Nice Drafts

I don't believe in grading drafts immediately following the draft. It's a sad thing to do. Instead I will mention some of the teams that had drafts that I liked. Some I liked because I liked the players that the team drafted. They players may not have been the popular among the "talking heads" but they were players that I liked. Some I liked because of the way the team attacked a particular need. Some I just liked for no particular reason at all. Here we go.

Atlanta Falcons
-the Falcons are a tremendously talented team. Their performance since general manager Thomas Dimitroff was hired and his subsequent hiring of coach Mike Smith has been steadily improving. The Falcons have a strong base. This offseason has taken up apart the Falcons cornerback position. They didn't mess around trying to fix this position in the draft. They traded up in the first round to select Washington corner Desmond Trufant. They added Southeastern Louisiana corner Robert Alford in the second. I love both picks. Both should start immediately. Starting two rookie corners is a gamble but I'd take that gamble with these two.

Baltimore Ravens
-the Super Bowl champs will look a lot different in defending their title. They lost the heart of their defense when Ray Lewis retired and Ed Reed left as a free agent. They also lost three other starters on defense. They replaced some of that talent before the draft in free agency. I like the Ravens draft for the defensive talent that they added in the first three rounds. Florida safety Matt Elam and Kansas St. linebacker Arthur Brown, in particular, will make an early impact. Brown was one of my favorite players, let alone linebackers, in the entire draft. In the third round, the Ravens found a small school sleeper that I think will be a keeper in Missouri Southern defensive tackle Brandon Williams.

Buffalo Bills
-I liked a bunch of the Bills draft picks. Several "talking heads" ripped the Bills for drafting Florida St. quarterback E.J. Manuel in the first round. Those critics are idiots. If the Bills liked Manuel they had to draft him there. Even if he made it out of the first round he wouldn't have been available for long in the second. I think that Manuel has a decent amount of Daunte Culpepper in the way that he plays the quarterback position. USC receiver Robert Woods is ready for the NFL right now. He may not be fast. He may not be real big. Hands, routes, movement. He has every necessary skill that an effective NFL receiver has to have. Oregon linebacker Kiko Alonso simply likes to hit things. He's also pretty decent in pass coverage. Woods may not have a lot of speed, but Texas receiver Marquise Goodwin has a lot of it. The Bills got him too. Nevada safety Duke Williams was a real nice addition.

Cincinnati Bengals
-there was a time, not long ago, that one could disregard the Bengals draft without even taking a look at it. The organization was a mess. They've been making some real nice draft decisions lately. Andy Dalton and A.J. Green got some nice offensive help with the first two picks in Notre Dame tight end Tyler Eifert and North Carolina running back Giovani Bernard. Nebraska running back Rex Burkhead in the sixth round adds to what has become a nice running back group. The Bengals found some defensive help in the second round with one of the most intriguing players in the draft in SMU defensive end Margus Hunt.

Green Bay Packers
-the Packers attacked the running back position much like the Falcons attacked cornerback. I expected the Packers to draft Alabama back Eddie Lacy in the first round. They got him in the second. They didn't stop there. They added a change of pace in UCLA's Jonathan Franklin in the fourth. The Packers have a running game.

New Orleans Saints
-I thought that Texas safety Kenny Vaccaro was one of the safest picks in the draft. I just feel that he'll impact the Saints secondary just like he did at Texas. He'll start week one and I think that his impact will be immediate. Arkansas-Pine Bluff tackle Terron Armstead shocked a lot of people at the Scouting Combine with his athleticism. He might be a bit of a project but the talent is there. Georgia defensive tackle John Jenkins is a load. It might be real tough to run up the middle in New Orleans. Oklahoma receiver Kenny Stills is a quick, tough receiver. Drew Brees will like this guy.

New York Jets
-there was a lot of booing of the Jets picks at the draft. I just don't get those guys. They seem to boo just because they do. Alabama corner Dee Milliner and Missouri defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson were fantastic additions to the defense in the first round. West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith was real nice value in the second round. He's a talented thrower despite the criticism many have dumped on him. He has a future with the Jets and I can't really say that about Mark Sanchez or any of the other half dozen quarterbacks on the roster. Kent St. offensive lineman Brian Winters can play several positions on the line and play them well.

Pittsburgh Steelers
- the Steelers just kept drafting players that I liked. Georgia linebacker Jarvis Jones might not test well but he's dynamite on the football field. He fits the way that the Steelers play defense so well that it should be illegal. Michigan St. running back Le'Veon Bell can be a bull with the ball. The Steelers lost receiver Mike Wallace in free agency. They drafted a receiver so much like Wallace that they share the same initials. Oregon St. receiver Markus Wheaton was another of my favorites at the position. The only thing that kept Syracuse safety Shamarko Thomas out of the first round was his 5'9" height. He's a missile on the field.

San Diego Chargers
-it doesn't seem that long ago that the Chargers had arguably the most talented team in the league. They've fallen from that pedestal over the last couple of years. This draft will go a long way to improve the talent on the team. Alabama tackle D.J. Fluker will keep quarterback happy and on his feet. Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o is a leader and an incredibly instinctive football player. He'll get even better when he can finally put the circus behind him. Cal receiver Keenan Allen is a first round talent. The Chargers got him in the third. The only thing that Allen can't do on a football field is run fast. Cal corner Steve Williams will likely start out as a nickel back and eventually do much more.

Tennessee Titans
-I think that the Titans found five early starters in this draft. It started with Alabama's terrific guard Chance Warmack. He'll move defenders around early and often. The Titans traded up in the second to keep Tennessee receiver Justin Hunter in the state. This guy could turn into the top receiver in this draft. He's tall, 6'4", and very fast. He's got some work to do but he could be fantastic. Connecticut corner Blidi Wreh-Wilson is a big corner. He's also a very good corner. Missouri linebacker Zaviar Gooden can fly. Cal center Brian Schwenke may not look impressive but he's technically sound and simply does everything right.

The best draft was easily that of the Minnesota Vikings but I'll probably be mentioning the particulars of that draft way too often over the coming months.