18. RLB Melvin Ingram B+

I actually had Melvin Ingram 18th on my board so I can’t hate this pick, but I had Whitney Mercilus, Nick Perry, and Courtney Upshaw higher than Ingram at this position, though they filled arguably their biggest need here.

49. 3-4 DE Kendall Reyes B+

They had other needs, but Reyes is a pretty good value here and they do need a young rotational lineman as Antonio Garay and Luis Castillo are aging players on one year deals.

73. S Brandon Taylor A

Safety might have been their 2nd biggest need after rush linebacker. Steve Gregory was awful last season and now even he’s gone. Taylor could start immediately next to Eric Weddle and starting safety were really tough to find this year given how this the class was.

110. TE Ladarius Green A

They need a developmental tight end behind an aging and injury prone Antonio Gates. I had Green rated one round earlier and he could have an immediate impact as a receiver in two-tight end sets.

149. G Johnnie Troutman C-

I had Troutman outside of my top 250 and that was without knowing about his pectoral injury. He could miss the whole season with that injury and the Chargers knew about that. They took him anyway. At least he filled a need, but what’s the point of spending a late round selection on someone who is hurt. Late round selections normally only have a year or so to prove themselves. It’s seems 50/50 that Troutman will ever suit up for them.

226. C David Molk A

Did they need another center? Not really, but Nick Hardwick is getting up there in age and there’s nothing wrong with finding a solid backup in the 7th round, especially when it’s a phenomenal value like this.

250. RB Edwin Baker A

They needed a 2nd back. I don’t know why they didn’t address this earlier. Are Curtis Brinkley or LeRon McClain capable of being the backup to Ryan Mathews, who hasn’t exceeded 222 carries as a pro? Anyway, Baker fits the range in the 7th round. He’ll probably be a 3rd or 4th back at best though.

The Chargers had two solid picks to start their drafts and, with the addition of Brandon Taylor, a very good pick, in the 3rd round, they really helped their defense. Ladarius Green was a great pick in the 4th round as value as a great value. They also drafted really well in the last couple rounds. It wasn’t a perfect draft for several reasons. I think there were better players at the same position available at 18 and I don’t think they filled a pressing need in the 2nd round. I also didn’t get the Troutman selection at all and I don’t think they did enough to address the running back position, but this was a solid draft which should have benefits for them next season and in the future, particularly defensively.

Grade: B+

11. NT Dontari Poe C

Dontari Poe is the definition of a boom or bust prospect. He has phenomenal measurables, but he had minimal production on a crappy team in a small conference in Conference-USA and the tape doesn’t match at to his measurables. He’s also more of a straight line athlete than anything too. I liked him a lot more in the 2^nd round, but I’ll average an A and an F here for him. He does fill a need, but I think they really reached for need.

44. G Jeff Allen C-

Guard was a need for the Chiefs, but I had Allen rated much lower than this. He’s also going to have to make a position change to guard. Peter Konz would have been a much better pick. He was a significantly superior prospect and he could play center for them, his natural position, and allow them to keep Rodney Hudson at guard, his natural position.

74. OT Donald Stephenson B

I had Stephenson as a borderline 3^rd/4^th round prospect. They had other needs, but they could use a 3^rd offensive tackle because Branden Albert is heading into a contract year so I don’t hate this pick.

107. WR Devon Wylie C

I liked Wylie, but in the 5^th round for a team that needed some help at wide receiver and needed a kick returner. The Chiefs have two solid return men in Dexter McCluster and Javier Arenas. In fact, those guys were both drafted in the 2^nd round for their kick return abilities. The Chiefs have 3 solid wide receivers in Dwayne Bowe, Jonathan Baldwin, and Steve Breaston. And this is the 4^th round. So while I like Wylie as a player, I don’t like the fit with him on the Chiefs.

146. S DeQuan Menzie A

Menzie fills a need for the Chiefs at either cornerback or safety, depending on where they want to put him (though it sounds like safety). They need depth at safety and Romeo Crennel’s system puts a lot of value on the safety position. In fact, he called it the 2^nd most important position after quarterback recently. Menzie is a good value in the 5^th round.

182. RB Cyrus Gray A

Gray is a good value here in the 6^th round. Peyton Hillis was only signed to a one year deal and he could play some fullback and Jamaal Charles is undersized and coming off a major injury so there was a need for another back.

218. 3-4 DE Jerome Long B

I didn’t have Long in my top 250, but it’s pretty late so you can’t hate. There’s room for a depth defensive lineman like this in the 7^th round.

238. WR Junior Hemingway A

Did they really need another receiver? No, but Hemingway probably deserved to go a round or two before this and teams typically draft straight off their boards in the late round. You aren’t filling needs in the 7^th round.

This wasn’t a very good draft for the Chiefs (disagree with me if you want). I think Dontari Poe is way too big of a risk at 11. He’s a workout wonder whose tape doesn’t match up. He’s also a straight line athlete that didn’t fare nearly as well in agility drills as he did in the 40. In the 2^nd round, Allen was a major reach. He’s a 6^th offensive lineman type (first guy off the bench when there’s an injury, with great versatility), but Peter Konz could have been an immediate starter and allowed Rodney Hudson to stay at his natural spot in guard. Allen doesn’t really seem like he can be a long term starting guard in this league.

Donald Stephenson was a solid pick in the 3^rd, but I don’t like the Devon Wylie fit in the 4^th. They had some solid late round selections, but the early selections are what matter and I think they missed those up. I also didn’t like that they didn’t come out of this draft with a developmental quarterback. Brady Quinn and Tyler Palko aren’t very good and Ricky Stanzi couldn’t even beat out Tyler Palko last year. They had to sign Kyle Orton just to stay afloat. Matt Cassel, meanwhile, is a decent starter, but I don’t think you can go deep into the playoffs with him, which is a shame because the rest of their roster is really good.

Grade: C

30. WR AJ Jenkins D

This isn’t a D because “the 49ers could have gotten him later.” That’s not true. The Rams were very interested in him and probably would have taken him at 33. This is a D because I don’t think Jenkins was worth the spot. It would have been a bad pick if the Rams had taken him at 33 too. Jenkins is fast and a solid route runner, but he’s just a slot guy. He’s very similar to Chris Givens, who would have been available in the 3^rd round. In fact, I had Givens as rated as slightly better than Jenkins.

Stephen Hill would have been a perfect fit here. He wouldn’t have had to play much right away, but he has the upside to be the #1 receiver that is not currently on their roster. Michael Crabtree, Mario Manningham and now AJ Jenkins are all past as complimentary receivers. This pick also could have been used on a guard. Guard was the only need they had in the starting lineup and there were plenty available at this spot.

61. RB LaMichael James D

How many running backs do you need? Frank Gore is a solid lead back who should remain one for at least 2 more years barring a major injury. Kendall Hunter was a solid backup last year and Brandon Jacobs is a solid short yardage back. They don’t really have a back like LaMichael James, but that’s not the problem. James is going to take away carries from one of several talented backs they already have and he probably won’t get enough carries to be worth this 2^nd round pick. He also won’t contribute much as a return man because Ted Ginn is already one of the best in the business at that.

I also think James is an overrated player. A lot of people are hailing him as a Darren Sproles and “there’s always room for Darren Sproles in your backfield.” He’s not Darren Sproles. Only Darren Sproles is Darren Sproles. James can be a solid change of pace back, but nothing more. I had a 4^th round grade on him. He already has a lot of tread on his tires (744 career carries). He’s already suffered injuries in the past. He’s undersized at 193. Finally, his game depends almost entirely on the defense breaking outside contain, not something that doesn’t happen much in the NFL. He’s not a good between the tackles runner and doesn’t power through tackles. He struggled against almost every good, disciplined defense he faced in college.

117. G Joe Looney C+

As I mentioned, guard was the only need they really had in the starting lineup. I’m not sure why they didn’t address it earlier, but you can find solid guards in the middle rounds. Unfortunately, I don’t think Looney is one of those guys. They’ll probably be looking at the offensive line next year, most likely right tackle so they can move the disappointing Anthony Davis (21 career sacks allowed in 2 years) to guard.

165. RLB Darius Fleming C

I guess you can never have enough pass rushers and the 49ers don’t have any pressing needs left, but I didn’t have Fleming rated nearly this high.

180. S Trenton Robinson B

Safety depth was needed because Dashon Goldson, an overrated Pro Bowler, is still not signed long term. This is a little early for the undersized Robinson, who doesn’t have a true position at 5-10 195.

199. C Jason Slowey B

They needed a young center, but I didn’t have Slowey in my top 250. This is late, so it’s not a huge deal.

237. RLB Cam Johnson A

Finally a pick I like. Johnson’s motor runs hot and cold, but he flashes excellence. You can never have enough pass rushers. Actually, I had Johnson rated higher than Fleming.

The 49ers didn’t have a ton of needs coming into the draft so they could have just taken best available. They might have done that according to their board, I didn’t see it that way. AJ Jenkins was a 3^rd round prospect who is very similar to Chris Givens, who the Rams got at the top of the 4^th round. The LaMichael James pick was just as bad. I’m not going to repeat myself as I already went into detail on that. Even their late round picks weren’t great aside from Cam Johnson, the only A I gave.

The only need they did have in the starting lineup was guard. They waited until the early 4^th to address this, after moving down, and reached for someone in Joe Looney who I thought was a late rounder. Looney could pan out because plenty of starting guards in the NFL today are mid rounds and I hate question Jim Harbaugh and Trent Baalke like this, but I think they’ll need offensive line help in 2013. Other positions of needs were wide receiver, center, safety, and cornerback. They addressed all of those positions except cornerback, but they did so with reaches each time. I’m disappointed in this draft.

Grade: C-

6. CB Morris Claiborne A-

I don’t normally like when teams with a lot of needs trade up, but the Cowboys traded up 8 spots into the top 6 in a year where the consensus was there were 6 elite prospects and they did it inexpensively, only giving up a 2nd round pick. Claiborne fills a need.

81. 3-4 DE Tyrone Crawford C+

This pick I didn’t like as much. When you need help at as many areas as the Cowboys do (G, C, WR, DE, OLB, CB, S) and you trade away your 2nd round pick, you can’t afford to miss on a pick, which is what I think Crawford is. I had a 5th round grade on him and liked him a lot more in a 4-3 as a left end than in a 3-4 because of his size at 275. That’s a little small for a 3-4.

113. RLB Kyle Wilbur A

This pick I like a lot more. They need a developmental rush linebacker behind DeMarcus Ware and Wilbur is has good pure pass rushing abilities and experience in the 3-4.

135. S Matt Johnson C-

I didn’t have Johnson in my top 250 so the late 4th round is way too early for him. He does fill a need though, but I still think the Cowboys will be in trouble when Brodney Pool suffers his annual injury.

152. WR Danny Coale A-

I had a 7th round grade on Coale as a wide receiver and a 7th round grade on him as a punter, but a 5th rounder overall. This is the 5th round. I don’t think he fills their need as a #3 receiver and they’ll be in trouble if Dez Bryant and/or Miles Austin get hurt again, but I like him as a gadget player with some value, maybe even as a punter or wildcat punter long term.

186. TE James Hanna A-

They needed another tight end with Martellus Bennett gone. Hanna had a 7th round grade in my book (great athleticism, but barely did anything as a pass catcher in an explosive offense at Oklahoma and didn’t block much). This is the 6th, but it’s not a huge deal.

222. FB Caleb McSurdy B

They needed a fullback and McSurdy, viewed by some as a middle linebacker, will convert to fullback for them. This type of thing has a decent success rate, but I typically like when teams draft pure fullbacks and there were a couple on my board who fit the range.

This was a mixed bag draft for the Cowboys. They didn’t address all of their needs and the Claiborne trade was a big part of the reason why they couldn’t do that, but I do like that they traded into the top-6 of a draft that the consensus was there was 6 blue chip prospects. Claiborne did fill a need. Tyrone Crawford and Matt Johnson address needs, but were major reaches who probably won’t emerge as starters.

Kyle Wilbur was a solid pick and they made some decent late round selections, but they probably only are getting 1 starter out of this draft, 2 if you count the fullback, but even that’s not a sure thing. However, Claiborne will pair with Brandon Carr to fix a pass defense that ranked in the bottom 3rd of the league against the pass last year. Within a year or two, they could rank in the top 3rd. They still have major issues on their defensive line, their interior offensive line, and their receiver depth. Safety is also a problem, but this was a poor safety draft anyway.

Grade: B-

19. DE Shea McClellin B-

Defensive end was a need, but I had other players rated higher at the position. I like McClellin a lot, but I don’t like him as much in a 4-3. He’s a little undersized and he’s at his best when he can move around and play different positions, which he won’t be able to do as purely a 4-3 defensive end.

45. WR Alshon Jeffery B-

They needed a receiver, but Jeffery is too similar to Brandon Marshall. Marshall is a possession type receiver and they really needed a deep threat opposite him. I don’t know why they traded up for a player like this. Why didn’t they take Peter Konz here?

79. S Brandon Hardin F

Where did this pick come from? Hardin was the first player drafted not on my top 250. I guess safety was a need, but what about the 2 3^rd round picks they spent on safeties in the last 2 years? Why not wait on them to develop rather than taking another one?

111. TE Evan Rodriguez B

They needed a tight end, but this is a little early for Rodriguez, a short tight end who doesn’t block. He’s a great receiver off the line and compliments Kellen Davis, an in-line tight end, well.

184. CB Isaiah Frey B-

The Bears brought in a lot of cornerbacks in free agency this year and resigned their own guys as well. I don’t see where Frey fits.

220. CB Greg McCoy B-

Another cornerback? Well at least this one was a better value. Hard to hate on 7^th round selections though.

Normally I like the Bears’ drafts, but this was not a very good one. McClellin was a reach over better defensive ends and one who fit the 4-3 scheme better. Alshon Jeffery didn’t fit what they needed in a wide receiver. And they also didn’t address major needs at linebacker, defensive tackle, and on the offensive line, instead opting to take 3 defensive backs when that wasn’t a position of major need, including on in the 3^rd round (Brandon Hardin) who was a major reach. Evan Rodriguez in the 4^th round might have been their best pick, but even that was a minor reach.

Grade: C

8. QB Ryan Tannehill B

This is a boom or bust pick. Normally I give these picks a C in the first round (an average of an A and an F), but I’m giving the Dolphins a B. Tannehill is a better fit for the Dolphins than anyone because they have Mike Sherman as their offensive coordinator and because they have two stopgap quarterback so they can ease Tannehill into action. Also, the Dolphins absolutely had to do something at the quarterback position after missing on every quarterback in the offseason. They haven’t had a franchise quarterback since Dan Marino and their fans were starting to lose interest.

42. OT Jonathan Martin A

Jonathan Martin fell into the 2^nd round because he doesn’t have elite athleticism and feet or elite power and strength. However, he’s a pure football player, albeit a bit of a tweener. He fits really well on the right side in Miami, where they had a huge hole opposite Jake Long. This is a great value.

72. DE Olivier Vernon C-

They needed a defensive end, but this is really early for Vernon. He’s got elite athleticism, but only managed 1.5 sacks last season for a variety of reasons. He’s got a lot of upside, but this was way too early for him. He does fit both their 3-4 and their 4-3 defenses, important because they’ll probably be running a hybrid next season.

78. TE Michael Egnew C

They needed  a tight end, but this is two rounds too early for Michael Egnew, who doesn’t block and who had a poor statistical season last year. Both Orson Charles and Ladarius Green would have been much better values here in the 3^rd rounds at tight end.

97. RB Lamar Miller A

I had Lamar Miller in the 2^nd round, but he fell out of circumstance to the beginning of the 4^th round. The Dolphins moved up to grab him. They didn’t really need another running back, but Miller way was too good of a value. Besides, Reggie Bush hasn’t been the most consistent back in the past. He’ll also, believe it or not, be a 28 year old free agent next season and even durable backs don’t last much into their 30s so he might not be resigned. They also plan on using Miller on special teams as a return man.

155. OLB Josh Kaddu B+

Kaddu has more value in their 4-3 as an outside linebacker, but they plan on using that scheme at least in part next season. He’ll play some as a rotational player in their front 7 next season, but they did have bigger needs. Who is Ryan Tannehill going to throw to?

183. WR BJ Cunningham A-

Here’s a receiver. I had Cunningham as a 7^th round prospect, but this is a late pick so that’s not a huge deal. They needed at least one developmental receiver out of this draft.

215. DT Kheeston Randall A

They lost Kendall Langford and Phillip Merling from their 3-4 defensive end rotation so Randall, a good value at this point, could play immediately in a rotational role. If not, it’s just a 7^th round pick.

227. WR Rishard Matthews A

I actually had Matthews rated higher than Cunningham. I have no problem with them taking two receivers.

Their draft is obviously going to be tied to Ryan Tannehill. He’s a major risk in the top 10, but he’s got the ability to become their first franchise quarterback since Marino. However, I can’t really fault them for that pick because they absolutely needed to do something at the position to have any hope for the future and he’s a great fit in Miami with Mike Sherman there as offensive coordinator and Matt Moore and David Garrard there as stopgap quarterbacks. T

They also made a really good pick with Jonathan Martin in the 2^nd round, but you have to wonder why they didn’t get him a receiver until the 6^th round. Brian Hartline and Davone Bess are solid complimentary receivers, but unless Clyde Gates steps up as a #1 receiver this year (highly unlikely), Tannehill or whoever starts at quarterback won’t have a lot of open options. They also made 2 pretty big reaches in the 3^rd round. They could have spent either of those two picks on a solid wide receiver. Even if they didn’t, there were better players available at those positions, which were needs. They made some solid late round selections, but overall this was an underwhelming draft.

Grade: B-