The Official Big Cat Country 2008 Draft Value Board!

With the SB Nation Mock Draft well under way, it's time that we start to consider who we'll pick when it (finally) comes to our podium time.  I've constructed the Official Big Cat Country Value Board, though we've got a few days to adjust it.  I'd like a little input on this so that it's set and ready to go by Friday, that way when it's time to pick all we have to do is select the highest player that's left.

Now, making a value board is pretty hard. You can't let things like "need" and "want" get in the way. It's supposed to be a strict ranking of players in order of talent and value, ignoring things like team needs and all that other superfluous nonsense. Unfortunately it's damn hard to ignore things like that. Another factor that must be ignored is the actual draft order. Just because I've got Matt Ryan ranked 8th does not mean that I think the Baltimore Ravens will select the quarterback. Though it just happens to make perfect sense. Keeping all this bias out of the board is pretty hard and it won't take long for ya'll to point out that I'm making some pretty rough judgments. But, thankfully, this is an open process and I need your input to make this better. In a perfect world I'll be simply selecting the highest rated player off this list when the Jaguars come up in the Mock Draft.

My draft board makes a few assumptions that deserve mention.

1. Big guys are weighted higher than skill positions.  If I was stuck between a Offensive or Defensive linemen and a Cornerback, most often the big guy got the spot.  You'll notice that with a few exceptions, Wide Receivers and Cornerbacks are toward the bottom of the chart.  This is completely intentional.
2. It's not a "Del Rio" board per se, but I'd like to think it reflects the attitude and approach of the Jaguars.  There's no way I can get into Jack's head on this, but philosophically I think it's in line with what the Jaguars are thinking.

Big Cat Country 2008 Draft Board

1.	Vernon Ghoulston	DE	Ohio State
2.	Jake Long	OD	Michigan
3	Chris Long	DE	Virginia
4.	Glen Dorsey	DE	LSU
5.	Darren McFadden	RB	Arkansas
6.	Ryan Clady	OT	Boise State
7.	Sedrick Ellis	DT	Southern Cal
8.	Matt Ryan	QB	Boston College
9.	Mike Jenkins	CB	South Florida
10.	Keith Rivers	LB	Southern Cal
11.	Rashard Mendenhall	RB	Illinois
12.	Derrick Harvey	DE	Florida
13.	Leodis McKelvin	CB	Troy
14.	Jeff Otah	OT	Pitt
15.	Johnathan Stewart	RB	Oregon
16.	Quentin Groves	DE	Auburn
17.	Chris Williams	OT	Vanderbilt
18.	Aqlb Talib	CB	Kansas
19.	Branden Albert	OG	Virginia
20.	Phillip Merling	DE	Clemson
21.	D.R. Cromartie	CB	Tennessee St.
22.	Dan Connor	LB	Penn St.
23.	Devin Thomas	WR	Michigan St.
24.	Kenny Phillips	S	Miami
25.	Calais Campbell	DE	Miami
26.	Gosder Cherilus	OT	Boston College
27.	Malcolm Kelly	WR	Oklahoma
28.	Felix Jones	RB	Arkansas
29.	Kentwan Balmer	DT	North Carolina
30.	Sam Baker	OT	Southern Cal
31.	Reggie Smith	S	Oklahoma
32.	Limas Sweed	WR	Texas

I'm sure there are problems with this ranking.  If you've got beef, please tell me about it in the comments.  Make a convincing argument and I'll change it.  In most cases you won't have to be THAT convincing either.  

I can already see a problem with the last 7 picks, or at least see where I'll probably be reaching a bit.  If I've got the choice between say Kenny Phillips, Malcolm Kelly, Felix Jones and Kentwan Balmer, I'm going to reach for the big Defensive Tackle from UNC, and probably pass a few talented players in the process. Does that mean I should put Kentwan higher?

Drafting is hard.

-Chris