW YORK GIANTS JEROD MAYO, LB, Tennessee: During free agency they lost two starting linebackers from their Super Bowl lineup, Kawika Mitchell and Reggie Torbor. A terrific player, Mayo helps the rich get richer. KEY: a-From San Francisco in 2007 draft-day trade for T Joe Staley; b-From Kansas in trade Wednesday for DE Jared Allen; c-From Cleveland in 2007 draft-day trade for QB Brady Quinn; d-From Indianapolis in 2007 draft-day trade for T Tony Ugoh; e-From Green Bay in proposed draft-day trade for QB Brian Brohm. (New England forfeited the last choice in the first round for illegal sideline filming.) ___ (c) 2008, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Visit JSOnline, the Journal Sentinel's World Wide Web site, at http://www.jsonline.com/ Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. 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