Final Mock

This is the one that will be appearing the paper Saturday, barring any trade tonight.

1. Miami, Jake Long, OT, Michigan. Miami went the safe route and signed Long to a deal earlier this week. The Dolphins will likely take a quarterback with their first pick in the second round.
2. St. Louis, Glenn Dorsey, DT, LSU. If the Rams stay in this spot, they’ll take Dorsey, but there are a number of teams who may want to move up to get him, New Orleans topping that list.
3. Atlanta, Matt Ryan, QB, Boston College. If Dorsey were still available, the Falcons may have taken him and waited until the second round for a QB. But Ryan is a nice consolation prize.
4. Oakland, Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas. How does Al Davis pass on former Raiders’ star Howie Long’s son, Chris? He’s apparently enamored with McFadden, even though the team has a bevy of running backs.
5. Kansas City, Chris Long, DE, Virginia. The trade of Jared Allen to Minnesota netted the Chiefs some extra picks, including Minnesota’s No. 1 this year. Now, the draft nets them a solid replacement for Allen.
6. New York Jets, Vernon Gholston, OLB, Ohio State. The Jets really wanted McFadden, but settle on Gholston, who will shift from defensive end to outside linebacker in their 3-4 defense.
7. New England (from San Francisco), Keith Rivers, LB, USC. The Patriots haven’t selected a linebacker before the fifth round of the draft since Bill Belichick became head coach. But retirements and free agency have made that a necessity now.
8. Baltimore, Ryan Clady, OT, Boise State. The Ravens could move up if Atlanta doesn’t select Ryan. But with Jonathan Ogden likely to retire, Clady fills a big need as well. Baltimore will take a QB in the second round.
9. Cincinnati, Sedrick Ellis, DT, USC. A high character player, Ellis may feel out of place in the Bengals’ locker room. But Cincinnati struck out in all its attempts to acquire a defensive tackle in the offseason.
10. New Orleans, Leodis McKelvin, CB, Troy. If the Saints can’t move up to take Dorsey or Ellis, they’ll take a cornerback. McKelvin is also an excellent return man, allowing the Saints to hold Reggie Bush out of that role.
11. Buffalo, Dominque Rodgers-Cromartie. The Bills could go for Michigan State wide receiver Devin Thomas, but will likely wait until the second round to fill that need. Rodgers-Cromartie has the size and speed to match up with bigger wideouts.
12. Denver, Chris Williams, OT, Vanderbilt. With Matt Lepsis’ retirement, the Broncos have a hole at left tackle. Williams fills that need, though there are some rumors that he has back problems, which could mean the Broncos take Branden Albert instead.
13. Carolina, Derrick Harvey, DE, Florida. Mike Rucker retired this week and the Panthers need somebody to take the pressure off of Julius Peppers rushing the passer.
14. Chicago, Jeff Otah, OT, Pitt. The Bears could take a running back, but Otah is just the type of road-grader offensive lineman the Bears like. They can then grab a running back in later rounds.
15. Detroit, Rashard Mendenhall, RB, Illinois. The Lions released Kevin Jones and T.J. Duckett left in free agency. They would take Harvey if he’s available. But since he’s not, Mendenhall should be the pick.
16. Arizona, Mike Jenkins, CB, South Florida. Antrel Rolle is making the move from corner to free safety leaving the Cards with a hole at cornerback. Jenkins is a solid player and gives Ken Whisenhunt some much-needed depth at the position.
17. Kansas City (from Minnesota), Branden Albert, OL, Virginia. Larry Johnson had nowhere to run for much of the season last year because the once-proud Chiefs offensive line was mediocre at best. Albert is an immediate starter.
18. Houston, Jonathan Stewart, RB, Oregon. The Texans wanted an offensive lineman or corner, but the guys they were targeting in the first round were off the board, so they fill another need, taking the bruising Stewart.
19. Philadelphia, Devin Thomas, WR, Michigan State. The Eagles have been searching for a big wideout to pair with Donovan McNabb since Terrell Owens left. Now they get one in Thomas, who had a huge 2007 season.
20. Tampa Bay, Limas Sweed, WR, Texas. Joey Galloway is 36 years old, even though he hasn’t appeared to slow down much. But at some point, they need a talented young receiver to take his place.
21. Washington, Phillip Merling, DE, Clemson. New head coach Jim Zorn and owner Daniel Snyder attended Merling’s workouts earlier this week at Clemson. And defensive line is a huge need for the Redskins, though they’d take Thomas or Sweed if they were available.
22. Dallas (from Cleveland), Felix Jones, RB, Arkansas. After letting Julius Jones leave in free agency, the Cowboys get a speedy young running back to pair with Marion Barber.
23. Pittsburgh, Gosder Cherlius, OT, Boston College. There isn’t a defensive lineman the Steelers like in this spot and the only other player who might interest them is Tennessee linebacker Jerod Mayo. Cherlius fills a big need.
24. Tennessee, Kentwan Balmer, DT, North Carolina. The Titans still have Albert Haynesworth, but need somebody to line up next to him. A wide receiver is possible – James Hardy? – but Jeff Fisher is a defensive-minded coach.
25. Seattle, Lawrence Jackson, USC. Jackson had an excellent on-campus workout a few weeks ago and was productive in USC’s defense. He’s a bit of a surprise here, though, since the Seahawks could also go for a tight end.
26. Jacksonville, Quinton Groves, DE/LB, Auburn. Groves will play defensive end for the Jaguars, who need some help at the position. They would have liked Balmer or Jackson, but settle for Groves.
27. San Diego, Brian Brohm, QB, Louisville. I don’t think the Chargers will be making this pick. But Brohm will be taken in this spot by a team at the top of the second round that wants to move up for a quarterback.
28. Dallas, Aqib Talib, CB, Kansas State. Talib would have gone earlier, but three positive drug tests in college force him down. As Jerry Jones proved earlier this week by trading for Pacman Jones, he doesn’t mind bringing in bad character players.
29. San Francisco (from Indianapolis), Malcolm Kelly, WR, Oklahoma. Kelly was once considered the top WR in this draft, but didn’t run well. But he’s a player and even though the 49ers signed Issac Bruce and Bryant Johnson, they need some talented youth at the position.
30. Green Bay, Antoine Cason, CB, Arizona. Cason was considered one of the top corners available until he didn’t run well at the combine. But he’s a playmaker and Green Bay’s starting corners are both over 30.
31. New England (pick forfeited) 
32. New York Giants, Jerod Mayo, LB. Tennessee. The Giants could go for a corner or safety, but Mayo is too good to pass up at this point.