Lou Pickney's 2025 NFL Mock Draft

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What a day for college football fans! For those of you who had to work or otherwise missed out on today's games, you have my sympathies. You missed some fantastic action.

The Arkansas/LSU game played out like a potential Who's Who of the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft. LSU linebacker Ali Highsmith played the game of his life, showing great ability to read the run as well as the capacity to cover receivers in single coverage. I've had Highsmith in my first round for some time now, and he definitely proved himself in front of a national audience today.

Not only was Darren McFadden as good as advertised (and then some), he may have moved into the lead of the race for the Heisman Trophy. Against what I consider to be the best defense in the country, even with Glenn Dorsey playing as a shell of his normal self with a hurt back and knee, McFadden showcased his skills and proved that he has the talent to not only be worthy of being the first running back taken, but also that he may develop into something unique on the NFL level.

In several conversations today with various friends, I brought up the fact that (at the moment) the Patriots are in line to pick at #2. Without fail, every one of them said that New England should take McFadden there. I pitched the idea of New England trading down, or of them drafting Jake Long, but no one wanted to hear it. "McFadden *and* Maroney? That would be sick! Their offensive line is fine, but adding McFadden would just be unfair." Somehow I don't think I've heard the last about this.

We're still far out from having the draft order set, and the Pats may not end up at the #2 spot -- it all depends on how the 49ers play down the stretch. But, I tell you, if you think the 2007 Patriots are scary, imagine that same team but with McFadden added to the mix.

The day actually began with the Egg Bowl, the annual rivalry battle between Ole Miss and Mississippi State. With my work here on Draft King, I take great pains to minimize personal biases and rooting interests relative to the evaluation process. Living in Nashville, I have a regional exposure to teams east of the Mississippi that I probably wouldn't have if I lived in California, but that just makes me work harder to educate myself to players who might otherwise be overlooked. Colorado LB Jordan Dizon, I'm talking about you. Who cares what teams I like; my job is to evaluate talent, look at team needs, and figure out what matchups make the most sense.

But one player who I've been watching is Mississippi State's Derek Pegues (pronounced "Pig-eez", not "Peg-us" like it is in the EA Sports NCAA Football 2008 game), a roaming junior safety who could go in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft (presuming he doesn't go pro early, which I think would be a mistake.) Ole Miss lead 14-0 and was pulling an Iron Sheik and breaking Mississippi State's back and making them humble (or something like that.) But then M-State scored a TD, Ole Miss stalled on offense, and their punt went to Pegues on a one hop. With amazing speed, he snagged the ball, sliced quickly through the Rebel punt team, and took it to the house to tie it up. The momentum had swung, and Mississippi State eeked out a 17-14 win, ensuring a bowl invite with a 7-5 record.

After the game, Mississippi State head coach Sylvester Croom (who I respect a great deal) was choked up and nearly speechless. If you can't appreciate that, then find another sport to follow.

But back to the LSU/Arkansas game, that triple overtime thriller was quite possibly the most exciting NCAA football game of the season. Between the ultra high stakes, the mega stars involved (Early Doucet, Felix Jones, McFadden, Ali Highsmith, Glenn Dorsey, Tyson Jackson, etc.), and the dramatic twists and turns involved, it was a battle worthy of "Instant Classic" status.

There was a scary moment in the Texas/Texas A&M game when Longhorn DT Frank Okam was blocked low in pursuit of an A&M ball carrier. The play was legal, but it left Okam on the turf for a few moments. He eventually made it back up and seemed to be okay, but it was one of those frightening things that, unfortunately, is part of the game. If the Dolphins go with Jake Long or Darren McFadden (not an impossible notion) at #1 overall, should they end up there, I could see them hoping that Okam falls to them at the beginning of Round 2.

That initial pick of round two will be interesting to watch from a negotiating standpoint. Because of Cameragate, there will be only 31 first round picks in 2008, and I imagine the agent of the player taken at R2P1 will argue that first round money would be appropriate for the spot. Just keep that in mind for on down the line.

In a very nice surprise, the Boise State/Hawaii game tonight was shown in HD. To my knowledge, that was the first-ever sports broadcast shown in HD (or "High-Def", a phrase that makes my brother Matt cringe in disgust) from Hawaii. Did ABC/ESPN borrow the HD cameras that they use to shoot Lost since the show is a victim of the WGA writer's strike? Whatever the case, good work by Disney to show the game the way it deserved to be shown.

All the talk about Colt Brennan for the Heisman is wasted breath in my opinion, but give him credit for putting on a solid performance against an underrated Boise State defense tonight. BSU junior RB Ian Johnson looked good as well, though when announcers say things like, "Ian put on 20 pounds of muscle in the off-season", it makes my suspicious spinach meter go off. Of course, the NCAA tests athletes regularly for substance abuse, and I don't suspect Ian Johnson of doing anything against the rules, but just hearing that phrase about the off-season weight gain mentioned made me think back to the 1993 movie The Program.

If today wasn't enough for you, don't worry -- there are a whole host of games on the docket for tomorrow, many with bowl implications. Kansas vs. Missouri tomorrow night in front of a raucous crowd in Kansas City should be a wonderful nightcap. Kansas junior CB Aqib Talib is the player most closely related to the NFL Draft to watch out for in that game, and he will be tested against an underrated Missouri offense.

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