Bills: B- Leodis McKelvin CB 5'11" 190 Troy James Hardy WR 6'6" 220 Indiana Chris Ellis DE 6'4" 260 Virginia Tech Reggie Corner CB 5'10" 180 Akron Derek Fine TE 6'3" 245 Kansas Alvin Bowen OLB 6'1" 223 Iowa State Xavier Omon RB 5'11" 226 NW Missouri State Demetrius Bell OT 6'5" 301 Northwestern State (LA) Steve Johnson WR 6'2" 210 Kentucky Kennard Cox DB 6'1" 195 Pittsburgh The Bills did a good job with their first 3 picks, but were somewhat suspect with the rest of them. McKelvin was regarded as the best CB in the draft, while Hardy and Ellis are both solid talents. When you look at the available talent on the board for like positions, Corner and Fine look like reaches to me. With that said, I think Steve Johnson may be good enough to make up for it. All in all they did a solid job, especially if you look at how they drafted considering their off-season acquisitions. Look for this team to be much improved. Dolphins: A- Jake Long OT 6'7" 315 Michigan Phillip Merling DE 6'5" 272 Clemson Chad Henne QB 6'2" 225 Michigan Kendall Langford DT 6'6" 295 Hampton Shawn Murphy OT 6'4" 320 Utah State Jalen Parmele RB 6'0" 224 Toledo Donald Thomas OG 6'4" 303 Connecticut Lex Hilliard RB 5'11" 228 Montana Lionel Dotson DE 6'4" 296 Arizona The Dolphins did a very good job of addressing their needs. To really appreciate just how well they did, you have to look at the degree by which their current situation improved. The Jake Long selection seals them up at OT. While Carey may have not been the best LT last year, he was nothing to sneeze at. He and Long will be a sick duo. They also improved their D-Line significantly. Merling and Langford will both come in and push the likes of Matt Roth, Rod Wright, Randy Starks, and Vonnie Holliday for time. When it's all said and done, they'll have 2 solid starting DEs with nice rotational options. In looking back at their O-Line, OG was a hole. Murphy, son of soon to be baseball hall of famer Dale Murphy (Braves) is penciled in to challenge at RG. Smiley is projected to play LG, but will get pressure from Donald Thomas. Last but not least, they added depth at RB. Chatman and Booker are both gone, but shouldn't be missed. Not taking a WR was their only notable flaw. Jets: B+ Vernon Gholston DE 6'4" 258 Ohio State Dustin Keller TE 6'3" 242 Purdue Dwight Lowery CB 6'1" 185 San Jose State Erik Ainge QB 6'6" 225 Tennessee Marcus Henry WR 6'4" 207 Kansas Nate Garner OT 6'7" 319 Arkansas The Jets were seriously lacking when it came to creating Sacks and rushing yards allowed. Jenkins and Pace should help, but Gholston may tie it all together. Keller was a great pick because he can play as an extra WR out there, creating imposing match-ups for LBs. Lowery and Ainge were also nice additions as they can be looked upon for depth now, and contribution in 2-3 years possibly. Patriots: C+ Jerod Mayo OLB 6'1" 242 Tennessee Terrence Wheatley CB 5'9" 178 Colorado Shawn Crable OLB 6'5" 241 Michigan Kevin O'Connell QB 6'5" 225 San Diego State Jonathan Wilhite CB 5'10" 185 Auburn Matt Slater WR 5'11" 195 UCLA Bo Ruud OLB 6'4" 234 Nebraska After losing both Samuel and Gay, CB was this team's number one need. Instead, they went after a highly productive LB to fit into their 3-4. To be fair, the New England LB corps is getting old. But, I think it would have made more sense to go CB then LB, vs. LB then CB. Mayo is a stud though. I am also a huge fan of Wheatley, but they reached to get him. Crable addresses a need, but O'Connell and Slater still leave me baffled. An interior O-Lineman would probably have made better sense. Bengals: A- Keith Rivers OLB 6'3" 235 Southern Cal Jerome Simpson WR 6'2" 190 Coastal Carolina Pat Sims DT 6'2" 310 Auburn Andre Caldwell WR 6'1" 200 Florida Anthony Collins OT 6'5" 317 Kansas Jason Shirley DT 6'5" 329 Fresno State Corey Lynch FS 6'0" 205 Appalachian State Matt Sherry TE 6'4" 250 Villanova Angelo Craig DE 6'5" 235 Cincinnati Mario Urrutia WR 6'6" 232 Louisville The Bengals didn't get certain players to fall to them as they would have liked. However, I respect the fact that they didn't trade away the farm to move up. They did very well with the cards dealt to them. They snatched up the best OLB in the draft, while adding 2 very good WRs in Simpson and Caldwell. They also drafted the much underrated Pat Sims, who I feel may end up being the steal of Round 3. Collins is a very good LT, and Lynch can help at Safety. Outside of not getting that edge rusher, they were very good. I can't help but wonder if a deal for Jason Taylor and Chad Johnson is in the works. The Bengals didn't go DE, and the Dolphins didn't go WR. Both were needs for one another... Browns: B Beau Bell OLB 6'2" 248 UNLV Martin Rucker TE 6'5" 248 Missouri Ahtyba Rubin DT 6'3" 315 Iowa State Paul Hubbard WR 6'3" 221 Wisconsin Alex Hall OLB 6'4" 250 St Augustine The Browns didn't even start the draft process until Round 4. However, that didn't stop them from adding some good talent to their squad. Bell is a solid ILB whose stock dropped after testing out on an injured leg. Rucker's stock slipped as well, as other TEs started to shine. Rubin should be a good plug inside, while Hubbard is a steal at WR. It's hard for me to slam any of their selections. Ravens: A Joe Flacco QB 6'7" 236 Delaware Ray Rice RB 5'8" 199 Rutgers Tavares Gooden OLB 6'1" 233 Miami Tom Zbikowski FS 5'11" 210 Notre Dame Oniel Cousins OG 6'4" 308 Texas-El Paso Marcus Smith WR 6'2" 221 New Mexico David Hale OT 6'6" 308 Weber State Haruki Nakamura FS 5'10" 190 Cincinnati Justin Harper WR 6'4" 198 Virginia Tech Allen Patrick RB 6'1" 198 Oklahoma The Ravens appeared to be one step ahead as they kept adding talented prospect after talented prospect. Their theme may have been to draft players who are raw, but have a tremendous amount of upside. Flacco was the only reach I feel they made. Yet, they had to. Their next 6 selections were all guys whom I feel can start in 2-3 years. Rice is an exceptional RB, Gooden is a quick, well-versed LB, Z-Bow can knock your socks off, Cousins is a versatile OG/OT, Smith took 1st Rounder Antoine Cason to school when they faced off, and Hale shined during East/West week. Don't be surprised if the Ravens take this Division back by 2010. Steelers: B Rashard Mendenhall RB 5'11" 210 Illinois Limas Sweed WR 6'4" 212 Texas Bruce Davis DE 6'3" 252 UCLA Tony Hills OT 6'6" 305 Texas Dennis Dixon QB 6'4" 205 Oregon Mike Humpal ILB 6'3" 244 Iowa Ryan Mundy FS 6'1" 215 West Virginia The Steelers lucked out by having 2 great players in Mendenhall and Sweed fall in their lap. Those are 2 power house guys that should really help this offense out. While Davis will need some time to adjust from a 4-3 DE to a 3-4 OLB, he should prove to be a good pick. I do think, however, that the Steelers should have been more aggressive in going after O-Lineman. This team gave up 47 Sacks this past season. They added Hills, but he's coming off of a leg injury. We'll see how much he can help out. Colts: B- Mike Pollak C 6'4" 299 Arizona State Philip Wheeler OLB 6'2" 245 Georgia Tech Jacob Tamme TE 6'4" 232 Kentucky Marcus Howard OLB 6'1" 237 Georgia Tom Santi TE 6'4" 248 Virginia Steve Justice C 6'4" 285 Wake Forest Mike Hart RB 5'9" 195 Michigan Pierre Garcon WR 6'0" 210 Mount Union Jamey Richard C 6'5" 295 Buffalo This was a very interesting draft for the Colts. They basically targeted 3 positions and loaded up at each. While I can understand them drafting 2 OLBs, 1 TE and 1 Center, I can't see why they doubled up at TE and notched 3 Centers. I'm sure they'd be looking to convert 2 of the Centers to Guard, but it still seemed odd to me. At any event, they were able to get some solid players at good value. They would have graded out better had they gone after a DE and CB. They needed to improve their Sack game and add depth at the CB spot. Jaguars: B Derrick Harvey DE 6'5" 252 Florida Quentin Groves DE 6'3" 250 Auburn Thomas Williams OLB 6'1" 238 Southern Cal Trae Williams CB 5'9" 193 South Florida Chauncey Washington RB 6'0" 211 Southern Cal The Jaguars didn't fool anyone with their approach toward this year's draft. In short, they were looking to improve their defense. From the initial look of things, they significantly did so. Harvey is a pass rushing specialist who can bulk up to 290lbs. to be more stout against the run. Groves is also a pass rusher with blinding quickness and a tremendous burst off the snap. Teams in the AFC South are on alert. They also notched the Williams boys, one to give depth at LB, the other at CB. The only negative that I can call out here is that they didn't grab a WR. I'm not big on Williams, Porter, or Jones. And, they lost Wilford to the Phins. This may be moot point if folks can't move the ball on them though. Texans: C+ Duane Brown OT 6'4" 315 Virginia Tech Antwaun Molden CB 6'1" 198 Eastern Kentucky Steve Slaton RB 5'9" 197 West Virginia Xavier Adibi OLB 6'2" 220 Virginia Tech Frank Okam DT 6'5" 320 Texas Dominique Barber FS 6'0" 210 Minnesota Alex Brink QB 6'2" 212 Washington State The Texans did address needs, but I think their timing was somewhat off. While Duane Brown is a solid OT prospect, he's no 1st Rounder. Slaton is a situational RB. While they have Brown and Green, both are injury prone. It would have been nice for them to have been able to ink a 20 carry back. When Mendenhall fell into the 20's, I think they should have traded up to get him. From a trade value chart perspective, a 5th or 6th Rounder could have notched it. I like the Molden selection, as I think he's good enough to start. Their remaining selections were solid, as Adibi, Okam and Barber can all contribute. Titans: C Chris Johnson RB 5'11" 197 East Carolina Jason Jones DE 6'5" 273 Eastern Michigan Craig Stevens TE 6'3" 254 California William Hayes DE 6'2" 258 Winston-Salem State Lavelle Hawkins WR 5'11" 187 California Stanford Keglar OLB 6'2" 239 Purdue Cary Williams CB 6'1" 185 Washburn I like the Chris Johnson pick, as he's a guy that can run the ball as well as return kicks. However, the next 3 picks left me shaking my head. They reached on Jason Jones and Craig Stevens, whom I both like. But, they were taken too early. And, neither plays WR. They were 27th in the league last year in passing offense. While Stevens plays TE, he's a blocker. Hayes was a serious reach. Chances are he was going undrafted. They redeemed themselves with the Hawkins and Keglar picks, but were unspectacular as a whole. Broncos: B Ryan Clady OT 6'6" 316 Boise State Eddie Royal WR 5'10" 184 Virginia Tech Kory Lichtensteiger OG 6'3" 310 Bowling Green Jack Williams CB 5'9" 186 Kent State Ryan Torain RB 6'1" 222 Arizona State Carlton Powell DT 6'3" 300 Virginia Tech Spencer Larsen ILB 6'2" 243 Arizona Josh Barrett S 6'2" 223 Arizona State Peyton Hillis FB 6'1" 240 Arkansas The Broncos' picks made sense from a needs standpoint and were decent for the most part. Clady was a no-brainer pick, and will help this O-Line from jump. I feel they reached on 2 of their next 3 picks though. I too thought Royal was impressive, but there are other WRs whom I think are just as good and could have been taken a Round later. Lichtensteiger is solid, but more of a late Rounder. Torain was a good selection. I was most impressed with their last 3 picks. Larsen is an underrated ILB who simply makes tackles. Barrett is inconsistent, but has the tools to be great, and Hillis was over shadowed by D-Mac and Jones. Chargers: D+ Antoine Cason CB 6'0" 190 Arizona Jacob Hester FB 5'11" 230 LSU Marcus Thomas RB 6'2" 215 Texas-El Paso DeJuan Tribble CB 5'9" 190 Boston College Corey Clark OT 6'6" 315 Texas A&M The Cason pick was solid from a talent standpoint, but is CB a need? They then trade up for a tweener RB in Hester who'll most likely make his greatest impact on special teams. The rest of the picks didn't wow me either. For a team that ranked 26th in passing offense, a WR should have been the play early on. Chiefs: A Glenn Dorsey DT 6'2" 316 LSU Branden Albert OG 6'6" 309 Virginia Brandon Flowers CB 5'10" 189 Virginia Tech Jamaal Charles RB 5'11" 200 Texas Brad Cottam TE 6'8" 270 Tennessee DaJuan Morgan S 6'0" 205 North Carolina State Will Franklin WR 6'1" 214 Missouri Brandon Carr CB 6'0" 207 Grand Valley State Barry Richardson OT 6'7" 320 Clemson Kevin Robinson WR 6'0" 190 Utah State Brian Johnston DE 6'5" 276 Gardner-Webb Mike Merritt TE 6'3" 270 Central Florida The Chiefs may have come away with the blue ribbon in this years draft. After allowing 54 Sacks, ranking 32nd in rushing offense, and ranking 28th against the run, they had huge needs on O-Line and on Defense. To help them shore up their Sack issues and rushing offense, they selected the best OG in the draft, the biggest TE in the draft, and a great RB in Charles. Barry Richardson was also added, but will have to fight to stay on the roster. For their run defense, they added Dorsey at DT, Flowers at CB, who is great against the run, and Morgan who is a hard hitting Safety. Franklin and Robinson are solid WRs, and Johnston has great upside at DE. Raiders: C Darren McFadden RB 6'2" 210 Arkansas Tyvon Branch CB 6'0" 204 Connecticut Arman Shields WR 6'1" 194 Richmond Trevor Scott DE 6'5" 256 Buffalo Chaz Schilens WR 6'4" 225 San Diego State The D-Mac pick was nice, but who's going to help them improve upon their 31st ranking on run defense? Additionally, who's going to create Sacks? They may have been better off by trading the pick to the Jets and adding another guy or two. This is a team that will need to score a lot of points, as their competition may run all over them. They do have some talent, but can they mesh and outscore their opponent?