Some Favorite Drafts

Grading drafts immediately following the draft is a foolish thing to do. Bleacher Report showed that when they handed the Seattle Seahawks 2012 draft an "F." That was a draft that included Bruce Irvin, Bobby Wagner, and Russell Wilson. No one knows the results of any draft until the players actually have a chance to play in the NFL. Instead of giving grades to each draft class I'm going to mention some that I liked. The Minnesota Vikings draft class won't be mentioned here because I'll probably be spending plenty of time and space with that excellent class. Here are some of the draft classes from the 2015 NFL Draft that I liked the best,

Jacksonville Jaguars
1. Dante Fowler Jr., LB/DE, Florida
2. T.J. Yeldon, RB, Alabama
3. A.J. Cann, G, South Carolina
4. James Sample, S, Louisville
5. Rashad Greene, WR, Florida St.
6. Michael Bennett, DT, Ohio St.
7. Neal Sterling, WR, Monmouth
7. Ben Koyack, TE, Notre Dame

When you can find a football player like Michael Bennett available in the sixth round you know that things are falling your way on draft day. The Jaguars made great use of every single one of their picks. On both sides of the ball. If Blake Bortles becomes the franchise quarterback that he was drafted to be this team is on the rise. Possibly a rapid rise. The Indianapolis Colts might not be alone at the top of the AFC South for long.

Chicago Bears
1. Kevin White, WR, West Virginia
2. Eddie Goldman, DT, Florida St.
3. Hroni Grasu, C, Oregon
4. Jeremy Langford, RB, Michigan St.
5. Adrian Amos, S, Penn St.
6. Tayo Fabuluje, T, TCU

The Bears might have needed a little more help on defense but Goldman and Amos will help. White, Goldman, Grasu, and Amos could be week one starters. Langford should get significant carries to give Matt Forte a break.

Arizona Cardinals
1. D.J. Humphries, T, Florida
2. Markus Golden, DE, Missouri
3. David Johnson, RB, Northern Iowa
4. Rodney Gunter, DT, Deleware St.
5. Shaquille Riddick, DE, West Virginia
5. J.J. Nelson, WR, UAB
7. Gerald Christian, TE, Louisville

The Cardinals won my appreciation for this draft with the selections of Humphries and Johnson. They are building an excellent offensive line in Arizona. Humphries is an excellent addition. Johnson is a big "do-it-all" back that will pair nicely with Andre Ellington. The Cardinals also did a nice job of replenishing a defensive line that suffered free agency losses.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
1. Jameis Winston, QB, Florida St.
2. Donovan Smith, T, Penn St.
2. Ali Marpet, G, Hobart
4. Kwon Alexander, LB, LSU
5. Kenny Bell, WR, Nebraska
6. Kaelin Clay, WR, Utah
7. Joey Iosefa, FB, Hawaii

The success of any draft that starts with a quarterback, especially when that quarterback is the first play selected, is dependent on that quarterback. The Bucs have chained themselves to Winston. They go as he goes. The Bucs did a nice job of following the Winston by drafting about half of the line that will protect him. Alexander seems like a physical clone of Lavonte David. The Buccaneers hope that he plays like him as well. Bell should provide a nice option to giants Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson.

Tennessee Titans 
1. Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon
2. Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Missouri
3. Jeremiah Poutasi, T, Utah
4. Angelo Blackson, DT, Auburn
4. Jalston Fowler, FB, Alabama
5. David Cobb, RB, Minnesota
6. Deiontrez Mount, LB, Louisville
6. Andy Gallick, C, Boston College
7. Tre McBride, WR, William & Mary

The success of any draft that starts with a quarterback, especially when that quarterback is the second player selected, is dependent on that quarterback. That sounds familiar. The Titans had the makings of a nice offensive line already in place. Poutasi should be the final piece. If Green-Beckham only makes the news for his football ability the Titans found a real difference-maker. Cobb is a terrific running back. I was surprised that he was still available in the fifth round. I was even more surprised that McBride was still available in the seventh.

Cleveland Browns
1. Danny Shelton, DT, Washington
1. Cameron Erving, C, Florida St.
2. Nate Orchard, DE, Utah
3. Duke Johnson, RB, Miami
3. Xavier Cooper, DE, Washington St.
4. Ibraheim Campbell, S, Northwestern
4. Vince Mayle, WR, Washington St.
6. Charles Gaines, CB, Louisville
6. Malcolm Johnson, TE, Mississippi St.
6. Randall Telfer, TE, USC
7. Hayes Pullard, LB, USC
7. Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, CB, Oregon

The Browns don't often get much post-draft love but I'll give some to them here. They had a lot of picks and they made fine use of them. There's quantity and quality. Shelton should become a defensive cornerstone. Erving is great insurance for the potential loss of Alex Mack and improves the line. Pac-12 quarterbacks are thrilled that Orchard is no longer in the conference. Johnson joins a stable of runners in Cleveland. Several of these picks will make immediate impacts. If Ekpre-Olomu can completely recover from a late-season knee injury, the Browns will have one of the most talented trio of corners in the league.

These are a few of the drafts that stood out to me.