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AFC East - Draft Report Card Bills: B- Round 1 (11) Aaron Maybin, DE/OLB, Penn State They had a huge need for a pass-rushing DE, as their Sack production from their DEs in 2008 was seriously lacking. Maybin should really help out. However, many analysts predict him to be a bust, and thought Ayers would have been a better selection. This was a reach. Round 1 (28) Eric Wood, OC, Louisville Even though they picked up Geoff Hangartner at Center, I don't see him being the long-term play for them. Eric Wood is very good, and should upstage him before long. However, I have to believe that they could've landed him in Round 2 with their 42 selection. If not, Unger was there and would've worked out too. Round 2 (42) Jairus Byrd, CB/FS, Oregon This was an interesting selection considering the fact that the Bills have some decent depth at CB, and that Byrd did not post the best 40-time in the world. I believe that he'll be converted over to play Safety. Round 2 (51) Andy Levitre, OG, Oregon State The Bills traded up to get Levitre. Considering his talent level and his versatility to play at OG or OT, the pick was solid. Round 4 (121) Shawn Nelson, TE, Southern Mississippi This may end up being one of the steals of the draft. Many evaluators, including myself, thought Nelson would be a Day 1 selection. He fills a big need and is a heck of a player. Round 5 (147) Nic Harris, LB/SS, Oklahoma Because Harris ran a poor 40-time for a Safety, many insist that he's have to be converted to play LB. I'm not sure what the future holds for him, but he's a gifted player that has good value here. He'll most likely be penciled in as a WLB. Round 6 (183) Cary Harris, CB, USC Like Byrd, Harris did not run a good enough 40-time to be considered a solid mid-Round lock. While his game tape is solid, his workouts didn't do much for him. I think he's good value here, but will be surrounded by solid talent Round 7 (220) Ellis Lankster, CB, West Virginia I was shocked that Lankster got a Sr. Bowl invite. While he's another good value selection, I don't know that he'll make the 53-man squad. Overall, this was a decent draft for the Bills. Question marks remain though around their early selections. Each of their first 5 picks has the talent to be a starter within the next 3 seasons. However, without a true LT on their squad, Eben Britton looked darn good in Round 1. Let's hope not picking him doesn't haunt them. Dolphins: C+ Round 1 (25) Vontae Davis, CB, Illinois This was an outstanding pick for three reasons: 1) Davis is the most physically gifted CB in the draft. 2) Tye Dolphins need an upgrade over Eric Green. 3) The Dolphins have 3 CBs set to become FAs after the 2009 season. Round 2 (44) Pat White, QB, West Virginia The word out there is that Chad Henne has been looking pretty darn good behind Pennington. So, one must assume that White was selected to be there multi-purpose Wildcat General. Once the Phins' started to use the Wildcat, everyone jumped aboard. However, few teams have the personnel to pull it off. The Dolphins will once again be the leader in this department. Round 2 (61) Sean Smith, CB/FS, Utah Considering the fact that many Mock Drafts had Smith going to the Steelers with the 32nd overall pick, he's good value here. He's another gifted CB that can challenge the bigger WRs out there. CB and Safety depth are needs, so the pick really makes sense. Round 3 (87) Patrick Turner, WR, USC The Dolphins entered this draft needing a big, possession type WR. At 6'5 223lbs., Turner fits the bill from a measurement perspective. While his production did not live up to the advance billing, this is another prospect that should do better as a Pro than a Collegian. He could be another Wilford though too. Round 4 (108) Brian Hartline, WR, Ohio State Hartline is quick, but not real fast. At 6'2 he's another good-sized WR to add to the Dolphins fold. I was surprised that they pulled the trigger on him vs. going with a player on Defense. However, there is something they like about this cerebral player. Round 5 (161) John Nalbone, TE, Monmouth Until 4-5 weeks ago, Nalbone was a virtual unknown. After shining at his Pro Day workout, many teams moved him up on their board. He's an athletic pass-catcher that's willing to block as well. Round 5 (165) Chris Clemmons, FS, Clemson - Clemmons ran one of the fastest 40 yard dashes at the combine, and looked very solid as a FS within the ACC. He's good support to a shallow Safety corps. Round 6 (181) Andrew Gardner, OT, Georgia Tech - The Dolphins don't have much backing up Jake Long and Vernon Carey, so the first-team All-ACC player was a nice addition. Round 7 (214) J.D. Folsom, ILB, Weber State - A "try-hard" type of player that will really have to kick it in to stay aboard. Overall, the Dolphins did a decent, but not great job. I think they addressed their needs at CB w/ Davis and Smith, but Pat White was a luxury item in Round 2. If he can run David Lee's Wildcat to perfection, then the pick will be worth it. If he's viewed purely as a pocket passer, then you have to scratch your head considering they have Chad Henne waiting in the wings. If Patrick Turner doesn't play any better as a Pro than he did in college, then they missed the boat on landing their big WR. Personally, I think they should have traded up a few spots to get Cal Poly's Ramses Barden. Nalbone and Folsom are small school guys, so I'm not sure they'll be able to hang. Day 1 was stellar, while Day 2 left a lot to be desired. They didn't address the OLB or NT spots as many thought they'd do. They must feel more comfortable there than the general public does. Jets: B- Round 1 (5) Mark Sanchez, QB, USC If Sanchez works out, then all that the Jets gave up was worth it. However, that's a big "if" as it stands right now. I like the addition, but I think they may have been a little too aggressive. Round 3 (65) Shon Greene, RB, Iowa Thomas Jones is a year older, so I could see why they went after Greene here. He had an exceptional year in 2008 and showed that he can be a bruising back, capable of carrying the ball 20+ times a game. Round 6 (193) Matt Slauson, OG, Nebraska Slauson is a solid OG who does best in the power-run game scheme. He's a good depth guy to have around. This draft really came down to the Jets getting a phenomenal QB prospect, and a darn good RB. If both pan out for them, then all should be pretty good. Since they only had 3 selections, it's hard to grade them out any higher. Patriots: A Round 2 (34) Patrick Chung, SS, Oregon The Pats needed help at the Safety position, and they landed one of if not the best SS in the draft. Round 2 (40) Ron Brace, NT, Boston College Outside of Raji, Brace was the best pure NT prospect in the draft. He's a perfect fit for a 3-4 team. Round 2 (41) Darius Butler, CB, Connecticut The Pats got a steal here. Butler is a great CB blessed with an excellent vertical leap and change of direction skills. Round 2 (58) Sebastian Vollmer, OT, Houston The Pats O-Line has started to decline, so this is another position selection that makes sense. While I view Vollmer as more of a Round 3 talent, this pick ain't half bad. Round 3 (83) Brandon Tate, WR, North Carolina While Tate is an amazing talent, he's coming off of an injury and tested positive for drugs at the combine. I like the pick, but I think he could have been selected later. Round 3 (97) Tyronne McKenzie, OLB/ILB, South Florida This is a very solid pick. McKenzie isn't real fast, but he's a tackling machine that can play the ILB spot in a 3-4 scheme. Round 4 (123) Rich Ohrnberger, OG, Penn State Again, this selection addresses a depth need, so I'm okay with it from that stance. However, this was a reach. With Duke Robinson, Jamon Meredith, and Herman Johnson still on the board at this selection, I think Ohrnberger would have fallen to their 5th Round selection. Round 5 (170) George Bussey, OG, Louisville Bussey played OT in college, but is being viewed as an OG here. He's more depth for their O-Line. Round 6 (198) Jake Ingram, LS, Hawaii After losing their guy to the Broncos, the LS position became one of need. Round 6 (207) Myron Pryor, DT, Kentucky I was surprised that Pryor fell this far in the draft. He's a short, squat DT that will most likely move over to play NT. He's got good rotational value. Round 7 (232) Julian Edelman, QB, Kent State Edelman is listed as a QB, but I see him converting over to play WR. If the Dolphins didn't get Pat White in Round 2, I don't think Edelman would have fallen here. If the Pats are toying around with the idea of doing the Wildcat themselves, this guy's a nice fit. Round 7 (234) Darryl Richard, DT, Georgia Teach Richard is the third DT they drafted this year, so there will be some heavy battles in camp to see who stays vs. who goes. Richard was a solid DT in college, but I don't see him sticking. Bill B. does it again. The Pats added a wealth of talent and didn't need a 1st Rounder to do so. Chung, Brace and Butler. The Pats could have only drafted those three guys and would've landed a "B" without a problem. However, they then added solid Line depth for both sides of the ball. |