Grading the Draft

Ah the next thing for anyone to do after the draft, grading the draft, despite none of the players seeing playing time yet (how many people were down on the Texans selecting Mario Williams?). Start the season already!

In no particular order (I lied, it's alphabetical):

Arizona: Solid picks, they got Cromartie Part II and Calais Campbell to rush the passer. Early Doucet was a good WR until injury, he can be the new slot or even take over if Boldin continues to cry about his contract. They needed to pick a RB, and did, though we'll see how Richmond's Hightower does in the NFL.
Grade: B+

Atlanta: I was sure they'd take Dorsey and get Brohm or Henne in the second round, but apparently that's what Miami planned. Matt Ryan could be a solid performer, but I think 3rd overall was high for him. Atlanta had plenty of picks and got plenty of value for them, including an OT, 3 LBs, 2 CBs, a S, a TE, a RB, a WR and of course a QB. Lots of depth added to a rebuilding team.
Grade: B

Baltimore: The talk of the first round, Joe Flacco at No. 18. This guy is not NFL ready. The Ravens are probably hoping to return to the playoffs but that won't happen if you're training a young QB who didn't play big college ball. They easily could've gotten Henne in the 2nd round (though I like they're 2nd round pick of Ray Rice). They also didn't draft a CB to build depth behind their aging starters. I can't tell if this team is in rebuilding or win-now mode.
Grade: C

Buffalo: Ah yes, the Bills, notorious draft tankers. I'm actually pleased with their draft. The two biggest needs were WR and CB, they got both, McKelvin (some say the top rated CB in the draft) and Kelly (a 6-5 TALL wideout that should work well with speedy Evans). They added depth at DE, TE, and LB. I don't think they need 3 CBs however, and think they could've taken a DT in the 4th round.
Grade: B+

Carolina: This is definitely a win-now team. Fox's job is on the line. The first round was good, Stewart is a solid runner and Otah will help keep Delhomme upright (assuming he comes back from injury). Picking up Godrey in the 3rd was a good value and picking up Connor in the 3rd was possibly a steal. He should be a starter and will go great with last year's LB rookie Beason.
Grade: A

Chicago: Ouch, where do I begin? How about not taking any QB at all? Grossman must have naked pictures of Lovie Smith to still be the starter. No solid WRs and they don't pick one til the 3rd when all the top WRs were on the board in the 2nd. Picking up an OT in the first was fine, but they had needs at WR and RB which they made poor decisions on. Forte was good, but Ray Rice and Kevin Smith were taken after him and are better backs. Should've been WR in the 2nd and RB in the 3rd (if they weren't going to go RB in the 1st)
Grade: F

Cincinnati: I know Chad Johnson's making a stink, but 3 WRs drafted when you have no defense? I really like their first round pick, Rivers is an isntant starter and they had no LBs last year. However, they need more help on the DL, but they went out and grabbed a guy who was released from his team due to DUI (Shirley, 5th Rd). Then again, I guess he'd fit right in with the Bungles.
Grade: D

Cleveland: Good first pick (in the 4th round), getting a need guy in an ILB. Can't say the same for the TE they picked up next (they already have Clemens). They did pick up some other depth along the DL and also a WR to study behind Edwards and Jurevicious. An ok draft considering they traded their first three rounds' picks for Brady Quinn, Shaun Rogers, and Corey Williams.
Grade: B-

Dallas: Seriously, Felix Jones first? You wouldn't rather get a WR to go behind your two 34+ year old guys? Or even a CB to shore up that shitty secondary? At least they did get the CB eventually (actually two). However, if they're so high on Marion Barber, why draft 2 RBs? I've always felt Julius Jones was the better of the two. Bad draft, didn't address WR and took Jones too high.
Grade: F

Denver: Good first round, then it went downhill. WR wasn't a desperate need and Eddie Royal would've been there a round or two later. No early LBs, no early DTs (Broncos have stunk against the run for years, trading for Dewayne Robertson is not the answer). Only good points on their draft was the OL. Gonna need DL with LT, LJ, and now Run DMC in the division.
Grade: D-

Detroit: Heh, no first round receiver???? Has the curse been lifted? Decent draft, solid lineman in the 1st, great value at RB in the 3rd. Kevin Smith has potential to be a starter in the NFL, and that should take some pressure off Nostradumass (I mean, Kitna). The rest of the draft was defense, including DT, DE, and S. Could be a turning around point.
Grade: B+

Green Bay: The owners of the 3rd WTF of the draft, they take a WR and its.... Jordy Nelson. The 2nd round is not the place to pick up a 4th receiver. And not even one of the top receivers at that. Stealing Brian Brohm to be your backup (or starter if Rogers is no good) was a good move, and getting Patrick Lee to learn from the aging corners is another good move. Aside from the first pick the Packers had a good draft (though not sure they really needed to draft QB Matt Flynn as well).
Grade: C+

Houston: Shored up the OL in the first, but might have cost them too much to do so. Top to bottom they got some good value, a decent corner to help with the secondary, Slaton could help out immediately at RB, and Adibi is another solid piece to the young defense featuring Mario Williams and Amobi Okoye. They had their best finish ever last year, could start pushing for 3rd or 2nd in the division.
Grade: B+

Indianapolis: Interestingly enough, now that the Colts have a defense worth crowing about, their draft is almost entirely offense. They drafted 3 centers to help shore up an aging OL (C Saturday is 32, need to groom his replacement soon). They also got two TEs and a WR. Picking up Mike Hart in the 6th was great value, he can easily spell Addai at RB. Despite having a good defense, I would've liked them to pick up a little more DL help.
Grade: B

Jacksonvile: They sold the farm to get their first round pick. Someone who easily would've been there later (maybe not all the way to their spot, but really, giving up four picks for one guy is not value). They obviously feel all they need is a pass rush to go to the Super Bowl, first two picks were DE. They really needed more help in the secondary after letting Brady go 26-28 in last year's playoffs.
Grade: D

Kansas City: They had the most picks this draft and made them work. Dorsey first, then Branden Albert to fix the age of the OL. Solid CB and RB next, as well as a S. With their stockpile they picked up many young players that'll contribute soon and will fill in for their very aged counterparts on the starting lineup. With huge needs on the OL, DL, CB, and WR, they got them all.
Grade: A+

Miami: A good draft by Parcells. He didn't get any offers for more picks and the #1 overall so he got the safe 12-year starter in Jake Long. Number 3 pass rusher (dropped due to injury) in Merling. And managed to also get a QB to push Beck for the starting job in Henne. I figured the Dolphins and Falcons would both go for a QB in the second round while fixing their lines in the first. Guess I got the Dolphins right. One thing they should've gotten though is a wide receiver, someone better than Ted Ginn.
Grade: B

Minnesota: They dumped a lot of picks to get Jared Allen, who has much monetary incentive to stay clean (he gets pretty much nothing if he's not playing for them in '09). With their few picks and really few needs, they did well. Got the second best safety on the board, a hard hitter. They also got John David Booty, who really is probably a better QB than Tavaris Jackson. Got him in the 5th which is great value. Booty throwing to Sidney Rice or handing off to Peterson/Taylor sounds good. They could've also gotten a TE though.
Grade: A-

New England: Took Mayo a little high, but probably didn't have anyone willing to trade up to the 10th spot. They really should've traded back up into the late first round to grab a CB, the one they got late second round has injury issues, which won't help them out. They did draft for depth, with 3 LBs and 2 CBs taken. Hard to nitpick an undefeated team though they are getting a little old on the OL.
Grade: B+

New Orleans: Good pick with Ellis. For a team that got burnt by the pass so badly last year, I would've figured them to make a move on one of the elite corners. If they're gonna trade picks away for Ellis, why not sell the rest for a good CB. They didn't get much out of their later rounds except an accurate kicker.
Grade: C+

New York Giants: They didn't really need much, obviously. A safety, which they got. Another wideout once Toomer retires and Tyree's stickum wears off, got that too. Solid backup to Manning who doesn't look like he ate the other backup, check. Like the Pats, hard to nitpick the draft of a team that doesn't need much.
Grade: B+

New York Jets: It's fun to watch the draft if only to see the Jets fans' reactions to picks. They cheered like crazy for Gholston, but then booed Keller (even though they could use another TE threat). Jets made a lot of moves in the offseason to shore up the defense, so they didn't have a lot of needs. They needed a WR, got one early in the 6th round, so we'll see if he's a playmaker or not. Got another QB, wonder which one they'll stick with this time.
Grade: B-

Oakland: Well, they got a home run hitter with Darren McFadden. Let's see if he can stop having kids and play ball. Chargers are still the team to beat. They probably could've used more OL help and maybe a recevier that wasn't injured all last year. Tough to say what else they need since the defense was so good in '06 but with essentially the same people stunk in '07. Also, Russell is officially listed as a lineman now.
Grade: B

Philadelphia: Drafted a solid defender in Trevor Laws and got the speedy DeSean Jackson who fell way out of the first round (so did all WRs though). They also got help for the aging tackles in three new linemen. They drafted another CB for some reason, I would've liked them to get another WR since that's never been a strong point. I also think they should've gotten a backup to Westbrook, so is pretty much their entire offense and they've never gotten someone to reliably give him a break.
Grade: B-

Pittsburgh: They could've used some corner help, but it's hard to pass up Rashard Mendenhall (the fact that so many teams did dumbfounds me). The OL was a huge problem last year and they only got one young guy to work his way into the lineup. They did get that tall WR that Roethlisberger was dreaming of. No smire flom Hines Wald.
Grade: B-

San Diego: A team with little need. Backup RB; check. Nickelback; check. Replacement for Lorenzo Neal; check. Now let's just see if they can put it all together and actually beat the Pats in the playoffs. Until they do that, they remain one of the better teams on paper only.
Grade: A

San Francisco: Unfortunately, they had more needs than picks. They didn't get a WR til pretty late in the draft, but considering they filled a lot of needs before that with a DT, G, and CB (HA take that Nate Clements), can't really say much. Hopefully the young defense gels and Shaun King turns out to be the right QB or they'll be looking for more pieces next year.
Grade: B

Seattle: Taking Lawrence Jackson was a bit of a reach, he would've been there next round. They should've gone TE, WR, DE in that order. They got decent pressure with their LBs, no need to reach for a DE in the first round. I know they just spent a bunch of money on Julius Jones and TJ Duckett, but they could've taken a late round runner to take over once Jones get old and Duckett proves he's still Duckett. They would've graded lower except they got a solid kicker late to replace Brown (and Mare, WTF Seattle, Mare sucked, the Saints cut him, the SAINTS)
Grade: C

St. Louis: Huge reach in the second round for Donnie Avery. Especially since the this is the first WR off the board. This is almost as bad as Green Bay coming up behind them and taking Jordy Nelson. They also didn't get LBs until the last rounds. Depite the potential of Chris Long, this was a disappointing draft for them.
Grade: D

Tampa Bay: They filled two needs right away with a CB and a WR, though they probably could've found a better WR at that spot. The rest of the draft was used to add depth to the older positions on the team like OL and LB. Don't really think they needed to draft a QB, but then Jon Gruden is attempting to field the first ever all-QB offense.
Grade: B

Tennessee: Why? They already have enough RBs, plus why stretch on one in the first round. There were better backs later on for sure. What was the biggest need? WR. What round did they get a WR? 4th. At least they got another TE and DE. But really, can't get past the first pick.
Grade: F

Washington: They picked 10 people. That's probably like 5 times as many as usual. And they did well, getting two of the top WRs and in some circles the best TE. Talk about getting some offensive weapons. They added depth at S, OL, and CB, though they didn't get a pass rusher until late.
Grade: A