Draft grades after one year (1 Viewer)

[RustyFA]

The Vikings drafted :

1 7 7 Adrian Peterson RB Oklahoma A+

2 12 44 Sidney Rice WR South Carolina A-

3 8 72 Marcus McCauley DB Fresno State B+

4 3 102 Brian Robison DE Texas B

5 9 146 Aundrae Allison WR East Carolina C

6 2 176 Rufus Alexander LB Oklahoma C-

7 7 217 Tyler Thigpen QB Coastal Carolina NA

7 23 233 Chandler Williams WR Florida International NA

ADP was a great pick obviously. They went beyond need and picked an elite talent. Sidney Rice had a good season considering our QB play. However this kid has the talent to be a #1 WR on this team. Gret hands and a physical freak. McCaulsey played a ton and play well for a rookie. He is definitely good enough to be a nickel CB. He may be a decent #2 in a year or 2. Robison was a very pleasant susprise. He played well and is a good situational DL guy. He will never be a starter but is decent enough depth. Allison was good at kickoffs and made a couple catches. He will stick as a returner. Alexander has great potential. I honestly have no idea on Thigpen and Williams. Overall the Vikings had an excellent draft. The Vikings could use a young S to take over the the elder statesmen that are starting. They could use better WRs but that is probably because they need a better QB. The Vikes pass defense was last this year but I think that is because they need a pass rushing DE to get to the QB. DE is the 1st rounder this year.

The Denver Broncos drafted:

1 17 17 Jarvis Moss DE Florida NA-injury

2 24 56 Tim Crowder DE Texas C

3 6 70 Ryan Harris T Notre Dame D

4 22 121 Marcus Thomas DT Florida B

Jarvis Moss was lost for the season right away. The Broncos really could have used him. Tim Crowder was decent depth this year but sure wasn't great. Harris was a non-factor. Marcus Thomas showed the most. If he can stay out of trouble he is good enough to be a starter soon. This draft class did very very little this year. The Broncos desperately need a huge DT to stop the run next year. Their OL was injured and now LT Matt Lepsis retired. Jon Kynch at S may be next. The broncos also must sign Jason Elam. This team has a lot of holes especially on defense. DT is the 1st rounder this year.

 

[Drunken Cowboy]

Steelers F-

 

[Gottabesweet]

Marshawn Lynch - A

Paul Posluzny - was a solid B + until he got hurt two games in.

Trent Edwards - B + picked up a QB in round 3

Dwayne Wright - C- solid special teams player, Fred Jackson emergence cut his playing time.

John Wendling - B led our team in special teams tackles, filled in at saftey.

Derek Shouman - IR

CJ Ah You - IR

 

[awesomeness]

The Vikings drafted : 1 7 7 Adrian Peterson RB Oklahoma A+ 2 12 44 Sidney Rice WR South Carolina A- 3 8 72 Marcus McCauley DB Fresno State B+ 4 3 102 Brian Robison DE Texas B 5 9 146 Aundrae Allison WR East Carolina C 6 2 176 Rufus Alexander LB Oklahoma C- 7 7 217 Tyler Thigpen QB Coastal Carolina NA 7 23 233 Chandler Williams WR Florida International NAADP was a great pick obviously. They went beyond need and picked an elite talent. Sidney Rice had a good season considering our QB play. However this kid has the talent to be a #1 WR on this team. Gret hands and a physical freak. McCaulsey played a ton and play well for a rookie. He is definitely good enough to be a nickel CB. He may be a decent #2 in a year or 2. Robison was a very pleasant susprise. He played well and is a good situational DL guy. He will never be a starter but is decent enough depth. Allison was good at kickoffs and made a couple catches. He will stick as a returner. Alexander has great potential. I honestly have no idea on Thigpen and Williams. Overall the Vikings had an excellent draft. The Vikings could use a young S to take over the the elder statesmen that are starting. They could use better WRs but that is probably because they need a better QB. The Vikes pass defense was last this year but I think that is because they need a pass rushing DE to get to the QB. DE is the 1st rounder this year.

I think you need to take more into account, the time at which each player was drafted. Aundrae Allison has been pretty solid value for a 5th round pick, i would give that grade no less than a B-, and would personally give that pick a B grade if not higher.

 

[gump]

Tampa Bay:

1 DE Gaines Adams - started slow, but turned out to lead NFL rookies in sacks and could be a force going forward...B+

2 OG Aaron Sears, S Sabby Piscitelli - Sears started every game and should be there for years, Sabby never played due to injury...A, NA

3 LB Quincy Black - solid ST contributor and played some at LB filling in for a very good LB corp...C+

4 S Tenard Jackson - stud...A+

5 DT Greg Peterson - was in the regular rotation at DT...B

6 LB Adam Hayward - ST contributor, not much room for PT yet at LB...C

7 3 guys who didn't make the team, including Darby

OVERALL: B+

Gruden and Allan shut a lot of naysayers up with a quick infusion of young talent. With 3 guys in Adams, Sears, and Jackson looking for mainstays for the Bucs for years...draft has to be considered a success. Only real downside was Piscitelli, who was drawing pretty good reviews before his injury.

 

[simmonjm]

The Cowboys drafted:

1 26 Anthony Spencer OLB Purdue B+ has looked promising. Should fill in nicely once Greg Ellis hangs up the cleats

3 67 James Marten OT Boston College C-really hard to make an assessment as he has not played although Free is supposedly out performing him

4 103 Isaiah Stanback WR Washington C looks a bit injury prone will have a better idea of potential next year

4 122 Doug Free OT Northern Illinois B- Being looked at a possible replacement for Flozell and coaches are happy with him

6 178 Nicholas Folk K Arizona A+ made the pro bowl and back to back 50 yard kicks during the Buffalo game were clutch

6 195 Deon Anderson FB Connecticut B looked great filling in for Oliver Hoyte until suffering a season ending injury. Definetly an offensive upgrade over Hoyte and will probably start next year.

7 212 Courtney Brown CB Cal Poly-S.L.O. C 7 th round pick is an automatic C in my book

7 237 Alan Ball CB Illinois C 7th round pick making the roster is an automatic C in my book

Overall B

The Cowboys might have secured a starting FB, K, and possibly two offensive tackles of the future. Stanback is a project but has all the athletic tools to be special but he has a long road ahead of him. With the Cowboys being an elite team most the rookies have seen limited to no playing time but were mainly selected for depth purposes. Should be a productive draft.

 

[Frenchy Fuqua]

Steelers F-

LOL. Never a good sign when your Rookie of the Year is a punter! Though the Steelers rarely thrust rookies into the starting mix, especially on D. I do think Lamarr Woodley will be a star in the NFL, maybe as soon as 2008. Who knows on Lawrence Timmons, he needs time to develop and they knew that when they selected him. Spaeth looks like a reach in the 3rd round. William Gay in the 5th looks like a nice pick, he may be our 3rd corner next year.I'd give the Steelers a C+ but still too early to judge.

 

[ack34]

1. Aaron Ross, CB

2. Steve Smith, WR

3. Jay Alford, DT

4. Zak DeOssie, LB

5. Kevin Boss, TE

6. Adam Koets, OL

7. Ahmad Bradshaw, RB

7. Michael Johnson, S

I was thinking about this during the Giants/Bucs game. All but Koets played big roles in some games this year, including the playoff game. Ross and Johnson stepped in and played very well this year, Boss can catch and is fast for a big dude, Bradshaw should have been taken 4 rounds earlier. Alford is the snapper on FG's DeOssie is the snapper on punts. I think Jerry Reese had an outstanding first draft. I'd give it a B+.

 

[FunkyPlutos]

The Vikings drafted : 1 7 7 Adrian Peterson RB Oklahoma A+ 2 12 44 Sidney Rice WR South Carolina A- 3 8 72 Marcus McCauley DB Fresno State B+ 4 3 102 Brian Robison DE Texas B 5 9 146 Aundrae Allison WR East Carolina C 6 2 176 Rufus Alexander LB Oklahoma C- 7 7 217 Tyler Thigpen QB Coastal Carolina NA 7 23 233 Chandler Williams WR Florida International NAADP was a great pick obviously. They went beyond need and picked an elite talent. Sidney Rice had a good season considering our QB play. However this kid has the talent to be a #1 WR on this team. Gret hands and a physical freak. McCaulsey played a ton and play well for a rookie. He is definitely good enough to be a nickel CB. He may be a decent #2 in a year or 2. Robison was a very pleasant susprise. He played well and is a good situational DL guy. He will never be a starter but is decent enough depth. Allison was good at kickoffs and made a couple catches. He will stick as a returner. Alexander has great potential. I honestly have no idea on Thigpen and Williams. Overall the Vikings had an excellent draft. The Vikings could use a young S to take over the the elder statesmen that are starting. They could use better WRs but that is probably because they need a better QB. The Vikes pass defense was last this year but I think that is because they need a pass rushing DE to get to the QB. DE is the 1st rounder this year.

I think you need to take more into account, the time at which each player was drafted. Aundrae Allison has been pretty solid value for a 5th round pick, i would give that grade no less than a B-, and would personally give that pick a B grade if not higher.

Another thing that should be taken into account is that the Vikings got an extra 4th round pick to move down a couple spots in the 2nd before they picked Rice. They traded this 4th to the Broncos for which they got a 3rd rounder in 2008, so that makes the Rice pick that much better since they got Rice + a 2008 3rd rounder in their 2nd round!!Tyler Thigpen ended up on IR for the Chiefs (think he has some talent) and Chandler Williams just got signed by the Dolphins yesterday (don't think he will amount to much).

 

[Godsbrother]

Steelers F-

LOL. Never a good sign when your Rookie of the Year is a punter! Though the Steelers rarely thrust rookies into the starting mix, especially on D. I do think Lamarr Woodley will be a star in the NFL, maybe as soon as 2008. Who knows on Lawrence Timmons, he needs time to develop and they knew that when they selected him. Spaeth looks like a reach in the 3rd round. William Gay in the 5th looks like a nice pick, he may be our 3rd corner next year.I'd give the Steelers a C+ but still too early to judge.

I'll give them a C at this point. As you said, one year is not enough time...

 

[DawgPoundNJ]

1 3(3) Joe Thomas OT WISCONSIN Grade: A+, The foundation of the offensive resurgence has played like an all-pro

1 22(22) Brady Quinn QB NOTRE DAME Grade: B+, Great trade for both teams, Quinn has looked great in practices and held trade value firm (need be). Would be A, but holdout and late camp arrival knocks him down one notch.

2 21(53) Eric Wright CB NEVADA LAS VEGAS Grade: A, Great trade for a 1st round talent, shut down Moss before injury

5 3(140) Brandon McDonald CB MEMPHIS Grade: A+, Great depth for this round, couple of game saving plays

6 26(200) Melila Purcell DE HAWAII Grade: C+, Good talent, special teams depth.

7 3(213) Chase Pittman DE LSU Grade: C+, Good pedigree (Texas, LSU), may eventually get some starts.

7 24(234) Syndric Steptoe RS ARIZONA Grade: B, Shown some flashes of return brilliance, waits for opp. on practice squad.

Overall grade: A. Three franchise players in their first three picks. For a team with many holes, who could ask for more?

 

[djcolts]

Colts

1. Anthony Gonzalez, WR - A- He did a very good job when he was in the lineup late in the year.

2. Tony Ugoh, OT - A- The only reason I didn't give him an A was that he was hurt for a few games, including the NE game (which was very costly). But, he did a great job - this pick showed how astute the Colts front office is.

3. Daymeion Dante Hughes, CB - C+ - contributed, then got hurt

3. Quinn Pitcock, DT - B+ - He was a key part of the DT rotation, and got better as the season went along

4. Brannon Condren, S - C - He did some things on STs, but too early to tell

4. Clint Session, LB - A- - When he was in the lineup, he did great things. A great pick, and I think a future starter

5. Michael Coe, CB - C - Raw - needs work

5. Roy Hall, WR - I - Injured early in the year - will be a ST demon next year - but will he develop as a WR?

7. Keyunta Dawson, DT - B+ - Another key contributor in the DT rotation. A steal in round 7

The 2007 Colts class would not be complete without talking about UDFA DT Ed Johnson. Without him, no way the Colts win the AFC South this year. He gets an A, easily.

From top to bottom, this is an outstanding draft. A, easily.

 

[The Man with the Plan]

Hella homerism in this thread.

 

[DawgPoundNJ]

Hella homerism in this thread.

Please, elaborate.

 

[The Man with the Plan]

Come on. All of these draft picks can't be that good. When you see that the lowest grade for a player is a C or N/A you have to question some of the objectivity involved. Maybe they are that good but I'm a little skeptical due to who's doing

the grading.

 

[djcolts]

Come on. All of these draft picks can't be that good. When you see that the lowest grade for a player is a C or N/A you have to question some of the objectivity involved. Maybe they are that good but I'm a little skeptical due to who's doingthe grading.

What would a D or F be for a 1st year player unless they are cut? If we are evaluating a draft class 3 years after the draft, then you can reasonably give Ds and Fs because we'd know that a player can't cut it. This isn't homerism - it is common sense.

 

[TLEF316]

Jets

1- Darrelle Revis- Jets traded up and hit a Home Run. The kid gave up a few tough ones, but looks like every bit of a pro-bowler many project him to be- A

2- David Harris- Another great trade up. The guy was a tackling machine after taking over for Vilma. He also was a pretty decent pass rusher. Hopefully he'll be in the middle of our 3-4 for the next decade- A

6- Jacob Bender- Started a few games but was pretty ineffective. We knew he'd be a project, so getting any snaps at all out of a 6th rounder is ok, i guess- C-

7- chansi Stuckey- Got hurt, didnt contribute- Incomplete

Overall, the jets targeted two great players and gave up all their middle round picks to get them. As a result, they got two corner stones for a rebuilding defense. Its hard to complain about that.

However, in doing so, they neglected to get any help on the O-line (A 2nd or third round guard would have been VERY nice) or a project at NT or OLB. If you factor that the jets moved down in the draft to get Thomas Jones, that helps a little.

Overall grade- B+ for Revis, Harris and TJ. Could have been an A if they made managed to grab a servicable O lineman in the middle rounds.

 

[blueboys21]

Hella homerism in this thread.

Please, elaborate.

assume it's the Brady Quinn grade. B+ for someone who never played a down this year (not to mention calling him a franchise player already) is the very definition of homerism...

 

[Mungo Burrows]

I know nothing about evaluating talent, but that's never stopped me before.

Baltimore Ravens

1.29 (29) Ben Grubbs G Auburn

Started about 2/3 of the year at RG - this is actually a bit disappointing as early talk was that he'd walk in and be a starter from day one. Looks to be a solid guard, but can't tell if he's going to be "special" yet. Not bad for this late in the 1st. At least it appears not to have been a blown pick which is good. Yet another solid 1st round starter for Ozzie. B

3.10 (74) Yamon Figurs WR Kansas State

Looks to have potential to be a pretty good return guy but still makes silly mistakes periodically. Not great hands and sloppy routes as a WR. Kind of a reach getting a return guy in the early 3rd. Has the potential to be good, but he's no Hester B-

3.23 (86) Marshall Yanda G Iowa

Traded several picks to move up and grab this guy. Started a fair percentage of the season at RT. Made a number of mistakes throughout the year, but did OK for a mid-round rookie. B

4.35 (134) Antwan Barnes LB Florida International

Started showing potential to be an impact pass rusher toward the end of the season, but still only used on occasion, despite all the injuries. B-

4.38 (137) Le'Ron McClain RB Alabama

Starting FB all season B+

5.37 (174) Troy Smith QB Ohio State

Here's the key to the draft. Showed potential to be a real QB late in the season, but he was playing against teams that really didn't have their best players on the field. Jury is still out on whether he can be a reliable QB or not. Much will depend on the new regime and whether they can develop him. INCOMPLETE

6.33 (207) Prescott Burgess LB Michigan

Mostly played Special teams, and never really distinguished himself. But you don't usually expect much more than that from a 7th rounder. B-

*3rd rounder used as part of package (along with 2008 3rd rounder) to get Willis McGahee. He did well, but it was a high price to pay (both in picks and contract) for a guy who looks good, but not great. Since we didn't actually draft a player here, I'll leave this out of the discussion, but considering this pick was used by Buffalo on Trent Edwards, who looks to have the potential to be a real QB - something we have been lacking - hurts.

**2008 5th round pick used in Supplemental Draft for Jared Gaither, T Maryland. (Even though this is a 2008 pick I'll count it as 2007 since he was on the team this year. To me, it's like we traded the 2008 pick to move up in the draft to get him)

The guy is a physical freak, but a young, raw project with the potential to be a regular LT. He filled in occasionally during the season, but when Ogden was out they weren't comfortable playing him at LT until injuries forced them to. If he becomes the LT they hope he will, it was a steal, but the jury is still out. With the possible retirement of Ogden, this was a risk worth taking, but grade is still INCOMPLETE

Overall, you can't complain about a draft where every player picked makes the team and plays a role, even if some of them were forced into action by injury. Nobody has shown themselves to be a "special" player yet, but all did reasonably well for their draft position. Hence the B- to B+ grades The key to judging this year will most likely depend on the 5th rounders. If either Troy Smith or Jared Gaither turn into top-notch starters at their position, the grade jumps to an A because you usually have to pay much more than that for starting QBs and LTs. If they both are hits, it's an A+ year. If Grubbs and Yanda turn into a mauling right side of the line for the next several years, that would also move the grade up. As of right now, I'd give it an overall B grade for not having any real obvious misses. If a couple guys step up, that grade will go up over the next couple years. If guys like Grubbs, Yanda and Barnes don't continue to develop and become bigger parts of the team, it will go down. However, I think the upside is higher than the downside at this point, but I'm a fan and that's what we always think.

 

[Jayrod]

Come on. All of these draft picks can't be that good. When you see that the lowest grade for a player is a C or N/A you have to question some of the objectivity involved. Maybe they are that good but I'm a little skeptical due to who's doingthe grading.

I actually was thinking that some of these guys are being too harsh. Like one poster said, what round they were drafted in needs to be taken into account. Some of these guys in rounds 5-7 who are actually getting some starts and doing well should really be A's considering where they were drafted. Even a special teams contributor is worth a positive note that late.

 

[bicycle_seat_sniffer]

San Diego:

Craig "Buster" Davis-WR - round1 - Grade D

the trade for Chambers really made this pick a bust this season. He showed flashes in training camp and pre-season. Right now though, can barely get on the field

Eric Weddle -S - round2 - Grade B+

Moved up to get him and thus far he is a solid player with tons of upside for the future, him and Acrow look to made a solid secondary duo for quite awhile

Anthony Waters - round3 - LB - Grade D

Hasnt seen the field enough. Given the relative weakness of the SD LB's I expect him to make a push for playing time next training camp

Scott Chandler - round4 - TE - Grade E

Taking a TE in round 4 was not a good pick, the guy dont play, he's behind Gates,Manu and the 5th rounder Naanee

Legedu Naanee -round5 - TE - Grade B

Solid 5th round pick with tons of upside, might see the field some in this weekends playoff game

Brandon Siler - round7 - LB - Grade Inc

same with Waters, hasnt seen the field much, he's a 7th rounder that made the team, dont contribute much except special teams

bonus:

Paul Oliver - 4th round supplimental draft - Grade - E

Not sure why he was taken, probably become the nickel CB next season when florence is gone and the starters are Jammer/Acro. I like the pick at the time, but of course with all rookies, need to see more

 

[DawgPoundNJ]

Hella homerism in this thread.

Please, elaborate.

assume it's the Brady Quinn grade. B+ for someone who never played a down this year (not to mention calling him a franchise player already) is the very definition of homerism...

First, Brady Quinn got in for a drive in the last game. He had two drops in the end zone and led the team down inside the 15 for a FG. He looked good doing it. Second, rarely a rookie QB comes in, wins the job and starts, and dominates like a Patrick Willis, Joe Thomas, or Adrian Peterson might. The standard operating procedure is for the franchise QB to learn the offense and league from the bench for the year or at least a good portion of it. Brady Quinn was projected top 10 and fell to 22 and did nothing to damage his stock. Some would even say that based on performance, even with the holdout he won the job fair and square in the preseason. B+ is reasonable there for the value on draft day, and the value he still has now. Nothing to do with homerism.

 

[dgreen]

Washington Redskins:

1. LaRon Landry: A - Not only does he look like a great player, he couldn't have been drafted at a better time with the death of Sean Taylor.

5. Dallas Sartz: F - Didn't even make the practice squad.

6. HB Blades: B+ - A fifth rounder who made the team and saw some decent time on the field this year. He played special teams and filled in at times on both the strong side and the weak side. Is generally considered to be London Fletcher's replacement in a couple years.

6. Jordan Palmer: F - Didn't even make the practice squad. Looked absolutely horrible in preseason.

7. Tyler Ecker: F - Didn't even make the practice squad.

 

[Colin Dowling]

Titans get a C. THe players below are the only ones who contributed anything, and Henry's role was pretty small. They also drafted a WR in rd.3 that didn't catch a pass.:

1st - Michael Griffin - A - Quickly got the hang of playing safety, nickel, corner, etc. Was a great presence on Special Teams and made a number of outstanding plays on D as well. It seemed like Griffin was always around the play. If Pac comes back, the Titan DB's are going to be very versatile and solid for a while. Played 16 games. Had a nice KR average as well.

2nd - Chris Henry - C - Using a 2nd round pick on a spot player? Maybe the idea is his role will increase as time goes on, but Fisher seems to like Lendale and even if they didn't know they were getting Brown back, this was a poor selection for 2007.

4th - Chris Davis - B - Good in special teams as PR and in some receiving situations. A nice find in the 4th.

 

[kevinray]

Steelers F-

LOL. Never a good sign when your Rookie of the Year is a punter! Though the Steelers rarely thrust rookies into the starting mix, especially on D. I do think Lamarr Woodley will be a star in the NFL, maybe as soon as 2008. Who knows on Lawrence Timmons, he needs time to develop and they knew that when they selected him. Spaeth looks like a reach in the 3rd round. William Gay in the 5th looks like a nice pick, he may be our 3rd corner next year.I'd give the Steelers a C+ but still too early to judge.

I'll give them a C at this point. As you said, one year is not enough time...

If you can get three who start down the road out of a draft you have to be happy. Sepulveda had a great rookie year and allowed us to unload Mr. "never had a put blocked"'s contract. Spaeth was a great red zone contributor and could be a solid second tight end with moderate development. Woodley will probably start next year, which is impressive for a Steeler LB. We also got Davis in rookie free agency that played significant time at FB. If Timmons turns out to be a solid pro then this draft goes down as a solid B or better, but right now the C grade is probably right since there are still a lot of unknowns surrounding how good Woodley, Timmons and Spaeth will be.

 

[Colin Dowling]

Second, rarely a rookie QB comes in, wins the job and starts, and dominates like a Patrick Willis, Joe Thomas, or Adrian Peterson might. The standard operating procedure is for the franchise QB to learn the offense and league from the bench for the year or at least a good portion of it.

Brady QUinn attempted fewer passes as a rookie then Russell, Edwards, Beck, and T. Smith. Sit and wait? Sure. But they weren't even trying to get him in to games. Why not let him play a half in week 17?

Brady Quinn was projected top 10 and fell to 22 and did nothing to damage his stock

Obama was projected to win New Hampshire. Let it go. He was the 22nd pick, not a top-10 pick, not 1b, nothing like that. 22. 21 players were selected before him. 22nd.

Some would even say that based on performance, even with the holdout he won the job fair and square in the preseason.

Who would say that? The coach obviously doesn't think so. In fact, the coach had Quinn THIRD on the chart coming out of preseason.

 

[bcr8f]

Hella homerism in this thread.

No kidding. Too early to give grades on most players.

 

[DawgPoundNJ]

Second, rarely a rookie QB comes in, wins the job and starts, and dominates like a Patrick Willis, Joe Thomas, or Adrian Peterson might. The standard operating procedure is for the franchise QB to learn the offense and league from the bench for the year or at least a good portion of it.

Brady QUinn attempted fewer passes as a rookie then Russell, Edwards, Beck, and T. Smith. Sit and wait? Sure. But they weren't even trying to get him in to games. Why not let him play a half in week 17?

Brady Quinn was projected top 10 and fell to 22 and did nothing to damage his stock

Obama was projected to win New Hampshire. Let it go. He was the 22nd pick, not a top-10 pick, not 1b, nothing like that. 22. 21 players were selected before him. 22nd.

Some would even say that based on performance, even with the holdout he won the job fair and square in the preseason.

Who would say that? The coach obviously doesn't think so. In fact, the coach had Quinn THIRD on the chart coming out of preseason.

Alright, what grade would YOU give Brady Quinn then? F? D? C?

 

[Andy Dufresne]

This is a great thread.

 

[Reaper]

Jets1- Darrelle Revis- Jets traded up and hit a Home Run. The kid gave up a few tough ones, but looks like every bit of a pro-bowler many project him to be- A2- David Harris- Another great trade up. The guy was a tackling machine after taking over for Vilma. He also was a pretty decent pass rusher. Hopefully he'll be in the middle of our 3-4 for the next decade- A6- Jacob Bender- Started a few games but was pretty ineffective. We knew he'd be a project, so getting any snaps at all out of a 6th rounder is ok, i guess- C-7- chansi Stuckey- Got hurt, didnt contribute- IncompleteOverall, the jets targeted two great players and gave up all their middle round picks to get them. As a result, they got two corner stones for a rebuilding defense. Its hard to complain about that.However, in doing so, they neglected to get any help on the O-line (A 2nd or third round guard would have been VERY nice) or a project at NT or OLB. If you factor that the jets moved down in the draft to get Thomas Jones, that helps a little.Overall grade- B+ for Revis, Harris and TJ. Could have been an A if they made managed to grab a servicable O lineman in the middle rounds.

I don't think there's a person around who guessed what the Jets would do last draft and when the trades rolled in I winced and then when the OL failed to come I felt the pain...But, that said, the Jets hit Home runs with Revis and Harris.... That kinda is the silver lining to a lousy year. Those are two HUGE cogs of the Jets defense for the near future..And now I feel the Jets have been slapped in the face enough this year to realize they have A LOT of work to do on the OL....

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Hella homerism in this thread.

No kidding. Too early to give grades on most players.

No it's not. It's too early to say how their career is going to go, but you can definitely grade them on how they contributed this year vs. where they were drafted.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Jets1- Darrelle Revis- Jets traded up and hit a Home Run. The kid gave up a few tough ones, but looks like every bit of a pro-bowler many project him to be- A2- David Harris- Another great trade up. The guy was a tackling machine after taking over for Vilma. He also was a pretty decent pass rusher. Hopefully he'll be in the middle of our 3-4 for the next decade- A6- Jacob Bender- Started a few games but was pretty ineffective. We knew he'd be a project, so getting any snaps at all out of a 6th rounder is ok, i guess- C-7- chansi Stuckey- Got hurt, didnt contribute- IncompleteOverall, the jets targeted two great players and gave up all their middle round picks to get them. As a result, they got two corner stones for a rebuilding defense. Its hard to complain about that.However, in doing so, they neglected to get any help on the O-line (A 2nd or third round guard would have been VERY nice) or a project at NT or OLB. If you factor that the jets moved down in the draft to get Thomas Jones, that helps a little.Overall grade- B+ for Revis, Harris and TJ. Could have been an A if they made managed to grab a servicable O lineman in the middle rounds.

I don't think there's a person around who guessed what the Jets would do last draft and when the trades rolled in I winced and then when the OL failed to come I felt the pain...But, that said, the Jets hit Home runs with Revis and Harris.... That kinda is the silver lining to a lousy year. Those are two HUGE cogs of the Jets defense for the near future..And now I feel the Jets have been slapped in the face enough this year to realize they have A LOT of work to do on the OL....

I think Jets fans were the victims of unreasonable expectations. The 2006-2007 season was an overacheiving one for the Jets and this year showed that they weren't as good as hoped. But the draft showed that they are on the right path toward respectability. Revis and Harris were obviously great additions. Another solid draft by the Jets and Bills and the AFC East can start looking as competitive as the AFC South.

 

[Reaper]

This is a great thread.

I especially like to see the opinions on the Offensive Linemen which are harder to follow though out the league.... I wanted to request Draftguys.com keep a running tab on OL.Seems to me like OL is a good value pick in the NFL towards the late 1st thru the early 3rd rounds.I'd like to see a comparison of the salary differential and the ratings of those guys VS the big Money teams spent last year on FA's and how they panned out.

 

[SuperJohn96]

Come on. All of these draft picks can't be that good. When you see that the lowest grade for a player is a C or N/A you have to question some of the objectivity involved. Maybe they are that good but I'm a little skeptical due to who's doingthe grading.

This should be rate the draft of a team you neither love nor hate.Then maybe we'd get real grades.

 

[Jayrod]

Jets1- Darrelle Revis- Jets traded up and hit a Home Run. The kid gave up a few tough ones, but looks like every bit of a pro-bowler many project him to be- A2- David Harris- Another great trade up. The guy was a tackling machine after taking over for Vilma. He also was a pretty decent pass rusher. Hopefully he'll be in the middle of our 3-4 for the next decade- A6- Jacob Bender- Started a few games but was pretty ineffective. We knew he'd be a project, so getting any snaps at all out of a 6th rounder is ok, i guess- C-7- chansi Stuckey- Got hurt, didnt contribute- IncompleteOverall, the jets targeted two great players and gave up all their middle round picks to get them. As a result, they got two corner stones for a rebuilding defense. Its hard to complain about that.However, in doing so, they neglected to get any help on the O-line (A 2nd or third round guard would have been VERY nice) or a project at NT or OLB. If you factor that the jets moved down in the draft to get Thomas Jones, that helps a little.Overall grade- B+ for Revis, Harris and TJ. Could have been an A if they made managed to grab a servicable O lineman in the middle rounds.

I don't think there's a person around who guessed what the Jets would do last draft and when the trades rolled in I winced and then when the OL failed to come I felt the pain...But, that said, the Jets hit Home runs with Revis and Harris.... That kinda is the silver lining to a lousy year. Those are two HUGE cogs of the Jets defense for the near future..And now I feel the Jets have been slapped in the face enough this year to realize they have A LOT of work to do on the OL....

I think Jets fans were the victims of unreasonable expectations. The 2006-2007 season was an overacheiving one for the Jets and this year showed that they weren't as good as hoped. But the draft showed that they are on the right path toward respectability. Revis and Harris were obviously great additions. Another solid draft by the Jets and Bills and the AFC East can start looking as competitive as the AFC South.

What's the story on Vilma? Is he definitely gone and what are they looking to get for him?I'd think a linebacker of his proven quality could be worth a lot in the market.

 

[Reaper]

Come on. All of these draft picks can't be that good. When you see that the lowest grade for a player is a C or N/A you have to question some of the objectivity involved. Maybe they are that good but I'm a little skeptical due to who's doingthe grading.

This should be rate the draft of a team you neither love nor hate.Then maybe we'd get real grades.

How about you just list the guys you think were rated too high and then we discuss THAT?I think we all may have slightly different grading scales but, for this excersise I think it's safe to say players getting "A" grades are "pretty good players".....As a Jets fan I give Both David Harris and Darrel Revis "A" grades......

 

[Reaper]

Jets1- Darrelle Revis- Jets traded up and hit a Home Run. The kid gave up a few tough ones, but looks like every bit of a pro-bowler many project him to be- A2- David Harris- Another great trade up. The guy was a tackling machine after taking over for Vilma. He also was a pretty decent pass rusher. Hopefully he'll be in the middle of our 3-4 for the next decade- A6- Jacob Bender- Started a few games but was pretty ineffective. We knew he'd be a project, so getting any snaps at all out of a 6th rounder is ok, i guess- C-7- chansi Stuckey- Got hurt, didnt contribute- IncompleteOverall, the jets targeted two great players and gave up all their middle round picks to get them. As a result, they got two corner stones for a rebuilding defense. Its hard to complain about that.However, in doing so, they neglected to get any help on the O-line (A 2nd or third round guard would have been VERY nice) or a project at NT or OLB. If you factor that the jets moved down in the draft to get Thomas Jones, that helps a little.Overall grade- B+ for Revis, Harris and TJ. Could have been an A if they made managed to grab a servicable O lineman in the middle rounds.

I don't think there's a person around who guessed what the Jets would do last draft and when the trades rolled in I winced and then when the OL failed to come I felt the pain...But, that said, the Jets hit Home runs with Revis and Harris.... That kinda is the silver lining to a lousy year. Those are two HUGE cogs of the Jets defense for the near future..And now I feel the Jets have been slapped in the face enough this year to realize they have A LOT of work to do on the OL....

I think Jets fans were the victims of unreasonable expectations. The 2006-2007 season was an overacheiving one for the Jets and this year showed that they weren't as good as hoped. But the draft showed that they are on the right path toward respectability. Revis and Harris were obviously great additions. Another solid draft by the Jets and Bills and the AFC East can start looking as competitive as the AFC South.

What's the story on Vilma? Is he definitely gone and what are they looking to get for him?I'd think a linebacker of his proven quality could be worth a lot in the market.

Tannenbaum is saying he'll be a Jet next year but, i think that's what a GM has to say even if you're looking to deal him, no?The local media says he "wasn't as adamant about Vima staying as he was Pennington"......So, basically we have no idea........ Can he play OLB? Too Slow???? Can he play next to Harris while Harris takes on the bigger OL??????Either way.... I thought Vilma looked lousy at times in situations that had nothing to do with Scheme - Basic one on one tackling situations.... And then Harris's play was just Eye popping in comparison!!!!

 

[Kirby]

1 18 Leon Hall CB Michigan A- Got picked on first half of the seaons, but picked it up at the end and led the team in INTs. Long term starter.

2 49 Kenny Irons RB Auburn ? IR

4 114 Marvin White SAF Texas Christian B- Good on special teams, looked decent starting at the end of the year. Bengals win everytime he starts. Madieu will probably cost more than the Bengals will pay, so here's your new FS.

5 151 Jeff Rowe QB Nevada-Reno ? Didn't play at all.

6 187 Matt Toeaina DT Oregon F Cut

7 230 Dan Santucci G Notre Dame ? Wasn't active most of the year.

7 253 Nedu Ndukwe DB Notre Dame A+ Play maker. Bye Dexter.

Overall B+ They did pretty good. Looks like they picked up 3 starters in the secondary.

 

[TLEF316]

Jets1- Darrelle Revis- Jets traded up and hit a Home Run. The kid gave up a few tough ones, but looks like every bit of a pro-bowler many project him to be- A2- David Harris- Another great trade up. The guy was a tackling machine after taking over for Vilma. He also was a pretty decent pass rusher. Hopefully he'll be in the middle of our 3-4 for the next decade- A6- Jacob Bender- Started a few games but was pretty ineffective. We knew he'd be a project, so getting any snaps at all out of a 6th rounder is ok, i guess- C-7- chansi Stuckey- Got hurt, didnt contribute- IncompleteOverall, the jets targeted two great players and gave up all their middle round picks to get them. As a result, they got two corner stones for a rebuilding defense. Its hard to complain about that.However, in doing so, they neglected to get any help on the O-line (A 2nd or third round guard would have been VERY nice) or a project at NT or OLB. If you factor that the jets moved down in the draft to get Thomas Jones, that helps a little.Overall grade- B+ for Revis, Harris and TJ. Could have been an A if they made managed to grab a servicable O lineman in the middle rounds.

I don't think there's a person around who guessed what the Jets would do last draft and when the trades rolled in I winced and then when the OL failed to come I felt the pain...But, that said, the Jets hit Home runs with Revis and Harris.... That kinda is the silver lining to a lousy year. Those are two HUGE cogs of the Jets defense for the near future..And now I feel the Jets have been slapped in the face enough this year to realize they have A LOT of work to do on the OL....

I think Jets fans were the victims of unreasonable expectations. The 2006-2007 season was an overacheiving one for the Jets and this year showed that they weren't as good as hoped. But the draft showed that they are on the right path toward respectability. Revis and Harris were obviously great additions. Another solid draft by the Jets and Bills and the AFC East can start looking as competitive as the AFC South.

What's the story on Vilma? Is he definitely gone and what are they looking to get for him?I'd think a linebacker of his proven quality could be worth a lot in the market.

The story with Vilma is that he has a bad knee. The front office wont say which knee or what the actual injuy is (as far as i know)There has been alot of talk about trading him this offseason. I dont see it happening for 2 reasons......1) I have to assume the injury was fairly serious. As a result, i dont think he'd pass a phsyical before the draft2) He has no value right now. He was mis-cast as an anchor 3-4 ILB for the past 2 years. His numbers are down. Bottom line, at this point, i think any team looking at Vilma is gonna try and lowball the Jets...BIG TIME. I'm forecasting alot of offered 4th rounders. This is unacceptable for a guy who was a pro bowl player 2 years ago and is still like 25 years old. I say keep him. Put him next to Harris(who has the ability to shed blockers in the 3-4) and let him bounce back. He's got the ability. Bottom line is that teams will be scheming to block harris, not Vilma. As a result, i think Vilma befenefits from more space to run through and alot more persuit tackles. I dont think he's gonna be the player he was in the 4-3, but its absolutely INSANE to move him for a 3rd or 4th rounder. Worst case scenario, he has another mediocre year. All that means is that a year from now, We'll be shopping a HEALTHY 26 year old 4-3 LB.

 

[pgreenfan]

The Cowboys drafted:1 26 Anthony Spencer OLB Purdue B+ has looked promising. Should fill in nicely once Greg Ellis hangs up the cleats3 67 James Marten OT Boston College C-really hard to make an assessment as he has not played although Free is supposedly out performing him4 103 Isaiah Stanback WR Washington C looks a bit injury prone will have a better idea of potential next year4 122 Doug Free OT Northern Illinois B- Being looked at a possible replacement for Flozell and coaches are happy with him6 178 Nicholas Folk K Arizona A+ made the pro bowl and back to back 50 yard kicks during the Buffalo game were clutch6 195 Deon Anderson FB Connecticut B looked great filling in for Oliver Hoyte until suffering a season ending injury. Definetly an offensive upgrade over Hoyte and will probably start next year.7 212 Courtney Brown CB Cal Poly-S.L.O. C 7 th round pick is an automatic C in my book7 237 Alan Ball CB Illinois C 7th round pick making the roster is an automatic C in my bookOverall B The Cowboys might have secured a starting FB, K, and possibly two offensive tackles of the future. Stanback is a project but has all the athletic tools to be special but he has a long road ahead of him. With the Cowboys being an elite team most the rookies have seen limited to no playing time but were mainly selected for depth purposes. Should be a productive draft.

The only complaint I had on the Cowboys draft last year was trading out of the second round with Eric Wright still on the board. The Cowboys basically got Marten, Stanback and Folk for Wright.

 

[Tommy Collins]

Marshawn Lynch - A Paul Posluzny - was a solid B + until he got hurt two games in.Trent Edwards - B + picked up a QB in round 3 Dwayne Wright - C- solid special teams player, Fred Jackson emergence cut his playing time.John Wendling - B led our team in special teams tackles, filled in at saftey.Derek Shouman - IR CJ Ah You - IR

Marshawn Lynch - APaul Posluzny - B+Trent Edwards - CDwayne Wright - DJohn Wendling - C+

 

[jasonbay]

Round 1 - Lawrence Timmons... D-( didn't play enough to make an acurrate judgement but didn't really do much when he did play except step on Ricky Williams chest and knock him out for the season)

Round 2 - LaMarr Woodley... B(going to be a star and should have seen a lot more playing time)

Round 3 - Matt Spaeth... C(very nice red zone target)

Round 4- Daniel Sepulveda... A ( the punting game was a glaring need with Gordocki so we went out got ourselves the only 2 time Ray Guy ever.. funny he that walked on to Baylor as a LB)

Round 4- Ryan Mcbean... F ( don't believe I seen him make the field..perhaps I'm wrong)

Round 5- William Gay... D ( make a couple nice steams plays but being apart of the terrible steams this year he should get a negative grade but I'll give him a below average grade)

Round 7- Dallas Bakes F ( did he even make it onto the practice squad)

 

[FUBAR]

Second, rarely a rookie QB comes in, wins the job and starts, and dominates like a Patrick Willis, Joe Thomas, or Adrian Peterson might. The standard operating procedure is for the franchise QB to learn the offense and league from the bench for the year or at least a good portion of it.

Brady QUinn attempted fewer passes as a rookie then Russell, Edwards, Beck, and T. Smith. Sit and wait? Sure. But they weren't even trying to get him in to games. Why not let him play a half in week 17?

Brady Quinn was projected top 10 and fell to 22 and did nothing to damage his stock

Obama was projected to win New Hampshire. Let it go. He was the 22nd pick, not a top-10 pick, not 1b, nothing like that. 22. 21 players were selected before him. 22nd.

Some would even say that based on performance, even with the holdout he won the job fair and square in the preseason.

Who would say that? The coach obviously doesn't think so. In fact, the coach had Quinn THIRD on the chart coming out of preseason.

Alright, what grade would YOU give Brady Quinn then? F? D? C?

He gave Chris Henry a C. Quinn did less, so I doubt he'd give better than that. I know I wouldn't.

 

[saintfool]

Round Pick Player /Position 1 27 (27) Robert Meachem WR 3 2 (66) Usama Young CB 3 24 (88) Andy Alleman G 4 8 (107) Antonio Pittman RB 4 26 (125) Jermon Bushrod T 5 8 (145) David Jones CB 7 10 (220) Marvin Mitchell ILB

Grade? D.Meachem was injured in the off-season and didn't get the prep time until preseason really. He didn't play a down during the regular season, although the staff are still very high on him. Usama Young was ST until injuries put him on the field late in the season. Nothing special from the limited viewing. Pittman - who we traded up for - was cut and became the #3RB in St Louis. Alleman and Bushrod are backups right now. Jones, I think, is in the practice squad. Mitchell was a ST player.What keeps it from being an F? We don't know for sure if some of these guys are worthless yet. We also signed rookie UFA Pierre Thomas (RB) and he's worth something. Tyler Palko was another rookie UFA who showed some potential.

 

[sho nuff]

Overall, Id give the team a solid B-/C+ for this draft, which could rise depending on Harrell in the postseason.

Found gems in Jones, Rouse, Hall, and Crosby. TBD on Harrell, Jackson, and Wynn.

1. Justin Harrell...D/TBD...came into camp a bit out of shape. Few little nicks...was inactive for a bit. Finally got some time, played ok, then got hurt again.

Getting more playing time down the stretch with Jolly and Cole hurt. I put the TBD as if he plays well in the playoffs, his grade could rise now that he will be counted on a little more. With the injuries, I am glad they have him now though.

2. Brandon Jackson...D/TBD...started out slow all year and was outperformed by D. Wynn and now R. Grant. Looked good in the last game, but it was the Lions. Again, a TBD as he has a chance to play some to spell Grant in the postseason...he might get up to a D+.

3. James Jones...B...started the first few games and looked very good. "disappeared" a bit when Jennings came back, but was still pretty solid. Id raise his grade a bit if it were not for the fumbles in the first Chicago game.

3. Aaron Rouse...B+...I like this kid and it seems he outperforms the two starters when he got the chance. But is still behind them on the depth chart. Id like to see him get more chances. I give him the high grade because when he did get to play, he was a playmaker and a ballhawk.

4. Allen Barbre...C...not getting much chance to play anyway. Hard to really grade him. Hopefully with Spitz back at practice we will not have to find out this postseason.

5. David Clowney...F...released before the season. Good speed, but just not polished enough to even return kicks/punts.

6. Korey Hall...B...the guy converted from LB to FB and has been a very good lead blocker. Grade could be higher if GB was better on 3rd and short situations, or if they used him more in the receiving game. But still could be a very good FB for a few years.

6. Desmond Bishop...C+...not much playing time behind Barnett...but has played pretty well and made it easier to put Hodge on the I/R early in the year.

6. Mason Crosby...A-...between an A and a B for me. Very good for a rookie...but had some miscues. But had to give him the A for leading the league in scoring for a kicker.

7. D. Wynn...B-/C+...played pretty well, far above what I expected out of him (which was to get cut)...got hurt, which gave way to Grant.

7. Clark Harris...F...practice squad kind of guy. Nothing more.

 

[BelichicksRevenge]

Hella homerism in this thread.

No kidding. Too early to give grades on most players.

No it's not. It's too early to say how their career is going to go, but you can definitely grade them on how they contributed this year vs. where they were drafted.

Whats the point. Most of the rookies on teams that were already good would probably get an I because they would not get much playing time.John Elway would have gotten a D after his rookie year while Rick Mirer would have gotten an A.Look at a draft 5 years after it happened.

 

[Kiddnets]

Jets1- Darrelle Revis- Jets traded up and hit a Home Run. The kid gave up a few tough ones, but looks like every bit of a pro-bowler many project him to be- A2- David Harris- Another great trade up. The guy was a tackling machine after taking over for Vilma. He also was a pretty decent pass rusher. Hopefully he'll be in the middle of our 3-4 for the next decade- A6- Jacob Bender- Started a few games but was pretty ineffective. We knew he'd be a project, so getting any snaps at all out of a 6th rounder is ok, i guess- C-7- chansi Stuckey- Got hurt, didnt contribute- IncompleteOverall, the jets targeted two great players and gave up all their middle round picks to get them. As a result, they got two corner stones for a rebuilding defense. Its hard to complain about that.However, in doing so, they neglected to get any help on the O-line (A 2nd or third round guard would have been VERY nice) or a project at NT or OLB. If you factor that the jets moved down in the draft to get Thomas Jones, that helps a little.Overall grade- B+ for Revis, Harris and TJ. Could have been an A if they made managed to grab a servicable O lineman in the middle rounds.

Revis and Harris were HR studs! Problem with quality over quantity is the lack of picks hurt depth - look for the JEts to trade down and deal players to get more picks this year to fill the many holes. Bender was an "F" for me last year - if he couldn't get any time with the human turnstyle Adrian Clarke then it doesn't look good for him - he is from a small school though so maybe he develops.Stuckey pissed me off - he looked great in camp and though he could be a nice addition but he got hurt and moved to IR with minimal info.The Jets future will turn on the 2006 draft - specifically Brick needs to step it up (I get ill watching the impact Joe Thomas had in Cleve then watching Brick get pushed around) also KC is a key too obviously. If he is beaten out by noodle arm then he is an official bust in my book!As for Vilma - I would deal him for a 2nd rder but that is the line - I think his contract is up soon so brass may be thinking get something for him while you can. Don't agree with keeping chad - its time to turn the page - having him there will stir the pot all year - I hope hes just trying to increase value for deals.

 

[Greco]

Lions.....Cal Johnson Bust

Drew Stanton N/A

Lions suck, never mind. E.

 

[(HULK)]

Washington Redskins:1. LaRon Landry: A - Not only does he look like a great player, he couldn't have been drafted at a better time with the death of Sean Taylor.5. Dallas Sartz: F - Didn't even make the practice squad.6. HB Blades: B+ - A fifth rounder who made the team and saw some decent time on the field this year. He played special teams and filled in at times on both the strong side and the weak side. Is generally considered to be London Fletcher's replacement in a couple years.6. Jordan Palmer: F - Didn't even make the practice squad. Looked absolutely horrible in preseason.7. Tyler Ecker: F - Didn't even make the practice squad.

If we can count undrafted FA rookies, we did pretty well with Heyer.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Hella homerism in this thread.

No kidding. Too early to give grades on most players.

No it's not. It's too early to say how their career is going to go, but you can definitely grade them on how they contributed this year vs. where they were drafted.

Whats the point. Most of the rookies on teams that were already good would probably get an I because they would not get much playing time.John Elway would have gotten a D after his rookie year while Rick Mirer would have gotten an A.Look at a draft 5 years after it happened.

Some of you people are really adept at sucking the fun out of everything. I bet you're a blast to be around.