Upon Further Review

April 30, 2007

Welcome to the latest edition of “Upon Further Review”, the post draft edition. This week, I’m going to take a look at the 1^st round of the draft and pass along to you the initial notes I wrote down just after the pick was made, along with a grade for that individual pick. Hope you enjoy a look into my mind on draft day…

1. Oakland Raiders: JaMarcus Russell QB, LSU

Obvious and best choice for the Raiders.

Al Davis made the right choice here.

Not a lot of talent around him, but Vince Young didn’t have much either.

Grade: A
 

2. Detroit Lions: Calvin Johnson WR, Georgia Tech

Makes sense, but only if they trade him away.

A great, great talent but Lions have needs at other areas. (I’ve since had a change of heart and believe the Lions need to keep him because he is so talented)

Grade: A
 

3. Cleveland Browns: Joe Thomas OT, Wisconsin

AWESOME PICK!!!

Franchise left tackle that the organization BADLY needed.

Finally, the front office shows a commitment to the Oline.

Quinn and Peterson are flashy, but games are won in the trenches.

Grade: A
 

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Gaines Adams DE, Clemson

With Johnson off the board and unable to move up, Adams makes sense here.

Possible trade with Detroit in the works???

Grade: B
 

5. Arizona Cardinals: Levi Brown OT, Penn St.

Good player, but drafted too early (no real value here).

Obvious need for Cardinals but, again, just too early in my opinion.

Grade: C
 

6. Washington Redskins: LaRon Landry S, LSU

Smart choice, pairing him with Sean Taylor makes a formidable safety duo.

Grade: B (just because I can’t stand Daniel Snyder)
 

7. Minnesota Vikings: Adrian Peterson RB, Oklahoma

Great talent, good pick.

Vikes could’ve taken Quinn here, but Peterson should give a more immediately impact.

Chester Taylor and Peterson make for a dynamic duo in the backfield.

Grade: B (Feel they should’ve gone Quinn here)
 

8. Atlanta Falcons: Jamaal Anderson DE, Arkansas

With their top choices off the board (Johnson, Brown, Landry), Anderson is a solid fall back.

Not a spectacular player, but steady and solid.

Grade: B
 

9. Miami Dolphins: Ted Ginn Jr. WR, Ohio St.

OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!

Brady Quinn drops in their lap and they blow it!

Ginn should be sending a HUGE thank you to Devin Hester for this one!

Grade: F (While watching Cam Cameron addressing a Dolphin draft party he said they just drafted the Ginn Family….really? The whole family? Then the grade jumps to a D-! Then he says that the fans are going to enjoy seeing him returning punts for them….no mention of him catching passes at all…lol. What an idiot!)
 

10. Houston Texans: Amobi Okoye DT, Louisville

Solid, solid pick.

Mario Williams last year (still a mistake) and now Okoye…the defensive line is looking younger and better.

Okoye is a solid building block.

Grade: B
 

11. San Francisco 49ers: Patrick Willis LB, Mississippi

Niners needed defensive help and got it.

265 tackles the last 2 years.

Good speed.

Grade: A
 

12. Buffalo Bills: Marshawn Lynch RB, California

Traded Willis McGahee, so the pick makes sense.

Just wonder if one of the top CB’s (Darrelle Revis and Leon Hall) would’ve served them better?

Grade: C (The loss of Nate Clements was greater and the running backs had good depth after Peterson)
 

13. St. Louis Rams: Adam Carriker DE, Nebraska

Good pick…not spectacular or flashy, but will give his all on every down.

Will never put up big numbers, but they will be consistent.

Grade: B
 

14. New York Jets: Darrelle Revis CB, Pittsburgh

Jets jump up 11 spots to grab their Revis.

A good corner with good man-to-man cover ability.

Bold move and good move because neither Revis nor Hall would’ve been there at #25.

Grade: A
 

15. Pittsburgh Steelers: Lawrence Timmons LB, Florida St.

Joey Porter who???

Fits their 3-4 defense well.

Grade: B
 

16. Green Bay Packers: Justin Harrell DT, Tennessee

This pick doesn’t make sense. Granted they need defensive help, but Harrell could’ve been had later.

Possibly trading down and picking him would’ve made more sense.

Actually, getting more help for Brett Favre (WR, RB, and OL) would’ve made MUCH more sense.

Grade: D
 

17. Denver Broncos: Jarvis Moss DE, Florida

Speed rusher who needs to get stronger and bigger if he wants to be more than a one dimensional player.

But, the Broncos needed a pass rusher and certainly fills that void.

Grade: C
 

18. Cincinnati Bengals: Leon Hall CB, Michigan

WHAT?! The Bengals actually took a high character guy??? How’s he going to fit in with all their criminals?

The Bengals had to be jumping for joy when Hall fell this far.

Grade: B
 

19. Tennessee Titans: Michael Griffin S, Texas

WOW! Shocker here!

 A good player, and nothing against him at all, but how about some help for Vince Young???

Grade: D
 

20. New York Giants: Aaron Ross CB, Texas

Fills a need for the Giants, but I wonder if Joe Staley might have been a better pick for them.

Grade: C
 

21. Jacksonville Jaguars: Reggie Nelson S, Florida

Kind of saw this pick coming with the trade down earlier.

Smart pick and they gained an extra 3^rd round pick in the process…great move by the Jags.

Grade: A
 

22. Cleveland Browns: Brady Quinn QB, Notre Dame

I’M FLOORED!!! As a Browns fan I couldn’t be happier right now!

The Browns get a franchise left tackle and quarterback on the same day.

Savage gave up a lot to get him, but it was well worth it.

They now have a face for the organization and a left tackle to protect him!

Grade A+++ (I’m just a little biased here though)
 

23. Kansas City Chiefs: Dwayne Bowe WR, LSU

Not a total surprise here, they do need wide receiver help.

My only concern is they may have wanted to consider OL here because they have BIG issues there.

Grade: C
 

24. New England Patriots: Brandon Meriweather S, Miami

Could’ve gone anywhere….no real holes to fill on this squad, so they have the luxury of taking best player available (or at least the best player for them that’s available).

Grade: B
 

25. Carolina Panthers: Jon Beason LB, Miami

Kind of a surprise with a guy like Paul Posluszny still on the board…beauty is in the eye of the beholder I guess.

Still, a decent pick for a good team at least they picked up some extra draft picks.

Grade: C
 

26. Dallas Cowboys: Anthony Spencer DE/LB, Purdue

Pass rusher to compliment DeMarcus Ware…great value pick, then again it is Dallas I’m talking about.

Grade: B
 

27. New Orleans Saints: Robert Meachem WR, Tennessee

The rich just keep getting richer!

Grade: A
 

28. San Francisco 49ers: Joe Staley OT, Central Michigan

Great pick up by the Niners.

Just wonder if they may have given up too much to trade up for him?

Grade: B
 

29. Baltimore Ravens: Ben Grubbs G, Auburn

The Ravens started salivating when Quinn was falling and falling, only to be denied.

Have to be heart-broken that the Niners traded up and snatched Staley from them.

Grubbs is a good player and will help an aging offensive line.

Grade: C
 

30. San Diego Chargers: Craig Davis WR, LSU

Unh?! Really? With Anthony Gonzalez and Sidney Rice still on the board??? I guess what I said earlier still applies…beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
 

31. Chicago Bears: Greg Olsen TE, Miami

Good player and a good pick, now if they can just find a quarterback to throw him the ball they’d be set.

Grade: C
 

32. Indianapolis Colts: Anthony Gonzalez WR, Ohio St.

Talk about finding as Brandon Stockley clone!

Grade: B