Round 3 #68 DE Jason Gilbert, San Jose State
Round 3 #99 WR Juaquin Iglesias, Oklahoma
Round 4 #105 DE Henry Melton, Texas
Round 4 #119  CB D.J. Moore, Vanderbilt
Round 5 #140 WR Johnny Knox, Albilene Christian
Round 6 #190 S Al Afalava, Oregon State
Round 7 #246 G Lance Louis, San Diego State
Round 7 #251 WR Derek Kinder, Pittsburgh

Overall Grade: B-

Fantasy Outlook: Similar to the Dallas Cowboys, the Bears traded out of day one.  When they were finally able to draft, Chicago devoted three out of their first four picks to the defensive side of the ball.  Jason Gilbert and Henry Melton should give them the pass rush they have been lacking in recent years.   D.J. Moore will also have the opportunity to compete for a starting  job on a already serviceable fantasy defense.  The Bears may have found a couple valuable gems at wideouts.  Juaquin Iglesias and Johnny Knox have a real shot of finding playing time.  In fact, Iglesias could warrant some late round fantasy consideration in deep leagues. 

Detroit Lions

Round 1 #1 QB Matthew Stafford, Georgia
Round 1 #20 TE Brandon Pettigrew, Oklahoma State
Round 2 #33 S Louis Delmas, Western Michigan
Round 3 #76 LB DeAndre Levy, Wisconsin
Round 3 #82 WR Derrick Williams, Penn State
Round 4 #115 DL Sammie Lee Hill, Stillman
Round 6 #192 RB Aaron Brown, TCU
Round 7 #228 OL Lydon Murtha, Nebraska
Round 7 #235 LB Zack Follett, California
Round 7 #255 TE Dan Gronkowski, Maryland 

Overall Grade: B

Fantasy Outlook: This draft for the Lions will forever be judged be how good of a pro Matthew Stafford becomes.  If he struggles, it could set the Lions back five years, or he could become the first real franchise quarterback the Lions have had since they stopped wearing leather helmets.  Stafford will likely begin the year as Daunte Culpepper’s backup, but he should be the starter by the end of the season.  Consequently, he warrants some fantasy consideration in keeper leagues.   Detroit likely found two other major impact players in Louis Delmas and Derrick Williams.   Delmas has a real chance to develop into a star at safety, and Derrick can eventually replace the other Williams that left town (Roy).  Zack Follett was a nice steal towards the end of their draft.  He will likely begin his career primarily on special teams, but after he gets coached up, he has a legitimate chance to become a starter on a perennial underwhelming fantasy defense. 

Green Bay Packers

Round 1 #9 DT B.J. Raji, Boston College
Round 1 #26 DE Clay Mathews, USC
Round 4 #109 OL T.J. Lang, Eastern Michigan
Round 5 #145 FB Quinn Johnson, LSU
Round 5 #162 OT Jamon Meredith, South Carolina
Round 6 #182 DE Jarious Wynn, Georgia
Round 6 #187 DB Brandon Underwood, Cincinnati
Round 7 #218 LB Brad Jones, Colorado

Overall Grade: A-

Fantasy Outlook: Any time you can start your draft with two future pro bowlers, you are doing something right. The Packers may have done exactly that by selecting B.J. Raji and Clay Mathews.  Green Bay also ended their draft taking three more defensive players.   The Packers’ fantasy defense should be considered a sleeper and a very viable option this upcoming season.  Besides their obvious focus on getting better on defense, Green Bay also selected picks that should improve their running game.  The fullback and offensive line help they acquired in the draft should improve the fantasy value of Ryan Grant. 

Minnesota Vikings

Round 1 #22 WR Percy Harvin, Florida
Round 2 #54 OT Phil Loadholt, Oklahoma
Round 3 #86 CB Asher Allen, Georgia
Round 5 #150 LB Jasper Brinkley, South Carolina
Round 7 #231 S Jamarca Sanford, Mississippi

Overall Grade: B+

Fantasy Outlook: The Vikings took Percy Harvin with their first pick.  Harvin has some off-the-field issues, but when he is on the field, he is an athletic playmaker. Harvin should spread out opposing defenses by being able to lineup all over the field, which should open up the holes in the running game for Adrian Peterson.  Naturally, Peterson is already a No.1 fantasy running back, but now he has the chance to be even more productive.  Phil Loadholt will also part the red seas for Peterson as he is an outstanding run blocker.  Minnesota devoted the rest of the draft to defense, primarily in their secondary.  The Vikings remain a solid fantasy defense.

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Round 1 #14 OT Chris Williams, Vanderbilt
Round 2 #44 RB Matt Forte, Tulane
Round 3 #70 WR Earl Bennett, Vanderbilt
Round 3 #90 DT Marcus Harrison, Arkansas
Round 4 #120 S Craig Steltz, LSU
Round 5 #142 CB Zackary Bowman, Nebraska
Round 5 #158 TE Kellen Davis, Michigan State
Round 7 #208 DE Ervin Baldwin, Michigan State
Round 7 #243 LB Joey LaRocque, Oregon State
Round 7 #247 OT Kirk Barton, Ohio State
Round 7 #248 WR Marcus Monk, Arkansas

Overall Grade: C-

Fantasy Outlook: The Bears did not please their fans when they ignored their biggest need by failing to draft a quarterback. They did select Earl Bennett in the third round to attempt to replace the production lost at the receiver position with the departure of Bernard Berrian.  However, since the Bears still don’t have a reliable signal caller, Bennett does not figure to be a viable fantasy option.  Kellen Davis was a nice find in the fifth round.  Davis and Greg Olsen will be a solid tight end tandem, and they both warrant consideration in fantasy.  Chicago figured to have found two starters in Marcus Harrison and Craig Steltz on an already upper tier fantasy defense.

Detroit Lions

Round 1 #17 OT Gosder Cherilus, Boston College
Round 2 #45 LB Jordon Dizon, Colorado
Round 3 #64 RB Kevin Smith, Central Florida
Round 3 #87 DT Andre Fluellen, Florida State
Round 3 #92 LB Cliff Avril, Purdue
Round 5 #136 WR Kenneth Moore, Wake Forest
Round 5 #146 FB Jerome Felton, Furman
Round 7 #216 DE Landon Cohen, Ohio
Round 7 #218 S Caleb Campbell, Army

Overall Grade: B-

Fantasy Outlook: Kevin Smith could end up being one of the biggest steals in the 2008 NFL draft.  Smith will certainly be given every opportunity to start as Kevin Jones has left town, and Tatum Bell has never proven he can carry the load over a long period of time.  Therefore, Smith is a viable option to consider in keeper leagues. The Lions may have reached a little for Gosder Cherilus, but he will certainly provide Detroit much-needed help to their O-line. Andre Fluellen and Cliff Avril figure to be starters on a middle-of-the-road fantasy defense.

Green Bay Packers

Round 2 #36 WR Jordy Nelson, Kansas State
Round 2 #56 QB Brian Brohm, Louisville
Round 3 #91 DB Patrick Lee, Auburn
Round 4 #102 TE Jermichael Finley, Texas
Round 4 #135 DE Jeremy Thompson, Wake Forest
Round 5 #150 OT Bren Giacomini, Louisville
Round 7 #209 QB Matt Flynn, LSU
Round 7 #217 WR Brett Swain, San Diego State

Overall Grade: B+

Fantasy Outlook: Green Bay quietly had a very solid draft.  Jordy Nelson may not start right away, but he will eventually work his way onto the field.  The same could be said about Brian Brohm, who will likely begin his career holding the clipboard behind Aaron Rodgers.  Matt Flynn is more of a project, and he has career backup written all over him. Consequently, Brohm and Flynn are not even worth a look in keeper leagues at this point in their respective careers.  Jeremy Thompson and Patrick Lee could end up as starters on defense by the end of the season.

Minnesota Vikings

Round 2 #43 S Tyrell Johnson, Arkansas State
Round 5 #137 QB John David Booty, USC
Round 5 #152 DT Letroy Guion, Florida State
Round 6 #187 C John Sullivan, Notre Dame
Round 6 #193 WR Jaymar Johnson, Jackson State

Overall Grade: A

Fantasy Outlook: The draft for Minnesota began with the acquisition of defensive end Jared Allen.  Allen instantly makes the Vikings an upper tier fantasy defense. Tyrell Johnson has the speed to play corner or safety, and his versatility should have him seeing significant playing time.  John David Booty will give Tavaris Jackson a reason to do his best to continue to improve.  In other words, if Jackson regresses, then Booty could snatch his job away from him before the end of the 2008 campaign.  With that being said, Booty only warrants minimal consideration in keeper leagues.

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