2008 NFL Draft Revisited
If there was ever any doubt that the NFL draft is an inexact science, look no further than the 2008 NFL Draft. Ten years since it took place, the 2008 draft will be remembered for producing just as many first-round busts as it will for a pair of franchise quarterbacks (Matt Ryan, Joe Flacco). The 2008 draft was historic in that the first two picks featured the same last name, but also that it was the first since the common draft era (1967) in which no wide receiver was taken in the first round.
This draft did produce several quality wide receivers, most notably Jordy Nelson, DeSean Jackson, Pierre Garcon and Stevie Johnson, it's just that none of them went in the first round. Here's who did go in the first round and how each pick panned out.
(This article appears in Athlon Sports’ 2018 Pro Football Magazine, which is available for purchase online and at newsstands everywhere.)
1. Miami: Jake Long, OT, Michigan
Miami (2008-12), St. Louis (2013-14), Atlanta (2015), Minnesota (2016)
All-Pro Seasons: 2010
Miami made Long the third tackle ever to be selected No. 1 overall. The first two -- Ron Yary (Vikings, 1968) and Orlando Pace (Rams, 1997) -- ended up in the Hall of Fame. Long’s career started out as if he might join them. After making the Pro Bowl as an injury replacement as a rookie, Long was named a starter in the game the next three seasons and was a first-team All-Pro selection in 2010. He started 61 straight games to begin his career, but injuries cost him two games late in the 2011 season, and it was a preview of things to come. A torn triceps cost him the last four games of 2012, and he signed with the Rams as a free agent before the 2013 season. Long started 15 games for the Rams but again couldn’t make it through a full season, tearing the ACL and MCL in his right knee. He re-injured the knee seven games into 2014, effectively ending his career with the Rams. After playing just 10 offensive snaps in four games for the Falcons in 2015, Long tried one more comeback in October 2016 with the Vikings. He ended up making three starts in Minnesota, but his career ended when he tore the Achilles in his left leg. It’s tough to call Long a bust given how effective he was before a bad stretch of injuries, but his career certainly turned out to be a disappointment.
2. St. Louis: Chris Long, DE, Virginia
St. Louis (2008-15), New England (2016), Philadelphia (2017-present)
All-Pro Seasons: None
Long has had an impressive career, but he and the Rams were probably hoping for more when he was chosen second overall. After starting every game as a rookie, Long started just four games in 2009 but increased his sack total by one (4.0 to 5.0). He then racked up 41.5 sacks over the next four seasons but strangely never made a Pro Bowl, even after posting a career-high 13 sacks in 2011. After injury-filled seasons in 2014-15, Long’s Rams career ended without even having been on a team that won more than seven games. But he played in the Super Bowl in each of the past two seasons: as a part-time starter with New England in 2016 and as a pass-rushing specialist for the Eagles in 2017.
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3. Atlanta: Matt Ryan, QB, Boston College
Atlanta (2008-present)
All-Pro Seasons: 2016
With Michael Vick in jail, the Falcons had a chance to find their next franchise quarterback with the No. 3 pick, and they chose wisely. Ryan has missed just two games in 10 seasons (both in 2009), and the Falcons have had just two losing seasons with six playoff appearances during his time in Atlanta. In 2016, Ryan was named NFL MVP after throwing 38 touchdowns with just seven interceptions and leading the league with a 117.1 passer rating. Unfortunately, the most memorable thing from that season remains Ryan and the Falcons blowing a 28-3 lead to the Patriots in the second half of the Super Bowl. Ryan led the Falcons back to the playoffs this past season and didn’t seem haunted by the loss, but it may have been his only shot at a ring.
4. Oakland: Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas
Oakland (2008-14), Dallas (2015-17)
All-Pro Seasons: None
McFadden seemed like a sure thing coming out of Arkansas. In three seasons, he had done just about everything possible on the college level except for winning the Heisman Trophy, although he did finish second in the voting twice. But injuries plagued him throughout his NFL career, and he never lived up to the promise of a top-five pick. In seven seasons with Oakland, McFadden played in all 16 games only once -- in his final season with the Raiders in 2014. His best years were 2010 (1,157 rushing yards in 13 games) and 2011 (614 yards in just seven games). In 2015, McFadden started 10 games for the Cowboys and rushed for 1,089 yards, but he appeared in only three games in 2016, and he had just one carry in 2017 before announcing his retirement in November.
5. Kansas City: Glenn Dorsey, DT, LSU
Kansas City (2008-12), San Francisco (2013-16)
All-Pro Seasons: None
Dorsey came out of LSU after winning virtually every major award a defensive player could win in 2007, but he was never dominant in the NFL. He started every game as a rookie and recorded one sack as a defensive tackle, but he moved to end in 2009 as the Chiefs switched to a 3-4 defense. He remained a starter until his 2012 season ended after four games due to a calf injury. He signed with San Francisco in 2013 and recorded two sacks, but his 2014 season was lost to a torn biceps. He played 10 games in 2015 before an ACL tear ended his season. He never fully recovered, battling knee issues throughout 12 games in 2016.
6. New York Jets: Vernon Gholston, DE, Ohio State
New York Jets (2008-10)
All-Pro Seasons: None
Gholston had a huge 2007 season at Ohio State with 14 sacks, and he shot further up draft boards at the NFL Combine when his 37 reps on the bench press tied for the most at the event. But Gholston ended up as the biggest bust of the 2008 draft and perhaps one of the biggest ever. He started just five games in three seasons for the Jets, never recording a sack, and he never played again after being cut by the Rams before the 2012 season.
7. New Orleans: Sedrick Ellis, DT, USC
New Orleans (2008-12)
All-Pro Seasons: None
The Saints traded up three spots to select Ellis, who was solid if not spectacular for the team, starting all 70 games in which he saw action over five seasons and recording 12.5 sacks. Not exactly what the Saints had in mind for a top-10 pick, but good enough to earn a free-agent deal with the Bears after the 2012 season. But Ellis never reported to training camp in 2013, walking away from the NFL and into retirement.
8. Jacksonville: Derrick Harvey, DE, Florida
Jacksonville (2008-10), Denver (2011)
All-Pro Seasons: None
Like Gholston, Harvey was an athletic defensive end who wowed scouts with his measurables, so much so that Jacksonville traded up all the way from No. 26 to take him. But he was never all that dominant in college. In three seasons at Florida, he was a second-team All-SEC pick twice, with his best season coming in 2007 with 8.5 sacks. Alas, that was more than he’d compile in his entire NFL career. He started 32 games in three seasons for Jacksonville, recording eight sacks and one interception. He was cut during training camp in 2011 before catching on with Denver for just five games.
9. Cincinnati: Keith Rivers, LB, USC
Cincinnati (2008-10), New York Giants (2012-13), Buffalo (2014)
All-Pro Seasons: None
Rivers got off to a strong start as a rookie, starting the Bengals’ first seven games before his season was ended thanks to a broken jaw from a blind-side crackback block by Hines Ward of the Steelers. Rivers started 13 games in each of the next two seasons but missed all of 2011 with a wrist injury and was dealt to the Giants for a fifth-round pick. After two uneventful seasons in New York, Rivers signed with Buffalo and started three games in 2014. He then signed with Dallas but retired on the first day of 2015 training camp.
10. New England: Jerod Mayo, LB, Tennessee
New England (2008-15)
All-Pro Seasons: 2010
While Rivers, Harvey and Gholston were busts, the Patriots found a perfect fit in Mayo. The former Vol was named Defensive Rookie of the Year after starting all 16 games and racking up 126 tackles. It was the first of five straight seasons of at least 100 tackles, including a career-high 175 in 2010 when he was named first-team All-Pro. Injuries limited Mayo to just six games in both 2013 and 2014, and his playing time dropped off in 2015. He was injured during the 2015 playoffs and announced his retirement after the season. Despite playing for the Patriots for eight seasons, Mayo was never on the active roster for a team that won a Super Bowl due to bad timing with injuries.
11. Buffalo: Leodis McKelvin, CB, Troy
Buffalo (2008-15), Philadelphia (2016)
All-Pro Seasons: None
The Bills made McKelvin the first cornerback taken in the draft, and he turned out to be a big play waiting to happen; the only question was which team would benefit. McKelvin gave up plenty of big plays in a nine-year NFL career, enough that he never could lock down a starting spot for more than a couple seasons. But he also finished his career with six return touchdowns (three punts, one kickoff and two interceptions). After eight years in Buffalo, McKelvin spent one year in Philadelphia before being released after the 2016 season.
12. Denver: Ryan Clady, OT, Boise State
Denver (2008-15), New York Jets (2016)
All-Pro Seasons: 2009, 2012
The second offensive tackle taken after top pick Jake Long, Clady currently has more All-Pro seasons to his credit than any other 2008 first-round pick. He started every game for the first five years of his career, making three Pro Bowls and earning those All-Pro honors in 2009 and 2012. A foot injury ended his 2013 season after only two games, but he returned to make another Pro Bowl after starting all 16 games in 2014. The injury bug bit again when he tore an ACL in May 2015, costing him the entire season, and he was traded to the Jets in April 2016. A torn rotator cuff ended his 2016 season after nine games, and he never played in the NFL again.
13. Carolina: Jonathan Stewart, RB, Oregon
Carolina (2008-17), New York Giants (2018)
All-Pro Seasons: None
Stewart had an odd career for the Panthers. He was good enough to keep around for 10 years, but he was also injured enough to force Carolina to always have another option in the backfield. He began his career sharing the workload with DeAngelo Williams for seven years before earning his only Pro Bowl selection in 2015. He’s played in all 16 games only three times and not once since 2011. He’s averaged more than 5.0 yards per carry twice but less than 4.0 four times. He rushed for 10 touchdowns in each of his first two seasons but then only 10 more over the next five seasons. Has Stewart lived up to his first-round draft status? Sometimes, yes; sometimes, no. He signed with the Giants in the offseason.
14. Chicago: Chris Williams, OT, Vanderbilt
Chicago (2008-12, ‘14), St. Louis (2012-13), Buffalo (2014)
All-Pro Seasons: None
Williams was an All-SEC tackle at Vanderbilt, but a back injury kept him off the field until November of his rookie season. He became a full-time starter in 2009 and played in 38 of the Bears’ next 41 games, all starts, at one of the tackle spots or left guard. But in November 2011, Williams dislocated his wrist and never started another game for the Bears. He went on to start 19 more games over the next two seasons for the Rams and Bills before a back injury forced him to retire.
15. Kansas City: Branden Albert, OG, Virginia
Kansas City (2008-13), Miami (2014-16)
All-Pro Seasons: None
A guard in college, Albert moved to tackle for the Chiefs, who got six solid seasons out of him as he started 83 games in his Kansas City career, culminating with a 2013 Pro Bowl selection. He signed with Miami in 2014 and started 35 games over the next three seasons, earning another Pro Bowl bid in 2015. But Albert’s career took an odd turn as he was traded to Jacksonville for tight end Julius Thomas in March 2017, and he abruptly announced his retirement on July 31, 2017.
16. Arizona: Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, DB, Tennessee State
Arizona (2008-10), Philadelphia (2011-12), Denver (2013), New York Giants (2014-17)
All-Pro Seasons: None
Rodgers-Cromartie has become a bit of a journeyman, but he’s been an effective corner in the NFL for four different franchises. After starting 11 games as a rookie and picking off four passes, Rodgers-Cromartie went to the Pro Bowl in 2009 after starting every game and recording six more interceptions. Despite another solid season in 2010 and the fact that he had 13 interceptions in three seasons (with four returned for scores), he was traded to Philadelphia in a deal for quarterback Kevin Kolb. After two seasons with the Eagles and one with Denver, Rodgers-Cromartie signed with the Giants, for whom he has started 45 games over the last four seasons. He earned a second Pro Bowl bid in 2015.
17. Detroit: Gosder Cherilus, OT, Boston College
Detroit (2008-12), Indianapolis (2013-14), Tampa Bay (2015-16)
All-Pro Seasons: None
Cherilus protected the blind side of No. 3 overall pick Matt Ryan at Boston College, where he started a school-record 51 straight games. He started 71 more over five seasons at right tackle for the Lions before moving on to the Colts in 2013. He signed with Tampa Bay in 2015 and was a full-time starter for one season before starting three of 15 games in 2016. He retired before the 2017 season.
18. Baltimore: Joe Flacco, QB, Delaware
Baltimore (2008-present)
All-Pro Seasons: None
Flacco has always seemed to leave critics wanting more, never putting up elite numbers and often stumbling in the postseason. But then, he has played his whole career in the same conference with Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Ben Roethlisberger. Given that drafting a quarterback in the first round seems to be about a 50-50 proposition, the Ravens hit a home run with Flacco. He’s started all but six games in 10 years, missing all six of those in 2015 -- and he’s never had a losing record in any of his full seasons. While he struggled early in his postseason career, he is 10-5 overall as a starter in the playoffs with 25 touchdowns and just 10 interceptions. In 2012, he enjoyed one of the best postseason runs ever. In four games on the way to winning Super Bowl XLVII, Flacco threw for 1,140 yards with 11 touchdowns and no interceptions.