Wednesday, May 1, 2013

2013 NFL Draft Grades

If we are being totally honest, it is really not fair to judge a draft until several years into the future. Some players are college superstars and would at first look seem like they would convert into NFL superstars, but they just fall short when it comes NFL competition. Other players suffer injuries early in their NFL career that stint or end their pro career. Then you have the players that were only average in their college career and end up stepping up their game in the pros. Then of course you have the players that people think will be superstars and end up doing so. This is why it is hard to judge a draft right after it happens because oftentimes it is quite random. But I am going to give out grades anyways so you can know how I felt about this draft. Maybe you will come back in a year or two and laugh at my analysis, who knows - I might do the same, but so be it. I will do this alphabetically by team as opposed to best draft to worst draft or some other mode.

Arizona Cardinals - The Cardinals had a solid draft all around and in my opinion had one of the best drafts.  Every single pick of theirs not only made sense, but was a good value pick that addressed a team need. Maybe they would've been happy if Lane Johnson fell to them in the first round, but Johnathan Cooper was definitely a great consolation prize as it was smart of them to go offensive line with that pick. Second round and fourth round picks Kevin Minter and Alex Okafor were projected as first round picks by some and sending the Honey Badger to team up with his old LSU teammate Patrick Peterson is probably the best situation for him. Even late round picks Earl Watford, Stephan Taylor, Ryan Swope, and Andre Ellington could've easily been second or third round picks. Beautiful job by the Cardinals.
Grade: A

Atlanta Falcons- Cornerback was definitely the biggest need for the Falcons in this draft and they did a solid job of addressing that with their first two picks. Trading up for Desmond Trufant was smart and Robert Alford in the second round was a smart pick as he was seen as a late first round or early second round by most and they snagged him in the late second round, so props to the Falcons for that. But that's about where it ends for the Falcons. You look at the rest of their picks from the fourth round down (they ended up without a third round pick) and no one stands out as someone who will make a difference for this team and most of them might not even make the team.
Grade: B-

Baltimore Ravens- The Ravens had a lot of needs this offseason after it seems everyone left their team following that Super Bowl. The 32nd pick is always a tough spot to be in, especially when the Ravens needed as much help as the did, but they did a great job of making the most of it. They ended up selecting ten times in this draft and for the most part everyone they took will at least provide good depth for this team and help ease the pain of all the losses they suffered. Their top two picks, Matt Elam and Arthur Brown, have the chance to be day one starters as they try to help fill in the gaps for departed Raven legends Ed Reed and Ray Lewis.
Grade: B+

Buffalo Bills- Robert Woods was an excellent choice with their first of two second round picks as the Bills needed to add some receivers to run alongside Stevie Johnson, but outside that you look at this draft for the Bills and just wonder if they enjoy losing. It all starts with them taking EJ Manuel with the 16th overall pick. Not Geno Smith and not even Ryan Nassib like most thought. EJ Manuel could turn out to be a decent quarterback, but he was the third or fourth best quarterback in this draft and even if they Bills really liked him, they didn't have to take him in the first round. He would've been available to them in the second or maybe even third round. Thus was the story of the draft for them. There were a lot of great players that would've helped them win that available every time they selected, but they chose not to select them. And it wasn't just Manuel in round one. There were better linebackers on the board when they selected Kirk Alonso. Taking receiver Marquise Goodwin in round three was really risky. The guy blew everyone away with his speed in the senior bowl and combine, but have you looked at his stats in college? He had only a third of the yards as the other receivers in the draft. Good for a late round flyer, but not a third round pick.
Grade: D-

Carolina Panthers- The Panthers didn't have much to work with in this draft as they ended with only five picks, three of those being fourth, fifth, and sixth round picks respectively. But they solved issues they had at one position of need by taking two DT steals. Star Lotulelei fell to them at 14 which is great because before his heart condition came up he was a lock to be a top five pick, some thinking he could even go number one. His condition was cleared, but teams still got too nervous about that and I have a feeling they will regret that later. Also in the second round they got Kawann Short who also could've gone earlier. So I definitely can't talk bad about their draft, but I also can't praise it because of the lack of picks and thus lack of needs addressed.
Grade: B

Chicago Bears- The Bears really confused me when they took Kyle Long in the first round. He's one of those players that you look at and realize that he could turn out to be a decent starter for the Bears, but there was so much more they could've done with that pick and Kyle Long was a projected second round pick at best. They also got linebacker happy as three of their remaining picks after selecting Long were used on the position, which could turn out in their favor being that they need to replace Urlacher somehow, but I look at their draft and see that they could've done so much more.
Grade: C

Cincinnati Bengals- The Bengals are another team that I think had a great draft. They raised eyebrows with their picks, but after thinking about it for a second, you realize that they are smart picks. Tight End wasn't the biggest need for the Bengals, but you can't argue with them adding Tyler Eifert to that already dangerous receiving corps. If Andy Dalton doesn't take the next step forward in his progression you certainly can't blame it on his receivers. Also it seems weird that they decided to pass on Eddie Lacy with their second round pick and instead elect to make Giovani Bernard the first runningback off the board, but the Bengals needed have a speedy runner that complimented Benjarvis Green-Ellis and Bernard fit that role better. The Bengals next three picks were defensive players that could turn out to be steals which is good because those were probably more pressing needs. The last half of the draft (rounds 5 -7) were full of players that will all probably miss the team, so it feels like the Bengals called it a wrap after the fourth round, but oh well.
Grade: A-

Cleveland Browns- The Browns really did themselves no favors in this draft. They only had five picks in the draft - two seventh round picks, a sixth round pick, a third round pick, and the sixth overall pick in the first round. But yet we look at those highest two picks and they really did nothing with them. They had several options at sixth overall that would've been great, the smartest of which would've been Dee Milliner, but they chose to take Barkevious Mingo, a player who was a reach at that point. They did address cornerback with the third round pick by taking Leon McFadden, but once again there were much better picks available to them. This probably means we can look forward to another top ten appearance by the Browns in next year's draft.
Grade: C-

Dallas Cowboys- I'm not quite sure what the Cowboys were thinking with this draft. They had big needs at safety and defensive line and both of those needs could've been solved where they were originally at in the first round. Instead they decided to trade down to the end of the first round, where there was also several players that could've helped them, but instead they decide to pick a center from Wisconsin. Sure, they did need an offensive lineman, but they could've grabbed this guy in the third round. Their next two picks they used on giving weapons for Tony Romo with tight end Gavin Escobar and receiver Terrance Williams. Sure, those guys will help the Cowboy offense, but they still didn't do anything to help their defense. They waited till the middle of the third round with their fourth pick to finally address their main concern at safety. They didn't even touch defensive line in the draft. Eli Manning, Michael Vick, and RGIII have to be happy that they won't have much problems burning that Cowboys defense once again.
Grade: C-

Denver Broncos- No Broncos fan can really complain about this offseason as they have made several moves that made this team go from good to even better. However there was one huge mishap in letting Elvis Dumervil go and you would've thought that the Broncos would've tried to replace him with their first round pick, but instead they left the spot open and instead went for interior defensive line. They did, however, decide to take runningback Monte Ball in the second round and that is actually a very smart pick as runningback was a big need for them. No one else in their draft stands out, so it was a slightly disappointing draft, but it still should be a great season in Denver so no huge concern.
Grade: C

Detroit Lions- This was a smart draft for the Lions. They had needs at defensive end, cornerback, and offensive line and without trying to be fancy or clever with their picks like they've done in the past, they went out and drafted what they needed. Yes there is concerns with each of those picks. Ziggy at number five is a raw player who hasn't hardly played much football. Darius Slay at corner has some concerns with his knees. Finally Larry Warford is a guard and the Lions really needed a left tackle, but overall there is a great chance this these risks could turn out to be great rewards instead and bring the Lions back to the playoffs.
Grade: B

Green Bay Packers- Not a bad draft for the Packers, but at the same time safety was their biggest concern and they completely avoided the position in the draft which is weird because they had 11 picks in this draft. They did need a bit of fine tuning with the defensive line and linebacker corps and so Datone Jones with their first round pick was a good selection. Also, I have no idea why Eddie Lacy fell as far as he did. He should've been the first running back selected, but fell to the Packers in the end of the second, which they should be very happy about because there was a good chance that he would've been gone by the time the picked in the first round. The rest of their nine picks came in the fourth round or later, so there really is nothing to brag about outside a little bit of depth at tackle with their fourth round picks, but the Packer fans shouldn't fret because as long as Aaron Rodgers is at the helm, this should be a great team.
Grade: B-

Houston Texans- Good draft for the Texans. I am a huge fan of DeAndre Hopkins from Clemson. Some thought Corderelle Patterson or Justin Hunter should've been the second receiver drafted, but I thought Hopkins was a much better prospect and apparently the Texans agreed. Now they have Andre and DeAndre as their receivers and since Andre is getting older, DeAndre will soon take over, but in the meantime, they will make a scary duo. In the rest of the draft, they did a good job adding depth on that defense by taking a safety, linebacker, and defensive end. And of course a tackle. Now I don't know why they thought four sixth round picks was a good idea, but hey.
Grade: B+

Indianapolis Colts- Linemen are possibly the most important part of a football team, both offensive and defensive and that is what the Colts spent this draft reloading, grabbing a couple big men each side, so I can't really fault them. Specifically picking a defensive end with their first round pick was a good move as they no longer have Dwight Freeney. That first round pick being Bjoern Werner was all over the place on draft boards, so the Colts could have a steal with that pick. Also speaking of steals, they grabbed Utah State runningback Kerwynn Williams in the seventh round and he is a player that could've gone in round three or four and he'll be a nice compliment to that running game. Now I would've liked to see them get a defensive back or two earlier than they did, but overall a decent draft.
Grade: B






Jacksonville Jaguars- The Jaguars did a good job of sticking to picking the best player available and for a team that had a big need in just about every area on the field, that was really smart of them because I really like Luke Joeckel and Jonathan Cyprien. My problem with the Jaguars' draft is that they did not take a quarterback the entire draft. They are putting way too much faith in Blaine Gabbert and I think that's going to cause them to be right back in the top five. I'm fine with them not wanting to invest a first round pick on a quarterback, but they should've taken a third or fourth round flyer on a guy like Barkley or Nassib at least as an insurance. If Gabbert ends up having a breakout year, then great. They didn't invest too much and then they would thus have good trading bait. But they didn't do that and I think that is foolish. Also of note is the pick of Denard Robinson. The man could play about any position on offense except for offensive line, so it'll be interesting to see what they do with him.

Grade: C+


Kansas City Chiefs- You can never complain about the number one overall pick in the draft right after the draft ends. Even Jamarcus Russell was the obvious choice at the time. Thus is the case with Eric Fisher right now. Unfortunately for the Chiefs it was bad timing on their end because this draft had no sexy, obvious choice (no RGIII or Andrew Luck type of player), but they can't complain too much about being able to pick up a solid offensive lineman with the first pick. I would've taken Joeckel if it were me, but both should be great pros. The Chiefs gave away their second round pick in the Alex Smith trade, which I think was smart, so the next time they were up was in the third round. And honestly, the rest of their draft was pretty bad. Sure they got some depth at certain positions, but tight end, running back, and inside linebacker weren't the positions they need, but that is what they took with their 3rd and 4th round picks.
Grade: B-

Miami Dolphins- The first huge shocker came right at number three when the Dolphins traded up and picked Dion Jordan. Everyone thought that it was Lane Johnson that they were going to grab because that's who the Dolphins really needed after losing Jake Long to the Rams. Now Dion Jordan was a great pick as he'll be a solid defensive player for them, but they still need a starting left tackle as I don't know if third round pick Dallas Thomas fills that gap. Maybe they are still hoping that the Brandon Albert trade will work out for them, but if it doesn't they are in trouble. I do like the second round pick Jamar Taylor as they did have a huge need at cornerback and they got him in the second round when he could've easily gone in the first round. Outside their top two picks, the rest of the Dolphins picks were spent on players that could've gone a round or two later than when the Dolphins took them. So the Dolphins had a bunch of picks in this draft and I think they wasted most of them.
Grade: C


Minnesota Vikings- The Vikings probably had the luckiest draft this year. They already had two first round picks and they used both picks on players that filled huge needs for them that should've gone a lot higher than they did. Sharrif Floyd was seen by most as a top five pick and the Vikings grabbed him with pick 23. Xavier Rhodes was seen by many as the second best corner in the draft that would go between 10 and 15. The Vikings got him at 25. Then in addition to those first two picks, the Vikings traded back into the first round at 29 and got wide receiver Cordarelle Patterson who most thought would be taken somewhere in the teens. Because of that trade back up to the first round, they ended up with no middle round picks, but I thought the price was alright. They took advantage of all the other teams' dumb mistakes and I commend that.
Grade: A


New England Patriots- The Draft put together an awesome tribute to the city of Boston when the Patriots were up in the first round, and you gotta think that after watching it, the Patriots had to have felt a little bad that they traded the pick. There was an awesome jersey that going to be presented to the selected Patriot, but Joe Andruzzi instead had to awkwardly walk back to the podium and announce that there was no one to give it to because the pick was traded. Oops. I guess you can't fault the Patriots too much for wanting more mid round picks, but I think that they should've stayed there and picked one of the receivers or corners that were still on the board. They did end up with a bunch of decent players that will provide good depth at positions they needed, but I still think they could've done better.
Grade: C+


New Orleans Saints- Last season the Saints had a historically bad defense and so that was what the Saints. I think I may have preferred that they take Jarvis Jones with that pick, but I can't argue too much. They had no second round pick this season because it was taken away from them and in fact they only had five picks total, so they didn't have much to work with and they didn't get much with their picks as they took a really raw offensive tackle and a decent defensive tackle. So I don't know how much this draft will help them, but at least they solved one of their many problems on defense and I guess that is a step forward.
Grade: B-

New York Giants- This was another team that confused me. They had so many needs on defense and there were so many options available to them, but instead they decided on Justin Pugh. Looking at it, it's not an awful pick. The Giants needed help on offensive line and he is a really versatile lineman, but he was typically viewed as a second round pick. The Giants did get some good value in the second and third round with defensive linemen Johnathan Hankins and Demontre Moore, so overall it was a good, but not great draft. They did leave a bunch of other holes wide open on defense, which is why I thought picking Ryan Nassib in the fourth round was a bad idea. Sure they needed a backup quarterback, but unless Eli Manning gets hurt, they man is never going to start a game for the Giants and so the Giants should've gone defensive back with that pick.
Grade: B-

New York Jets- The Jets had a ton of needs come draft day and looking back, I feel like they came away filling very few of those needs. I think that the pick of Dee Milliner was a fantastic pick given that they just traded Darrelle Revis, but at the same time I think it is a wasted pick because they should've never traded Revis in the first place and thus should've never had the need to draft another cornerback. I guess they didn't want to pay Revis as much money as he demanded, but that is stupid because he is the best corner in the NFL and deserves to be payed. Moving to their second first round pick, the one that they got for trading Revis, they slipped up big time I think. Now Sheldon Richardson was a great pick and deserved to go between 10 and 15, but the thing is that he was the third best DT on the board and both Star Lotulelei AND Sharrif Floyd were still on the board when the Jets were up. Why they passed on both of them for Richardson is beyond. Next up is the pick of Geno. I actually really like that pick for them. Going into the regular season with their current quarterback crew was definitely going to get Rex Ryan fired and Geno as a second round steal is pretty good. Then they spent the rest of the draft drafting offensive lineman, which is great because they had a big need there. But what about wide receiver? What about running back? What about a tight end? Whether it is Sanchez, Garrard, Smith, or McElroy at QB, neither of them are going to do well if they don't have an offense to help them. Also what are they going to do with the rest of that defense? They needed a pass rusher and more help in the secondary than just replacing Revis. But nada. I think this team really wants to fail. Tebow should be grateful that the Jets have now cut him.
Grade: D+

Oakland Raiders- I was about ready to full out praise the Raiders for what they did on draft day. Everyone had they selected Sharrif Floyd with the third pick in the draft, but instead they decided to trade down and thus get a second round draft pick back as well. Turns out the player they really needed at three was somehow available at 12, thus making the Raiders look like geniuses. Then they passed on him. For DJ Hayden. Huh? Is the ghost of Al Davis still running this team? DJ Hayden has possibly the best story in the draft with his near death experience followed by a miraculous recovery, but I didn't think he was the second best corner available. In fact I thought he was the fourth or fifth best, but apparently the Raiders actually thought he was the best in the draft because rumor has it they were ready to take him with the third pick. Wow. However, I actually think they helped their cause in the later rounds. They still avoided the defensive line until the sixth round for some reason, but they managed to get great value with Menelik Watson at tackle. Another risky pick because he has only played football for a short period of time, but many had him going in round one, so I think it was a steal. Also linebacker Sio Moore was a great value as a third round linebacker and Tyler Wilson in round four provides good insurance in case Matt Flynn doesn't work out. He will be competing with Terrell Pryor and Matt Leinart for backup duties, but he has a good shot at beating one of those two out to make the team.
Grade: B


Philadelphia Eagles- It's Chip Kelly's first shot at an NFL draft and I think him and the rest of the Eagles' crew did a great job with this draft. First off, they probably had a heart attack when Miami traded up in front of them because they probably thought along with everyone else that they were going to take their guy, but they didn't and so the Eagles had Lane Johnson fall right to them and it was an obvious choice. In the second round I don't know if tight end was their biggest need, but Brent Celek isn't the most consistent player, so Zak Ertz will be a great addition. Then in round three they get their defensive tackle in Bennie Logan, and he was a great value at the at point that filled a big need. Moving on to the fourth round, they were able to pick up some more pressing needs in the first three rounds and still select a quarterback in Matt Barkley at one point of time was projected as a number one pick and even after a poor senior season still should've been an early second or late first round pick. He's not going to start early on and may not even see any time at all his rookie season, but if he's patient and he works hard to improve his game, in two or three years he could easily be the franchise quarterback of this Eagles team. The Eagles draft praise doesn't end here, though. In round 5 they select a safety that could challenge for a starting job soon and even in round seven they selected two guys, Joe Kruger from Utah and Jordan Poyer from Oregon St who should be able to make the team and provide good depth for the Eagles. Excellent draft. It's also interesting to note that four of their eight players they took were from the Pac-12. It's almost like Chip Kelly coached for one of those teams recently.
Grade: A


Pittsburgh Steelers- The Steelers are always a good team and one of the main reasons for that is that they do a great job of reloading through the draft. They lost James Harrison and Mike Wallace this offseason, so linebacker and receiver were needs. Runningback was also a need as their running game was a mess last year. These three positions are exactly what they selected with their first three picks. They first took linebacker Jarvis Jones, which I think was a total steal. He was one of the funnest linebackers to watch in college and would've been much higher but several teams were scared away by his poor 40 time and I think they will be regretting that in a few years. Their second round pick was La'Veon Bell and that actually confused me. Not because it was a reach, a non-need, or a bad fit. All three of those are false. It confused me because Eddie Lacy was actually still on the board and is a better runningback than Bell. Their third pick was receiver Markus Wheaton and, although the Steelers will eventually need to find another number one receiver as Wheaton isn't the answer there, Wheaton still will be a good target for Big Ben that will help ease the pain of the loss of Wallace. The Steelers also did a good job in getting a better backup quarterback in Landry Jones and added some depth to their secondary, so it was a decent draft for the Steelers.
Grade: A-

San Diego Chargers- Here's another team that got pretty lucky in the draft. They ended up with only six picks, but three of those were first round caliber players and yet the Chargers only had one first round pick. They didn't get their optimal prize with the 11th pick in the draft as they would've preferred to have one of the five top lineman to fall to them, but that didn't happen and so they reached a tiny bit with DJ Fluker, but they desperately needed a tackle and he was a viable option and not a huge reach. I also love the pick of Manti Te'o in the second round. I think there are too many people that are still bothered by the fake girlfriend scandal and although that's a pretty messed up story, it shouldn't effect what he did on the football field. I am only worried that he disappeared in the national championship game and he had a sub-par combine, but as a second round pick that is a real steal. Finally in the third round the Chargers grabbed a receiver in Keenan Allen. Allen has a few quirks here and there that caused him to fall, but he is a first round talent that was at least deserving of being a second round pick. Now the last three picks by the Chargers were nothing to write home about, but the fact that they good decent to great value with their top three picks makes this a good draft for them.
Grade: B+

San Francisco 49ers- At the end of the day, the 49ers ended up picking 11 times and as team that didn't have a ton of needs, they made some interesting moves. I highly doubt their final four or five picks will make the team, but that's fine. Everyone knew that the Niners were going to move up in the first round because they did have so many picks they didn't need, but when they jumped up to 18, they confused me a bit by taking Eric Reid. Yes, they needed a safety after Dashon Goldson left and yes, Reid is a great fit, but I actually think they could've stayed put and still got him, but maybe they were nervous that the Bengals would take him. Their second round pick was Tank Carradine and I don't know why teams like the Giants or Broncos decided to pass on the guy, but he was a big steal at the top of round two. Another great steal for them came in the fourth round with Marcus Lattimore. Yes, with his injury history (add to that his current injury) it made perfect sense as to why he fell, but the Niners with their depth at runningback could afford to take him and let him heal because in a year or two when he is healthy, he will make a dangerous weapon for the Niners. They also took Quinton Patton right before Lattimore and that is a great choice for receiver at that point. He was super productive in college and is a really polished player, but teams were probably nervous because he played for a WAC team in Louisiana Tech, so it could be a good steal for the Niners. They also did a good job of replacing Delanie Walker by picking Vance McDonald late in round two.
Grade: B+

Seattle Seahawks- There was not a whole ton of needs for the Seahawks and so it was fine for them to not have a ton of good draft picks. I use that wording because the Seahawks had eight picks from the fifth round and later. Three in round five, one and round six, and four in round seven. I don't know why they had that many low picks and now they gave a bunch of players some false hope by drafting them because most of those eight will probably miss the team because. The Seahawks spent their first round pick this year in trading for Percy Harvin and that was a fantastic decision because Harvin is definitely better than any player they would've gotten at 25. Now being that the Seahawks didn't have ton of needs, they were smart in using two of their three real picks by giving Russell Wilson even more weapons. They selected troubled runningback Christine Michael at the end of the second round and if he keeps himself in line, he's talented enough to eventually be the starter for the Seahawks in a few years and receiver Chris Harper is a big receiver that gives more depth to that position. They also got a rotational defensive tackle in the third and so that's nothing to complain about.
Grade: B


St. Louis Rams- This is my team right here, so this analysis will be more personal. The Rams have been really good at drafting linemen in the first round, whether it be offensive and defensive and although people keep praising them for doing so because the line has been a big need, I have been a little frustrated because a majority of them have not worked out and I have really, really wanted them to draft a receiver in the first round because none of their second or third round receivers they keep drafting ever work out. If they did the same thing and avoided a receiver in round one again, I was going to be one angry Rams fan, especially because we lost Danny Amendola. A lot of people thought Tavon Austin was going to fall to us at 16, but I had serious doubts as teams like the Bills, Jets, and Chargers could all use a receiver. Looking into backup options, I was actually really liking DeAndre Hopkins and if we didn't come away with Austin, that's who I wanted. When it was announced that the Rams were trading up to the number eight spot, I knew exactly who we were going to take and I was super happy. Austin is a short and skinny receiver, but he should be a great one to help Sam Bradford step up. Bradford is due $13M this season and $17M in 2014, so it's good that the Rams have decided to give him some weapons. This pick alone will make me give the Rams a high grade, but we did do other things. We got Alec Ogletree in the late first round. That is a big steal because he is a top ten talent who fell due to character issues. No second round pick was the sacrifice of moving up, but we did drop back again to the late first round and that gave us an additional third round pick. We used those two picks on a safety and another receiver. Safety was a huge need as we dumped both our starters from last season and we got good value with TJ McDonald. The second receiver was an interesting choice because it is Tavon Austin's parter in crime at West Virginia. My biggest complaint this draft for the Rams is that they didn't grab a runningback early on. I like Alec Ogletree but I was hoping for Eddie Lacy right there and when that happened I was hoping we would spend one of our two third round picks on a runner, but it didn't happen. Fifth round selection Zak Stacy will do nothing more than compete for a roster spot and so the Rams are putting too much faith in Daryl Richardson and Isaiah Pead to replace Steven Jackson and that could come back and bite them. But we finally got a number one receiver, so I am happy.
Grade: A-


Tampa Bay Buccaneers- The Bucs scored big in this draft due to the stupidity of the New York Jets. I don't know why the Jets thought it was a good idea to trade the best corner in the league, but they did and all the Bucs had to give away was the 13th overall pick. There wasn't going to be a player there that was better than Revis, so that was an amazing choice in essentially using the 13th overall pick to take Darrelle Revis. Then in addition to that, the Bucs went and grabbed another corner with their second round pick in Johnathan Banks, so that weakness there is now a huge strength. But outside that, the Bucs were a bit confusing. Josh Freeman needed weapons. A starting tight end and depth at receiver, but instead of getting some weapons, he got some huge competition to push him as the Bucs took quarterback Mike Glennon in the third round. Then the Bucs spent the rest of their draft taking more defensive linemen, which is great if they had no other pressing needs, but they kinda did. And just ignored them. Hmmmm....
Grade: B-


Tennessee Titans- The Titans had a very smart draft. They are a team that has a lot of good players, but not too many great players, so the best choice for them in this draft was to just take the best player available and that is exactly what they did. It turned out quite well for them has they got three players with their first three picks that were first round talent. With their first round pick, they selected guard Chance Warmack and now after having signed free agent guard Andy Levitre, that guard position is looking really good. The traded up a bit to the beginning of the second round to take receiver Justin Hunter. And although I don't know if receiver was their biggest need, Hunter was a first round talent and now that Titans receiving corps is really strong, which should help Jake Locker progress forward. Their third round pick Blidi Wreh-Wilson was their third pick that some people thought could be a first round pick. Their other later picks were good value as well, so it was a good draft for the Titans.
Grade: B+


Washington Redskins- The first round draft pick for the Redskins this season belonged to the St. Louis Rams as a part of the deal last year to trade up and pick RGIII, so the Redskins didn't have much to work with. You look at the picks they did make and there really is no pick that jumps out at you as one that was really fantastic, but they went out there are grabbed some depth at various positions like cornerback, tight end, and safety. So nothing to write home about in this draft for the Redskins. Instead their huge focus is on worrying about when RGIII comes back from his injury and when he does trying to knock some sense into the QB's head by telling him to not be so daring so that he can stay healthy.
Grade: C  

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