Final NFL Draft Grades For All AFC Teams

 

Buffalo Bills Draft Grade: C

I like the C.J. Spiller move. He is a play-maker, but the problem with drafting Spiller is who’s gonna block for him. You have average tackles whose major weakness is run blocking. Bills should of drafted a tackle first.  I wasn’t enamored with the Bills second round pick of defensive tackle Torrell Troup, there were better DT’s options than him. Bills still haven’t found their quarterback of the future and we all know that seventh round pick Levi Brown isn’t the answer either. The kid has a strong arm but is too raw.

Miami Dolphins Draft Grade:  B

Dolphins had to add more speed and get younger on defense. Second round pick  Koa Misi DE/OLB is an excellent pick for the Dolphins defense. He has great pass rushing skills who will move to OLB. Dolphins also needed to get younger at the DT position, they did so in drafting Penn State DT Jared Odrick. Odrick is big and powerful and quick. The Dolphins might have found a steal in FS  Reshad Jones who has good ball awareness but he needs to work on his tackling.

New England Patriots Draft Grade:  A

It seems like every year the Patriots earn A grades in each draft. They know how, who and when to pick. They are the best at trading down to acquire more draft picks. In next year’s NFL draft the patriots have two first round and two second round picks. Yep, fans that’s what I call cheating. The Patriots are loading up for another Super Bowl run. In this year’s draft I liked the selections of CB Devin McCourty, TE Aaron Hernandez,  and TE Rob Gronkowski. McCourty adds value to the Patriots return game and gives them some younger legs in the secondary. Gronkowski and Hernandez have excellent hands and good speed. Hernandez is more of a pass catching TE, Gronkowski is the better blocker. The Patriots got some much needed help at the MLB position when they drafted Brandon Spikes. Spikes is a good tackler but lacks speed.

New York Jets Draft Grade:  B

Rex Ryan is the next Bill Belichick but a little more flashy. Ryan and the Jets had an excellent off-season with some of the moves they made. The Jets roster is loaded with talent and appears poise to make a Super Bowl run this year. I love the pick of CB Kyle Wilson in the first round, because you can never have enough good cover corners. The Jets did make a trade on draft day by trading RB Leon Washington to the Seahawks for more draft picks. They did turn around and drafted speedy RB Joe McKnight who will be a solid player for them. Ryan is enamored with McKnight’s athleticism.

Baltimore Ravens Draft Grade:  A

GM Ozzie Newsome strikes gold in this year’s draft. Newsome is an excellent talent evaluator. The Ravens had a good draft with the selections of OLB Sergio Kindle, DT Terrence Cody and TE Dennis Pita. All three players will contribute this year. Pitta is a good pass catching TE and will be the heir apparent to Todd Heap who is getting up in age.

Cincinnati Bengals Draft Grade:  B

Draft pick WR Jordan Shipley will pay good dividends later on down the road for the Bengals who are already loaded at the receiver position. Shipley runs good routes and has good hands. He is also a solid return man. Some scouts are critical of the Bengals selection of DE Carlos Dunlap who has had a lot of off the field issues. Dunlap is a good pass rusher with speed. He’s just inconsistent, but with the right coaching he can be special. Dunlap and last year’s draft choice Michael Johnson, will make a good pass rushing tandem in the near future. TE Jermaine Gresham, if healthy has the talent to be a special TE in the NFL. Gresham has good hands and is a good blocker. DT Geno Atkins was a good late round pick.

Cleveland Browns Draft Grade:  A

Ex-GM Phil Savage could you ever have a good draft like the Browns just had if you were in charge? The answer is NO! Football fans have to respect the job GM Mike Holmgren is doing. He knows talent and knows what his team needs in order to compete in the near future. The Browns finally got their quarterback later in the draft in Colt McCoy. McCoy has a lot of upside and is a winner but probably won’t play this year and will learn from the sideline. The Browns drafted a good power running back Montario Hardesty. Hardesty has great vision and powerful legs. He is tough to bring down and can go the distance. Hopefully this off-season the Browns will try to trade for veteran WR. WR is still a position of weakness. But the Browns did a good job of upgrading their secondary with CB Joe Haden, FS and SS T.J. Ward and Larry Asante.

Pittsburgh Steelers Draft Grade:  C

The Steelers draft wasn’t flashy or great but they had to fill some needs on the offensive line, linebacker position and wide receiver position.  G Maurkice Pouncey will be a star in this league one day. WR Emanuel Sanders is explosive and has good hands, but he did play in a wide-open offense. But I don’t understand why this team drafted a couple more linebackers. The Steelers have an abundance of linebackers and not all of these linebackers will be able to play. Why draft so many LB’s?

Houston Texans Draft Grade:  C

I wasn’t too enamored with the Texans selection of CB Kareem Jackson in the first round. I felt CB Kyle Wilson should of been the pick. He has better cover skills than Jackson. RB Ben Tate was good pick. He is the power runner that Texans desperately needed. Look for Tate have a good 2010 season. LB Daryl Sharpton was a solid pick and will help in the near future. But I don’t understand why the Texans drafted two more TE’s. I guess they aren’t happy with the abundance of TE’s they already have.

Indianapolis Colts Draft Grade:  C

I like the pick of DE/OLB Jerry Hughes. Hughes adds great depth and will learn from one of the best pass rushers in the league with Dwight Freeney. Hughes has great instincts and speed. The main question I still have with this team is why didn’t they draft a quality tackle early in the draft. But you can’t question GM Bill Polian whose draft track record over the few years has been outstanding.

Jacksonville Jaguars Draft Grade:  D

This team drafted way too many defensive ends. There are too many holes in the secondary to ignore, but the Jags did just that. DT D’Anthony Smith was a good pick for a team that was lacking talent at the DT position. Taking Tyson Alualu with the 10th pick in the first round is a move that I don’t understand. He could of been taken in the early part of the second round. If the Jaguars wanted him so bad they could of traded down and still got him. Alualu has promise and great upside but if he is bust then this draft will be one. Too many second to third tier DE’s were drafted but why when you already have enough.

Tennessee Titans Draft Grade:  B

Titans got their man, DE Derrick Morgan, in the first round. Morgan is solid but I am not sold on him to be an elite pass rusher. He takes too many plays off and doesn’t always play up to his potential. I love the drafting of FS Myron Rolle. Rolle will be a solid player. He is raw but has a lot of talent. Titans had a solid defensive draft.

Denver Broncos Draft Grade:  C

Coach McDaniels better hope this year’s first round draft choice, QB Tim Tebow pan out. If not McDaniels and Tebow will get “Dropped Off” together. Tebow is more of a project and needs grooming. A raw project shouldn’t not be drafted in the first round ahead of QB Colt McCoy and Jimmy Clausen. WR Demaryius Thomas has talent but not first round talent. Plus he played in an option offense. There is no way he should of been drafted in front of Dez Bryant. Fifth-round corner Perrish Cox was a solid draft choice as well as WR Eric Decker. Decker just needs to stay healthy.

Kansas City Chiefs Draft Grade:  C

I am just not sold on taking a safety with the No. 5 pick overall. Eric Berry is solid but not great. I don’t think he will make an immediate impact in the NFL like most people think. Former top ten safety picks Michael Huff and LaronLandry have struggled. We will see how the Berry pick will pan out.  Fifth-round safety Kendrick Lewis is a solid hard hitting safety. It wouldn’t be a shock to me if he had a better career than Berry. I know people are laughing at me now for saying that but we will see in the next couple of years whose having a better career. Chiefs why didn’t you draft a quarterback? We all know Cassell is not a franchise quarterback.

Oakland Raiders Draft Grade:  A

Just finally draft smart baby! Yessir, you gotta like what the Raiders did on draft weekend. First off they took the best instinctive linebacker in the draft in Rolondo McClain in the first round. Then in the second round they got a solid DT, Lamarr Houston and in the 3rd and 4th round the Raiders got good value in talented tackles, Jared Veldheer and Bruce Campbell. But to make the draft weekend a success for the silver and black they traded for QB Jason Campbell. Campbell is a solid QB who is better than any quarterback that the Raiders have on their roster. See you later JaMarcus Russell, you will be soon officially “Dropped Off”, probably for good in the NFL. What NFL team would want you? I’m sure you could find a career as an hot dog eating contestant one day.

San Diego Chargers Draft Grade:  C

I don’t know why the Chargers had to trade up so many spots to get RB Ryan Matthews who would of been available to them when they originally picked. I’m sure Matthews will be a solid pro one day. But they traded up to draft him like he was college football’s best running back ever or something. MLB Donald Butler was a good pick. He is a tackling machine. DT Cam Thomas a good late round pick as well. Thomas just needs to show that he wants to be an productive NFL player. Thomas has been known to be lazy and takes plays off.