| Pk. | Team | Player | Pos | School | Writer | Comments | Other needs |
| 1. | Miami Dolphins | Chris Long | DE | Virginia | Jeff Darlington,
Miami Herald
| Dolphins will go Long, but will it be Chris or Jake? Athleticism and work ethic overshadow the concerns about his switch to OLB. | T, QB, DL |
| 2. | St. Louis Rams | Jake Long | T | Michigan | Nick Wagoner, stlouisrams.com | Tough call between Long and DT Glenn Dorsey but O-line is an even greater need with Orlando Pace aging. | DE, WR, CB |
| 3. | Atlanta Falcons | Glenn Dorsey | DT | LSU | Steve Wyche, Atlanta Journal-Constitution | New GM Thomas Dimitroff will use the model he learned in NE and build through the middle up front. | QB, OL, CB |
| 4. | Oakland Raiders | Sedrick Ellis | DT | USC | David White, San Francisco Chronicle | Raiders were last in the league in yards per rush allowed and will need to fill the void left by Warren Sapp | DE, T |
| 5. | Kansas City Chiefs | Ryan Clady | T | Boise State | Adam Teicher, Kansas City Star | Too early to take any CBs or WRs and Chiefs need to fill several spots along offensive line. | CB, WR |
| 6. | New York Jets | Darren McFadden | RB | Arkansas | Rich Cimini, New York Daily News | Fills glaring need for speed and a playmaker on offense and McFadden would provide solid 1-2 punch with Thomas Jones. | CB, DE/LB, QB |
| 7. | New England Patriots | Vernon Gholston | DE/LB | Ohio State | Patriots Football Weekly staff | Perfect fit for the system and has the most upside of any player at the top of the draft. | CB, T, TE |
| 8. | Baltimore Ravens | Matt Ryan | QB | Boston College | Jamison Hensley, Baltimore Sun | It's the one position the Ravens desperately need to address for the future, and it makes sense with a new regime starting. | CB, T, RB |
| 9. | Cincinnati Bengals | Derrick Harvey | DE | Florida | Geoff Hobson, bengals.com | With the top DTs gone Bengals would probably do whatever they could to trade down, but a pass rusher would make sense. | WR, RB |
| 10. | New Orleans Saints | Keith Rivers | LB | USC | Sheldon Mickies, The Baton Rouge Advocate | Need long-term answer and youth at linebacker but could go corner with Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie or Leodis McKelvin. | CB, OL, DT |
| 11. | Buffalo Bills | Leodis McKelvin | CB | Troy | Chris Brown, Bills Digest | Need receivers badly but the value just isn't there and McKelvin is the most pro-ready player on the board. | WR, TE |
| 12. | Denver Broncos | Chris Williams | T | Vanderbilt | Frank Schwab, Colorado Springs Gazette | With Matt Lepsis retiring the Broncos need help up front and Williams comes highly recommended from Jay Cutler. | DL, RB, WR |
| 13. | Carolina Panthers | Rashard Mendenhall | RB | Illinois | Stan Olson, Charlotte Observer | Panthers usually stick with the best athlete available mantra and Mendenhall will be just too good to pass up. | T, DE, FS |
| 14. | Chicago Bears | Jeff Otah | T | Pittsburgh | Brad Biggs, Chicago Sun-Times | If board is this thin at tackle Bears will likely do whatever they can to trade down, but RB and WR value just aren't there. | RB, WR, QB |
| 15. | Detroit Lions | Jonathan Stewart | RB | Oregon | Nicholas Cotsonika, Detroit Free Press | Lions have several directions they could go but Stewart might be the best player available. | T, LB, DE |
| 16. | Arizona Cardinals | Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie | CB | Tennessee State | Darren Urban, Azcardinals.com | Corner is one of the team's biggest needs and with three running backs off the board Rodgers-Cromartie makes sense. | RB, DE/OLB |
| 17. | Minnesota Vikings | Phillip Merling | DE | Clemson | Kevin Seifert, Minneapolis Star Tribune | Merling would fill a huge need at DE with Erasmus James (knee) and Kenechi Udeze (illness) unavailable. | WR, T |
| 18. | Houston Texans | Aqib Talib | CB | Kansas | John McClain, Houston Chronicle | Texans are desperate for a corner with Dunta Robinson out indefinitely and the run on tackles makes Talib the pick. | T, DE |
| 19. | Philadelphia Eagles | Mike Jenkins | CB | South Florida | Les Brown, Philadelphia Daily News | Will need to find secondary help to go with Asante Samuel when the Eagles trade Lito Sheppard. | T, WR, RB |
| 20. | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Malcolm Kelly | WR | Oklahoma | Roy Cummings, Tampa Tribune | With no receivers taken the Bucs could look to trade down, but with the pick of the litter Kelly would be tough to pass up. | CB, RB |
| 21. | Washington Redskins | Limas Sweed | WR | Texas | David Elfin, Washington Times | After four straight years of defensive players with the first pick new 'Skins coach Jim Zorn will likely go offense with WR. | DE, S, OL, LB |
| 22. | Dallas Cowboys | Justin King | CB | Penn State | Todd Archer, Dallas Morning News | Even if the Cowboys get Pacman Jones they'll still need more help at corner and King is the best available at this point. | RB, WR, S |
| 23. | Pittsburgh Steelers | Branden Albert | G | Virginia | Scott Brown, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review | Steelers need to get younger along offensive line and Albert would replace Alan Faneca, who departed via free agency. | DL, WR |
| 24. | Tennessee Titans | DeSean Jackson | WR | California | Jim Wyatt, The Tennesseean | Jackson would fill two needs with one pick — as a return man and as a play-making wide receiver | DE, DT, WR |
| 25. | Seattle Seahawks | Devin Thomas | WR | Michigan State | Scott M. Johnson, Everett Herald | Seahawks need depth at receiver after losing D.J. Hackett via free agency and Deion Branch for September with a torn ACL. | RB, TE |
| 26. | Jacksonville Jaguars | Calais Campbell | DE | Miami | Patriots Football Weekly staff | Jags need to add to depth along defensive line and Campbell or North Carolina's Kentwan Balmer would make sense. | WR, T, TE |
| 27. | San Diego Chargers | Antoine Cason | CB | Arizona | Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune | Fills Chargers most glaring need and should step in immediately as the third corner. | T, RB |
| 28. | Dallas Cowboys | Felix Jones | RB | Arkansas | Todd Archer, Dallas Morning News | Cowboys eventually wind up with a former Razorbacks running back but settle for McFadden's teammate. | WR, S, OL |
| 29. | San Francisco 49rs | Quentin Groves | DE/LB | Auburn | Matt Maiocco, Santa Rosa Press Democrat | Pass rush has been a major trouble spot for the Niners defense for quite some time and Groves would be ideal. | OL, DL, LB |
| 30. | Green Bay Packers | Dustin Keller | TE | Purdue | Pete Dougherty, Green Bay Press-Gazette | Pack could really use a corner but the value isn't there. Keller has intriguing skills and would add a weapon to passing game. | CB, QB |
| 31. | New York Giants | Kenny Phillips | S | Miami | Mike Garafolo, Newark Star-Ledger | Giants added Sammy Knight but lost Gibril Wilson and will need a long-term fix at safety. | CB, OLB |
