NFL Draft Grades
It’s time to hand out some NFL draft grades. I”m going to do two picks in each round I loved and two that I didn’t quite understand. I’ll try to make them picks that aren’t getting a lot of play (Ie Ponder to the Vikings as a questionable pick, and Fairley to the Lions as a steal).
I’m going to do this a little bit different since we plan on going team by team pick by pick in our 32 Drafts in 32 Days series that will start early this week with the Carolina Panthers.
Round 1
Loved It!
Julio Jones to the Falcons at 6th via trade.
A lot of people are ragging on this trade because of how much the Falcons gave up and if I’m a Falcons fan and draft lover like myself I hate the pick because I’ll have nothing to due the first day of the draft next year, but other than that I like it. It was exciting, daring, bold and if the Falcons are as good as we think they will be this year the pick could be a late round pick anyway.
Jones plays like Hakeem Nicks and Aquan Boldin except, he’s bigger (taller) and faster. He has some inconsistent hands at times, like Hakeem Nicks does as well, because he knows how good he is with the ball in his hands and is always looking to get up field in a hurry. I like the pick. The Falcons now deploy Roddy White and Julio Jones on the outside. This is a combination that brought the Cardinals to the superbowl with a suspect defense and I think the Falcons are more talented than that team. Plus, the Falcons still have free agency, a coveted American city they play in, and a talented roster to lure talent.
Prince Amukamara to the Giants at 19th overall
I love this pick. Amukamara to me is a top 10 talent and he fits an underpublicized need for the New York Giants. According to football outsiders the Giants ranked #2 vs #1WR, #7 vs #2 WR and top 11 vs both running backs and tight ends, but 31st! vs all other wide receivers. The Giants have NO depth at cornerback, and now they do with the best player available on the board. Also, nothing will pure Princes poor interception numbers like a ferocious pass rush of JPP, Osi, Tuck, Marvin Austin, Linval Joseph last year. Love this pick
I don’t Get It
Mike Pouncey to the Dolphins at 15th
Drafting an interior guard with a top 15 pick is nonsensical to me. Especially if he’s not a good center, but more importantly if he doesn’t have tackle ability. I’ve consistently said Pouncey is not a first round talent and I’ll stick with it here, so I find this not only to be a reach, but also poor positional value. They could have considered an offensive tackle here, or a good defensive linemen. I don’t like this pick. I know a lot of people do, but I think it’s a mistake.
Phil Taylor to the Browns at 21st
It’s just an odd pick considering how out of scheme Taylor seems to be in a 43. Does anyone believe his best position is a 43 Defensive tackle? I haven’t seen anyone who does. Now, maybe he’ll be a Pat Williams type of player. But Taylor has character concerns, possibly bad feet, and weight problems. I wrote the other day that I like that the Browns seem to be much more aggressive in acquiring TALENT under this new Regime than when Man(not so) genius was running the ship. Grabbing Greg Little is an example of acquiring pure physical talent over grabbing an Angel.
Round 2
Two That Make Me Go Whoop, Whoop!
Kyle Rudolph to the Vikings
If you’re going to grab a quarterback in the first round get him some talent in the second round. This is reminiscent of the Matthew Stafford/Brandon Pettigrew duo of the Lions a few years ago. Kyle Rudolph has struggled to stay healthy, but he’s a first round talent who also has some blocking ability. I give a Kudos to this pick!
Brandon Harris to the Texans
I love Brandon Harris. The Texans need help in the secondary. I didn’t love the J.J. Watt pick over Cameron Jordan at 11, but it made sense. The Brooks Reed pick was pretty solid and the Brandon Harris was the best pick of the day, for me. Point is the Texans have added some talent to their defense. If Ryan and Cushing get back to the level they were at two years ago and can succeed in the 34 defense. The Texans could finally knock Peyton off the A.F.C. South perch.
Two that make me go Who? Who?
Bruce Carter to the Cowboys
I feel bad for Carter here. I think he’s a class 43 linebacker and I think being miscasted in the interior of the Cowboys 34 could negatively impact his career. What a talent. I think he could have thrived going to the Giants, Eagles, or Saints some aggressive 43defenses that could best utilize his speed. Hopefully for the Cowboys sake I’m wrong.
Jaiquawqn Jarret to the Eagles
I said I was going to try and refer to picks that didn’t get as much play. The Jonas Mouton to the Chargers would be an obvious candidate here, but I’m going to avoid that one and go here. I like Jarrett. He’s one of two safeties I actually like in this draft class (Rahim Moore) is the other. But I don’t think he’s a second round talent. I think this was a major reach. Nate Allen was a steal last year in the second round. He complements Jarret well and maybe with so many picks they just swallow the value on this one, but I don’t love this pick.