2007 NFL Draft Grades - AFC Teams
posted in Baltimore Ravens, Tennessee Titans, Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers, Grades, Indianapolis Colts, San Diego Chargers, New York Jets, Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, 2007 NFL Draft, Denver Broncos, Rankings, Houston Texans, Cleveland Browns, NFL |The AFC Grades are in:
Baltimore Ravens - The Ravens are usually one of the best drafting teams and again had a good draft, despite reaching in Round 2. Ben Grubbs was a solid pick in Round 1, but the player they really wanted, Joe Staley, was snatched directly in front of them. In Round 3, Yamon Figurs was a huge reach, based too much on the impact of Devin Hester last season. Figurs is only going to be able to contribute in the return game. The second Round 3 pick was strong with another versatile lineman in Marshall Yanda. Antwan Barnes will be used perfectly to rush the passer by the Ravens and could reach double digit sacks as a rookie if given playing time. Le’Ron McClain will likely start at FB and Prescott Burgess, despite a lack of speed, was a reasonable pick in the 6th round. Grade: B
Buffalo Bills - After seeing Patrick Willis snatched directly ahead of them, the Bills solved their running back problems with Marshawn Lynch, but surprisingly also selected Dwayne Wright in the 4th round. They made the correct move in trading up for Paul Posluszny in the 2nd. Posluszny can play either MLB or OLB and will be a Day One starter. Adding Trent Edwards was an interesting move for a team that already has J.P. Losman, but it was a reasonable pick in Round 3. The Bills did well at the end of the draft with John Wendling, Derek Schouman, and C.J. Ah You, 3 players who all should make the team. Interestingly enough for a team that needs CB help, they did not draft a single player at that position. Grade: C
Cincinnati Bengals - The Bengals were lucky enough to have one of the best values in Round 1 fall to them when Leon Hall made it to pick 18. Hall is not only a fine technician who should immediately start across from Jonathan Joseph, but he is a great character player that the Bengals could use. Kenny Irons was a bit perplexing in Round 2, as it appears the Bengals have tired of former 1st round pick Chris Perry. Marvin White could be a player and the Bengals need a future replacement for Dexter Jackson. The Bengals must be content with the linebacker position as they did not add draft any OLBs. Despite a terrific selection in Round 1, the Bengals only had an average draft. Grade: C
Cleveland Browns - The Browns are coming away as the big winner on most boards because of the addition of a franchise LT in Joe Thomas and a potential star in QB Brady Quinn. The cost for moving up to acquire Quinn was high, as the Browns sacrificed their 2008 first round pick in the trade up. The Browns need to see instant improvement in 2007 to make the trade worth it. If they land a top 3 pick again next year, they will have made a huge mistake. They made a good selection with CB Eric Wright at 53 overall, who was a first round talent that fell on character concerns. The rest of the draft was relatively tame, but Thomas and Quinn could potentially make the Browns big winners. Grade: A-
Denver Broncos - The Broncos may have made an unnecessary move up, but they coveted DE Jarvis Moss, who may only see the field as a pass rushing specialist as a rookie. DE Tim Crowder was an excellent pick at 56th overall, as was OT Ryan Harris, a prototypical zone blocking tackle, at 70. The Broncos moved up again to acquire DT Marcus Thomas, who could potentially be the best DT in the draft if he can alleviate any concerns about his off the field issues. On a talent basis, the Broncos had one of the strongest drafts, however off the field concerns and the price they had to pay for trading up twice downgrades their grade slightly. Grade: B-
Houston Texans - The Texans passed on the top CBs on the board in order to select one a strong value in Amobi Okoye. Okoye and Mario Williams could provide a long term difference on the defensive line. Jacoby Jones was selected to give Matt Schaub another target, but the raw player may not be ready to start at the beginning of the 07 season. There may have been better value at that pick. Fred Bennett was a solid pick at 123 and should see the field as a rookie. A pair of interesting offensive line prospects were added on Day 2, Virginia Tech OT Brandon Frye and OG Kasey Studdard of Texa. Studdard may be limited to just a back up role, but Frye could become a starter at some point. The high price the Texans paid for Matt Schaub has to be reflected in their grade. Grade: C-
Indianapolis Colts - As predicted, the Colts were in a tough spot in Round 1 with the potential Cover 2 linebackers off the board. Alan Branch would have made sense for them, but instead they go offense with WR Anthony Gonzalez who will play an important role as a slot receiver for Indianapolis. He really fits their system, though he may not have been the best value at 32. The Colts paid a high price - their 2008 1st round pick - in order to acquire OT Tony Ugoh, who does not fill a major need and will need development before being an NFL starter. Daymeion Hughes and Quinn Pitcock were good values in Round 3, and both could play in 2007. Hughes is an ideal fit for the Cover 2 system, and may compete with Kelvin Hayden and Tim Jennings for a starting job. The rest of the draft was not outstanding, though Michael Coe was a great pick in the 5th round. Grade: C-
Jacksonville Jaguars - The Jaguars made a very shrewd move in moving down with Denver and still acquiring the player they desired in S Reggie Nelson, who fits their system perfectly next to S Donovan Darius and will be an instant starter. They reached for LB Justin Durant in the 2nd round, but he has the ability to push Daryl Smith in 2007 and could eventually replace Mike Peterson at MLB. As predicted, they added Adam Podlesh who was a reasonable pick in the 4th round, and should take the punting job. They did very well on Day 2 adding a number of potential starters including S Josh Gattis, who could be the eventual replacement for Darius. Grade: B
Kansas City Chiefs - After neglecting the WR position in the draft for several seasons, the Chiefs passed on a potential difference maker along the offensive line in Joe Staley to select Dwayne Bowe. Bowe was not a poor pick but there was depth at the position and they may have been able to wait to select a WR. They did well to improve their interior defensive line with Turk McBride, more of a pass rushing DT, and the run stuffer Tank Tyler. If both players put forth the proper effort and remain consistent, they could start in the 2007 season. Kansas City did well on Day 2, adding a backup for Larry Johnson in Kolby Smith, a new place kicker in Justin Medlock, and an interesting TE prospect in Michael Allen. OT Herbert Taylor may be too undersized for the Chiefs scheme and could be moved to guard. Grade: B
Miami Dolphins: To the shock of many, the Dolphins passed on potential franchise QB Brady Quinn to select WR Ted Ginn Jr. While Ginn should have an immediate impact in the return game, at pick #9, the player needs to be outstanding and among the faces of your franchise. The Dolphins took John Beck in Round 2, but we are not high on Beck’s potential as an NFL starter. Samson Satele is a good player, but was not much of a value in Round 2 and does not fulfill a major need. Lorenzo Booker is a good change of pace back and a good value in the 3rd round, but again, does not fulfill a need. Paul Soliali was a good selection in the fourth for the nose tackle position. The rest of the Dolphins draft was reaches, save 7th rounder Kelvin Smith. Grade: D-
New England Patriots - The Patriots got an ideal fit in S Brandon Meriweather in the 1st round and good value in trading down with San Francisco for the 2nd of their Round 1 picks. The Pats got a solid player in Kareem Brown in the 4th round and also used a 4th rounder to acquire WR Randy Moss, who could really help the team. The round 6 and 7 picks are not inspiring. It is interesting that the Patriots did not add any significant competition at the ILB or CB spot, save late round picks. Grade: B-
New York Jets - The Jets decided that this draft would be about quality over quantity and added two impressive defensive pieces in CB Darrelle Revis and ILB David Harris. Both players will start in the 2007 season. Revis is instantly the best CB on the team and the thought of David Harris next to Jonathan Vilma should worry AFC running backs. The Jets did very well in Round 6 to acquire developmental tackle prospect Jacob Bender and a good value in the 7th with WR Chansi Stuckey. The Jets got two very good players, and that can not be ignored, but they paid a high price in trades. Grade: B
Oakland Raiders - Oakland took their potential franchise QB in JaMarcus Russell and if given time to develop, he could be the leader of their franchise. Zach Miller is a good player, but 38 may have been too high for him. The Round 3 picks of Quinton Moses, Mario Henderson, and Johnnie Lee Higgins give the Raiders 3 potential starters, and they made a terrific value pick with Michael Bush at pick 100. The rest of the draft was a typical Al Davis draft of taking measurables guys, including a major reach for CB John Bowie, a track star, at pick 110. Grade: C+
Pittsburgh Steelers - The Steelers showed that they want players that can transition from the 3-4 to the 4-3 that Mike Tomlin will eventually employ. Lawrence Timmons may have been a slight reach at 15, but he is a good player and should start immediately. Lamar Woodley is one of our favorite players in the draft, but he probably would have been available after pick 46 and may have trouble transitioning to the 3-4 OLB spot. Matt Spaeth was our 4th ranked TE, but the way some of the other TEs fell, he could have been available much later. The Steelers did well to get a good punter in Daniel Sepulveda in Round 4 and another versatile defender, Ryan McBean, who projects as a 3-4 DE or a 4-3 DT. Dallas Baker was a good addition in the 7th round. Grade: C+
San Diego Chargers - The Chargers reached for WR Craig Davis in Round 1. There were better receivers, including Sidney Rice, Dwayne Jarrett, Anthony Gonzalez, and Steve Smith on the board. Eric Weddle is a solid player, but the price the Chargers paid to move up was high, and pick 37 was too high for Weddle. The rest of the Chargers draft was typically strong. They selected great depth and possibly future starters at ILB in Anthony Waters and Brandon Siler, added a TE project in Scott Chandler, and another WR project in Legedu Naanee. Still, the early round reaches really downgrades their draft grade. Grade: D
Tennessee Titans - Michael Griffin was an odd pick for the Titans in Round 1. They are deep at safety and Griffin was a reach at that pick. They had two huge needs at WR and CB, yet passed on Dwayne Bowe, Robert Meacham, Aaron Ross, and Chris Houston. The Titans added a 3 WRs in the draft, but none project as instant starters and were all reaches. Chris Henry was a huge reach in the 2nd round - he is a workout warrior who averaged 3.5 yards a carry at Arizona. Antonio Johnson was a good pick in the 5th round and the Titans did well late in the draft adding situational pass rusher Jacob Ford and a solid offensive tackle prospect in Mike Otto. Still, the Titans will be entering the season with glaring needs at CB and WR. Grade: D
