Lou Pickney's 2025 NFL Mock Draft

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The SEC record-tying rushing performance by Arkansas junior RB Darren McFadden against South Carolina this past Saturday night cemented his spot as the top RB prospect for the 2008 Draft. Depending on team needs, he could end up as the #1 overall pick, though as last year's draft proved, sometimes an elite RB prospect can fall due to no fault of his own. As amazing as Adrian Peterson's first eight games have been, it's hard to fault the six teams that passed on him because of their running back situations and spots they needed to fill at other positions.

At the QB spot, it remains a three player race between Andre Woodson, Matt Ryan, and Brian Brohm for the battle to be the top signal-caller taken. They all have NFL top-notch talent, and it's possible that all three could be seeing some playing time by the end of the 2008 season.

Lou Pickney's 2025 NFL Mock Draft

The first round status of Boston College OT Gosder Cherilus is in question, particularly with many other offensive linemen beginning to get more serious looks from scouts. Pitt OT Jeff Otah has exceeded all expectations in holding down the left tackle spot for the Panthers, and at 6'6" 360 he certainly has NFL level size. His teammate on the other side of the line, Mike McGlynn, projects to a guard or hybrid position in the NFL, and Pittsburgh arguably has the best offensive tackle duo in the nation.

Add to that the potential for juniors Ryan Clady (Boise State) and Michael Oher (Ole Miss) to enter the draft, and Cherilus may end up squeezed out of the first round. We'll see. It's not always a bad thing; in 2006, Auburn OT Marcus McNeil slipped out of the first round but immediately made a positive impact with the Chargers.

Not to be overlooked in the glut of corners that either will or may enter the 2008 Draft is Kansas CB Aqib Talib. Despite being on an unbeaten team, Talib hasn't received the big push that you might expect from a high-profile prospect playing in a major prospect. Talib is a junior, so he may opt to return to school, but if he comes out he could break through into the first round of the 2008 Draft. Talib doesn't have desert speed (with a reported 4.5+ 40 time), but his coverage skills are strong, he has good height for the position, and he has a great chance to make an impact in the NFL.

In contrast to the depth at corner, there are some interesting disparities in opinion relative to the safety position. Miami junior safety Kenny Phillips looks like a runaway top pick at the spot should be come out. There isn't a LaRon Landry in this draft, not in my estimation, but there could be some guys to make late runs to move up into the first three rounds (and it kills me to not be able to use "Day one pick" to refer to the top three rounds.) Michael Chung of Oregon is a strong safety who I'm high on, though another year at Oregon could take him from a second or third round pick to a first rounder in the 2009 Draft.

Tomorrow features Louisville at West Virginia. I have to hand it to ESPN; they've managed to land some great games for the Thursday (and Friday) night timeslots. While this game lacks the high stakes of last year's thriller, Brian Brohm will receive a chance to prove himself yet again in front of a nationwide audience. Mix that with the West Virginia offensive juggernaut, and it should be an entertaining game, if nothing else.

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