2013 NFC South Draft Grades

The Atlanta Falcons finally got over the hump of winning a playoff game last season, but they know that the time to win The Super Bowl is right now. Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff knew that his team had to get younger in the secondary and he addressed that in the first round by selecting University of Washington cornerback Desmond Trufant. Dimitroff followed this up by selecting another cornerback in the second round as he selected Robert Alford from Southeast Louisiana.

Dimitroff signed former New York Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora to bolster the pass rush, but he still drafted two defensive ends in Malliciah Goodman from Clemson University and Stansly Maponga from TCU. In the seventh round Dimitroff was able to nab University of Notre Dame safety Zeke Motta. Motta’s 2012 season was hampered by injuries, but he should be able to rise to the occasion and contribute for Falcons head coach Mike Smith on special teams.

The Falcons fourth round pick was used on Stanford University tight end Levine Toilolo. Dimitroff was able to talk Pro Bowl tight end Tony Gonzalez back for another year, but it is time to groom his replacement. Toilolo’s presence will also allow Smith to use more two tight end packages on offense.

The Falcons have proven that they can win The NFC South and make the playoffs consistently; now it is all about making The Super Bowl.

New Orleans Saints

Overall Grade: C+

Best Pick: Round 3-John Jenkins-Defensive Tackle-Georgia

New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton is switching up his defense as he brought in Rob Ryan to be his new defensive coordinator and thus he is switching from the 4-3 to the 3-4 defense, but he failed to draft an outside linebacker. University of Georgia outside linebacker Jarvis Jones was sitting there for The Saints at the 15th overall selection of the first round, but Payton and Saints general manager Mickey Loomis instead opted for University of Texas safety Kenny Vaccaro when the team already has depth at the safety position with Malcolm Jenkins and Roman Harper.

The Saints made out better in the middle rounds. By selecting University of Georgia defensive tackle John Jenkins in the third round, The Saints now have a nose tackle that can consistently take on double teams which is important to free up the linebackers to make plays in Ryan’s defensive scheme. Loomis took University of Oklahoma wide receiver Kenny Stills in the fifth round who will quickly become a favorite of Saints quarterback Drew Brees as he will find soft spots in the opposing defense; especially on third down.

The Saints missed a golden opportunity to move back into the upper echelon of teams in The NFC with this draft.

Carolina Panthers

Overall Grade: B

Best Pick: Round 1-Star Lotulelei-Defensive Tackle-Utah

Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera missed another chance to upgrade the wide receiver core around quarterback Cam Newton. Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith is 33-years of age and it is long overdue for Newton to have another play-maker at the wide receiver position. Rivera did add some beef up front on the defensive line in the form of University of Utah defensive tackle Star Lotulelei who saw his stock fall before The NFL Draft due to health concerns about his heart.

In the sixth round The Panthers drafted University of Oregon running back Kenjon Barner who is a speedster out of the backfield, but until The Panthers give Newton another legitimate threat at wide receiver, there is only so much growth that this team will have.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Overall Grade: B

Best Pick: Round 4-William Gholston-Defensive End-Michigan State

For Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Greg Schiano he entered The NFL Draft without a first round pick, but he still came away with a good draft.  The Bucs traded their first round pick to The New York Jets to acquire cornerback Darrelle Revis which itself will bolster the secondary in Tampa. Tampa’s second round pick was used on Mississippi State University cornerback Johnathan Banks as you cannot have enough defensive backs in The NFC South to compete with The Saints and Falcons.

Buccaneers quarterback Josh Freeman is entering the last year of his contract. Schiano is not attached to the hip with Freeman because he didn’t draft him and thus sought some insurance by drafting North Carolina State University quarterback Sean Glennon in the third round. The Bucs added depth on their defensive line in the fourth round as they brought in two players from The Big Ten Conference by selecting University of Illinois defensive tackle Akeem Spence and Michigan State University defensive end William Gholston.

Under Schiano this Buccaneer team isn’t that far away from contending for a playoff spot in The NFC.