2010 NFL Draft: At First Glance Winners and Losers

The staff of NFL Draft 101 will be announcing our 2010 NFL Draft grades early this week after we digest the draft as a whole but in the era of instant gratification (and to recap the three day draft event) here are the "At First Glance" Winners & Losers.

Winners:

Seattle Seahawks

Pete Carroll made his first foray into the NFL Draft since joining the Seahawks a memorable one with a tremendous draft weekend haul. 

Patiently took what the draft gave them in rounds one and two filling needs at offensive tackle, safety and wide receiver. with top talents Russell Okung, Earl Thomas and Golden Tate. 

Added nice value on day three with CB Walter Thurmond, S Kam Chancellor and TE Anthony McCoy.  Lastly, they traded mid-round picks to re-shape their backfield with running backs Leon Washington and LenDale White.

Detroit Lions

In a stark contrast to the Matt Millen era, the Lions did not try to overthink the draft.  Added the draft's best player in Ndamukong Suh to serve as a building block for the defense in round one. 

Traded up to get playmaking running back Jahvid Best.  Filled needs in rounds three and four with CB Amari Spievey and OT Jason Fox.  DE Willie Young was a nice value in round seven as well.

Carolina Panthers

QB Jimmy Clausen will get most of the attention but the Panthers had an aggressive and strong draft throughout making quality picks throughout the draft. 

Clausen will get a challenge for the starting job right away and whomever the quarterback is will benefit from the additions of Brandon LaFell and QB/WR Armanti Edwards. 

The Edwards selection will be considered a reach by some but I see it as an aggressive move for one of the draft's underrated playmakers.  OLB Eric Norwood and DE Greg Hardy were good Day Three values who can bolster the pass rush.  The only thing missing was a defensive tackle.

Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens traded out of the first round as the other half of the Tim Tebow trade and used the picks to fill needs at rush linebacker, nose tackle and tight end with Sergio Kindle, Terrence Cody and Dennis Pitta. 

DT Arthur Jones and OT Ramon Harewood were good late-round values too.

Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals did not make any fancy moves but made solid picks throughout the draft including filling a long-time need at tight end with Jermaine Gresham.  DE Carlos Dunlap has character and work ethic concerns but has a high ceiling and provides insurance for Antwan Odom. 

WR Jordan Shipley, CB Brandon Ghee, DT Geno Atkins and OLB Roddrick Muckelroy filled needs at slot receiver, nickel corner, penetrating defensive tackle and depth at linebacker. 

Honorable Mention:

Oakland Raiders: Traded for Jason Campbell and avoided taking athletes until day three.

Buffalo Bills: Got the draft's best playmaker, CJ Spiller, and the personnel they need to transition to a 3-4 defense.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Filled needs at defensive tackle and wide receiver.

Miami Dolphins: Continued to build a tough physical team in the trenches.

San Francisco 49ers: Showed they are building a team in coach Mike Singletary's image.

Losers:

Jacksonville Jaguars

Much like the Seahawks were clearcut winners, the Jaguars were clearcut losers.  Double dipped to start the draft for the third consecutive season (DE in 2008, OT in 2009 and DT in 2010). 

The reach for Alualu in round one was made worse by the bounty of picks Denver and Miami were able to acquire to trade down. 

The bulk of the draft was spent on the defensive front seven while ignoring a need for a safety.  The trade for MLB Kirk Morrison was a positive.

Denver Broncos

Trading up for QB Tim Tebow was a huge gamble considering the challenges Tebow faces transitioning to the pro game.  Fellow first rounder, Demaryius Thomas is talented but extremely raw and like Tebow will likely need years to develop.

G Zane Beadles was a reach in round two as was C JD Walton although the Walton pick was likely out of necessity.  WR Eric Decker and CB Perrish Cox were solid mid- and late-round values. 

Aside from Cox, the draft was full of high-character players but very limited in its ability to make an immediate impact.  In the long run, the success or failure of Tebow will determine McDaniels' fate.

New England Patriots

Armed with four picks in the top 60 the Patriots failed to land the impact players they need to re-energize an aging roster. 

TE Rob Gronkowski was a quality selection and ILB Brandon Spikes was solid but CB Devin McCourty and DE Jermaine Cunningham were both reaches. 

Did a better job in the later rounds adding WR Taylor Price, TE Aaron Hernandez, and C Ted Larson but it was the failure to take advantage of their top selections lands them on this list.

Indianapolis Colts

Taking DE Jerry Hughes was a great pick in round one but passing on OT Charles Brown in round 2 was a surprise as was the Colts failure to upgrade its offensive line prior to day three.

WR/CB/KR Ray Fisher is a 7th round pick worth watching (high ceiling)

Cleveland Browns

Earn points for landing Mike Holmgren's QB target Colt McCoy in round 3 but reached for S TJ Ward and RB Montario Hardesty in round 2 and OT/G Shawn Lauvao in round 3. 

Did manage to add three late-round values in S Larry Asante, WR Carlton Mitchell and DE Clifton Geathers.

Honorable Mention:

Minnesota Vikings: Not a fan of the Chris Cook selection a top round 2.

Washington Redskins: OT Trent Williams was a risky left tackle choice and the day three picks were merely average. 

Chris Maier is Senior Editor for NFLDraft101.com .  He can be reached at [e-mail] .  Follow me on twitter: nfldraft101