So the time for mock drafts has come and gone. Rip’em up. Jake Long did indeed get picked by the Dolphins.

Kudos to Don Banks for giving the Rams Chris Long, the 272 lb DE from Virginia. Several folks who had him going first to Miami made the quick switch. But some had Glenn Dorsey headed to St. Louis. Long is a great player and made 79 tackles last year.

At #3 the Atlanta Falcons decided to put Michael Vick behind them and take a gamble that QB Matt Ryan (6’ 4 ¾, 228 lbs.) is the man to lead them back to respectability. Prisco and Judge over at CBS Sportsline had the pick right.

Jets fans were clearly bummed to watch the explosive Arkansas RB Darren McFadden end up going #4 to the Oakland Raiders, desperately hoping he’d slip to #6. Runner-up to the Heisman, McFadden is a bit more than 6’ 1” and 211.

The Chiefs were glad to get Glenn Dorsey, DT from LSU at #5, possibly hoping which his impressive mix of power and agility he can stop a Darren McFadden run.

The New York crowd which spent much of the 10 minutes before their chanting Ver-non Gholston got their wishes. The 6’ 3” 266 lb DE from Ohio State has also played LB.

The question for the Patriots was with the loss of Samuel, Wilson would they go for defense. There was also the possibility the Patriots were looking to trade down. When it came their turn, they dealt the pick plus a 5th round pick to the New Orleans Saints who took Sedrick Ellis, the DT from USC. In return they pick #10 and gain a 3rd round pick.

The Ravens caught the trade fever and gave their #8 pick to Jacksonville who jumped up from 26 to snag Derrick Harvey the 6’4” DE from Florida hoping to juice up their pass rush. It was an expensive gamble for the Jaguars who gave up 2 3rd round picks and a 4th round pick.

Keith Rivers, the durable and reliable OLB from USC went #9 to the Bengals. The Patriots at #10 took Jerod Mayo the ILB from Tennessee. Those of you who can still think back to some of the mock drafts, might remember Bob Glauber of Newsday thinking that Mayo could have slipped down to #31 to the Giants. One of the great things about Mayo is that he is extremely versatile and can play several positions.

Well let’s jump ahead to the Redskins. Mock-drafters had a host of ideas about who would be available by at #21 and who the Skins would take. Well the Skins pulled off a trade with the Falcons who took Sam Baker, the OT from USC. That didn’t work out all that well for the mock-drafters.

The Music Hall was jumping when it was announced that the Packers had traded the 30th pick to the Jets and New Yorkers were picking back-to-back. The Jets took tight end Dustin Keller from Purdue.

So what about the Super Bowl champs at #31. They did what many mock-drafters thought they did – they went to replace Gibril Wilson with Kenny Phillips, the safety from Miami. He’s 6’2” and 212.

Check your local paper and fill in the gaps.

For all the fun and the speculation of mock-drafts, there’s nothing like the unpredictability of trades and the gambling that is the real deal. Next time, we’ll do some analysis of how the teams did. At least, how they did on paper.

Because don’t forget, a few weeks into last season people were saying that Eli Manning was an over-rated bust and the Giants gave up much too much to draft him. Sometimes it just takes some time to fully learn the pro game and become the kind of player the scouts predicted.

Who is this year’s Eli Manning?

Did you watch the football combine on the NFL network? Have you been checking the sports pages to see who has signed your favorite free agent? Have you been watching the Jets spend like they’re printing money?

It wasn’t so long ago that Eli Manning squirmed away from the Patriots and found David Tyree, who made one of the greatest grabs ever, in perhaps the most exciting Super Bowl we’ve ever seen.

David Tyree’s magical grab – Photo: How/Getty

How about a quick review: The Cowboys then the Packers beat the Giants to start off the season and with the fans and media just about ready to bail on Tom Coughlin and the Jints, Eli & Company pull out the 3rd game at the Redskins. All the while the Patriots were steamrolling the Jets, Chargers and Bills.

On Week 17 the Patriots outlast the Giants in Giants Stadium 38 to 35. But that victory for the Patriots was really a win for the Giants, who despite all the hype and talk about should the starters start, won back the love of their fans and began to believe they could go all the way.

Eli – jubilant & victorious

Well the New England Patriots re-signed LB Tedy Bruschi, C Lonie Paxton, S Ray Ventrone, DL Mike Wright and WRs Jabar Gaffney, Randy Moss, and Kelley Washington. And they signed CBs Jason Webster and Lewis Sanders, and S Tank Williams. Some of the important players they lost: Asante Samuel to Philadelphia, Donte Stallworth and Eugene Wilson.

The New York Giants have been relatively quiet: they signed QB David Carr, LB Danny Clark and S Sammy Knight. And they re-signed RB Derrick Ward. Some of the players they lost: Kawika Mitchell, Reggie Torbor, Gibril Wilson, and William Joseph.

Next step: the 2008 NFL Draft. April 26-27. The buzz is the Giants with the last pick in the first round will go for a linebacker. The Patriots have the 7th pick overall and some think they’ll be shopping the pick.

Who do you think your team will go for?

Are you ready for football?