2008 NFL Draft Team-by-Team Grades

NFC East
New York – B {Kenny Phillips (1), Mario Manningham (3), Andre Woodson (6)}
For the second year in a row Jerry Reese and the Giants walk away with high grades. The Giants landed two potential impact players (Phillips and Manningham) and a possible backup QB in Andre Woodson.
Philadelphia – D {Trevor Laws (2), DeSean Jackson (2)}
Philadelphia’s first mistake was trading out of the first round. DeSean Jackson is undersized and didn’t live up to expectations last season at Cal.
Dallas – A {Felix Jones (1), Mike Jenkins (1)}
The Boys’ had two first round picks and made them both count. Adding Felix Jones gives Dallas the perfect compliment to Marion Barber and the addition of Mike Jenkins solidifies a secondary that just acquired Pac Man Jones.
Washington – B+ {Devin Thomas (2), Fred Davis (2), Malcolm Kelly (2), Colt Brennan (6)}
After trading out of the first round, Washington went to work in round two. Devin Thomas, Malcolm Kelly and Fred Davis have tremendous upside and will help Washington transition to their new spread attack.

NFC North
Chicago – B {Chris Williams (1), Earl Bennett (3), Craig Steltz (4), Markus Monk (7)}
Chicago made shrewd pick after shrewd pick all weekend. Bennett could develop into the best slot receiver in the entire draft and Steltz will be a perfect fit in Chicago’s secondary.
Green Bay – D {Jordy Nelson (2), Brian Brohm (2), Patrick Lee (2), JerMichael Finely (3)}
I’m not a fan of Green Bay’s picks. They made Jordy Nelson the 1st wide receiver off the board? Then they took Brian Brohm? I’m sure there are more than a few confused Packer fans trying to figure this out.
Minnesota – D {Tyrell Johnson (2), John David Booty (50)}
Minnesota traded away their first-round pick for Jared Allen, leaving them with only one pick in the first four rounds. At the end of the day, Tyrell Johnson might be the only player from this group to make the team this summer.
Detroit – C {Gosder Cherilus (1), Kevin Smith (3), Caleb Cambell (7)}
Matt Millen needed to have a good draft more than anybody in the business this weekend. He steered clear of drafting another WR and pieced together some good picks. Millen’s track record is questionable to say the least, so we’ll have to wait and see if this class turns out to be anything more than just average.

NFC South
New Orleans – B+ {Sedrick Ellis (1), Tracey Porter (2), Adrian Arrington (7)}
Sean Payton’s #1 objective was to walk away with a stud DT. Trading up into New England’s spot was a brilliant maneuver by Payton, who now has the anchor he needed to properly run their 3-4 scheme.
Carolina – B+ {Jonathan Stewart (1), Jeff Otah (1), Dan Connor (3)}
John Fox and his staff made things happen. After securing Jonathan Stewart they moved back into the first round to get Jeff Otah. Franchise running back and starting left tackle – done and done! Not to mention Dan Connor, a projected first round LB, who they drafted in the third round. Job well done!
Atlanta – C {Matt Ryan (1), Sam Baker (1)}
Both first round picks are questionable. Ryan could be a Pro Bowler, but could be a bust. Then they moved back into the first round and reached for USC OT Sam Baker. With 11 picks, Atlanta’s draft looks more like quantity over quality.
Tampa Bay – B- {Aqib Talib (1), Dexter Jackson (2), Geno Hayes (6)}
The NFC South drafted well and Tampa Bay was no exception. Aqib Talib is a perfect cover 2 corner and I love the Dexter Jackson pick. Jackson was on a National Championship Div 1AA team and was one of the biggest weapons the sub-division had to offer.

NFC WEST
Seattle – D {Lawrence Jackson (1), John Carlson (2)}
Seattle needed a tight end in the worst way. They failed to pull off a trade for Jeremy Shockey and then missed out on the two best TE’s in the draft. Seattle fans: What’s worse – the refs in SB XL or this year’s draft class? It’s close!
St. Louis – B+ {Chris Long (1), Justin King (4)}
How can you not like St. Louis’ draft? Chris Long transforms that line into one of the most formidable in the league. They made five picks in the first four rounds, highlighted by stealing Justin King in the 4th.
San Francisco – D {Kentwan Balmer (1)}
Kentwan Balmer better be a big part of the Niner defense or else this draft was a complete disaster.
Arizona – A {Dominque-Rodgers Cromartie (1), Calias Campbell (2), Early Doucet (3), Timothy Highwater (6)}
Add a tremendous draft class to the list of things coach Ken Whisenhunt is doing right in Arizona. This class could easily yield two starters on both sides of the ball.

AFC East
New England – B+ {Jerod Mayo (1), Terrance Wheatley (2), Shawn Crable (3), Kevin O’Connell (3), Matt Slater (5)}
This class does not include the impact player you would have hoped for with a top-ten pick; but it does include two solid LB’s, 1 potential backup QB, 1 project CB and a kick return weapon. Believe it or not, Belichick did all of this without cheating!
New York – B {Vernon Gholston (1), Dustin Keller (1), Erick Ainge (5)}
The jury is still out on Vernon Gholston, but I suspect the Jets are drooling over having him and Calvin Pace coming off the edge of their 3-4. The Jets were critized for trading back into round 1 for Dustin Keller. Keller is a walking match-up problem for opposing defenses and it won’t take long for Jet fans to see why Mangini and Tannenbaum made this move.
Buffalo – B+ {Leodis McKelvin (1), James Hardy (2), Reggie Corner (4)}
People (like myself) thought Buffalo would take Devin Thomas with their 11th overall pick. Instead they grabbed McKelvin and still got the WR they were looking for in round two. Shrewd picks by the Buffalo front office should pay dividends down the road for the Bills.
Miami – A {Jake Long (1), Phillip Merling (2), Chad Henne (2)}
Long is the most sure-fire, can’t-miss prospect in the draft. Parcells liked Merling and Henne for a reason, so Dolphin fans should expect good things from them as well.

AFC North
Baltimore – A {Joe Flacco (1), Ray Rice (2), Tom Zbikowski (3)}
The Raven had 10 picks with seven in the first four rounds. Factor in that they probably drafted their QB of the future, RB of the future and next starting safety to play along side Ed Reed and you have quite a draft. Ozzie Newsome hit this one way out of the ballpark.
Cincinnati – C {Keith Rivers (1), Andre Caldwell (4)}
Marvin Lewis appears to be navigating a sinking ship. This draft class won’t help. Keith Rivers is the most boring top-ten pick selected and the rest of their decisions leave a lot to be desired.
Pittsburgh – B+ {Rashard Mendenhall (1), Limas Sweed (2), Dennis Dixon (5)}
The Steelers were thrilled to see Mendenhall there at 23. Big Ben asked the front office for a big WR and they listened; Limas Sweed could easily become a prolific weapon in their new pass-happy attack. Dennis Dixon might have won the Heisman if not for a late-season injury….is he the new Slash?
Cleveland – F {Beau Bell (4), Martin Ricker (4)}
Cleveland basically sat this draft out, having only 5 picks and zero in the first three rounds. That’s the cost of moving up in the draft, which they did last year for Brady Quinn.

AFC South
Indianapolis – C {Mike Pollak (2), Phillip Wheeler (3)}
Indy needs to be healthy next season more than anything else. With five picks in the 6th and 7th rounds, Tony Dungy and company were trying to pluck late round gems.
Tennessee – C+ {Chris Johnson (1), Lavelle Hawkins (4)}
The Titans really needed to get Vince Young some help at WR and ultimately waited until round four before addressing the position. They are very excited about Chris Johnson from ECU, but they reached by making him a first round pick.
Jacksonville – B {Derrick Harvey (1), Quentin Groves (2)}
How did Jacksonville do? Well, they decided not to make a last-minute trade for Jason Taylor, but they did walk away with two of the best DE’s in the draft. Depends on how you look at it.
Houston – C {Duane Brown (1), Steve Slaton (3)}
I’m always confused when teams trade up in the first round to grab players who are not first-round talents. That’s what I think Houston did by trading up for Duane Brown. He was probably the 7th or 8th rated offensive lineman in the draft. So why make such a strong push? After a few good drafts in succession, this one is tough to judge at this point.

AFC West
San Diego - D {Antoine Cason (1)}
The Chargers are stacked and were simply drafting for need. They added some depth, but with only five picks, this crop of incomers features Cason and little else.
Kansas City – A+ {Glenn Dorsey (1), Branden Albert (1), Brandon Flowers (2), Jamal Charles (3)}
By far and away the Chiefs had the best draft in the league. The fact that they were prepared to take Albert with the fifth pick and grabbed him at 17 shows how nicely things worked out for KC. They get Dorsey and Albert! Add in Brandon Flowers and Jamal Charles and chalk this draft up as a huge success.
Denver – C {Ryan Clady (1), Eddie Royal (2)}
Denver had their choice of OT and went with the highly touted Clady from Boise St. With so many OT’s to choose from, Denver will have to wait and see if they made the right pick.
Oakland – A {Darren McFadden (1), Tyron Branch (4)}
The Raider only had five picks, but when Darren McFadden is one of the five picks the draft class automatically becomes an A!