AFC Draft Grades

The Patriots got away from their usual draft philosophy in Foxboro
which is trading back to stockpile picks for the future. Some of that
can be attributed to the new Collective Bargaining Agreement in The
National Football League where teams don’t have to sell the farm anymore
to sign first-round draft picks. The Pats traded up in the first round
to acquire Donta Hightower and defensive end Chandler Jones from
Syracuse University. Patriots head coach Bill Belichick loves versatile
defenders and Jones has that potential. With Hightower, New England
should be able to go back to playing more of a 3-4 scheme with Hightower
roaming the middle with Jerod Mayo. In the seventh round, The Patriots
tabbed wide receiver Jeremy Ebert out of Northwestern University who is a
Wes Welker clone.

New York Jets
Grade: B
Best Pick: Terrance Ganaway-Running Back-Baylor

Jets head coach Rex Ryan wants to get back to the “ground and pound”
running game that was successful in his first two seasons with the
team. The Jets drafted defensive end Quinton Coples in the first round
who has potential to be a great player, but it will be up to him to play
consistently. In the second round they tabbed wide receiver Stephen
Hill from Georgia Tech. Hill is accustomed to not catching the ball that
much as he was in an option system with The Yellow Jackets. The Jets
draft was littered with players to fill need positions including running
back Terrance Ganaway. Ganaway had over 1,500 rushing last season for
The Baylor Bears including two-200 yard rushing performances. At 6’0″
240 lbs., Ganaway is the power back that The Jets need as Ryan and Jets
general manager Mike Tannenbaum may have found a diamond in the rough.

Buffalo Bills
Grade: B
Best Pick: Cordy Glenn-Guard-Georgia

It seems that every year The Bills select either a running back or a
defensive back in the first round and that was the same formula this
year. I expected Buffalo to go for an offensive lineman in round one by
going after either Riley Reiff or David DeCastro. The Bills instead took
cornerback Stephon Gilmore from South Carolina. Buffalo was fortunate
to get a good offensive lineman in the second round as they drafted
Cordy Glenn. Glenn is a versatile offensive lineman that can play either
tackle or guard as he will be charged with protecting quarterback Ryan
Fitzpatrick.

Miami Dolphins
Grade: C
Best Pick: Johnathan Martin-Offensive Tackle-Stanford

I expected The Dolphins to draft quarterback Ryan Tannehill in the
first round. I think that Tannehill was a reach as the eighth overall
pick, but The Dolphins are desperate for a signal caller. Tannehill will
be behind a good offensive line in South Florida. Miami drafted
offensive tackle Johnathan Martin in the second round. Martin played
left tackle in college, but will move to the right side as Jake Long is
entrenched on the left side. I expect Miami to be picking in the top ten
on next year’s draft as well.

Baltimore Ravens
Grade: A
Best Pick: Courtney Upshaw-Outside Linebacker-Alabama

If anyone is curious to see how a draft should be conducted, just
watch how The Ravens do things under general manager Ozzie Newsome. The
rich just got richer in Baltimore. The Ravens traded out of the first
round and still got the player that they wanted in the second round. The
Ravens pegged Courtney Upshaw in the second round as a versatile
outside linebacker/defensive end. Baltimore went this route a few years
ago with Sergio Kindle and unfortunately an off-the-field accident has
put his career in neutral. Upshaw played in a 3-4 system at Alabama so
the learning curve won’t be as steep. In the third round, Baltimore
drafted running back Bernard Pierce from Temple. Pierce was a work horse
in college and will now become a nice compliment to running back Ray
Rice. This weekend in April is why The Ravens consistently play deep
into the playoffs.

Pittsburgh Steelers
Grade: B
Best Pick: David DeCastro-Guard-Stanford

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin felt that the team got away from
their identity last season which was running the football. The Steelers
also have to do a better job of protecting quarterback Ben
Roethlisberger. Pittsburgh used their first three picks on offensive
lineman. Guard David DeCastro fell to them at pick number 24 in the
first round which was an early Christmas pick. DeCastro is a mauler and
he fits that mold of a Steeler offensive linemen. Pittsburgh struck gold
in the first round two years ago when they selected center Maurkice
Pouncey. Pouncey came in immediately and helped The Steelers reach The
Super Bowl. Next season The Steelers will once again get off of the bus
running the football and they should once again be a contender in The
American Football Conference.

Cincinnati Bengals
Grade: A
Best Pick: Mohamed Sanu-Wide Receiver-Rutgers

Don’t look now but The Bengals are getting it together. Cincy went
10-6 last season and made the playoffs when they were expected to only
win four games. All of a sudden The Bengals are a young, deep team that
is a legitimate threat in The AFC. With the exception of their first
round pick cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick, The Bengals did not have a need
pick in the draft. The Bengals drafted defensive tackle Devon Still in
the second round. Still can be brought in on certain packages which can
help him get adjusted to The NFL.. Wide receiver Mohamed Sanu was the
victim of a cruel joke Thursday when someone called him informing him
that Cincinnati was selecting him in the first round only to find out
that it was a hoax. Sanu was available in the third round and The
Bengals tabbed the physical receiver from Rutgers to partner with wide
receiver A.J. Green. Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis knows that the road
to a division title in The AFC North goes through Baltimore and
Pittsburgh and The Bengals just closed the gap.

Cleveland Browns
Grade: C-
Best Pick: Trent Richardson-Running Back-Alabama

I am very disappointed in The Cleveland Browns. The Browns were in
the position to come out smelling like a rose and they did not pull it
off. The Browns swapped picks with The Minnesota Vikings to move up to
the third spot in the first round to take running back Trent Richardson.
Cleveland then selected quarterback Brandon Weeden with the 22nd pick
in round one. Cleveland could have had him in the second round and gone
after tight end Coby Fleener in the first round. The Browns did not do a
good job of going after impact players which makes 4-12 a harsh reality
in 2012.

Houston Texans
Grade: B
Best Pick: Whitney Mercilus-Outisde Linebacker-Illinois

The Houston Texans entered The NFL Draft with several holes and they
appear to have filled them. After losing defensive end Mario Williams
to free agency, Houston drafted outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus in
the first round. All Mercilus did last year was lead the nation in sacks
with 16. Mercilus joins a defensive unit in Houston that is relentless
with players such as J.J. Watt and Brian Cushing. The Texans pegged
defensive tackle Jared Crick in the fourth round from The University of
Nebraska. Last fall, Crick was projected to go in the first round, but
injuries shortened his 2011 campaign. In the sixth round, The Texans
selected offensive tackle Mike Mondek from Purdue who will be expected
to take the place of the departed Eric Winston. The Texans will be out
to show everyone that last season’s trip to the playoffs was not a
fluke.

Tennessee Titans
Grade: B-
Best Pick: Mike Martin-Defensive Tackle-Michigan

I expected The Titans to take defensive end Nick Perry in the first
round as they lack a dominant edge rusher. Instead they opted for wide
receiver Kendall Wright. The Titans did good in the third round as they
drafted Mike Martin. Martin is a tough interior lineman that fits that
mold of Titans head coach Mike Munchak.

Jacksonville Jaguars
Grade: C-
Best Pick: Justin Blackmon-Wide Receiver-Oklahoma State

There is no way that I can give The Jaguars a high grade when they
took a punter in the third round. The Jags traded up two spots in the
first round to get wide receiver Justin Blackmon, giving quarterback
Blaine Gabbert a target on the outside, but after that the draft was
pretty pedestrian like in Jacksonville.

Indianapolis Colts
Grade: B+
Best Pick: Andrew Luck-Quarterback-Stanford

Everyone knew that The Colts were going to take Andrew Luck with the
first overall selection. Luck is the new franchise quarterback in Indy,
but he will only be good if a team is placed around him and the process
has started. In his first draft as Colts general manager, Ryan Grigson
selected two tight ends for Luck to throw to. In the second round,
Luck’s college teammate Coby Fleener was picked while Dwayne Allen went
in the third round. Both tight ends had the potential to go in the first
round, but they fell to Indy in consecutive rounds. It will be a long
road back to the top for The Colts, but the roster is already better
than it was last week.

Denver Broncos
Grade: B-
Best Pick: Ronnie Hillman-Running Back-San Diego State

The Broncos took a page from The New England Patriots as they kept
trading until they found themselves out of round one. The Broncos had to
address the defensive tackle position and they did that in the second
round by selecting Derek Wolfe from The University of Cincinnati. Ronnie
Hillman was taken in the third round and he will be a change of pace
back to Willis McGahee and Knowshown Moreno.

Oakland Raiders
Grade: C
Best Picks: Juron Criner-Wide Receiver-Arizona

It was tough for The Raiders to have had a successful draft as they
lacked draft picks, but new general manager Reggie McKenzie found a way
to find some impact players. The Raiders did not pick until the
compensatory process in the third round where they found offensive
tackle Tony Bergstrom from Utah. Wide receiver Juron Criner was taken in
the fifth round and will be able to help quarterback Carson Palmer move
the chains on third down.

Kansas City Chiefs
Grade: B
Best Pick: Dontari Poe-Defensive Tackle-Memphis

The best way to run the football against The Kansas City Chiefs in
2012 is not to. The Chiefs selected nose tackle Dontari Poe in the first
round. At 6’3″ 346 lbs., Poe will team with Glenn Dorsey, Tyson
Jackson, and Jerrell Powe up front to form a tough wall to penetrate.
The Chiefs made out well with their selection in the seventh round of
wide receiver Junior Hemingway. Hemingway played in a fast-break offense
at The University of Michigan. Hemingway knows how to get open and he
will be a nice target for quarterback Matt Cassel.

San Diego Chargers
Grade B+
Best Pick: Melvin Ingram-Outside Linebacker-South Carolina

The one team that has prevented The Chargers from winning a Super
Bowl has been The Chargers. Chargers general manager A.J. Smith went to
work at The NFL Draft and came away with some good football players. In
the first round, San Diego tabbed outside linebacker Melvin Ingram. I
expected The Chargers to take Whitney Mercilus, but when The Jets took
Quinton Coples and Ingram slipped down past them and The Arizona
Cardinals, Ingram was too good to pass on as a pass rusher. In the
second round, The Chargers took defensive tackle Kendall Reyes from
UCONN. Reyes is a playmaker on the defensive line and he can come in
immediately and start. Coming into the draft, I knew that it was
imperative for The Chargers to upgrade the defense in a division with
quarterbacks Carson Palmer (Raiders) and Peyton Manning (Broncos) and
they did. San Diego made out pretty good in the seventh round as well
taking University of Michigan center David Molk. With Nick Hardwick at
center for The Chargers, Molk can see some playing time at center.