2013 AFC East Draft Grades

New England Patriots

The Patriots traded out of the first round which allowed The Minnesota Vikings to take University of Tennessee wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson with the 29th overall pick. The Patriots selected Marshall University wide receiver Aaron Dobson in the second round and TCU wide receiver Josh Boyce in the fourth round, but I don’t see either player being impact players for New England. The Patriots added depth on the defensive line, but they still haven’t filled the void of wide receiver Wes Welker who signed with The Denver Broncos.

Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins moved up nine spots in the first round to take University of Oregon pass rusher Dion Jordan. The beauty of it was that Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland swapped first round picks with The Oakland Raiders and only had to give up a second round pick to move up to select Jordan. Jordan will be opposite of outside linebacker Cameron Wake in The Dolphins 3-4 defensive scheme.

Outside linebacker Jelani Jenkins will push Jordan for reps. Jenkins was a defensive standout at The University of Florida under head coach Will Muschamp who is a former Dolphins defensive coordinator.

New York Jets

I was not blown away by the draft process by The New York Jets. After trading cornerback Darrelle Revis to The Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week, Gang Green was holding two first round draft picks. I expected Jets general manager John Idzik to trade down to attain more picks, but The Jets held serve and took University of Alabama cornerback Dee Milliner with the ninth overall pick and University of Missouri defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson with the 13th overall pick. The Jets needed to trade the ninth overall pick and Milliner would have still been on the board at pick number 13.

The Jets then proceeded to select West Virginia University quarterback Geno Smith in the second round. The Jets now have six quarterbacks on the roster. The Jets are now exploring the option of releasing current starting quarterback Mark Sanchez which could cost them over $8 million dollars. The Jets drafted Smith, but just like Sanchez, The Jets front office failed to put play-makers around him offensively. Idzik is attempting to build for the future, but Jets head coach Rex Ryan needs to win now in order to save his job.

Buffalo Bills

Overall Grade: B-

Buffalo Bills general manager Buddy Nix blew a golden opportunity. The Bills came into The National Football League Draft owners of the eighth overall pick, but they traded with The St. Louis Rams and moved down to the 16th overall pick. The Bills selected Florida State University quarterback E.J. Manuel with the pick. The Bills could’ve gotten Manuel in the second if not third round. Nix did address The Bills need at wide receiver by taking University of Southern California wide receiver Robert Woods in the second round, but he missed out on a chance select a pair of University of Georgia linebackers Jarvis Jones or Alec Ogletree in the first round. It won’t be long before The Bills are once again looking for another quarterback.