nfl draft grades and rankings

32) Philadelphia-
I wish the best for Danny Watkins, but the facts are he has only
played football for two years and is 26. The good News is he is
obviously dedicated and good, but is he worthy of your first round
pick, could Philly have selected him somewhere in round 2. Worst
part is Watkins is probally the least reached pick they have.

Grade: D


31) Tennessee-
I hope the Titans haven't count Vince Young loose yet... Jake Locker
was the worst pick in the first round. He has proved this year, why
he didnt come out last year. Tennessee could have either traded back
or traded up later to reach for Locker... Tennessee didnt do everything
wrong. They came out on day 2 and was Bi-Polar of day 1, they even
carried that over into one pick on day 3. they then continued to
for the remainder of the draft.

Grade: D


30) San Diego-
Only time will tell if the Chargers messed up trying to convert
Corey Luiget to a 5 techinique in their 3-4 defense. I love Jonas
Mouton as a Michigan fan... but you just passed on Brandon Harris
to take Marcus Gilchrist, and now you snag Mouton near the end of
round 2. Mouton was rated to be a 6th round prospect at best, if
not free agent. Day 3 San Diego actually found some value... I guess
the chargers were concered they wouldnt be able to sign their coveted
rookie free agent so they got that problem out of the way in round 2.
Either that or they were looking tp sure up special teams players only,
considering they were the top rated offense and defense but still
failed to win the division and make the playoffs.

Grade: D


29) San Francisco-
While I think its going to take a little bit of work to get Aldon Smith
being a standing up rush linebacker opposed to a 4-3 defensive end with
his hand in the dirt. I like that San Francisco realized they shouldn't
just get a qb because of "need." Now, on day two the 49ers do the
opposite, they are not just picking at the top of the draft because of
lack of a quarterback. They come into the draft with the most picks and
start squandering them in trades, Kaepernick and Culliver are both
reaches. The 49ers could have brought in a free agent qb, and still
could be a possibility if they werent able to get Kaepernick at their
original 2nd round selection. I think the 49ers got their best value.
The best value of your draft should be on the last day.

Grade: C-


28) Seattle-
Finishing at 7-9 and having to pick in the 25th spot is not an ideal
situation, but thats what the Seahawks find themselves doing in this draft.
Its really important to get good value out of your picks in this case, and
the Seahawks did just the opposite. They obviously wanted to trade out of
their first round pick, letting the clock tick down and down, until they
finally had to make their selection. James Carpenter might be what Pete
Carrol is looking for, but he was a 2-3 round prospect and choosen before
Wisconsins Gabe Carimi. Day two was Seattles best day they were able to
aquire a 3rd and 4th plus move up in two additional rounds for their 2nd,
and got John Moffitt in the 3rd, maybe just a slightly high, but not to much.
Day 3 for the Seahawks seems like they could have picked their current pick
at their next pick. While I dont think Pete got the best value he could get,
I do think they got some players that are fit the profile they are trying to
build.

Grade C


27) Oakland-
The Raiders are trying to get back to their prime years in the 80's, but
getting rid of first round picks for 30 year olds arent the best way of
achiving that. So they seen there first action on day 2, and I believe they
did well considering the Raiders. They built up their offensive line
selecting the top center in the draft, Stephen Wisniwski and Joseph Barksdale
in the late 3rd. In between those two picks they pick up DeMarcus Vandyke
a cornerback out of Miami. Day 3 Oakland has a solid 4th round, but then
it seems everyone else left the war room and let Al Davis take over. So a
no Day 1 pick that was used on someone who might only serve your franchise
for 2-4 years, and weaker finish bring the Raiders draft to grade of C+

Grade C+


26) Atlanta-
Thats right the Falcons draft was the 26th best. If they dont win the
Superbowl and soon this draft will be considered a bust. I like Julio Jones,
I like everything he stands for: tough and competitive. The problem is this
Julio Jones is not Jerry Rice! Lets take it a step down, Julio Jones is not
Andre Johnson, Calvin Johnson, or Larry Fitsgerld. The Falcons could have
choose the 3rd reciever in this draft, Jon Baldwin or a handfull of other
wide outs from this draft would have done the same thing they want Julio to
do in Atlanta; even out coverage on Roddy White. Instead they give up
multiple picks, including two future picks. They could have used some help
on a pass rush. Day 2 they got one pick because of Julio, Day 3 they picked
a good compliment to Michael Turner, but incase the Julio Jones selection
isnt the best for the future they selected a Punter. Again I reiterate, if
Atlanta doesnt win a SuperBowl in the next few years, this draft fails. I
am not taking anything away from Julio Jones being great. But he isnt Jerry
Rice, and isnt worth what Atlanta gave up.
Grade B-


25) Miami-
Lets face it, Mike Pouncey is boosted off his brother. If Maurkice didn't
have the season he had, Mike might have been on the board when his brothers
team, the Steelers picked and later. I believe they realized they were
reaching, I would have rather seen them grab Mark Ingram, then try to get
Wisniewski or Cannon in the 2nd. Day 2 they get Daniel Thomas, nice pick up.
Day 3 they didnt have a 5th rounder but they were able to pick up Edmond
Gates in the 4th, and Charles Clay and two others in the seventh. We'll see
if this regime is building for them or a new regime next year.
Grade B-


24) Carolina-
I could go on forever why I dont think Carolina should have passed on Cam
Newton number one over all; they should have built around there defensive
minded coaches strength, A lot of people didn't have Cam as the number one
QB, This class has quanity not top end quality at the qb position, they
just selected Jimmy Clausen in the 2nd round last year, the lock out is
going to put Cam Newton and this new system behind the 8-ball... each one of
these reasons can be broken down further. The rest of their draft got
stronger and stronger, they built up the trenches. Lee Ziemba in the late
7th, could be one of the bigger steals in this draft. Although I didnt like
the Cam Newton pick, and seen it as a reach when there was top talent on the
board, this draft was very good from there on out.
Grade B-


23) Minnesota-
I dont understand how Minnesota is getting criticized more then Tennessee...
Personally, I like the pick of Christian Ponder at 12 better then the pick
of Jake Locker at 8. That being said, Ponder is still a big reach at 12.
It didnt appear they tried to trade back at all, when Nick Fairley, Robert
Quinn, Prince Amukamara or Cameron Jordan were still available. Day 2 and 3
were top 5 in the league. They get the best TE in the draft in the middle
of round 2, Christian Ballard in the 4th... they got really good value on
their nine picks in days 2 and 3. If they would have moved back and got an
extra pick, and still picked up Ponder this draft would have easily been
graded out in the top 10, but the fact it didnt appear they didnt even try
to move back and still reached they are only going to get a B- with the
individual pick of Ponder its self being C+, and Day 2 and three each
bringing A-'s for each day.
Grade B-


22) New York Jets-
Muhammad Wilkerson, late in the 1st is just what Rex Ryan was looking for.
The Jets were able to match up good value with a need. Day 2 New York was
missing a 2nd pick, but got Kendrick Ellis in the 3rd. Ellis is a good
Rex Ryan player, but to my understanding has, some serious pending court
issues. His value as player to pick are good, but with the pending court
case, I have to worry about the Jets possibly not getting anything out of
Day 2 in this draft. Day 3 the Jets had a good draft, they didnt get any
picks that blew you away, but they got value. McElroy at the top of the 7th
could end up being a profit for the Jets. He should be a good back up down
the road, or possibly they are able to later turn their 7th round pick into
a higher draft choice.
Grade B


21) Dallas-
Dallas started there draft out well, getting offensive tackle Tyron Smith
with their first round pick. Smith projects as the top lineman in this
class. With Offensive Tackles being a top value position in drafts alongside
of qb's and pass rushers, Dallas is lucky to get the top one at 9. Day 2
with their first pick Dallas gets another good pick in Bruce Carter, the
reason why Carter is possibly availble here is due to a knee injury that he
is still recovering from. With their second Day 2 pick Dallas reaches and
grabs an injury prone running back they could have got later. Day 3 they
came away with a couple of decent value picks in Thomas and Harris. Like
the Jets, I worry that Dallas might lose their value from Day 2.
Grade B


20) Green Bay-
Sherrod with the last pick in the first round provides great value at an
area that you can not have enough of, offensive line. Again great value in
Randle Cobb at the bottom of round 2, but Green at running back in the 3rd
is a reach, a lot of good talent still availble at this position. Day 3
they have 7 picks, but only get 2 players of with really good value from
according to where they are picked, House and Guy. Most of the other picks
are reaches. I liked how Green Bay started their draft, but they didnt
finish as strong.
Grade B


19) Jacksonville-
The Jags, get the best value at the quarterback in the first round. They
did have to trade up six spots to aquire Gabbert, but I like this situation
better then the other quarterbacks taken in this round. Day 2 with no
second round pick the jags have to wait until 3rd round to get a very good
value in Will Rackley, guard. Day 3 Jacksonville has a 4th and two 5th's.
they get Cecil Shorts, a small school prospect in the 4th and reach for two
db's in the 5th that most think would go undrafted. The Jags like hard
working players, and value that extremely high, but they could have traded
out of the 5th and still got both guys plus more players.
Grade B


18) New Orleans-
The Saints would have got an A+ on day one if Cameron Jordan was their only
pick up. They move back up into this years first giving up a 1st from next
year and a second from this year to get Mark Ingram. I really like Ingram
and he is great value for where he was picked. The problem I have with the
trade from the saints perspective is this, the Saints are going to use Mark
Ingram as a rotational running back, in a pass first offense. Did New
Orleans need to upgrade at running back, yes. Did they need to give up a
1st next year and 2nd this year to do so, No. Day 2 Martez Wilson and
Johnny Patrick in the 3rd are great value. Day 3 the Saints only have 2
picks and both are 7th rounders, with one of them they get Greg Romeus.
Romeus could prove to be the greatest value in the draft as a 7 round pick
in three years, after he gets a chance to heal and learn what it takes to
play in the NFL.
Grade B


17) Chicago-
The Bears only have 5 prospects out of this draft but their first two are
very good value. With the 29th pick, the Bears get Gabe Carimi, offensive
tackle. Great Value at a high priority of need. Same scenerio in the 2nd
round, where the Bears select Stephen Paea, defensive tackle. Chicago's
other 3 picks should provide decent depth for the team.
Grade B


16) Pittsburgh-
The Steelers put together a good draft as normal. C.Heyward is the Steelers
type of player. He will provide good depth to an aging defensive line. Day
2 the Steelers get more good value where it was needed. Gilbert should come
in and contribute on the offensive line right away, and be there for a while
with Pouncey for years to come. Day 3 the Steelers best value is 5th round
pick, outside linebacker, Chris Carter. The steelers seem to best be
defined as, never rebuilding, just restocking.
Grade B


15) Indianapolis-
Another team making the with five picks. The Colts get good value at a
position of need on Day 1 with Anthony Castonzo, the offensive tackle out of
Boston College. Day 2 another offensive tackle is taken, Ben Ijalana. The
Colts know the importance of having good bookends to block the outside rush,
in there eyes they feel they just got that for the remainder of Peyton
Mannings career. Day 3 the Colts have 2 picks left, and grab two picks of
decent value. The Colts didn't do anything flashey but made the picks they
had count.
Grade B


14) Denver-
The Broncos grab a great talent in Von Miller, but might be a couple picks
two high for an outside linebacker. With that said if they can come up with
a way to get him to be soley a pass rusher on those 3rd down situations,
the value of this pick remains an A+. For the question of how they plan to
totally use Miller to his full potential, I graded this individual grade as
an A-. Day 2 starts out well for Denver they trade back get an extra pick,
in the 2nd round they get Rahim Moore and Orlando Franklin very high good
value on both guys, but in the 3rd round they grab Nate Irving. Irving is a
high reach here at the top of the 3. Day 3 they start off well getting a
good value in Quinton Carter, but at the bottom of the same round they reach
for TE Julius Thomas, when better TE's were still on the board. They did
finish the draft strong with 7 round selections of Virgil Green and Jeremy
Beal in the 7th.
Grade B


13) Cincinnati-
The Bengals are able to get the top wide reciever of the draft, and the
player who some considered to be the top player of the draft with the 4th
pick of the draft. Day 2 the Bengals were able to draft a quarterback at
the top of the 2nd. The Bengals had there hand forced here by a player on
their current roster, Carson Palmer. I dont think Dalton is of top value
at this point, but I like the fact that Cincinnati didnt panic like other
teams appear to have in this draft, they sat they waited, and when it was
their turn they got their guy. The Bengals were able to grab offensive
lineman Clint Boiling in Round 4, great value. The thing I like best about
the Bengals draft is the way they handled their situation. They didn't
reach on Gabbert like the Panthers did on Newton. If you think about it,
the Bengals without Carson Palmer had a bigger need then the Panthers did at
quarterback.
Grade B+


12) St. Louis-
Just like last year the Rams get a guy who has been out of football for a
year, except this time it isnt with the number 1 overall pick. Quinn who
many felt was a top 10 pick, slid to 14 to the Rams. Day 2 the Rams build
on their offense. In previous drafts they have built up their offensive
line, and obviously got there franchise quarterback. Now they went out and
got him weapons in this draft. Round 2 they get tight end Lance Kendricks,
Round 3 they get wide reciever Austin Pettis. Both should fit in well in
St. Louis for a long time. Day 3 starts off as a continuation from Day 2
The Rams get Sam Bradford another target, then they use their rest of the
draft to try help build up the defensive side of the ball. I like the fact
that St. Louis is building to their strength in Sam Braford. One more good
draft and they could be very tough for years to come.
Grade B+


11) Baltimore-
If Jimmy Smith keeps himself out of controversy the Ravens just got a top 10
talent at the 27th selection. The defense needed a great corner just as bad
as the offense needs a guy who can stretch the field. So great value and
the selection was also able to fill a need. With their second round pick
Balitmore gets a guy who I thought they could have taken in the 1st so very
good value here. Torrey Smith will be their field stretcher. Jah Reid is a
guy who many teams were high on as a project tackle, middle of Round 3 is a
slight reach. Day 3, Balitmore has a strong day, Tandon Doss(4th), Pernell
McPhee(5th),Tyrod Taylor(6th) and Anthony Allen(7th) are all good value for
there draft selections.
Grade B+


10) Arizona-
With the 5th pick in the draft, the Arizona Cardinals were able to get the
best player. Peterson will step in on day one and be a starting cornerback,
and has potential to be a shutdown corner. On top of that after seeing him
for the first 3 downs, opposing teams should get to see him on 4th down on
punt returns. Day 2 the Cardinals get Ryan Williams, the team has appeard
to try to get away from Tim Hightower, doing anything and everything to try
and get Beanie Wells to be the lead back in town. The only problem is,
Wells hasnt beat Hightower out of the job. Williams is great value at the
position and should be able to come in and compete and be the main guy in
Arizona. In the 3rd round the Cardinals get a guy who was moving up draft
boards with tight end Robert Housler, but he is still a reach at the top of
round 3. The good about him is he provides another target, not named Larry
Fitzgerled to attract a vetern quarterback. Day 3 starts out great, they
get good value in Sam Acho in the 4th round, but come back with a fullback
in the 5th. A fullback in the 7th would have been a lot better value for
this team. Then they come back and get really good value in Quan Sturdivant
in round 6. I am suprised Studervant fell this far, excellent value here.
In the end Wisenhunt feels that its better to put his job in the hands of a
vetern quarterback.
Grade B+


9) Buffalo-
Still transitioning from a 4-3 to a 3-4 the Bills got the guy to hold the
point of attack with Marcell Dareus with the number 3 pick of the draft.
This is the guy many people thought should be the number 1 pick of the draft.
Carolina Panthers. In day 2 the Bills continue to get high value at that
parallels need. Round 2 they cornerback/saftey Aaron Williams. Then Round
3, they get outside linebacker Kelvin Shepard. Three straight picks to help
build up that transitioning 3-4 defense, very nice. Day 3 didn't get the
value day 1 and 2 did, but it was still decent. The thing I like most, the
Bills did not take a quarterback. I be the only one besides the Bills who
realize that Fitzpatrick played well last year, with what he had. He played
well enough to win games, with a team who no one would have been suprised if
they went out and lost every single game. Ryan Fitzpatrick earned the right
to be the teams starter this year, and the Bills got better value out of
thier first 3 round picks then they would have in a quarterback not named
R.Mallett. But I personally dont think that Mallett, and Buffalo would not
have made a good marriage.
Grade B+


Tampa Bay-
The Bucs appear to be a young team on the rise. First round Tampa Bay gets
a decent value in Adrian Clayborn where their is need on the defense. Many
thought this is where Da'Quan Bowers might come off the board, but Tampa
opted that Clayborn checked out better medically. However, Tampa could not
pass up on Bowers twice so they selected him in Round 2. In two drafts, the
Buccaneers have built a defensive line of Da'Quan Bowers, Gerald McCoy,
Brian Price, and Adrian Clayborn. After Bowers, in the third round they
get another grood value in Mason Foster. Day 3 they go out and get Josh
Freeman a pair of tight ends and a compliment back to LeGarrett Blount, and
sneak in 2 picks to help out the secondary, one of them being strong saftey
Ahmad Black in the 5th, good value. The young Buccaneers are looking like
a up and coming team, and could prove why its important for team not to
squander draft picks such as Atlanta did this year.
Grade B+


7) New England-
The Patriots have proven to one of the closest things to a dynasty as there
has been since free agency has been adatped to football. Day 1 the Patriots
picked up Nate Solder, offensive tackle, at pick 17. I am not a big fan of
Solder, but he does have potential. By time it is said and done he could be
the best tackle from this class, but he is a project. As for projects go,
he is going to the right team. At Pick 28 the Pats trade out and aquire a
future round 1 pick, I would project to be around 20-22, and another 2nd
round pick. The Patriots realize the importance of aquiring more players at
lower price and developing them. Day 2 they get corner back Ras-I Dowling.
Dowling, seems to have a rain cloud of small nagging injuries, but should
develop well for the Patriots. New England also picks up a pair of running
backs and another Future round pick. They figure out away to turn a 3rd
into a 2nd. A third that will probally be no higher then 85th to a 2nd that
could be higher then 40. And then to top it off they also snag the top
pocket passer Ryan Mallett. Great Value at a low risk for Mallett. Mallett
gets to come in and develop. If he can stay focused and not get frustrated
from not seeing the field, Ryan Mallett could become the top quarterback
of the 2011 NFL draft. Day 3, The Pats again get great value out of Marcus
Cannon. Its unfortuante for Cannon and his situation, but as far as the
team he goes to, he gets a great oppertunity.
Grade B+


6) Washington-
The Redskins come in possibly with the worst situation. They might have had
the most holes in there team, with the light amount of picks to start with.
Washington needing a quarterback with Gabbert there for the taken at 10,
realized they need more then just a quarterback. They trade out of 10 to 16
and pick up Ryan Kerrigan. Kerrigan is going to have to learn how to play
standing up instead of putting his hand in the dirt in the Redskins 3-4, but
his specialty is getting after the quarterback. He should pair will with
Brian Orakpo on the opposite side. Day 2 they do they aquire picks and also
end up getting Jarvis Jenkins for their defensive line and good value in
Lenord Hankerson in Round 3. Day 3 Mike Shanahan continued moving around
in the draft. He might not got the best value in some players but we all
know Shanahan is known for developing mid to late round running backs in his
system. He grabbed two running backs, two more wide recievers, a pair of
corners, a guard, linebacker, and nose tackle. In all the Redskins were
able to get twelve draft picks out of this draft, and still maintained good
value at the top. By ignoring their top need with an average prospect, they
were able to be more productive in their rebuilding state.
Grade B+


5) Cleveland-
The Browns got the steal of the draft. They sold their number 6 overall
pick for multiple picks in this draft and the 2012 draft. Atlanta gave them
their 1st, 2nd, 4th this year and their 1st and 4th next year. Cleveland
is rebuilding, they realize this. They accomplished two things. One they
get to aquire 4 extra players besides the one they would have got, and get
out of a high priced spot. The Browns moved up a little bit from 26 to 21 to
get Phil Taylor. Phil Taylor will play defensive tackle in their new 4-3
defense. Day 2 Cleveland got 2 of their biggest needs filled with good
value in Round 2. Needing a pass rusher in their new defense they got
Jamaal Sheared at their original pick and Greg Little with Atlanta's
2nd round pick. Day 3 Cleveland tended to reach, but they aquired five more
players, to help in rebuilding the Dog Pound. Cleveland set themselves up
to have the best draft this year, but failed to maintain the value they got
in the first 2 days.
Grade A-

4) Detroit-
The Lions stick to their philosophy of drafting the best player availble.
When Nick Fairley fell to them at 13 they jumped on him. Detroit has
potential to have the possibly the best front four in football next year.
Day 2, Detroit drafts two 2nd rounders. First they grab Titus Young, then
trade back up and get Mikel Leshoure later in the round. Young is expected
to help come in and open up the offense, with Leshoure being a complement
running back to Jahvid Best. Detroit should create some mismatches against
opposing defenses with: Best, Leshoure, Calvin Johnson, Burleson, Young,
Pettigrew, and Scheffler as the skill weapons to help out young quarter back
Matthew Stafford. Day 3 the Lions have two picks, they use them to add
depth at linebacker and the offensive line. Detroit is still a rebuilding
franchise, they did well with the selections they made, but they only had
five draft picks.
Grade A


3) Houston-
The Texans are switching from a 4-3 to a 3-4 so as figured they use most of
this draft to help build that change. Day one they grab a high motor, high
work ethic player in JJ Watt. Day 2 they get two more key players and areas
of need. Brooks Reed is who they choose to be their rush linebacker, a top
priority in the 3-4 defense, and they trade back up to snag a sliding
Brandon Harris at the bottom of Round 2. Day 3 they start of sticking with
the defensive secondary. Their second pick in round they get their first
player for the offense, TJ Yates, a quarterback to groom behind Matt Schaub.
in the 7th they get Derrick Newman, offensive line, and with the final pick
of the draft they make Cheta Ozougwu "Mr. Irrelevent." With a high potent
offense the Texans focus on bringing in players to make the change to their
3-4, and up grade their personel.
Grade A


2) Kansas City-
The Chiefs had sneaky good draft. Day 1 they slide down a few picks, aquire
an extra pick and still get something they needed for a long time, a second
wide reciever. This is the guy that Atlanta should have targeted,
ironically the Chiefs get him at the Falcons original draft selection. Day
2 the Chiefs get three players, one in the second and two in the third. All
three picks are very good value at areas of need. First they help build up
the interior line with Rodney Hudson center/guard. Next round they go on
the other side of the ball they get Pass Rusher Justin Houston, and add
depth to the line with Allen Bailey. Day 3 they stay strong with good value.
Jalil Brown at cornerback in Round 4. Round 5 they get a good development
at quarterback with Ricki Stanzi. I personally think this could be Stanzi's
team in two years. Also good value for the Chiefs was Jerrell Powe, nose
tackle, in the 6th. The Chiefs put together a very good draft thats not not
getting the credit it deserves. They improved their team and will be able
to stay competitive in the AFC West.
Grade A


1) New York Giants-
The Giants without a doubt, look to have come away with the best draft this
year. They didnt do anything spectacular, it was what the other teams did
not do. Round 1, Prince Amukamara by many was considered a top 10 pick, the
Giants select him at 19. Day 2, Round 2, the Giants catch a sliding Marvin
Austin. 3rd Round Jerrel Jerrigan many considered considered by many to be a
2nd round prospect. Day 3 they stick to the same plan, stay put and let the
talent fall to us. 4th round James Brewer, many thought this guy had a
chance to go in Round 2 in a run on tackles. Round 6 lets grab Greg Jones,
linebacker, another guy projected to be in the 3rd possilby 4th round. A
few picks later they Snag Tyler Sash, then Jacquian Williams an outside
linebacker. Round 7 they grab the speed back Da'Rel Scott. This is without
doubt the top draft this year. They bring in eight new faces and get
excellent value out of six of the eight. Notice I said excellent not good.
Grade A+

I like this veryy much, did ESPN hire you yet?

thanks, nope not yet. i forgot to send them my resume. lol