February 13, 2012
  • 1/23/08

    pro sports in new york

    By Max J. Dickstein

    amNewYork's Top 15 NFL Draft picks

    Here is my Top 15:

    1. Miami — Glenn Dorsey, DT, LSU

    Talented and productive DTs are worth their weight in gold in the NFL and Dorsey is the kind of big, strong player Bill Parcells likes.

    2. St. Louis — Jake Long, OT, Michigan

    St. Louis has to find a long-term replacement at left tackle for Orlando Pace, whose health can't be counted on anymore.

    3. Atlanta — Chris Long, DE, Virginia

    Their new coach, Mike Coach, was a defensive coordinator. Plus, after the Vick and Petrino sagas, the Falcons need some good p.r. moves and Long has the intangibles to be a great face for the franchise.

    4. Oakland — Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas

    Dallas is a realistic trade partner, but Oakland needs a RB to take pressure off of JaMarcus. Fargas is an unrestricted free agent, Rhodes is not a feature back, Jordan won’t be around, and Michael Bush's knee is too risky to count on.

    5. Kansas City — Matt Ryan, QB, Boston College

    Do I need to explain how bad their QBs are? Even Herm Edwards isn’t naive enough to think Croyle can be the guy. At least I hope not for that city’s sake. Plus they didn’t get Brady Quinn last year, so this is them fixing that mistake.

    6. Jets — Vernon Gholston, DE, Ohio State

    He can be switched to an outside linebacker in the 3-4 and occasionally line up as a DE in pass rushing situations.

    7. New England — Aqib Talib, CB, Kansas

    I really think they'll try to trade down and pick a LB, since none of them are worth the seventh pick’s money. But if they don’t, like every other NFL team, they could use some secondary depth.

    8. Baltimore — Brian Brohm, QB, Louisville

    I wouldn’t be surprised if they go for a DE or OT, but McNabb is worthless, Boller has lost his biggest supporter in Billick, and QB impresario Cam Cameron was just hired as the OC. (Enough initials for you?)

    9. Cincinnati — Sedrick Ellis, DT, USC

    Ellis is the best value with the pick and Cincy’s defense needs an infusion of talent.

    10. New Orleans — Mike Jenkins, CB, Ohio State

    The Saints defense was terrible and the worse part of the unit was at cornerback.

    11. Buffalo — DeSean Jackson, WR, Cal

    Cal pals Jackson and Marshawn Lynch can befriend each other in lonely western New York and Buffalo needs another dynamic piece to fit around QB Trent Edwards.

    12. Denver — Ryan Claddy, OT, Boise State

    Denver's offensive line has been crippled the past couple years and Claddy is a known, local product.

    13. Carolina — James Stewart, RB, Oregon

    Coach John Fox says Carolina will go back to becoming a menacing and powerful running team. Neither of their current RBs, Foster and Williams, can provide that. Stewart is 230 pounds, fast, and has that NBA syndrome (a high ceiling).

    14. Chicago — Kentwan Balmer, DT, North Carolina

    He's being projected to New Orleans at No. 10 right now, so Chicago, with a need for DT depth, would feel good about the value of this pick.

    15. Detroit — Sam Baker, OT, USC

    Detroit needs to better protect their QB next year. The coaching staff has said it also wants to run the ball more, so the Lions could replace Jeff Backus with Baker at LT or shift Baker over to RT.

    — Kyle Stack

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