NFL Draft 2008: Giants, Dolphins and Bears put team tactics and needs ahead of star potential

With the 2008 NFL draft now a done thing, we can clearly state that teams have realised that the draft is just another tool for finding players to fill their depth chart. In other words, most picks went with the thinking of what the team needs, rather than the old thinking of who is the best player available.

How has this come to be? Look no further than the Super Bowl Champion Giants draft of 2007. Fresh off his hiring, Jerry Reese put together a draft class that received no raves from the magazines. Reese decided to draw out a complete plan for the draft. He looked at the G-men’s needs then looked at the draft board, and pretty much decided to fill the gaps with the players that he felt were good enough to do so, and were still going to be there when they actually had to make the pick.

According to the Giants war room last year, Reese pretty much gave them every name before the draft, and they got every single guy on that list. When you consider the fact that every one of New York’s picks made an impact in their run for the title, this is no small feat. Suddenly, a bunch of teams have emulated this logic in this year’s draft.

The top of the first round held no surprises at all. Jake Long went to Miami, as the Dolphins already struck a deal with the prospect prior to picking him. Chris Long was second going to St. Louis, another obvious choice despite the Rams trying to play a little cloak and dagger before by throwing in a bunch of names they were looking at. The same game was played by the Atlanta Falcons, who then decided to pick the obvious choice, Matt Ryan, their QB of the future.