Draft Grades! (NFC)

Did your team score an A+?

It's that time again. The time when all common sense is thrown out the window and replaced with nonsensical conjecture. Yes, it's time for a round of draft grades. It usually takes three to five years to get a good grasp as to how a team's draft shakes out, sometimes longer. 2005 #1 overall pick Alex Smith was a complete bust for years until coming into his own this past season and leading the 49ers to the NFC Championship game.


But, it's a fun exercise as well, if you don't take it to seriously.  So let's start with a rough grading of the NFC, based mostly on how a team filled their positions of need and the value of the players with respect to the placement of their selections.


Arizona Cardinals

round.selection within round (overall selection)


1.13 (13) - Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame
3.17 (80) - Jamell Fleming, CB, Oklahoma
4.17 (112) - Bobby Massie, OT, Mississippi
5.16 (151) - Senio Kelemete, OT, Washington
6.7 (177) - Justin Bethel, CB, Presbyterian
6.15 (185) - Ryan Lindley, QB, San Diego St.
7.14 (221) - Nate Potter, T, Boise St.


My grade: B-


The Cardinals did a pretty decent job addressing their needs in the 2012 NFL Draft.  They came into Thursday without a #2 receiver on the roster and were able to snag Floyd with their first round pick, the consensus second best receiver in the draft after Justin Blackmon.  Fleming and Bethel fill a need at the CB position, but I would like to have seen them add a bit more defense.  Massie was an excellent value pick in the fourth round and Kelemete provides solid depth.  Lindley is an excellent fit for the Cardinals downfield passing game.


Atlanta Falcons


2.23 (55) - Peter Konz, C, Wisconsin
3.28 (91) - Lamar Holmes, OT, Southern Miss
5.22 (157) - Bradie Ewing, FB, Wisconsin
5.29 (164) - Jonathan Massaquoi, DE, Troy
6.22 (192) - Charles Mitchell, SS, Mississippi St.
7.42 (249) - Travian Robertson, DT, South Carolina


My grade: C-


The 2011 Julio Jones trade in which Atlanta sent their 2012 first round pick (among others) to Cleveland really hurts this incoming draft class.  Their first pick was a solid one, snatching Wisconsin center Peter Konz  near the back of the second round.  He should be a day one starter at either center or guard.  After acquiring CB Asante Samuel from the Eagles for a bag of peanuts a few days before the draft, the back end became less of a need, so I won't harp on them for not taking a corner.  Massaquoi was a good value pick at the end of the fifth round, but there were a number of tackles rated higher than Holmes in the third.


Carolina Panthers


1.09 (9) - Luke Kuechly, ILB, Boston College
2.08 (40) - Amini Silatolu, OT, Midwestern St.
4.08 (103) - Frank Alexander, DE, Oklahoma
4.09 (104) - Joe Adams, WR, Arkansas
5.08 (143) - Josh Norman, CB, Coastal Carolina
6.37 (207) - Brad Nortman, P, Wisconsin
7.09 (216) - D.J. Campbell, FS, California


My grade: C


I'm surprised the Panthers didn't select more big bodies on the defense in this draft after such a porous run defense a year ago.  Kuechly, however, is a terrific linebacker and will be an above-average player the minute he steps on the field.  The small school player in Silatolu plays big at 6'4", 311 lbs., and should push for a starting guard position out of training camp.  Joe Adams provides some return ability as well as a possible no. 3 WR. 


Chicago Bears


1.19 (19) - Shea McClellin, DE, Boise St.
2.13 (45) - Alshon Jeffery, WR, South Carolina
3.16 (79) - Brandon Hardin, FS, Oregon St.
4.16 (111) - Evan Rodriguez, TE, Temple
6.14 (184) - Isaiah Frey, CB, Nevada
7.13 (220) - Greg McCoy, CB, TCU


My grade: C-


As a Packers fan, I'm always happy to see the Bears ignore their offensive line.  With the opportunity to choose either the best offensive guard (David DeCastro) or second best tackle (Riley Reiff) with their first round selection, the Bears instead went after DE/OLB tweener Shea McClellin from Boise St.  A curious fit for the Bears' 4-3 defense, McClellin will likely play SLB on first and second down, then rush the passer with his hand on the ground on third downs.  In the second round, the Bears traded up to take Jeffery from South Carolina, a physically imposing (in good ways and bad) player that slipped due to weight and effort concerns.  Rounds three thru seven are filled with mediocre role players that will play mostly on special teams.


Dallas Cowboys

1.06 (6) Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU
3.18 (81) Tyrone Crawford, DE, Boise St.
4.18 (113) Kyle Wilber, OLB, Wake Forest
4.40 (135) Matt Johnson, SS, Eastern Washington
5.17 (152) Danny Coale, WR, Virginia Tech
6.16 (186) James Hanna, TE, Oklahoma
7.15 (222) Caleb McSurdy, ILB, Montana

My grade: B+

The Dallas Cowboys made the biggest splash in the first round, trading their 14th and 45th overall picks to the Rams for the 6th overall pick and selecting Morris Claiborne from LSU, the best cover-man in the draft. Claiborne, a Cowboys fan, will step into that secondary as a day-one starter and team with newly-signed cornerback Brandon Carr.  The rest of their draft didn't do much for me, but I liked the front office's aggressiveness and willingness to trade up for a player they really wanted and needed.

Detroit Lions


1.23 (23) Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa

2.22 (54) Ryan Broyles, WR, Oklahoma
3.22 (85) Dwight Bentley, CB, Louisiana-Lafayette
4.30 (125) Ronnell Lewis, OLB, Oklahoma
5.03 (138) Tahir Whitehead, OLB, Temple
5.13 (148) Chris Greenwood, CB, Albion

6.26 (196) Jonte Green, DB, New Mexico St.
7.16 (223) Travis Lewis, OLB, Oklahoma

My grade: B

Riley Reiff fell right into the Lions' lap, and they were smart to pick him up.  The second-best offensive tackle in the draft, Reiff will immediately improve a decent offensive line, most likely playing right tackle with his eventual future at left tackle.  In the second round the Lions took a chance on Ryan Broyles, who will probably use the 2012 season as a redshirt year coming off of his ACL injury.  He's a terrific slot receiver, but there's no guarantee he'll return to 100%.  Ronnell Lewis was a nice value pick in the fourth round.

Green Bay Packers

1.28 (28) Nick Perry, DE, USC

2.19 (51) Jerel Worthy, DT, Michigan St.
2.30 (62) Casey Hayward, CB, Vanderbilt
4.37 (132) Mike Daniels, DT, Iowa
4.38 (133) Jerron McMillian, SS, Maine
5.28 (163) Terrell Manning, OLB, North Carolina St.
7.34 (241) Andrew Datko, OT, Florida St.
7.36 (243) B.J. Coleman, QB, Chattanooga

My grade: A

Ted Thompson "wins" again.  One of the league's most highly regarded general managers, Thompson uncharacteristically traded up three times, each time for a defensive player.  In all, the Packers added six defensive players to a defense that struggled mightily in 2011.  Southern Cal product Nick Perry will complement fellow Trojan Clay Matthews III on the opposite side, and second round pick Jerel Worthy--whom many had graded as a first rounder--should take some pressure off pro bowl defensive lineman B.J. Raji.  Green Bay added a developmental QB with their last pick who should at least find his way onto the practice squad by the end of training camp. 

Minnesota Vikings

1.4 (4) Matt Kalil, OT, USC

1.29 (29) Harrison Smith, S, Notre Dame
3.03 (66) Josh Robinson, CB, UCF
4.23 (118) Jarius Wright, WR, Arkansas
4.33 (128) Rhett Ellison, TE, USC
4.39 (134) Greg Childs, WR, Arkansas
5.04 (139) Robert Blanton, CB, Notre Dame
6.05 (175) Blair Walsh, K, Georgia
7.03 (210) Audie Cole, LB, North Carolina St.
7.12 (219) Trevor Guyton, DE, California

My grade: B+

As much as I hate the Vikings, they had a pretty good draft.  Vikings GM Rick Spielman was able to swap picks with the Browns at #4 and land picks in the fourth, fifth, and seventh rounds so that the Browns could ensure their selection of Alabama RB Trent Richardson.  The Vikings played it safe and went with offensive tackle Matt Kalil at the fourth spot; Kalil will play left tackle, moving incumbent starter Charlie Johnson to left guard and improving two positions at once.  Minnesota traded back into the first round and selected safety Harrison Smith from Notre Dame, improving arguably the team's worst position.  The two Arkansas receivers will pay off big if they can overcome injury and size issues.  Walsh will compete with Ryan Longwell for the kicker position.

New Orleans Saints


3.26 (89) Akiem Hicks, DT, Regina

4.27 (122) Nick Toon, WR, Wisconsin
5.27 (162) Corey White, SS, Samford
6.09 (179) Andrew Tiller, OG, Syracuse
7.27 (234) Marcel Jones, OT, Nebraska

My grade: D

No picks in the first or second rounds really hurts the Saints here.  New Orleans traded away their 2012 first round pick as well as as 2011 second rounder to move back into the first round last year and select RB Mark Ingram.  Also, the Saints had their 2012 second rounder stripped away as partial punishment for their involvement in the bounty scandal.  Their first pick, Akiem Hicks from Canadian college Regina, possesses intimidating size but one wonders if he can compete at the pro level.  Toon is a solid possession receiver but nothing special.  Tiller and Jones provide depth on the offensive line and could make their way onto the team's 53 man roster come September.

New York Giants


1.32 (32) David Wilson, RB, Virginia Tech

2.31 (63) Rueben Randle, WR, LSU
3.31 (94) Jayron Hosley, CB, Virginia Tech
4.32 (127)Adrien Robinson, TE, Cincinnati
4.36 (131) Brandon Mosley, OT, Auburn
6.31 (201) Matt McCants, OT, UAB
7.32 (239) Markus Kuhn, DT, North Carolina St.

My grade: A-

Giants' GM General Manager Jerry Reese is one of the best at what he does: accumulating talent.  RB David Wilson from VaTech wasn't a first rounder in everyone's eyes, but he's a supreme talent and fills a void left by current 49er and former Giant RB Brandon Jacobs.  Wilson and incumbent starting RB Ahmad Bradshaw will form a dynamic 1-2 punch in the NFC East.  In the second round, the Giants landed possibly the best value in the draft with LSU WR Rueben Randle.  Wide receiver is definitely not a need for the Giants with Nicks and Cruz entrenched as the starters at the position, but the best GM's acquire the best talent, not needs, and Reese hit a home run with this pick.  

Philadelphia Eagles


1.12 (12) Fletcher Cox, DT, Mississippi St.

2.14 (46) Mychal Kendricks, ILB, California
2.27 (59) Vinny Curry, DE, Marshall
3.25 (88) Nick Foles, QB, Arizona
4.28 (123) Brandon Boykin, CB, Georgia
5.18 (153) Dennis Kelly, OT, Purdue
6.24 (194) Marvin McNutt, WR, Iowa
6.30 (200) Brandon Washington, OG, Miami
7.22 (229) Bryce Brown, RB, Kansas St.

My grade: B+

The Eagles were pretty terrible on defense last year, and their drafting showed a clear desire to improve the talent level on that side of the ball, with four of the first five picks being defensive players.  Philly moved up three spots in the first round to select Fletcher Cox out of Mississippi St. after he surprisingly fell out of the top ten. Cox will fit in nicely into Jim Washburn's already talent-laden defensive line.  They went back in the third round and took pass-rusher extraordinaire Vinny Curry, seemingly following the Giants' philosophy of "you can never have too many pass-rushers."  Kendricks from Cal will play either strong or weakside linebacker aside DeMeco Ryans.  Nick Foles was a bit of a surprise in the third round; he provides insurance if and when Michael Vick goes down with an injury.

San Francisco 49ers


1.30 (30) A.J. Jenkins, WR, Illinois #95

2.29 (61) LaMichael James, RB, Oregon #65
4.22 (117) Joe Looney, OG, Wake Forest
5.30 (165) Darius Fleming, OLB, Notre Dame
6.10 (180) Trenton Robinson, FS, Michigan St.
6.29 (199) Jason Slowey, C, Western Oregon
7.30 (237) Cam Johnson, DE, Virginia

My grade: C

A.J. Jenkins in the first round?  I'm not buying it.  The 49ers had a clear need at WR even after signing Randy Moss and Mario Manningham in free agency, but I don't love Jenkins as a first round talent.  He has mediocre size and telegraphs his routes too much.  49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh could never stop Oregon RB LaMichael James while coaching at Stanford, so he drafted the speedy waterbug as a complement to Frank Gore's pounding running style.  San Francisco got great value in the seventh round, taking Virginia defensive end Cam Johnson after he fell down team draft boards for unknown reasons. 

Seattle Seahawks

1.15 (15) Bruce Irvin, LB, West Virginia

2.15 (47) Bobby Wagner, OLB, Utah St.
3.12 (75) Russell Wilson, QB, Wisconsin
4.11 (106) Robert Turbin, RB, Utah St.
4.19 (114) Jaye Howard, DT, Florida
5.19 (154) Korey Toomer, OLB, Idaho
6.02 (172) Jeremy Lane, CB, Northwestern St.
6.11 (181) Winston Guy, SS, Kentucky
7.18 (225) J.R. Sweezy, DE, North Carolina St.
7.25 (232) Greg Scruggs, DE, Louisville

My grade: C+

Seattle provided us with the biggest "Huh?" moment of the first round when they selected talented-yet-problematic defensive end Bruce Irvin from West Virginia. Irvin has been praised by some as "the most natural pass rusher in the entire draft," but he's a one-trick pony and comes with red flags off the field.  Another surprise pick was QB Russell Wilson in the third round.  Wilson put up video game numbers last year at Wisconsin and has everything you look for in a quarterback, except size.  At only 5'11", he's shorter than every starting QB in the NFL.  With seven picks in the fourth round and later, the Seahawks were able to stock their roster with developmental players and special teams bodies. 

St. Louis Rams


1.14 (14) Michael Brockers, DT, LSU

2.01 (33) Brian Quick, WR, Appalachian St.
2.07 (39) Janoris Jenkins, CB, North Alabama
2.18 (50) Isaiah Pead, RB, Cincinnati
3.02 (65) Trumaine Johnson, CB, Montana
4.01 (96) Chris Givens, WR, Wake Forest
5.15 (150) Rokevious Watkins, OG, South Carolina
6.01 (171) Greg Zuerlein, K, Missouri Western
7.02 (209) Aaron Brown, LB, Hawaii
7.45 (252) Daryl Richardson, RB, Abilene Christian

My grade: B+

The Rams picked up a litany of players that should be able to step in and provide an immediate impact.  Defensive tackle Michael Brockers is a mammoth of a man and will help shore up a run defense that ranked dead last in the NFL in 2011.  Brian Quick is a height/weight/speed machine, but could struggle to adapt to the pro game after playing at the FCS level in college.  Janoris Jenkins and Trumaine Johnson will vastly upgrade a secondary needing an infusion of talent in the worst way.  Isaiah Pead provides insurance if fellow RB Steven Jackson can't stay healthy and/or regresses. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers


1.7 (7) Mark Barron, SS, Alabama

1.31 (31) Doug Martin, RB, Boise St.
2.26 (58) Lavonte David, OLB, Nebraska
5.05 (140) Najee Good, ILB, West Virginia
6.04 (174) Keith Tandy, CB, West Virginia
7.05 (212) Michael Smith, RB, Utah St.
7.26 (233) Drake Dunsmore, FB, Northwestern

My grade: B-

The Bucs drafted defense with four of their first five picks, and with good reason: Tampa Bay surrendered a league-worst 494 points in 2011, 45 more than the 31st-ranked Vikings.  Mark Barron is as close to safe as you can get.  Lavonte David has an athletic outside linebacker and will push for a starting position the moment he steps on the field.  Offensively the Bucs traded back into round one and selected RB Doug Martin from Boise St., a three-down back with more speed and wiggle than current starter LeGarrette Blount. Tampa Bay added some offensive depth in the sixth and seventh rounds with a running back and tight end, respectively. 

Washington Redskins


1.2 (2) Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor

3.08 (71) Josh LeRibeus, OG, Southern Methodist
4.07 (102) Kirk Cousins, QB, Michigan St.
4.24 (119) Keenan Robinson, OLB, Texas
5.06 (141) Adam Gettis, OG, Iowa
6.03 (173) Alfred Morris, RB, Florida Atlantic
6.23 (193) Tom Compton, OT, South Dakota
7.06 (213) Richard Crawford, DB, Southern Methodist
7.10 (217) Jordan Bernstine, CB, Iowa

My grade: B+

This draft comes down to whether or not Robert Griffin III turns into the franchise quarterback we all expect him to be. Washington paid a king's ransom to move up to the #2 spot and select RGIII (2012 1st and 2nd round picks, 2013 1st round pick, 2014 1st round pick), and if he turns out be a bust the move will likely set the franchise back a number of years.  However, I love the pick and think he's going to be one of the league's most dynamic quarterbacks in a few short seasons. ESPN manufactured the idea of some QB controversy after the Redskins selected Michigan St. quarterback Kirk Cousins in the fourth round, an idea I find hilarious. Let's get this straight: there is no semblance of a quarterback controversy in Washington.  RGIII is the starting QB, Rex Grossman is the backup, and Kirk Cousins is your developmental QB.  Ideally, Cousins will beat out Grossman as the backup going into the 2013 season and plays well enough in preseason and spot-duty to fetch a high pick when a needy team comes calling for a quarterback.  Worst case scenario, he plays like crap and you cut him.  Not a huge loss as a fourth round pick.