2011 NFL Draft Grades: Ranking the 5 Worst Picks of Day 3
For every good selection that a team makes, it seems that there are at least a couple of questionable ones.
Teams do spend a great deal of time analyzing all draft picks, but ultimately more attention is paid to the first few rounds since those players will make the most impact.
It's sometimes hard to gauge how good the late-round picks truly are since they're typically a couple of years out from making significant contributions.
With teams making some unnecessary selections in the final rounds of this year's draft, here are a few of the worst selections from the draft's final day.
5. Douglas Hogue, OLB, Detroit Lions
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The Detroit Lions made one of the best moves in the entire draft with their first-round selection of Nick Fairley at No. 13. Combined with Ndamokung Suh the two will give offensive lines problems with every snap.
Their selection of Douglas Hogue in the fifth round was less admired. Hogue made many great plays with Syracuse, but was ultimately on the board due to his potential. He's a very athletic individual but is undersized and likely won't immediately fit in.
The Lions have made enough moves in recent years to show that they're headed in the right direction, but rather than selecting Hogue they could have selected a linebacker still on the board that would have been an immediate contributor with a higher overall ceiling.
4. Buster Skrine, CB, Cleveland Browns
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The fifth-round selection of Buster Skrine seemed to be a bit of a reach for the Cleveland Browns.
His speed was the clear selling point for the organization, but a number of things could ultimately call into question his effectiveness at the next level.
For starters, a history of nagging injuries could prevent him from virtually ever being 100 percent. Beyond that his agility seems to pay off solely on deep balls, whereas he has trouble with stopping the run.
3. Bilal Powell, RB, New York Jets
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The New York Jets had some holes to fill heading into the final day of the draft. Running back wasn't one of those holes.
Still the Jets decided to use their third-round pick on RB Bilal Powell from Louisville. Powell is an adequate runner that has good footwork and has the ability to increase speed quickly.
With Shonn Greene, LaDainian Tomlinson and Joe McKnight already on the roster at running back it doesn't seem that the team has a need for the position at this point.
It's likely that the team is planning for both the eventual departure of Tomlinson and the potential for non-productivity from McKnight. In any case, it's a hole that they probably could've waited a year to fill.
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2. Kris Durham, WR, Seattle Seahawks
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Entering the draft the Seattle Seahawks had indicated the possibility of shoring up the wide receiver position. They did add a receiver, but it's hard to say whether or not they really made their roster better in doing so.
Kris Durham was the Seahawks' fourth-round selection, and while he did come from a very strong offense in Georgia it'll take some adjusting before he can become an effective receiver in the NFL.
The pick is more questionable not because of Durham himself, but rather the fact that there were a handful of more talented and more NFL-ready receivers still on the board when they made the selection.
1. Alex Henery, K, Philadelphia Eagles
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Having had a great deal of success with David Akers in almost every season in recent memory, it seems almost odd to think of another kicker putting the ball through the uprights.
Still, the Eagles made the decision to address the kicker position in the fourth round when they selected Alex Henery from Nebraska.
Most analysts did have him listed as the best kicker in the draft, but it still seems like a head-scratcher to take him in the fourth. Based on some projections the Eagles could have addressed more pertinent needs with the pick and revisited Henery a couple of selections later.
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