There is no point of giving out grades for an entire draft. So many things can change in a couple of years. In 2004, the Raiders draft was hailed because they passed on the Davis-type pick of Larry Fitzgerald, to pick the once-in-a-decade talent in Robert Gallery at OT. Six years later, although Gallery is now a pro-bowl caliber Left Guard, that looks like a huge mistake. However, first round picks can be judged. These players are picked to contribute right away, to fill holes on good teams, and to lead resurgences on bad ones. So, here are the grades for the first round of the draft:
1.) St. Louis selects Sam Bradford
Grade: A
You can't knock a team for picking the best QB on the board when they need a QB more than anything else. QBs make the world go round, and although Suh and Berry are probably better at their respective divisions, unless the 2002 Bucs defense is walking through that door, the Rams needed a QB to rebuild in earnest. Bradford has a chance to be special.
2.) Detroit selects Ndomakung Suh
Grade: A
Again, how can the Lions get anything else than an 'A' for landing the best player available at number two. Suh is a Haynesworth-caliber player that has the ability and passion to play hard every down. He should help every level of that defense, and Jim Schwartz has the ability to coach him up to super-star level.
3.) Tampa Bay selects Gerald McCoy
Grade: A
This may make me seem as an easy teacher, but really, it is hard to screw up a top-5 pick. The Buccaneers certainly did not do that. McCoy is a rare talent, a Warren Sapp type player, and if he can half the impact Sapp did, this is a great pick.
4.) Washington selects Trent Williams
Grade: B
The 'Skins get docked a letter grade because he is not the best tackle available. In fact, in terms of pro-readiness, there are two better tackles (Okung, Bulaga). He may fit Shanahan's specifications for athletic ability on the o-line, but he was not overwhelmingly good at Oklahoma. Now, he is still a very good player, but Okung would have been a better pick.
5.) Kansas City selects Eric Berry
Grade: A
I thought they had a more pressing need at LB, but he's the best overall player left on the board, and the Chiefs could use a safety as well. Berry is a rare talent, and in what could be another dark year in Arrowhead, Berry will give a glimpse of sunshine.
6.) Seattle selects Russel Okung
Grade: A
Great pick. The Seahawks are anticipating the retirement of first-ballot Hall of Famer Walter Jones soon, and Russel Okung represents the most NFL-ready tackle. He's a mauler, and a Left Tackle who loves to run-block, much like the aforementioned Mr. Jones. Okung will help keep Hasselbeck healthy, which immediately makes the Seahawks better.
7.) Cleveland selects Joe Haden
Grade: B+
Not a terrible pick, since Haden is a good player, but it was a not a position of need, and he is not good enough to be a "best player available" pick. Haden gives the Browns corner depth, but in a ground-and-pound AFC North, a DT or LB would have been more valuable positionally.
8.) Oakland selects Rolando McClain
Grade: B+
Again, this pick and grade is like the Browns above. McClain is a damn good football player, and will bring much needed leadership to the Raiders defense, but it was not a position of need as much as LT was. However, it was a nice marked change from the Raiders' usual draft mantra, which would spearhead a great draft all-around for the Nation.
9.) Buffalo selects C.J. Spiller
Grade: C
Why do the Bills, for taking Spiller, a great player but at a position that is already filled, get a 'C'? Because, running back is fungible anyway. Spiller has a chance to be Chris Johnson, but in all honestly, running back is one of the most useless positions on the team, and means nothing without a running game (just ask Shaun Alexander).
10.) Jacksonville selects Tyson Alualu
Grade: D
What an epic reach. Trade down to 25, gather a first next year or an additional second, and then pick him. At least he's a good player, but he's at a position that the Jaguars don't need. The Jags need pass rushers, not run-stuffers. DTs won't help you compete with Indy and Houston. With a bevy of pass-rushers on the board, this was a bad pick.
11.) San Francisco selects Anthony Davis (from DEN)
Grade: B-
He's a good player, and it is obvious Singletary wants to build an o-line, which he will help in, but why did they randomly trade up two spots? That mystery knocks them a half-letter grade. Also, they have a very good, young LT in Joe Staley so they are essentially drafting a lifetime RT? Just confusing overall.
12.) San Diego selects Ryan Matthews (from MIA)
Grade: B-
I had San Diego picking him in the mock draft. He's a good player and fills a huge need for the Chargers. But I had them picking him 28th? Unless there is veritable evidence that some other team was looking at him this early, giving up the 40th pick in the draft is way too much to move up to pick someone who would've been there later on.
13.) Philadelphia select Brandon Graham (from DEN, from SF)
Grade: A
The Eagles paid a hefty price (two 3rds), but unlike the Chargers, for good reason, as Graham would have been gone shortly. He is a perfect fit for the Eagles, and will greatly help their biggest need of a pass-rusher to put opposite Trent Cole. Nice pick, and nice move up to grab one of the best DEs in the draft.
14.) Seattle selects Earl Thomas
Grade: A
I wish he dropped to Cincinnati to see if the Bengals would've followed my theory, but he's a great fit in Seattle. The Seahawks haven't had a good safety in a long, long time, and he slides in immediately. The Seahawks love nfl-ready players, and Earl Thomas is just that.
15.) New York Giants selects Jason Pierre-Paul
Grade: B
With Derrick Morgan still on the board, and the variety of stat-metrics that project Pierre-Paul to be a bust (the Giants are reknowned as one of the more stat-savvy teams), this is a disappointing pick. Now, the Giants might know more than we all do (likely), but Derrick Morgan would've been the better pick.
16.) Tennessee selects Derrick Morgan
Grade: A
Tennessee needed a pass-rusher, and they get the best one in the draft, and didn't have to trade anything. Great haul for the Titans to kickstart a great draft overall. They should be sending thank you notes down to Jacksonville and up to New York for keeping Morgan available.
17.) San Francisco selects Mike Iupati
Grade: B+
They have holes that they need to fill outside of the o-line. They really could have used Kyle Wilson here. I realize that I mocked Iupati here, and it was and is a good pick considering Iupati is the best guard in the draft, but that was under the assumption they do something to help out their cornerback situation.
18.) Pittsburgh selects Markuice Pouncey
Grade: A-
Again, they had other holes like cornerback (who doesn't have corner needs?) and WR, but the Steelers pick someone to plow-open holes to Rashard Mendenhall in their new commitment to the running game. Good, but not great, pick.
19.) Atlanta selects Sean Witherspoon
Grade: A
Sure, they could have picked a DE, something that was more pressing of a need, but Sean Witherspoon is the ideal Falcon. He's a smart, versatile MLB that Mike Smith will love in that defense. His ability will allow the DEs to worry less about the run and rush better.
20.) Houston selects Kareem McKenzie
Grade: B
With Kyle Wilson on the board, it is an interesting pick. The only explanation is that the Texans liked McKenzie more, and Kareem is a very good corner prospect, but since Wilson was almost unanimously the better prospect rated, and since Houston hasn't earned the benefit of the doubt.
21.) Cincinnati selects Jermaine Gresham
Grade: A
My dream scenario of the Bengals adding Earl Thomas to that secondary never played out, but they get a much-needed weapon for Carson Palmer. The Bengals love their young wideouts like Caldwell, so the TE makes sense, and Gresham is a matchup nightmare. Good pick.
22.) Denver selects Demaryius Thomas (from NE)
Grade: C
He's in a position of need, so that's the only reason this is not an D or lower. From what I know, Denver traded up two spots for a fast receiver with no hands and little route-running ability. He's essentially the 2010 version of Darrius Heyward-Bey. Good thing they at least waited to trade down a couple of times to take him.
23.) Green Bay selects Bryan Bulaga
Grade: A
This was one of the best first-round draft picks. It was just excellent. Bulaga is a quintessential Packer. He should have gone 10-15 picks higher, and fills a huge need as Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher are both old and injury prone. Aaron Rodgers can actually get better with better protection and Bulaga should help there.
24.) Dallas selects Dez Bryant (from NE, from DEN and PHI)
Grade: A-
The only reason that it is less than an A is because the Cowboys don't need him, or need another questionable character guy on the team after Terrell Owens, Roy Williams, Pac Man Jones and Martellus Bennett. However, they pulled of a gutsy move getting the best WR in the draft at a great value.
25.) Denver selects Tim Tebow (from BAL)
Grade: F
Considering they gave up a 2nd, 3rd and 4th to trade up to get him, this pushes it into 'F' category. First of all, I don't think Tebow can be an NFL QB, but even if he could, this is a stupid pick. McDaniels team has a capable QB in Orton. What they don't have is youth on defense. McDaniels is a drafting joke. He was proactive in trading his good players for picks to rebuild the team in his image, and he has done so. He has no talent, his team has no talent. Well don.
26.) Arizona selects Dan Williams
Grade: A
Another great pick. It's amazing that the Cardinals have probably been one of the five best drafting teams of the last five years. Dan Williams was a consensus top-15 pick who inexplicably slipped down far. This isn't an area of great need, but you cannot pass up that combination of talent and value, and the Cardinals did not.
27.) New England selects Devin McCourty (from DAL)
Grade: B
He's a nice enough player, but doesn't represent an area of need. The Patriots had two glaring areas of need heading into the draft. They addressed the TE one later on, but the other was an edge-rush OLB, which there were available. McCourty enters into a crowded secondary and the Pats pass-rush is still limp.
28.) Miami selects Jared Odrick
Grade: A-
He's a good solid player, but not sure how he fits into Miami's defense. I would have thought they would go after an edge-rusher as well. I guess that is what Kao Misi is for them. I heard a rumor that they are planning to use Odrick as a DE and shift incumbent DE Randy Starks inside, which makes the pick more reasonable.
29.) New York Jets select Kyle Wilson
Grade: A
Arguably the steal of a draft. This is exactly what I wanted to Bengals to do, make a strength even stronger. Kyle Wilson is too good of a player for the Jets to pass up, and now the Jets just made their best pass defense even better. The Jets are now scary good on defense, and look out if Cromartie ever figures it out again.
30.) Detroit Lions select Jahvid Best (from MIN)
Grade: A-
They really need a LT to protect Matt Stafford. Stafford has the chance to be a great one, but he needs the protection that he is just not getting. However, Jahvid Best works well in Detroit. He's good enough to hold the fort as Kevin Smith recovers from ACL surgery, and then he will work as a perfect complement to the bruising Smith. Good pro-active move by the Lions.
31.) Indianapolis select Jerry Hughes
Grade: A
I still can't believe that he fell to this spot. He is the perfect Colts player and addresses a huge need in that of another DE. He is a Freeney/Mathis clone, and what better way to work than under those two. The Colts know what life is when Freeney/Mathis are not at their best, and now that life might not be as scary.
32.) New Orleans select Patrick Robinson
Grade: B
Interesting pick. Kind of going the Jets route, where the fortify a strength even further. The Saints have a very good group of corners, from Jabari Greer, Tracy Porter, Malcolm Jenkins and Randall Gay. However, you can never have enough corners and Robinson is an NFL-ready player.
So there you have it. Later today, I will do the post-draft Power Rankings and a really, really early season record predictions.
