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MorKnolle's 1st Day Draft Grades for Teams

MorKnolle

All Pro
I thought I'd go through the first day of the draft and comment on each teams' job so far, so here goes:

Arizona Cardinals
10) Matt Leinart, QB - Easy pick for them, with their roster I think he will easily have the best first 5 years among all the QBs in this draft.
41) Taitusi Lutui, OG - They really needed OLine help and teamed with Leonard Davis will give them some nice size along their line to open running lanes for Edge.
72) Leonard Pope, TE - Great pickup for them, good value here and he adds another nice receiving option.
Grade: B+, got a big-time QB later than expected, got a starter on OLine that they desperately needed, and a nice pass-catching TE.

Atlanta Falcons
37) Jimmy Williams, CB/S - Great pickup, I'm surprised he slid that far, not sure what happened behind the scenes but they needed secondary help and he's a great pick here.
79) Jerious Norwood, RB - Good pickup for them, they haven't been real happy with Duckett and could use another RB.
Grade: B-, mainly because they got Jimmy Williams so late in the draft and Norwood was somewhat of a need.

Baltimore Ravens
12) Haloti Ngata, DT - Good pick, they need someone up front that can occupy blockers to free up Ray Lewis, and Ngata is definitely suited for that.
56) Chris Chester, C - Nice option for their OLine, I would have loved for him to come here but he's a good pickup for them.
87) David Pittman, CB - I don't personally know much about him, although I know he was rated pretty highly by several people, can't really comment on him.
Grade: C, pretty good draft so far but nothing special.

Buffalo Bills
8) Donte Whitner, S - Huge surprise, probably the biggest of the 1st round. He fills a need but this seems really high for him.
26) John McCargo, DT - Similar to Whitner, he is a good player but probably not worth this high of a pick, and they traded up to get him.
70) Ashton Youboty, CB - Good pick, they needed more secondary help and he's a pretty good value here.
Grade: C-, they got some pretty good players at position of need but really reached on their first two picks, and traded up to get one of them.

Carolina Panthers
27) DeAngelo Williams, RB - Great pick, RB was a big need and getting DeAngelo this late was a huge steal, he is my current prediction for offensive rookie of the year.
58) Richard Marshall, CB - Pretty good player and a need and got him pretty late.
88) James Anderson, LB - Decent player, higher than I thought he'd go.
89) Rashad Butler, OT - Surprising, I did not like him much from what I saw of him.
Grade: B, DeAngelo and Marshall are great picks at the position they got them, Anderson and Butler drag the rating down a bit, could have had a solid A- with better picks in the 3rd.

Chicago Bears
42) Danieal Manning, S - Sleeper pick, a lot higher than I thought he'd go and they took him over some players I thought would be better picks.
57) Devin Hester, WR/CB - Another sleeper, a lot higher than I thought he'd go.
73) Dusty Dvoracek, DT - Solid player, some off-field concerns but he's a pretty athletic DT with a high motor on the field.
Grade: C-, IMO they reached on Manning and Hester, I wasn't surprised to see them move out of the 1st but didn't think they'd target Manning there, Dvoracek is a solid pick there.

Cincinnati Bengals
24) Johnathan Joseph, CB - Solid CB, probably my favorite in the draft. Good pick for them.
55) Andrew Whitworth, OT - Big surprise, many people thought he had a year of learning before he will be ready to contribute.
91) Frostee Rucker, DE - I thought this was pretty high for him, not real fond of this pick for them.
Grade: C, Joseph is the only reason their grade is this high, Whitworth and Rucker weren't great picks IMO.

Cleveland Browns
13) Kamerion Wimbley, LB - Solid pick for their 3-4 defense, was a little surprised they didn't go with Ngata but Wimbley is nice for them.
34) D'Qwell Jackson, LB - Solid ILB for their 3-4 defense.
78) Travis Wilson, WR - Pretty good WR for this position in the draft.
Grade: B, Crennel has added two solid LBs to join Andra Davis and Willie McGinest, and Wilson is a pretty solid WR.

Dallas Cowboys
18) Bobby Carpenter, LB - Solid LB for them, good pick
53) Anthony Fasano, TE - Good TE but a puzzling choice with Witten on their team.
92) Jason Hatcher, DE - Interesting prospect, had good workouts, not sure how good he'll be.
Grade: C, Carpenter is a nice pick, Fasano is good but not sure why they got him with Witten, and not sure on Hatcher.

Denver Broncos
11) Jay Cutler, QB - This was another huge surprise, not sure what this means for the future of Jake Plummer
61) Tony Scheffler, TE - Solid TE, pretty good pickup.
Grade: C+, nothing special here, Cutler is puzzling, sent the #37 to Green Bay for Javon Walker so they got their solid WR.

Detroit Lions
9) Ernie Sims, LB - Perfect type of LB for their defense, didn't expect him to go this high but a solid pick.
40) Daniel Bullocks, S - Nice pick here, they needed DB help and with Huff gone in the 1st they get the next best S in the draft.
74) Brian Calhoun, RB - Solid RB, with Kevin Jones and Shawn Bryson not sure who will stay.
Grade: B-, got two good players at positions of need that fit their system and Calhoun is another solid player.

Green Bay Packers
5) A.J. Hawk, LB - Great pick for them, needed LB help and Hawk will definitely help.
47) Daryn Colledge, OT - Pretty solid pick for them, will help their OLine and should be able to start immediately.
52) Greg Jennings, WR - Good pick, they traded Walker for one of Denver's 2nds and Jennings is a solid WR.
67) Abdul Hodge, LB - Another solid LB that will boost their defense.
75) Jason Spitz, C - Decent OLine prospect, I'm not real fond of him but I was evaluating OLinemen on how they fit our team.
Grade: B+, two very good LBs, a solid WR, a good OLineman and a decent OLineman, filling holes with very solid players.

Houston Texans
1) Mario Williams, DE - Best player in this draft for this team, not a question in my mind on that.
33) DeMeco Ryans, LB - I wasn't real fond of this pick at first but I'm warming up to it. He's a very good LB although I would have preferred Roger McIntosh, or would have preferred Jimmy Williams or Daniel Bullocks.
65) Charles Spencer, G/T - Good pick, he's real big right now yet pretty athletic, and after he drops some weight he should fit nicely. Good pickup that I thought would be gone in the 2nd.
66) Eric Winston, OT - I wanted to get him at #33 even though I knew they wouldn't, I was ecstatic when he fell to us and we picked him up.
Grade: B+, one of my favorite drafts so far, I didn't think Spencer or Winston would fall and was a little nervous for 30 seconds after picking Spencer rather than Winston. I'm not sure who's going to be our MLB but Ryans is a solid LB, Williams is my top choice in this draft, and Winston and Spencer should be great for our OLine and were good values in the 3rd, easily the best draft of any of the AFC South teams, about time we can say this.

Indianapolis Colts
30) Joseph Addai, RB - No surprises here.
62) Tim Jennings, CB - Loved to see the Colts pick him, an absolute surprise for him to go 1st day, much less in the 2nd round.
94) Freddie Keiaho, LB - Not sure on him, don't think he's worth this high of a pick.
Grade: C-, Addai will help but Jennings and Keiaho are big time reaches, I'm glad to see us have a better draft than the Colts for once.

Jacksonville Jaguars
28) Marcedes Lewis, TE - Higher than I expected but somewhat of a need.
60) Maurice Drew, RB - Same as Lewis, a lot higher than I expected but addresses a need.
80) Clint Ingram, LB - Decent pick, not bad but not great.
Grade: C, not bad but nothing special.

Kansas City Chiefs
20) Tamba Hali, DE - Had him going here in earlier mocks, then had them taking DBs in my more recent ones, solid pick if they can keep him motivated.
54) Bernard Pollard, S - Way higher than I expected him to go, can't say I consider this a solid pick.
85) Brodie Croyle, QB - Solid pick here, they need to develop Trent Green's future replacement and Croyle is a decent pick.

Miami Dolphins
16) Jason Allen, CB/S - I picked this one, Allen is a solid CB/S combo for their depleted secondary, and Saban likes SEC guys.
82) Derek Hagan, WR - I'm not a real big fan of Hagan as I see some Cory Bradford in him, but he's a solid WR prospect.
Grade: C+, fairly solid and addressing needs but nothing special.
 
Minnesota Vikings
17) Chad Greenway, LB - Nice pick, solid LB that is perfect for their system.
48) Cedric Griffin, CB - Higher than I predicted but he's a solid CB and also good for their system.
51) Ryan Cook, C - Way higher than I expected, can't evaluate this as a good pick.
64) Tarvaris Jackson, QB - Lesser-known QB prospect but a pretty decent looking prospect, they need to find Brad Johnson's eventual replacement and apparently they have.
Grade: C, Greenway is nice, Griffin is good, Cook is questionable, and I don't know enough about Jackson to judge his pick.

New England Patriots
21) Laurence Maroney, RB - Thought they'd go DeAngelo Williams, but Maroney should be a solid pick for them.
36) Chad Jackson, WR - Didn't think he'd fall this far but it was a great move for their team.
86) David Thomas, TE - With Ben Watson and Daniel Graham this is a bit of a curious pick, he's a good pass catcher and could be an H-Back too.
Grade: B, Maroney and Jackson should be nice, not sure the point of David Thomas for them, thought they'd look defense somewhere on the 1st day.

New Orleans Saints
2) Reggie Bush, RB - Had to pick him, I thought they'd trade him though. They already have a $50 million RB and just signed Michael Bennett too, so Bush will probably be more of a WR/3rd down RB for them. Still he was easily the best player available to them though.
43) Roman Harper, S - Way higher than I thought he'd go, decent prospect but not worth this pick.
Grade: C+, Bush is a great player but not sure how well he fits their offense and Harper is questionable at #43.

New York Giants
32) Mathis Kiwanuka - Good player but not sure on that with Umenyiora and Strahan, maybe as Strahan's future replacement, but I'm assuming this was just a BPA pick.
44) Sinorice Moss - Needed another WR, Moss is pretty solid for them at #44.
96) Gerris Wilkinson - Pretty solid pick, especially at the pick they used on him.
Grade: B-, solid players although the need for Kiwanuka is somewhat low IMO.

New York Jets
4) D'Brickashaw Ferguson, OT - Arguably the BPA for them, they need OLine help and he's the best option for that.
29) Nick Mangold, C - Needed a C after Mawae left and Mangold is easily the best one in this draft.
49) Kellen Clemens, QB - They needed another QB option at some point, and Clemens is a very solid QB, not sure why they had to move back to get him but the Vikings could have grabbed him first.
76) Anthony Schlegel, LB - Way higher than I expected, he's a pretty solid player and they need LBs but still a reach.
97) Eric Smith, S - Don't know much about him, looks like he had a solid workout but don't know enough to comment, don't recall seeing any mention of him going in the 1st day.
Grade: B, Very solid top 3 picks, Schlegel is a little bit of a reach and Eric Smith is a reach, but a solid draft thusfar and two high 4ths and a high 5th left to go.

Oakland Raiders
7) Michael Huff, S - Good pick, best DB in the draft and the Raiders needed help there.
38) Thomas Howard, LB - Nice player and their kind of LB.
69) Paul McQuistan, OG - Not worth this pick IMO.
Grade: C+, Huff and Howard are nice but McQuistan drags them down from being in the B range in my books.

Philadelphia Eagles
14) Brodrick Bunkley, DT - Great pick, big, athletic, very strong and they needed a boost there.
39) Winston Justice, OT - Not sure how he fell, must have had behind-the-scenes problems of some kind but a great pick for them nonetheless.
71) Chris Gocong, DE - Not sure why they picked him this high.
Grade: B-, they were a solid B with Bunkley and Justice but Gocong brings it down.

Pittsburgh Steelers
25) Santonio Holmes, WR - Great pick, didn't think he'd fall this far and it looked like Moss was going to be their best option at WR, but instead they get the best WR in the draft and probably an upgrade over Randle El.
83) Anthony Smith, S - A little higher than I thought he'd go, but a pretty solid looking prospect at a position of need.
95) Willie Reid, WR - OK WR and a good return guy, not a great pick but he'll at least be a decent returner for them.
Grade: B, Holmes is a great move for them, Smith should be solid and got him fairly late, and Willie Reid will be solid at KR/PR, so they filled their main needs.

San Diego Chargers
19) Antonio Cromartie, CB - Good pick for them, thought they might go WR but DB is a big need too, although Cromartie hasn't played in a year.
50) Marcus McNeill, OT - Good pick for them, good value at this spot and a need for them, although he does have a back problem
81) Charlie Whitehurst, QB - I guess they want another new QB in case Rivers doesn't work out real well, a bit curious of a pick but no problems with it other than he is coming off injury.
Grade: B-, Cromartie and McNeill are nice prospects although both have injury concerns, Whitehurst is a backup for the foreseeable future.

San Francisco 49ers
6) Vernon Davis, TE - Great pick, they really needed more receiving weapons, although with their lack of talent on offense I expect less production out of him than some people might expect.
22) Manny Lawson, LB - Great pick, they lost LBs and need increased pass rush and Lawson will be a nice fit.
84) Brandon Williams, WR - Not my top WR that was available but still solid and adds another hopeful weapon to their offense.
Grade: B, hopefully answered some serious needs and got two good players in the 1st round.

Seattle Seahawks
31) Kelly Jennings, CB - Didn't think he was worth a 1st round pick, keeps Miami's streak alive for getting a 1st rounder, not a real solid pick IMO.
63) Darryl Tapp, DE - Pretty solid pick, maybe a little high. Not real big or fast but finds a way to get pressure.
Grade: C, nothing special here, reached on both IMO and neither are exceptional.

St. Louis Rams
15) Tye Hill, CB - Good pick that answered a definite need and they moved back to get him.
46) Joe Klopfenstein, TE - Pretty solid TE, a little early for him IMO.
68) Claude Wroten, DT - Very solid DT that slipped due to character concerns, solid pick.
77) Jon Alston, LB - Good pick, talented player and a decent fit for their system.
93) Dominique Byrd, TE - Pretty solid player, not sure why they got two TEs.
Grade: B-, mainly because they got two TEs for some reason, pretty solid group of guys addressing several needs and they got extra picks as well.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
23) Davin Joseph, OG - Surprised how high he went, but he's a good prospect.
59) Jeremy Trueblood, OT - Not sure how he went in the 2nd round.
90) Maurice Stovall, WR - Good pick, solid WR and got him pretty late
Grade: C+, Joseph is good but a little high, Trueblood is way higher than I'd pick him, but as I said before I was evaluating OLinemen based on our zone scheme, and Stovall is a nice pick there.

Tennessee Titans
3) Vince Young, QB - I guess Bud convinced enough people to take him, honestly I don't expect much out of him on Tennessee's team for several years unless they really improve the talent around him, not sure how Chow likes them forcing him on his offense.
45) LenDale White, RB - Fairly solid pick at this position, but he doesn't bring much that Chris Brown and Travis Henry don't already account for.
Grade: C+, I think Leinart would have been better for them and could have picked up Chow's offense quickly and made a nice impact there and White doesn't do much for their team IMO.

Washington Redskins
35) Roger McIntosh, LB - Quality LB, maybe a little higher than expected and they traded up for him.
Grade: C, they got a good player but only got one player on the 1st day.
 
Best Players Still Available:
Demetrius Williams, WR, Oregon
Darnell Bing, S, USC
Ko Simpson, S, South Carolina
Pat Watkins, S, Florida St.
Max Jean-Gilles, OG, Georgia
Omar Jacobs, QB, Bowling Green
Victor Adeyanju, DE, Indiana
Gabe Watson, DT, Michigan
Jonathan Scott, OT, Texas
Rodrique Wright, DT, Texas
Reggie McNeal, QB, Texas A&M
Orien Harris, DT, Miami FL
Jonathan Lewis, DT, Virginia Tech
Spencer Havner, LB, UCLA
Elvis Dumervil, LB, Louisville
DeMario Minter, CB, Georgia
Terna Nande, LB, Miami OH
Leon Williams, LB, Miami FL
Mike Hass, WR, Oregon St.
Greg Eslinger, C, Minnesota
Mark Anderson, DE/LB, Alabama

Top targets for the 4th round:
Ko Simpson, S, South Carolina
Pat Watkins, S, Florida St.
Demetrius Williams, WR, Oregon

Hopefully we can find a trade offer to move down 10 spots or so and pick up a 5th rounder for it.
 
Well I didn't pick Mario, however....

Bill Bilacheck is a stinking genuis. To be where he was and get what he got, A
Tuna, Got his carl banks and a TE too B+
J E T S ...held their water and set up their O-line for the next decade . A
Eagles B+. the jury will be out for a couple of seasons. Great prospects no doubt.
Packers A-. Hit all their "needs", and got a pick for their headache.

There were a few others that were a little low for this early.
I would 've been very pleased with Manning still on the board first thing in the morning. Pickings are getting pretty slim. Think Chicago got exactly who they wanted.


Hope you're right about Mario. I keep having the vision of Lenny in the book " Of Mice & Men ". We'll see.
 
Houston Texans
1) Mario Williams, DE - Best player in this draft for this team, not a question in my mind on that.
33) DeMeco Ryans, LB - I wasn't real fond of this pick at first but I'm warming up to it. He's a very good LB although I would have preferred Roger McIntosh, or would have preferred Jimmy Williams or Daniel Bullocks.
65) Charles Spencer, G/T - Good pick, he's real big right now yet pretty athletic, and after he drops some weight he should fit nicely. Good pickup that I thought would be gone in the 2nd.
66) Eric Winston, OT - I wanted to get him at #33 even though I knew they wouldn't, I was ecstatic when he fell to us and we picked him up.
Grade: B+, one of my favorite drafts so far, I didn't think Spencer or Winston would fall and was a little nervous for 30 seconds after picking Spencer rather than Winston. I'm not sure who's going to be our MLB but Ryans is a solid LB, Williams is my top choice in this draft, and Winston and Spencer should be great for our OLine and were good values in the 3rd, easily the best draft of any of the NFC South teams, about time we can say this.



I had no idea you guys were in the NFC South?!..haha...just ribbing you...But you were caught typing too fast...
 
Mork, thanks for your breakdown.

Chargers...good picks in Cromartie and McNeil ...high bust potential there,,NO WR yet?

Bills.... worst draft as far as value in concerned. reached for Whitner and McCargo

Chiefs.... C- Hali...hard worker but nothing special ... shoulda gone CB here

Giants...don't like Kiwanuka too much...isn't anything close to Strahan

Vikings...started strong with Greenway and Griffin...Cook is big time reach ..Jackson was climbing up...could have gotten him in 4th

Cowboys... No OL help? who's Hatcher?

Agree with most of your grades.

Teams' drafts I liked:

Cards
Pats
Eagles
49ers
Texans
Jets
Panthers
Browns
Packers
 
texman8 said:
Mork, thanks for your breakdown.

Chargers...good picks in Cromartie and McNeil ...high bust potential there,,NO WR yet?

Bills.... worst draft as far as value in concerned. reached for Whitner and McCargo

Chiefs.... C- Hali...hard worker but nothing special ... shoulda gone CB here

Giants...don't like Kiwanuka too much...isn't anything close to Strahan

Vikings...started strong with Greenway and Griffin...Cook is big time reach ..Jackson was climbing up...could have gotten him in 4th

Cowboys... No OL help? who's Hatcher?

Agree with most of your grades.

Teams' drafts I liked:

Cards
Pats
Eagles
49ers
Texans
Jets
Panthers
Browns
Packers

Forgot to add:
Saints....got a player to excite fans and bring interest to team....don't be surprised if he is a hold out. Didn't do anything for OL, DL or LB.
 
[[Gary Kubiak]] said:
I could sense that NO did not want to get stuck with Bush! Unlike our FO, they were not willing to take the backlash.

Haha he better turn out like Sayers or Sanders. Unfortunately, he might just be a good RB. As of now he has to prove he is an everydown RB. He will demand >50 million before proving anything.

If you think RB will get that many touches with DD here, What about with Saints with Deuce there? With their defense there, they're going to playing from behind so they maybe throwing alot...Bush at slot WR. Better hope Brees doesn't get hurt.
 
texman8 said:
Forgot to add:
Saints....got a player to excite fans and bring interest to team....don't be surprised if he is a hold out. Didn't do anything for OL, DL or LB.


The saints picked up a center from the Browns J. Faine when they traded back right?
 
texman8 said:
If you think RB will get that many touches with DD here, What about with Saints with Deuce there? With their defense there, they're going to playing from behind so they maybe throwing alot...Bush at slot WR. Better hope Brees doesn't get hurt.

The Saints just gave McAllister a $50 million deal a year or two ago and signed Michael Bennett this year (3 years, $8-9 million I think), so it will be interesting to see what they do. With a lack of talent at WR (Joe Horn is good, otherwise they have a bunch of fast guys that don't catch the ball well), I think Bush could end up spending a lot of time at WR and then be a 3rd down/change of pace back, or maybe even run some dual RB sets.
 
All the work Morknolle put into this, it's a shame I found it burried behind 6 pages of new posts........

needs to be added to the archives so we can find it, and review it when the season is over.
 
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