Denver Broncos
Von Miller is about as sure of a prospect as there was in this draft, and he meets a big need, so I loved the pick. Miller and the returning sack master, Elvis Dumervil, could give the Broncos an elite pass rush in 2011.
Denver spent two second round picks on guys that should come in and start immediately. UCLA's Rahim Moore was the best safety in the draft and helps replenish an aging Bronco secondary. With the very next pick in the second round, Denver took Orlando Franklin (OL, Miami), a very physical, athletic player that will probably play guard with Ryan Clady and Ryan Harris already locking down Denver’s tackle positions. Franklin improves an already solid line.
Nate Irving was a solid third round pick who can play inside or outside linebacker. Though not a great athlete, Irving is a smart, versatile player and a sound tackler.
Getting Quinton Carter in the fourth round was highway robbery. The Oklahoma safety was the second best at his position behind Moore, who Denver took in the second round. Moore and Carter should start next to each other for years and form a very good tandem.
In the later rounds the Broncos took flyers on two project tight ends, Nevada’s Virgil Green and Portland State’s Julius Thomas. Both are big, fast, and talented players who played at small schools and will require a lot of development.
Miller should be a Pro Bowler, and Moore, Franklin, and Carter should all be capable NFL starters. Irving may develop into a starter as well. Denver drafted pretty well all around: one star, three or four potential starters, and two sleeper tight ends with big-time potential. Their defense was horrible last year, and they added four guys that should play this next year and contribute, though I wish they would have done more to address their defensive line.
Grade: A-
Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs overachieved last year. They rode a strong running game, good special teams, smart quarterback play, and a decent defense to a 10-6 record. Still, I think everyone knew this wasn’t a championship-caliber team; it was a well-coached group that needed a little more talent to reach the mountaintop.
With their first pick the Chiefs certainly got a huge talent, but the question is did they also get a huge headache? Pittsburgh wide receiver Jonathan Baldwin is 6’5”, 230 pounds, runs a sub-4.5 40, has a huge vertical leap, and may be the best receiver in this draft at going up for jump balls. Baldwin has the skills to be a Randy Moss-type deep threat and red zone option.
The Moss comparison is also apt with mental and off the field questions surrounding Baldwin. He takes plays off, pouts when he doesn’t get the ball, and has been arrested. Basically he’s a guy you have to worry about motivating and keeping on the straight and narrow. I personally think “character issues” are overrated, and once a guy becomes a pro, he sees how hard he needs to work to succeed in the league. In my personal opinion, Baldwin will be an impact player immediately to round out a talented group of skill players that includes Jamaal Charles, Thomas Jones, Dwayne Bowe, Dexter McCluster, and Tony Moeaki.
The Chiefs hit the jackpot next pick drafting for an absolute need and getting good value. Kansas City found a replacement for 37-year-old Casey Wiegmann in the talented Florida State center, Rodney Hudson. Perhaps slightly undersized, Hudson is strong, athletic, technically sound, and committed to the game. I think he is a starter in a year or two, a good if not great NFL player.
In the third round the Chiefs got a great value and addressed a big need in linebacker Justin Houston from Georgia. Houston is a good but not elite athlete that is a natural pass rusher, who will eventually complement incumbent sack master Tamba Hali.
Allen Bailey (DE, Miami) was another good pick in the third round. A terrific athlete for being 6’3” and 285 pounds, Bailey is ready for the NFL right now and fits Romeo Crennel’s 3-4. The Chiefs have invested a ton of high picks in their defensive line recently, and without a great return, Bailey is good enough to come in and challenge or replace Tyson Jackson or Glenn Dorsey.
Ricky Stanzi was an interesting pick in the fifth round. He has a solid arm and won a lot of games at Iowa, but he’s not talented enough to start in the NFL. I think he will develop into a proficient backup that can come in and win a couple games when the starter gets hurt.
Jalil Brown (CB, Colorado) was a solid pick in the fourth. A bit of a project but potential starter, Brown is big, fast enough, and plays with physicality.
Baldwin is a big risk to some, but a big reward in my opinion. He takes their offense to another level of dangerous. Hudson was the perfect combination of need and getting top talent in the second round. Houston and Bailey were both steals in the third round. Both could play this year, and both have big time potential. Jalil Brown should be an eventual contributor to the secondary. I think the Chiefs offense got much more explosive, and the defense has taken a step toward being a top ten unit because of this draft.
Grade: B+
Oakland Raiders
I like their first pick, spending a second rounder on Penn State center Stefen Wisniewski. A solid player with good bloodlines, he may never be great, but he’s strong, is a worker, and loves the game. He will be a starter in the league, and probably soon, but I just don’t know if he’ll ever make a Pro Bowl.
In the third round, Al Davis went all, well, Al Davis, reaching for a potential fourth or fifth round prospect in Miami cornerback DeMarcus Van Dyke. A 6’1” corner with unreal speed, a blazing 4.25 40-yard dash at the combine, Van Dyke isn’t sound technically at all. With the talent to be a first round pick, it’s now up to Oakland to develop him; the Raiders don’t exactly have a great track record making speed demons into real players.
I like the late third round selection of LSU offensive tackle Joseph Barksdale. First, if you watch The Wire, you respect anyone with the name “Barksdale.” Second, at 6’5” and 325 pounds, Barksdale is incredibly strong and very athletic for his size, an absolute beast. The knock on him is his desire, but I think if coached properly, this is a late round gem. He started 26 games in the SEC, the veritable NFL training ground, and was dominant at times.
In the fourth round the Raiders got another speedster, but this time they also got a proven player in Ohio State corner Chimdi Checkwa. Checkwa is a trememdous athlete and skilled cover corner, but he isn’t going to come up and make big tackles. He could be the heir apparent to Nhamdi Asoumgha who will likely leave as a free agent.
The run on speedsters continued in the late fourth round when Oakland picked Taiwan Jones, a running back from Eastern Washington that ran 4.35 40. An absolute home run threat every time he gets the ball, Jones would be a nice complement to Darren McFadden out of the backfield, could be used as a receiver, and should certainly see time as a kick returner.
In the fifth round Oakland drafted Denarius Moore, receiver from Tennessee. Moore is most known as a deep threat but also has good hands, runs nice routes, and should eventually crack his way into the receiving rotation.
Richard Gordon (TE, Miami) was a huge reach in the sixth, but, surprise, is a good athlete for the position. He never played much and doesn’t really seem to understand the game, but he runs fast, which I guess is fine and dandy for Oakland.
Drafting for speed is a good strategy because no gameplan can stop speed, but those speedy players also have to have good football sense and skills. Wisniewski was a solid pick that will help the offensive line. Van Dyke may be a star someday, or we may never hear his name again. It all depends on how he commits and how his coaches develop him, which hasn’t been Oakland’s strength in the past. I love the selection of Barksdale in the third, but he comes with the same “Can the Raiders get the most from this guy” question that all these picks do. Coming from a big-time program, Checkwa is a talented corner who’ll start eventually. Jones is an explosive running back with electric speed, but out of Eastern Washington, he’ll have a lot to learn. Moore was a solid receiver in the fifth, and Gordon is a project player in the sixth.
Grade: B-
San Diego Chargers
Corey Liuget (DL, Illinois) is a really good player, and even if he wasn’t a need, I would have supported getting him at pick 18. An athletic player that can rush the passer and is really hard to move in the run game, Liuget completes a talented front three with Antonio Garay and Luis Castillo. That group could be dominant.
Clemson corner Marcus Gilchrist was a solid pick in the second round. A bit undersized but very athletic and skilled in coverage, he’s an ideal nickel back to work on smaller slot receivers.
Michigan’s Jonas Mouton was a huge reach in the late second round. San Diego had a chance to add another big-time linebacker like Justin Houston from Georgia, Martez Wilson from Illinois, Mason Foster from Washington, or Greg Jones from Michigan State, but instead took the undersized, slow-footed Mouton.
Vincent Brown (WR, San Diego State) was another reach in the third round. He’s undersized and slow, running a 4.68 40-yard dash.
The selection of USC corner Shareece Wright gets San Diego back on the right track. He went right about where experts thought he would and is a talented athlete that can eventually start, though he only started one year in college.
Stephen Schilling (OL, Michigan) and Jordan Todman (RB, UConn) were both good values in the sixth round, especially Todman. A runner who produces in college can usually start in the NFL, and Todman was a force in the Big East. He’s quick in and out of cuts and is a surprisingly powerful runner.
I love the pick of Liuget, like the pick of Gilchrist, and then hated their next two picks. They really could have added some top talent with six picks in the first three rounds, but I think they got just one sure-fire starter. Todman was a nice pick in the sixth, and I appreciate that they tried to address their defense, but I just don’t think they picked the right players.
Grade: C-
--from Adam
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