Who Made the Grade

Trades, trades, trades and more trades. WOW... What a year this has been so far in the NFL universe. Teams making moves upon move after move. Some warranted, some unwarranted. For the most part each team filled needs through the draft process over the weekend. I thought a few teams panicked and reached on some players in the first half of the draft. It's not so much about who gets picked but where they picked. I admire the teams that stayed true to their board. It is more about the teams that feel the need to reach for players that will likely be available in the later rounds. In an economy where the "Dollar Menu" and "The $5 Dollar foot long" are king, we all know it's all about Value.

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS A
Summary: Is this the Seattle USChawks all over again? It seems like Pete Carrol hand picked his draft before anybody else got a chance to pick. The #1 OT Russell Okung and the #2 S Earl Thomas fell to Seattle with the 6th and 14th selections respectively, then picked up a quality WR in Golden Tate at #60 overall. Along the way, making a few trades, picking up former Trojan Lendale White and Leon Washington; a couple of NFL experienced backs to get the Thunder and Lightning combination that is so coveted in the NFL these days. Then late in the game they added a value pick in TE Anthony McCoy, who can stretch the field down the middle and is a pretty good in-line blocker, oh and by the way a former Trojan as well.

BALTIMORE RAVENS A
Summary: The Ravens might have the best front office in football over the last 6 years to a decade. Rarely making mistakes on draft day. Trading the 25th pick to Denver in exchange for a 2nd, 3rd and a 4th round pick was essentially grand larceny. Nabbing a top-25 talent with the 48th overall selection in OLB/DE Sergio Kindle and NT Terrance Cody later in the 2nd round, who had a 1st round resume. In addition to getting Anquan Boldin in the off-season they picked up a pair of pass catching TE's in Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta, both can stretch the middle of the field. Ed Dickerson is the superior blocker of the two.

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS B
Summary: In the 1st round the Niners selected two super offensive lineman. At the 11th spot getting OT Anthony Davis, who has some characters concerns but great on-field "upside". At the 17th spot they grabbed OG/C Mike Iupati. Both guys can play right away and should pay immediate dividens in the running game. At 49th overall Taylor Mays finally came off the board. He has been getting a bad rap for not being a cover safety like an Earl Thomas or Eric Berry, but that does not mean he can't become that. He's a specimen and is motivated to be great. San Fran falt out got a steal. Navarro Bowman was a superb value as well, Mike Singletary will develop him in that scheme nicely.

DETROIT LIONS B+
Summary: Anytime a team can add a guy worthy of being the #1 overall selection, they get a high grade, which the Lions did in drafting DT Ndamukong Suh with the #2 pick. That's a no brainer. Then, they jumped back into the 1st round, trading with division rival Minnesota, picking up the #3 RB in Jahvid Best, who is a bonafide home run threat. This should help Stafford and company get things rolling offensively. Along with Suh on the defensive side of the ball, they picked up a physical corner from Iowa, Amari Spievey in the 3nd round. I thought that was some pretty good value there.

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS B
Summary: Tampa hit big in 2 ways over the course of 3 days. Mainly on the interior of the D-line. Getting a stud in Gerald McCoy at the #3 spot (another no brainer), later drafting UCLA's big DT Brian Price was a huge surprise, especially in the 2nd round. You can never have too many good interior guys on either side of the ball, they addressed a big need there. I thought they would go WR in that particular spot, but a few selections later snagged WR Arrelious Benn (Anquan Boldin light). Late in the draft they took a chance on a questionable character guy in WR Mike Williams in the 4th, if he flies straight, he could be a steal. Key word, IF.

ARIZONA CARDINALS B
Summary: When you can draft the #3 DT at the 26th overall spot, I would say you did pretty well. Dan Williams is a beast, a one of a kind. Fits great into their scheme and will anchor that 3-4. OLB Daryl Washington out of TCU is another ideal fit, a guy who tackles well in space and gets after the QB - Speaking of QB's, the jury is still out on Matt Leinart, it's a good thing they grabbed QB John Skelton ( Joe Flacco light) in the 5th round, Skelton had the strongest arm in the class. They took a flyer on Wisconsin OLB O'Brien Schofield, he's an instinctive pass rusher and should dampen the departure of Bertrand Berry.

NEW YORK JETS A-
Summary: Granted they only had 4 draft selections, but they were still able to fill some of Rex Ryan's needs at CB, O-Line and RB. In my mind they drafted the #1 CB Kyle Wilson late in round 1, he will fit nicely with Revis and Cromartie. Valdimir Ducasse will fill the void Allen Faneca left. Trading up to get Joe McKnight, a guy who can catch the ball well out of the back field and run well in space is a great 4th round value. He's ex-college teammate of Mark Sanchez. He should make an immediate impact on the return game and on 3rd downs. As I alluded to earlier, not very many picks, but when you couple that together with their other off season additions, their draft looks a lot better when put into context.

OAKLAND RAIDERS C
Summary: Taking Rolando McClain in the 8 spot was a little bit of a reach, they probably could have traded back and got him a bit later and saved money. I love his skills and instincts. Better him than Bruce Campbell, a guy they ended up with several rounds later. I dig the Lamar Houston pick, a DT out of Texas, he has a great motor and pursuit to the ball. He will compete with Tommy Kelly in the trenches. The typical Raider pick came later in the draft this year in track star Jacoby Ford, the fastest player at the combine. He will be a decent slot receiver and a great return guy. At this point, he might be better than Darius Heyward-Bey.

MINNESOTA VIKINGS C-
Summary: Could have done a lot better. One pick away from getting the #1 CB in Kyle Wilson. Instead of moving up to get Wilson they fall back and got something named Chris Cook, who missed a ton of time due to grades and injuries. Very inconsistent on tape. Also in the 2nd round they moved up a hand full of spots to get RB Toby Gerhart, which was puzzling. He does not fill the utility role that Chester Taylor vacated. The value came in 4th round when they grabbed DE Everson Griffen. He has 1st round talent. He was a bit of an underachiever at USC. He has a good motor and is explosive off the edge. He's the ultimate 'BOOM or BUST" candidate. But in the 4th round, he can only ''BOOM". I thought the rest of their draft was largely unimpressive.

DENVER BRONCOS C+
Summary: The grade could have been higher. Should have been higher. WR Demaryius Thomas was a terrific pick at 22 overall and filled a need. But trading back into the 1st and giving up a 2nd, 3rd and 4th round pick to reach for Tim Tebow was absurd. The kid is a project he's a long way from developing into an NFL QB. They did get some value later on in WR Eric Decker in the 3rd and CB Perrish Cox out of Okie state, he was a potential 2nd or 3rd round guy but had some red flag character issues, playing along side Champ Bailey will help him develop. Their 7th round pick, Syd'Quan Thompson dropped in the draft due to a lack of speed but he will be a tough nickle corner. Overall they had a solid draft, but the Timmy "Rah Rah" reach knocked them down.

WASHINGTON REDSKINS C-
Summary: Trent Williams is the Headline of Washington's class, but it could be a risky pick. Given the fact they passed on Russell Okung, the #1 rated OT. Trent fits the scheme better, but Okung was the better prospect. Nabbing McNabb in the off-season was a huge addition to this squad. Their other picks didn't "WOW' or move me. Especially given all the needs they had on the offensive side of the ball. It was an average draft in terms of adding quality youth and talent to the team.

SAINT LOUIS RAMS C+
Summary: I like this Rams draft class. They went out and got the future face of their franchise in ''Sam Man", Sam Bradford. That's not to say there are no concerns. While at OU he was hit twice and got hurt both times. He has major durability issues along with being a system quarterback. But, still was the right pick. Rodger Saffold burst on to the scene in post season all-star games, he still has to prove he is worthy of a 2nd round selection. Cornerback Jarome Murphy was a much needed addition to the secondary and WR Marty Gilyard was a huge value in the 4th round. He lacks the measurables and top- end speed, but can be a nice slot receiver target for "Sam Man". The Rams Picked up a couple of depth players on the defensive side of the ball in George Selvie and Josh Hull, who i believe has the instincts to become a good player over time in this league.

SAN DIEGO CHARGERS B-
Summary: They got their guy, RB Ryan Mathews, I just didn't think they needed to jump up 16 spots to get him. But, it takes two to tango and maybe no one between 13 and 20 was willing to deal. He was not going to get past the Texans at 20. Donald Butler the ILB out of Washington is a throwback player, he's a rangy sideline to sideline guy. Safety was a position that needed to be addressed and in the 4th Darrell Stuckey was there to be had. He has a great chance to become a starter in the NFL for years to come, he's physical and has dynamic play making ability. In the 5th round, getting a solid DT in Cam Thomas out of UNC and QB Jon Crompton really elevated this class for the Chargers.

PITTSBURGH STEELERS C
Summary: Taking the off-season transactions and draft into account, I don't believe the Steelers had one of their better years. They did select a great interior O-Lineman Maurkice Pouncey to shore up the line. I thought they could have done better than OLB Jason Worilds in the 2nd. After trading away Santonio Holmes, I though getting a Golden Tate or Brandon Lafell would have been better selections. But they did get a value pick in HB Johnathan Dwyer in the late rounds, he fits what the Steelers like to do.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS B
Summary: I love the trade back approach! If you know what your doing, why not add picks and find hidden gems. CB Devin McCourty is a special teams stud, who is going to be able to give you quality 3rd down snaps as a nickle guy until he is ready to start. TE Rob Gronkowski is a major health risk, he's had a ton of injuries, but if he stays healthy he could develop into a complete TE. The other two 2nd round selections I like a lot, two Florida kids in Jermaine Cunningham and Brandon Spikes. Both have some question marks and redflags, but both have the skills to develop into pretty good ball players over time. I believe the star of the bunch could be TE Aaron Hernandez, this kid is the best pass catching TE in this class, that's saying considering Jermaine Gresham is also in this class.

DALLAS COWBOYS B-
Summary: Jumping up to the 24th overall slot to get Dez Bryant was great for Dallas. It was a typical Jerry Jones selection. This kid is a bonafide top-10 talent, a rare blend of speed, size and quickness. He will be an immediate presence. Keith Brooking is getting long in the tooth at ILB, so they went out and got solid Penn State backer, Sean Lee. He lacks size for an ILB, but makes up for it with heart. Sam Young could be one of those late round selections that plays in a few Pro Bowls, he is limited athletically but with hard work he can develop.

NEW YORK GIANTS B
Summary: Solid class. I like the Jason Pierre Paul pick, clearly this is an insurance policy in case they want to cut ties with Osi Umenyiora. In the 2nd round they picked up DT Linval Joseph, a solid selection. He will be a bit of a project, but the upside is great. He is a run stuffer at 328 pounds. S Chad Jones out of LSU is a versatile athlete, blessed with a good blend of size and speed.

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES B-
Summary: I question getting rid of Donovan Mcnabb. It might set back the offense for a season until Kevin Kolb gets his feet underneathth him. So, they went out and beefed up on the defensive side of the ball, using 9 of their 13 on defense. Brandon Graham is a great pick for their scheme, he's slightly under-sized, but is a force and will provide the versatile pass rusher they need . Nate Allen out of USF and Travard Lindleyboth are guys I think will help their secondary right away. Both Corner and Safety were areas of need , Ricky Sapp was a good get in the 5th round, he lacks overall toughness and instincts but has some good upside and will be a solid situational guy off the edge.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS C
Summary: First and foremost, congrats on winning the 2010 Super Bowl. When you draft last, its hard to have a high grade without making any moves to jump up. All considered, they still had a solid 3 days. CB Pat Robinson the of FSU does not really fit a need, but in the NFL you can never have too many good corners. Sitting back and waiting on OT Charles Brown at the end of the 2nd was a good value pick, he had a late 1st round grade. At worst, he's a nice insurance policy to cover Jammal Brown. Taking Jimmy Graham was a huge upside pick, he is a stretch the field down the seam kind of guy. A former hoops star, so he is a bit of a project as a blocker, but on 3rd downs and in the red-zone, he's the guy.

BUFFALO BILLS C-
Summary: Absolutely love the C.J. Spiller pick at #9 overall. They could have addressed a number of needs with that selection, as they need a little bit of everything. In the 2nd round, I thought selecting Torell Troupwas a reach. He would have been there in the 3rd or maybe even 4th . OT Ed Wang and OLB Arthur Moats could potentially develop into starters, but for now they are solid depth guys. Looking at this class, they did not get very much top-end talent in the trenches, which they could have used. Outside of the Spiller pick, it really was a below average draft and off-season for the Bills.

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS B-
Summary: I have two words for you "Eric Berry". Now I have one word to describe him---"Stud". How could you pass on this guy! He's a game breaking safety in the same mold as Ed Reed and Troy Polamalu. Do not, I repeat, do not throw the ball in a 15 yard radius of this guy if you know what's good for you. I did not expect to see HB Dexter McCluster (Percy Harvin light) come off the board until the 3rd round, but I don't mind them using a 2nd round pick on him. He can be alot of things, return guy, slot guy and change of pace guy, he has awesome hands. Love his game. I liked the Javier Arenas pick in the 2nd. He does not have the size or speed to develop into a starter on the outside. But he boasts the quickness and fluidity to be an effective nickle back.

GREEN BAY PACKERS B-
Summary: The Packers struggled mightily along the offensive line in 2009, giving up 57 sacks last year. O-lineman Bryan Bulaga should help a ton, if he does not look like a Green Bay guy, I don't know who does (Big square meat head). At #23, he was the best value in the entire 1st round in my mind. DT Mike Neal out of Purdue was a bit of a reach, he was a pick for the future. In the 3rd and 5th they selected S Morgan Burnett and TE Andrew Quarless, both guys have great upside. Overall, Green Bay stuck to a sound draft plan, especially in the 1st round. They did not panic and let the steal of the 1st fall into their lap.

CLEVELAND BROWNS C+
Summary: Mike Holmgren's hand prints are all over this organization already. Reminds me of when Bill Parcells went to Miami in 08'. The Browns are taking some big time chances in the draft. Well, except for #7 overall pick CB Joe Haden. He definately filled a need. S T.J. Ward at the #38 overall spot was a stretch. He's a sound football player, but they could have gotten him later. QB Colt McCoy was a superb value pick in the 3rd round. He won't play for a season or two. HB Monterio Hardesty out of Tennessee has a history of knee problems, which is not good for a running back, but he could become a good player barring injury.

CHICAGO BEARS B
Summary: I would like to invite the Bears to the 2010 NFL draft--oh wait, its over. Nah, in all seriousness, they were M.I.A for the first 2 rounds, but made the most of the picks they did have. They needed a safety and they got one in 3rd rounder Major Wright from Florida, who has a chance to fill that void, the Bears have good in the box safeties, but not rangy guys on the back end, that can play the pass.

CAROLINA PANTHERS B-
Summary: Talk about a whirl wind off-season for this organization. Losing their best player Julius Peppers to Free Agency was a death blow to a defense that was struggling even with him. But, I bet they are thrilled to have Jimmy Clausen fall to them in the 2nd. To get a talent like Jimmy Clausen in the 1st round would have been tremendous, let alone having him fall to you in the 2nd! That's the epidomy of a value pick. Overall, they had a low risk, high reward draft. Brandon Lafell, Eric Norwood and Greg Hardy were all good gets. I did not understand taking Armanti Edwards in the 3rd round, that was a puzzling pick and a reach. As patient as they were in selecting clausen, it seemed like they panicked on the Armanti Edwards selection. I mean, what is he going to be? QB, RB, return guy, WR or wild cat?--If so, probably could have got him in the 6th.

MIAMI DOLPHINS C-
Summary: This is a pretty generous grade for them. I'm not sold on their draft class. It's really DT/DE Jered Odrick and the rest "are just guys". Koa Misi is going to be asked to standup and play OLB in the NFL, that will be a tough transition. In the 3rd round, when there was still a ton of talent on the board, they reached for something by the name of John Jerry, an OG out of Mississippi. He was an OT in college, but will need to kick inside due to slow feet and limited athleticism. In the 5th, they took a flyer on S Reshad Jones, this was a solid pick and could end up being a steal, so look out for him in a few years.

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS C
Summary: Many people might agree that Peyton Manning is the Colts team MVP. But I might argue that talking point and say it's team President Bill Polian. Talk about a guy that can find hidden gems! OLB/DE Jerry Huges will be a stud. He's cut from the same mold as Dwight Freeney, a bit under sized, but is quicker than fast off the edge and has a non-stop motor. Thought Kevin Thomas was a good pick here, he reminds me of another USC corner from a few years back, Terrell Thomas, after losing Marlin Jackson to the Eagles, that was a nice get. It wasn't a flashy draft, but it rarely is. They picked up some under the radar players late, lets wait and see if any develop into a hidden gem.

CINCINATI BENGALS B
Summary: Look at the Bangal Tigers! Solid, Solid draft. Adding a nice pool of young talent to the roster. Started things off by getting the best TE prospect in Jermaine Gresham, this is a guy that will contribute from day one. 6-5, runs like a deer for his size, excellent hands. At #60 overall they took Carlos Dunlap, a top-10 type talent, but has some major concerns off the field with matruity issues. They added Jordan Shipley and Brandon Ghee in the 3rd, Brandon Ghee was invited to sit in the green room, so obviously he was thought to go pretty high, but he ended up slipping to the 3rd round. Nabbing up Roddrick Muckleroy and Dezmond Briscoe on day 3 was nice, I like both of these players, especially at that price.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS D-
Summary: I don't like this class, not a very good class. I've mentioned the word Value more than a few times. I've also metioned the word reach more than a few times. Well, let me say it one more time. Taking Tyson Alualu 10th overall was a massive reach. This was Tim Tebow, before Tim Tebow. Now i'm not saying he is not a good player, but he is not top 10 good ( I.M.O). They could have fell back to the end of the first and still got their guy. This was alot like the Miami Dolphins draft, but the glaring difference was Miami traded back 16 slots and still got the guy they coveted. Don't reach for what will be there later! SHEESH.

HOUSTON TEXANS B-
Summary: I give the Texans a ton of credit for their draft this year. They got a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Essentially, they were draft grazing, if you will. After losing a key CB Dunta Robinson, it was obvious they needed to get one of the top corners in this draft, they did getting the #3 CB Kareem Jackson at 19th overall. In the 2nd they picked up RB Ben Tate who posses an excellent combo of size and speed. DT Earl Mitchell will be a nice addition and a good interior rusher in their 3-4. I thought the last two selections were awsome additions. Trindon Holiday is going to upgrade the return game from the opening kickoff of the season. This kid is electric in the return game, they will see a big "Return" on this investment. Then, way down at the 227th overall pick in the 7th rd they found TE Dorin Dickerson, who very well could be the best overall athlete in this draft, he can play a variety of spots, H-Back, slot, tight end or wide out!

ATLANTA FALCONS D+
Summary: Hmmmm, I'm not sold. Really, the the only plus was 1st round selection OLB Sean Weatherspoon. He is a rangy backer and has good ball skills in coverage. He brings added depth to a linebacking corp that is getting long in the tooth. Other than that, there's not much else to really say about this class. Not much has changed in the ATL this off season.

And last but not least...........

TENNESSEE TITANS B-
Summary: The Titans got the best DE in the draft. Derrick Morgan is the most complete end in the class of 2010. Give the Titans a lot credit for staying patient and waiting for him to fall to them at 16. With Kyle Vanden Bosh and Jevon Kearse gone, he was the exact guy they needed. WR Damien Williams out of USC was another great value pick. He is a preciscion route runner; gets in and out of his breaks quickly. In the later rounds, they got a couple of guys in Rennie Curran, Alterraun Verner and Myron Rolle, all three could be stars in this league. The potential is high for this group on the defensive side of the ball. The Titans pass defense ranked 29th last season, so Verner and Rolle will have opportunities to play early and often