Steelers through Ravens
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Pittsburgh Steelers
Overall Grade: B+
Best Pick: S Shmarko
Thomas
Worst Pick: Le’Von
Bell
1(17) Steelers- OLB
Jarvis Jones- A
My Ideal Pick: OLB
Barkevious Mingo
2(16) Steelers- RB
Le’Von Bell- C-
My Ideal Pick: CB
Jonathan Banks
3(17) Steelers- WR Markus Wheaton- B+
My Ideal Pick: SS DJ
Swearing
4(14) STEELERS- S
Shmarko Thomas- A
4(18) Steelers- QB
Landry Jones- B+
Summary: The
Steelers had a pretty good draft. Starting with Jones, many people thought he
was a steal at 17 because of his incredible talent and minor character
concerns. I am not that big of a fan of Jones and actually thought Mingo would
be a better fit for the Steelers. But, since Mingo was already taken, the
Steelers had to draft Jones, due to their big need at outside linebacker. I am
perplexed by the Bell selection considering how many other running backs were
on the board (Eddie Lacy, Jonathan Franklin) and the bigger needs at cornerback
and strong safety. The Steelers have Jonathan Dwyer so running back could have
been saved until the fourth or fifth round. Bell is not terrible, but the
second round given the draft was way too high. Marcus Wheaton is alright and
considering he was a 2nd round consensus, I guess this is a pretty
good pick. The only reason why I am hesitant is because he seems like the poor
man’s version of Mike Wallace. He is big and fast but not as big or as fast as
Wallace, or even some of the other receivers that were available in the second
round. I would have like to have seen the Steelers switch these picks: take a
wide receiver in the second and a running back in the third. Shmarko Thomas is
a GREAT pick in the fourth round. He was projected to go in the third round and
even that underrates him a little bit. He is a big hitter who has the potential
to become the next Troy Polomalu. So, why not go to the Steelers? I love the
selection of a QB considering Roethlisberger’s age and injury history. I don’t
think that Landry Jones is better than Matt Scott, Ryan Griffin, or Tyler Bray,
all of which went undrafted. But, I do think that the Steelers filled a need
with this pick so kudos to them.
Dallas Cowboys-
Overall Grade: B
Best Pick: CB B.W.
Webb
Worst Pick: TE Gavin
Escobar
1(31) COWBOYS- C
Travis Frederick- B
My Ideal Pick: S Matt
Elam
2(15) Cowboys- TE
Gavin Escobar- D
My Ideal Pick: G
Dallas Thomas
3(12) COWBOYS- WR
Terrance Williams- B
My Ideal Pick: RB
Montee Ball
3(18) Cowboys- S J.J.
Wilcox- B+
My Ideal Pick: N/A
4(17) Cowboys- CB
B.W. Webb- A+
Summary: For a
further explanation of Frederick, I encourage you to read my blog post about
him (scroll down.) A brief summation is that he is the type of blue-collar
player that the Cowboys needed, but probably not worth a first round pick. I
consider it an average pick because the two conditions balance out. Escobar
makes negative sense to me. Of all the positions, the Cowboys did not need
another pass catching tight end. I know the argument that having two tight ends
is valuable in the copycat league, but the Cowboys also have Hannah to fill
that role. I have no idea how the Cowboys are going to use Escobar. Terrance
Williams is a predictable selection given that the Cowboys love flashy players
who are more flashy then they are players. Williams was productive at Baylor
but he was far from the star wide receiver that the Cowboys think he will be. Expect
him to fill the slot role nicely and, at best, become a long term Laurent
Robinson type player. Wilcox is a great pick considering the pressing need at
safety, but himself is not a great player. I see him as an average NFL starter,
which is already an upgrade over what Dallas currently has. B.W. Webb was my
favorite pick of the fourth round and is one of the reasons why the Cowboys get
a B in this draft as opposed to the C that many experts are rating them. Yes,
he is a project player and probably couldn’t start immediately. But, 1) the
cowboys already have great starters and 2) you don’t draft guys with the hopes
they are all pro the next year, especially not corners. Webb can become a great
third corner for this team with the right coaching. I’m not sure that is Monte
Kiffin, but I’m willing to take a risk and say Webb becomes one of the best
slot corners in the game in the next five years. What a draft saving pick by
the Cowboys!
New York Giants-
Overall Grade: C+
Best Pick: QB Ryan
Nassib
Worst Pick: DT
Jonathan Hankins
1(19) Giants- OT/G
Justin Pugh- C+
My Ideal Pick: ILB
Alec Ogletree
2(17) Giants- DT
Jonathan Hankins- C-
My Ideal Pick: CB
Blidi Wreh-Wilson
3(19) Giants- OLB
Demontre Moore- A-
My Ideal Pick: OT
David Bakhtiari
4(13) GIANTS- QB Ryan
Nassib- A-
Summary: The
Giants are notorious for having good drafts, but this one just did not live up
to the hype. Pugh seemed like the David Wilson of this year’s draft, a good
player who was taken way too early because of the strength of the class. Pugh
can play anywhere on the offensive line, but really isn’t that good at any
particular position. It will be interesting to see how he develops, but this
pick could have been spent on a much better player. John Hankins is a good
player but makes negative sense for the Giants. First, the Giants play a 4-3
and Hankins fits much better in a 3-4. Secondly, the Giants signed Cullen
Jenkins and Mike Patterson in free agency, so Hankins may not see the field a
whole lot to develop. And third, the Giants drafted Linval Joesph last year,
who is a project player like Hankins. I don’t like this pick at all. Demontre
Moore was a projected 1st round pick in January but fell because of
a poor combine and off the field issues. Im giving the Giants an A- simply
because Moore isn’t really a 4-3 outside linebacker and the Giants already have
two great defensive ends. There is simply no need here. Nassib is probably the
best pick here for the Giants, which is sad considering the amount of need that
the Giants had this year. Nassib will do well behind Eli Manning and can hopefully
blossom into a starting QB in the future years. If not, it at least puts
pressure on Eli to be more consistent. Overall, the Giants needed a better
draft then they had.
Chicago Bears
Overall Grade: B+
Best Pick: OLB
Khassem Greene
Worst Pick: OT Kyle
Long
Notes: -1 quantum for
failing to draft a QB
1(20) Bears- OT/G
Kyle Long- B-
My Ideal Pick: QB
Geno Smith
2(18) Bears- ILB Jon
Bostic- A-
My Ideal Pick: ILB
Kiko Alonso
4(20) Bears- OLB
Khaseem Greene- A+
Extra Picks:
5(30) Bears- OT
Jordan Mills- A
6(20) Bears- OLB
Cornelious Washington- A
Summary: The
Bears had an A- overall draft but I am subtracting a quantum for failure to put
pressure on Cutler. Cutler has no excuses now, as most of the draft was about
him. Kyle Long was one of my favorite prospects to watch and while some say the
1st round was too early, I like him much better then some of the
guys that went before him (Justin Pugh, EJ Manuel, DJ Hayden.) He can help the
Bears as a tackle or a guard and, I predict, would be pretty good at both. Jon
Bostic was not the best inside linebacker on the board but he was definitely in
the top two. Bostic fills the Bears second biggest need as Brian Urlacher is
now gone. He should be productive in the NFL. Khassem Greene was one of my five
underrated prospects and it is a shock to seem him drop to the fourth round.
Kudos to the Bears for drafting him and he will do a great job filling in for
Lance Briggs. In terms of potential, Greene is the best linebacker in the
draft. I love the Bears late round selection. Jordan Mills was projected as a
third rounder so to see him drop to the end of the fifth was odd. The Bears
need as much offensive line help as they can get so Mills is a solid pickup. Washington
is another good pick, at the end of the sixth round nonetheless. He should seem
some on the field action this year and could blossom into an NFL starter soon. Apparently,
the Bears are gun ho behind Cutler and look for them to draft a QB next year.
Cincinnati Bengals-
Overall Grade: B
Best Pick: RB Giovanni Bernard
Worst Pick: TE Tyler Eifert
1(21) Bengals- TE
Tyler Eifert- C
My Ideal Pick: OLB
Jarvis Jones
2(5) Bengals- RB
Giovanni Bernard- A
My Ideal Pick: RB
Giovanni Bernard
2(21) Bengals- DE
Margus Hunt- B
My Ideal Pick: S
Jonathan Cyprin
3(22) Bengals- SS
Shawn Williams- A-
My Ideal Pick: ILB
A.J. Klein
4(21) Bengals- OLB
Sean Porter- B
Summary: The
Bengals had an average draft. Tyler Eifert is an interesting pick considering
the Bengals have Jermaine Gresham. I understand wanting to give Dalton more
targets but a 1st round pick on a backup tight end? I’m not so sure
on that, especially with other needs. Bernard is exactly the guy I wanted the
Bengals to take. He is fast and looks the most like a feature back that I have
seen from this draft class. He can easily replace BJE. Hunt is a project player
but has one of the highest ceilings I have ever seen. However, he fills no need
for the Bengals, and will serve backup to Dunlap and Johnson who are both
relatively young. Shawn Williams is the exact opposite of Hunt: he is not
extremely athletic but is a great fit for the Bengals considering their need at
safety. I would have like to have seen them take Josh Evans here instead of
Williams, but Williams is sufficient to merit a good grade from me. Porter is
just okay and the end of the fourth is probably a good place for him. He is
nothing more than a short term starter.
Washington Redskins-
Overall Grade: A-
Best Pick: CB David
Amerson
Worst Pick: TE Jordan
Reed
2(19) Redskins- CB
David Amerson- A+
My Ideal Pick: WR
Justin Hunter
3(23) Redskins- TE
Jordan Reed- B
My Ideal Pick: S Earl
Wolf
4(22) Redskins- SS
Phillip Thomas- A
Summary: This
grade was so close to an A, except the Redskins missed out on drafting a
receiver, their biggest need. I don’t know why NFL teams think that tight ends
are receivers, but that is a different article. Amerson was my favorite
prospect and is bar none the best pick of the second round. He can blossom into
a starter next year and will improve with experience. He would have been the
next Patrick Peterson type prospect had he not had a couple of bad games in
2012. With that behind him, Amerson should return to his record breaking self
in 2013. Reed is an okay pick for two reasons. One is that the Redskins already
have Fred Davis, although he was nothing short of mediocre last year. Second is
that Jordan Reed is pretty average himself. Why settle for him when you could
have drafted Steadman Bailey or Quinton Patten? Phillip Thomas, on the other
hand, is a super great player and fit for the Redskins. He should start
immediately and could be a hard-hitting threat like he was in college. Overall,
the Redskins had a short draft but did a lot with it.
Minnesota Vikings-
Overall Grade: A
Best Pick: DT Sharrif
Floyd
Worst Pick: CB Xavier
Rhodes
1(23) Vikings- DT
Sharrif Floyd- A
My Ideal Pick: G
Jonathan Cooper or DT Sylvester Williams
1(25) VIKINGS- CB
Xavier Rhodes- A-
My Ideal Pick: G
Jonathan Cooper or DT Sylvester Williams
1(29) VIKINGS- WR
Cordarelle Patterson- A
My Ideal Pick: N/A
4(23) Vikings- OLB
Gerald Hodges- A-
Summary: What
keeps the Vikings from having the best draft is that they had to make a monster
trade to get the final guy they wanted. That being said, what a great draft!
They start with the steal of the first round, Sharrif Floyd. He could become
the next Kevin Williams and he slid mostly because NFL teams like to lose
(especially the Cowboys.) He fills a big need and is a big time player. Xavier
Rhodes also fills a need at cornerback and was probably the best corner
available. I wonder, though, if they would have drafted a wide receiver in this
round, like Patterson, then not drafted Rhodes, and then waited and drafted Amerson
or Jamar Taylor? I don’t think Rhodes is that much better than Taylor or Amerson.
I know this seems silly but it didn’t really hurt the grade overall. Patterson
is a play maker which is something the Vikings need now that they lost Harvin. I
actually like Patterson a little better than Harvin because he is bigger and
less likely to be injured. Hodges is a quality linebacker and I am surprised he
wasn’t taken until the late fourth. That being said, Hodges probably shouldn’t
play immediately and I think that is the plan with him. He still is a work in
progress. This was a great draft and will probably be the reason why the
Vikings have a chance at making the playoffs again.
Indianapolis Colts-
Overall Grade: B
Best Pick: Bjorn
Werner
Worst Pick: C Khaled
Holmes
Notes: -1 Quantum for
bad free agency
1(24) Colts- DE Bjorn
Werner- A
My Ideal Pick: NT
Jonathan Jenkins
3(24) Colts- OG Hugh
Thorton- C
My Ideal Pick: FB
Zach Line
4(24) Colts- C Khaled
Holmes- A
Summary: I was
unsure how to mock players to the Colts or even how to assign these grades. The
Colts signed a bunch of free agents this year to high price deals so I couldn’t
really evaluate need since these guys may not see the field much. I also had
trouble evaluating fit because, once again, it is unsure how they will be used.
So, I decided just to evaluate how good the prospect is. I took off a quantum
because, well, the Colts were awful in free agency and it will probably hurt
these players in the future. Werner should have been a top ten pick. He is big
and extremely athletic. Who cares how hit fits in the system anyway because he
can get to the QB wherever he is. Thorton probably deserved a 5th
round selection but the Colts felt the need to reach for him due to his
impressive combine, but I just wasn’t at all impressed with his tape. The Colts
could have done better. Experts don’t like Holmes and he slid because of it.
For a guy who was at one point considered a first round pick, the Colts got a
steal here. Sure, Holmes had a down year last year, but he has the skills and some
obvious football talent. I think it is worth the risk. It is hard to be
objective here but the Colts drafted some good prospects. I just hope they
don’t ride the bench all year.
Seattle Seahawks-
Overall Grade: C
Best Pick: WR Chris
Harper
Worst Pick: RB
Christine Michael
2(30) Seahawks- RB
Christine Michael- C
My Ideal Pick: TE
Tyler Eifert
3(25) Seahawks- DT
Jordan Hill- C
My Ideal Pick: OT
Jordan Mills
4(26) Seahawks- WR
Chris Harper- B
Summary: Honestly,
when a team has no needs, do they need a good draft class? The Seahawks are
absolutely loaded with talent and young talent at that. I would have like to
have seen more effort in trying to construct a draft here. I mean, Michael is
nothing more than a change of pace back that come dime a dozen. Honestly,
Michael could have been undrafted and no one would have complained. Hill
certainly has the size to be a good NFL player, but looks more like a confused
bear than a football player. The Seahawks are certainly good at developing
players, but Hill is a piece of work who was probably not worth a third round
pick. Harper is alright and at least fills whatever the Seahawks classify as a
need. He is a solid wide receiver for a team that has several. I don’t really
need to say more: the Seahawks are super bowl bound and a good draft class
wouldn’t have helped them reach it.
Green Bay Packers-
Overall Grade: B
Best Pick: OT David
Bakhtiari
Worst Pick: DE Datone
Jones
1(26) Packers- DE
Datone Jones- C
My Ideal Pick: G
Chance Warmack
2(29) PACKERS- RB
Eddie Lacy- A
My Ideal Pick: WR
Robert Woods
4(12) Packers- OT
David Bakhtiari- A
4(25) Packers- OT
J.C. Tretter- C+
4(28) PACKERS- RB
Jonathan Franklin- B+
Summary: I
actually like most of the Packers selections, but I feel like none of them are
good fits for the Packers and don’t make sense given the other young players on
the roster. Datone Jones is the fourth defensive lineman the Packers have taken
in the first round of the draft in the past five years. And that’s not even
counting Clay Matthews, who is basically a down lineman. Datone Jones could be
the next Reggie White but I just can’t imagine him playing anything besides
special teams this year. Lacy makes a ton of sense considering the Packers just
could not run the football last year when it mattered. Lacy is not an every
down back, but its not like the Packers are ever going to be a run first team
anyway. So, this is a fantastic pick. Bakhtiari was projected to go in the
third round so this is a steal. He can help fill the woes of the Green Bay
offensive line as one offensive tackle was definitely needed. I don’t
understand why they drafted two. Tretter is versatile but will have to ride the
bench for a couple of years until some players start getting old. Plus, he is
probably not even starter material. Franklin is considered a steal here, but I
just cant reward the Packers for it. The Packers aren’t going to run the
football that much even if they had Adrian Peterson in the backfield. Why do they
need a change of pace back? In terms of prospects, the Packers had the best
draft this year. In terms of fit, the Packers had the worst. It averages it.
Houston Texans-
Overall Grade: B+
Best Pick: OT David Quessenberry
Worst Pick: DE Trevardo Williams
1(27) Texans- WR
DeAndre Hopkins- B+
My Ideal Pick: ILB
Manti Te’o
2(25) Texans- SS D.J.
Swearing- A-
My Ideal Pick: LB
Demontre Moore
3(27) Texans- OT
Brennan Williams- A-
My Ideal Pick: WR
Steadman Bailey
3(33) Texans- DE Sam
Montgomery- B
My Ideal Pick: QB EJ
Manuel
4(27) Texans- DE
Trevardo Williams- C
Extra Picks:
6(8) Texans- OT David
Quessenberry – A
Summary: I went
back and forth on whether to give the Texans a B+ or an A-. I ultimately
decided a B+ because they did not address what I considered their biggest need,
middle line backer. That being said, this was a very good draft. Hopkins is the
kind of big play compliment to Andre Johnson that the Texans need.
Unfortunately, so many better receivers were available that it was hard to see
the Texans pass them up. This easily would have been an A if Coradarrelle
Patterson or even Robert Woods was drafted. Hopkins may do well in the Texans
offense, but those guys would have done better. Swearing is a pretty good and
versatile safety that the Texans needed after Glover Quinn went to Detroit. He
should do well in Wade Phillips’ defense. I probably like Shmarko Thomas
better, but Swearing is pretty good here. Brennan Williams is a great offensive
tackle and is especially good at run blocking, something which the Texans use
often. He should do well in Houston. Sam Montgomery is a good defensive end on
a team with way too many. I would have liked to have seen a middle linebacker
here, or even a cornerback. Plus, Montgomery almost quit football. How are the
Texans, who can offer him nothing more than a backup spot, going to motivate
him? Williams is a worse version, athletically, of Montgomery and is more
solidified as a backup than Montgomery is. He can play OLB, but probably
doesn’t fill the need. Quessenberry was a projected early round pick, so the
fact that the Texans landed him in the sixth is impressive. He is versatile so
watch for him to play either the interior or the tackle spot in his career. I
don’t hate the Texans draft, obviously, but I am not a huge fan. Just seems to
be more of the same.
Denver Broncos
Overall Grade: C+
Best Pick: DT Sylverster
Williams
Worst Pick: Montee
Ball
1(28) Broncos- DT
Sylvester Williams- B+
My Ideal Pick: DE
Tank Carradine
2(26) Broncos- RB
Montee Ball- D
My Ideal Pick: DT
Kawann Short
3(28) Broncos- CB
Kayvon Webster- B-
My Ideal Pick: C
Brian Schenke
Summary: The
Broncos, similarly to the Seahawks, didn’t need a great draft, and didn’t have
one. Williams is a good player, but I’m unsure how he fits in the Broncos
scheme. Furthermore, Carradine is a great fit, so they missed an opportunity
there. I can’t really fault the Broncos since Williams is more athletic than Carradine
and was probably the “experts choice”, but it just seems like they wimped out,
which I can’t reward either. Montee Ball, on the other hand, is in no shape or
form a good pick. This is such a bad pick! A team with Willis McGahee, Knowshon
Moreno, and Ronnie Hillman probably doesn’t need another running back. Even
though McGahee is old, that’s what Moreno and Hillman are for. Furthermore, the
Broncos reached! Ball was going to fall due to his injury concerns which is a
death sentence for running backs. I just can’t get my head around a team that
takes a 4th string running back in the second round. Webster fills
the Broncos biggest need at cornerback but isn’t that great of a player. There
were better corners there. Overall, Montee Ball is a bad choice and everything
else is just average.
New England Patriots
Overall Grade: C+
Best Pick: WR Aaron
Dobson
Worst Pick: Duran
Harmon
2(20) PATRIOTS- OLB
Jamie Collins- B-
My Ideal Pick: DT
Jonathan Hankins
2(27) Patriots- WR
Aaron Dobson- A-
My Ideal Pick: N/A
3(21) PATRIOTS- CB
Logan Ryan- B
My Ideal Pick: OT
Brennan Williams
3(29) Patriots- S
Duran Harmon- D
My Ideal Pick: N/A
4(5) PATRIOTS- WR
Josh Boyce- C+
Summary: Horribly
mediocre- in two words that describes the Patriots draft. Collins is a solid
selection here, but isn’t at all what the Patriots needed. Collins was probably
going to be available seven picks later, while someone like Margus Hunt or DJ
Swearing weren’t, and both of those would have been better picks. Dobson is an
under the radar type of player that the Patriots love. He could emerge as the
next slot receiver for this team, but Kennan Allen would have been far superior
to Dobson. Logan Ryan is a classic new England corner, terrible at coverage but
can make big plays. The Patriots always draft these type of players, and it
never works. I’m not going to fault them because I like Ryan, but I question
the management. Harmon was the shock of the draft considering he was probably
one of the worst safeties in the draft. Maybe the Pats know something we don’t
(wouldn’t be the first time) but I would be surprised if he is still in the
league in five years. He seems like a special teams player. Boyce is meh, but
the Patriots have been pretty good with meh guys so who really knows? I don’t
like the patriots draft but the Patriots tend to do pretty well with these kind
of drafts, so I wouldn’t be surprised if some of these guys turn into great
players, especially Dobson and Collins.
Atlanta Falcons
Overall Grade: A-
Best Pick: CB Desmond
Trufant
Worst Pick: Mallicah
Goodman
1(22) FALCONS- CB
Desmond Trufant- A-
My Ideal Pick: CB
D.J. Hayden
2(28) Falcons- CB
Robert Alford- A-
My Ideal Pick: TE
Travis Kelce
4(30) Falcons- DE
Mallicah Goodman- B+
4(36) Falcons- TE
Levine Toilolo- A-
Summary: I’m
going to tangent here. Teams like the Patriots and Broncos are relying on
current talent to carry the team and yet the Falcons made it farther than
either of them and are still drafting based on needs. I expect the Falcons to
have a very good year, and yes better than the Broncos or the Patriots, due to
the little things like this. With that all being said, I liked the Falcons
draft. I guess Trufant was their guy because not only did the Falcons trade up
for him but they also passed Xavier Rhodes for him. I think Trufant was worse
than Rhodes, but there is not a huge discrepancy. Trufant should be able to
fill in the void left by Grimes. But, in case he doesn’t, the Falcons also
drafted Alford. A team can never have too many cornerbacks, so I can’t give the
Falcons a bad grade for drafting Alford. A tight end or even defensive end
would have been better here, but now that the secondary is solidified, the
Falcons can worry about other things. Goodman is an above average talent and
fills a need. He can learn from Osi, whom the Falcons just signed. Toilolo
wasn’t a steal, some may say a reach, but he fits the Falcons as well as any
tight end. Toilolo has the frame to be the next Tony Gonzalez and can probably
start filling the void next season. This is a fine pick, but I would have liked
Travis Kelce a round earlier. The Falcons focused on the secondary in this
draft and it should help put them in a winning position next year.
San Francisco 49ers
Overall Grade: B-
Best Pick: WR Quinton
Patton
Worst Pick: S Eric
Reed
1(18) 49ERS- S Eric
Reid- C
My Ideal Pick: TE
Zach Ertz
2(8) 49ERS- DE
Carradine Carradine- A-
My Ideal Pick: DE
Margus Hunt- SMU
2(23) 49ERS- TE Vance
McDonald- C
My Ideal Pick: DE
Datone Jones
3(26) 49ERS- LB Corey
Lemoiner- A-
My Ideal Pick: CB
Robert Alford
4(31) 49ers- WR
Quinton Patton- A
4(34) 49ers- RB
Marcus Lattimore- B-
Summary: I
expected better from the 49ers. Reid was a bit of a surprise since the 49ers
actually traded up for him and most experts saw him as an early day two
prospect. What makes this more surprising is that Matt Elam was available at
the 1(32) so it’s not like safety was of high need in the draft. Plus, Reid is
just alright. I would say he was a top 5 safety, maybe, this year. It does fill
a big need left by Dashon Goldson, but I don’t like the replacement much. Tank
Carradine is a good player and some would argue better than Hunt, who I mocked
to the 49ers. While he should have gone higher than Hunt, I’m not sure
Carradine is as good a fit for the 49ers. Hunt is big and aggressive, like
Justin Hunt. Carradine is a little smaller and probably doesn’t have the
natural strength that Hunt does. It’s a good pick, just not as good as Hunt
would have been. Vance McDonald, like Reid, is an average player who would have
probably been available had the 49ers just waited. And Travis Kelce or Jordan
Reed would have been better than McDonald. I like the pick of a tight end but
just not McDonald. Lemoiner offers depth to the 49ers linebackers and is a
solid pass rusher. While not the biggest need, I like the pick. Quinton Patten
is a fast receiver who may end up being the third wide receiver and making AJ
Jenkins one of the biggest busts in NFL history. Lattimore will probably
recover well from his surgery, but has a monster depth chart to fall into. Even
if the doctors cleared him, he wouldn’t get much playing time. I don’t get this
pick. There was so much depth- it just wasn’t worth it.
Baltimore Ravens-
Overall Grade: A-
Best Pick: S Matt
Elam
Worst Pick: DT
Brandon Williams
1(32) Ravens- S Matt
Elam- A-
My Ideal Pick: ILB
Kevin Minter
2(24) RAVENS- ILB
Arthur Brown- A-
My Ideal Pick: WR
Terrance Williams
3(32) Ravens- DT
Brandon Williams- B
My Ideal Pick: OT
Chris Faulk
4(32) Ravens- DE John
Simon- B
4(33) Ravens- FB John
Juszczyk- A-
Summary: For
having the last pick in the round, the Ravens did a great job. Replacing Ed
Reed and Ray Lewis is an impossible task, but Matt Elam and Arthur Brown are
two great guys to do it. Elam is a solid safety and will do well in Baltimore. I
give the Ravens an A- since inside linebacker was probably a bigger need and
someone like Te’o there would be better. I understand this pick and understand
not drafting Te’o, but I don’t like it as much. Brown carries baggage, like Te’o,
just not as much. He is a good fit for Baltimore and is one of the better
prospects to replace Ray Lewis. Brandon Williams is an average player for a
team that didn’t really need another defensive tackle. Simon falls under the
same trap as Williams does. Juszcyk was the best full back in the draft, which doesn’t
really mean anything anymore. Even if I had given Elam and Brown “A’s” I
probably would have given the Ravens an A- for failing to replace Anquan Boldin
for a team that was already thin at receiver. That being said, I liked the
Ravens draft.
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