The Vikings had the best draft by far and it was because of their excellent selections from the second round through the fifth. The selections of Sidney Rice, Marcus McCauley, Brian Robison, and Aundrae Allison were all some of the best picks in each round.
Minnesota’s biggest need in the draft was at wide receiver where Troy Williamson has turned out to be a bust. The selections of Rice, Allison, and Chandler Williams will significantly upgrade the receiving corp. Rice has excellent hands and while he lacks speed he should provide a steady receiver for the Vikings with the possibility of becoming a number one wideout down the road. Rice being from South Carolina could also help get his former teammate Williamson back on track. The Vikings hope so.
Allison is a blazer who ran in the 4.3s at the NFL combine. He should be a great compliment to the slower Rice. Allison is truly a third round talent and landing him in the fifth round was extremely good value. Williams was a seventh round pick and is very small at 5’10” and 190 pounds, but he stands a good chance at making the roster with the dearth of quality receivers. Williams was a great choice because the Vikings need receivers and have nothing to lose by taking the Florida International product.
Minnesota’s other two big needs were at defensive end and cornerback. The selections of McCauley and Robison will help solidify those positions. McCauley, a third-round pick, has the skills that belong to a second-round pick and the size that belongs to a first-round pick. Had his production not dropped off during his senior year at Fresno State then McCauley is probably staring at a late first-round/early second-round selection. McCauley has all the tools to become a big-time corner and if he can put it all together than the Vikings will have a steal of a pick.
The Vikings have talent at defensive end with Kenechi Udeze and Erasmus James so it’s kind of puzzling why there is not more production. Robison should help challenge both Udeze and James to produce more or he may even take one of the ends’ starting positions. Robison should help from day one on special teams and has the tools to eventually succeed as a rush end in the Cover 2 defense.
The Vikings had three other selections in the draft and those were all solid picks as well. Rufus Alexander of Oklahoma was a very good pickup in the sixth round. Alexander was a first day talent and it’s surprising that with his production he slipped. Alexander is undersized but makes plays and while the Vikings didn’t need anymore help at linebacker, the value of taking Alexander in the sixth round is unmistakable.
The selection of quarterback Tyler Thigpen is somewhat questionable, but the need for a quarterback was there. Taking a raw prospect with solid tools like Thigpen is a risk, but using a seventh round pick to do so is not too big of a risk. The Vikings took a developmental quarterback, Tarvaris Jackson, in the second round last year so you would think that maybe they would go with somebody more polished like Chris Leak of Florida, who would have been an excellent fit for the West Coast offense. I still think Thigpen was a solid selection, but Leak would have been a better pick.
The worst pick for the Vikings was running back Adrian Peterson. It’s hard to say such a thing because Peterson is a phenomenal talent at running back. Peterson can do it all and if he can avoid injuries then he should become an upper-echelon running back in the NFL. The problem I have is that Minnesota had very little need for a running back besides maybe taking a late flyer on one. With Chester Taylor in the backfield, the Vikes had many other needs on the table. I also find it hard to believe they couldn’t field any trade offers for the pick. Even with all that, Peterson is still a solid pick and was the second-rated player on my board.
The Vikings worst pick has the potential to be a Hall-of-Famer. That should tell you all you need to know about their draft.
Grade: A
2. Denver Broncos
Four picks, four A’s. The Bronco’s have been bashed on television, and in magazines for their picks. I will not bash them. In fact I feel that they had an excellent draft even if they did take character risks. With their veteran team the Broncos should be able to reign in these characters and help them reach their massive potential.
I think the best pick of the Broncos is one that has been universally regarded around the sports world as their worst pick, Marcus Thomas. Thomas is a defensive tackle from the University of Florida. Instead of being a key member of the national championship team, Thomas was instead kicked off for not meeting his responsibilities and obligations. This was after Thomas had been suspended for marijuana use. So is Thomas a character risk? Yes a huge character risk, but before the suspension and all the trouble, Thomas flashed the ability of a top-10 pick. The Broncos had a big need for a game-changing defensive tackle and may have found their answer in the fourth round. I believe Thomas is an excellent selection and will find a way to get past his troubled past.
Overall, the Broncos had a huge need for game-changers on the defensive line and they realized that. The Broncos used three of their four picks on defensive linemen and this should eventually help turn a problem into a plus. The first and second round picks were defensive ends Jarvis Moss and Tim Crowder. The Broncos traded up to get Moss and the gamble should pay off. Moss missed games over the last few years with a variety of ailments, but most of them were fluke injuries. Moss has excellent speed off the corner and while he is lanky and undersized at 6’5” and 256 lbs. the Florida prospect should get better and better. Crowder is a thicker end at 6’3” and 271 lbs. and while he doesn’t possess Moss’ tools, he does have a non-stop motor. Crowder, Moss, and Thomas should combine to fill out three of the Broncos four starting line spots in the future.
The non-defensive line pick was offensive tackle Ryan Harris of Notre Dame. Denver had a legitimate need for a tackle after trading away George Foster, and Harris should help fill that need. Harris fits the Denver cut-blocking scheme as he weighs only 292 lbs. but has excellent quickness, footwork, and athleticism. He should join the history of solid Denver offensive linemen.
The Broncos realized a huge need and attacked it full force. This is how you remain a top team for years and years as Denver has done.
Grade: A
3. Houston Texans
Houston is another team that I picked even though they have been ridiculed for their picks. Last year, everybody booed Houston and I said they had an excellent draft. While the verdict is still out on Mario Williams, Houston did select the defensive rookie of the year in DeMeco Ryans. Houston had another good draft this year and I think they deserve credit for that.
Houston had three really excellent picks and it all started with the selection of Fred Bennett at cornerback in the fourth round. Houston had a great need for defensive backs and Bennett has the talent to really help out. Bennett has excellent size and speed. If he can improve his technique and fluidity then he could become a solid to premium starter in the Houston defensive backfield.
The other excellent selections were tackle Brandon Frye at offensive tackle in the fifth round and linebacker Zach Diles in the seventh round. Houston has needed a solid offensive tackle ever since they re-joined the league. Frye may not be the answer, but spending a fifth round pick on him is an excellent chance to take. Frye is raw, but at 6’4” and 305 lbs. he has the physical ability to eventually become a solid starter or better. Frye needs a lot of coaching but he should get it in Houston.
Diles also has great physical tools as he runs in the 4.6 range while coming in at a size of 6’2” and 233 lbs. Diles has a lot of potential and while Houston doesn’t have a great need for a linebacker, they could have taken a linebacker on the first day and nobody would have complained. Diles is the kind of seventh-round pick that has a chance of becoming a starter given the opportunity.
Houston took a first-round defensive lineman again this year. This time is was Amobi Okoye and what a pick he is. Okoye has excellent physical tools and at 19 years of age should only get better. With Okoye, Williams, and Travis Johnson the Texans have the talent to field a dominant defensive line. So it will be interesting to see if they can even scratch that massive potential. Okoye was a great pick-up and is really somebody that you want representing your organization.
The Texans’ third-pick, Jacoby Jones was also a good pick. The wide receiver from tiny Lane University was a bit of a reach, but the need for receiver was there. Jones at 6’2” and 191 pounds runs a 4.49 and will face a steep move in competition. What gives Jones a real chance at succeeding is the fact that he is a quality route-runner. When you run excellent routes then you have a chance to succeed in the NFL no matter what your physical tools.
The Texans did have some bad picks in Brandon Harrison and Kasey Studdard. Studdard, a guard from Texas, was Houston’s sixth-round pick. Houston’s real offensive line holes are at tackle, not at guard. Studdard has the talent to justify the pick, but Houston could have used somebody who could play a little offensive tackle and Studdard cannot fill that role.
Harrison was the worst pick. Harrison, a safety from Stanford, was a major reach in the fifth round. Harrison is more of an in-the-box safety and doesn’t have hardly any cover skills. Houston’s defensive backfield needs players that can cover, not players that are extra linebackers.
It’s true the Texans didn’t do enough to help Matt Schaub, but when have the Texans ever been known for having a good defense? They are rapidly assembling the pieces to become a good defense and that will in itself help take pressure off of Schaub.
Grade: A
Honorable Mention: San Francisco, Cleveland, Arizona, Kansas City
Losers
1. New Orleans Saints
The Saints found excellent small-school players last year in Marques Colston and Jahri Evans. Apparently, the Saints’ success with small-school players has made them change their draft approach to focusing on small-school talent because how else can you explain choices from Towson, Wingate, Kent State, and Akron.
The worst pick for the Saints was Jermon Bushrod of Towson. The pick gets a big fat F in my book. New Orleans did not even need to draft an offensive linemen, but they still took Bushrod in the fourth round and guard Andy Alleman of Akron in the third round. Alleman was a reach and Bushrod was a huge reach. The Saints didn’t need to take offensive linemen and if they were going to take them then they shouldn’t have reached.
The Saints botched their first and second round picks as well. Wide receiver is a need for the Saints but not one that required a first-day pick. So the selection of Robert Meachem in the first round was really a luxury, and one they couldn’t afford with their holes at linebacker and cornerback.
The second round selection of Usama Young was a semi-solid pick. There is no doubt the Saints need a corner but why take one from Kent State. Young is only 5’11” 194 lbs. and runs a 4.46. The physical tools aren’t really there and the competition level isn’t there, but the Saints needed a corner bad so at least they took one.
The Saints took another corner in the fifth round as they selected David Jones of Wingate, once again a small-school kid and one that doesn’t have great physical gifts. Jones is no-doubt a reach, but with the immense need for corners and the pick coming in the fifth round it’s a little bit easier to make a reach. For that reason I say Jones was a good pick.
Another good pick for the Saints was tailback Antonio Pittman in the fourth. I didn’t like the fact that the Saints traded up for Pittman as they had absolutely zero need for a running back. Pittman is a second-round caliber talent, though, and it’s amazing that he even fell to the fourth round. For that reason, I give the selection of Pittman a good grade.
The best pick for the Saints was their final pick. Taking linebacker Marvin Mitchell in the seventh round filled the need for a linebacker, while grabbing a player that has more talent than the usual seventh-rounder. An added-plus is that Mitchell is capable of playing middle linebacker. Mitchell is injury-prone and lacks speed, but he is a very good tackler and with the Saints lack of talented linebackers should see the field often enough to make an impact. Mitchell can develop into a starter and is an excellent pick for the Saints.
The Saints must realize that one playoff appearance doesn’t solve everything and that they still have holes at linebacker and cornerback.
Grade: D
2. Indianapolis Colts
Good thing the Colts won the Super Bowl because they had a horrible draft. Part of that is probably because of the Super Bowl victory. The Colts have really been able to select the best players available in the last couple of years because they haven’t had many needs. After winning the Super Bowl, though, the Colts were raided in free agency and as a result have a lot more pressing needs than usual. The Colts would unfortunately end up neglecting a majority of those needs.
The Colts had two absolutely horrendous picks. Those picks are the selection of safety Brannon Condren in the fourth round and defensive end Keyunta Dawson in the seventh round. The Colts need cornerbacks in the secondary, not safeties and they should not have selected Condren in the fourth round. The need wasn’t there and Condren, from Troy State, is not talented enough to justify a fourth-round selection.
Defensive end is also another area that there is no need at. Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis hold down the starting positions and the backups are solid. So why do you take Dawson? Dawson, from Texas Tech, was not talented enough to get drafted and if the Colts wanted him they could have signed him as an undrafted free agent. The Colts had bigger needs like running back, quarterback, and guard and could have instead selected a developmental quarterback like Chris Leak to work with.
Another bad pick for the Colts was the selection of wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez in the first round. Gonzalez is not a first-round prospect, and the Colts did not need to take a receiver on day one. If they wanted a receiver so bad, Dwayne Jarrett was on the board and he has better physical tools and hands than Gonzalez. The worst thing about the pick really is that the Colts passed on Paul Posluszny. Posluszny is going to be an NFL starter and possibly a Pro Bowler. The Colts lost Cato June and then passed on Posluszny who would have been an excellent fit for Indianapolis’ Tampa 2 scheme.
The Colts made three solid selections with their pickups of offensive tackle Tony Ugoh, wide receiver Roy Hall, and cornerback Michael Coe. I didn’t agree with the Colts giving away their first round pick next year to get Ugoh. Ugoh is definitely a first-round talent. I had him as the last first-round caliber talent and the Colts have plenty of skills to work with in the big tackle from Arkansas, but considering how much they needed an offensive tackle (should have spent day two pick not day one pick) and how much they gave up for him this pick was only solid instead of good.
Taking Hall in the fifth round was another solid pick. There were a lot of receivers with more talent than Hall and for that reason I graded the Colts down. They took two Ohio State receivers and both times there were many receivers on the board that were better. Being in the fifth round, though, wide receiver is the kind of second day selection that the Colts should make.
The Colts needed to take a corner sometime on the second day and did that by taking Alabama State product Coe. Coe is a big corner at 6’1” and 187 pounds. He is slow with a 4.55, but he fits the Tampa 2 scheme. Coe is a bit of a reach in the fifth round because he probably would have went undrafted had the Colts not taken him, but a solid pick none-the-less.
Two of the Colts’ better selections were cornerback Daymeion Hughes and outside linebacker Clint Sessions. Hughes, a third-round pick from California, is a great fit for the Tampa 2 scheme. Hughes has great hands and could start this year. Hughes has the talent of a second-round pick and had he ran faster than 4.5 would have been a mid-first round selection. He is a very good pick.
Sessions was a good fourth round pick. The Colts’ biggest need area in the draft was outside linebacker and Session helps fill that need. Session is quite a reach for a fourth-round selection, but the Colts desperately needed a linebacker and Session’s body type (6’0” 233 lbs.) fits the Tampa 2 scheme.
The best pick of the draft for Indianapolis was defensive tackle Quinn Pitcock of Ohio State. The Colts took the college All-American in the third round and he is a great selection for the champions. Pitcock is undersized at 6’2” and 301 lbs., and he overachieved in college. Even with all that I wouldn’t be surprised to see him succeed in the NFL, especially with a team like the Colts. Pitcock is a blue-collar type that will work till the whistle, and he’s just the kind of player that can help steady what was a horrendous run defense last year.
The Colts abandoned needs and reached for players, but unlike years past I have a feeling they will not be able to overcome those areas of needs.
Grade: D+
3. Tennessee Titans
The Titans have had a horrible offseason so far as they have lost Travis Henry and Drew Bennett to free agency, and Pacman Jones to a suspension. They really needed a good draft and with 10 picks they were in good position to do just that. Unfortunately, they squandered their two most important picks.
The worst picks for the Titans were their first and second round selections. The Titans had absolutely zero need for a safety, but they still took Michael Griffin of Texas in the first round. First off, I didn’t even grade Griffin as a first round talent so taking him with the 19th pick is ridiculous. Second off, the Titans passed on a home-state wide receiver in Robert Meachem of Tennessee. Meachem would have filled a huge hole at receiver, while increasing fan appeal. The Griffin selection was probably the worst pick in the entire draft.
The second round wasn’t much better as the Titans took Chris Henry of Arizona. Henry, a running back, does fit a need but not a great need. The Titans needed to take a running back this weekend but not on Saturday. I guess they just had to have a running back even though they selected LenDale White in the second round last year. So instead of grabbing somebody that was very productive in college like Antonio Pittman or Michael Bush, the Titans select workout-wonder Henry. Henry had a horrible college career and only gained 500 yards last year at Arizona. Just because he is 6’0” 227 lbs and runs a 4.4 doesn’t mean he is a great talent. He had no production and as a result this was the worst pick of the second round. The Henry selection is just a really bad pick
After two rounds, the Titans had the worst selections in both the first and second round and were headed to a monumentally bad draft but they rebounded by scoring excellent grades on half of their final eight picks, and great grades on two of the other four picks.
The Titans needed wide receivers bad and though they passed on Meachem they did take solid receivers in the third, fourth, and sixth rounds. In the third round, the Titans made a great pick in Paul Williams of Fresno State. Williams underachieved at Fresno State, but he has great physical tools at 6’1” 200 lbs and 4.43 speed. Williams had enough college production to justify a third-round selection, unlike the lack of justification with the Henry pick.
In the fourth round, the Titans made one of the best picks in the round when they took Florida State speedster Chris Davis. Vince Young needs guys who can stretch the field and that is exactly what the diminutive Davis does. Da vis also adds to the punt return game which is big with the loss of Jones.
The sixth round selection of Joel Filani was one of the best picks of that round. Filani should have gone a round earlier and with the Titans’ needs at receiver this made for an excellent selection. Filani is big and should provide a reliable target over the middle for Young.
The other excellent selections for the Titans came in the sixth and seventh rounds. Tennessee helped fill their massive need at cornerback in the sixth round by taking Florida corner Ryan Smith. Smith has first-day talent and it’s surprising that he slipped to the sixth round. Smith is undersized, but has good hands and makes a lot of plays. He should develop into a quality corner for Tennessee.
In the seventh round, Tennessee took offensive tackle Mike Otto of Purdue. Otto is another guy who fell for some reason or another. He should have went two rounds earlier and the Titans were lucky to get him in the seventh. Otto is 6’5” 307 lbs. and reminds some of current Titan’s tackle Michael Roos. He should be at least a solid back-up for the Titans.
The second great pick was defensive tackle Antonio Johnson of Mississippi State. The Titans had a great need for a defensive tackle and Johnson should help fill that need. Johnson, a fifth-round pick, is raw but has excellent skills to work with. If the Titans can coach him up then there is no reason that Johnson could not become every bit the player that current Titan Randy Starks is.
The Titans had two other draft selections in fourth-round pick Leroy Harris and sixth-round pick Jacob Ford. Harris, a center from NC State, can help out on the offensive line and is a good pickup for Tennessee. Ford, a defensive end from Central Arkansas, is undersized but has some good tools for Tennessee coaches to work with so he was a solid pick.
Tennessee’s horrible first two picks eclipse what was a number of solid picks from round three through seven.
My name is Andy Gambill. I am 20 years old and the Sports Editor of the Western Carolinian, the campus newspaper of Western Carolina University. I have a good knowledge of basketball, football, and baseball. My specialty is the Draft. I won a trip to the 2004 NBA Draft by predicting 11 of the 13 lottery picks in the 2003 NBA Draft. I finished tied for first in a 2005 NFL Draft contest.
