Tag Archive for Pick

NFC East 2011 Draft Grades

May 1, 2011 No comments

Dallas Cowboys

Picks

1 – Tyron Smith – OT – USC
2 – Bruce Carter – LB – North Carolina
3 – DeMarco Murray – RB – Oklahoma
4 – David Arkin – OT – Missouri State
5 – Josh Thomas – CB – Buffalo
6 – Dwayne Harris – WR – ECU
7 – Shaun Chapas – FB – Georgia
7 – Bill Nagy – C – Wisconsin

Analysis:

The Cowboys picked up some great players in this draft but failed to address their biggest needs. No help in the secondary and no help on the defensive line. Smith, Carter, Murray and Arkin are all good picks and should be able to contribute. I really like Murray but why another RB? Good players, but the holes are still there.

Grade: C+

New York Giants

Picks

1 – Prince Amukamara – CB – Nebraska
2 – Marvin Austin – DT – North Carolina
3 – Jerrel Jernigan – WR – Troy
4 – James Brewer – OT – Indiana
6 – Greg Jones – LB – Michigan State
6 – Tyler Sash – S – Iowa
6 – Jacquian Williams – LB – South Florida
7 – Da’Rel Scott – RB – Maryland

Analysis:

Great draft for the Giants. They got a lot of steals, good players and filled their needs. Really well done, I can’t say any pick was bad.

Grade: A

Philadelphia Eagles

Picks

1 – Danny Watkins – OG – Baylor
2 – Jaiquawn Jarrett – S – Temple
3 – Curtis Marsh – CB – Utah
4 – Casey Matthews – LB – Oregon
4 – Alex Henery – K – Nebraska
5 – Dion Lewis – RB – Pittsburgh
5 – Julian Vandervelde – OG – Iowa
6 – Jason Kelce – C - Cincinnati
6 – Brian Rolle – LB – Ohio State
7 – Greg Lloyd – LB – Connecticut
7 – Stanley Havili – FB – Hawaii

Analysis:

The Eagles did a good job of addressing their needs. They got a lot of offensive line help for Vick and Danny Watkins should be able to start right away. Jarrett and Marsh both shore up their secondary and bring some needed toughness. All of the LB’s have a chance to compete and make the team. Really a solid draft, outside of the Kicker in the 4th round.

Grade: B

Washington Redskins

Picks

1 – Ryan Kerrigan – OLB – Purdue
2 – Jarvis Jenkins – DE – Clemson
3 – Leonard Hankerson – WR – Miami
4 – Roy Helu – RB – Nebraska
5 – Dejon Gomes – S – Nebraska
5 – Niles Paul – WR – Nebraska
6 – Evan Royster – RB – Penn State
6 – Aldrick Robinson – WR – SMU
7 – Brandyn Thompson – CB – Boise State
7 – Maurice Hurt – OG – Florida
7 – Markus White – OLB – Florida State
7 – Chris Neild – NT – West Virginia

Analysis:

The Redskins had to go out and find players for their 3-4 defense and didn’t do a very good job. Kerrigan is going to struggle at OLB and is much better with his hand in the dirt. Jenkins is a good fit at end. And other than those two players, they didn’t do anything significant to improve their 3-4. White and Neild are both “meh” prospects who could easily not make the team. Instead the Redskins wasted picks on 3 receivers and 2 running backs. Helu was a reach imo and Royster is awful. Hankerson and Paul are solid picks and I really like Aldrick Robinson, but did they really need 3 receivers? They still don’t even have a QB.

Grade: C

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NFC North 2011 Draft Grades

May 1, 2011 No comments

Chicago Bears

Picks

1 – Gabe Carimi – OT – Wisconsin
2 – Stephen Paea – DT – Oregon State
3 – Chris Conte – S – California
5 – Nathan Enderle – QB – Idaho
6  - J.T. Thomas – LB – West Virginia

Analysis:

The Bears selected some good players in the draft. Carimi and Paea should be able to start right away. Conte can play multiple positions and at the very least will be a beast on special teams. Enderle can be groomed to be the back-up QB and I like him as a late rounder. J.T. Thomas is another guy with some potential that will fight for a starting spot down the road. Receiver still has not been addressed and they could have used more help on the offensive line.

Grade: B

Detroit Lions

Picks

1 – Nick Fairley – DT – Auburn
2 – Titus Young – WR – Boise State
2 – Mikel LeShoure – RB – Illinois
5 – Doug Hogue – LB – Syracuse
7 – Johnny Culbreath – OT – South Carolina State

Analysis:

Once again the Lions stayed true to their BPA strategy. Fairley and Suh should be beasts on the line. Titus Young will give the Lions a great #2 receiver and LeShoure will be able to split carries with Best. Hogue and Culbreath are also nice late round picks. Still absolutely nothing in the secondary and no top-tier tackle. That worries me.

Grade: C+

Green Bay Packers

Picks

1 – Derek Sherrod – OT – Mississippi State
2 – Randall Cobb – WR – Kentucky
3 – Alex Green – RB – Hawaii
4 – Davon House – CB – New Mexico State
5 – D.J. Williams – TE – Arkansas
6 – Caleb Schlauderaff – OG – Utah
6 – D.J. Smith – OLB – Appalachian State
6 – Ricky Elmore – OLB – Arizona
7 – Ryan Taylor – TE – North Carolina
7 – Lawrence Guy – DE – Arizona State

Analysis:

The rich get richer is all that needs to be said. Love the Sherrod and Cobb picks. Green is solid. House was an absolute steal, I had him rated in my Top 32. Williams I am not a fan of but he is worth a 5th rounder. The rest of the late rounders could all compete for a spot on the team. Lawrence Guy was another steal.

Grade: A+

Minnesota Vikings

Picks

1 -Christian Ponder – QB – Florida State
2 – Kyle Rudolph – TE – Notre Dame
4 – Christian Ballard – DT – Iowa
5 – Brandon Burton – CB – Utah
6 – DeMarcus Love – OT – Arkansas
6 – Mistral Raymond – CB/S – South Florida
6 – Brandon Fusco – C – Slippery Rock
6 – Ross Homan – LB – Ohio State
7 – D’Aundre Reed – DE – Arizona
7 – Stephen Burton – WR – West Texas A&M

Analysis:

I’ll say this. The Vikings late round picks are much better than their early picks. Ponder was a huge reach. Rudolph was a good pick. Ballard will be severely over-matched at DT. Burton is very inconsistent and that pick was a risk. Same with DeMarcus Love, high risk. I like the Fusco, Homan, Reed and Burton picks late. That’s not enough to salvage this draft though.

Grade: C

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NFC West 2011 Draft Grades

May 1, 2011 No comments

Arizona Cardinals

Picks

1 – Patrick Peterson – CB – LSU
2 – Ryan Williams – RB – Virginia Tech
3 – Robert Housler – TE – Florida Atlantic
4 – Sam Acho – OLB – Texas
5 – Anthony Sherman – FB – Connecticut
6 – Quan Sturdivant – LB – North Carolina
6 – David Carter – DE – UCLA
7 – DeMarco Sampson – WR – San Diego State

Analysis:

I really like this draft for the Cardinals. They came away with some very good players, even in the late rounds. The only pick I question is the full back and the fact that they did nothing to address the offensive line. That’s what prevents this draft from being rated an A.

Grade: B+

San Francisco 49ers

Picks

1 – Aldon Smith – OLB – Missouri
2 – Colin Kaepernick – QB – Nevada
3 – Chris Culliver – CB/S – South Carolina
4 – Kendall Hunter – RB – Oklahoma State
5 – Daniel Kilgore – OL - Appalachian State
6 – Ronald Johnson – WR – USC
6 – Colin Jones – S – TCU
7 – Bruce Miller – OLB – Central Florida
7 – Michael Person – OT – Montana State
7 – Curtis Holcomb – CB – Florida A&M

Analysis:

This draft can either be really good, or really bad. The 49ers took a lot of risks. Aldon Smith is a big risk because I question how he will fit in the 3-4 scheme at LB. Kaepernick, like all of the QB’s in this draft, has a lot of question marks. Culliver was a reach based on measureables. My favorite pick would have to be Kendall Hunter. Great value and he will be able to take the load off of the injury prone Frank Gore. Miller and Person are also good late round picks.

Grade: C+

Seattle Seahawks

Picks

1 – James Carpenter – OT – Alabama
3 – John Moffitt – OG – Wisconsin
4 – K.J. Wright – LB – Mississippi State
4 – Kris Durham – WR – Georgia
5 – Richard Sherman – CB/S – Stanford
5 – Mark LeGree – S - Appalachian State
6 – Byron Maxwell – CB – Clemson
7 – Pep Levingston – DT – LSU
7 – Malcolm Smith – LB – USC

Analysis:

The Seahawks did a very poor job of addressing their needs. Some of the players they drafted I like, such as Moffitt, Wright and Durham, but how will these players fit? The Seahawks don’t need a LB and they don’t need another receiver. They’re good players, but what’s the point if they will struggle to make the team? They also did a very poor job addressing the needs in the secondary. Mark LeGree may get a shot but the corners won’t make any sort of impact. And of course James Carpenter was a huge reach in the 1st round.

Grade: C

St. Louis Rams

Picks

1 – Robert Quinn – DE – North Carolina
2 – Lance Kendricks – TE – Wisconsin
3 – Austin Pettis – WR – Boise State
4 – Greg Salas – WR – Hawaii
5 – Jermale Hines – S – Ohio State
7 – Mikail Baker – CB – Baylor
7 – Jabara Williams – LB – Stephen F. Austin
7 – Jonathon Nelson – S – Oklahoma

Analysis:

This is a really good draft for the Rams. Quinn was a steal and Kendricks is going to be a fine player. It’s a bit odd they drafted both Pettis and Salas since they are almost the exact same player. I doubt either of them will be really successful in the NFL since they both struggle to separate. I like their late round picks too, especially Jabara Williams. The Rams still didn’t get a back-up RB though which is concerning, but there are still some talented ones left as undrafted free agents.

Grade: B

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