First-Round React
By Brian Edwards
First of all, I want to be clear that “grading” drafts accurately is impossible until years down the road. More than anything, I’m just throwing out my opinions and leaving them subject to ridicule if they prove to be inaccurate. Let’s have at it…
1-QB Matthew Stafford (Detroit via Georgia) – Well, the Lions certainly needed a quarterback and they were able to get Stafford signed beforehand, which is a major plus. With that said, I don’t think Stafford is good enough to be the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. Is that my way of calling him a bust already? No, but I saw him play poorly plenty of times, including an in-person trip to Jacksonville last year when Florida smoked UGA by a 49-10 count and Stafford threw three interceptions. He was also terrible in a blowout loss at Tennessee during his sophomore season. Yes, he has an excellent arm, but I don’t think he will have a great NFL career. A good career? Maybe, but I say his career will be closer to decent than good. And in my book, Stafford wearing a pink shirt with a pink tie and matching “hanky” during ESPN interviews the Friday before the draft could cost him some man points in the Detroit locker room. Stafford isn’t Matty Ice, he’s Matty Pinks. Grade: C
2-OT Jason Smith (St. Louis via Baylor) – I’m not going to pretend to be real knowledgeable about Smith, so I don’t have much feel for this pick. With Orlando Pace leaving the organization, the Rams definitely met a team need. Grade: B
3-DE Tyson Jackson (Kansas City via LSU) – Jackson is an outstanding talent and terrific pass rusher. However, he has a tendency to make stupid plays. For instance, in an LSU overtime loss at Kentucky two years ago, Jackson kept a UK scoring drive alive in the extra session by committing an inexplicable roughing-the-passer penalty. He might end up being an outstanding player, but I don’t think he’s a perennial Pro-Bowler that you want to get with a pick this high. Grade: C
4-LB Aaron Curry (Seattle via Wake Forest) – Many draftniks felt Curry was the “safest” early first-round pick out there. He should start right away for the Seahawks, who are obviously thinking the same thing after sending Leroy Hill packing on Sunday. Grade: B+
5-QB Mark Sanchez (New York via USC) – The Jets traded up to get the QB they wanted. For a rookie coming to the Big Apple, Sanchez is prepared to handle the media attention after playing at USC (the only football show in Tinseltown). I think Sanchez is going to have a better career than Stafford. Grade: B+
6-OT Andre Smith (Cincinnati via Alabama) – Before Smith was suspended for the Sugar Bowl, most draftniks had him pegged as the No. 1 overall pick. The suspension, his curious early exit from the combine and questions about his weight caused his stock to drop. But those factors just turned out to be good fortune for the Bengals, who might have the next Anthony Munoz. Smith has great quickness and agility for someone his size and if I had to take one guy out of this first round that I think has the best shot at being a Hall of Famer, this is the guy – Andre Smith. Grade: A+
7-WR Darrius Heyward-Bey (Oakland via Maryland) – It says here that we’ll laugh for decades to come that anyone (Al Davis in this instance) would think for a second that Heyward-Bey would be a better NFL player than Michael Crabtree. Heyward-Bey does have blazing speed but here’s the problem: He can’t catch. He took a bagel in terms of catches in several ACC games this past year. Heyward-Bey has a chance to be good if his hands improve, but he’ll never be the perennial Pro-Bowler that Crabtree will be for the cross-town 49ers. Grade: D
8-OT Eugene Monroe (Jacksonville via Virginia) – The 2008 Jags went from contenders to pretenders because of offensive line injuries in September. On that note, it’s hard to be critical of a team that might have taken the best o-lineman on the board (although I personally would've taken Michael Oher if going OT). Obviously, keeping QB David Garrard healthy and clearing holes for Maurice Jones-Drew are pivotal. However, this pick will always be questioned if Crabtree has a sensational career. The Jags did sign Torry Holt recently but remain thin at the wide receiver position. Grade: C
DT 9-B.J. Raji (Green Bay via Boston College) – The only possible knock on this selection is the fact that Crabtree was surprisingly available. Beyond that, you have to understand the Packers fitting a need and getting this draft’s best defensive lineman. The pick met Green Bay’s own need and fits the type of need for its division rivals. In other words, if you’re going to be facing Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson and Chicago’s Matt Forte, you’d better have a solid run defense. Raji instantly improves the Packers in that area. Grade: A-
10-WR Michael Crabtree (San Francisco via Texas Tech) – The 49ers must feel like Christmas came early or that Jerry Rice is back in the mix. Crabtree fell because of a stress fracture in his foot that was diagnosed after he apparently played through the injury all of this past season. If anything, that makes him more attractive in my book because he can obviously play through pain. Huge get for Mike Singletary’s team. Grade: A+
11-DE Aaron Maybin (Buffalo via Penn St.) – Maybin is a speed rusher who won’t remind the locals of Bruce Smith. He only started in 10 of 26 career games for the Nittany Lions. Grade: D
12-RB Knowshon Moreno (Denver via Georgia) – The Broncos had decent success with another UGA back a few years back. His name was Terrell Davis. Moreno had me at first glance, prompting this blog entry after I saw him play for the first time. He reminds me of Warrick Dunn but with better size. Good pick. Grade: A-
13-DE Brian Orakpo (Washington via Texas) – The ‘Skins, who signed DT Albert Haynesworth, should be solid on the defensive line in 2009. Grade: B
14-CB Malcolm Jenkins (New Orleans via Ohio St.) – The Saints have had secondary issues for many years now, so they certainly went for need with this selection. Jenkins will probably play CB early in his career before moving over to safety. He has good instincts and knows how to find the football. Grade: B
15-LB Brian Cushing (Houston via USC) – Cushing enjoyed an outstanding collegiate career for the Trojans. Think Dan Morgan before the issues with concussions. Grade: B+
16-DE Larry English (San Diego via Northern Illinois) – I saw this kid play during many mid-week MAC games on ESPN2. He knows how to find the quarterback. We’ll see if there’s anything to the fact that he played in a lower-tier league. Grade: B-
17-QB Josh Freeman (Tampa Bay via Kansas St.) – I just don’t think Freeman is a first-round pick. His accuracy is shaky. The arm strength is there but it’s not like the Wildcats enjoyed banner seasons with Freeman under center. I don’t see him being a solid NFL quarterback. Grade: D
18-LB Robert Ayers (Denver via Tennessee) – There were better linebackers available here. Grade: D
19-WR Jeremy Maclin: (Philadelphia via Missouri) – This was the first of several picks that Donovan McNabb has to be thrilled about. Maclin has speed galore and can contribute in the return game. Great pick. Grade: A
20-TE Brandon Pettigrew (Detroit via Oklahoma St.) – I have a few minor gripes here. Protecting Stafford might be more important than providing him with a go-to tight end and OT Michael Oher was still on the board. Also, a speed guy like Percy Harvin might have been a better weapon for Stafford. But with those things said, the Lions definitely got the best TE in this draft. Grade: B-
21-C Alex Mack (Cleveland via California) – Aren’t centers and offensive guards capable of being found in the later rounds, especially when a dynamic playmaker like Percy Harvin is still around? Grade: D
22-Percy Harvin (Minnesota via Florida) – All of the “character issues” and “attitude problems” that you heard about from ESPN’s Todd McShay were nowhere to be found in Gainesville. If anything, Harvin was an extremely unselfish player that was the premier playmaker in an offense that won two of three national titles. His teammates and coaches at Florida loved him. The Vikings get a steal here that’s similar to Randy Moss dropping into their lap more than a decade ago. Imagine the fear of defensive coordinators when Harvin lines up behind center in the wildcat formation with the play-fake to Adrian Peterson looming. Yikes! Grade: A+
23-OT Michael Oher (Baltimore via Ole Miss) – Great pick by the Ravens, who may be getting the next Jonathan Ogden with this selection. Oher started 47 consecutive games at offensive tackle in the SEC. He’s a top-10 talent in my opinion. And how do you not LOVE this guy after that moving interview with ESPN’s Erin Andrews? Grade: A
24-DT Peria Jerry (Atlanta via Ole Miss) – Another great pick by Atlanta GM Thomas Dimitroff, who is already one of the league’s top-five GMs if you ask me. Jerry is a big-time pass rusher for an interior lineman. And the dude makes play like his forced fumble and fumble recovery that completely changed the momentum of Ole Miss’ nail-biting loss at Alabama last year after trailing 24-6 at intermission (can you tell that play helped hook me up with a second-half winner on the Rebels that day?). After losing Grady Jackson, the Falcons needed a d-lineman that can step in right away, and that’s what Jerry will do as a starter from the get-go. Grade: A+
25-CB Vontae Davis (Miami via Illinois) – Davis has plenty of talent but there are questions about his effort and dedication. The guess here is that Bill Parcells and Co. will get him to play hard. Grade: B-
26-LB Clay Matthews (Green Bay via USC) – Matthews has great DNA and will probably be in the league for a long time. Nevertheless, I think he was a reach this high. Grade: C+
27-RB Donald Brown (Indianapolis via UConn) – I don’t like this pick at all. If you’re going to go RB, why not Beanie Wells? Grade: F
28-C Eric Wood (Buffalo via Louisville) – Color me unimpressed per my aforementioned thoughts on Mack at No. 21. Grade: D-
29-WR Hakeem Nicks (New York via North Carolina) – I like this pick as Nicks is a big target for Eli Manning. Grade: B+
30-WR Kenny Britt (Tennessee via Rutgers) – One of several excellent picks by the Titans, who get a big target with good speed in Britt. However, his hands need to improve as he sometimes struggles with drops. Grade: B+
31-RB Chris “Beanie” Wells (Arizona via Ohio St.) – Wells had durability issues but when healthy, he was a stud for the Buckeyes. Great size and speed, as evidenced by his first-quarter touchdown run against LSU in the national-title game two seasons ago. Grade: A-
32-DT Evander Hood (Pittsburgh via Missouri) – Most draftniks had Hood going higher. The Steelers needed to add youth to their defensive line so this pick works. Grade: B+
**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**
--Another testament to Dimitroff’s greatness was Thursday’s acquisition of future Hall-of-Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez, who was a steal for Atlanta’s second-round pick next year. At age 33, I think Gonzalez still has three really good years left in him with Matty Ice throwing him the pigskin.
--Here are my top-five teams from this draft:
1-Cincinnati Bengals
2-San Francisco 49ers
3-Philadelphia Eagles
4-Tennessee Titans
5-Arizona Cardinals
--Major kudos to the Bengals, who drafted five future starters in Alabama OT Andre Smith, Southern Cal LB Ray Maualuga, Georgia Tech DE Michael Johnson, Missouri TE Chase Coffman and Arkansas C Jonathan Luigs.
--Philadelphia QB Donovan McNabb might have been the biggest winner in the entire draft. Andy Reid added three big-time talents to the mix offensively with WR/KR Jeremy Maclin, RB LeSean McCoy and TE Cornelius Ingram. Maclin can go the distance on any given touch. McCoy is a vintage Eagles’ RB in that he is extremely adept at catching the ball out of the backfield. Finally, Ingram might have been a first-rounder had he not torn his ACL last August. The Florida product is a huge steal in the fifth round.
--Best seventh-round steal: San Francisco taking LSU defensive end Ricky Jean-Francois.
--Bettors that took Knowshon Moreno to be taken ahead of Beanie Wells in the first round at BoDog cashed a nice plus-150 ticket (paid $150 on $100 wagers).
--Gamblers that took West Virginia QB Pat White to be taken in the first round for a 10-to-1 payout (risk $100 to win $1,000) were unable to cash in as he wasn’t selected until the second round to the Dolphins. I see lots of wildcat formation in the future for White and the ‘Fins. And let’s not count White out as being a QB just yet. After all, he threw four touchdowns passes in WVU’s win over UNC in his last collegiate game. White is the only QB in college football history to lead his team to four straight bowl wins.
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