AFC East Draft Grades

Buffalo Bills – Overall Grade : C, a safe a draft as there is.

Buffalo’s draft was safe.  Which is different than previous bills drafts. There is a heavy ACC feel and you can credit Chan Gailey for that, but the ACC wasn’t the most powerful conference out there. 

1. Marcell Dareus,  Darius will be playing end in a 3-4.  The position is not flashy nor exciting . It is about consistency and freeing up the rush linebackers. Which the bills don’t have.  Yes, Dareus was the right choice at  3.  But this team needs a real 3-4 outside linebacker that can bring some heat  or that 3-4 end doesn’t translate to much.
2. Aaron Williams.  Donte Whitner, Jairus Byrd and back-ups George Wilson and Byron Scott played well enough at S. Who know what they would have done with a pass rush.  Williams can play. He’s a good player but part of this is evaluating based on need and player availability and there isn’t a huge need in Buffalo unless they’re planning on losing pieces,  and planning on losing pieces isn’t much different than planning on losing. 
3. Kelvin Sheppard.  He’s a linebacker from a prime time school but he looks more like a Mike than a speedy pass rush type.  Of the linebackers left on the draft board many of them are similar hgt, wgt, speed athletes  so that’s bad. Throw in that Buffalo’s Inside backers made a ton of tackles and that’s worse.  Taking a risk on an OLB would have made some since by now because the team is relying on Aaron Maybin and no one wants to do that.
4. DaNorris Searcy. Safety. We’ve gone over this.  And Searcy looks like a big in the box Safety.  And the big in the box safety has been going as well as the brontosaur  of late.  He’s a good player though. He’ll be a valued special teamer but in the fourth getting a valued special teamer isn’t that special.

4a.  Chris Hairston. This picks makes sense.  The browns need help at both tackles and

      the large bodied Hairston could play the right side and may even develop for the left

      someday.

5. Johnny White.  White is a tough hard nosed runner who can catch out of the      backfield.  Nothing wrong with that.  But they have Spiller and Jackson which makes this pick look like they are preparing to lose one of them and we’ve discussed that.
6. Chris White . Inside Linebacker again ? there no depth there so the pick isn’t a bad one but it is a bad one when you throw in Kelvin Sheppard in round 3.
7. Justin Rogers.  CB- finally some risk.  Rogers may turn out he’s sloppy and undersized but he’s quick and the Bills have been solid at picking Cbs up in the draft.

7a.  Michael Jasper.  Sometimes you see the shiny object  and you reach. Jasper coud be  a nearly 400lb nose tackle.  That idea  works great in theory  but the last time we saw a nearly 400lb NFL player Mike Williams was getting chased out of Buffalo.

Miami Dolphins – Overall Grade:  C-, another team planning to lose.

1,  Mike Pouncey  - may be the best OL in the draft but it seems the dolphins want to play him at C and his position looks more like G.  The dolphins also had bigger holes to fill than the line which was really an issue of health as much as an issue of quality.  So now they’re even better and beefier up front but still have other issues. In defense of the dolphins management they would have been reaching for any of the exciting players out there.

2. Daniel Thomas – Thomas runs too high but so does former 2^nd round pick Matt Forte.  Thomas also catches the ball out of the backfield well.  He can play.  Last year he was more productive that Mark Ingram (but so was Alabama backfield mate Trent Richardson) .  This is a pick by a team that’s planning on losing either Ronnie Brown or Rickey Williams or Both and you have to measure Thomas’ success against  what they give up – if it’s both Thomas really needs to pan out.

4. Edmond Gates – One of the fastest players in the draft he could take the cover off the defense and open things up underneath for a quick little slot guy like Bess.  He also  would make Safeties stay back for the running game.  This a great developmental pick for the position.

6. Charles Clay – Clay was so effective his team decided to find a way to get him on the field.  It wouldn’t be surprising  if he does it again at the next level.  He’s a little slow. He’s a little puffy. But he does everything well ,  except block.  He can learn and remember the post about split backs ? With Clay and Thomas the size, speed ratios are perfect for just that. 

7. Frank Kearse – Prototype size for a 5 technique who could grow into a nose tackle worth a shot when you play a 3-4 those players are hard to find. 

7a.  Jimmy Wilson – CB Montana.  Wilson used to hang with Clark Kent and Lois Lane…not him. Oh,  Jimmy Wilson 2 years in prison for a murder charge then was acquitted and then suspended aftet getting back while a misdemeanor assault charge was investigated.   Seems Jimmy has a knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I like the idea of giving him a chance but that wrong place at the wrong time thing is not a good precedence for a DB.

New England Patriots – B+, the picks fit the team  but a 5 technique would have been nice. 

1. Nate Solder – Solder has a better combination of size and footwork than anyone in the draft but he’s better suited to a team playing against a 4-3 front.  The wide rushing OLB;s in the east will give him some problems  and he’s not a run blocker – there’s a leverage issue when you stand 6’9” but he can protect the passer and is best suited for 3-4 guys right in his face – like they play in Indianapolis. 
2. Ras-I Dowling – If dowling is the JR year dowling the pick makes perfect sense even with McCourty, Arrington and Butler all looking pretty ok at corner during last season.  He’s also big enough to challenge Chung or Merriweather so the pick provides competition at 4 spots complaining about a sack producing OLB or some D-line help doesn’t do much good this late. But those positions need to be addressed. 

2a,  Shane Vereen – and there’s nothing wrong with this pick. Competitions for Danny Woodhead –Woodhead beats him out but  it’s an upgrade in talent from Sammy Morris. 

3. Stevan Ridley – looks and plays like Ben Jarvus Green-Ellis and he’ll fit in perfect for Fred Taylor. 

3a.  Ryan Mallett- Great Arm,  possibly the most NFL ready QB in the draft and he steps into a situation where he can learn the ropes from Tom Brady.  Learning the ropes is a good thing.  Look at Aaron Rogers or Phil Rivers or Drew Brees or Matt Hasselback or…sure it’s exciting to throw that rookie in but he’s as likely to become the next Cade McNown, Alex Smith, David Carr or Cam Newton (oops did I say that) as he is to become Rothlisberget (just handed off) or Flacco (just handed off).

5. Marcus Cannon – OG from TCU Cannon will take the year off to get his health concerns under control and then he’ll find a way to ease 350 lbs into a football jersey .  He can be very good, even outside at RT. He could be even better at G.  If he shared time which NE can afford he won’t even get tired.

5a.  Lee Smith TE – the patriots don’t need a TE.  But this guy has Bellichik all over him. Great leader. Effort guy goes over the middle two time team captain and as big as another T.  He isn’t great but he’s worth a 5. sort of .  For the pats a 5 is like the ordering the biggie fries- you don’t need it,  you probably aren’t going to use it but it’s there if you end up wanting it. 

6. Markell Carter OLB – Carter has the size speed ratio you want in an OLB.  He could be the pass rush threat the team can use up front.  Or he could not make the team.  He’s worth a sixth round pick just based on measurables. 
7. Malcolm Williams S – TCU – Williams is more in the box thumber than anyone on the pats roster he could be a vicious special teams gunner.  He could challenge some of the safeties on the team.  For  a 7 that’s nice. 

New York Jets.  Overall Grade: B,  Spend that Powell Pick on a WR and it rivals the Pats. 

1. Muhammad Wilkerson – he’s the best pass-rushing tackle in the draft and he comes to a team totally empty at defensive end. 

3.   Kendrick Ellis- favorite pick in the draft, Ellis is a monster who looks like Haloti Ngata and like Ngata has enough speed to play and end and move around like AJ Duhe.  It was against  low level competition but to get 6’5” 340 and productive in round 3 is impressive.  And Ryan figures out how to use defenders pretty well.

4. Bilal Powell is a fine player but Joe McKnight looked good. LaDanian Tomlinson looked refreshed and Shonn Green fits better as the short yardage back.  Maybe the Jets have a trade in the works with a team desperate for runners that can’t admit until the lockout is settled. 
5. Jeremy Kerley – does a bit of everything from the WR slot. Runs good routes. Has good speed. Physically he’s built like Derrick Mason.  Mason found a lot of ways to be successful perhaps  Kerley can too. 
6. Greg McElroy – Not a need but a national championship winning Q B who threw a lot to a top WR can’t be a bad choice.  Would have doubled down at WR considering the lack of depth there but you can’t  hate this pick.
7. Scotty McKnight – a childhood friend of Mark Sanchez.  So even if it’s a bad pick it isn’t a bad pick.  Then he put up pretty good stats with the buffaloes finding the end zone regularly.  And He’s actually pretty fast.  For a 7^th round pick those are good reasons.