NFL Draft Grades

With the NFL Draft complete, the analysis begins. Some teams really helped themselves over the weekend. Others really didn’t. Today, we grade each team based on their selections, which includes the value of it and the need it filled. Both aspects are important when it comes to drafting.

A = Great Value at Need Spots

B = Good Value at Need Spots

C = Average

D = Reached a lot, Left Needs Unfulfilled

F = Failed at Filling Needs and got Terrible Value

Arizona Cardinals

Overall this was a solid draft for the Cards. They need help on the O-line, so it was nice to grab Jonathan Cooper. The other biggest splash was Tyrann Mathieu in the third round. We all know the issues off the field, but he has incredible talent and can play alongside Patrick Peterson. I think this could become a steal. I also believe Ryan Swope at pick #174 was a bargain. It was a nice first draft for rookie GM Steve Keim.

GRADE: B+

Atlanta Falcons

With their first two picks they drafted cornerbacks… I understand this because the NFL has become a passing league and they just lost their best one. BUT… I am not in love with the players they drafted as corners (Desmond Trufant and Robert Alford). Their other picks may add depth but I don’t see many difference makers.

GRADE: D+

Baltimore Ravens

If you ever wonder why this team always seems to win, just look to their drafting. It seems that every pick makes sense from a need, value, and fit standpoint. They had a terrible free agency when you consider what they lost, but they drafted great players on defense to help rebuild it. Matt Elam, Arthur Brown, Brandon Williams, and John Simon (their first four picks) could all be starters, some of them this year. They also supported the running game by drafting two linemen and a fullback that can block for Ray Rice. The only downfall is they didn’t grab a WR until the 7^th round, and that’s an area of great need.

GRADE: A-

Buffalo Bills

Buffalo moved down in the first round so that they could select a quarterback (a big need), but picking EJ Manuel was shocking. To me, this was the riskiest move of the entire first round, maybe even the draft. I liked their selection of Robert Woods in the second round and even Marquise Goodwin in the third to give Manuel some weapons. Overall, I thought they addressed needs fairly well, but I question the value on a couple of their picks (Manuel being the biggest one).

GRADE: C+

Carolina Panthers

Star Lotulelei can be what his name implies, a star! Picking him at #14 was not only great value, but also it filled a need and got them an impact player. They added more depth on the line by taking Kawann Short in the second round. They picked up a few other solid players, with the key word being FEW. They entered with five picks and left with five players. That means they weren’t able to add another weapon for Cam Newton. It was a good draft, but I wish they had more picks.

GRADE: B

Chicago Bears

If we’re just looking at the first round, the Bears disappointed their fans. They made a need-based reach pick taking guard Kyle Long. The good news is that he has the upside to be a really good player on the offensive line, and the Bears now have the coaching to get the most out of him (same with 5^th round OT Jordan Mills). The other good news is that they found value at positions of need the rest of the way. LB’s Jon Bostic and Khaseem Greene will be factors for years to come and could turn into an “Urlacher/Briggs” type of combo. Cornelius Washington will get groomed by Julius Peppers and be a starter soon. And Marquess Wilson (a WR) is second round talent that fell due to character issues. He could play a role this season despite being a 7^th round pick.

GRADE: B

Cincinnati Bengals

Over the last few years, there are few teams that have drafted as well as the Bengals. They continued that good trend in 2013 with a great draft (and have had a good free agency already). Their first two picks were on offense, grabbing TE Tyler Eifert and RB Giovani Bernard. Eifert was the second best skill position player in the draft and will be a great weapon for Andy Dalton. Bernard could be a future Ray Rice, and will be a great compliment to BJGE. They additionally added depth to the defense and addressed their need at safety. Overall, this was a solid effort.

GRADE: A

Cleveland Browns

For a team that needed a lot, they didn’t make many picks to fill those spots. But they did two things well… 1. They hit a home run with their first rounder in Barkevious Mingo. 2. They acquired two quality picks in next year’s draft, which figures to be better than this year. They did that by trading lower picks in this draft. So while they didn’t get all the players to fill all their needs, they set themselves up well for the future.

GRADE: C+

Dallas Cowboys

They definitely didn’t have a “sexy” draft, starting with their first round pick, center Travis Frederick. In fact, I don’t think it was good at all. They seemingly only went with needs forgetting value altogether. They passed up way too many players that could have helped them out and didn’t draft many players (outside of possibly Frederick) that can be starters in the near future.

GRADE: C-

Denver Broncos

The Broncos did very well in this draft in some key areas. They got some impact players on defense (Sylvester Williams being a big one), and they added some young insurance on offense. They had some injury concerns at running back, so picking Montee Ball was terrific. And Peyton Manning is getting old, so Zac Dysert was a tremendous value pick and is someone Manning can groom. I liked it.

GRADE: B

Detroit Lions

Despite taking a slight risk at #5 with “Ziggy” Ansah, I think the Lions got some impact players and got decent value. They filled some needs but didn’t address left tackle and WR, which I thought they should have. With saying that, their first three picks could be starters this season.

GRADE: B+

Green Bay Packers

As ESPN stated all weekend, Aaron Rodgers should be a happy man. The Packers drafted two great running backs to take pressure off Rodgers (Lacy and Franklin), two interior lineman to protect him, and got two late value WR’s to give Rodgers some potential weapons. Oh and Rodgers got a nice big contract this weekend also. Their first round choice of Datone Jones is another pick I’m crazy about due to his ability to pass rush.

GRADE: A-

Houston Texans

Houston did a decent job of both filling needs and finding value. Their biggest need was WR, and they used their first pick on DeAndre Hopkins. I think he’s a good fit for them playing opposite Andre Johnson. Maybe they can find something from late pick Alan Bonner also. I thought addressing the offensive line was key at a couple spots, but mostly they added defensive help, starting with D.J. Swearinger.

GRADE: B-

Indianapolis Colts

The Colts were the biggest winners of the 2012 draft in my opinion. Not crazy about what they did this year, unless some of them surprise me. First round choice Bjoern Werner is a solid player, but does he fit this defense? They tried adding some protection in the middle of their line, but Khaled Holmes wasn’t that great of value. This draft left me wanting more.

GRADE: C+

Jacksonville Jaguars

For a team that simply needed some talent, they got some. Since the Jags don’t have an identity, it was tough to identify what was important. But they normally took the best players available. Luke Joeckel and Johnathan Cyprien will be starters for years.

GRADE: A-

Kansas City Chiefs

I think there is more to be done, especially concerning Branden Albert. They draft left tackle Eric Fisher, so something has to give. Nothing of much notice happened after their #1 overall selection. I questioned their choice of running back (Knile Davis) and still think this team has a lot of work to do.

GRADE: C

Miami Dolphins

I was initially confused by the Dolphins trading up to grab the third overall pick, only to pick Dion Jordan. But after the draft played out, I thought the Dolphins did fairly well and the Jordan pick grew on me. Jordan is one of the most dynamic defensive players in this draft, so combining him with Cameron Wake could be scary. They adequately filled some holes (those two CB’s will come in handy) and I thought got decent value.

GRADE: B+

Minnesota Vikings

The success of this draft long-term all comes to down to pick #29 (their third in the first round) Cordarrelle Patterson. If he can produce (and help replace Percy Harvin who they traded) then this draft was a home run. Sharrif Floyd fell to them at 23, which is a steal. Xavier Rhodes will be a starting cornerback immediately. But they gave up a lot to move back in and take Patterson. It better pay off, especially since they could have drafted an impact LB there instead of waiting until pick #120 with Gerald Hodges.

GRADE: B

New England Patriots

New England didn’t make a selection until pick #52. To me, that means they failed to snag a big time player. I typically love how the Patriots draft and have stated before that I would draft similar to them. But looking at their picks, I do not love their draft. They passed on some good players to select the ones they did which is very risky. They did nab two WR’s to give Brady some additional weapons, but I’m not sold on either of them. So for the first time in a while, they are getting a low grade from me.

GRADE: C-

New Orleans Saints

Let’s start with the bad: due to Bountygate, the Saints forfeiting their second round pick and were left with only five players this weekend. But all five were good value. Kenny Vaccaro will start at safety immediately, the same goes for Terron Armstead on the O-line and John Jenkins on the D-line.

GRADE: B

New York Giants

Not a big fan of what the Giants did in this draft. They drafted Pugh when they clearly should have taken Eifert in the first round. I don’t think they addressed their needs throughout their draft, and their best value pick, QB Ryan Nassib, is a player they don’t need at all with Eli Manning remaining consistently healthy.

GRADE: C-

New York Jets

There are some things I loved about this draft for them. First, with their two first round picks they went defense. Rex Ryan has been successful in the past by leaning on a strong defense. So rebuilding this team must start on that side of the ball. I loved that they took Dee Milliner to “replace” Revis, and Sheldon Richardson at 13 is solid too. Then, they needed a QB (in my opinion) and Geno Smith fell to them in the second round. That’s great stuff. My problem is that they didn’t acquire any help for Geno after that. Their next three picks were offensive linemen which will protect Smith, but who will he throw it to? Some say they sabotaged Mark Sanchez by not acquiring weapons in the same way. The biggest question now is what to do with all their QB’s. I say they save money and cut Sanchez (assuming nobody will trade for that contract), and trade Tebow (seeing as they won’t give him a chance to start). They need to start Garrard and allow Geno some time to learn the NFL game. Next season, they must acquire some weapons, then allow Geno to take over at that point.

GRADE: B+

Oakland Raiders

Much better than Al Davis could have done, but wasn’t outstanding by any means. They drafted Tyler Wilson to add to the QB pool of Matt Flynn and Terrelle Pryor. First round selection D.J. Hayden was a picked I liked. Same goes for Menelik Watson. But I was looking for some pass rushing help, which they didn’t get.

GRADE: B

Philadelphia Eagles

Chip Kelly had a nice first draft. Lane Johnson is the perfect fit for their offensive line, Zach Ertz will be an impact tight end in this offense, and they even grabbed Matt Barkley at pick #98. Bennie Logan is another pick I like too in the third. Needs and value came together here.

GRADE: A-

Pittsburgh Steelers

They did well, very well. I love Jarvis Jones for them in the first round. Le’veon Bell (RB) is a great fit for them at a position of need. Markus Wheaton is a similar WR to Mike Wallace. Shamarko Thomas will give more depth at safety and be a future replacement for Polomalu. And drafting Landry Jones was smart (from a backup QB standpoint, and maybe a future starter). They filled needs, acquired depth, and got great value on most of their picks.

GRADE: B+

Saint Louis Rams

I love what St. Louis did in this draft. They moved up to grab Austin, the highest rated skill position player in the draft. They moved down and still got Alec Ogletree, and immediate starter at the linebacker position. They also got T.J. McDonald who can be groomed into a good safety. But I really loved reuniting Austin with Stedman Bailey, who they picked at #92. Bradford needed these weapons.

GRADE: A

San Diego Chargers

I think San Diego did well. They addressed their atrocious offensive line with D.J. Fluker, got a defensive mainstay in Manti Teo, and got Philip Rivers a weapon in Keenan Allen. They could have gotten more for the O-line for my liking, but for only coming away with six players, they should be pleased.

GRADE: B+

San Francisco 49ers

Wow. For a team that was already loaded, they stocked up even more. On defense they grabbed impact players like Eric Reid, Tank Carradine, and Corey Lemonier. On offense, Vance McDonald, Quinton Patton, and Marcus Lattimore will at the very least add depth. But all could end up being stars, particularly Lattimore who is recovering from a serious injury, but has more talent than any RB in this draft.

GRADE: A-

Seattle Seahawks

First off, they traded multiple picks to acquire Percy Harvin. That’s hitting a home run to start.  Then they added to the offense by picking weapons Christine Michael and Chris Harper. They added plenty of depth on defense too, highlighted by Jordan Hill, Jesse Williams, and Tharold Simon. Altogether, Seattle will be better on both sides of the ball, which is scary.

GRADE: B

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Similar to Seattle, we must factor in Darelle Revis who was acquired by trading a couple picks. Add in picking Jonathon Banks, and they should be set at cornerback. They also added QB Mike Glennon, which is okay, but not great value and will create a lot of tension with starter Josh Freeman. It was and up and down draft.

GRADE: C+

Tennessee Titans

Start with the good: Chance Warmack, Justin Hunter, and plenty of depth on the defensive side of the ball. Now the bad: They gave up a ton for Hunter (moving up six spots cost them two picks this year and third rounder next year), plus I still think they needed another playmaker for Locker to use.

GRADE: B-

Washington Redskins

Washington went with mostly defense, but he did draft two more running backs. I don’t get it. Why draft two running backs when he’s got so many young good ones already? This is why people in fantasy football hate Mike Shanahan. And it’s why I don’t like this draft… they have more needs than what they chose to address. So much for getting RGIII some help he could have used.

GRADE: C+

By: The Sports Guys