2008 NFL Draft: Day 1

Day 1 of the Draft went pretty well for the Florida NFL franchises.

The Dolphins already had their #1 pick locked in, so Jake Long was not a surprise. They filled their need for an OL as well but the Dolphins were not done shoring up their needs - which are many. They needed a defensive lineman, and they got Philip Merling with the 32nd pick overall. Eventhough the Dolphins have John Beck and Josh McCown in camp already, they went ahead and drafted another QB in Chad Henne from Michigan. Big arm, good head and heart, could be another Romo-type for Parcells?

The Jaguars focused on strengthening their pass rush. In order to defeat a team like the Patriots, and take the next step forward, the Jaguars realized their need to get stronger in that department since they have lost Marcus Stroud. The Jags were expected to make a move for Jason Taylor, but as Jack Del Rio revealed on ESPN today they felt the Dolphins valued him a bit higher then they would have liked - so no deal. Instead, Jacksonville moved up from the late first round to the #8 spot (by trading their 3rd round picks and swapping with Baltimore's first round picks) in order to pick up Derrick Harvey DE from Florida. The Jags weren't done as they also drafted another DE in Quentin Groves .

 The Buccaneers also focused on their areas of need, namely defense. They drafted CB Aqib Talib from Kansas, KR Dexter Jackson from Appalachian State and something for the offense, OG Jeremy Zuttah from Rutgers.