A Week Later: Crock’s NFL Draft Grades

We’ve been going the rounds with the Chiefs’ draft all over the place. I’ve weighed in, Merlin’s weighed in, Paddy’s said his piece, Jeremy’s expressed his concern. That’s how it goes around here.

Now it’s time to invest some time to turn our gaze outward to the rest of the NFL. I’m going to assess how every team in the league did based on who they Drafted and where. Reaches and potential busts, good values and steals, all shall be exposed by my lidless eye of criticism. Every team’s fans think they had a great draft — but we know that not to be the case!

Some teams did do ridiculously well for themselves. Other teams should join the Arena League pronto. One team will see the Red Sea parted before them, and another found a way to rise from the grave.

An examination of all teams, except for ours, after the jump.

(Thanks to Gosselin’s summary of who took who.)

Arizona Cardinals

Value, value, value. Holy crap, it’s almost like teams forgot about it this year. Instead, they acted like there were three players they cared about in each round and scrambled frantically to grab them, damning all value. The Cardinals did not — they snagged three fantastic value picks in the first three rounds. However, their midrounds Schofield (injury) and Skelton (rawness) won’t be contributing to the team for at least a year. They still have nothing at center, though, and clearly they belive Joey Porter will solve their passrushing problems. He won’t. Grade: B

Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons made some pretty good picks here, but the problem with this draft is who they didn’t acquire. This is a deep draft at passrusher, which virtually never happens, but Atlanta didn’t take a single one the entire draft. And it’s not like the opportunities weren’t there: they could have had Jerry Hughes in the first, Daniel Te’o-Nesheim in the third, or Eric Norwood or Ricky Sapp in the fourth. Ouch. However, Weatherspoon and Franks beef up important positions in their defense, and I love Mike Johnson as a mauler. But what a wasted chance. Grade: C

Baltimore Ravens

Other than selecting Cody with the second, I thought this was a rare Ravens draft where I liked virtually none of their picks. Kindle is a bust waiting to happen, and I have no earthly idea while they doubled up on tight end. Todd Heap’s an issue but they could have taken some quality receivers to give this team some amazing depth at the position. Otherwise, the picks they did make were okay value, but I don’t see a future for Reed or Harewood. Grade: C+

Buffalo Bills

While I can quibble with the value of a lot of these ipcks, the endgame is that this is just a great draft that should build a core for the Bills. Other than Spiller, new head coach Chan Gailey didn’t take very many sexy picks, but this team will benefit from this foundation for years. Troup is a high-quality nose, Carrington is a great fit for the 3-4. Wang is a steal in the 5th — he actually has left tackle potential. And Calloway can play tackle if need be. Moats and Easley are both very raw athletes with fantastic upside. And don’t get me started on Spiller. However, the Bills didn’t get a signal caller, and letting Jimmy Clausen slide by twice may haunt them. Grade: A+

Carolina Panthers

Talk about making your weakness a strength. This team literally will not have to worry about its QB position for years. Who would have thought that Jimmy Clausen would have fallen to the Carolina Panthers? The steal of the Draft. Period. And could they have acquired a better backup for him than the whipsmart game manager Tony Pike, the next Matt Cassel? LaFell was a great pick in the third, Norwood (project) and Hardy (bust) will be interesting to watch, and you can at least say their backfield has depth now (I’m blah on all three players). But no team has had a better upgrade to one position this Draft than the Panthers have at QB. Grade: A

Chicago Bears

The Bears spent all their best picks on trades and free agency. But I don’t think the Bears hit any of their remaining picks out of the ballpark, although LeFevour isn’t that bad of a project. The only pick I think they got a real deal at was Wootton in the 4th, but Wootton is a 3-4 DE, and I don’t think he fits the Bears’ Cover 2 4-3 at all. Wright, Moore, and Webb are all kinda blah to me. Grade: D-

Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals hit the most important holes in their team with this draft, although some of those picks were incredibly risky later on. But Gresham and Shipley should provide Ochocinco great compliments downfield. Dunlap is another piece to the slowly developing puzzle of the Bengals’ passrush. Atkins will provide them some great shiftiness in the heart of their DL, and Ghee was a small steal in the third. But their Day Three picks were all lackluster. The Bengals in particular need more depth, and I’m not sure their third day talent helps them in any shape or form. Grade: B-

Cleveland Browns

The Browns made some good picks that I think could help their team, but there are so many darn maybes here that it’s tough to tell what to make of things because the smoke won’t be able to clear for a couple years. Haden’s a great pick if he can prove that his slow 40 times were a fluke. TJ Ward is a great pick if he can have more moments of brilliance and fewer lapses. Montario Hardesty is a great pick if he can live up to his measurables. Geathers is a great pick if the Browns stumble upon the same power that makes Robert Geathers a force. Mitchell is a great pick if he is developed properly. But Colt McCoy is just a bad pick. Grade: C+

Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys have never had that much of a problem with character before, so taking Bryant and Lee does what these kinds of picks usually do: gives the team tremendous ability and accompanying red flags. AOA is a project-and-a-half but with great upside, and Young is the opposite: he’s limited physically but battle-tested. This draft doesn’t add much to their team overall; Dallas is thinking short-term about a Super Bowl right now. I think in the years down the road, they’ll regret giving so much away. Grade: C-

Denver Broncos

In the deepest draft in memory, the Broncos had a chance to build such a monumental foundation for their rebuild, that the rest of the league would be quivering with future fear. The Broncos, at one point in this draft, had a first rounder, two 2nds, three 3rds, a 4th, a 5th, and three picks in rounds 6 and 7. That’s eleven selections in a deep draft where crazy value was to be had everywhere. Instead, the Broncos end up with just nine picks because they traded three away for Tim Tebow, a kooky option QB with a throwing motion he learned two months ago. That is sheer madness, and it destroys their entire draft. Grade: F

Detroit Lions

It’s hard to get really excited about the Lions’ draft after Suh, who will almost complete their defense single-handedly so long as his knees hold up. Trading up for Best was just dumb; he’s a fine talent but you sacrified an important depth pick to do it. You can pick up running backs everywhere; sacrificing a pick to do it in the first is plain silly. Fox is really good value in the 4th, he has a ton of versatility and could possibly have left tackle potential. The rest is blah, specially Spievey considering all the other great talent on the board. Grade: C

Green Bay Packers

The Packers are going to be disappointed in Bulaga when they try him out at left tackle, that’s all I have to say about that. He’s great value as a right tackle but you don’t draft a right tackle in the first round. Mike Neal I like a ton, and in the 3-4 he should enjoy stuffing the run. Burnett and Newhouse were decent value picks, and Wilson’s a great seventh round experiment. But the Packers only had a couple holes to plug in this Draft and I don’t feel like they plugged any o them that well. Grade: B-

Houston Texans

The Texans found an impact player with almost every selection they’ve made this year. Jackson has the potential to be the best corner in the draft. Tate is definitely going to be the best running back in this draft. Sharpton is a thumper of a linebacker who can hit the hole furiously. Graham is a good compliment to their passing game and Holliday and Dickerson were outstanding value selections. I still believe the Texans lack a good receiver corps and they had tons of opportunities to beef up their WR corps, especially with their third rounder. But the best measure of a draft is how much better a team is afterwards than they were before, and by that standard the Texans hit a home run. Grade: A

Indianapolis Colts

Tons of head scratchers here, except for Hughes which was a brilliant value pick. I think we can credit Bill Polian for the best smokescreen of the offseason when he complained about Manning’s protection. The Colts only picked up one offensive lineman, a guard, and McClendon was a tremdous reach. Honestly, reaches abound when you look over this list, and there are no fewer than four players that I believed would go undrafted. Either the Colts are that much smarter than us, playing chess on a three level checkerboard, or they just plain whiffed. Grade: D

Jacksonville Jaguars

So… why did the Jags release Henderson again? Was it so they could forego drafting any premier offensive players in order to beef up their front seven, which they wouldn’t have to do so extensively if they had just kept their Pro Bowler? Instead, the Jags committed the second-most egregious reach of the draft (Tebow first) by reaching for Alualu at the tenth overall pick. Ho boy. And it gets even less inspiring after that. Only one serious offensive player in Deji Karim, in a magnificent steal in the 6th, but the rest of this draft was a wasted opportunity. Their offense needed to improve. Grade: D+

Miami Dolphins

You gotta hand it to Bill Parcells: the guy sticks to his theme. This was a draft for the big uglies, which you’ve got to admire considering they are now set at the skill positions with Henne quarterbacking and Brandon Marshall downfield. I wasn’t crazy about the reach for Misi, but it’s clear Parcells is in full blown “do our best to forget about Taylor and Porter and Thomas” mode. I really like Reshad Jones in the 5th, that’s great value and he’s a thumper of a safety who hits like a truck. Think Bernard Pollard. Grade: B

Minnesota Vikings

It’s hard to like what the Vikings did early, because they are a made team that simply needs some quarterbacking talent behind Favre. They didn’t just pass over Jimmy Clausen twice (once by trading back and again by reaching for Cook), they flat-out refused to go with any quarterbacks at all. They’re putting all their eggs into the “Favre’s back!” basket. Whether they’re right is anybody’s guess. ‘Til then, they’re going to need to draft some new arms for next year, because they reached the hell out of them this year in nearly every round. Grade: D-

New England Patriots

I tell you, it’s always a ton of fun for everybody when you have twelve draft picks, but the Patriots may have too much of a good thing here as four or five of these players stand no chance of making the team. But McCourty is my favorite to be the best corner in this draft, and Mesko will provide them some special teams help. Weston and Robinson were brilliant picks in the 4th, and Price provides a fascinating WR project. But the Patriots had a weird thing for Florida players this year, and reached for basically all of them. Cunningham, Spikes, and Hernandez are like most Florida players this year: odd fits for the NFL and likely to bust. But at least they’ll be fully staffed for training camp. Grade: C

New Orleans Saints

The Saints made a really bad pick in Al Woods in the fourth, but I love every other pick they made. Robinson was a reach but it was a necessary one with the run on corners in the first round. Brown has left tackle potential at the very bottom of the second round (steal), Graham has a lot of promise to be a ten-year guy in this league. Tennant was my pick to be the Chiefs’ center-of-the-future, and Canfield was my favorite late-round quarterback. I don’t think this is a draft that helps them right away, but they’re going to be better for longer because of it. Grade: A-

New York Giants

I remain steadfast in my belief that JPP is a phenomenal sheep in wolf’s clothing. There’s just no chance he does well in the NFL, but at least he landed in the right program to groom him. The Giants love defensive lineman, and their first two picks prove it. While JPP was a really stupid selection, Joseph is a beast on wheels. I’m surprised the Giants, who prefer more athletic DTs, went with a guy who most chalked up as a nose. Chad Jones and Petrus were both great value picks, and the rest were very blah. But those three great selections are going to have to accomplish a lot to get over the JPP debacle. Grade: C+

New York Jets

This team is just going to be silly in 2010. Everybody’s chalking them up as Super Bowl favorites and I don’t blame them. But it won’t be because of this draft. I didn’t like Ducasse, McKnight, or Conner where they were taken. And what’s with two RBs with Chad Jones and LaDanian Tomlinson still on the roster? (Conner’s a FB, which means the Jets dropped a fifth rounder on a position you can find in UDFA.) And why a corner first overall with Jerry Hughes on the board? The only redeemable aspect of this draft is the explosiveness Wilson offers returning kicks. But that’s negligible to say the least. Grade: F

Oakland Raiders

I’m not used to saying thins, in that I’ve never said it, but the Raiders had a pretty decent draft. No bones about it though, McClain was a terrible selection that doesn’t fit their defense. He’s barely fast enough for the 3-4; he is in no way equipped to handle the “mike” position in the 4-3. But the Raiders had a great fourth round. Bruce Campbell has left tackle potential and is a pure athlete, and Jacoby Ford will give the AFC West fits. I didn’t dig any of their other Day Three selections, but Houston and Veldheer were solid selections on the second day. Grade: B-

Philadelphia Eagles

Remember the last time the Eagles were really, really bad? Me neither, and it’s because of drafts like this. This whole draft is a gigantic wow, in terms of quantity and quality. I could quibble with some of the value on the board, but there’s no denying the amazing job they’ve done improving their team. With passrushing being such an obvious flaw in Philly, they add three great prospects in Graham, Te’o-Nesheim, and Sapp. Allen, Lindley, and Coleman were all steals where they were selected, and Chaney and Harbor gives them an incredibly fast athletes at unheralded positions. Give this draft class three years and we’ll all agree the Eagles killed this one. Grade: A+

Pittsburg Steelers

For all the press the “amazing” Steelers scouting department gets, this was one hell of a mixed bag for them. I hate going with an interior lineman that early in the draft, but Pouncey was honestly the only center with the size the Steelers like. Worilds and Sanders were both huge reaches but could develop some potential. Gibson is a dynamic player that can be molded into a lethal passrusher in the Steeler system. Dwyer is a good thick back and was truly amazing value in the second. Scott’s just kind of a big slow guy that will have to be moved inside. Grade: C

St. Louis Rams

The Rams did what they had to do in this draft: get a primetime QB, get him some primetime protection, acquire some great potential playmakers in Murphy and Gilyard, beef up that struggling passrusher position as much as possible, and get some more options on the field for Bradford to throw to. I don’t really like any of the passrushers St. Louis took, but at least they took a lot. Law of averages suggest they gotta hit on one of them, right? Yeah… And how many defensive backs did Alabama put in this draft? 18? Grade: B-

San Diego Chargers

I can’t figure out what the Chargers’ gameplan was supposed to be. A lot of these later picks are reaches (with the exception of a great steal in Thomas), but the Chargers have not definitely improved any one position on their team with this draft. Except for one: running back Ryan Mathews. That was the Chargers’ strategy: trade up like crazy to acquire Mathews, and everything else is gravy. The Chargers simply must believe that they are 99% ready to go, but needed a prime time RB. They got him, let’s see what they can do. Because they sure didn’t get anything else. Grade: D

San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers added a few pretty good players but other than Anthony Davis, a great pick, most of their picks were for less important positions. If you had told me that guard, safety, inside linebacker, tight end, and a bruiser back were the biggest needs on this team, you’d think they were perennial Super Bowl contenders. Truth is, there’s a lot of foundational positions that simply weren’t improved in this draft for the 49ers. I liked basically every player they took, but you don’t build your team with exclusively these kinds of picks. Grade: C+

Seattle Seahawks

Having Okung fall to them was the beginning of a darn good draft for the Hawks. Okung and Thomas is about as solid a one-two first round punch as you could ask any team to make. They did extremely well for themselves in value by picking up Tate and Thurman with the next two picks, McCoy in the 6th round, and passrushing stud Dexter Davis in the seventh round (steal). I’ve never been crazy about Wilson and I’m pretty sure Chancellor will bust in the NFL. But the Hawks were given a golden opportunity with all their high picks and falling prospects, and took it. Grade: B+

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Bucs, along with the Panthers, did the draft’s best job of turning a weakness into a strength using the draft. Entering into a draft with nothing plugging up the middle of their defensive line, the Bucs now have the league’s most feared tandem of youth at the position in McCoy and Price. Wow. Benn and Williams were also high-risk, high-reward picks later on. Lewis and Watson will have minimal problems translating to the NFL. The other two selectiosn were blah but at least they were at needed positions. The Bucs will continue to struggle for a year but they could be turning the corner (and turning heads) as soon as 2011. Grade: A-

Tennessee Titans

If there’s anything that could make me love the one-two selections of Morgan and Williams for this Titans team, it’s how much they utilized their latest picks to completely revamp their secondary. Verner is a battle-tested corner who was dramatically underrated coming into this draft, and Johnson and Rolle provide this team with top-notch character and above-average talent at safety. I know absolutely nothing about Rusty Smith, but it doesn’t matter. The Titans went into this draft with handful of needs and utilized value and positional value to improve just about every one of them. Grade: A

Washington Redskins

Yeah… if I were the Redskins, I’d stick to free agency. There’s not much in this draft to like at all. Williams was an alright selection, but none of these players, with the possible exception of Capers in the seventh round, stand a chance of contributing much to this team in the near or long-term future. Don’t the Redskins have scouts? Seriously, do they? Grade: F

FINAL TOTALS:

A+: Bills, Eagles
A: Panthers, Texans, Titans
A-: Saints, Bucs

B+: Seahawks
B: Cards, Dolphins
B-: Bengals, Packers, Raiders, Rams

C+: Ravens, Browns, Giants, 49ers
C: Falcons, Lions, Patriots, Steelers
C-: Cowboys

D+: Jaguars
D: Colts, Chargers
D-: Bears, Vikings

F: Broncos, Jets, Redskins