2010 NFL Draft: AFC East Draft Grades

AFC East

Buffalo Bills

Grade: D+

Players: 1^st CJ Spiller- RB- Clemson, 2^nd Torell Troup- DT- Central Florida, 3^rd Alex Carrington- DE- Arkansas State, 4^th Marcus Easley- WR- Connecticut, 5^th Ed Wang- OT- Virginia Tech, 6^th Arthur Moats- OLB- JMU, 6^th Danny Batten- DE- South Dakota State, 7^th Levi Brown- QB- Troy, 7^th Kyle Calloway- OT- Iowa

Thoughts: I really didn’t understand where Buffalo was going with this draft.  I don’t think they filled their major holes with talented players.  I love CJ Spiller and think he will be a very good player but when you have Fred Jackson and Marshawn Lynch picking Spiller is a luxury you can’t afford.  When the Bills selected Troup there were 3 better nose tackles on the board.  Alex Carrington has talent but will need time to develop.  I don’t think Ed Wang has what it takes to play in the NFL.  During the Senior Bowl he looked small and slow, he was really exposed in the individual position drills.  I think Danny Batten could make an impact on special teams.  Kyle Calloway might be able to develop and is probably the best value pick of the Bills draft.

New England Patriots

Grade: B

Players: 1^st Devin McCourty- CB- Rutgers, 2^nd Rob Gronkowski- TE- Arizona, 2^nd Jermaine Cunningham- OLB- Florida, 2^nd Brandon Spikes- LB- Florida, 3^rd Taylor Price- WR- Ohio, 4^th Aaron Hernandez- TE- Florida, 5^th Zoltan Mesko- P- Michigan, 6^th Ted Larsen- C- NC State, 7^th Thomas Welch- OT- Vanderbilt, 7^th Brandon Deaderick- DE- Alabama, 7^th Kade Weston- DT- Georgia, 7^th Zac Robinson- QB- Oklahoma State

Thoughts: The Patriots sure added a lot of players that will bring healthy competition.  I really thought McCourty was the best cornerback in the draft and he will bring youth to an aging position.  Adding Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez provides Tom Brady with more offensive weapons.  Keep your eye on Taylor Price because he could really be an instant playmaker in this offense.  I really didn’t like the picks of Jermaine Cunningham and Brandon Spikes. I think they were both reaches and the Patriots could have gotten better value out of those 2^nd round picks.

Miami Dolphins

Grade: C

Players: 1^st Jared Odrick- DT- Penn State, 2^nd Koa Misi- OLB- Utah, 3^rd John Jerry- G- Ole Miss, 4^th AJ Edds- OLB- Iowa, 5^th Nolan Carroll- CB- Maryland, 5^th Reshad Jones- S- Georgia, 7^th Chris McCoy- OLB- Middle Tennessee State, 7^th Austin Spitler- OLB- Ohio State

Thoughts: All the impact will come from the first two picks.  Jared Odrick is going to be a very good defensive end in the 3-4 defense.  Koa Misi is very athletic and could provide a good pass rush off the edge.  I think the other picks add depth but nothing jumps out at me and some will struggle to make the roster.  However, I think the first two picks are good enough to warrant the grade of a C.

New York Jets

Grade: C-

Players: 1^st Kyle Wilson- CB- Boise State, 2^nd Vladimir Ducasse- G- UMass, 4^th Joe McKnight- RB- USC, 5^th John Conner- FB- Kentucky

Thoughts: The Jets didn’t have many picks and I think they took some risks with those picks.  Kyle Wilson will be solid and allows Coach Ryan to continue his attacking defense.  Looking at Ducasse I think he is going to struggle adjusting to the NFL.  During the Senior Bowl he looked overmatched against the bigger school competition.  Joe McKnight has a lot of talent but had trouble staying healthy and consistent.  Conner is a nice pick but you have to wonder if they should have addressed other areas of need with their lack of picks.