2011 NFL Draft Grades: Rating the 2010 Playoff Teams After Round 1
One round into the 2011 NFL Draft, last year’s 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 league’s 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-
1 of 12
Indianapolis can’t 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 isn’t quite the athlete that USC’s Tyron Smith is, but he’s more experienced than Smith and has proven himself in both run and pass protection.
With a large share of Peyton Manning’s woes last season being attributable to a porous O-line, the Colts needed some new talent here. The only reason their grade isn’t higher is that unlike several teams last night, they didn’t manage to luck into a better player than their draft position would have predicted.
Kansas City Chiefs: B
2 of 12
In practice, the Chiefs’ 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 holes—if 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, he’ll be well worth the 26th pick. If it was an indication that Baldwin can’t step up to a challenge, the Chiefs may have wasted their selection.
New Orleans Saints: A
3 of 12
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. He’s an outstanding run defender who may challenge Brown for a starting job next year.
Ingram, the draft’s consensus top RB, gives the Saints an every-down back for the first time in years. After last season’s rash of injuries at the position, Ingram offers stability and a legitimate power runner, both of which have been lacking.
.png?w=256)
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Philadelphia Eagles: B+
4 of 12
The Eagles could really have used help at cornerback, but it’s hard to blame them for not wanting to roll the dice on Colorado’s Jimmy Smith. Instead, they bulked up the O-line with Baylor’s Danny Watkins.
The major knock on Watkins is that he’ll 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, he’s a solid fit who can help at guard and possibly even back up at tackle if needed.
At worst, he’s a nice insurance policy against the potential free-agent departure of Max Jean-Gilles.
Baltimore Ravens: B+
5 of 12
The real answer about this grade is “Reply hazy; ask again later.” The Ravens may have hit a home run by landing Colorado’s Jimmy Smith, or they may have one of the first round’s biggest busts.
If Smith, who incurred multiple drug and alcohol infractions at Colorado, runs afoul of the NFL’s 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 6’2” corner with speed and an aggressive mentality, Smith could be a star for the Ravens for years to come.
New England Patriots: A-
6 of 12
Much of this grade depends on where one sees New England’s 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.
Colorado’s Nate Solder may or may not be ready to contribute right away as an NFL OT, but he’s certainly one of the draft’s top prospects at the position. His huge 6’8” 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 tonight’s first pick, with pass rushers like Akeem Ayers and Justin Houston still on the board. What they’ll do with their extra picks from trading No. 28 to New Orleans is, of course, still an open question.
Atlanta Falcons: A+
7 of 12
The Falcons paid a steep price for their trade up with Cleveland, but it’s 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 that’s 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+
8 of 12
The question of whether Seattle should’ve reached for Andy Dalton (or another QB) as Matt Hasselbeck’s 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 doesn’t, but few teams if any had Carpenter rated anywhere near the first round, and most analysts’ 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 would’ve been available to Seattle a full round later makes this a very difficult pick to defend.
Seattle’s offensive line could use the help, so Carpenter may prove a valuable addition, but he’s still a huge reach. The Seahawks would’ve been better served taking a flyer on a high-risk, high-talent player like Da’Quan Bowers and getting Carpenter in Round 2.
New York Jets: A-
9 of 12
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 York’s 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 would’ve hoped for in Round 1.
Chicago Bears: A
10 of 12
The Bears got exactly what they were looking for: an offensive lineman who can step in and contribute right away. Gabe Carimi wasn’t expected to fall as far as Chicago’s No. 29 pick, so they did even better than what might’ve been projected as their best-case scenario.
Carimi probably isn’t a left tackle at the NFL level, but he instantly gives the Bears’ line some more bite.
Pittsburgh Steelers: B
11 of 12
Pittsburgh had some needs to target coming into the draft, and defensive end wasn’t at the top of the list. Still, by taking likely the best player on the board, the Steelers didn’t exactly hurt themselves in the big picture.
Ohio State’s Cameron Heyward isn’t the explosive athlete that some DEs in this draft class are, but he’s a skilled and productive player who should be a solid fit in the Steelers’ 3-4 front.
If one of their OTs goes down next year, they may wish they’d spent this pick on Derek Sherrod instead, but in general Heyward isn’t going to disappoint.
Green Bay Packers: B-
12 of 12
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 isn’t 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 Packers’ line, just isn’t going to play much except in case of emergency.
.png?w=480)
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
