2009 NFL Draft Grades

Once again I find myself at odds with the SN staff over a football related subject. This time I've got a problem with their NFL Draft team grades... The Bengals get an A while the Steelers get an F, this can't be the bizzaro NFL! The Chargers get an F and the Bears get an A, Clifton Brown is starting to piss me off! You will see the SN grades in parenthesis right next to my grades. So let me share with you my 2009 NFL Draft team grades?

NFC

Arizona Cardinals: B+ (SN: B-) Getting Wells with the second-to-last pick in the first round was a coup. He adds exactly the kind of explosion the position needs. This team is a juggernaut on offense, so it made sense to add defenders like outside linebacker Cody Brown and safety Rashad Johnson. Brown should add some pass rushing help, but hel need to get stronger to be a complete linebacker.

Atlanta Falcons: B+ (SN: B) Ole Miss Defensive Tackle Peria Jerry fits perfectly into Mike Smith's four-man line because he can rush the passer. Missouri strong safety William Moore was slowed by injuries last season, but when healthy he has the range and physicality to be a punishing tackler. If the Falcon defense can pick it up this season, it will be because of Moore and Jerry.

Carolina Panthers: C (SN: C-) The Panthers traded their first-round pick for Jeff Otah last year, and then took another risk by shipping next year first-rounder for the right to draft Brown. It looks like a far riskier maneuver than Otah did last season, but Brown provides insurance against possibly having to break ties with Julius Peppers in 2010. Brown can only justify this pick if he bulks up his undersized frame, otherwise he will be devoured by large tackles.

Chicago Bears: B (SN: A) GM Jerry Angelo took the first day of the draft off but that's because he made his major move last month, trading for Denver quarterback Jay Cutler, a proven performer. Based on his recent results, Angelo's trade for Cutler was undoubtedly better than any players he could have taken in the draft. If Cutler leads the Bears to the playoffs, this draft was a total success.

Dallas Cowboys: D (SN: D) A D for the boys down in Big D. They didn pick until the third round and then proceeded to reach big time on Jason Williams and Robert Brewster. All they did was add depth, which was needed at some spots, but likely got no future starters in this draft.

Detroit Lions: A- (SN: A) Stafford could be the franchise quarterback that the Lions have been searching for their entire existence. Pettigrew is a good blocker and should be a very good offensive weapon, coupled with Calvin Johnson; Detroit might have a dynamic offense. Despite some size concerns, Delmas was the most complete safety in the draft and should be the starter from day one.

Green Bay Packers: A (SN: A-) The Pack gets an A purely based on getting both B.J. Raji and Clay Matthews in the 1st round, both will have an immediate impact on the defense. They also added much needed depth at the tackle position; these guys could be starters some time down the road. This is by far my favorite team draft for this year.

Minnesota Vikings: C (SN: B) Drafting Percy Harvin concerns me a lot. Harvin has big time concerns due to his attitude, it has often been said that he lives in ercyland?and has a diva attitude. Harvin has the talent to be a game changer but may lack the mental discipline to live up to those expectations. In the second round, the Vikings took mountainous offensive tackle Phil Loadholt of Oklahoma. Big Phil is 6-8, 336 pounds. South Carolina ILB Jasper Brinkley had third-round value but slid to the fifth round, so the Vikings got somewhat of a steal there.

New Orleans Saints: C (SN: D-) The Saints didn't have much firepower, but they did land the draft's best cornerback in Ohio State's Malcolm Jenkins. He's a very physical player with great ball skills. The Saints spent 90 minutes late Saturday on trying to get back into the first round in order to draft Ohio State running back Beanie Wells, but failed. Other than Jenkins, New Orleans got very little in the way of players that will make an immediate impact.

New York Giants: B (SN: B-) The G-Men first choice of North Carolina's Hakeem Nicks made a lot of sense. Nicks is polished and played in a pro-style offense. UConn offensive tackle William Beatty has great size and should develop into a reliable backup. Wisconsin TE Travis Beckum and Ramses Barden of Cal Poly could be real sleepers. Barden especially, considering he is 6-foot-6 and did play well against San Diego State and Wisconsin.

Philadelphia Eagles: B+ (SN: A) When rating this draft, start by remembering the Eagles used a first-round pick for Buffalo offensive tackle Jason Peters, who has Pro Bowl talent. Then, the Eagles lucked into Missouri receiver Jeremy Maclin, who was rated No. 1 at his position on 18 teams' draft boards. Then in the second round, Pitt running back LeSean McCoy was another steal with 53rd overall pick. McCoy will give Brian Westbrook a breather this season. Virginia Tech cornerback Victor acho?Harris has only 4.6 speed, but he should be a core special-teams player.

San Francisco 49rs: B (SN: D) Everyone referred to Texas Tech receiver Michael Crabtree as a "diva," but on the field he was the best receiver in college the past two seasons with 41 TD receptions while averaging 120.3 yards per game. The 49ers are definitely not worried about his foot surgery for a stress fracture. The iners made a solid decision in swapping their second-round pick for Carolina's first-round pick next year. They also made other solid picks in QB Nate Davis out of Ball State and Pitt linebacker Scott McKillop in the 5th round. Running back Glen Coffee of Alabama also looks to be a solid contributor.

Seattle Seahawks: B (SN: C) The Seahawks automatically assured themselves of a good draft grade by taking Aaron Curry, who is the most NFL ready player in the draft. The Hawks also got a steal when they traded their 37th overall pick to Denver for their 1st rounder next year. They also got good value in picking Oregon Center Max Unger during the middle of the second round.

St. Louis Rams: B (SN: A-) The Rams toyed with the idea of trading with the Jets, but didn't believe the offered compensation justified their second pick in the first round. Baylor offensive tackle Jason Smith should eventually become a left tackle and they passed on Rey Maualuga in order to draft Ohio State middle linebacker James Laurinaitis. Laurinaitis should start immediately and he was taken over Maualuga because he actually can call the defense (and the Bengals wonder why Rey was staring them in the face in the second round!).

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: C- (SN: C) The Bucs probably didn need to trade up in the first round to land Josh Freeman, who was a stretch anywhere in the first round. Coach Raheem Morris, who has connections at K-State, was very involved in this selection, Freeman knew of this selection for a long time. Many rate Freeman as a project, but the Bucs had to do something at this position with only Luke McCown, Brian Griese and Byron Leftwich on the roster. By making this trade, the Bucs ignored their defense, which may prove to be a huge mistake. Moore and Miller look to be solid stop-gaps for the short-term.

Washington Redskins: C (SN: D-) The Redskins got good value out of the few picks that they did have. DE/LB Brian Orakpo was highly coveted by owner Daniel Snyder and other members of the scouting department. The Skins were prepared to trade up for Orakpo but benefited from the Heyward-Bey fallout. Orakpo should give Washington a strong pass rush for the first time in years. The Redskins traded out of the second round and made a local pick in the third round with Maryland cornerback Kevin Barnes, who started 21 games and can be either a zone or man-cover cornerback.

AFC

Baltimore Ravens: B+ (SN: C-) The Ravens are one of the best teams at finding falling talent in the first round and did just that this year. Oher is a lot closer to the likes of Eugene Monroe, Andre Smith and Jason Smith than his status as the No. 23 overall pick indicates. Second-round pick Paul Kruger has the ability to play immediately in this league and may push for ample playing time.

Buffalo Bills: B (SN: C) Aaron Maybin was the pass-rusher this team needed to anchor the defensive line. On the other side of the line, the selections of center Eric Wood and guard Andrew Levitre in the second round were excellent picks. Wood is a very good center and Levitre very well may be the best guard in this draft. Also, Jairus Byrd's ball skills could help him become a very good nickelback in this league.

Cincinnati Bengals: B- (SN: A) Once again the Bengals manage to draft the best player on the board at their position when it their turn to draft. Andre Smith, Rey Malaluga, and Michael Johnson are all great talents but are big time boom or bust prospects. The Bengals are ignoring possible character issues with Malaluga and Smith that could lead to big problems in the future. Johnson is a top talent but fell to the 3rd round because he has a bad habit of taking a large number of plays off. This is definitely one draft class that needs time to be accurately assessed.

Cleveland Browns: B (SN: A-) Eric Mangini is staying close to his roots and is imitating Bill Belichick and the trade down. The Browns traded down 3 times in the first round before selecting Center Alex Mack at no. 21. Along the way the Browns picked up a second round pick from the Jets and a few sixth round picks. In addition to Mack, the Browns added much needed depth to their WR corps by selecting Mohammed Massaquoi and Brian Robiske.

Denver Broncos: C+ (SN: A-) The Broncos filled some needs and found some parts, but the bottom line is that they are without quarterback Jay Cutler now, and they definitely didn't replace him. Georgia running back Knowshon Moreno was a no-brainer with the first choice, especially since San Diego coveted him. Tennessee defensive end Robert Ayers has the look of a Justin Tuck type; able to rush from an inside position or from the edge. However, Denver true needs are on the defensive side of the ball and did not truly address that until later in the draft.

Houston Texans: B+ (SN: B) The Texans augmented a deep, talented defensive line with two defensive playmakers with their first two picks. Cushing has the desire and toughness to play right away and Barwin is a developing pass rusher, something Houston desperately needed in the front seven. Cushing really is the crown jewel of the Texans?draft, no one works harder than he does and he will be something special, I guarantee it!

Indianapolis Colts: C (SN: D) Donald Brown is a good player but kind of a luxury pick, which isn't a knock on it because running back Joseph Addai has had some injury issues as of late. Fili Moala and Jerraud Powers were taken a little high, though. The Colts also did a good job of creating some much needed depth at other positions. A solid draft but nothing spectacular.

Jacksonville Jaguars: B- (SN: C) The Jaguars did the smart thing by spending their first two picks on offensive linemen; both of them have a chance to be tackles. Virginia's Eugene Monroe was a no-brainer with the eighth overall pick, while the Jaguars were fortunate to get Arizona's Eben Britton in the second round after many mock drafts put him at the bottom of the first round. However, they did not address the receiver position where they are in desperate need of depth.

Kansas City Chiefs: C+ (SN: B-) New Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli turned his first three picks into key foundation players with the selections of Jackson, Magee and by trading for Cassel at the start of free agency. The rest of the Chiefs draft did not impress me a lot at all, it appeared as if they were just randomly grabbing at players. Colin Brown is a really disappointing pick to me, he was a reach in the 5th round and I do not see him panning out.

Miami Dolphins: C- (SN: C-) There is no questioning Davis?talent. He may be the best pure cornerback in the draft and has the ability to be a Pro Bowler regular. The problem is, like his brother Vernon with San Francisco, Davis thinks he抯 great already and doesn listen to coaching. They might have problems with Pat White, who clearly stated that he wants to be QB in the NFL and the Dolphins have Chad Henne waiting to take over. Unless White becomes a phenom in the wildcat, he will never be happy. Drafting Patrick Turner was a major reach along with the rest of the Dolphins late round picks.

New England Patriots: A- (SN: B) Once again the Pats make the moves to stock up on picks for this past draft and for 2010. They addressed many critical positions and added much needed youth to the team. The fact that teams continue to give the Patriots draft picks seems insane, but Belichick is more than willing to work the phones on draft day (the Pats were in on seven trades).

New York Jets: A- (SN: B-) The Jets made a great move to get into the top 5 from no. 17 to get Mark Sanchez. All the Jets had to do was give Cleveland their 1st and 2nd round picks along with some lightly regarded players. The Jets made good use out of their other two picks, selecting Shonn Greene and Matt Slauson to upgrade their running back and offensive line. The only reason I give them a minus is because they only had 3 picks to work with.

Oakland Raiders: F (SN: D-) This draft is another cry for help by the Raiders as they keep taking players based on outdated theories about what works in the NFL. There is not too much to explain here. Darrius Heyward-Bey was a major reach here, a product of Al Davis?love for speed. Bey is an extremely raw talent who many people, including me, think will be a bust. Even more perplexing than the selection of Bey was the selection of Ohio U Safety Michael Mitchell in the second round. Most scouts had Mitchell falling out of the draft entirely or getting picked up in the sixth or seventh rounds.

Pittsburgh Steelers: C (SN: F) It is never easy to draft this late in rounds, many coveted players are often off the board. This was the case for the Steelers, who saw coveted centers Alex Mack and Eric Wood taken by the Browns and Bills. They went with iggy?Hood instead, adding some much needed youth to an aging D-line. They took undersized Penn State center A.Q. Shipley in the seventh round, but scouts think this kid knows how to play despite his limitations.

San Diego Chargers: B- (SN: F) The selection of linebacker Larry English at No. 16 was a little high, but he fills a potential need for them and he's a good player. If Shawne Merriman is not ready to go or is not as explosive coming back the Chargers will need English to step up sooner rather than later. Guards Louis Vasquez and Tyronne Green were good selections in the third and fourth rounds.

Tennessee Titans: C+ (SN: C-) The Titans picked up a desperately needed receiver in Rutgers Kenny Britt at the end of the 1st round. Britt should help the Titans diversify their offensive playbook for the 2009 season. Auburn DT Sen'Derrick Marks in the second round was a huge reach for a one-gap performer who needs to improve his motor. It was a negative trading next year's second-round pick to New England for South Carolina tight end Jared Cook, who should provide some blocking and be a deep middle threat.

As you can see, I disagree with Clifton Brown big time on a few picks and disagree on almost all picks period (we agree on 2). I pretty sure that I right more often than I wrong?I know I not wrong. Let me know what you think!