Straight A’s

Every year after the draft, everyone does some type of draft review, usually consisting of a composite grade of some kind for each team in the league. As many of you know, a draft review was recently posted at EZFootballFutures, and our grading system resulted in a team "GPA". One of the most common questions I get following the posting of the review each year is, "Which selections did you give an "A" grade to?"
This year I have decided to answer that question in this article. I will list and talk briefly about each of the 34 selections earned an "Excellent" rating in the draft review.

 
Round 1
Pick 2 (2)     Detroit Lions select Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska
Suh has the potential to become a hall-of-famer up front. The Lions needed a guy like this badly.
Pick 5 (5)     Kansas City Chiefs select Eric Berry, S, Tennessee
This guy has the potential to be the best player from this class period, and he can change a secondary. KC needed their secondary changed.
Pick 6 (6) – Seattle Seahawks select Russell Okung, T, Oklahoma State
Patients pays off for the Hawks as they were able to land the top LT in this class. With Walter Jones retired, this is a great fill for Seattle.
Pick 14 (14) – Seattle Seahawks select Earl Thomas, S, Texas
Thomas is flexible enough to play safety or corner in the league. Seattle needed a playmaker in their secondary like this.
Pick 16 (16) – Tennessee Titans select Derrick Morgan, DE, Georgia Tech
Getting the most polished pass rushing end in the draft in the middle of the first round, after losing your best pass rushing end in free agency earns you an "A" in my book.
Pick 17 (17) – San Francisco 49ers select Mike Iupati, G, Idaho
Iupati has all the makings of a long term "Larry Allen" type player. The Niners need that consistency to compete in the totally remade NFC West.
Pick 23 (23) – Green Bay Packers select Bryan Bulaga, T, Iowa
Being able to grab a top 10 talent at one of the most important positions on the field in the 20s was a steal for Green Bay.
Pick 24 (24) – Dallas Cowboys select Dez Bryant, WR, Oklahoma State
Dallas made the right move here and traded to grab Bryant. He is playmaker, and gives that offense something they needed badly opposite Miles Austin.
Pick 26 (26) – Arizona Cardinals select Dan Williams, DT, Tennessee
Williams was the best true NT in the draft. His addition late in round 1 give the Cards a young front with the potential to dominate for a long time.
Pick 31 (31) – Indianapolis Colts select Jerry Hughes, LB, TCU
This is what happens when the right player falls to the right team. Hughes in this system has Rookie-of-the-Year written all over it.

 
Round 2
Pick 11 (43) – Baltimore Ravens select Sergio Kindle, LB, Texas
Every year first round talents fall into later rounds. Kindle shouldn't have. He will be awesome playing opposite Terrell Suggs.
Pick 15 (47) – Arizona Cardinals select Daryl Washington, LB, TCU
This kid was an under the radar type through much of the pre-draft activities. He will quickly make the Cards forget the loss of Dansby through free agency.
Pick 17 (49) – San Francisco 49ers select Taylor Mays, S, USC
Another situation of the right player in the right system. Singletary will get the most out of Mays, and that could make for a scary situation for receivers who have to play the Niners.
Pick 32 (64) – New Orleans Saints select Charles Brown, T, USC
The Saints do not have a whole lot of needs, so their being able to nab a borderline first round talent at the back end of the second round is a steal for this team.

 
Round 3
Pick 5 (68) – Kansas City Chiefs select Jon Asamoah, G, Illinios
Jon Asamoah has the type of attitude you want from your o-linemen. He is mean an nasty during games, and loves to finish his blocks. For a KC team with needs up front, he will be a welcome addition.
Pick 22 (85) – Cleveland Browns select Colt McCoy, QB, Texas
In my mocks, I projected McCoy to the Browns… only a full round earlier. For them to grab a guy with franchise potential in the back end of the third could be huge for this team.
Pick 25 (88) – Arizona Cardinals select Andre Roberts, WR, Citadel
Of all of the receivers in this class, Andre Roberts may have the biggest upside. He is a raw talent, but given the right system and teachers, and he could develop into a superstar. Learning from Larry Fitzgerald won't be too bad for his future either.
Pick 28 (91) – San Francisco 49ers select Navarro Bowman, LB, Penn State
When I wrote up my mocks, linebacker was one area where I felt the Niners needed to address. Adding Bowman at the end of the third is a total steal. He has first round physical talent. Only his attitude and maturity kept him from being a first round pick. Singletary won't put up with any garbage from this kid. Great match.

 
Round 4
Pick 2 (100) – Minnesota Vikings select Everson Griffen, DE, USC
Talk about a draft day plummet. Everson Griffen should have gone in the first round, but his interview turned some teams off. Getting him early in round four is real value for Minnesota.
Pick 3 (101) – Tampa Bay Buccaneers select Mike Williams, WR, Syracuse
In my opinion, Mike Williams was one of the most underrated players in this entire draft. He was a dominant force in the Big East, almost uncoverable at times. He can be an immediate impact player for the Bucs, especially across from fellow draftee Arrelious Benn.
Pick 8 (106) – Oakland Raiders select Bruce Campbell, T, Maryland
As many of my readers will recall, only 2 or so Mocks ago, I projected the Raiders picking Bruce Campbell because of his freakish athleticism. Well, I was right, but only 4 rounds too early in my projection. Campbell was not first round worthy, but he was worth a second round pick, so for the Raiders to get this super athlete in the fourth round was a nice choice.
Pick 11 (109) – Chicago Bears select Corey Wooton, DE, Northwestern
This kid is one of the guys who I think we should keep our eyes on. He has the talent and drive to become one of the better pass rusher in the game, and that is why I gave him a second round grade. I really believe if this kid played at a better program, he could have had first round hype. For the Bears to grab him, without either a first or second round pick, is getting real value.
Pick 15 (113) – New England Patriots select Aaron Hernandez, TE, Florida
This is another example of the right player going to the right system. I know Hernandez took a hit over a failed drug test, but I also know that the Pats would have done their due diligence, and if there were questions, they wouldn't have made this choice. Hernandez is perfect for the TE role in NE, so this pick gets an "A" in my book.
Pick 26 (124) – Carolina Panthers select Eric Norwood, LB, South Carolina
At this time last year, I had pegged Eric Norwood as a Hot Stock, and a real legit first round talent. He didn't have the best year, and sort of fell off the radar a little. Like Mays, he is still a great talent, and for the Panthers to have spend a fourth round pick on him is an awesome addition for the Panthers.
Pick 32 (130) – Arizona Cardinals select O'Brien Schofield, LB, Wisconsin
Schofield is the poster boy for why you should not play in post season all star games. When the season came to a close, this Badger was a borderline first round talent. Then he got hurt at the Senior Bowl, and his stock dropped. For the Cards to add this kid in the fourth is as good a choice as any made over the weekend.

 
Round 5
Pick 3 (134) – Philadelphia Eagles select Ricky Sapp, DE, Clemson
After watching Clemson play twice this year I came away thinking two things. Spiller and Sapp will make some NFL teams very happy. Oh, and Dabo Swinney is one of the most underrated coaches in the game. Bottom line is Ricky Sapp is a stud, and the Eagles made a wonderful choice grabbing this second round talent in the fifth.
Pick 4 (135) – Atlanta Falcons select Dominique Franks, CB, Oklahoma
I talked about this quite a bit in the draft review, but I was real surprised about the fall of two corners in particular. Perrish Cox who we will talk about next, and Dominique Franks. Franks was a quality corner for the Sooner program, and now he will be a quality corner for the Falcons. I really like what this kid brings to the table, and there is no question in my mind that Atlanta gets a great bargain here in the fifth.
Pick 6 (137) – Denver Broncos select Perrish Cox, CB, Oklahoma State
I know I bashed the Broncos for their draft, but this was a stellar selection for the team. Perrish Cox was a superb grab for this team. This kid can press, and he can cover. It will remain to be seen how he adapts to covering NFL receivers, but with the future hall-of-famer, Champ Bailey, there to provide guidance, he should be just fine.
Pick 26 (157) – Baltimore Ravens select Arthur Jones, DT, Syracuse
So the story with Arthur Jones is inconsistency. That is why he was available for Baltimore late in the fifth round. But here is another truth about Arthur Jones. When he is focused, he is close to unblockable. With DTs like Jones and Cody, this team is set up front for the next decade (or until Cody eats his way out of the league).

 
Round 6
Pick 16 (185) – Seattle Seahawks select Anthony McCoy, TE, USC
After the draft, Pete Carroll said that McCoy was the steal of the draft, and he could be spot on. McCoy has the type of makeup that can make him quite difficult for opposing defenses to deal with. He can be a good in-line blocker on one play, matching up to drop a blitzing linebacker, while on the next play braking off to catch a 20 yard hitch down the center of the field in front of an over matched safety.
Pick 22 (191) – Cincinnati Bengals select Dezmon Briscoe, WR, Kansas
Every so often there are receivers who are taken in the sixth round that emerge to become NFL playmakers. Dezmon Briscoe can become the next pass catcher in that line. He has all of the skills necessary to create match-up problems for opposing defenses. Carson Palmer needed targets other than Ochocinco to throw to. Now he has Gresham and Briscoe.
Pick 38 (207) – Tennessee Titans select Myron Rolle, S, Florida State
I know a lot of folks are down on Rolle because of a weak combine performance. I have heard all about his stiff hips and lack of interceptions at FSU as reason for concern. One of the things you can never have enough of is smart football players. Myron Rolle may be the smartest player to have ever been drafted into the NFL. I think this guy will bring an intelligence to the Titan secondary that will make everyone on that defense better.

 
Round 7
Pick 19 (226) – St Louis Rams select George Selvie, DE, South Florida
Even a week later, I really can't understand how a guy once projected as a first round pick fell all the way into the seventh round. Selvie will likely switch to playing an OLB spot for the Rams defense, and that is OK. He has a natural talent for getting after the opposing QB, and the Rams got a tremendous player in the seventh round.
Pick 24 (231) – Washington Redskins select Selvish Capers, T, West Virginia
It is not the norm to see seventh round picks even make the team, let alone grow into difference makers. I think the Skins got a guy in Capers who will not only make the team, but could become a real player on this o-line. Considering that 230 guys were wanted more than him, I think the Skins will have gotten just what they wanted here at 231.