With teams 16-20, we have teams who made some real good pick-ups. In most cases, these teams made one or two picks though, that held them back from finishing with an elite grade. Lets see who they are...
#20 - Jacksonville Jaguars DPA:2.38 NFL.com Avg:70.70 NFL.com Rank:12
Highest Rated Picks: Rd 1 Pk 5 - Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State
Lowest Rated Picks: Rd 3 Pk 7 - Bryan Anger, P, California
What is the value of a single pick? In the case of the Jags, it is the difference of about 10 spots on my grade sheet. Early in the draft, the Jags set the tone, and traded up ahead of the Rams and grabbed the most elite wideout on the board in Justin Blackmon. He has all the makings of something special, and I loved their guts to go get their guy. Andre Branch in the second and Mike Brown in the 6th were two more picks that I really like for this ball club. They are both guys who fill immediate needs, and can make Jacksonville better. Now someone please explain to me, why on earth any team would ever select a punter in the third round. I am not really an advocate of selecting punters at all. You can grab a quality punter in free agency. But, worse than even picking a punter is spending a third round pick on one. This stands out as the worst selection in the whole draft in my mind.
#19 - Baltimore Ravens DPA:2.41 NFL.com Avg:67.39 NFL.com Rank:22
Highest Rated Picks: Rd 2 Pk 3 - Courtney Upshaw, OLB, Alabama
Lowest Rated Picks: Rd 4 Pk 3 - Gino Gradkowski, G, Delaware
If you have some teams rated lower than the experts, that it stands to reason that you will have some teams rated higher too. The Ravens are one of those teams. Overall I really liked what Baltimore did to continue to build one of the best teams in football. Trading down out of the first round and still grabbing the top OLB on my board earns them mega props. Upshaw is exactly the kind of linebacker who will thrive in their system. His battery of mentors won't hurt either. They also added some other quality players including Kelechi Osmele, Asa Jackson, and Tommy Streeter. Each of those guys can add to this team right out of the gate.
The only real knock against the team would have been for wasting their 4th round pick on Gradkowski. He was on my board as a 6th round talent. Ozzie Newsome is not know for reaching though, so maybe there is more than meets my eyes to this kid.
#18 - Carolina Panthers DPA:2.41 NFL.com Avg:70.06 NFL.com Rank:14
Highest Rated Picks: Rd 1 Pk 9 - Luke Kuechly, LB, Boston College
Lowest Rated Picks: Rd 4 Pk 8 - Frank Alexander, DE, Oklahoma
Early in the draft, the Panther showed patients and maturity, staying put, and drafting the highest rated player still remaining in Luke Kuechly. I love this kid, and think he will be awesome for a long time. Along with Beason and Conner, the Panthers have a very fast, excellent tackling linebacking corp. They also did a good job in adding guys like Amini Silatolu, Josh Norman, and Joe Adams.
Unfortunately for Carolina, they also failed to address the very large hole in the center of their defensive line, and I fear that will come back to haunt them. Guys like Worthy, Still and Reyes were all still available in the second when they picked, and I fear passing on them was too costly. Frank Alexander in the 4th was a reach. They guy had a 6th round grade in my book, and there were other options who could have been considerably better fits.
#17 - Kansas City Chiefs DPA:2.41 NFL.com Avg:75.24 NFL.com Rank:3
Highest Rated Picks: Rd 5 Pk 11 - DeQuan Menzie, CB, Alabama
Rd 6 Pk 12 - Cyrus Gray, RB, TAMU
Lowest Rated Picks: Rd 1 Pk 11 - Dontari Poe, DT, Memphis
Like the Pats and the Rams, I am much lower on the Cheifs draft that a lot of the experts. I felt like the team simply gambled too much. Since the combine, Dontari Poe has seen his stock skyrocket. Unfortunately, when you watch tape on this kid, he simply doesn't back those freakish numbers up with his play. Since football is about play on the field, that doesn't bode well for the Cheifs. I think the team would have been better served to trade down if they wanted Poe, and they could have gotten much better value for him later. Jeff Allen and Donald Stevenson are both solid football players, but both were slight reaches where they were chosen. Reaching three times in three rounds is not a good recipe.
The picks of Menzie and Gray in rounds 5 and 6 however, I saw as value picks. Menzie was overshadowed on that Alabama defense, but play after play, game after game, he held his own against some of the best competition anywhere in the nation. Gray is an upside play at a position of strength for the organization. You have to like that in the 6th round of a draft.
#16 - Houston Texans DPA:2.43 NFL.com Avg:71.71 NFL.com Rank:10
Highest Rated Picks: Rd 4 Pk 31 - Jared Crick, DE, Nebraska
Lowest Rated Picks: Rd 3 Pk 5 - DeVier Posey, WR, Ohio State
I think what bothered me the most about the Texans draft is how much stock they put in a guy who I think is an overrated reach. DeVier Posey is not nearly as good as he thinks he is, and I am sorry but the Texans needed to do more to grab a serious alternative to take some of the focus off of Jacoby Jones. This is another team on the cusp of being real Super Bowl contenders, and to not address their most glaring need effectively is a shame. It should be noted that I am not as high on their other wideout selection, Keshawn Martin either. I think his former teammate BJ Cunningham, who went two rounds later was far superior.
I did really like the Jared Crick selection for this club. This is a guy who had first round talent, but slid because of missing time due to an injury. Adding him to a defensive front that already features JJ Watt and Brooks Reed, will make the rest of the AFC South more nervous, as it should. Props also to be given out for the picks of both Brandon Brooks and Ben Jones, who I expect to both make impacts in front of Matt Schaub next year, and for years to come.
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