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2008 NFL Draft Grades - AFC North
by Gregory Cox
Director
of College
Football and NFL Analysis
5/2/08
BALTIMORE
#18 QB Joe Flacco (Delaware):
Some are already having flashbacks of when Boller was drafted after
wowing
scouts by throwing from his knees. He’s definitely a love him or hate
him type
of quarterback. I have always pointed to him backing down from a fight
with
Palko which I don’t like from a guy I’m paying millions of dollars to
lead my
franchise. On the other hand he does seem to have a cool confidence
about him
now, perhaps gained from dominating lower competition. Trading down
really made
a lot of sense and those who are confused about why they traded up from
#26
need to realize that other teams might have been trading up beyond
their slot
to draft him, at least in theory. Given the record number of trades
this is a
reasonable assumption.
#55 RB Ray Rice (Rutgers): Honestly
this is one of the very last destinations I would have pegged for him.
At 5’8”
he now looks down at backfield mate Ross who he is likely to replace. I
honestly thought his height would slide him into the third round
although
Jones-Drew certainly paved the way for compact, strong runners. Looking
at the
move it makes a lot of sense. Musa Smith was the only backup running
back to
carry the ball more than 15 times. McGahee had just 294 rushes, all but
5 of
which came in 14 healthy outings. He averaged 20 carries in those
starts and
might be better served dropping that number to 16-18 while Rice handles
8-12 rushes
per game. He can handle the load if McGahee goes down as well.
#71 ILB/OLB Tavares Gooden (Miami, FL):
Forget about how good he is, Lewis
will immediately take his fellow Hurricane under his wing making this a
perfect
choice. The sad part for Lewis is that he is probably training his
replacement.
It has been a good run though.
#86 SS Tom Zbikowski (Notre Dame): This is about where I had
him landing and it is a good fit because they won’t be too worried
about his
lack of coverage skills. His immediate contributions will come on
special teams
and as an experienced boxer he won’t be afraid to mix it up on
coverage.
#99 OT/OG Oniel Cousins (UTEP): I actually had them taking
him here because I feel he can be molded to fit either tackle or guard.
They
are still wondering if Ogden
is
going to retire and need to plan as if he is.
#106 WR Marcus Smith (New Mexico):
I thought they would take a receiver named Marcus, but I thought Monk
was more
talented a little later in the draft. I would have taken any of the
next three
receivers off the board (Shields, Hawkins, Burton)
not to mention Hubbard or Monk before I thought about him. It’s too
early to
think about special teams and that is where he will wind up. They
needed
someone to come in and catch some passes. He does have size going for
him, but
will take some seasoning.
#133 OT David Hale (Weber State):
Apparently he didn’t allow
a sack all season, but most of the guys rushing him will be selling
insurance
for a living. I think he would have been on the board a round later had
they
waited although offensive linemen were a hotter commodity than Hannah
Montana
tickets on draft weekend.
#206 FS Haruki Nakamura (Cincinnati):
Just because I didn’t have him being drafted doesn’t mean he can’t
play. He is
a big time hitter which their defense covets and his height (5’10”) is
really
what holds down his NFL value. This is a good time to mention that they
addressed their need for a nickel corner by trading for Washington
(Raiders)
who never lived up to his first round status, but should fit in nicely
as a
reserve.
#215 WR Justin Harper (Virginia Tech): I’m not sure I
understand their additions at receiver because while both add size,
they also
carry baggage of not having great hands. Shouldn’t they be drafting
reliable
targets for their new franchise quarterback? I think better options
were
available even in the seventh round.
#240 RB Allen Patrick (Oklahoma): I had them taking him
quite a bit earlier (#173) and it’s a little puzzling how he fits in
with the
Rice pick. He brings speed and has more size than Rice so for a
reasonable
price tag he gives them options in camp. It’s certainly possible both
could
find a role behind McGahee.
MY DRAFT: #8 (QB) #38 (CB) #99 (OT/OG) #106 (DE/OLB) #133
(WR) #173 (RB) #206 (DT) #215 (SS/SF) #240 (OG)
If I had stayed strong projecting Ryan to Atlanta
I probably would have them taking Flacco in the second round, but I’ll
certainly take pegging the Cousins selection on the nose and pairing
them up
with Patrick. Because of trades they had an extra pick, and wound up
with two
additions at running back and safety where I had them taking one of
each. They
also didn’t pick a defensive tackle, but mostly their draft went as I
thought
it would.
PLAYER HITS: 2
POSITION HITS: 7/9
NEAR MISSES: 1/9 (traded for CB)
HOW DID THEY DO? This was a pretty good haul over their five
selections, but it was spotty after that. I like the two physical
safeties, and
coupled with the trade for Washington
their secondary is in much better shape. They didn’t need starters and
got
great depth. The front seven got just one addition, but it’s a solid
one in
Gooden. Their offense needed help and was addressed in key areas which
were
starting quarterback, backup running back (two) offensive line (two)
and
receiver (two). There wasn’t much value in their selections though and
I don’t
think any of these players went later than expected.
UNDRAFTED ADDITIONS: DT Lorenzo Williams (Missouri) QB Brad
Roach (Catawba) C Isaiah Wiggins (Illinois State) DE/ILB Jameel McClain
(Syracuse) TE Scott Kuhn (Louisville) OT Sean Dumford (Eastern
Kentucky) WR
Ernest Wheelwright (Minnesota) TE Joe Reitz (Western Michigan) OG
Brandon
Barnes (Grand Valley State) OG Adam Kraus (Michigan) P Benjamin Dato
(Fordham)
K Piotr Czech (Wagner)
Analysis: Can I pretend these were the guys they took from
the fourth round on? I like this bunch starting with Kraus who could
have gone
as high in the fifth among their five additions on the offensive line.
McClain
is another guy I thought was worthy of being taken even in the late
fourth
round. He’s a run stuffing inside linebacker or possibly an end. They
probably
brought in the kicker because at 40 Stover is close to getting old a
the kicker
position. As for the punter they might be concerned that Koch put only
2 of 78
punts inside the 10 yard line although his average over his two seasons
(43.2)
is good.
OVERALL DRAFT: 81/100
INCLUDING UDFA: 83/100
CLEVELAND
#108 ILB/OLB Beau Bell
(UNLV): Injury issues clouded his value, but he is a good football
player and
they weren’t going to wait for him to drop so they traded up for him. I
might
have taken more of a pass rusher, but he will work his way into their
starting
lineup sooner rather than later.
#111 TE Martin Rucker (Missouri):
I don’t think they got the memo that his stock was falling because they
gave up
a third round pick next year to get him. I’m not sure about this move.
Winslow
has been on the straight and narrow on the field and off, being so
aggressive
about drafting his backup is an unusual decision.
#190 DT Ahtyba Rubin (Iowa State):
This almost makes up for
the Rucker pick. He can be a run plugger in the middle of their 3-4.
His value
dropped, but at one point he was considered a possible third round pick
and I
had him going in the fourth.
#191 WR Paul Hubbard (Wisconsin): I think Phil Savage was
bored during draft weekend because it doesn’t make sense to give up a
fourth
for a third to get Rucker then a fifth for a sixth to get this guy. I
like
Hubbard and believe he has great potential, but after trading away all
of your
early picks was this really necessary? Didn’t they just add Stallworth
at
receiver? I would like it a lot more if not for the Rucker move earlier
and
trading away the other picks previously. They are acting like they’re
close to
a title.
#231 DE/OLB Alex Hall (St. Augustine):
This is their pass rushing linebacker? Given the way they acted on
Sunday I
might have expected them to offer their first and second round picks in
2009 to
draft Gholston.
MY DRAFT: #122 (DE/OLB) #155 (CB) #190 (OG) #231 (RB)
This draft went in a completely different direction than I
expected and with limited picks it is easy to see why. Rather than
address a
glaring need at cornerback they took a tight end and wide receiver.
Just a
quick note, their passing offense was #12 last year and passing defense
#24. Their
total defense was #30 and total offense #8. A second linebacker was
added along
with a nose tackle which I certainly can agree with for the #27 run
defense,
but didn’t they just trade for two defensive tackles? Obviously they
will be
utilizing guys at end, but you get my point. It was a strange draft for
me and
they gave up their third and fifth next year in the process.
PLAYER HITS: 0 (+1 UDFA Temple)
POSITION HITS: 1/4
NEAR MISSES: 0/4
HOW DID THEY DO? Even after trading away two middle round
picks next year they still didn’t add all that much talent. I do like
the four
guys they took who were notable and Hall is a seventh round project so
that’s
fine. Something about the way they went about things just rubs me the
wrong
way.
UNDRAFTED ADDITIONS: RB Tony Temple (Missouri) CB Darnell
Terrell (Missouri) QB Craig Hormann (Cleveland) WR Lance Leggett
(Miami, FL)
ILB Jermaine Dias (Virginia) DE/OLB Xavier Mitchell (Tennessee) RB
Austin Scott
(Penn State) LB Nick Moore (Baylor) DT Brian Schaefering (Lindenwood) C
Robbie
Powell (Purdue) FS Justin Harrison (Illinois) KR Andrew Hawkins
(Toledo) WR
Brandon Copeland (Bridgewater VA) RB Travis Thomas (Notre Dame) DE
Chase Ortiz
(TCU) OT/OG James Lee (South Carolina State) TE Ben Barkema (Iowa
State) CB
Jonathan Zenon (LSU) CB Gerard Lawson (Oregon State) CB Jerrid Gaines
(Miami,
OH) OG Eric Young (Tennessee) WR Matt Champa (Dayton) FS Todd Koenig
(Ohio) OT
Brian Stamper (Vanderbilt) DT Steven Friend (Central Michigan) P Ben
Woods
(Buffalo) CB Craig Turner (Southern Illinois) TE Kolo Kapanui (West
Texas
A&M)
Analysis: This isn’t just a list of scrubs. There are a lot
of players here who could have gone in the sixth or seventh round. I
actually
had them drafting Temple
to back up
Lewis at running back. They added three more receivers they probably
don’t need
and two receivers including Kapanui who is a decent prospect. On the
offensive
line they picked up four players highlighted by Young who once was a
possible
fourth round pick. Their front seven added five players, most notably
Ortiz and
many thought of him as a late round selection. Cornerback was ignored
in the
draft, but they added five guys of which two (Zenon and Terrell)
legitimately
could have been taken. I like Zenon as a well rounded contributor in
the nickel
package. Knowing they didn’t have many picks they really worked this
pool of
talent well.
OVERALL DRAFT: 70/100
INCLUDING UDFA: 75/100
CINCINNATI
#9 OLB Keith Rivers (USC): I think every mock draft in the
world had them taking his teammate Ellis at defensive tackle. There was
even a
blog poking fun at this. Those that didn’t were mostly Rivers and I can
actually agree with not trading up when New
Orleans
was obviously going to. They have a lot of needs, notably at positions
they had
previously tried to address in drafts. It starts with linebacker. He
can be
their rock.
#46 WR Jerome Simpson (Coastal Carolina): There is no reason
for them to have taken him this early. The guy was coming back from a
flea
market with family members when he was drafted so do you think he
expected to
go on day 1? The middle of round 3 at best I would say. I do understand
taking
him instead of Jackson (California)
Kelly (Oklahoma) and
Manningham (Michigan)
who will all be better players. They don’t want any locker room
problems and he
will definitely be a nice humble addition to the receiving corps. Not
here
though, way too soon. He is a great return man which is a plus and
replaces
Henry as a deep threat.
#77 DT Pat Sims (Auburn):
The shock of the Simpson reach is lessened because I liked him a little
earlier
and he fills a huge need. He can bust through the line, rush the passer
a bit
and disrupt plays. I really like him in front of Rivers. This is a
great move.
#97 WR Andre Caldwell (Florida):
Okay, you can just flip him with Simpson and I’d have been okay with
both. He really
slipped under the radar and I believe will prove to be one of the more
solid,
steady receivers from this draft. He’s not a #1 by any stretch, but I
like him
as a nice well rounded player. They have to prepare for life after Chad.
The only negative is that Gator receivers have a reputation for being
NFL
busts. He is another kick return threat and might compete with Simpson
for
those duties although Holt had a decent average (24.3) last year.
#112 OT Anthony Collins (Kansas):
I have officially gotten over any previous reach. This is a downright
steal in
the fourth round. He is really a mid-third round talent at worst and
his
strength is pass blocking. Palmer will love him.
#145 DT Jason Shirley (Fresno
State):
Can we pretend their draft
is over? The team is convinced his alcohol related problems are behind
him.
Great, so wish him well with another team that hasn’t lost 812 players
to
suspensions. If he is a good soldier they have got a massive force to
stick
inside and possibly pair with Sims or use at the nose if they move to a
3-4.
#177 FS Corey Lynch (Appalachian State): Now they are back
on target. Lynch blocked an unbelievable 6 kicks in college including
the one
he is famous for to beat Michigan.
I don’t know if he can ever start, but he is a valuable addition.
#207 TE Matt Sherry (Villanova): There wasn’t much to choose
from at this point and I had them taking Finley (Oklahoma)
in this spot instead. They wanted to back up the Utecht signing with
another
addition and he brings high character and intelligence.
#244 DE/OLB Angelo Craig (Cincinnati):
He’ll have some built in fans as a Bearcat. One of my readers
absolutely loves
this guy and my gripe is waiting so long to take an end. The real plus
could be
that he has the potential to fit into a 3-4 if they go that way.
#246 WR Mario Urrutia (Louisville):
He is not a good fit with them whatsoever. Another potential problem at
receiver was not the way to go because if he performs well they will
again be
sucked in by ability over team continuity.
MY DRAFT: #9 (DT) #46 (SS/FS) #77 (RB) #97 (WR) #112 (DE)
#145 (OLB) #177 (CB) #207 (TE) #244 (FB) #246 (OT)
Because they missed on Ellis the defensive tackle came a
little later than I expected, as did the safety and defensive end. It
also
pushed their linebacker way up the board and they chose an offensive
tackle
sooner. I did peg the spot for their tight end. Instead of grabbing a
running
back, fullback or cornerback they hit receiver twice more and took
another
defensive tackle to be sure those problems were solved.
PLAYER HITS: 0
POSITION HITS: 7/10
NEAR MISSES: 0/10
HOW DID THEY DO? I felt like I was on a roller coaster
evaluating their picks. As I said for another team, if you gave me the
first
five picks without telling me the order I would be pleased with the
outcome.
After that it was less impressive. Most teams could have managed a
steal give
five picks in the late rounds, but they didn’t. I do think that their
problems
at receiver, linebacker and defensive tackle will be solved by this
draft.
Their special teams will also improve. In that way, they didn’t do that
bad
although with 10 picks I expected more.
UNDRAFTED ADDITIONS: FS/CB Simeon Castille (Alabama)
OG/OT James Blair (Western Michigan) OG Justin
Britt (Alabama)
FB Bradley Glatthaar (Cincinnati)
DE/OLB Anthony Hoke (Cincinnati)
FB
Tyler Whaley (Ohio State)
WR Clyde Logan (Idaho
State)
DT Michael Marquardt (Arizona
State)
WR Maurice Purify (Nebraska)
OG Mike Fladell (Rutgers) SS Erick Brock (Auburn)
Analysis: This isn’t a bad group of players. Castille was
good enough to be drafted, but is a step slow. Along with Britt he
helped keep
the Crimson Tide out of the draft completely for the first time in a
long, long
time. They added two fullbacks instead of drafting one as I projected.
They
picked up two more Bearcats and nine players from the BCS “Big Six”.
Purify is
a good shot at receiver and would have been better than messing with
Urrutia
for them.
OVERALL DRAFT: 80/100
INCLUDING UDFA: 82/100
PITTSBURGH
#23 RB Rashard Mendenhall (Illinois):
It’s hard not to get excited about a player who could have gone as high
as #12
in this draft falling to them. They must have wondered if this was a
dream.
Parker broke his leg and after seasons with 255, 337 and 321 carries it
is
questionable if post-injury he can carry that kind of a load. Now they
won’t
have to find out because Mendenhall will do a lot of the dirty work
running
inside. Better yet he is fast and can catch. Fast Willie might be out
of a job
with this guy coming to town.
#53 WR Limas Sweed (Texas):
They had to be looking around the room wondering if someone had taken
him and
double checking the board. Yep, one of the top receivers in this class
is still
there. Big Ben wanted a taller option in the passing game and here he
is. Cleveland,
who didn’t pick in the top 100, must have been crying in their draft
room to
see their rival take these two guys.
#88 DE/OLB Bruce Davis (UCLA): He is absolutely suited to
their defense, but this was probably 20 picks too soon for him. I would
have
liked to see a trade back before taking this sack specialist. I think
he gets
on the field quite a bit this season.
#130 OT Tony Hills (Texas):
Finally an addition on the offensive line which was universally seen by
draft
analysts as their biggest need. They have serious issues now and in the
future
with players possibly darting in free agency. Hills is big and
experienced.
#156 QB Dennis Dixon
(Oregon): In one of my
revisions
I had this pick pegged right here, calling for them to dust off the
“Slash”
playbook. Maybe someone in the organization read my mock draft. I
really like
this pick, obviously. He can protect the football if he is called on to
be a
quarterback, might join the likes of Ward and Randle El moving to
receiver, and
gives them another athletic player on offense. Look, this guy was
competing
with Tebow for the Heisman before he got hurt and probably had a shot
at
winning it. If he was playing on the east coast his hype would have
been
enormous.
#188 OLB Mike Humpal (Iowa):
This is probably a reach, but there’s not a lot of trading down done in
the
sixth or seventh round. He’s their typical type of guy in that he works
hard
and will keep his axe to the grindstone.
#194 SS/FS Ryan Mundy (West Virginia): He will be used at
free safety where they have issues and if not for the values staring at
them
earlier in the draft I believe a starter might have been sought. This
class
wasn’t very good though and this is about as good as they could expect
at this
point.
MY DRAFT: #23 (OT) #53 (FS/CB) #88 (OG/OT) #123 (DT) #156
(WR) #188 (OLB)
Tomlin said he wanted to solidify the defensive line which
is why I gave them a defensive tackle, but instead they took another
linebacker. They wound up with the offensive tackle, safety, receiver
and outside
linebacker I predicted although in a much different order. Instead of
my
addition at guard where they are hurting they took a backup
quarterback.
PLAYER HITS: 0
POSITION HITS: 4/6
NEAR MISSES: 0/6
HOW DID THEY DO? Everyone wants to give them an over the top
grade because of their two steals on day 1, but that was less than 30%
of their
draft. Davis, Hills and Dixon
were all reasonable picks where they were taken, but it is hard to
understand
ignoring the guard position or not grabbing some sort of additional
offensive
lineman. They could have used a cornerback (I had them taking Oklahoma’s
Smith who is versatile) and if you look at their second day it is
pretty
mediocre.
UNDRAFTED ADDITIONS: WR Dorien Bryant (Purdue) WR Micah
Rucker (Eastern Illinois) C Doug Legursky (Marshall) CB Travis Williams
(East
Carolina) OLB Donovan Woods CB Roy Lewis (Washington) TE Dezmond
Sherrod
(Mississippi State) K Julian Rauch (Appalachian State) OLB Patrick
Bailey
(Duke) QB Mike Pott (William & Mary) DT Martavius Price (Southern
Mississippi) DT Jordan Reffett (Washington) OG Pat Schwenke (West Texas
A&M) DE/DT Kyle Clement (Northwood)
Analysis: There are a handful of players here who could have
gone in the sixth or seventh round, but overall this is just an average
group.
Bryant is a nice pickup of the two receivers added. Only two interior
offensive
linemen were signed, but Legursky is a good one. I’m not surprised to
see two
corners although neither was close to being drafted. Two more shots at
linebacker is typical of the Steelers while they finally picked up some
defensive linemen, three to be exact.
OVERALL DRAFT: 83/100
INCLUDING UDFA: 80/100
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