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MrClean's Top 5 NFC Team Draft Rankings
1. Dallas Cowboys (Grade: A+)
- I know there are many who will disagree, but I really think that Dallas had one of the best drafts of any NFC team. Their only major needs were at runningback, wide receiver, and cornerback. They werent' able to bring in more depth at wideout, but they shouldn't have a problem as they are already fielding Terrell Owens, Patrick Crayton, Sam Hurd, and Terry Glenn (when ever he recovers from injury). With the 22nd pick of the 1st round, the Cowboys drafted
RB Felix Jones (whose versatility, experience, and athleticism put him easily into the top 3 runningback prospects). Jerry Jones still has very close ties to the Arkansas Razorbacks, so he had a very good idea of the quality talent level of the Razorbacks' All-American runningbacks. There was speculation that Jones would trade up to get DMac, but this wouldn't have been completely necessary. Dallas definitely did the right thing bringing in Felix Joens, however. Felix Jones will be the flash to Mario Barber's thunder. Then they also brought in a great power back in
HB Tashard Choice with their fourth pick, who will make a very good backup and provide needed depth for the next few years.
TE Martellus Bennett is one of the better players at his position. Bennett is extremely athletic, as a former standout basketball player with great size (6'7, 248lbs), an outstanding verticle (34"), decent speed (4.68). He can line up in the slot, in motion and on the line, also possessing the ability to adjust well to poorly thrown balls. Bennett is not just a receiver, however, he's also good enough in-line to handle defensive ends and linebackers with block support. He does have a tendency to catch the ball with his body but Bennett has displayed soft hands on several occasions meaning that he should be able to develop his ball protection as well.
CB Mike Jenkins is a very physical shut-down corner with elite (4.38) speed. His biggest strengths come through his well-built frame, physical mentality, and his outstanding press coverage skills. With Jenkins' press ability and speed closing on plays in front of him, he could bring more value as a free safety (has Brian Dawkins-type qualities), as he does have experience at that position from his high school days and as a freshman at USF.
CB Orlando Scandrick is relatively unknown for the most part, but defintely got some attention with a blazing 4.32 at the Combine. Scandrick and Jenkins join a very sound & seasoned defensive back unit that includes former Razorback S Ken Hamlin, CB Terrance Newman, CB Evan Oglesby, CB Anthony Henry, and S Roy Williams. Felix Jones provides an added dimension as well with his explosive abilities as a return specialist. Felix Jones jones brings an added dimension with his excellent abilities as a return specialist, and Mike Jenkins has displayed his talents on special teams as well. Dallas is set and poised for a potentially very great season next year.
RB Felix Jones (Arkansas)
22nd pick - 1st Round
1. Washington Redskins (Grade: A)
- The Redskins were able to address several pressing concenrs with their 10 draft picks.
WR Devin Thomas has decent size and solid 4.40 speed.
WR Malcolm Kelly has great size, physicality, an excellent verticle, and decent speed as well although he did not display much at the Combine. He is an extremely physical wideout with a quick release at the snap, a 38" verticle, and arguably the best hands of any other wideout prospect. Thomas and Kelly are arguably the top 2 wide receiver prospects in this Draft, both of whom will definitely make a big impact next year. With the addition of TE Fred Davis as well, they've established some legitimate weapons in the pass game.
OT Chad Rinehart is talented, although he lacks ideal speed. He's a seasoned offensive tackle that can seal the pass rusher, slide with the defender after locking out, or just plain drive through them.
CB Justin Tryon,
S Kareem Moore, and
S Chris Horton add some needed depth to the Redskins' secondary. And then last but not least is
QB Colt Brennan, of whom many people still have questions/doubts about. Only time will tell.
WR Devin Thomas (Michigan State)
3rd pick - 2nd Round
3. Carolina Panthers (Grade: B+)
- Carolina addressed two huge needs with their first 2 picks:
RB Jonathen Stewart and
OT Jeff Otah. Stewart will pair with DeAngelo Williams in Carolina's backfield. Stewart started 25 contests with 516 carries for 2,891 yards and 27 touchdowns. He's got great quickness, outstanding speed (4.48 at the Combine) for his size and strength (28 reps bench press at the Combine). The Panthers move up to select Otah, who will make an extremely big anchor at 6'6, 340lbs, on their offensive line. In two seasons at Pittsburgh, Otah started all 24 games, grading 81.58% for blocking consistency, as he delivered 192 knockdowns, including 26 that led to Panthers' touchdowns on the team's 1,523 offensive snaps. They didn't really bring in a good pass rusher, which they definitely could have used being as they ranked last in sacks in the NFC last season.
OLB Dan Connor,
DT Nick Hayden, and
OLB Hilee Taylor are all very good at stopping the run. They were also able to bring in some more depth at offensive line with
OG Geoff Schwartz and
OG Mackenzy Bernadeau, both of whom appear to be solid 7th round picks. However, they weren't able to bring in a top quality quarterback although that is one of their biggest needs.
CB Charles Godfrey could fit very well as a cover-two corner or safety for Carolina. He is slightly undersized to play safety in the NFL, but does have decent muscle definition for a defensive back.
TE Gary Barnridge was an outstanding 5th round pick, with great experience coming from an electric Louisville offense. He was a standout at the Combine in the 40-yard dash (4.65), bench press (22 reps), vertical jump (31"), broad jump (9'9"), 3-cone drill (6.92), 20-yard shuttle (4.23), and the 60-yard shuttle (11.29).
RB Jonathan Stewart (Oregon)
13th pick - 1st Round
4. Philadelphia Eagles (Grade: B+)
- I've read several comments regarding the Eagles' overall draft grade. They definitely deserve a B because of the way their picks are set up for next season as well as the fact that all of their major needs were addressed. Quarterback Donovan McNabb got an outstanding & versatile playmaker in
WR DeSean Jackson, who has more than proved his worth as a superior return specialist. Although he lacks bulk on his lean frame, Jackson shows good muscle tone, adequate bubble, good arm length, natural hands and tapered thighs and calves. He has just adequate strength to fight for tough catches, but shows the sudden burst to elude in the open field. Jackson provides the Eagles with a very explosive weapon.
DT Trevor Laws will be a huge anchor for Philadelphia's seasoned defensive line that includes
Jon Runyan and
William Thomas. They definitely were able to add to their offensive line with
OT Mike McGlynn,
OT Mike Gibson, and
OT King Dunlap. The Eagles addressed their need at linebacker with
OLB Bryan Smith,
ILB Joe Mays, and
OLB Andy Studebaker. Depth was definitely needed at defensive back, which was handled very well in my opinion.
FS Quinten Demps has great timed speed (4.39), an excellent open-field tackler (275 career tackles), and is a ball hawk having racked up 17 interceptions.
WR DeSean Jackson (California)
18th pick - 2nd Round
5. New York Giants (Grade: B)
- New York would have had a much better draft if they could have brought in a top talent offensive lineman. However, the Giants were able to bring in two of the better defensive back prospects at their respective positions with
FS Kenny Phillips and
CB/S Terrell Thomas.
WR Mario Manningham finished his career ranked 5th in school history for receiving yards (2,310), 4th in touchdown catches (27) and 9th for receptions (137). All but seven of his touchdown grabs have come from outside the red zone. Although Manningham had a poor showing at the NFL Combine, he should develop very well in that offense and will become a reliable asset to Eli Manningham. The Giants have a veteran receiving corps who will be able to help Manningham through his development there.
OLB Bryan Kehl and
LB Jonathan Goff are both good sized linebackers that provide good depth to the Giant's needed linebacker corps.
QB Andre Woodson failed to make a good impression at the Senior Bowl, and likewise with a poor preformance at the NFL Combine and thus his draft stock really suffered. Woodson does have a long delivery and there are questions about his throwing motion, but there is no denying that he possesses a tremendous upside. This talented quarterback was very productive in college. Woodson has great size, mobility, and should develop well behind a franchise quarterback of the quality of Eli Manning, as well as the rest of the reigning Super Bowl champion offense. Woodson has made very good strides in his timing and shows much better field vision than he did in the past. Picks up coverages and schemes well, doing a nice job of reading the defense, as he would much rather eat the ball and take a sack that throw it into tight areas. Woodson was very successful in the SEC, which provided him several years of great opposition to improve against.
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Other Notable Drafts:
Chicago Bears (Grade: B)
- I've read several differing perspectives on the Bears' draft decisions, but I thought they pulled out a very solid few days. The biggest areas of concern were at quarterback, runningback, wide receiver, and their offensive line. Chicago failed to bring in a top QB, which is the main reason why their overall draft grade wasn't higher.
OT Chris Williams is well suited to play left tackle and should provide an upgrade to a unit that struggled in 2007. He allowed just two QB sacks over a span of 1,558 offensive snaps at Vanderbilt. He has good feet and balance for pass protection. Williams must become more physical on drive blocks, but he is alert to coverage when trying to gain position.
RB Matt Forte provide some needed competition at his position, especially as Cedric Benson has yet to prove that he can be the feature back that he could potentially be. The Bears were able to bring in two of the top wideouts in the SEC in
WR Earl Bennett and
WR Marcus Monk. Bennett became the first receiver in SEC history to have 75-plus catches three straight years and is suited to play the slot, where he did most of his damage in college. He has decent size, great timed speed (4.48), quickness, and will make a viable deep threat when needed. After three stellar seasons, Marcus Monk looked sensational throughout spring practices and was primed for a banner senior season. But Monk suffered a right knee injury during an August scrimmage and never really got back on track. Monk does have elite size at 6'5, 222lbs, as well as a 34.5" verticle. He ranks third in school history with 138 receptions and 2,151 yards receiving, as his 27 touchdown grabs set the UA all-time record. Monk was a two-sport collegiate athlete at UA, playing on the basketball team for two years. In his senior season for the basketball team, Monk averaged 20.8 points, 16.4 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 3.8 blocks and 2.5 steals. He was named the
Arkansas Democrat Gazette's Mr. Basketball, as he led his team to the Class AAA state championships, earning MVP of the tournament. As a junior, Monk averaged 25.8 points and 15.7 rebounds per game. He is extremely athletic for his size, knows how to go up strong to bring the ball in with his soft hands, and Monk also makes a very big target for the quarterback. The Bears did a very good job drafting for the defensive side of the ball. They brought in two seasoned SEC veterans in
S Craig Steltz and
DT Marcus Harrison. Both of these players are extremely talented and will definitely make an immediate impact. Chicago was also able to draft
CB Zackary Bowman (whose draft stock fell so much because of injury),
DE Ervin Baldwin,
OG Chester Adams,
OLB Joey LaRocque, and
OT Kirk Barton.
TE Kellen Davis played both tight end and defensive end last year at Michigan State. He is a talented pass rusher and has the size to make plays offensively as well. Ran a 4.59 in the 40, impressive given his size, and had four sacks in limited time on defense. There is some thought that his best spot could be at defensive end, but as Mike Vrabel has shown, it never hurts to have tight end skills as a pass rusher.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Grade: B-)
- Everyone knows how much Coach John Gruden would've loved to go after a top offensive prospect with the 20th pick of the 1st round, but I really think the Bucs made the right decision.
CB Aqib Talib is one of the best shut-down corners in college football today, whose size and physical mentality make him a force in the secondary. He was a top preformer at the Combine in the vertical jump (38"), broad jump (10'11"), and 3-cone drill (6.82). Talib will be a great fit in an already solid defense, despite any criticism he has received due to off-the-field issues. The decent sized
WR Dexter Jackson is an excellent return specialist with tremendous 4.33 speed. He didn't catch a lot of passes at Appalachian State because of the offense he played in, but Jackson has displayed the ability to make big plays (averaged 16.8-yards on 110 receptions). Tampa Bay's other offensive draft picks were
QB Josh Johnson and
RB Cory Boyd. The Bucs definitely have quite a few quarterbacks on their roster, but Johnson's athleticism gives him a tremendous upside. He was a standout at the Combine in the 40-yard dash (4.55), verticle jump (33.5"), and the broad jump (9'2"). Johnson will have to develop his passing game to be effective at the next level. Cory Boyd is, in my opinion, the best sleeper pick at the 31st pick of the 7th round. He joins a very solid runningback unit made up of former SEC stars Carnell
'Cadillac' Williams and Earnest Graham, as well as Warrick Dunn. Boyd is a very physical inside runner, and has proven to be one of the best pass-catching runningbacks in college football. He gained 2,267 yards rushing and 1,303 yards receiving during his time at South Carolina. Boyd was a top preformer at the Combine in the bench press (25 reps), verticle jump (33.5"), 20-yard shuttle (4.24 secs), and the 60-yard shuttle (12.08). Tampa added depth to their offensive line with
OG Jeremy Zuttah, who has played tackle in college but will likely be utilized as a guard or center. Zuttah was Rutger's offensive line leader, where he anchored the front wall with 28 consecutive starts at right tackle. Zuttah provided the Scarlet Knights with a dominant force up front, and was defintely a key part of Ray Rice's success. He did not allow any sacks over his last two seasons, as the line ranked 2nd in the nation in 2007 and led the NCAA ranks in 2006 for fewest sacks allowed.
DT Dre Moore is versatile in either the 3-4, or 4-3. He is strong and fast, making him a great 4th round pick. Moore is also known to have a mean streak in the trenches.
LB Geno Hayes is also a very versatile player who can play either outside or inside. Although he does need to develop his coverage game, he has proven that he can be a very physical hitter. Hayes is explosive with great quickness and good speed (4.64 at the Combine).
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Handing out draft grades for NFC teams
Handing out draft grades for NFC teams
