2008 NFL Draft Grades

By: James McMurry

Cleveland Browns

I know that getting Quinn, Corey Williams, and Shaun Rogers doesn’t really count as drafting, but those three were better than any three players they could have gotten with those picks, and the picks they did make were all guys who could start down the road, in Bell, Rucker, and Rubin.  Great use of the DRAFT PROCESS.

Grade: A

Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs had one of the best drafts of any team.  They got the best player in the draft at #5, and the O-Lineman they might have taken at 5 was there for them at 15.  They also added guys who could start in the secondary and solid depth everywhere else.  Should have addressed the QB position.

Grade: A

Dallas Cowboys

Wow, talk about the rich getting richer…one of the best RBs, one of the best CBs, and a lot of other great depth

Grade: A

Minnesota Vikings

Again, they used the draft PROCESS.  They got Jared Allen with three of the picks, so it was an uneventful draft.  Johnson in the 2^nd is a good pick, and JD Booty in the 5^th was great, and I think he could compete for a starting job in a year or two.

Grade: A

Philadelphia Eagles

They didn’t have a first rounder for the 2^nd straight year, but at least they got a future first this time.  DeSean Jackson in the 2^nd round is excellent, as they could have taken him at 19.  Ikegwuonu could be good in a few years, depending on how the injury heals.

Grade: A

Washington Redskins

The Skins had a very good draft, as they got their guy 13 picks later, and really improved on offense.  They got very good value in the 2^nd round, with all three picks.

Grade: A

Pittsburgh Steelers

They got the steal of the draft in Limas Sweed, and another steal in Rashard Mendenhall.  They got two great players and many quality players.  They probably should have addressed the secondary and offensive live sooner, but this was a great draft.

Grade: A-

Arizona Cardinals

This would have been just an A, but they got some guys who might take a while to really shine in DRC and Calais Campbell.  They got really great value throughout the draft though.  Should have addressed the running back position, especially after passing on Mendenhall and Stewart.

Grade: A-

New Orleans Saints

They got their guy in Ellis, and then got a solid corner in Tracy Porter, as well as a later round steal in DeMario Pressley.  Selecting Carl Nicks late in the draft was also a huge steal, but the Saints may have to suffer another year of Josh Bullocks ineptness.  This draft was a Jeremy Shockey trade away from an A+.

Grade: A-

St. Louis Rams

Chris Long was great at #2, and Donnie Avery, although he was a surprise, was good in the 2^nd.  Justin King was a huge steal in round 4, as was Keenan Burton and Roy Schuening. The Rams they did a very good job overall in this draft.

Grade: A-

Buffalo Bills

Picking a corner in round one didn’t seem like a smart idea, but it worked out very well for them, as they got the best CB in the draft and one of the best receivers in the draft.  I would have taken Sweed over Hardy, but it is a good pick either way.  Demetrius Bell and Steve Johnson were also late round steals.

Grade: B+

Indianapolis Colts

The Colts had a very productive draft, even without a first round pick (which Ugoh was worth).  Getting Pollack to play OG (even though he was a C in college), was a very good pick, as was Phillip Wheeler, who is very versatile.  They did draft three Cs, but only one will actually play there, and the other two will play G, so that is very good depth inside, where they ran out of players last year against the Chargers.

Grade: B+

Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins did remarkably well in the draft, much better than Ted Ginn Jr.  Merling was a great pick in round two, as was Henne, and Langford could startt at DE.  They upgraded at a lot of positions during the draft.  Jake Long could prove to be the correct pick in a few years.

Grade: B+

New York Giants

Kenny Phillips in round one was a good pick not only based on the player he is, but since they continued the Miami streak.  Terrell Thomas was a solid pick, although they could have done better, and Manningham was great value in the 3^rd, even if he is a pot-head.

Grade: B+

Atlanta Falcons

I would have taken Dorsey, but Matt Ryan is a great player and should be a very good QB.  Sam Baker at 21 isn’t great value, but he was the best OT on the board and the fact that Duane Brown went in the first tells you that Baker would have been gobbled up.  Curtis Lofton was a great pick, as was Chevis Jackson and Thomas DeCoud.

Grade: B

Carolina Panthers

They got some really great players in Stewart and Otah, even though they tapped into next year’s draft, and they got very good value with Charles Godfrey and Dan Connor, who could be very good players on that defense.  Nick Hayden and Gary Barnidge also fill positions of need.

Grade: B

San Francisco 49ers

Getting Kentwan Balmer was good, as he should be able to immediately start at DE, and Rachal should be able to start at RG, so that is a good pick also.  Reggie Smith could be a starter down the line at CB or S, and they got a lot of depth elsewhere as well.

Grade: B

Denver Broncos

They started off with a bang…taking the Panthers’ guy…but did alright after that.  Royal was a bit of a reach in the second, but they got great value late with SS Joch Barrett from Arizona State.  Kory Lichtensteiger and Ryan Torain were also great picks.

Grade: B-

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jags moved where they needed to move to get Harvey for sure, and they didn’t give up too much to get there, so that was a very good trade.  They added some impact players off the edge, and improved their pass rush.

Grade: B-

New England Patriots

They got the guys that they needed on defense, and even though they might have reached a bit for them, they still got their guys, so this was a good draft.  Kevin O'Connell was an absolute shocker pick, but all in the wrong way.

Grade: B-

San Diego Chargers

They got Cason, which was a very good pick, as he could play CB or FS for them, and Hester is a great player as well, but probably wasn’t worth a pick next year to get.  Tribble was great value in the 6^th, and overall they did very well.  However, the Chargers failed to add a much needed upgrade at the RT position.

Grade: C+

Detroit Lions

Cherilus is a great RT, but that is all he is.  Dizon was a major reach in the 2^nd, but Kevin Smith and Cliff Avril could compete for starting positions from day one.  Caleb Campbell was a steal and brings in a much needed upgrade at the SS position.

Grade: C+

Seattle Seahawks

Very solid and ordinary draft.  They picked up a solid DE (though it was not much of a need) in the first and a good TE in the 2^nd, as well as good depth thereafter, but nothing out of the ordinary.  Red Bryant and Owen Schmitt were both steals.

Grade: C+

Cincinnati Bengals

I really liked them picking Rivers, but they had a chance to trade up to 7 to get Ellis instead of the Saints, so that wasn’t good.  Chad Johnson forced them to take two receivers fairly early, and reaching for Coastal Carolina WR Jerome Simpson wasn’t the right guy in my opinion.  They managed to get some day two steals, which is why the grade isn’t even worse.

Grade: C

Houston Texans

I was tempted to give them a D, for Duane Brown, the biggest reach of the draft (though it could prove to be a good move).  Yes, there was a big run on tackles in round one, which saw Sam Baker drafted at #21, but this was too big of a reach.  Brown was considered a third round prospect by most, and although he was BPA at a need, it was still too much of a reach.  They did very well afterwards though, picking up key role players including Antwaun Molden, Xavier Adibi, and Frank Okam.

Grade: C

New York Jets

Gholston was a great pick at 6, but do they really want a workout warrior named Vernon at #6 (Vernon Davis hasn’t worked out too well yet…) but trading back into the first for Keller?  That doesn’t make sense to me, as he would have been there later and might not have a true NFL position.  He is a playmaking TE, but he cannot block, so he will really be more of a poor man’s Vernon Davis.

Grade: C

Oakland Raiders

McFadden was a great pick, but they had much greater needs, and probably should have gone another direction.  They didn’t have too many draft picks due to various trades, but they did alright with what they had such as Tyvon Branch, Arman Shields, and Trevor Scott.

Grade: C

Chicago Bears

They didn’t select a QB, but they still seem to like Grossman and Orton, as well as a couple of UDFA’s they picked up, so that is alright.   Williams is a great player, and so is Forte.  Lots of questionable late round picks.

Grade: C

Green Bay Packers

This was not a spectacular draft, but an average one.  They got a solid WR in Nelson, a good backup plan at QB in Brohm, and a solid TE in round 3.  Patrick Lee and Jeremy Thompson were both solid picks.

Grade: C

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Aqib Talib is a perfect fit for their defense, and, although he was a reach, Dexter Jackson is the type of big play threat that they want.  Josh Johnson is a curious selectiton, but this is John Gruden.  Dre Moore was a steal for the Bucs.

Grade: C

Baltimore Ravens

They could have done a lot better in my opinion.  There was a solid chance that Flacco would have been available with the pick 26, so there was no need to move up to 18.  I liked the Ray Rice pick, but though it should have been an O-Lineman.  Why wasn’t the cornerback situation addressed?

Grade: C-

Tennessee Titans

Chris Johnson?!?  This is the fifth strait year that the Titans have drafted a RB (C. Brown, T. Fleming, L. White, C. Henry, C. Johnson).  He is the type of guy they need with White, but isn’t worth the pick.  Lavelle Hawkins in the 4^th is great, and is just as good as anyone they could have gotten with their 2^nd round pick.  None of the other picks made any sense.

Grade: D-