MOVE the NEEDLE.net: ALL RISE! -Mel Kiper’s First 2008 NFl Draft Projections has arrived.

2008|Tuesday Jan. 22
Needle Reading: 9.0
From ESPN.com

From the Mouth of the Needle:
The man has risen from the mousse and has spoken. Screw Todd McShay, Scouts, inc and the other NFL Draft wannabees. There can only be one and there is only one. When Mel Kiper speaks, we listen and watch in amazement that his hair never moves and that he has absolutely no notes in front of him. Armed with a vile of hair dye, a can of Aqua Net, a mind of Minolta and two stone tablets engraved with first round draft projections he descends from the mountain top of his Baltimore home to deliver the message. A message of hope, help and hero worship. The only message...Mel's message.

A NOTE OF APOLOGY FROM THE NEEDLE:
We must apologize to all who came to this story looking for Mel Kiper's MOCK Draft. We mislabeled the story by accident. We ourselves were so excited that we did not label the post properly. This has angered many and we do sincerely apologize. This story of course is a reposted combination from ESPN.com and is it part Mel Kiper's individual team draft needs and projection's and Mel's Draft Board Players Rankings. It is not politically correct in the blogsphere to post the whole story from another site. We can grab some of the story and link the rest back to the originator of the story. Move the Needle is doing its best on a daily basis to do this as well as add personal commentary. Thank you, MtN

A few notes from my FIRST first-round projection's for April's NFL draft:

• The Miami Dolphins need help on defense and Bill Parcells is a defensive-minded coach, so DT Glenn Dorsey would be the logical pick. And while the Dolphins could listen to trade offers for the top pick, there has not been a lot of movement in the top 10 in recent drafts. Why did Adrian Peterson slip to No. 7 last year? Because teams weren't willing to trade up knowing they would have to part with draft picks and pay more money for the higher pick. Also for Miami, QB Matt Ryan has to be in the discussion because the Dolphins may not be sold on John Beck (a second-round pick last year). Miami needs quarterback help and Ryan is going to be a top-five pick. Ryan might be too good to pass up, and he's a better prospect than Beck was when he came out of BYU last year. (Ryan is the only QB I am projecting will go in the first round).

• St. Louis will likely go with Long -- either Chris or Jake. Although the Rams drafted defensive tackle Adam Carriker last year, I could see them taking Virginia defensive end Chris Long. He's similar to Dorsey in that he plays with tremendous intensity and makes everyone around him better. If the Rams don't go with Chris Long, then Michigan left tackle Jake Long should be the pick since they could use help on the offensive line.

• The Atlanta Falcons should be in a good spot to upgrade at either running back or quarterback, so Darren McFadden or Matt Ryan could be the choice. I like Ryan here because this is a franchise that is in desperate need of a quarterback after going from Michael Vick to Joey Harrington to Byron Leftwich before finishing the season with Chris Redman.

• If Atlanta doesn't take McFadden, then Oakland will. (Remember, Oakland and Atlanta have a coin toss to determine who picks third overall.) After drafting first overall in 2007, Oakland could be looking at getting the best player in the draft if McFadden is available.

Also, there are only 31 selections in the first round this year because the New England Patriots had to forfeit their pick after illegally videotaping signals during their Week 1 game against the New York Jets.

See more of this article as an ESPN Insider HERE

The draft projections below are not based on ratings, but on information I have gathered and where I think teams will go based on needs. The first-round projections will be updated Jan. 31.

Mel's Big Board
Player -- Yr. -- Pos. -- School
1. Darren McFadden Jr. RB Arkansas
2. Glenn Dorsey Sr. DT LSU
3. Jake Long Sr. OT Michigan
4. Chris Long Sr. DE Virginia
5. Sedrick Ellis Sr. DT USC
6. Matt Ryan Sr. QB Boston College
7. Ryan Clady Jr. OT Boise St.
8. Aqib Talib Jr. CB Kansas
9. Vernon Gholston Jr. DE Ohio St.
10. DeSean Jackson Jr. WR California
11. Calais Campbell Jr. DE Miami
12. Sam Baker Sr. OT USC
13. Kentwan Balmer Sr. DT UNC
14. Felix Jones Jr. RB Arkansas
15. Brian Brohm Sr. QB Louisville
16. Jonathan Stewart Jr. RB Oregon
17. Kenny Phillips Jr. S Miami
18. Dan Connor Sr. LB Penn St.
19. Mike Jenkins Sr. CB South Florida
20. Rashard Mendenhall Jr. RB Illinois
21. Reggie Smith Jr. CB Oklahoma
22. Keith Rivers Sr. LB USC
23. Pat Sims Jr. DT Auburn
24. Fred Davis Sr. TE USC
25. Leodis McKelvin Sr. CB Troy

Dropped Out

Chris Williams
Ali Highsmith
Jeff Otah
Lawrence Jackson
Chris Johnson
Bruce Davis
Limas Sweed
Early Doucet
Tracy Porter
Carl Nicks
Quentin Groves
Donnie Avery

Kiper's First-Round Projection's
Name	Team	Player	Position
1	Miami Dolphins	Glenn Dorsey, DT	LSU
2	St. Louis Rams	Chris Long, DE	Virginia
3	Atlanta Falcons**	Matt Ryan, QB	Boston College
4	Oakland Raiders**	*Darren McFadden, RB	Arkansas
5	Kansas City Chiefs**	Jake Long, OT	Michigan
6	New York Jets	*Vernon Gholston, DE	Ohio St.
7	New England Patriots (from SF)	*Aqib Talib, CB	Kansas
8	Baltimore Ravens	Sedrick Ellis, DT	USC
9	Cincinnati Bengals	*Phillip Merling, DE	Clemson
10	New Orleans Saints	Kentwan Balmer, DT	North Carolina
11	Buffalo Bills	*Malcolm Kelly, WR	Oklahoma
12	Denver Broncos	*Ryan Clady, OT	Boise St.
13	Carolina Panthers	Jeff Otah, OT	Pittsburgh
14	Chicago Bears	Sam Baker, OT	USC
15	Detroit Lions	Leodis McKelvin, CB	Troy
16	Arizona Cardinals	*Jonathan Stewart, RB	Oregon
17	Minnesota Vikings	*DeSean Jackson, WR	California
18	Houston Texans	Mike Jenkins, CB	South Florida
19	Philadelphia Eagles	Chris Williams, OT	Vanderbilt
20	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	*Felix Jones, RB	Arkansas
21	Washington Redskins	*Calais Campbell, DE	Miami
22	Dallas Cowboys (from CLE)	*Mario Manningham, WR	Michigan
23	Pittsburgh Steelers	*Chilo Rachal, OG	USC