*************2013 NFL DRAFT GRADES************

1.7 Jonathan Cooper, OG, UNC

Cooper might be the best guard to come out (especially in pass blocking) in the last 15 years. With that said, the team needs a lot more than a guard to be able to compete in that division. I am not a fan of luxury pick positions for teams picking this early.

C+

2.45 Kevin Minter, LB, LSU

This on the other hand is a good pick. He helps fill a need, he makes the team better, and he is a good value.

B+

3.69 Tyrann Mathieu, CB, LSU

The honey badger gets drafted to play with a bunch of other LSU guys. I love this pick because he won't be expected to carry a team on his back (which helped him at LSU), and it will allow him to be an elite corner/safety/special teams guy.

B+
 
4.103 Alex Okafor, DE/LB, Texas

Great pick.

4.116 Earl Watford, OG, James Madison

4.140 Stepfan Taylor, RB, Stanford

Another great pick. Taylor might end up starting here.

6.174 Ryan Swope, WR, TAMU

Another great value pick that should have gone much sooner.

6.187 Andre Ellington, RB, Clemson

I don't like Ellington much, but I love him here.

7.219 D.C Jefferson, TE, Rutgers

 
OVERALL GRADE: A

It's hard not to love this draft, and it may have been my favorite one overall. The 'worst' pick that the team made was to take an elite left guard in the top-10. Cooper instantly makes this team better by taking pressure off the rest of the line, especially in pass protection.

Defensively the team added three players that will at worst be rotational starters/time splitters, while adding an extra blast of speed to an already great defense. The offense then picked up three skills guys on offense that should push for their own playing time. Overall one instant starter and SEVEN guys that will get good playing time instantly. If Carson Palmer tries then this could be a 10 win team.

 
*************2012 NFL DRAFT GRADES************ 

1.13 Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame

This is an interesting pick. Fitzy wanted Floyd, but he also wanted Kevin Kolb as well. Maybe if the team would learn that building around your receiver wasn't the way to win games. It's not a bad pick, but I think there were better options.

B-

3.80 Jamell Fleming, CB Oklahoma

Fleming is a guy that was rising up the boards late, and I like the pick overall. The team needed a second cornerback to plug in, and they help to give a great defensive touch to the team.

B

4.112 Bobby Massie, OT, Ole Miss

Massie could have gone in the first round and nobody would have hated him for going that high. He has the potential to end up a left tackle, and he is a golden steal in the 4th. 

A+

5.151 Senio Kelemete, OG, Washington

Wow, another offensive line steal. Kelemete is a guy that I thought could have gone in the late third, but as a 5th rounder he is a stud.

B+

6.177 Justin Bethel, S, Presbyterian

Decent late round safety help.

B
 
6.185 Ryan Lindley, QB, SD State

I don't love Lindley, but he is a decent 6th round QB.

B

7.221 Nate Potter, OT, Boise State

He doesn't fit the scheme perfectly, but he is a stud 7th round offensive tackle.

A


OVERALL GRADE: B+

This isn't the draft that I would have given the Cardinals, but it is actually a very good one. They ended up with a legit WR2 to take pressure away from Fitzy. They got a corner that will at worst end up as the team's nickel, and they landed on elite mid round OL talent. I don't think this draft turns them in to a competitor, but if they can find consistent QB play then they will have a chance. 

 
*************2011 NFL DRAFT GRADES************ 

 PICKS

1:5 Patrick Peterson, CB, LSU

Despite Peterson being the best prospect in the draft, I just don't love the pick. Corner wasn't one of the five biggest needs, and you can ask the Raiders how many games they have won with a crappy offense and a crappy front-7. If they don't end up with Kevin Kolb, then this pick was a waste.

B-

2:38 Ryan Williams, RB, Virginia Tech

Ryan Williams here is a slight reach. He also will join a cast of other banged up backs. This is another pick I don't hate, but I don't love the pick.

C+

3:69 Robert Housler, TE, FAU

The team reached on a tight end. Housler was maybe the 4th best in the class, and I had him as my 5th or 6th. With 3-4 upgrades needed on the OL it seems a little goofy that the team goes tight end here.

D-

4:103 Sam Acho, DE/LB, Texas

Now this is a pick I love. Acho could have gone 2nd round, and he might be good enough to get some starting time from day one.

A

5:136 Anthony Sherman, FB, UConn

I do understand the pick for a full back because it was one of the more underrated needs for the team. But taking Sherman and Ryan Williams essentially gives up on the Beanie/Hightower experiment. 

B

6:171 Quan Sturdivant, MLB, UNC

A major steal with this pick. Quan could have gone in the third and would have been a fair value then.

A+

6:184 David Carter, DE/DT, UCLA

No complaints with this pick. Maybe a tad early, and there were other guys maybe with more value, but fits a need.

B

7:249 DeMarco Sampson, WR, SD State

Can't complain about this pick. The team could use an extra receiver in the mix and Sampson is a good value here.
 
OVERALL GRADE: C

There is no guarantee that this team will end up with a good veteran quarterback, so not taking a QB was just a little dumb. The team is essentially looking to start from scratch at runningback which is ok, but not great. I do really love the Acho and Sturdivant picks which help the grade, but I'm not sure the team has built a draft that will allow the team to win many more games. The team's biggest need that wasn't at QB was on the OL, and the team could have used 3 to 4 upgrades there. They got zero.

NEW GRADE: D

The more that I think of this draft, the more  that I hate. There is a rumor that the team will trade Patrick Peterson to the Eagles for Kolb, but until that happens (and even if it does I don't completely think it is that great) this draft was awful. The team took one of their minor needs with the 5th pick, they gave up on their existing rushers with the 2nd pick, they got a 5th round TE in the third, and then added some ok weapons the rest of the way. If you arguably have the biggest need for a QB in the league, and you don't even take a late round flyer, then you really need to find some solutions in your organization. If the team gets a good veteran QB when it is all said and done then this draft is an ok one, but if they don't then it is a historically dreadful one.