21. DE Chandler Jones B-

Defensive end was a need of theirs, but I had a 2^nd round grade on Chandler Jones. He’s very raw, especially as a pass rusher. He can come in as play the run right now, but he’s a project as a pass rusher. He’s got the upside though and I trust the Patriots to get it out of him, but I don’t like that they traded up for him, especially with so few picks in this draft. There were plenty of pass rushers available at 27 and even if Jones was not there, that’s fine because he would have been a reach even there.

25. OLB Dont’a Hightower B+

Focusing on the front 7 more, Hightower is a great player. My only 2 concerns with him were his history of injuries and his lack of a true position in a 4-3. The Patriots will probably run a 4-3 in 2012 (especially since Jones is more of a 4-3 end than a 3-4 rush linebacker), but they like versatile guys like Hightower. He can play middle linebacker, outside linebacker, and defensive end for them. He fits the range and can be an immediate contributor for the Patriots.

48. S Tavon Wilson F

Safety was definitely a need, but Tavon Wilson is the first player drafted that wasn’t on my top 250. And it wasn’t for lack of watching him. I even spotlighted him in an Illinois game against Michigan. He’s a big stiff at cornerback and a little undersized at safety. He’s a tweener, but I like him more at safety than anywhere. Still don’t like him much. The Patriots should have traded down and tried to get him, especially with so few picks.

90. DE Jake Bequette A

Another defensive end? Well it was certainly a need even after drafting Jones and Hightower. Bequette was one of my underrated prospects and he fits the range here.

197. S Nate Ebner C

One of only a few I had never heard of that had been drafted, Ebner had 31 tackles in 3 years at Ohio State as primarily a special teamer. He’s supposedly a great special teamer and he has great measurables, but special teams aren’t hard to find. There had to be better picks than this.

224. CB Alfonzo Dennard A

Assuming he doesn’t go to jail, Dennard is a great pick here. Even if he does go to jail, it’s worth the risk. I had a 2^nd round grade on Dennard before his arrest and even mocked him in the 2^nd to the Patriots because he’s such a good scheme fit. He’s a bit of a bonehead for getting arrested so close to draft day and you have to question his love of the game after putting himself in that position. He’s definitely worth it in the 7^th round. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if he were a starter at cornerback, a position of need, for them at some point.

235. WR Jeremy Ebert A

Another player I actually had never heard of, but I don’t know how I don’t. Ebert had 2 good years of production for Northwestern in the Big 10 and ran in the 4.3s at his Pro Day. I don’t know why he wasn’t in my top 250 and why I had never heard of him. I’m baffled this guy slipped past me. This is my bad and definitely a good pick by the Patriots in the 7^th round, needing some youth at receiver.

The Patriots clearly made defense a focus of their draft and rightfully so after giving up the 3^rd most yards of any team ever last year. I didn’t really like the Chandler Jones pick, but he can still be a contributor, as can Jake Bequette and Dont’a Hightower. Tavon Wilson was a major reach in the 2^nd round, but they got a good value with Alfonzo Dennard in the 7^th.

Nate Ebner is head scratching, but it’s the late rounds. I didn’t love this draft, but I think they made the defense a lot better for the future and if not for the Wilson reach, this would probably be a B+. Replace Wilson with someone like Brandon Taylor after a move down and this is a A- probably. Stay at 27 and take Harrison Smith and grab a defensive end like Vinny Curry in the 2nd, this is probably an A draft.

Grade: B-

95. G Tony Bergstrom C+

The Raiders needed a guard. In fact, it might have been their most pressing need because Cooper Carlisle is 35 in August and was only resigned to 1 year, veteran minimum deal. However, I had Bergstrom much lower than this on my board.

129. OLB Miles Burris C

The Raiders lost Kamerion Wimbley this offseason so they need a tweener defensive end/outside linebacker type, but Burris was much lower than this on my board.

158. DE Jack Crawford B

I guess they could use another pass rusher, but they had other needs and this is a tad early for Crawford.

168. WR Juron Criner A

This is a great steal. Wide receiver wasn’t a need at all, but Criner is a good receiver who could provide value immediately as a 4^th receiver. He could end up being a starter someday. I had a 3^rd round grade on him.

189. DT Christo Bulukidi C+

Interestly, Bulukidi was the first player off the board that I had never heard of. It took until the 6^th round. This was a pretty big reach, given that, but they could use another defensive tackle.

230. OLB Nathan Stupar B+

Another outside linebacker? I guess it was a bit of a need. I had Stupar outside of my top 250 though, but it’s the 7^th round so it’s fine.

I have to factor the Carson Palmer trade, the Terrelle Pryor pick, and the Jason Campbell trade into this grade. The Campbell trade was actually fine, but despite essentially using 3 picks on quarterbacks in this draft, they still don’t have a long term answer at quarterback. Carson Palmer is 33 in December and had more interceptions than touchdowns last season after leading the league in interceptions in 2010. He’s owed 28 million in 2013 and 2014 and the regime that brought him in is gone. If the Raiders are picking early in 2013 (definitely a possibility given all they lost defensively), they could definitely take another quarterback.

Given that they didn’t have a lot of picks after all of those deals, they really add to nail their selections and I don’t think they did that. Their first 2 picks were major reaches by my board and the only selection they made that I really liked was the Juron Criner pick. Even some of their late round selections were reaches, including the first player off the board I had never heard of. In fact, they only got 2 players out of this draft that I had higher than a 7^th round grade on. Given all of their trades and the Pryor pick, when you put this all together, this was one of the worst drafts this year. They have a lot of rebuilding to do after the previous regime mortgaged their future to go 8-8 twice.

Grade: C-

14. DT Michael Brockers B+

Somewhere Sam Bradford just retired. In all seriousness, I have no problem with the Rams trading down again. They turned the 2^nd overall pick into the 14^th overall pick, 2 1sts and 2 2nds. That’s not a bad haul. I probably would have just gone ahead and taken Claiborne because of the fact that there were generally 6 consensus blue chip prospects in this draft class, but you can’t fault a bad team with a lot of needs for trading down. At 14, an offensive player like Riley Reiff or David DeCastro would have made more sense, but defensive tackle was definitely a need and Brockers is a solid value at 14.

33. WR Brian Quick C+

Brian Quick? With Stephen Hill, Rueben Randle, Ryan Broyles, and Mohamed Sanu all still on the board? At least it was a need, but Quick never stood out to me on tape at Appalachian State. He’s athletic, but really raw and I don’t think he helps Bradford a whole lot right away. At least they got the position right.

39. CB Janoris Jenkins B+

Janoris Jenkins is the classic boom or bust pick. Normally I give those picks a C (an average between an A and an F), but the 2^nd round is a fine spot for a pick like that. Jenkins also fills a need at cornerback.

50. RB Isaiah Pead C

Pead will be a good compliment to Steven Jackson and will help take some of the load off of him right away. However, he won’t carry a load. He’s just a pass catcher/blocker, change of pass back, with return ability. I had him as a 4^th round prospect for this reason. He fills somewhat of a need for the Rams, but they’ll probably still be looking for a lead back of the future to pair with Pead next season because Jackson probably doesn’t have a lot left in the tank.

65. S Trumaine Johnson B-

Another defensive back? Well they do need a safety and Johnson can play safety and cornerback. This was a little early for him in my book and I’d like to see them focus more on protecting Sam Bradford and getting him receivers. This is a C+ if they keep him at cornerback because that’s less of a need after the Jenkins pick, but a B if he was drafted as a safety because he could end up being the long term starter there. I’ll just average those two grades out and get a B-.

96. WR Chris Givens A

I actually like Givens more than Quick. I had him higher on my board. He might just be a slot receiver at the next level, but he’s got excellent speed to burn and he’s a great route runner. He’s a very similar player to AJ Jenkins, who the 49ers got at 30 and he’ll help Bradford right away. I had a 2^nd/3^rd round grade on him so this is an excellent value.

150. G Rokevious Watkins B-

At least the Rams finally addressed their offensive line. I had a 7^th round grade on Watkins though so this is a little early. I don’t think he can emerge as a starter at the position, which is something they need. Offensive line will probably be their biggest need in 2013, probably a tackle unless both Smith and Saffold bounce back. Either of those two players can play guard.

171. K Greg Zuerlien B-

I didn’t have Zuerlien as a draftable prospect and I don’t think Josh Brown, who was cut after this pick, was that bad of a kicker.

209. OLB Aaron Brown B

I didn’t have Brown in my top 250, but this is a 7^th round pick so I can’t hate on it. At least it was a need.

252. RB Daryl Richardson B

Another back? Well they did need depth I guess, but I didn’t have Richardson in my top 250. Again, it’s just a 7^th round pick.

The Rams know they’re in a 3 year rebuilding process so it was really smart getting all of those future picks for the 2^nd overall pick. I even sort of liked that they traded down again and grabbed another 2^nd round pick given all of their needs. However, I thought there were better options than Brockers and Quick, who they took with their first 2 picks. I also thought Isaiah Pead was a reach in the 2^nd and I didn’t like that they waited until the 5^th to address the offensive line. I think the Jenkins gamble was worth it and Trumaine Johnson could emerge as a starter at safety. Their best pick was Chris Givens in the 4^th. Their picks were a mixed bag, which should be a C/C+, but they set themselves up nicely for the future getting 2 1sts from Washington so I’m giving them a B.

Grade: B

32. RB David Wilson C

The Giants needed a running back, but I had David Wilson ranked about a round lower than this. On top of that, he’s way too similar to Ahmad Bradshaw. In fact, I made the exact comparison between Wilson and Bradshaw in my scouting report. Bradshaw is a fine running back, but ideally you want a running back who compliments your other back. They would have been much better off taking a bruiser like Bernard Pierce or someone in the 3^rd round.

63. WR Rueben Randle A

The Giants love drafting BPA so they must have been thrilled when Randle fell to them. I didn’t have Randle rated as highly as most because of his inconsistencies at LSU (7 games of 3 catches or fewer) and his struggles against elite cover cornerbacks (combined 7 catches for 47 yards in 3 games against Dre Kirkpatrick and Brandon Boykin). However, he did have bad quarterback play and he is still a solid value here with the last pick in the 2^nd round. He allows them to keep Victor Cruz in the slot where he’s best and could start right away opposite Hakeem Nicks.

94. CB Jayron Hosley B+

I guess the Giants needed cornerback depth, but they did have bigger needs and Hosley was a little further down on my down than this after his failed drug test at The Combine. Maybe the Giants just didn’t care about that as much.

127. TE Adrien Robinson C

They needed a tight end and they like tight ends who can block (why I didn’t make Coby Fleener to them in the 1^st). Robinson can block, but he’s not much of a pass catcher. He’s got great measurables and upside, but this was a little early for him. He won’t start right away so the Giants’ tight ends won’t be very good in 2012 at the tight end position unless Martellus Bennett can break out or either Jake Ballard or Travis Beckum can come back from injury.

131. OT Brandon Mosley A

They needed offensive line help. Mosley can compete with James Brewer, their 4^th round pick in 2012, at right tackle. He can also play some guard, where they need help because David Diehl is one of the worst starting offensive linemen in the league.

201. OT Matt McCants A

Another offensive lineman? Why not, it was a major need and McCants is an excellent value at this point.

239. DT Markus Kuhn B

Did they need a defensive tackle? Not really and Kuhn is slightly outside of my top 250, but whatever. It’s the 7^th round.

The Giants normally draft really well, but this grades out as a pretty average draft. David Wilson was a reach in the first round and not the type of back they needed. Jayron Hosley was a decent, but not great pick and Adrien Robinson won’t help them much right away. Rueben Randle was a great value however and they got good values on two offensive linemen they needed. It wasn’t a great draft, but it wasn’t bad either.

Grade: B-

4. RB Trent Richardson B+

I would have given the Browns an A for taking Richardson at 4 because he was the 4^th rated player on my board, but I’m giving them a B+ for moving up to 3 and taking him for two reasons. For one, I don’t think they needed to move up to get him. I think Minnesota was bluffing. Kalil was their guy and they didn’t want to move any further down than 4. Two, even if they were, the Browns wouldn’t have been much worse off at all settling for Blackmon at 4. In fact, they could have taken Kalil at 4. He would have been a great bookend for Joe Thomas.

22. QB Brandon Weeden D

I have made it really clear I don’t like Brandon Weeden. I think he’s a 28 year old developmental prospect. I would have had a 2^nd round grade on him, similar to Ryan Tannehill and Brock Osweiler, had he been 22, but given his age I basically made him untouchable on my board. I like the fit in Cleveland even less. He made sense to a team that is competitive and ready to win now. Cleveland is more likely a 3 or so year rebuilding project, at the least. That means that by the time the Browns are competitive, they’ll have a 32 year old quarterback heading into a contract year and a decision to make, at the earliest. This isn’t an F because at least it’s a quarterback.

37. OT Mitchell Schwartz C-

There were plenty of capable receivers that fit the range here and that’s their biggest need and there were also better right tackles available. I had Schwartz in the 3^rd round so this is a big reach for him, especially with who is left on the board (WR: Stephen Hill, Rueben Randle, Ryan Broyles, Mohamed Sanu and OT: Jonathan Martin, Cordy Glenn).

87. DT John Hughes F

When the Browns made this pick I joked on Twitter that by the time Brandon Weeden has any capable receivers, he’ll be heading into retirement. In all seriousness, this was one of the worst picks of the draft. I don’t give out a lot of Fs, but this absolutely made no sense. Defensive tackle wasn’t a pressing need and I didn’t even have Hughes in my top 250.

100. WR Travis Benjamin C

Well, it’s the right position, but it’s a 7^th round prospect. Benjamin is a good kick returner with developmental abilities at wide receiver. I think he makes a lot of sense to a team in the late rounds who needs a return man and has time to wait on a receiver that might never come around. He doesn’t make any sense to a team in the middle rounds that already has a good return man (Josh Cribbs) and needs receiver help right away. Poor Brandon Weeden.

120. MLB James-Michael Johnson B

Finally a pick that makes sense. Depth at linebacker was a need and they have 2 marginal starters and an injury prone middle linebacker in their linebacking corps so JMJ has the potential to maybe break into the starting lineup at some point. Worst case scenario, he’s a solid special teamer and he’s only a minor reach by my board.

160. G Ryan Miller A

Another good matchup of need and value. Both Jason Pinkston and Shawn Lauvao were awful at guard last year. They’re still young so there’s time to turn it around, but the Browns needed to get another guard in the mix just in case. Miller fits the draft range well too.

204. OLB Emmanuel Acho A

A 2^nd linebacker? Why not? I mentioned the Browns had questions at all 3 starting spots in their linebacking corps and Acho is a very good value here in the 6^th.

205. DT Billy Winn A

A 2^nd defensive tackle? It wasn’t really a huge need, but you can’t argue with getting a value like this in the late rounds. I had Billy Winn rated higher on my board than Hughes. Of course this makes the John Hughes pick even stupider because they couldn’t have used that on another position, but I already gave that an F. This is an A.

245. CB Trevin Wade A

There’s no such thing as a bad 7^th round pick, but there are good ones. Cornerback was a big need of theirs and Wade had a 7^th round grade.

247. TE Brad Smelley B+

The Browns already have 2 tight ends and they spent a 4^th round pick on a fullback last year, so I don’t see where Smelley fits, but it is the 7^th round and you can’t knock a team for picking a pure football player like Smelley. Worst case he’s a hustle special teamer.

I joked that Weeden would be heading into retirement by the time he had capable receivers, but I might not be too far off. If I’m going to be fair, I have to bash the Browns for not building around Weeden after I praised the Colts (and to some extent the Redskins in free agency) for building around their new quarterback. It’s even more imperative in Cleveland’s case because Weeden, at the very least, has 6 fewer years to wait around than Luck or Griffin.

Yes, Trent Richardson will be a stud, but at the same time, they were duped into moving up 1 spot to get the guy who was an obvious pick anyway. Mitchell Schwartz fills a need, but there were much better players available at various positions of need. Travis Benjamin doesn’t make any sense at all. He’s a return man, which they already have, and a developmental receiver. Who is Weeden going to throw to next year? He has the same shitty receiving corps that made people argue that McCoy deserved another shot.

I also have to bash the pick of Weeden itself. I don’t see Weeden as a day 1 or year 1 top-15 quarterback, which he almost has to be because of his age and where he was drafted. It’s almost like the Browns just spent the 22^nd overall pick on Matt Cassel (similar age and ability). That makes even less sense for a rebuilding team because Weeden will be 32 and in a contract year, by the earliest, by the time the Browns are competitive. Some solid late round selections make up some for terrible picks in the first 3 rounds, but the first 3 rounds are what count.

Grade: C-