Running Back

Auburn

5-11 219

40 time: 4.45

Draft board overall prospect rank: #131

Draft board running back rank: #10

Overall rating: 63*

            4/6/10: Ben Tate is an extremely frustrating prospect for me. He has all the physical talent in the world and showed to me at the Combine that he had even more physical raw talent then I had thought before. He ran well with a 4.45 at 5-11 219. He jumped 10 foot 4 inches in the broad jump and had a vertical leap of 40.5 inches and he looked amazing in both the running back and the pass catching drills. He has looked great on tape before in the past, like a first rounder, but for every great game, he would have a game where he would pretty much completely disappear. He would be lazy, wouldn’t break tackles. He’d go down on first contact way too often. He’d fumble. He’d struggle to average 3 yards per carry seemingly every other week. He can’t be doing that if he’s going to be in the NFL. He’ll need to be consistent and show up to play every week if he wants to be a starting running back in the NFL like he’s capable, because if he’s a starting running back and has a back game, he could lose the game for his team. I don’t think he’ll translate well to a league where he has to take a lot of contact from a lot of big guys because he doesn’t handle contact well. He’ll be best in a one cut and boom zone blocking offense because that’s his game, hole, explode through, get hit, go down. Even in his good games, he wouldn’t break a ton of tackles, at least not as many as he should for his size. He’s not a true big play threat and doesn’t turn the corner well. He has decent hands, but not great, and he doesn’t pass block well. I like his upside, but I don’t think he has the will and tenacity to be a feature back in the level.

NFL Comparison: Rudi Johnson

*=For a breakdown of what this means, click here

Josh McDaniels won a trade?! Well, he was negotiating with the Browns and Eric Mangini. I know this trade was probably Mike Holmgren’s doing too, but Eric Mangini wanted Quinn out of there and Holmgren, no longer needing Quinn after signing Delhomme yesterday, did what Mangina wanted and sold Quinn for pennies on the dollar. Let’s see what they got for him. Two late picks and a fullback. I know Peyton Hillis can also play some running back, but he’s nothing more than a solid power backup to Jerome Harrison and a decent lead blocker, but they already have Lawrence Vickers at fullback and he does a decent job. Brady Quinn wasn’t developing the way they wanted him to, but 353 career attempts is not enough to write off a former 1^st rounder as a bust and sell him for a fullback and two late round picks. As for the Broncos, they got a steal here as Quinn has some upside and fits their system well. Too bad they already have Kyle Orton. I don’t know what they pan to do with both. Neither are great, but neither are awful.

Grade for Broncos: B+

Grade for Browns: C-

QB Seneca Wallace- resigned 3 years 9 million

RB Mike Bell

FB Lawrence Vickers

WR Chansi Stuckey

TE Evan Moore (exclusive rights)- Tendered

TE Robert Royal

TE Alex Smith- Resigned

OT John St. Clair

G Pork Chop Womack

G Steve Vallos

NT Shaun Rogers- signed with Saints 1 year 4 million

3-4 DE Kenyon Coleman 

3-4 DE Robaire Smith

3-4 DE Brian Schaefering

3-4 DE Derreck Robinson

RLB Jayme Mitchell

RLB Matt Roth

RLB Marcus Bernard (exclusive rights)

RLB David Bowens

RLB Titus Brown

MLB D’Qwell Jackson

MLB Eric Barton

MLB Jason Trusnik

MLB Blake Costanzo

CB Eric Wright

S Abram Elam

S Nick Sorensen

S Sabby Piscitelli

K Phil Dawson- Franchised 

Offseason moves:  

Resigned Seneca Wallace

Resigned D’Qwell Jackson

Resigned Alex Smith 

Tendered Evan Moore

Franchised Phil Dawson

Cut Shaun Rogers

Cut John St. Clair

Cut Eric Barton

Cut Robert Royal

Cut David Bowens

Cut Kenyon Coleman

Draft 

The Cardinals obviously felt they were a quarterback away from being a legitimate Super Bowl contender because they spent a 2^nd round pick and a starting cornerback to get Kevin Kolb. However, Kevin Kolb is not Kurt Warner and their supporting cast is not the supporting cast it was in 2009 when they won the division and made the playoffs.

Kevin Kolb has had average stats in Philadelphia in his career and is just a former 2^nd round pick from 4 years ago. Andy Reid has made many quarterbacks look better than they were before (Donovan McNabb, Michael Vick, AJ Feeley). However, he’s still a huge upgrade over Derek Anderson/Max Hall/John Skelton and they somehow won 5 games with those quarterbacks.

That doesn’t mean they can’t win the division. In case you haven’t noticed, this division isn’t very good. They have the 2^nd best quarterback in the division and a much easier schedule than Sam Bradford and the Rams. They play four playoff teams from 2010, Seattle, a “playoff team” twice, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Pittsburgh. They also have games against the Giants, the Cowboys, and two against the Rams that could be hard, but this is the easiest schedule in the league and if they can win 5 games, albeit with a point differential of minus 145, 2^nd worst behind Carolina, last year with that terrible trio at quarterback, they can certainly win 8 games this year.

Kolb’s #1 receiver is Larry Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald was the one who specifically requested the Cardinals bring in Kevin Kolb. That’s why the Eagles got so much for him. They knew Fitzgerald wanted him and could leave in a year without the possibility that the Cardinals could slap him with the franchise tag. They had the Cardinals by the balls.

Fitzgerald has been working out with Kolb all offseason and the two are very good friends. That continuity will help them coming out of a lockout. Fitzgerald seems primed to have a bounce back season after a “down” year of 90 catches for 1137 yards and 6 touchdowns in 2010. Opposite him, 2010 3^rd round pick Andre Roberts and 2008 3^rd round pick Early Doucet will battle for the starting job with Anquan Boldin and Steve Breaston gone (technically Boldin was gone last offseason, but this just shows how they’ve lost wide receiver depth in the last 2 years). The loser of that competition will line up in the slot. Roberts seems to have the upper hand right now over Doucet, who has disappointed in 3 seasons in the league. Roberts had 5 catches for 110 yards and a score week 16 last season.

The Cardinals have not had good pass catching tight ends over the years. However, they signed Todd Heap, a declining, but still decent player in the offseason. Heap will be a solid stopgap for Rob Housler, a rookie 3^rd round pick who will come in on 2 tight end sets. Both will have an impact this season and the Cardinals envision Housler like the Patriots’ Aaron Hernandez.

The Cardinals quarterbacks took 50 sacks last season. In 2009, Kurt Warner took 24 sacks. Given that, it remains to be seen if the reason behind the 50 sacks allowed in 2010 was poor offensive line play or simply just poor quarterback play. One thing is for sure. Levi Brown sucks. He allowed 10 sacks and 50 quarterback pressures in 2010, but he also allowed 9 sacks in 2009, and committed 11 penalties. In 2008, he allowed 11 sacks and committed 8 penalties. I don’t know why Ken Whisenhunt continues to defend Brown. Brown will once again line up on the left side and “protect” Kevin Kolb’s blindside.

On the right side, Brandon Keith is a mediocre player who allowed 6 sacks in 2010, his first year as a starter. He was still an upgrade over Mike Gandy, their right tackle in 2009 who allowed 9 sacks and committed 8 penalties. Incumbent left guard Alan Faneca retired. They signed Daryn Colledge to replace him. He was a mediocre guard for the Packers last season and won’t be much better next season.

Deuce Lutui was their right guard last year (and according to Derek Anderson, he was quite the jokester). He signed a 2 year deal with the Bengals, but failed a physical when he showed up at 381 pounds. He then resigned with the Cardinals. Looks like someone didn’t stay in shape during the lockout. He’ll have to earn his starting job back from Pork Chop Womack, who isn’t very good. Center Lyle Sendlein has outgrown his days of frequently stepping on Kurt Warner’s foot and botching snaps. He’s now, somehow, their best offensive lineman.

The Cardinals spent a 2^nd round pick on Ryan Williams just 2 years after spending a first round pick on Chris Wells. Wells has dealt with injury problems in his 2 seasons in the league. He averaged 4.5 yards per carry as a rookie and showed promise, but that number dropped to 3.4 yards per carry in 2010. A lot of that has to do with how bad their quarterback situation was.

Wells had all but been assured the lead back job even with Williams coming in and that was before Williams went down with a season ending injury. Tim Hightower was recently traded to Washington for a late pick and a veteran defensive lineman, so Wells is all they really have at the position. LaRod Stephens-Howling figures to be the #2 back, coming in on clear passing downs, unless they can find someone in free agency. Either way, Wells figures to get a lion’s share of the load.

With a better quarterback, it’s very possible Wells could have a very good season. Joseph Addai had a big season after the Colts selected Donald Brown in the first round. DeAngelo Williams had a big season after the Panthers selected Jonathan Stewart in the first round. Thomas Jones had a big season after the Bears selected Cedric Benson. The Williams selection could have been the motivation he needed to get his career back on track.

Quite possibly the biggest difference between the supporting cast of the 2009 Cardinals and the 2011 Cardinals is the rush linebackers. They had 43 sacks in 2009, but 33 sacks in 2010. Their starting rush linebackers are Joey Porter and Clark Haggans are 34 years old and on their last legs. They drafted Sam Acho in the 4^th round this year, a steal, and they drafted O’Brien Schofield in the 4^th last year. Schofield only fell because he was hurt. He’s healthy now and the organization is high on him. Acho, however, won’t have a huge impact as a rookie because of the lockout. Acho and Schofield are the rush linebackers of the future, but as for the present, their pass rush won’t be great.

Given that, it’s very possible that Calais Campbell, who led the team in sacks last year with 6, could lead the team in sacks once again this season. Campbell is not just a great pass rusher. The talented 3-4 defensive end is also a stud against the run. He plays alongside former Pro Bowler Darnell Dockett and 2010 1^st round pick Dan Williams. Dockett had 5 sacks last season, but Williams is reportedly out of shape. He’s still a starter, but he might not have the breakout 2^nd season that everyone was predicting from him because he’s out of shape. He was called a “disappointment” by his coaching staff. If he struggles, he could even be benched for Nick Eason, a mediocre nose tackle and career backup.

At middle linebacker, Daryl Washington, a 2^nd round pick in 2010, looks poised for a breakout year. At the very least, he should have more of an impact than he had last year. He wasn’t bad or anything. In fact, he was far from that. He was very good, but he wasn’t a starter until late in the season. Next to him, free agent acquisition Stewart Bradley should be an upgrade over Paris Lenon. However, Bradley has missed 20 games in the last 2 seasons. If he misses any games this season, the very mediocre Paris Lenon would step in again.

The Cardinals drafted Patrick Peterson 5^th overall in April’s draft. He’ll be hurt by the lockout and cornerbacks tend to struggle as rookies anyway, but he’s so talented that that might not matter. He is my pick for defensive rookie of the year. I was intrigued to see Peterson and Dominique Rodgers Cromatie play opposite each other.

DRC struggled last season, but he was a Pro Bowler in 2009 and he’s still just 25. He could have easily had a bounce back year with a more talented cornerback opposite him, with a little bit better of a pass rush in front of him, and a better overall team. He lacked motivation last season on a terrible 5-11 team. Assuming this team was in contention this year, he probably would have tried much harder and had a great season. However, the Cardinals traded him to Philadelphia in the Kolb deal. I think they gave up on him too soon.

To replace DRC, the Cardinals signed Richard Marshall in free agency. Marshall had a down year last year, allowing 75.3% completions and 4 touchdowns to 3 interceptions on an overall terrible team in Carolina, but he’s been better in the past. He should be a capable #2 opposite Peterson. He’ll definitely be an upgrade over Greg Toler, their #2 cornerback last year.

At strong safety, Adrian Wilson is an above average player who will miss at least the start of the season with a torn bicep. The Cardinals are hoping that they can get him back at some point this season, but you never know with things like this. Starting in his place will be veteran journeyman Matt Ware, obviously a huge downgrade. Free safety Kerry Rhodes is a very overrated player. There’s a reason the Cardinals were able to get him for so cheap last offseason from the Jets, who didn’t appear to miss him. He was solid in coverage, but terrible against the run, totaling the 2^nd most missed tackles in the league last year with 14.

The Cardinals might not be the best team in the NFC West, but that might not matter given their ridiculous easy schedule. They have enough talent to blow through that easy schedule at 9-7 or 10-6 and I think that wins this division. This division won’t be as bad as it was last year when Seattle won it with 7, but I think the only competition for the division title that Arizona has is St. Louis, who has a much tougher schedule.

Quarterback: C+

Running backs: C

Offensive line: D

Receiving corps: B-

Run defense: B

Pass rush: C-

Pass coverage: B-

Coaching: B

Projection: 9-7 2nd in NFC West

Trade for Seahawks: I know very little, if anything about Whitehurst. I know he was drafted in the 3^rd by the Chargers in 2006 based on upside and never played a snap. And I know now that Pete Carroll likes him. I’ll trust Carroll’s judgment on this one for now, given his track record with quarterbacks, but if Whitehurst proves to be not much in the future, this is going to be a huge waste of picks.

Trade for Chargers: I love this trade for the Chargers. Even if Whitehurst becomes a future Pro Bowler, doubtful, this deal barely hurts them because they weren’t doing anything with Whitehurst and the Seahawks are in a completely different conference. Its not often you can not use a quarterback for 4 years and then trade him away and not only get a pick from the round you drafted him in, but get a fairly significant swap of 2^nd rounders. The move from 60^th to 40^th has a value of 200 points, roughly the 78^th pick so basically the Chargers got 2 3^rd rounder for an unused former 3^rd rounder. Not bad.

Draft implications: All of this will be shown in my next NFL Mock Draft, but this trade does have draft implications and since I do not update until next week, I’m going to use this opportunity to tell you how it will. That trade where the Bucs trade down to 6 and still get Suh while the Seahawks give up the 40^th pick to move up to 3 to get Clausen won’t be included in my next mock, sadly. It was a very interesting move that stirred up a ton of controversy around Buccaneers’ forums around the internet, but I can’t see it happening for two reasons. One, Carroll already brought in a developmental backup quarterback, Whitehurst. Second, that 40^th pick that was sent to Tampa Bay in the deal is now San Diego’s.

Teams may still try to move up to get Clausen (Cleveland, Buffalo), but they aren’t going to do it with Tampa Bay (assuming either Suh or McCoy falls). Tampa will take the smart move and just go with whichever of the two they feel fits best at 3. Trading down to 9 or even 7 and expecting one of those two to still be there is borderline insane. If one of those teams tries to move up to get Clausen, it will be with Detroit, who has been rumored to be trying to shop the 2^nd pick. However, after Russell Okung’s positive visit with the Lions earlier this week, that is unlikely as well.

Another draft implication makes it very unlikely that the Chargers will take Ryan Matthews at 28. With a pick at 40, it’s likely the Chargers are going to take Terrence Cody at 28, knowing they can get a back like Jahvid Best or Montario Hardesty at 40 and that they can’t get a nose tackle like Cody there. Terrence Cody will be the Chargers’ first rounder in my next mock. 

3-4 Defensive End

South Carolina

6-7 299

40 time: 4.97

Draft board overall prospect rank: #191

Draft board 3-4 defensive end rank: #13

Overall rating: 54*

            4/7/10: Clifton Geathers made the surprise decision to come out a year early this year, despite only recording 5.5 career sacks in 3 seasons at South Carolina, one as a sparingly used backup, one as a situational guy, and one as a starter. His physical upside certainly has scouts buzzing, but I have to question his decision to come out early. He’s not going to be drafted on the first 2 days and will probably have to wait until the 5^th or 6^th round to hear his name called, so the decision to come out, rather than polish his game in school, is questionable. That being said, he is a large pass rusher with excellent bulk and extremely long arms. He has football in his blood. His brother Robert is the starting left end for the Cincinnati Bengals and Clifton may be even more athletic than his freakishly athletic brother. He looks as physically opposing as guys like Calais Campbell, who have bright futures in the NFL, but, even compared to Campbell, Geathers did not show himself to be someone who’s play matches his upside. He had good moments last year, but those were few and far between. He’s extremely raw as a pass rusher. He doesn’t play with good control and leverage. His motor runs hot and cold, most often cold, and he doesn’t do well in pursuit. He’s not a great tackler. He lacks elite motivation. I would draft him late on upside alone, but I am not counting on him to be much at the NFL level.

NFL Comparison: Tony McDaniel

*=For a breakdown of what this means, click here

3-4 Defensive End/Defensive End

Northwestern

6-6 272

40 time: 4.92

Draft board overall prospect rank: #99

Draft board 3-4 defensive end rank: #10

Overall rating: 70*

            4/7/10: Corey Wootton is starting to look like a bit of a one year wonder. His 10 sacks in 2008 were impressive in the Big 10. He would have been a 2^nd round if he had come out last year, but he really struggled this year after a “minor” knee surgery. He never looked right this year. He lacked explosiveness, he lacked drive, and he only had 4 sacks. His athleticism is very strong he offers good scheme versatility playing everything from a 3-4 end to a 4-3 end to, possibly, a 4-3 under tackle. He has long arms and he’s above average against the run, though that could be expected at his size. I think he’s best off as a 3-4 end where he can hold down the line against the run and also provide a bit of a pass rush, rather than a 4-3 end where he would provide below average pass rush, but also provide something against the run. However, for a 3-4 end, he’s a bit undersized and would need to bulk up. The 3 man line in the NFL requires brute strength rather than just strong run stopper. He’ll need to frustrate blockers and tie up multiple blockers, which is not something he’ll do well. He has a bunch of durability concerns and has below average speed. He’s not very fluid and doesn’t use his long arms quite to their full potential, especially when it comes to breaking up passes. He’ll come off in the first 3 rounds, but he won’t be a star as some people are calling him.  

NFL Comparison: Tyler Brayton

*=For a breakdown of what this means, click here

Outside Linebacker/Middle Linebacker

TCU

6-2 229

40 time: 4.57

Draft board overall prospect rank: #59

Draft board outside linebacker rank: #4

Overall rating: 76* 

            3/27/10: Daryl Washington is an undersized, but extremely smart, extremely instinctive, and extremely fluid linebacker. He has great speed, with a 40 time of 4.57, and moves even faster than that on the field, in pads, as I have seen him chase down running backs from behind on several occasions. He has great acceleration and freakishly long arms that allow him to close gaps and cover space in a hurry. He takes very instinctive and natural routes to the ball carrier and is a very solid fundamental tackler who shouldn’t need a lot of coaching in that area. Despite his small size, he is in good shape and hits fairly well, but he needs to bulk up some to avoid being taken out of the game by blockers. He has had a lot of trouble in the past disengaging from 2^nd level blockers and guys who are trying to keep him out of the backfield. He doesn’t blitz up the middle very well, but he can run blitz from the outside fairly decently and get into the backfield. He’s a leader on the field and was voted team captain. He looks very fluid and natural and athletic dropping into coverage and can guard running backs out of the backfield fairly effectively and use his long arms to break up passes. His back pedal is very mature for his age and he has the speed to run with most guys. He is very adapt at rerouting smaller receivers, but because of his lack of size, there are issues with how well he will be able to do that at the next level. He did struggle a bit with assignments in zone last year, but because of his fluidity, he should make a very natural zone style linebacker, either as an outside linebacker or a middle linebacker. If he bulks up, he should be able to fit in any 4-3 scheme, but he doesn’t have the explosive size/burst combination to be a gap filling 3-4 middle linebacker which will limit his draft range. He probably won’t start out as a starter right away because he actually is very inexperienced as a starter, but he has a ton of success on special teams in the past and should be very productive there to start his career. He played a lot of special teams at TCU and was a standout and because of his humble nature, he shouldn’t have an issue with playing extensive special teams early on. As with any TCU player, level of competition is a bit of an issue, but I’ve seen all the raw talent and attributes that a starting caliber linebacker needs in the NFL and have I no doubts about his ability to put on the necessary weight. He’s a mid-to-late 2^nd round prospect with very good upside. Teams like Indianapolis and Philadelphia who love speedy linebackers will love him in the late 2^nd round range and I would be very surprised if he fell to the 3^rd.

NFL Comparison: Will Witherspoon

*=For a breakdown of what this means, click here

By Dean Holden 

It’s finally time for the inevitable record prediction.

Despite being asked multiple times, I’ve avoided giving any concrete predictions on the season until now. Much like giving draft grades or making calls on free agent moves, it’s meaningless to do so until you get an initial idea of what the team looks like playing together.

Of course, then you have to make sure those guys stay on the team. A record prediction talking about Dre’ Bly making a resurgence would just be silly looking at it now, wouldn’t it?

But we’re past all that. The roster is full, and set for the time being. We have a decent idea of what the team looks like together, so I have no more excuses.

Therefore, here are my predictions for the Detroit Lions in 2010. Yes, the ones you can throw back in my face in three months when I’m wrong about everything.

Team Offensive MVP: Matthew Stafford

Yeah, I know. Big stretch. But the only thing that can derail this prediction is Stafford’s health. If he stays upright most of the season, Stafford looks primed to have a breakout season.

I know that’s a cliché, but if you watched Stafford in the preseason, you’d understand. Stafford looked like a completely different quarterback than the one who threw nine interceptions in the preseason last year. He was cool, confident, and exhibited good decision-making, which was one of his greatest weaknesses last season.

More importantly, management has put Stafford’s development high on their list of priorities, and consequently, he has been surrounded with weapons.

Stafford won’t be a Pro Bowler this year, but he is going to find himself on the map for it soon if he keeps himself healthy.

Team Defensive MVP: Kyle Vanden Bosch

I can’t speak highly enough of Vanden Bosch’s qualities as a leader. He plays harder than anyone else in football, and in leading by example, it rubs off on his teammates (you never heard about Albert Haynesworth failing conditioning tests in Tennessee, did you?). And that would be fine by itself, but he combines that with being a very good football player.

After a weak, injury-shortened 2009 campaign, Vanden Bosch again finds himself playing alongside a strong defensive tackle taking up two blocks in the middle. Those resulting one-on-one matchups outside should allow him to perform perform well enough be a strong candidate for both the Lions’ defensive MVP and the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year.

Offensive Breakout Player: Jahvid Best

Another no-brainer (assuming I can’t make the Stafford pick again). And another pick which could be derailed by prevailing health concerns.

Of course, that’s what they said about Adrian Peterson.

Best isn’t Peterson, and concussions aren’t knee injuries, so don’t try telling me that, I already know. Best has an entirely different skill set, and will be a completely different style of running back.

But it will be good. Scott Linehan knows exactly what to do with a running back who is as dangerous in the slot as he is in the backfield, and he’s going to show us he hasn’t forgotten.

Defensive Breakout Player: Randy Phillips

Whaaaaa? Not Suh? Not DeAndre Levy? Not even Cliff Avril?

Nope, it’s Randy Phillips. The maturity and intelligence he showed in the preseason, as an undrafted rookie, are unbelievable. It didn’t matter who he was in the defensive backfield with, what the play was, or what string he was playing against, if there was a play to be made, Phillips made it.

It doesn’t look like Phillips will be starting in Week 1, but he will in Week 17.

And he’ll only get better from here. Louis Delmas might have a respectable running mate yet.

Record: 6-10 (3-3 NFC North)

There, I said it. Six wins. For the most part, I’m not telling which six. I don’t know, and neither do you. But what you might be more interested in is my predictions for the divisional games. Yes, I predict a .500 record against divisional rivals.

I don’t claim to know which games those will be… except that the Lions will beat the Bears at Ford Field. I’m tempted to claim they will beat the Bears twice, and it’s a possibility, but not a certainty.

The Lions will also bring either their Metrodome or Lambeau Field losing streak to an end this season, but not both. If I had to pick one, I’d say the Metrodome streak falls first. The Lions have played the Vikings too well for too long to not come away with a “W.”

In addition, the defensive line did well generating a pass rush and stopping the run against the Vikings last year, which makes you wonder what the revamped unit can accomplish this year.

The Lions have come a long way in two short years, and they enter the 2010 season with a lot to prove. They won’t do enough to make everybody believe they’ve truly moved toward respectability, because there are too many hardcore pessimists out there.

But they will put enough exclamation points on this season to make it one to remember, if you’re willing to wait on those playoffs.

http://bleacherreport.com/users/64307-dean-holden 

1. Washington Wizards- PG John Wall

Wall has been called a once or twice in a decade prospect by many, many experts. Experts have been wrong before, but everything I’ve seen of Wall leads me to believe that these experts won’t be wrong. He’s got to work on his maturity and leadership at the point guard position, but that will come with age, as it did for Derrick Rose, who has, in two years, matured into the leader and the face of the Chicago Bulls. He’s got to work on his outside shot and cutting down his turnovers, but his mid range game is already great and he’s a fierce penetrator to the basket with an NBA ready body. I like Evan Turner as a prospect as well, but the Wizards had to go with the potential superstar here. Wall doesn’t fill a major need, but you never know with Gilbert Arenas, and Turner didn’t fill a major need either and reaching for a big man like DeMarcus Cousins or Derrick Favors to fill a need would have been a big, big mistake for this franchise.

Grade: A

2. Philadelphia 76ers- SF Evan Turner

I would have liked to have seen them move down to get a big, but I’ll assume for the sake of this grade that they tried and could not and in that case, they had to take Turner. Wall is the superstar potential kid in this class, but Turner is the do everything sidekick that will be almost as valuable to a contender as their superstar. You’ve heard of five tool outfielders in baseball, this kid is a 5 tool basketball player, shooting, driving, distributing, defense, and rebounding. He doesn’t fill their biggest need, but he’s going to be a lot more valuable to them than a guy like Favors or Cousins would have been.

Grade: A

3. New Jersey Nets- PF Derrick Favors

Once again I’m not going to argue with this pick. Favors is not going to be a superstar in this league, but the Nets couldn’t have really gotten a superstar type player with this pick because in my eyes, this class had one future #1 option, one strong future #2 option, and the rest were #2 options or worse. Favors will be a solid #2 big man on a good team someday, though he is raw, and, positionally, he fills their biggest need.

Grade: A

4. Minnesota Timberwolves- SF Wesley Johnson

I would have liked to have seen them move up to get someone who can do something more offensively, or move down for value and an offensive minded swingman, but assuming they couldn’t do that, I think this was the best they could go. Johnson is offensive issues, but he’s going to help them on defense. I don’t know that he’ll persuade Ricky Rubio to come over as moving up for Turner or moving down for Xavier Henry would have, but he was the best pick they could make at this spot. DeMarcus Cousins would have been a mistake and he would have been the only other player to fit this slot. They already have Kevin Love and Al Jefferson inside. They need a defensive minded big, not another inside scorer.

Grade: A

5. Sacramento Kings- C DeMarcus Cousins

Not special to say here. Cousins fills their need inside. They traded for Samuel Dalembert, but mostly for his expiring contract. Cousins was the best available player here and fills a big need. I think Cousins has to be the early favorite for rookie of the year this year, if he can stay in shape, out of trouble, and healthy. This is exactly what I thought they’d do in this situation and it’s exactly what I would do.

Grade: A

6. Golden State Warriors- PF Ekpe Udoh

The Warriors’ idea with this pick was to add size and to get better defensively, and I like that idea, but you’re not going to convince me that Udoh was the 6^th best player in this draft class. Udoh is raw offensively and he’s 23 years old. He and North Carolina’s Ed Davis are very similar players, good defensively and on the boards, but raw offensively. However, Davis is 21 and it’s perfectly alright to use a top 6 pick on a defensive minded big that’s a bit raw offensively if he’s 21. 23 is a different story. 23 is pushing it a little. 23 is the point where you maybe start to say, well, he hasn’t developed into a good offensive big man at this point. I don’t know if he ever will. I don’t see why, with two similar talents, you take the older of the two.

Grade: C

7. Detroit Pistons- C Greg Monroe

Another case of taking the wrong big I think. The Pistons really needed a big physical presence inside and Monroe has a reputation for being a bit soft inside. Adding size and strength was their biggest need this offseason and I’m glad to see that they didn’t take a guy like Al-Farouq Aminu. Aminu probably would have been best available, but wouldn’t have filled a need at all. They have way too much depth on the wings anyway and I don’t buy Aminu being a power forward at the NBA level. Still, I think Davis would have been the right pick here.

Grade: C

8. Los Angeles Clippers- SF Al-Farouq Aminu

I had been mocking this pick for months and I don’t think any mock drafter with half a brain had Aminu slipping past here. Aminu is best available, or at least one of the best available, and he plays the only position that the Clippers really have a hole at in their starting lineup, assuming Blake Griffin bounces back from injury, and in the top 10 if you’re not drafting players that you think are starting caliber and that you can realistically get into the starting lineup sometime soon, you’re doing something wrong. Aminu is the type of player that can help you without having the ball in his hands and the Clippers already had enough playmakers.

Grade: A

9. Utah Jazz- SF Gordon Heyward

I had been hearing small forward here before the draft, though I expected Luke Babbitt. I don’t really think Heyward is the 9^th best player in this class, in fact, he would have been lucky to be taken in the first round before the NCAA tournament. As good as he was there, it was only 6 games and I don’t think those 6 games are enough to move a player up from the 2^nd round to the top 10. I don’t necessarily think that Babbitt or even Paul George would have been the right pick here anyway. I would have gone with a big like Ed Davis or Patrick Patterson. I don’t know that Paul Millsap is the right guy to start to power forward when Carlos Boozer leaves and it looks very unlikely that he’ll stay.

Grade: B

10. Indiana Pacers- SF Paul George

Unlike the NFL Draft, we almost made it through the top 10 without me being completely confused by a pick. Does George have a ton of upside here, yeah, but you would like to take a player in the top 10 that’s not completely raw. George doesn’t have an NBA frame right now; he’s not NBA ready and not ready to play big minutes. Plus, they already have Danny Granger at small forward and that’s pretty much the only position they didn’t need. George can play shooting guard, but he’s not a natural two and two guard wasn’t a huge need either. They need a point guard or a big man here and since they’re weren’t really any good point guards available in this range, I think a big man should have been the pick.

Grade: D