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With the NFL Draft getting closer we are seeing more 2008 Mock NFL Draft’s pop-up every single day and of course it seems as though everyone agrees to disagree on who should be going in the top 5. Our favorite Mock Draft Blog myMockDrafts.com just posted version 6 of their 2008 Mock NFL Draft and have a lot of changes, including some new players who have made it to the first round of the NFL Draft. Personally I just cant wait for NFL Draft day since I will be in attendance. Cant wait to hear the Jets fan boo or cheer their teams selection!

Be sure to check out myMockDrafts.com other versions of their 2008 Mock NFL Draft as well to see who has dropped and who has risen.

With both the Atlanta Falcons and Oakland Raiders in rebuilding mode we all expected them to make some moves leading up to the 2008 NFL Draft - today they worked together to hopefully have a better 2008 NFL season.

The Falcons have agreed to trade cornerback DeAngelo Hall to the Raiders for a second-round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft.  The deal will be finalized once the Raiders and Hall agree on contract terms.  Hall, who was the 8th pick overall in the 2004 NFL Draft, will be paired with Nnamdi Asomugha.

The deal would mean that the Raiders would only have 1 pick in the first 3 rounds of the NFL Draft - the Raiders will pick 4th overall unless they trade that pick as well.  Both teams will benefit from this trade as the Raiders get a top talent and the Falcons get more draft picks.

The NFL Combine is behind us and that means it is time for another 2008 Mock NFL Draft. Even though the 2008 NFL Draft is more then a month away we are starting to see the NFL Draft come together. Players stock are dropping (Andre Woodson) and players stock are rising (Leodis McKelvin, Chris Johnson), also NFL teams are starting to let players enter into free agency and sign players to fill needs. By no means do we know all the details but slowly the 2008 NFL Draft is getting clearer. With that being said check out our latest 2008 Mock NFL Draft (version 5) over at our NFL Draft website - myMockDrafts.com.

Be sure to also check out our previous 2008 Mock NFL Draft versions so you can point and laugh at us.

With the 2008 NFL Free Agency season underway there were plenty of transactions across the league. We have talked about some of the bigger /more interesting ones, however below is a quick summary of what has taken place in the NFL so far.

• The Oakland Raiders sign former New York Giants safety Gibril Wilson.
• The Jacksonville Jaguars sign wide receiver Jerry Porter.
• Cornerback Asante Samuel signed with the Philadelphia Eagles.
• The Miami Dolphins signed quarterback Josh McCown, wide receiver Ernest Wilford, defensive tackle Randy Starks and Jason Ferguson.
• The Cleveland Browns traded their 2nd round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft to the Green Bay Packers for defensive tackle Corey Williams.
• The New York Jets traded a 3rd and 5th round draft pick to the Carolina Panthers for defensive tackle Kris Jenkins.
• The Buffalo Bills sign linebacker Kawika Mitchell.
• Long-time Rams wide receiver Isaac Bruce signed with the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers also signed running back Deshaun Foster.
• Minnesota Vikings signed safety Madieu Williams.
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers sign center Jeff Faine.
• The Washington Redskins resigned quarterback Todd Collins.
• The Atlanta Falcons resigned quarterback Chris Redman.
• Saint Louis Rams kicker Jeff Wilkins retired yesterday
• New England Patriots linebacker Junior Seau needs to have surgery on both shoulders.

Look who just wants the d*mn ball again? Current ESPN analyst Keyshawn Johnson is thinking about returning to the NFL after 1 year away from the game. Johnson last played for the Carolina Panthers in 2006 and was cut by them at the end of the season.

Johnson has been working out and says that he is ready to make a return (take that T.O.) if any NFL team is willing to sign him. “I like challenges,” Johnson told Yahoo! Sports. “The challenge of helping to turn a team around, to help get it to the next level, that gets my competitive fires burning. I have the itch, and right now I’m trying to decide how strong that itch is.” A possible suitor could be the newly revamped Miami Dolphins, Johnson acknowledged he and new head of football operations for the Dolphins, Bill Parcells, have had talks. “Me and Bill talk all the time. We talk about football a lot. We talk about everything, except playing for the Miami Dolphins,” Johnson said to a Florida newspaper “He’s helping me go over the pros and cons of coming back versus staying at ESPN. He’s always treated me like a father figure more than anything else. But not once has he said, ‘Come play for me in Miami.’ ”

Johnson, who was the 1st overall pick in the 1996 NFL Draft, has 3 Pro Bowl appearances and has caught 10,571 yards and 64 touchdowns in his career.

We posted our latest 2008 NFL Mock Draft over at myMockDrafts.com. Some big moves by some players whose stock has risen or fallen since Senior Bowl week. Also, teams like the Falcons and Dolphins making big roster moves this past week has also changed the dynamic of the draft. Our latest 2008 NFL Mock Draft is our 4th version, expect another one coming out after the NFL combine. Also, be sure to check out all of our latest NFL Draft news and articles.

The Atlanta Falcons join the Miami Dolphins in cleaning house after a horrendous NFL season. The Falcons released 7 players today, including former All-Pro’s Alge Crumpler and Byron Leftwich.

Along with tight end Crumpler and quarterback Leftwich, the Falcons released offensive tackle Wayne Gandy, cornerback Lewis Sanders, wide receiver, Jamin Elliott, linebacker Marcus Wilkins and defensive tackle Rod Coleman.

Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff played the usual “it is best for the team” in a statement released today. “This is a difficult day for the entire organization,a number of these players have contributed to this organization on and off the field at a high level and we greatly appreciate their efforts. These decisions weren’t easy, but we felt they were necessary to build a team in the long-term best interest of the Falcons and its fans.”

Leftwich, who spent most of his career with the Jacksonville Jaguars,  was the 7th overall draft pick in the 2003 NFL Draft. Leftwich’s best year came in 2004 when he threw 15 touchdowns and threw for 2941 yards. Crumpler, who spent 7 seasons with the Falcons,  has 316 career catches and 35 touchdowns. Crumpler has played in 5 Pro Bowls during his career.

The Falcons are looking to rebound from a season where they won only 4 games, saw their star quarterback go to jail and their coach jump back to college football.

The Miami Dolphins made some major moves this off season on the coaching front, it was only a matter of time before they changed up the players as well. Today the Dolphins dropped 9 players in their quest to bounce back from their 1-15 2007 NFL season.

Among the cuts was quarterback Trent Green, who was suppose to be the savior at that position for the next few years. Along with Green the Dolphins cut wide receiver Marty Booker, tackle’s L.J. Shelton, Marion Dukes, Joe Toledo and Anthony Alabi, defensive tackle’s Keith Traylor, Anthony Bryant and Marquay Love. Green, who is 37, was slowed down for a good chunk of the season after suffering a severe concussion in October - Green said he might contemplate retirement.

With the Dolphins coming off their horrendous season and new coaches entering, no one is shocked that the Dolphins made some moves and it is for certain this was only the beginning. Expect the Dolphins to be active starting February 29th - the start of free agency and the days leading up to the 2008 NFL Draft.

San Francisco 49ers backup quarterback Shaun Hill re-signed with the team yesterday. Hill, a career 3rd string backup will be competing with Alex Smith for the starting quarterback job.

Hill, who has been in the NFL for 6 seasons, stepped into the starting role for the 49ers after both Alex Smith and Trent Dilfer went down with injuries. Hill led the last place 49ers to wins over the Cincinnati Bengals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers - in those two games Hill threw for 501 yards, 5 touchdowns and only 1 interception.

Alex Smith, the former #1 overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft, has not lived up to expectations and has struggled.  Over 3 seasons, Smith has thrown for 4679 yards and only 19 touchdowns - more importantly Smith has thrown 31 interceptions and has a career QB rating of horrible 63.5%

Are either Hill or Smith really the answer to the 49ers quarterback issues? Can you really see either quarterback bringing the 49ers to the Super Bowl? I don’t. Maybe the 49ers would be smart to use the 2008 NFL Draft to pick up a quarterback - the only problem is they traded their pick to the New England Patriots (currently the 7th pick overall). There are some good QB’s in this years draft but they will have to trade up to get them - no sense in drafting a questionable player late in the 1st round or in the 2nd round.  Check out the 2008 Mock NFL Draft over at myMockDrafts.com for the latest predictions.

The New York Giants won the Super Bowl and just had their ticker-tape parade down Broadway… so now what? The question becomes can the Giants repeat or was this a one time deal. The answer is yes they can repeat and no I am not saying that because the Giants are a great team and no I did not jump on the Eli Manning bandwagon. The Giants have all of the pieces in place to win the Super Bowl again, here is the evidence:

• The Giants are a young team, look at my earlier post ( Giants GM NFL draft genius?) - do some of those names drafted last year look familiar? All of the Giants young players are only going to get better and more confident after this years experience. So how young are the Giants? They are the 8th youngest team in the NFL…not bad.
• The Giants, and especially Eli Manning, are going to come into next season with a level of confidence sky high. Look at what they did in the NFL Playoffs…win on the road? Check. Win on the road in a blizzard? Check. Beat what was suppose to be the greatest team of all time? Check. The Giants have nothing left to prove - they did it all.
• The Giants will not be decimated by free agency - only a handful of starters will be eligible to sign with another team and none of them are irreplaceable.

So, the Giants definitely have a shot at winning another Super Bowl next year or at the very least be a top NFC team heading into the playoffs - in fact as long as they (and Tom Coughlin especially)  keep their heads on straight they should be a contender for the next few years. As for the Patriots…it will be interesting to see if they come apart at the seems or head into next season hungrier then ever.