2011 NFL Draft Grades: Rating the 2010 Playoff Teams After Round 1
One round into the 2011 NFL Draft, last yearโs postseason contenders have seen a surprising amount of action. The draft is usually a time for losing teams to find reasons for hope, but this year many of the leagueโs best have added key pieces after just 32 picks.
Read on for a look at how the first round shook out for the 12 teams who earned playoff berths in 2010.
Indianapolis Colts: A-
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Indianapolis canโt help but feel good about the start to their draft. They got a top-level talent at one of the positions they most needed to fill.
Boston College OT Anthony Castonzo might be the most NFL-ready tackle in the draft. He isnโt quite the athlete that USCโs Tyron Smith is, but heโs more experienced than Smith and has proven himself in both run and pass protection.
With a large share of Peyton Manningโs woes last season being attributable to a porous O-line, the Colts needed some new talent here. The only reason their grade isnโt higher is that unlike several teams last night, they didnโt manage to luck into a better player than their draft position would have predicted.
Kansas City Chiefs: B
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In practice, the Chiefsโ first-round grade could prove to be a lot higher, but until Jonathan Baldwin shows he can produce at the NFL level, he has to be considered a reach. Still, the Chiefs landed a potential standout who will fill one of their biggest holesโif he pans out.
Baldwin was expected to dominate in 2010 after a breakout sophomore season. Instead, his numbers dropped by more than 300 yards last year, and his draft stock fell into second-round territory.
If last year was an anomaly of some kind and Baldwin returns to his 2009 trajectory, heโll be well worth the 26th pick. If it was an indication that Baldwin canโt step up to a challenge, the Chiefs may have wasted their selection.
New Orleans Saints: A
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Thanks to an astute trade, the Saints added a second pick last night that allowed them to solve two problems rather than one in the first round. Both DE Cameron Jordan and RB Mark Ingram fill areas of need for the team with high-quality talent.
Jordan can step into the rotation on the defensive line immediately, providing fresh legs to spell veterans Will Smith and Alex Brown. Heโs an outstanding run defender who may challenge Brown for a starting job next year.
Ingram, the draftโs consensus top RB, gives the Saints an every-down back for the first time in years. After last seasonโs rash of injuries at the position, Ingram offers stability and a legitimate power runner, both of which have been lacking.
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Philadelphia Eagles: B+
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The Eagles could really have used help at cornerback, but itโs hard to blame them for not wanting to roll the dice on Coloradoโs Jimmy Smith. Instead, they bulked up the O-line with Baylorโs Danny Watkins.
The major knock on Watkins is that heโll be 27 by the time the season starts, so he may not have the upside of some other draft prospects. For an Eagles team ready to win immediately, though, heโs a solid fit who can help at guard and possibly even back up at tackle if needed.
At worst, heโs a nice insurance policy against the potential free-agent departure of Max Jean-Gilles.
Baltimore Ravens: B+
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The real answer about this grade is โReply hazy; ask again later.โ The Ravens may have hit a home run by landing Coloradoโs Jimmy Smith, or they may have one of the first roundโs biggest busts.
If Smith, who incurred multiple drug and alcohol infractions at Colorado, runs afoul of the NFLโs personal conduct policy, he could turn out to be a waste of a pick.
More likely, though, is that Smith has gotten his act together, or will do so under the renowned locker room leadership of Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. A 6โ2โ corner with speed and an aggressive mentality, Smith could be a star for the Ravens for years to come.
New England Patriots: A-
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Much of this grade depends on where one sees New Englandโs biggest need lying.
While many observers projected that upgrading the pass rush at OLB would be the most important thing the Pats could do in the draft, adding another offensive lineman to back up free agent (and 12th-year man) Matt Light was also very high on the list.
Coloradoโs Nate Solder may or may not be ready to contribute right away as an NFL OT, but heโs certainly one of the draftโs top prospects at the position. His huge 6โ8โ frame and extensive college experience (three-year starter at Colorado) make him a fine choice to back up Light and Sebastian Vollmer.
New England also appears to be in great shape for solving the OLB question later in the draft: they hold tonightโs first pick, with pass rushers like Akeem Ayers and Justin Houston still on the board. What theyโll do with their extra picks from trading No. 28 to New Orleans is, of course, still an open question.
Atlanta Falcons: A+
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The Falcons paid a steep price for their trade up with Cleveland, but itโs hard to imagine them regretting the trade. In exchange for five draft picks (including two first-rounders), Atlanta lands a star player at a need position in WR Julio Jones.
Putting the fleet-footed Jones across from Pro Bowl wideout Roddy White gives Atlanta an offense thatโs at least the equal of any in the NFC. They probably overtake the defending champion Packers as the conference favorites on the strength of this pick alone.
Seattle Seahawks: D+
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The question of whether Seattle shouldโve reached for Andy Dalton (or another QB) as Matt Hasselbeckโs successor is secondary to their grade here. The bigger issue is what in the world the Seahawks thought they were doing making OL James Carpenter a first-round pick.
Seattle may know something that the rest of the league doesnโt, but few teams if any had Carpenter rated anywhere near the first round, and most analystsโ projections gave him a good chance to last until Round 3.
Even if he turns out to be a good player, the extreme likelihood that he wouldโve been available to Seattle a full round later makes this a very difficult pick to defend.
Seattleโs offensive line could use the help, so Carpenter may prove a valuable addition, but heโs still a huge reach. The Seahawks wouldโve been better served taking a flyer on a high-risk, high-talent player like DaโQuan Bowers and getting Carpenter in Round 2.
New York Jets: A-
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With Shaun Ellis up for free agency, DE was a priority for the Jets in this draft, and they got their man in Muhammad Wilkerson. The Temple DT is a perfect fit to slide over to end in New Yorkโs 3-4 front.
Wilkerson is a penetrator who will make more plays in the backfield than incumbent Mike DeVito. Landing him was probably as good a scenario as the Jets wouldโve hoped for in Round 1.
Chicago Bears: A
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The Bears got exactly what they were looking for: an offensive lineman who can step in and contribute right away. Gabe Carimi wasnโt expected to fall as far as Chicagoโs No. 29 pick, so they did even better than what mightโve been projected as their best-case scenario.
Carimi probably isnโt a left tackle at the NFL level, but he instantly gives the Bearsโ line some more bite.
Pittsburgh Steelers: B
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Pittsburgh had some needs to target coming into the draft, and defensive end wasnโt at the top of the list. Still, by taking likely the best player on the board, the Steelers didnโt exactly hurt themselves in the big picture.
Ohio Stateโs Cameron Heyward isnโt the explosive athlete that some DEs in this draft class are, but heโs a skilled and productive player who should be a solid fit in the Steelersโ 3-4 front.
If one of their OTs goes down next year, they may wish theyโd spent this pick on Derek Sherrod instead, but in general Heyward isnโt going to disappoint.
Green Bay Packers: B-
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Despite concerns over who will line up across from Clay Matthews at OLB, the Packers passed on two explosive rush linebackers in Akeem Ayers and Justin Houston. Having more O-line depth is never a bad thing, but Derek Sherrod isnโt likely to be a major contributor in 2011.
Sherrod is a solid OT prospect who could develop into a fine NFL starter, but on a strong Packersโ line, just isnโt going to play much except in case of emergency.
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