It’s Saturday afternoon and it’s me and ESPN. No Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall in New York, NY. It’s football time and the place is rocking with Jets and Giants fans.

So the time for mock drafts has come and gone. Rip’em up. Jake Long did indeed get picked by the Dolphins.

Kudos to Don Banks for giving the Rams Chris Long, the 272 lb DE from Virginia. Several folks who had him going first to Miami made the quick switch. But some had Glenn Dorsey headed to St. Louis. Long is a great player and made 79 tackles last year.

Excerpted from Mickey Friedman’s 2008 NFL Draft Trilogy found Here LinK

Check your local paper and fill in the gaps.

For all the fun and the speculation of mock-drafts, there’s nothing like the unpredictability of trades and the gambling that is the real deal. Next time, we’ll do some analysis of how the teams did. At least, how they did on paper.

Because don’t forget, a few weeks into last season people were saying that Eli Manning was an over-rated bust and the Giants gave up much too much to draft him. Sometimes it just takes some time to fully learn the pro game and become the kind of player the scouts predicted.

Who is this year’s Eli Manning?

For every fortunate guy or gal relaxing up in the luxury boxes, there are a thousand of us sitting in the cold and rain and snow. We have a bit of Dwight Lowery in us and if truth be told, we have a bit of Mario Manningham in us.

So I thank both Greg Bishop and Mike Ogle for reminding me about what’s important.

And for one day, I don’t care about the paper ratings. I’m rooting for two different guys who have made it to the NFL, to play the game I love. The real winners today! And I am hoping with all my heart that both the Jets and the Giants made the right choice. LINK to Mickey Friedman’s 3rd 2008 Draft posts