With the 2008 draft now in the rear view mirror, Browns fans can now do two things.
1) Check out Beckwith’s excellent recaps of the players that Phil Savage and crew selected this past weekend, and…
2) Get ready for next season’s draft where we will hopefully have a few picks on the first day. This is assuming that they’re not traded away within the next 11 months.
Tom Marino, of Scout.com, apparently is a bigger fan of choice number 2, where he has already laid out a mock draft for next season. We must note that this mock was made before this past week, so selections do not take into account those players chosen about 48 hours ago.
Fans of the Miami Dolphins may not be too happy to see that they’re once again forecasted to be selecting first. But fans of the Ohio State Buckeyes will be happy to see that one of their own will likely step his game up enough to be taken first overall.
1. Miami – James Laurinaitis, Ohio State, LB
The Dolphins made modest strides in 07, but are continuing on the course of improving the defensive unit with the latest in a long line of top inside backers produced by the Buckeyes.
But wait, it gets better.
Despite having the fifth pick this past season, Kansas City is slated to pick second. Their choice?
2. Kansas City – Malcolm Jenkins, Ohio State, CB
Passing on a corner in the opening round proved to be the Chiefs’ undoing. With Marty Schottenheimer back in town and wearing both hats (coach and GM), this aspect of the game will be taken care of very quickly.
Pairing a shut-down corner like Jenkins with this past year’s selection of Glen Dorsey would instantly upgrade that Kansas City Defense. More importantly, it looks like Jenkins’ decision to come back for another year would be very, very beneficial in terms of the wallet, as he likely would not have been the first DB selected this past year, let alone second overall.
Marino has Baltimore selecting an offensive tackle (Andre Smith, Alabama) third overall, something that they’ll likely need to aid recently added Joe Flacco. And while Oakland took a running back this past weekend…
4. Oakland – Beanie Wells, Ohio State, RB
After a two-year absence, Denny Green returns to the bay area as the first major change in new managing general partner Carl Peterson era.
I would look past the actual teams drafting in most of these selection anyways, as that is something that may be a lot harder to predict than the actual players that will be valued at said spots. The fact that three of the top four selections are slated to be Buckeyes has to speak volumes for what scouts (specifically Scout.com) is expecting from the Scarlet and Gray this season.
The down side to this whole mock is that they’re predicting the Browns to select 13th overall, well outside of the playoff race. I guess I’m willing to take the good with the bad in this case, and if you weren’t already anxious to see what all of the returning Buckeyes can do this season, here’s to hoping that this pushes you a bit closer to the edge.
(h/t MDS at The FanHouse)
Update: Scout.com posted an updated forecast here. Laurinaitis is first. Jenkins third.
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