Pick by Pick Analysis and Grades- Round 3

Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5 Round 6 Round 7

3/65: STL-Jerome Murphy-DB-USF: Murphy was a good producer in college, and fills a smaller need. Still, I think the Rams should have grabbed a skill position player like Brandon LaFell, Jimmy Graham, or Eric Decker.
GRADE: C+

3/66: DET-Amari Spivey-CB-Iowa: Fills a need, and has potential to be an above average corner.
GRADE: B

3/67: TB-Myron Lewis-S/CB-Vandy: Could be a good fit as a corner in the Tampa 2 scheme, and he fits a need. Still, the Bucs probably reached by about a round.
GRADE: B

3/68: KC-Jon Asamoah-OG-Illinois: Not a huge fan of Asamoah, and if the Chiefs would have selected Russell Okung in the first round, they could have just kicked Brandon Albert (a far superior guard prospect) then this pick wouldn't have to be made.
GRADE: C+

3/69: OAK- Jared Veldheer-OT-Hillside: A very typical Raider pick. Veldheer is a very athletic and massive tackle prospect (6'8" 312 pounds) and could potentially be a very solid right tackle. However, freakishly athletic small school prospects aren't exactly sure things.
GRADE: C

3/70: BAL-Ed Dickson-TE-Oregon: A very good receiver out of the tight end position, as the Ravens continue to give Joe Flacco weapons galore to work with.
GRADE: B+

3/71: GB-Morgan Burnett-S-GT: The Packers needed some insurance and a possible successor for the oft-injured Atari Bigbi. Burnett is also a good value at this point in the draft.
GRADE: B+

3/72: BUF-Alex Carrington-DE-Ark. St: A talented prospect who should be able play early on, as the Bills lack any real pieces for the 3-4 defense. Lacks a very consistent motor though.
GRADE: B+

3/73: MIA-John Jerry-OG-Ole Miss: A massive offensive line prospect with decent athleticism. Provides depth, and has the potential to be a starter in a year or two.
GRADE: B

3/74: JAX-D'Anthony Smith-DT-LT: Defensive tackle wasn't even that big of a need for the Jags, yet they go and spend their first two picks on them. The Jags missed the playoffs last year, so they obviously have multiple needs, like an edge pass rusher, center, safety, corner, etc.
GRADE: F

3/75: CHI-Major Wright-S-Florida: The Bears have had a hole at the free safety position for years, so this pick definitely makes sense. Additionally, Wright was viewed as high as a 2nd round prospect by many, including me. Need+value=great pick.
GRADE: A-

3/76: NYG-Chad Jones-S-LSU: A big, physical safety who could provide insurance if Kenny Philips never returns to his old self after his injury.
GRADE: B

3/77: TEN-Damien Williams-WR-USC: Great pick by the Titans. Williams precise route running and great hands will help him be a solid #2 to Kenny Britt in the Titans offense. Vince Young is finally about to have a solid receiving core around him.
GRADE: A

3/78: CAR-Brandon LaFell-WR-LSU: LaFell was thought to be the 1st or 2nd best receiver in the draft before he ran poorly (4.59) at the combine. Still, LaFell is a very effective run-after-the-catch receiver, and could be a steal here.
GRADE: A-

3/79: SD-Donald Butler-ILB-WASH: I like Butler more as a 4-3 inside linebacker than a 3-4 one. Regardless though, he is a good value at this point.
GRADE: B

3/80: DEN-JD Walton-C-Baylor: Really good pick by the Broncos who also fills a need. Could possibly start this year, and is almost a lock to start in 2011.
GRADE: B+

3/81: HOU-Earl Mitchell-DT-Arizona: Had a very impressive combine, running a 4.70 at 294 pounds. He could end up being a solid interior pass rusher, but I have my doubts.
GRADE: C-

3/82: PIT-Emmanuel Sanders-WR-SMU: Emmanuel Sanders is a very quick and talented receiver who, like another former June Jones WR Davone Bess, should be a very productive slot receiver at the very least.
GRADE: B

3/83: ATL-Corey Peters-DT-Kentucky: Could be a good pass rushing DT, but the Falcons already have Jordan Babineaux and Peria Jerry, who are also pass rushing DTs. Questionable pick.
GRADE: C+

3/84: CIN-Jordan Shipley-WR-Texas: The Bengals have three or four other talented receivers on their team, but all of them are better suited to play out wide. Shipley is an ideal fit for a team that really needed a good slot receiver.
GRADE: B+

3/85: CLE-Colt McCoy-QB-Texas: Some people may think that Colt McCoy won't be successful at the next level, but I am not one of them. Colt has a stronger than advertised arm, is deadly accurate, has top-notch makeup, leadership, and intangibles, and is a very hard worker. I don't put all my stock in intangibles (like many Tebow lovers do), and know that it takes more than just leadership to win in the NFL. What makes me think he will be successful is that you can build an offense around an extremely accurate QB who may lack arm strength, which is basically what the Browns are going to be running anyway (West Coast). You can't do that with a guy that has a cannon but no accuracy (Raiders-JaMarcus Russell).
GRADE: A

3/86: PHI-Daneil Te'o-Nesheim-DE-WASH: Te'o-Nesheim had a very productive college career, but the Eagles already have a good number of DE's, and drafted another one in the first round. They should have used this pick to address their offensive line.
GRADE: C-

3/87: DEN-Eric Decker-WR-MINN: Decker had a very productive college career, and if it weren't for his season ending foot injury, he probably would have been a mid-second round pick. With the losses of both Brandon Marshall and Tony Scheffler this offseason, Denver needed some players to throw the ball to.
GRADE: B+

3/88: ARI-Andre Roberts-WR-The Citadel: Roberts is an extremely talented small school player who dominated during the Senior Bowl week. He runs very precise routes, has good hands, and is fairly athletic. He may have trouble moving up the depth chart though, as the Cardinals have 3 very talented receivers in front of him. (Fitzgerald, Breaston, and Doucet)
GRADE: B+

3/89: CAR-Armanti Edwards-QB/WR-App. St: Armanti Edwards is an intriguing prospect, but he could have been had much later. Additionally, the Panthers already selected a WR and a QB, and have plenty of athletes to run the wildcat if they decide to install that package more often. They traded a future 2nd to make this very questionable pick, which only makes this worse.
GRADE: F

3/90: NE-Taylor Price-WR-Ohio: An Ohio player picked before an Ohio State player. Taylor Price is a very good athlete who will need a year or two to refine the rest of his game. Still, a decent upside pick.
GRADE:C+

3/91: SF-Navarro Bowman-LB-Penn State: I'm not sure if the 49ers will try to convert him into a rush LB or an inside one for their 3-4 defense, as he is not really a solid fit for either position. Bowman is a very talented player though, and at this point was probably just too good to pass up.
GRADE: B

3/92: CLE-Shawn Lauvao-OT/OG-ASU: I'm not really a fan of this pick. Lauvao could have been selected at least a round later on in the draft, and isn't really all that talented of a player. Still, the Browns need some help and depth on the interior of their line so the pick isn't a complete waste.
GRADE: C

3/93: KC: Tony Moeaki-TE-Iowa: Moeaki is a very talented receiver at the TE position, but has a laundry list of injuries in his career. I have my doubts about him ever reaching his full potential, as he will likely be on the sidelines the majority of his career.
GRADE: D+

3/94: IND-Kevin Thomas-CB-USC: A talented corner who seemed to be overlooked during his tenure at USC despite his consistently solid play. Provides much needed depth at corner for the Colts.
GRADE: B

3/95: NO-Jimmy Graham-TE-Miami: Graham is my absolute biggest sleeper in this draft class, no questions asked. I honestly think he will be a top 3 TE in the league in a handful of years. He is a dynamic athlete with great ball skills, excellent natural hands, and is already a solid route runner, despite only playing football for 13 games in college. After a few years of developing, he could be the #1 target in the Saints already prolific offense.
GRADE: A+

3/96: CIN-Brandon Ghee-CB-WAKE: Brandon Ghee is a very athletic corner who has developed some excellent coverage and ball skills over the years. After a dominant Senior Bowl and very good combine, I thought he would have been selected about 35 picks earlier. The Bengals get another talented corner to go along with Leon Hall and Jonathan Joseph, giving them one of the best corner trios in football.
GRADE: B+

3/97: TEN: Rennie Curan-LB-Georgia: Curran had back to back 100+ tackle seasons and is a pretty good fit for the Titans defense. Still, he is a bit small (5'11" 235 pounds) so he may have trouble shedding blocks at the next level. At the absolute least, he should be a terror on special teams.
GRADE: B

3/98: ATL-Mike Johnson-OG-Alabama: Guard isn't the most pressing need for the Falcons, and they probably could have used a pass rusher like Everson Griffen at this juncture instead. Still, Johnson is very talented and could push for playing time early in his career.
GRADE: B

Stay tuned for Round 4's analysis tomorrow.

NFL Mock Draft 2009-Round 1 (4/19/09)

After researching team needs and rosters a little deeper over the past couple of days, I've changed around some of the picks. The draft as I see it...

1. Detroit Lions: Matthew Stafford-QB, Georgia
2. St. Louis Rams: Jason Smith-LT, Baylor
3. Kansas City Chiefs: Aaron Curry-OLB, Wake Forest
4. Seattle Seahawks: Eugene Monroe-LT, Virginia
5. Cleveland Browns: Brian Orakpo-DE/OLB, Texas
6. Cincinnati Bengals: Andre Smith-T, Alabama
7. Oakland Raiders: Michael Crabtree-WR, Texas Tech
8. Jacksonville Jaguars: Mark Sanchez-QB, USC
9. Green Bay Packers: BJ Raji-DT, Boston College
10. San Fransisco 49ers: Jeremy Maclin-WR, Missouri
11. Buffalo Bills: Michael Oher-LT, Ole Miss
12. Denver Broncos: Tyson Jackson-DE/DT, LSU
13. Washington Redskins:Aaron Maybin-DE, Penn State
14. New Orleans Saints: Malcolm Jenkins-FS/CB, Ohio State
15. Houston Texans: Brian Cushing-LB, USC
16. San Diego Chargers: Rey Maualuga-ILB, USC
17. New York Jets: Josh Freeman-QB, Kansas State
18. Denver Broncos: Everette Brown-DE/OLB-Florida State
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Peria Jerry-DT, Ole Miss
20. Detroit Lions: Robert Ayers-DE, Tennessee
21. Philadelphia Eagles: Chris "Beanie" Wells-RB, Ohio State
22. Minnesota Vikings: Eben Britton-LT, Arizona
23. New England Patriots: Clay Matthews-OLB, USC
24. Atlanta Falcons: Michael Johnson-DE, Georgia Tech
25. Miami Dolphins: Vontae Davis-CB, Illinois
26. Baltimore Ravens: Darius Heyward-Bey-WR, Maryland
27. Indianapolis Colts: Evander "Ziggy" Hood-DT, Missouri
28. Buffalo Bills: Brandon Pettigrew-TE, Oklahoma State
29. New York Giants: Kenny Britt-WR, Rutgers
30. Tennessee Titans: Percy Harvin-WR, Florida
31. Arizona Cardinals: Knowshon Moreno-RB, Georgia
32. Pittsburgh Steelers: Alex Mack-C, Cal
    

NFL Draft-Rams

The Rams are in a pretty difficult situation. They have little talent on either side of the ball, a pathetic excuse for an O-line, and a 1st time head coach. Sure they have some talented players like...Steven Jackson (injury-prone) and Donnie Avery (inconsistent) and a few others like Chris Long and Oshiomogho Atogwe-but no where near enough players to contend.

They also have released their two most well known players in Torry Holt and Orlando Pace.

So in short, this team has more than its fair share of needs to fill and it will attempt to do just that in the upcoming draft.

With their 1st pick (2nd overall), I think they will try to shore up their offensive line with a LT that has the potential to be a mainstay there for a decade or more, however, if the Lions pass on Stafford, they could draft him or they may even select USC product Mark Sanchez, but when its all said and done, I'm confident LT Jason Smith of Baylor is the pick.

In the 2nd round (35th overall) look for the Rams to try to attain either a possesion wideout (Kenny Britt, Hakeem Nicks) to compliment the speedy Donnie Avery, or maybe linebacker if a player like James Laurinaitis falls in their laps.

For the rest of their draft, (3/66, 4/103, 5/160, 6/196, and 7/211) the Rams will draft a mix of O-lineman and defensive players. I think in either rounds 4 or 5, they will draft a QB as insurance and eventually replacement for the fragile and detereorating Marc Bulger such as Stephen McGee or Graham Harrell.

THE PICK: Jason Smith-OT, Baylor