Grade the 1st round Selections

Texans: Jadeveon Clowney - DE - South Carolina (A+)
*Bold pick as they try to repeat their luck by selection Mario Williams 2.0.

Rams: Greg Robinson - OT - Auburn (A+)
*It's the right pick to protect the QB and help with the run game. It starts at the trenches.

Jaguars: Blake Bortles - QB - Central Florida (C)
*I think Watkins or Mack should have been the selection. I'm a firm believer in building a foundation before you throw a young QB in the game to achieve success. Bortles may be a good QB down the road, but if the Jaguars don't build this team right, he'll end up as Blaine Gabbert 2.0.

Bills: Sammy Watkins - WR - Clemson (C)
*A+ for the player, F for the trade compensation. 2015 1st and 4th round picks along with the 9th overall pick? The Bills are not a playoff team yet - you don't mortgage your future for one player at a position that's the deepest in the draft. Look at the Julio Jones trade as a classic example. Dumb trade.

Raiders: Khalil Mack - DE/LB - Buffalo (A+)
*He could end up being the best player in the top 10 of the draft, and they got him at 5. When BPA and need overlap, it's a beautiful thing. Love the pick - the right player for the right team for the right time. I can't wait to see this D on the field.

Falcons: Jake Matthews - OT - Texas A&M (A)
*While pass rush is important, there's so much talent left in the draft that the OT selection is justified. Protect your QB first. Great player that is a fit for their scheme. Excellent choice.

Buccaneers: Mike Evans - WR - Texas A&M (A)
*Jackson and Evans on the same team is going to provide McCown a nice margin of error on his throws. Need and BPA overlap once again.

Browns: Justin Gilbert - CB - Oklahoma State (A)
*Initially this was a WTF pick, but the more I think about it, the more it make sense. They acquired many defensive pieces in the offseason via free agency, and added a HUGE weapon with this pick. Not only does he pair nicely with Haden, but he adds electric speed to special teams and replaces Cribbs nicely. Great pick.

Vikings: Anthony Barr - DE/LB - UCLA (A-)
*This is 100% a Mike Zimmer pick. It gives them a lot of scheme versatility, but Barr has the daunting task of replacing Jared Allen. It's a good starting point, and he's a great player, but I wonder if he's better off at OLB.

Lions: Eric Ebron - TE - North Carolina (C+)
*The 2 TE, 2 WR combination with Ebron in the mix is going to create serious mismatches, but you already have talented TEs on the roster. Unless you feel the talent on the roster was under utilized, CB, S, LB, or OL was the way to go. Lewan would have been nice here. Good player, but too many good TEs in the 2nd round that would have filled the "void".

Titans: Taylor Lewan - OT - Michigan (C)
*Another scenario of a good player, but not addressing a key need. I liked Fuller or Dennard at this spot. You got Roos and Oher at OT, and you drafted Warmack last year in the 1st round. It's a pick 1-2 years down the road to slide back at LT, but I think they didn't need to go OL so early.

Giants: Odell Beckham Jr - WR - LSU (A)
*Eli is very thankful right now with the selection. A combination of Cruz, Randle, and Beckham is going to be dangerous in the NFC. And he provides great special teams value. Plenty of DL depth in this draft to address WR early. Great pick, and fills a need.

Rams: Aaron Donald - DT - Pittsburgh (B)
*BPA at this spot, but with 3 out of 4 of the DL positions locked down, I don't see how you justify going DL over CB or S. Fuller or Pryor on the board. This D is going to dominate in the front seven, but their secondary is still a weak link.

Bears: Kyle Fuller - CB - Bears (A)
*Love this pick, and makes all the sense in the world. Inject youth and talent in the secondary. Great player, and should thrive under Mel Tucker's leadership on defense.

Steelers: Ryan Shazier - LB - Ohio St. (B)
*I would have liked to see a trade back at this spot. Shazier is a solid prospect, but with so many needs, it wasn't the highest of priorities. I would have went OL here and protect Big Ben.

Cowboys: Zack Martin - OT - Cowboys (A)
*Bolster pass protection and the running game with a great offensive lineman. He can play every position, and should develop into a solid starter. A great, safe choice by Jerry Jones.

Ravens: C.J. Mosley - LB - Ravens (A)
*With OL players off the board, I really think this was a BPA pick right here. Not exactly a desperate need pick, but Mosley is talented and beefs up that front seven. If that's your bread and butter, you stick with it.

Jets: Calvin Pryor - S - Louisville (B)
*With OL and LB being burned up with earlier selections, I think this is a smart, safe choice by the Jets. Very talented safety that bolsters their secondary. I would have liked to see Cooks here to pair with Decker and Hill.

Dolphins: Ja'Wuan James - OT - Tennessee (C)
*What a f'in reach pick right here. Similar weaknesses to Jonathan Martin. I know you need OL, but this was a reach. Desperate.

Saints: Brandin Cooks - WR - Oregon St (A+)
*I hope we don't face this team anytime soon. Good god. Great trade up to snag the fastest WR on the draft.

Packers: Ha Ha Clinton-Dix - FS - Alabama (A+)
*Need and BPA. Huge need filled by the Packers. He's going to be a 10 year starter at safety. Great pick.

Browns: Johnny Manziel - QB - Texas A&M (A+)
*This franchise needs energy, and Manziel delivers. I like what he brings to the organization. Now it's time to add more weapons and build around him. And that Buffalo trade sets them up for the future. Love it. Great draft so far.

Chiefs: Dee Ford - DE/LB - Auburn (D)
*This is a pick for 2015 and beyond, but with other pressing needs, I don't see the value in this pick. Ford is a good quality player that should fit the scheme. And with no second round selection, Alex Smith may be screwed in finding another WR weapon.

Bengals: Darqueze Dennard - CB - Bengals (A+)
*BPA meets need. I can't believe he dropped here. Bengals are getting a STEAL at this spot. Great value and great player. Love it.

Chargers: Jason Verrett - CB - Chargers (A-)
*Again, BPA meets need. Love the passion, energy, and skill he brings to that secondary.

Eagles: Marcus Smith - DE/OLB - Louisville (B)
*They did trade down and got picks, but I don't think Smith is 1st round material. I think DL or CB would have been better choices, but then again...Tuitt and Hageman were not taken in the 1st round.

Cardinals: Deone Bucannon - S - Washington St (A)
*He's the perfect strong safety for their defense. They did trade down to get picks, so that's a bonus. And with OL being poached, I like this selection at this spot. This secondary is dangerous.

Panthers: Kelvin Benjamin - WR - Florida St. (D+)
*I understand the positional need, but he's got major bust written all over him. You cut Steve Smith for someone like this? Poor FO decision.

Patriots: Dominique Easley - DT - Florida (D)
*This reminds me so much of the Justin Harrell pick the Packers made about 7 years ago. A good fit for their D, but you don't take a guy this early with significant injuries. This was a reach in my opinion.

49ers: Jimmie Ward - S/CB - NIU (B)
*Fulfills a need, but he will be a developmental player. Versatile as he can play CB, S, and on special teams. As long as he doesn't have to start right away, he's a good pick. Risk adverse pick.

Broncos: Bradley Roby - CB - Ohio St. (A-)
*Off-field issues aside, Roby has elite CB talent in this draft. If Manning and Fox can get his head on straight, he could be a pro bowl player.

Vikings: Teddy Bridgewater - QB - Louisville (A+)
*An amazing trade for a player at the perfect value - late 1, early 2. He doesn't have to start right away, but a significant upgrade to Cassel and Ponder. And with just 2nd and 4th to move up to this spot, the cost was justified.

Vikings: Teddy Bridgewater (F)

This guy has bust written all over him. I seen his combine workout and he looked like crap. Missing throws all over the place and throwing Shaun Hill ducks lol. Even in game tape he was not accurate. A few picks earlier ESPN shows clips of Carr throwing accurate passes all over the place. Minnesota had a chance to draft the QB of the future, but picked the wrong one. No wonder he almost fell out of the 1st round.

Saints- Brandon Cooks (A++++) f**k that guy is gonna be a monster in that offense. I envy them.

Don't get the Pats. WTF? Who drafts a redshirt player dealing with a 2nd major injury in round 1?

Cudo's to the browns. They got a great CB and PR plus the QB they wanted and stole an early 2015 1st round pick and 4th rounder from the duckbills.

Originally posted by MC9BEAT:
Don't get the Pats. WTF? Who drafts a redshirt player dealing with a 2nd major injury in round 1?

Cudo's to the browns. They got a great CB and PR plus the QB they wanted and stole an early 2015 1st round pick and 4th rounder from the duckbills.

Agree. Bill belicheck is going JerryWorld on us. lol.

Now the Rams are stacking that defensive line because they know that is mainly how the niners and seahawks win games. Aaron Donald may have short arms, but he is so quick off the snap it scares me. Hopefully Boone and Iupati are ready to stop Donald because if they can get through the front 7 of the rams on pass plays, we can destroy them with their corners and safeties. GO NINERS!!!

Ward is better than a B lol.
I hope he starts right away

Originally posted by QBguru:

Vikings: Teddy Bridgewater (F)

This guy has bust written all over him. I seen his combine workout and he looked like crap. Missing throws all over the place and throwing Shaun Hill ducks lol. Even in game tape he was not accurate. A few picks earlier ESPN shows clips of Carr throwing accurate passes all over the place. Minnesota had a chance to draft the QB of the future, but picked the wrong one. No wonder he almost fell out of the 1st round.

Clips, your talking about clips. Bridgewater has better gametape than Carr when you compare their 2013 seasons as a whole. TB is far from polished or perfect but Norv fan develop him and I'm sure his opinion on Teddy weighed in on the decision to take him.

Originally posted by MC9BEAT:

Don't get the Pats. WTF? Who drafts a redshirt player dealing with a 2nd major injury in round 1?

We took Carradine at 40. While TC did not suffer ACL tears to both knees, you can be sure Belichick did his homework and had a very thorough medical check done that left little concern since he took him at 29.

I'd give us an A. I think Ward will be a fantastic fit for this team and will help at several positions for years to come.

That being said, I'm sure the zone will give it an F minus, as most people's draft crushes were within trading range, and we passed.

Initially sort of pissed about Ward. but slept on it and now thinking more positively...he kills two birds in a way. Slot corner now, provides safety depth and a future starter there, with a chance at corner. I wanted him all along, but in the second. He will wind up being a great pick, I think.

Originally posted by Murphys1:
Initially sort of pissed about Ward. but slept on it and now thinking more positively...he kills two birds in a way. Slot corner now, provides safety depth and a future starter there, with a chance at corner. I wanted him all along, but in the second. He will wind up being a great pick, I think.

Same here. He sounded like a nice guy on the podcast.

But, having said that, "B" is about as high a grade I will give for this pick, I had higher-graded CB and SS picks than him, just not worth a 1st round pick in my opinion. But, that's just me.

Looking over the players still on the board at 30, I'm fine with Ward and think it was a good value...not great, but good. There were questions with Lee, Roby, and others who were originally graded higher. Rang's new second round mock makes it apparent it was Ward, Lee or Latimer...Tuitt was there as well. Of those guys I believe Ward met a need better. Only thing I would have preferred would have been moving the pick--up or down.

I always like to see team solidifying lines so Mack to Oakland made sense to me, KC fell apard when their front seven was injured so Ford made sense after thinking about it, Robinson and Donald to the Rams was good value.

Geek, were you more generous grading the skill players? Seems so, but that's because I really love the "build from the line out" strategy.

I shook my head at the Greg Robinson pick when Schefty said the Rams want him to play guard. If I'm taking a OLinemen second overall he better be playing tackle from day one.

I'm wondering if Baalke really knows how to pick players in Round One.

This pick is very much similar to AJ Jenkins.. A head scratcher!!

Hate to admit it but the Rams killed it, got arguably the two baddest men in the draft. Saints lucked out, like what the Steelrs and Ravens did with Shazier and Mosely respectively. Marcus Smith and Deone Buchanon are sleepers to me, won't be surprised to see them being two of the best players from this draft. Have to agree with you on Dennard, hope we don't look back on that one with regret because we probably could have had him with the right offer.