Why rush to grade a team's NFL draft haul just minutes after the final selection card has been handed in?

It's impossible to know how a team actually did so soon after the fact; those grades are superficial and based off perceived value, as well a judgment on whether a team filled its needs.

Perception is not reality, and filling needs is not a successful way to draft. Talk about a moot point. 

The best time to provide perspective on a draft is three years after the fact, when the body of work is large enough to help draw solid conclusions.

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There's always a mad rush to grade the NFL draft minutes after its conclusion as pundits give their opinions on how a team did from a value and needs perspective.

The truth of the matter is, we won't know how well those teams did the day after the draft. We may not even know a year after the draft. The best time to provide perspective on a draft is three years after the fact, when the body of work is large enough to help draw solid conclusions.

With the 2012 season in the rear-view mirror, now seems like a good time to look back at the 2010 draft class.

How did the Patriots do? Let's take a look back and give them more accurate grades than any immediate context could have provided.

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Safety Adrian Wilson has been in the NFL for 12 years. For that reason, his name is familiar to many fans.

He spent all 12 years with the Arizona Cardinals, and for that reason, his name is the only thing that's really familiar to New England Patriots fans.

The signing flew under the radar for various reasons—Welkermania among them—but don't be mistaken: There is an important place on the Patriots' roster for a veteran safety like Wilson.

He is just 4.5 sacks and three interceptions away from becoming the third player and second safety in NFL history with 30 sacks and 30 interceptions in their career. For that reason, as well as his skill set and role, he is being likened to former Patriots safety Rodney Harrison, the founder of the 30-30 club.

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The free-agency excitement hasn't stopped since Tuesday.

That is, unless you're a fan of the Buffalo Bills. Then it stopped on Tuesday.

The Bills' lone signing, linebacker Manny Lawson, didn't exactly send shock waves through the NFL. Part of that can be notched up to Lawson having played in Cincinnati before making the trek to Western New York.

Lawson was once a first-round pick for the San Francisco 49ers, but he slowly fell out of favor as the team went through one coaching change after another. He started all 16 games in his final two seasons with the team, but his role decreased. Since joining the Bengals, he has played all 32 games and started 25, but his role has continued to diminish.

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Rex Ryan and the New York Jets have undergone a lot of changes over the past two years. That's bound to happen when a team goes from winning to losing as quickly as the Jets did.

Whether the changes in the front office are for better or worse remain to be seen (so far, so good), but the changes in Ryan's demeanor with the media went hand-in-hand with a visible change in his waistline.

Some people liked Rex more when he had bold swagger, but that seems to have taken a backseat. Rest assured, though, Rex has not lost his nerve, and it's a good thing, because he could be coaching for his job in 2013.

The potential for Rex to hit lame-duck status doesn't seem to be bothering him any.

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Just like last year, the Buffalo Bills are looking for help at wide receiver.

The only difference is, this year, the Bills need to make additions at the position. As of March 19, the Bills have five wide receivers on the active roster with a combined nine years experience among them. Stevie Johnson is the only Bills receiver with more than two years of NFL experience.

So clearly, they could stand to add talent at the position.

By now, you're all familiar with Tennessee wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson (if not, get familiar here). He is the consensus best receiver in the 2013 draft class. It's basically Patterson and the rest of the pack. 

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Now that the Miami Dolphins have spent a good chunk of change on free-agent pickups, it's time to move the attention to the draft, where they have five picks in the first three rounds and 10 picks overall.

The Dolphins were salary-cap rich before free agency, they are talent-rich following the frenzy and in April, they'll be draft-pick rich.

This is a make-or-break offseason for Jeff Ireland, who has every opportunity to improve the roster in the last year of his contract as general manager of the Dolphins. If they improve, or even contend, it could mean an extension. If they do not make big strides, it could be the end for him in Miami. He can't afford to miss on the first-round pick.

Who do the experts think could be that can't-miss prospect? Let's take a look at mock drafts around the web from some of the most noteworthy draft experts.

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The New York Jets haven't been completely absent from the free-agency frenzy, making a few moves to add potential starters to the roster. That being said, most of the players they signed were brought in on one-year deals and all of them come with injury concerns.

So there are plenty of long-term questions remaining around the Jets.

As with any team in transition, the Jets need to hit on as many draft picks as possible to help get the team out of the basement, and quickly.

Who do experts have their eye on as potential fits for the Jets in the 2013 NFL draft?

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