Around the NFL: Draft Winners and Losers

After the NFL draft, I always have that small “after draft hangover.” No, this isn’t from excessive servings of single malt scotch (preferably 14yr Oban or 15yr Glenlivet French Oak Reserve) but rather from knowing that the next significant football event isn’t until pre-season starts in July. Of course, there’s the June 1 st cuts, but that usually isn’t significant anymore. There’s also training camp, which I’ll admit is entertaining. Then there will inevitably be the “will Favre return” talk, but let’s face it, that’s just irritating at this point. The truth of the matter is that all the build-up to the draft has left me wanting more. So I suppose I’ll just have to fill the coming months talking about what happened during the draft, to which I’ll start today with my opinion of the draft’s top five winners and losers.

Top Five Draft Winners

• Green Bay Packers – I was very impressed with what the Packers did in the draft. First, they addressed a huge need position with Boston College NT B.J. Raji, who I think was one of the three best players in the entire draft. Moving to a 3-4 defense, the NT is one of the most important positions and one of the most difficult to fill. Now the Packers have a guy who I think could be the next version of Vince Wilfork or Casey Hampton, and that’s truly saying something. Next, the Packers grabbed one of my favorite players in the draft in versatile OLB Clay Matthews from USC. Matthews will help immediately on special teams and will be a dynamite pass rusher opposite Aaron Kampman. With Nick Barnett and A.J. Hawk in the middle, Kampman and Matthews on the outside, and Raji anchoring the nose, the Packers defense has a chance to propel them to the top of the NFC North this year. Additionally, OT’s T.J. Lang from Eastern Michigan and Jamon Meredith from South Carolina both have the talent to be starters in this league and might be the Packers bookend tackles in a couple of years. LSU FB Quinn Johnson is an outstanding blocker and was good value in the fifth.

• Baltimore Ravens – Doesn’t it seem like you kind of have to put the Ravens up here? Every year GM Ozzie Newsome puts together a great draft. This year was really no exception. In the first round, picking up Ole Miss OT Michael Oher wasn’t just a touching story of Oher’s overcoming homelessness; it was also a great pickup for the future of the franchise. Oher has the ability to start from day one, but will be just as valuable if he winds up a backup swing tackle for a couple of years behind Jared Gaither and Willie Anderson. In the second round, Utah DE Paul Kruger provided good value and will be a very good pass rusher for the Ravens. My personal pick for steal of the draft is ILB Jason Phillips from TCU. The Ravens got him in the fifth round and he’s got all the skills to develop into a top-notch MLB, and with the opportunity to learn from Ray Lewis, he’ll have every chance to prove he was worth an earlier pick. All the players the Ravens picked have the potential to contribute early and will likely prove once again that Newsome is in that elite class of front office executives who truly know how to work the draft.

• Chicago Bears – I was thinking about including the Bears simply for obtaining Jay Cutler. They gave up a lot for him though, so I figured they’d have to do really well in the draft in order to make up for it. After seeing the players they picked up, I have no doubt that the Cutler move was the right choice. The Bears did a great job picking for value throughout the draft. I was particularly impressed with four of their picks. In the third round, they got two guys who I had graded out as second round talents in San Jose State DL Jarron Gilbert and Oklahoma WR Juaquin Iglesias. Iglesias has a chance to be an outstanding possession receiver in this league and at times reminds me of former Bengal Carl Pickens. Gilbert is a tremendous athlete whose upside makes him more than worth the third round pick it took to get him. Additionally, undersized CB D.J. Moore out of Vanderbilt was underrated, as he’s a ball hawk with insane hops. He could contribute early in sub-packages. Ohio State LB Marcus Freeman looks like a great fit in Chicago and could develop into a starter down the line. Overally, this is a great draft for a team that didn’t make a pick until the second day.

• New York Giants – The Giants, like the Ravens, are becoming perennials members of my draft winners list. Instead of trading for a 27 year old, banged up Anquan Boldin, they used their first round pick on the younger Hakeem Nicks out of North Carolina, a receiver who reminds me a lot of Anquan Boldin. He was great value there and has the potential to help immediately. Virginia LB Clint Sintim was viewed as a pass rusher in a 3-4 scheme prior to the draft, but he’s talented and versatile enough to play in the 4-3 that the Giants run. He was a great choice in the second round. William Beatty, OT, Connecticut was a steal at the end of the second round as he has the look of a starting LT. He’ll be a very good backup while he learns from David Diehl. Massive Cal Poly WR Ramses Barden may have been a bit of a reach in the third round, but the sky’s the limit on his upside and he may be worth the risk at that point in the draft. Wisconsin TE Travis Beckum could be a starter down the line, and N.C. State RB Andre Brown will ease the loss of Derrick Ward in free agency. The fifth round is a great spot to take a shot on a troubled QB, and Sam Houston State’s Rhett Bomar fits the mold. He’s got a live arm and could develop into a reliable backup for Eli Manning. Overall, another great job by Jerry Reese who’s doing a great job adding fuel to these playoff contenders.

• Philadelphia Eagles – The Eagles were aggressive this draft and Donovan McNabb has to be happy about it. First they traded for two-time Pro Bowl LT Jason Peters to protect his blind side. Then they drafted Missouri star WR Jeremy Maclin to provide another playmaker in the passing game. In the second round they drafted Pittsburgh RB LeSean McCoy who has the ability to be a complete back, with the versatility to take over Brian Westbrook’s role once he retires. If all that wasn’t enough, they drafted one of the best pass-catching TE’s in Florida’s Cornelius Ingram and big OT with loads of potential in Oregon’s Fenuki Tupou. If McNabb was upset last year about not getting much help, he can’t be upset now. The Eagles did a great job of adding talent all over the offensive side of the ball. Additionally, Virginia Tech CB Victor “Macho” Harris has the toughness and intensity to contribute early and could even play safety. The Eagles also traded two fourth round picks for New England Patriots starting CB Ellis Hobbs, who could start if the contract situation with Sheldon Brown doesn’t get resolved, and would be a reliable nickel back if Brown returns. The Eagles are eyeing a championship, knowing that time is running out.

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Top Five Draft Losers

• Oakland Raiders – Old Undead Al Davis just couldn’t help himself. He saw Maryland WR Darrius Heyward-Bey’s fastest 40 time and he just had to use the seventh overall pick on him. Hewyward-Bey has a lot of upside, as he’s got decent size and outstanding speed at the receiver position. However, he also is an unpolished route-runner with inconsistent hands at best. I think that in all honesty, their fourth round pick WR Louis Murphy from Florida might wind up being a better pro, and is really the only pick I liked in this draft. Picked in round two, SS Mike Mitchell out of Ohio was almost an unknown, but as a workout warrior, the Raiders took notice and reached for him. The rest of the picks are projects/special teams contributors with TE Brandon Myers from Iowa being a great find in the seventh round. Overall, the Raiders would’ve been much better served drafting a guy like Jarron Gilbert in the second round and Eugene Monroe in the first. Then they’d build up the interior on both sides of the ball. I fear that Raider Nation is going to have to suffer through another losing season, as this draft class doesn’t look to be very helpful.

• Pittsburgh Steelers – The Pittsburgh Steelers typically draft very well, and last year did a great job of picking up value where they saw it. Last year, they actually earned one of my highest grades, and I still think that the trio of Limas Sweed, Rashard Mendenhall, and Bruce Davis will wind up being a great core of players for the Super Bowl champs. However, this year I just didn’t see the same great decisions. The first round selection of Evander “Ziggy” Hood out of Missouri is a little perplexing. Hood is a tremendous talent, but I see him as an ideal fit as a one-gap DT in a 4-3 defensive scheme. It’s obvious that the Steelers believe he can play DE in their 3-4, and he’s talented enough to probably do so, but this still seems like a poor fit to me. If they wanted to bolster their 34 DL at the end of the first round, I don’t see why they passed up NT Ron Brace out of Boston College. Casey Hampton is getting up there in age and Brace could’ve been molded as his heir apparent. Besides that, the Steelers could’ve grabbed a potentially elite offensive lineman in Max Unger or William Beatty. Both are versatile players and Unger definitely could be a starter from day one. All that being said, I like the third round pick-ups of OG Kraig Urbik from Wisconsin and CB Keenan Lewis from Oregon State. Urbik has a chance to start early and has that tough guy, try hard mentality that personifies the Steelers mentality, and Lewis is a tough physical corner who reminds me a lot of Al Harris with his ability to press a receiver. Additionally, A.Q. Shipley out of Penn State could be a steal in the seventh round and may find himself starting down the line. Overall, I would’ve liked to see the Steelers emphasize the offensive line a little more, and I was surprised with the selection of Hood.

• San Diego – Really, this statement pretty much boils down to my lack of faith in Larry English as a dominating pass-rushing specialist. While he’s undoubtedly talented, the Chargers ignored some areas that are far more pressing needs than maybe they’d like to admit. OT Michael Oher, CB Vontae Davis, MLB Rey Maualuga, or WR Jeremy Maclin all would’ve been better pickups at that point in the first round, and all of them could’ve provided upgrades to the defense. While a pass-rusher is definitely an important pick-up after dealing with life without Shawn Merriman last season, I see English as a luxury pick that the Chargers don’t necessarily have. They’re chances at a Super Bowl are dwindling away at this point and the draft choices they make now will be the determining factor in whether or not they finally put it all together. That being said, CB Brandon Hughes from Oregon State was a good pick-up in the fifth, as he could contribute early to nickel or dime packages and S Kevin Ellison from USC was good value in the sixth round. Third round pick OG Louis Vasquez from Texas Tech is massive and could develop into a starter down the line.

• Tampa Bay – I don’t think Josh Freeman is the next Joe Flacco. I don’t really even think he’s the next Daunte Culpepper who he’s often referred to. Basically Freeman is a project player who is going to need to be coached up. The Bucs didn’t need to trade up two spots for him. Maybe somebody else would’ve grabbed him, but that just would’ve left them with a chance at DT Peria Jerry (which would fill a huge need), OLB Clay Matthews, or WR Jeremy Maclin. Byron Leftwich can be the Bucs QB this season and maybe even beyond. There’s a point where need meets value and to me, Freeman simply wasn’t value at that point. I’d put Freeman in the second round and the Bucs draft, as well as their coaching staff will now forever be linked to his future. ON a side note, WR Sammie Stroughter out of Oregon State was good value in the seventh round, as he could be a dynamic return specialist and third round pick DT Roy Miller out of Texas was a good choice where he went.

• Carolina Panthers – I don’t think you trade next year’s first round pick for a second rounder this year. I know how the draft value chart works and that generally speaking next year’s pick is always valued the same as a round later in this year’s draft according to common practice. However, I just simply don’t believe you trade out that top pick for someone who slid this year. I particularly don’t believe in doing that when next year’s draft looks to be more promising. Furthermore, I don’t believe in doing that for a situational pass rusher who’s very raw. However, this is exactly what the Panthers did, yet again, when the gave up their first round pick for what turned into Florida State DE Everette Brown in the second round and Texas A&M RB Mike Goodson in the fourth. I actually think that Brown will be a good situational player, if not a solid starter, and I think that Goodson will complement the two headed monster that is the Carolina backfield very well. However, I just don’t see myself being okay with giving up a first rounder for the two. I believe that you’re mortgaging your future when you do that. That being said, the Panthers actually did pick up some gems late in Oklahoma OG Duke Robinson and Syracuse FB Tony Fiammetta. Second round pick Sherrod Martin from Troy is an interesting pick as well who could play CB or S and has the toughness HC John Fox will like.

Enjoy the debates and keep an eye on the rookie mini-camps where guys like Mark Sanchez, Knowshon Moreno, and James Laurinaitis will be trying to make a great first impression on their new teams.

By: Brandon Niles
ProFootball-fans.com Staff Writer