Round One Recap

1. Miami Dolphins select Jake Long, OT from Michigan
The Dolphins fill a need, no matter which side he plays on. A great selection, but now the pressure is on for Long after signing a huge contract last week.
2. St Louis Rams select Chris Long, DE from Virginia
A great selection. Should pair with 2007 rookie Adam Carriker to form an excellent defensive line. Has the skills and potential to flourish in the league.
3. Atlanta Falcons select Matt Ryan, QB from Boston College
A bit of a risk, but could be the new face of the franchise for years to come. They are officially out of the Mike Vick era.
4. Oakland Raiders select Darren McFadden, RB from Arkansas
Home run potential. Will provide a nice safety blanket for JaMarcus Russell. The only problem could be having too many RBs....and this is a problem?
5. Kansas City Chiefs select Glenn Dorsey, DT from LSU
They resist the trade offers from New Orleans, and select a guy who could be the best player in the entire draft. A great pick at number five.
6. New York Jets select Vernon Gholston, DE/OLB from Ohio St
They pretty much had to take Gholston, or else send him to New England. This is a great pick, as they will use him as an outside pass rusher in their 3-4 defence.
7. New Orleans Saints trade up with the Patriots and select Sederick Ellis, DT from USC
This pick will enrage a lot of teams, but Ellis is every bit as good as Dorsey, without the injury concerns. Will be a force in the middle, and will help Charles Grant and Will Smith. Wow.
8. Jacksonville Jaguars trade up with the Ravens and select Derrick Harvey, DE from Florida
A great trade for the Jags. They get the pass rusher they need. This may be a bit of a reach, but they based this pick solely on need. They will be a force next season.
9. Cincinnati Bengals select Keith Rivers, LB from USC
A great pick. Will solidify that defence and help ease the loss of David Pollack. If Odell Thurman is successful, that will bode well for Rivers.
10. New England Patriots select Jared Mayo, LB from Tennessee
They needed to get younger on defence, so they select the best inside linebacker in the draft. A bit of a surprise, but Mayo's stock has been on the rise for a while now.
11. Buffalo Bills select Leodis McKelvin, CB from Troy St
The Bills needed help in the secondary, so they went out and drafted the best CB on the board. McKelvin has the speed and coverage ability to excel for many years.
12. Denver Broncos select Ryan Clady, OT from Boise St
Fills a great need for the Broncos, that need being protecting Jay Cutler. First time a player from Boise St has gone in the first round, so it could be a reach.
13. Carolina Panthers select Johnathan Stewart, RB from Oregon
Needed help in the backfield, so they select Stewart. Has good size mixed with good speed, but could be affected but offseason surgery.
14. Chicago Bears select Chris Williams, OT from Vanderbilt
They needed to do something to improve their running game. They pass on the backs and select a solid tackle.
15. Kansas City Chiefs trade up with the Lions and select Branden Albert, OG from Virginia
A huge need, as they aim to replace their shaky offensive line. They have drafted two solid players here in the first round.
16. Arizona Cardinals select Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, CB from Tennessee St
With former first round pick Antrel Rolle expected to move to safety, this pick makes a lot of sense. DRC adds speed to the secondary, but could be a reach.
17. Detroit Lions select Gosder Cherilus, OT from Boston College
They need to protect their QB, so the reach on Cherilus. They have a plethora of needs, and this fills a big one.
18. Baltimore Ravens trade back up with the Texans and select Joe Flacco, QB from Deleware
Missed on Matt Ryan, so they trade back up to ensure that they get their QB of the Future. Flacco has a big arm, but played division II, so could be a work in progress.
19. Carolina Panthers trade into the first round with the Eagles and select Joff Otah, OT from Pittsburgh
They are moving towards a power running game, adding Otah with Stewart. This running game could be a force next season, with Stewart pairing with Deangelo Williams.
20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers select Aqib Talib, CB from Kansas
They needed to replace Brian Kelly, and get a solid guy in Talib. He does have some character concerns, but those can be managed by a good coach.
21. Atlanta Falcons trade back into the first round with the Redskins and select Sam Baker, OT from USC
They need to protect their franchise QB, and they take the best tackle left on the board. A great pick at this point of the draft.
22. Dallas Cowboys select Felix Jones, RB from Arkansas
They needed a speed back to complement Marion Barber, and Jones has the best speed on the board at the RB position. Will address other needs later.
23. Pittsburgh Steelers select Rashard Mendenhall, RB from Illinois
Wow. A shocker at number 23. The Steelers will pair him with Willie Parker and run with two dynamic RBs. Might regret not taking a cornerback here.
24. Tennessee Titans select Chris Johnson, RB from East Carolina
The fastest RB in the draft. A bit of a questionable pick, as they have two solid RBs in Lendale White and Chris Henry. Will provide Vince Young with another solid option in the backfield.
25. Dallas Cowboys trade up with the Seahawks and select Mike Jenkins, CB from South Florida
A good choice, considering all of their cornerback depth left via free agency. May struggle to get time with Pac Man coming in, but could still be a solid option for the Cowboys.
26. Houston Texans select Duane Brown, OT from Virginia Tech
They traded down, so they missed out on the elite tackles of the class. Could be a sleeper, but it is likely they settled for Brown.
27. San Diego Chargers select Antoine Cason, CB from Arizona
Second year in a row they use a first on a CB, but look how it turned out last year. Cason is a solid pick, and could fill in nicely as a nickel back with the departure of Drayton Florence.
28. Seattle Seahawks select Lawrence Jackson, DE from USC
Teams are always looking for pass rushing abilities, and Jackson is the best player available to fit that need. They worked the draft right by trading down and still getting a great player.
29. San Francisco 49ers select Kentwan Balmer, NT from North Carolina
Many thought they would go LB here, but they could not pass up on Balmer. Balmer will fill an immediate need for any 3-4 team, as he is the best NT in the draft.
30. New York Jets trade into the first round with the Packers and select Dustin Keller, TE from Perdue
A weird play here by trading back in for a tight end, but Keller has loads of potential. A bit undersized, but he showed some of the skills he has at the Combine.
31. New York Giants select Kenny Phillips, S from Miami (Fla)
The Giants are ecstatic that Phillips is still on the board here. They get their replacement for Gibril Wilson, and they also get the best safety in the draft.

Wow, so many trades. This was an amazing first round. Good call by the NFL to shorten the time between picks, as we may have two full rounds done by 9 pm. Back with more draft musings tomorrow.