With The 5th Pick In The 2008 MHR Community Mock Draft...

WE HAVE A TRADE!!!

The Kansas City Chiefs, represented by jonnyr have decided to trade the 5th pick to the Philadelphia Eagles, proudly represented by Styg50.  The details of the trade are below --

Philly Gets: #5 Overall Pick

KC Gets: #19 Overall Pick; #144 (5th Round); Lito Sheppard

As commish, I decided to allow this trade, despite not being a big fan of trades involving players in mock drafts, because it is actually feasible.  For starters, the Chiefs have a lot of needs, and besides possibly going QB here there wasn't a player that could put them over the top.  By dealing, they acquire a Pro Bowl corner to replace Ty Law, an extra pick in the 5th round and still get o stay in the Top 20 of the draft.  They also avoid having to sign a player to a huge contract, something the Chiefs like to avoid.

For the Eagles, for starters they have plenty of cap space to actually sign a #5 pick.  The addition of Asante Samuel also allows the Eagles to be aggressive with one of their corners and all signs this off season have pointed to Sheppard being the odd man out.

Here is the take of the G.M.'s responsible --

Chiefs - jonnyr -- For a team that finished the season 0-9 after a 4-3 start, there is not just one answer to the problems that plagued this franchise longing to return to it's glory years of the mid-90s. This gives the Chiefs some much needed flexibility by getting 3 players for the same, or less, price as one player.

Lito Sheppard will give the Chiefs a shut-down corner, who is only 26. Yes, he's injury prone. We get that. We also get though that when healthy, Lito was a top 5 corner in the NFC and an established playmaker. With 2 unproven corners, and an aging Patrick Surtain, this addresses a definite need for KC. Lito, combined with Bernard Pollard and Jarrad Paige, will form an exciting secondary that can cover a lot of ground and hit people IF they can all remain healthy.

At #19, the Chiefs can still draft a young, 1st round stud. We know we need to address the line; we need to address a lot of positions. We're going to get two guarenteed players who will start for the price of one. Oh, and that 5th rounder? Just gravy. We're KC; we need all the bodies we can get.

-Play to win the game!
-Herm

Eagles - Styg50 -- To understand this trade, two factors are of utmost importance.  First, is the very high likelihood that the Eagles are looking to trade CB Lito Sheppard.  He is apparently unhappy with the Asante Samuel deal (and possibly other things as well), and to me, to get rid of your ProBowl CB means you need to be looking at an instant upgrade.  The second factor is the fact that the Eagles realistically look to be going into the draft with 10-11 picks, and there is no way they will be able to sign that many rookies, due to veterans with longer contracts.  They have a solid team with solid depth and only need about 4-5 guys at most to be culled from the draft.  I wanted to use the extra picks and the value of Lito (to the right team) in order to get maximum leverage from my first day pick, and then further upgrade key picks throughout the draft as necessary to target specific players.  This is an aggressive move for an aggressive team.

Now that the trade is done....

With the 5th Pick, the Philadelphia Eagles select....

VERNON GHOLSTON, DE - OHIO STATE

G.M. - Styg50 -- Let me be perfectly clear here:  I am part of the problem in Philadelphia.  I expect Donovan McNabb to leap buildings in a single bound and go faster than a speeding bullet.  I am not going to help him with this first round pick.  Forget a pair of aging tackles on the O-line, of which either one or both may not make it to next year, and forget taking a WR in the first round.

You see, I tried to get into the head of the Philadelphia fans.  I tried to live among them, commune and be one with them.  I tried to Bleed Green.
 And as the mindmeld happened I saw it...the depth of their desires:  Kill Romo.  I tried to dismiss it, but once the thought had me it wouldn't let me be, burning behind my eyes like a hot coal as I tried in vain to sleep, branding my every thought with painstaking urgency.  Kill Romo.  I had multiple picks, plenty of ammo, and an opportunity to get a lethal weapon...so I took it.

Gholston will bring murderous intent to the Eagles already solid defensive rotation.  They currently feature 6 players at DE, with the young stud Abiamiri locked in as a rising star, and the addition of Trent Cole as a role player.  With the addition of Gholston, expect the aged veteran Howard to step aside to make room, and for the Eagles D-line to bring ferocious pressure under the watchful eye and guiding hand of the maestro of the blitz, Jim Johnson.  You saw the Superbowl, just like I did, and you saw what a difference consistent pressure could be in a successful defensive effort.  But to get it you have to have depth.  You have to have fresh bodies and young legs.  Beyond that Gholston brings intensity and athleticism, enthusiasm, sick speed and a TON of potential.  He has only begun to play this game, and Philadelphia is the perfect, no-nonsense defense, with enough depth to give him that critical window at the beginning of the year where he doesn't need to change the world or knock anyone's socks off, but just continue to grow and grasp the nature of the game he is destined to dominate in.

Ahh, and now I can sleep at last, with images of Romo in unutterable pain, running for his life and throwing into the hands of Dawkins, his screams like cricket bows, and all is right with the world.

The Draft So Far --

#1 - Miami Dolphins - DE Chris Long, Virginia
#2 - St. Louis Rams - OT Jake Long, Michigan
#3 - Atlanta Falcons - DT Glen Dorsey, LSU
#4 - Oakland Raiders - RB Darren McFadden, Arkansas

With that, the New York Jets are on the clock...MattR, that's you!