NFL Draft Roundup
(Team by Team Breakdown)
Team, 1st Round Pick, Notable Others, Grade
Arizona: Michael Floyd-WR, Jamell Fleming-CB, B-
Failed to address concerns in the linebackers or safeties, but did well adding Floyd as another weapon as well as shoring up the offensive line.
Atlanta: None, Peter Konz-C, Bradie Ewing-FB, C-
The lack of a 1st rounder left them with a very unremarkable draft. Konz will be a rock on the line for years, but nothing else stands out.
Baltimore: None, Courtney Upshaw-LB, Bernard Pierce-RB, B-
Upshaw could prove to be a beast and will look to start from day 1. The addition of Pierce provides good depth after Ray Rice, which is needed after the retirement of Ricky Williams.
Buffalo: Stephon Gilmore-CB, Cordy Glenn-OT, B
Gilmore will start day 1 and could energize a secondary lacking any star power. Cordy Glenn was a great pick in the 2nd round and will be a force on the line.
Carolina: Luke Kuechly-LB, Joe Adams-WR, C+
The Kuechly pick was slightly puzzling as they have a dearth of productive LBs already, not taking anything away from him though, if he gets the downs, he'll be a uber-productive LB in the NFL.
Chicago: Shea McLellin-DE, Alshon Jeffery-WR, C+
LOVE the McLellin pick, he's a high motor DE who can stand up as well and will look to become a building block of the next generation Bears defense. Jeffery could also be a steal, if he is willing to work.
Cincinnati: Dre Kirkpatrick-CB, Kevin Zeitler-OT, Devon Still-DT, A-
Their top 4 picks should all prove to be very successful and will look to start very soon. Kirkpatrick gives stability to the secondary and Still could wreak havoc in the interior.
Cleveland: Trent Richardson-RB, Brandon Weeden-QB, B
The Browns think they have two offensive cornerstones with their 2 first round picks. Richardson should be a workhorse even in season 1 and Weeden will be starting right away as the Colt McCoy era comes to an end.
Dallas: Morris Claiborne-CB, Tyrone Crawford-DE, C+
Trading up for Claiborne was a bold and good move. He instantly solidifies the secondary and could be elite within a few years. Other than that, nothing special.
Denver: None, Brock Osweiler-QB, Ronnie Hillman-RB, C+
Osweiler will be in the favorable position of being Peyton Manning's understudy for a few seasons, and it could pay off big time. Hillman adds more depth to a solid running back stable.
Detroit: Riley Reiff-OT, Ryan Broyles-WR, Ronnell Lewis-LB, B-
Reiff will be a cornerstone for years, and should help a porous o-line. Broyles is definitely the biggest boom-or-bust pick they made, and doesn't really make sense unless another WR is let go.
Green Bay: Nick Perry-DE, Jerel Worthy-DT, Casey Hayward-CB, B+
The Pack made defense a priority, and stuck to it. Of their 8 picks, 6 were defensive. Perry and Worthy could make instant impacts and will push for playing time immediately. Productive draft overall.
Houston: Whitney Mercilus-DE, DeVier Posey-WR, Jared Crick-DE, B+
Made sure to fill their gaps, and added two DEs who could be forces for years to come. Posey will most likely play #3 WR out of the gate, and makes Jacoby Jones expendable.
Indianapolis: Andrew Luck-QB, Coby Fleener-TE, T.Y. Hilton-WR, B+
The Luck era begins in Indianapolis and they made it a priority to give the young QB plenty of weapons. Drafting Coby Fleener was a great move and they now have the chance to develop together into a lethal duo.
Jacksonville: Justin Blackmon-WR, Andre Branch-DE, B
Drafting a punter in the 3rd round is a head-scratcher, but the Blackmon pick should make up for it. He's a legitimate franchise receiver and finally give Blaine Gabbert a reliable weapon.
Kansas City: Dontari Poe-DT, Jeff Allen-OT, B-
They made both lines a priority and acquired some quality talents. Poe could either be very good, or very bad and has the potential to be a line wrecker.
Miami: Ryan Tannehill-QB, Jonathon Martin-OT, B-
HATE the Tannehill pick, at least this early anyway. He has a small window to become a starter and could leave the Dolphins no better in their QB situation. Jonathon Martin is a stud and will give whoever plays QB a bit more time.
Minnesota: Matt Kalil-OT, Harrison Smith-S, B
Scored on their two first round picks and look to have found two starters for years to come. Kalil is all-pro caliber and will definitely give young Christian Ponder some help.
New England: Chandler Jones-DE, Dont'a Hightower-LB, Alfonzo Dennard-S, B+
A marvelous draft by the Pats as they addressed some big areas of need and added at least a few starters for the next few years. Dennard could prove to be steal of the entire draft.
New Orleans: None, Akeem Nicks-DE, Nick Toon-WR, C-
The lack of picks definitely hurt them. Not much to say other than they increased depth at a few positions.
New York Giants: Davis Wilson-RB, Rueben Randle-WR, C+
The Wilson pick was a little surprising, Randle provides Eli Manning with another big target as the Giants add offensive weapons.
New York Jets: Quinton Coples-DE, Stephen Hill-WR, B-
Coples adds another weapon to an already stout defense. Hill could be the burner that Mark Sanchez has needed and adds a whole new dimension to their anemic offense.
Oakland: None, Tony Bergstrom-OT, Miles Burris-LB, D+
Once again, lack of picks damages the value of the end product. No real gems or impact players seem to be among their crop.
Philadelphia: Fletcher Cox-DT, Vinny Curry-DE, B
The Eagles worked to shore up their defense, and made some good picks at the top. Fletcher Cox could emerge as elite within the next few seasons and could be a force on the inside.
Pittsburgh: David DeCastro-OG, Mike Adams-OT, Sean Spence-LB, B+
Definitely improved their offensive line after selecting two day 1 starters. Spence could prove to be yet another dominant Steelers LB as well. Solid, productive draft yet again.
San Diego: Melvin Ingram-DE, Kendall Reyes-DT, B-
Worked on solidifying the defensive front and acquired two big players that can impact immediately. Should've worked harder to add another WR and goes into the season with questions there.
San Francisco: AJ Jenkins-WR, LaMichael James-RB, C
AJ Jenkins has potential to be good and adds depth to a untested receiving core. The James pick makes no sense and hurts the value of their draft. He'll struggle to make an impact in a crowded backfield.
Seattle: Bruce Irvin-DE, Bobby Wagner-LB, C
Irvin is a solid pick, but probably made a round too early. Other than that, not much other than depth players added in an unspectacular draft.
St. Louis: Michael Brockers-DT, Brian Quick-WR, Janoris Jenkins-CB, B+
Trading down was a smart move for the Rams and they still got a big impact player in Brockers. Quick adds to a deep but unskilled receiving unit and could emerge as a starter right away. If Jenkins can avoid the problems that hurt him in college, he could be a superstar.
Tampa Bay: Mark Barron-S, Doug Martin-RB, Lavonte David-LB, B+
A strong early draft gives the Bucs a solid group to build on for the future. Martin could challenge for the starting job immediately as he's LeGarrette Blount's superior already in blocking.
Tennessee: Kendall Wright-WR, Zach Brown-LB, B
Kendall Wright should start right off the bat and will give Jake Locker a young weapon to grow up with. Brown is a solid LB and should anchor the middle for years.
Washington: Robert Griffin III-QB, Kirk Cousins-QB, B-
Griffin buoys the rest of this puzzling draft. Cousins makes absolutely no sense and could cause a QB controversy to start with if he puts things together faster than Griffin. In the end, the Redskins finally have their franchise QB.
Stat Line of the Day
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| Matt Garza's line vs the Phillies |
Matt Garza proved once again that he is indeed an ace, albeit one trapped on a terrible team. Games like this are more impressive when the offense scores few runs and this line is necessary to even get the win. If the Cubs can build the rotation behind him and add some more solid bats, they could have a decent team on their hands.
