Grading the Draft NFC East Dallas Cowboys Who They Took: 1.(26) DE Anthony Spencer, Purdue 3.(67) OT James Marten, Boston College 4.(102) QB Isaiah Stanback, Washington 4.(122) OT Doug Free, N. Illinois 6.(178) K Nick Folk, Arizona 6.(195) RB Deon Anderson, Connecticut 7.(212) CB Courtney Brown, Cal Poly 7.(237) CB Alan Ball, Illinois Key Team Needs: 1. Safety 2. Wide receiver 3. Defensive line 4. Offensive line 5. Cornerback The Bottom Line: They did address D-Line and O-Line with their first two picks, but Spencer may have been a slight reach. A lot of DEs went off the board early, but I feel they could have looked elsewhere with their first pick. Having only two day one picks normally doesn't allow teams to end up with a solid draft class, I feel that is just the case here. Stanback probably wasn't the best QB availible in round 4, but he is athletic and he may not even be used as a QB. All in All, not a great draft, they didn't address DB early enough. Grade: C
New York Giants Who They Took: 1.(20) CB Aaron Ross, Texas 2.(51) WR Steve Smith, USC 3.(81) DT Jay Alford, Penn State 4.(116) LB Zak DeOssie, Brown 5.(153) TE Kevin Boss, Western Oregon 6.(189) OT Adam Koets, Oregon St. 7.(224) S Michael Johnson, Arizona 7.(250) RB Ahmad Bradshaw, Marshall Key Team Needs: 1. Cornerback 2. Wide receiver 3. Linebacker 4. Saftey 5. Tight end The Bottom Line: This was a good draft for the G-Men. Aaron Ross is a special athlete with huge playmaking ability not just as a CB but in the return game. Steve Smith is another player that can come in and make plays. Right away Smith will battle Sinorice Moss for the third receiver. They actually addressed their needs pretty well throughout the draft. I think Ahmad Bradshaw may come in and surprise some people on his talent. Grade: B
Philadelphia Eagles Who They Took: 2.(36) QB Kevin Kolb, Houston 2.(57) DE Victor Abiamiri, Notre Dame 3.(87) LB Stewart Bradley, Nebraska 3.(90) RB Tony Hunt, Penn State 5.(159) S C.J. Gaddis, Clemson 5.(162) TE Brent Celek, Cincinnati 6.(201) CB Rashad Barksdale, Albany 7.(236) RB Nate Ilaoa, Hawaii Key Team Needs: 1. Defensive back 2. Defensive end 3. Linebacker 4. Running back 5. Wide receiver The Bottom Line: No First round pick for the Eagles this season and using their first pick on Kevin Kolb is not gonna win fans over. I think undrafted QBs like Matt Moore and Jared Zebransky had a chance to go higher then Kolb, but Andy Reid must have saw something special in him. Abiamiri was a decent pick in round two. He has the natural size and talent needed but may need a little more motivation to reach full potential. I like all three of their next three selections; Bradley and Hunt in round three and Gaddis in round 5. Bradley is a versitile LB that may develope into a starter. Hunt could have, and probably should have, gone higher. AT one point, he was right with Lynch as second rated RB in the draft. Gaddis can play CB and S. He probablt could have raised his draft stock had he stayed in school another year, but he still has the size and athleticism to compete. After the first muff with Kolb, not a horrible draft for Philly. Grade: C+
Washington Redskins Who They Took: 1.(6) S LaRon Landry, LSU 5.(143) LB Dallas Sartz, USC 6.(179) LB H.B. Blades, Pittsburgh 6.(205) QB Jordan Palmer, UTEP 7.(216) TE Tyler Ecker, Michigan Key Team Needs: 1. Defensive line 2. Offensive line 3. Linebacker 4. Defensive back 5. Tight end The Bottom Line: Where did all Washington's picks go? Gibbs likes to deal and it shouws by the lack of Picks this season. Having only one pick in the first four rounds normally isn't too good. I do think for only having 5 total picks, Washington had a good draft. Landry is an impact player that can make a difference filling the void of Archuleta and Vincent. Although having he and Sean Taylor in the same secondary may cause some coverage mismatches. Sartz is an athletic LB. He may develope into a good football player if he stays healthy. Blades may not have the size to dominate, but he plays tough and tackles well. Plamer is still developing as a QB, but he is learning from a good one in his brother Carson. Ecker may develope into a solid backup and maybe even a starter down the road. Grade: B-Labels: Aaron Ross, Carson Palmer, Dallas Cowboys, Draft Grades, LaRon Landry, New York Giants, NFL, NFL Draft, Philadelphia Eagles, Washinton Redskins |