The two days of wheeling and dealing, contenders and pretenders is finally over. The NFL draft proved to again surprise us all…Er, at least the second day did. Overall, day one of the draft pretty went to the chalk. The Baltimore Ravens brass did manage an early surprise by picking Delaware QB Joe Flacco with their pick( I’ll touch on that more later). After the grueling 12 or so hours of coverage, we can now focus on mini-camp, rookie camp and the overexposure of the Brett Farve retirement story, but not until we break it down, Frank-ly sports style. So, let’s grade em’ out…
AFC North
Pittsburgh Steelers: Grade A: Steelers made their offense pretty awesome looking on paper. Probably getting the best value possible, not to mention a steal of a deal in getting RB Rashard Mendenhall. The depth adds a great punch to speedy back Willie Parker. Mendenhall’s physical running style fits Mike Tomlin’s blueprint. Getting Texas wideout Limas Sweed gives Roethlisberger an imposing tall receiver in the redzone, not to mention another guy that can beat you in the open field. However, the Steelers neglected their offensive line only drafting one in Tony Hills. All the offense in the world won’t help you if you can’t keep your QB upright.
Baltimore: Grade C: The biggest name the Ravens picked was QB Joe Flacco. No doubt Flacco has a big time arm, and big time size, but might I remind you he played at Delaware. I would worry that the level of competition that he went up against wasn’t exactly stellar. Passing windows will get tighter, defenders are faster, and the not-so fleet of foot Flacco will have problems evading rushers. Flacco definately has “bust” potential, and for some reason I keep seeing Ryan Leaf when I look at him. I love the Ray Rice and Tom Zbikowski picks. Rice fits the physical style that the Ravens coaching staff wants to have. He’ll be a great change of pace back to Willis McGahee. He’ll add a nice burst of quickness. Zibby can make an impact in several different places. He can play in the nickel or at strong safety probably, and the return game. He’s “All Day Tough” and loves to hit people. He’s a future star, and yes I’m such a domer.
Cincinnati Bengals: Grade C+: The Bengals addressed a need, and that is their defense. Five of their nine picks wen to the defensive side of the ball. USC LB Keith Rivers is a playmaker and might have been the best linebacker in this years draft. Rivers had 78 tackles, 5 for losses. Rivers gets to the football and is NFL ready right now because of the system that Pete Carroll runs. Defensive Tackle Pat Sims should see time and help the defense have another run stopper. The other piece that the Bengals did well, considering the WR situation is sprinkle in some burners. Andre Caldwell from Florida and Louisville slot man Mario Urrita have speed to burn. Caldwell will hope to break the Florida WR curse, and Urrita has a great sense of “working the zone.” They’ll both be able to see some balls from Carson Palmer early with the competition being open with Chris Henry being gone.
Cleveland Browns: Grade C+: The Browns made the best of it, considering they didn’t have a pick until the 4th round. Cleveland looked to fill their needs with support players. UNLV product Beau Bell is an explosive edge player that WILL compete at the ILB positions in the Browns 34 defense. Missouri TE Martin Rucker gives Derek Anderson another nice weapon offensively. Rucker played in a spread offense at Missouri so he’ll be able to spell K2 with ease, and might be a slightly better blocker then advertised. He’s athletic enough to make an impact in goal line situations as well. One of the best fits for Cleveland might be Iowa DT Ahtyba Rubin. He’s a classic nose tackle, which is something the Browns have been lacking. Ted Washington is at the end of his career, and has been down to about 20-25 snaps a game probably. Shaun Smith, Alvin Smith, have played well and Rubin adds nice depth. Especially with Shaun Rodgers and Corey Williamson coming to town. Crennel typically loves to rotate his defensive linemen, and now no matter what the combination, they’ll have playmakers.
AFC South
Houston Texans:Grade C: Houston addressed one of their needs in OT Duane Brown. The 6″4′, 308 pound Tackle from Va. Tech will help to shore up the Texans running game as well as protect Matt Schaub. Houston by far got the steal of the draft in round four with another Hokie, LB Xavier Adibi. Adibi can flat out fly. The Texans were ranked 24th overall in team defense, so a playmaker is way overdue.
Indianpolis Colts: Grade B: Biggest need for Indy was filling up some depth at the offensive line position as well as their defense. Offensive tackle Mike Pollack is a nice fit for the Colts system. Marcus Howard can play either linebacker or defensive end. Their most intriguging picks are RB Mike Hart and Mount Union College WR Pierre Garcon. Hart’s durability will be a question, but he has the speed and quickness to work third down for the Colts. He catches the ball well, and can be a great back for screens. Garcon is a playmaker. He has the ability to work the middle, but is athletic enough to go up and get the football. The WR position is a little crowded in Indy, but the NFL is never one to get rid of talent, and Garcon definately has it.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Grade C: Defensively Jacksonville has always been good. The past few years though its been Jack Del Rio’s offense that has keeping them in games. The youth movement in Florida DE Derrick Harvey and Auburn DE Quentin Groves can be bookends for the Jags for the next five years. Harvey is a dynamic speed rusher that is oozing athleticism. At Florida he was forced to do a number of different things, but what he did was was get after the passer. Something Del Rio has an appreciation for. Groves is cut in the similar build. Still, it will take some time for them to adapt. I thought the Jaguars might try to make a run at Jason Taylor, but they settled for the youth. They did give up a lot of picks. That could handcuff them in the future.
Tennesee Titans:Grade D: I wonder what Vince Young is thinking. For the past three years the Titans have selected a running back that they don’t need. They now have a nice stable, but unless they are going to line them out wide and run them deep, they still don’t have any wide receivers. They drafted the East Carolina’s RB Chris Johnson who is by far the fastest man in this years draft class. California WR LaVelle Hawkins shined during Senior Bowl practices and made some big plays in the game. While being overshadowed by DeSean Jackson at Cal, he actually lead the Golden Bears in receptions and yards. Hawkins has a great opportunity to make an impact for Jeff Fisher’s offense. They probably needed to draft at least one or two more to help round out the corp with Justin Gage.
AFC West
Denver Broncos: Grade B: The Broncos got the second best left tackle in the draft next to Jake Long. Ryan Clady will step right in and play since Matt Lepsis is now gone. Eddie Royal is an explosive WR that might have been a reach where they picked him in round 2, but with Brandon Stokley, Brandon Marshall, and Darrell Jackson there, balls will be limited. Royal will probably make his biggest impact as a return man. Don’t doubt that he gets a chance as a #4 wide receiver, since alot of the other names in camp are very unproven in Taylor Jacobs and Keary Colbert. The pick I’ll be paying the most attention to is BGSU Center Kory Lichtensteiger. Having watched Kory in person, I can vouch that he’s got a great motor. His one downfall might be that he has short arms by NFL standards, but watching him in combine drills he held his own and even excelled in his group. He was a four year starter at Bowling Green State University and has seen a lot of defenses. In an offense that requires a lot of reaching and pulling, I look for Lichtensteiger to back up both the guards and center and see time. Good luck Kory.
Oakland Raiders: Grade A: Darren McFadden is the best player in this draft bar none. McFadden will have an Adrian Peterson type impact on a team that is still searching for an identity. They just got one. McFadden can hit a homerun on every play, make an impact on special teams, and even take the snaps if none of the current QB projects work out. Look for Oakland to use at least one of their stable of backs as trade bait, mainly the aging LaMont Jordan. Seriousl though, Run DmC is really good, check the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TIrDGnCKDg&feature=related
San Diego Chargers: Grade B: A lot of people are down on the Jacob Hester pick. I happen to love it. Hester can start at fullback, catch the ball out of the backfield, play special teams, and spell LT at running back when needed. Hester has a high football IQ, and he understands the game. He’s a guy that if you could reproduce him for every position, you’d love to be a coach. Antoine Cason from Arizona State gives the Chargers three playmaking cover corners. Antonio Cromartie, Quentin Jammer and Cason will be able to man up against opposing offenses and allow the Chargers sack happy front seven to go nuts.
Kansas City Chiefs: Grade A: The Chiefs just got better. They addressed a ton of needs, and got the best defensive tackle in the draft, some would argue the best player in the draft in Glenn Dorsey from LSU. Dorsey will help to fill the voide left by Jared Allen. He’ll play immediately and beat people all day. The steal for them was getting guard Branden Albert from Virgina with the 15th pick. Both players will be an intrical part in the rebuilding of the franchise. Defensive Back Brandon Flowers has some questionable ball skills, but is probably one of the top 5 at his position in the draft. He’ll help out the Cheifs defense as Patrick Surtain is getting long in the tooth. Jamaal Charles from Texas has a great opportunity to play as the physical running style of Larry Johnson can often get him dinged up.
AFC East
Miam Dolphins: Grade B: A big piece for the Dolphins was keeping All-Pro Jason Taylor. However, Jake Long will be a pro bowler for a ton of years. He’ll be the rock of granite that the franchise builds upon. Defensive end Phillip Derling from Clemson is there should anything happen to Taylor. He’s versitale and will be able to do lots of different things for the fins defense. Chad Henne gives the Dolphins another good drop back passer with a ton of experience. Henne, a four year starter at Michigan has a big arm, but questionable accuracy. The accuracey will have to get better with the tight NFL windows. Another guy that I’m rooting for is the University of Toledo’s Jalen Parmalee. Parmalee posted a top 10 40 time at the combine and has a great mix of power and speed. He would definately fit a Bill Parcells blueprinted team. At Toledo he was a game breaker that could move the chains and carry the ball 20+ times. Good Luck Jalen.
Buffalo Bills: Grade B: Nobody circles the wagons like the Buffalo Bills…Sorry, I couldn’t resist. The Bills played it smart this year. They didn’t give up a lot with their picks and were able to draft some nice players. Mainly, one of the top two corners in Leodis McKelvin from Troy. McKelvin is the real deal. He can play the deep ball, rough you up, and break on the ball. An emotional pick for MAC fans was watching the University of Indiana’s stud WR James Hardy come off the board. The reason for this is because of the loss of coach Terry Hoeppner. Hep worked hard and slowly worked to make Indiana a solid program again. One can only think he would have loved to be there to see his kid get picked.
New England Patriots: Grade B: Finally their aging linebacker corp got a youth infusion. Tennesse linebacker Jerod Mayo will hit people. His SEC speed will give coach Belichek another guy to cause havoc in the division. Michigan’s Shawn Crable is probably a step slower the Mayo but is in the hybrid build that New England has come to love. I was surprised that they didn’t go after some additonal corner help since Rudy Gay and Asante Samuel gone.
New York Jets: Grade C: The Jets need a lot of help. Vernon Gholston is a good start. He could be a freak player or he could be a super bust. Defensively, I think Gholston will be able to give them the cornerstone player to start building on. Purdue TE Dustin Keller is an nice weapon. Keller can run and will help whoever is taking the snaps. Other then that, the rest of the picks are in up in the air. I can’t say that they really improved overall, but there is always next year.
Posted by jfrank1529 
