Chicago Bears

The Bears were the surprise NFC North Champions last season, even with the Super Bowl Champions in their division.  They played exceptionally on defense and even found a balance between the rushing and passing attacks on offense during last regular season.  Unfortunately for Bears fans, they were not able to overcome their mediocre at best offensive line in the playoffs, but this made it clear where their first pick should go.  With the 29^th overall pick, the Bears took Gabe Carimi from Wisconsin to anchor their line for years to come. Carimi is a prototypical right tackle, but might spend a little time playing at guard on this line next season unless the Bears go after any interior lineman in free agency. I also think that he would do well on the left side after he develops as an NFL athlete, but ideally there will be another tackle added to the roster next year that can play the left side.  In round two with the 53^rd overall pick, Chicago selected Stephen Paea who set the Scouting Combine record on the bench press. He is a bit of a developmental prospect with raw athleticism, but he will excel as a one gap run stopper in the middle of the defensive line in the future. His incredible strength will translate to this role in the Bears’ defense that loves to blitz up the middle.  Paea will eat up at least two blockers and should allow pressure by the linebackers through the middle. In round three, the Bears took DB Chris Conte from California.  Conte is an incredibly versatile defensive back that filled in at just about every spot during his time in college before transitioning to safety in his final season.  He will make an immediate impact on special teams and with the veterans on defense to help him develop, he will find a spot somewhere in the starting lineup before too long. I would have liked to see the Bears take an interior offensive lineman that would allow Carimi to play at right tackle, but Paea will be an impact player and clearly the Bears were confident in his abilities. Also, they opted not to take a playmaker at WR. I am not jumping for joy at this draft, but I think they should be running the ball more anyways and there is plenty of free agent talent available at receiver, so all hope is not lost.

My Grade: C+

Detroit Lions

Many people are very big on this year’s draft for the Lions, but I am not one of them.  They added some great players to their team, but ignored their biggest need in the secondary. Prince Amukamara fell past Houston and seemed to be a lock for Detroit who continues to lose games because they cannot contain the big play.  I will admit that I had Fairley higher on my draft board than Prince, but it was because of how well Fairley fits into Tennessee’s defensive scheme and how big of a reach it was for them to take Locker 8th overall. Fairley along with Suh at DT will give the Lions a VERY stout run defense and will obviously make the pass rush more effective, but this is not enough for a secondary that was average at best last season statistically. There were two picks in the second round for Detroit and both were spent on offensive skill positions.  First the Lions selected Titus Young from Boise State.  Young is just 5’1’’ 174 lbs, but he has the speed to be a very impactful deep threat as well as return man.  He is so fast he makes it very difficult for teams to not provide safety help to the corner that is covering him and with Calvin Johnson on the other side of the field, one of these guys will be in man-coverage more often that opposing defenses would like. The second pick in round two for the Lions was spent on Mikel Leshoure who is much better between the tackles than Jahvid Best, who is almost certain to serve as a 3^rd down / change of pace back from here on out.  Passing on Amukamara was a mistake, but they made considerable improvements to their team and stayed true to their draft board.  They won’t get an A from me, but I don’t hate their choices.

My Grade: B+

Green Bay Packers

The Super Bowl Champion Packers had needs on both sides of the line as well as WR and DB.  They were able to address these concerns for the most part in this draft, by selecting someone at each of these positions in the first four rounds with defensive lineman being the only exception.  In the first round, they took Derek Sherrod from Mississippi State. This isn’t a pick that is going to excite too many fans, but he has the versatility to play anywhere on the line, but would ideally be a great RT of the future for the Packers opposite Chad Clifton. In round two the Packers took Randall Cobb from Kentucky, who is a speedy playmaker that could fill in for James Jones, who is looking to enter free agency after his fourth season.  In round three the Packers made what was, to me, a puzzling selection with RB Alex Green from Hawaii.  Green is a big, punishing runner with great hands out of the backfield. To me, the Packers are a passing team with Ryan Grant at RB and James Starks as a change of pace back.  If I was coaching the Packers, Green would just be a goal line back at best… but don’t be surprised if he has a much larger role than this starting in his rookie season. I am not sure how much better they got with this draft, but they filled gaps that will be opened by departing free agents and added depth along both offensive and defensive line.  And after all, they were Super Bowl Champions last year, so they will certainly still be able compete for a chance to repeat next season.

My Grade: B

Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings only had two selections in the first three rounds this season and with their first round pick, they made the second most questionable selection in this year’s draft by taking Christian Ponder 12^th overall.  Ponder has a lot of the intangibles that you want to see in a franchise QB and came from a pro-style offense.  It will take the Vikes a little time to adjust their personnel and playbook to suit the quick timing attack that suits Ponder’s strengths, but with great risk comes great reward… so only time will tell how good this pick was. He might be in over his head if he has to start week 1, especially considering the lockout, but there is certainly a nice running back at his disposal to help him move the ball down the field.  In round two the Vikes took the draft’s top Tight End, Kyle Rudolph from Notre Dame.  Rudolph is likely to assume a primarily blocking role and for good reason, he might as well be a tackle… judging by the size of him.  I would have thought the Vikes would look to add a possession receiver or grab an impact player on defense with this pick, but having a TE tandem like Rudolph and Shiancoe can provide one hell of a crutch for a young QB.  Minnesota’s saving grace was that they were able to address areas where they lacked depth with their 6 picks in rounds 6 and 7.  With reaching for Ponder AND ignoring positions of need to take Kyle Rudolph, I can’t grade Minnesota well, but if Ponder becomes a successful NFL QB, I’ll be happy to have been wrong!

My Grade: C

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Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys are never satisfied with anything but success and with the spotlight always bright for the Cowboys, there is almost always a focus on the skill positions.  I was very happy to see that Dallas was able to recognize their needs on the offensive line and front seven of their defense.  In the first round, with the 9^th overall pick, Jason Garrett grabbed a new franchise left tackle to protect Romo and bolster their running game which was their Achilles heel all last season.  Tyron Smith is 6’5’’ 307lbs and while he has some weaknesses in his game, he is a freakish athlete that should be able to play in this league for more than a few years.  In round two, Dallas took what many believe to be among the biggest steals of the draft.  Bruce Carter, LB from UNC, is 6’2’’ 241 lbs and is a very quick, explosive player.  I expect him to start out as the weak-side ILB for his first few seasons, but look for him to transition to the strong side (or even OLB) depending on team need and scheme in the future. Personally, I was not too high on Carter but I do think that the Cowboys benefited from him sliding into the 2^nd round, where even I agree he was a bargain despite his injury.  I did not get the 3^rd round selection of DeMarco Murray, because a team with Felix Jones and Tashard Choice shouldn’t really need to take a change of pace back this early in the draft. The 4^th round pick of David Arkin was their best in my opinion.  Arkin was a standout player for Missouri St. and is able to play at either guard spot or center.  He may need some time to develop into a reliable starter, but he will add depth and stability to the interior of their offensive line for years to come. The Cowboys got better at the positions they needed to most, in the trenches.  They needed to address their inability to run the ball last season given all the talent and depth they have at the RB position and with two offensive lineman taken in the first four rounds they have done that.

My Grade: B+

New York Giants

The Giants won round one of this year’s draft when they took Prince Amukamara with the 19^th overall pick.  I have written about how big of a mistake it was for Houston to ignore this guy and will do the same for Detroit when I grade their division, but the Giants were able to land this future lock-down corner.  This is the perfect place for Prince to mature as there is MUCH less pressure for him to be an immediate success amidst the formidable defensive secondary that New York already had.  He will see less playing time, but should benefit from having veterans around him to show him the ropes.   In the second round, the Giants again took the best player available at a position of strength for the team.  Marvin Austin has the talent to be drafted in the top half of round one, but fell due to being a part of the group of UNC players who were suspended for last season.  He is an extremely large and dominant player on the interior of the offensive line and while he, like Amukamara, will become part of a rotation, Austin should make an immediate impact as well.  In the third round, the Giants took Jerrel Jernigan as a slot receiver and kick returner.  Jernigan is a shift route runner that should develop into a very solid possession receiver for Eli.  His impact might not be felt on offense this season, but expect this scrappy player to make an impact on a lot of special teams plays in his rookie season.  Jerry Reese and the Giants did a great job of sticking with the best players available and because of that, the Giants will be a FAR more competitive team this coming season.

My Grade: A+

Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles had 2 picks in every round after the third (and one in rounds one through three as well of course) and made the most of this chance to add some quality depth at key positions.  In round one, Andy Reid stayed true to his usual standard of drafting his lineman with his high draft picks to take Danny Watkins from Baylor.  Watkins played tackle in college, but will likely be transitioning to guard for Philly who is trying to protect Michael Vick and open up holes for LeSean McCoy in the run game. Watkins is a big physical and relentless blocker that fits the Eagles style of play perfectly.  This was a great pick and exactly what the Eagles needed most in my opinion with two guards entering the free agent market.  Round two was more of a head scratcher for me as they reached pretty far up to select Jaiquawn Jarrett from Temple.  Jarrett is a great fit for the Eagles as he is a very physical and hard hitting safety, which they were looking for. However, most scouts had a 3^rd or 4^th round projection for him and I would have liked to see the Eagles move back in the second round and try and acquire an extra pick in the later rounds.  In round three, the Eagles selected Curtis Marsh from Utah State.  Marsh is a press-coverage cornerback with great mobility and fluid hip-movement.  He is a developmental project, but could very well start contributing in dime and nickel packages right away.  They got considerably better on their o-line and secondary in this draft and with a team full of playmakers already on the roster, they were able to pick up some key players in needed positions.

My Grade: B

Washington Redskins

The Redskins are in rebuilding mode and despite having a QB situation that is murky at best; Shanahan selected two defensive linemen in the first two rounds.  Ryan Kerrigan was taken with the 16^th overall selection after Washington traded down to pick up an additional 2^nd round selection.  Kerrigan was a highly disruptive pass rusher during his career at Purdue and should make an immediate impact paired with Bryan Orakpo.  The 9^th pick of the 2^nd round was spent selecting Jarvis Jenkins out of Clemson.  Jenkins is a very large interior defensive lineman who can play in either the three of five techniques.  He is especially gifted at defending the run by eating up blockers without surrendering his gap.  Many times throughout his college career, a third blocker was needed to move this guy.  The Redskins traded back 4 times in the 2^nd round with their extra selection and were able to get an additional 4 picks in the later rounds.  In round three the Skins took Leonard Hankerson from Miami, who is a big physical WR that has the skill set to be a #1 receiver for this offense.  He isn’t the fastest guy on the field, but neither is TO and he has caught his fair share of touchdowns. In the fourth round Shanahan drafted himself a running back that fits the style of runner that he has worked so well with, in the past.  Roy Helu from Nebraska is a one-cut runner that excels between the tackles and could earn a starting job for Shanahan by the end of his rookie season.  Like I said, the Skins are rebuilding and they are bringing 12 rookies onto their roster to compete for a spot on the squad.  When you need to make a lot of changes, sometimes the best thing you can do is clean house.

My Grade: A-

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