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AFC East

New England Patriots: B-

Good Picks: Terrence Wheatley, Shawn Crable

Bad Picks: Kevin O’Connell

I don’t know what to make of the Jerod Mayo pick. He’s an incredible reach, but I don’t see who else the Patriots could have taken. McKelvin? Maybe, but I think Belichick would rather stick to players who played against top competition. Mayo provides youth and depth for an aging linebacking group, but still he’s way too much of a reach for me to consider him a good pick. Wheatley however, is a good pick. After losing Gay and Samuel in the free agency, they needed depth. Wheatley was the best cornerback left, so that pick is good. I really don’t like the O’Connell pick. Brady is rarely injured, and Cassel is an above-average backup.

Buffalo Bills: B

Good Picks: Leodis McKelvin, James Hardy

Bad Picks: Chris Ellis

The Bills sneaked away with the best cornerback in the draft while not having to move up. Some people had the top 3 cornerbacks gone by the time the Bills picked, so getting McKelvin is huge. He doubles as a kick returner and should provide some excitement on special teams. Hardy is also a great pick because he is the biggest receiver in the draft. He’ll complement the quick Lee Evans well. Standing at 6’6”, he’ll be a hard target to miss. Ellis is decent value, but I don’t really like him because of his character and work-ethic issues. In order to succeed in the NFL, you need to stay out of trouble and try to improve.

Miami Dolphins: A

Good Picks: Jake Long, Phillip Merling, Chad Henne, Kendall Langford

Bad Picks: Lex Hilliard, Jalen Paremele

The rebuilding project has started by taking the safest pick in the draft. With only two career holding penalties and two career sacks allowed, Jake Long is a great player to build your offensive line around. He’s more of a fit for right tackle, but will probably be placed on the left side anyways. Merling was a great pick in the 2^nd round. He fits the 3-4 defensive end scheme well, and he’s a good cornerstone for your defense. The same goes for Kendall Langford. I also find it interesting how the Dolphins selected Henne. John Beck was far from great in his rookie season. If you want to give him more time, sure, but meanwhile Chad Henne can wait in the wings. Plus, he’ll have a friend blocking for him in Jake Long. Hilliard and Paremele are poor picks because they’re shoved into an already crowded backfield consisting of Brown, Chatman, and Williams.

New York Jets: B+

Good Picks: Vernon Gholston, Dwight Lowery, Erik Ainge

Bad Picks: Dustin Keller

Buffalo had a really good draft. The only thing I can envision differently is not trading up to get Keller. Were they worried that the Packers might pick him? Other than the Packers, there was no need to trade up, and the likelihood of the Packers picking Keller was low. Still, they didn’t give up too much to get him, and the rest of their draft was solid. They managed to draft sack-specialist Vernon Gholston with the 6^th overall pick. Lowery and Ainge will be solid players and provide depth at their respective positions. Lowery is added into a very young and improving secondary. He’ll probably serve as a cornerback in the nickel and dime defensive packages in his rookie year.

AFC North

Baltimore Ravens: D

Good Picks: Tavares Gooden, Tom Zbikowski, Oniel Cousins

Bad Picks: Joe Flacco

Am I seriously the only one who thinks Flacco is one of the worst, if not the worst, pick in the 1^st round? He was an incredible reach, the trade-up was unnecessary, and there were better quarterbacks on the board. So what if he has a rocket arm, his accuracy is questionable as is the level of competition he played against. Despite the Flacco pick, Gooden, Zbikowski, and Cousins provide good depth at their respective positions. Gooden and Zbikowski can help fix an aging defense which carried them to a Super Bowl a couple of years ago. Baltimore has always put a high emphasis on defense, but it definitely didn’t show in this year’s draft: 7 of 10 picks were spent on the offense.

Cleveland Browns: F

Good Picks: None

Bad Picks: None

I couldn’t really classify any of their picks, considering they only had 5 of them and they were all round 4 or below. Beau Bell adds depth to their linebacking, but he’s a bit of a reach at that pick. I would say the best pick is Martin Rucker, but he’s still a bit of a reach. Hubbard is a good value pick in the 6^th, but he isn’t needed. Rubin and Hall are decent picks, but with the offseason acquisitions they aren’t going to see many snaps. Other than that, there’s really nothing left to say about this draft.

Pittsburgh Steelers: A+

Good Picks: Rashard Mendenhall, Limas Sweed, Tony Hills, Mike Humpal

Bad Picks: Dennis Dixon

They didn’t really have any needs coming into this draft, so they weren’t bound to select any position. That allowed the Steelers to snag Mendenhall and Sweed with their first two picks. Mendenhall seemed to be a lock for a top-15 pick, and he’s easily the 2^nd best running back in the draft. It’s surprising why the Panthers passed on him, but the Steelers lucked out. Also, Ben Roethlisberger asked for a big receiver so he got one. Limas Sweed probably has the best set of hands in the draft, and he’s certainly a large target. Tony Hills and Mike Humpal add depth to their respective positions. Dennis Dixon is a bit of a questionable pick, especially with Andre Woodson still on the board. His ACL tear dropped his stock but he’s still talented. Still, with Big Ben as injured-prone as he is, I wouldn’t want to take the risk on his backup either.

Cincinnati Bengals: D+

Good Picks: Keith Rivers, Pat Sims, Anthony Collins

Bad Picks: Jerome Simpson, Jason Shirley

It’s interesting how the Bengals took 3 receivers in the draft when they finished with the 7^th best passing offense last year. I guess that’s what you get when your receivers can’t stay disciplined. Chris Henry was released, and Johnson is threatening to hold out if he doesn’t get traded. What I don’t understand is drafting Simpson in the 2^nd round. Sure you want a receiver, but why Simpson? Jackson, Sweed, and Kelly are all available. Sims and Rivers will start as rookies, but that’s more because of the fact that the Bengals defense is incompetent than the good drafting of the Bengals. Collins was a nice pick in the 4^th round. Most people had him going 2^nd or 3^rd round, so he’s definitely a steal there.

AFC South

Indianapolis Colts: B

Good Picks: Mike Pollak, Philip Wheeler, Marcus Howard, Mike Hart, Jacob Tamme

Bad Picks: Steve Justice

The Colts found Jeff Saturday's eventual replacement in Mike Pollak, and he's a pretty good one. However, for some reason they chose Justice later. I am assuming that they will move Justice to guard as they lost Jake Scott, because that's the only reason I could see them picking Justice. Marcus Howard and the fast Philip Wheeler wiill be good pickups for their linebackers. Howard really came up with the pre-draft workouts. Wheeler had a breakout season this year and will be a good and solid linebacker. Mike Hart will be a dependable backup and he doesn't wear down easily. They will need him now that Kenton Keith was arrested  for not leaving a parking lot. Jacob Tamme was also a pretty good tight end. He's a very good catcher with a tight end's body. While Dallas Clark is still their main tight end, Ben Utecht left, and Tamme will give another target, not to mention help with the blocking.

Jacksonville Jaguars: C+

Good Picks: Trae Williams

Bad Picks: Derrick Harvey, Quentin Groves

The Jaguars only had 5 selections in the draft, so there isn't much to say about their picks. However, I have to say they filled needs. Derrick Harvey and Quentin Groves now give the Jaguars some top-quality pass-rushers on the outside. Groves and Harvey are really good players, but a chain reaction made a series of bad moves. They gave up way too much to move up from 26th to 8th. Later, Groves was not needed because they had taken Harvey. They did fill some needs, but another wide receiver or a tight end could've been better choices.

Tennessee Titans: F

Good Picks: None

Bad Picks: Chris Johnson, Jason Jones, Craig Stevens, Williams Hayes, Stanford Keglar

What to say about easily the worst draft of all teams? Well, with top flight recdeivers on the board, why reach for a position that isn't the biggest need? Chris Johnson is a very quick and versatile player, but DeSean Jackson would've been a great pickup. Lavelle Hawkins was the only wide receiver chosen, and while he isn't a bad one, he is not #1 receiver worthy. He is better at the 2. The front office needs to do something and land a top tier wide receiver or Vince Young will jet faster than Chris Johnson's 4.24 40. Later on, Craig Stevens was a huge reach and they took him with Alge Crumpler already on the team.

Houston Texans: B

Good Picks: Xavier Adibi, Frank Okam

Bad Picks: Duane Brown

Duane Brown was either the reach of the draft, or next to it with Joe Flacco. While Brown is a really good zone-blocker, he's not exactly worthy of a 1st round pick. They could've taken Antoine Cason, a worthy selection there and filled a gap, instead of reaching for an unworthy pick. Antwaun Molden wasn't bad in the 3rd round. He can at least help their cornerbacks. While Steve Slaton wasn't a bad choice, he wasn't a great one either. Slaton is probably more of a 4th round selection, although he is extremely talented. Slaton has that extra burst of speed to get through tackles, and he has held a huge load at West Virginia, granted Pat White was there. Xavier Adibi was actually a nice pickup. Adibi can really get after people, and will chase them down. Not to mention, he was one of the better tacklers in the ACC last year. Finally, Frank Okam was a nice pick. For the 5th round, they got incredible value for someone who was once considered to be a 1st round pick easily. Okam is huge and will clog up lots of space for the smaller, but destructive Amobi Okoye. Now Houston will have Mario Williams on the edge and Okoye/Okam in the middle. What a trio. Add in DeMeco Ryans and Adibi and they've got a solid front 7. Pretty good job Houston.

AFC West

San Diego Chargers: C

Good Picks: Antoine Cason, DeJuan Tribble

Bad Picks: Jacob Hester

Antoine Cason is arguably the most complete cornerback in the draft. His ceiling isn’t as high as others, but he’s very productive. For a winning team, you take productivity over potential. Tribble however is an interesting gamble. He’s undersized but he performed well against his competition in the season. Normally I would consider him a bad pick, but the fact that the Chargers got him in the 6^th round is astonishing. He was a possible 1^st day pick, so he’s a huge steal in the 6^th. The Jacob Hester pick is astonishing. For starters, why did they trade up? Hester was easily gettable with their original 3^rd round selection. Next, he’s an incredible reach. Sure you want someone who will provide the same type of impact that Michael Turner did, but Darren Sproles can be that guy. Am I the only one who watched his 56-yard catch against the Colts?

Denver Broncos: D-

Good Picks: Ryan Clady, Peyton Hillis, Joshua Barrett

Bad Picks: Eddie Royal, Jack Williams, Carlton Powell

I was really tempted to give the Broncos an F, but then I looked at the Titans’ draft and decided otherwise. Ryan Clady might be the only really good pick here. Barrett and Hillis provide depth, but when you’re in the AFC and manage only 7 wins you need starters, not players who will address depth. Still they were incredible steals in the 7^th round. Royal was probably the worst pick of them all. I understand you lost your playmaking, oft-injured wide receiver in Javon Walker, but why Royal? Jackson is still on the board, possibly the biggest play-making receiver out there. Even if you think he’s undersized, look at Steve Smith. Still don’t want him? Limas Sweed and Malcolm Kelly are both available.

Oakland Raiders: D

Good Picks: None

Bad Picks: Darren McFadden

It’s hard to grade a draft that had only 5 picks and 1 pick in the first 3 rounds. Still, I really don’t like the drafting of McFadden. Sure you need the face of your franchise that will put fans in seats, but at the same time, winning also puts fans in seats. Glenn Dorsey, arguably the best and most dominant defensive prospect, is still on the board. Vernon Gholston, a speedy sack specialist, is also on the board. Tyvon Branch is an okay pick and may be the only “good” pick that the Raiders had. His 4.31 forty time is something that is really special.

Kansas City Chiefs: A+

Good Picks: Glenn Dorsey, Branden Albert, Brandon Flowers, Barry Richardson

Bad Picks: Brandon Carr, Jamaal Charles

If you exclude the fact that the Chiefs traded away Jared Allen, and focused on just the draft, the Chiefs easily have the best draft. They drafted arguably the best and most dominant defensive prospect in Glenn Dorsey with the 5^th overall pick. Albert was a great trade-up to fix the line, and Richardson in the 6^th adds depth. Brandon Flowers, a former sure-fire 1^st rounder, was a great pick in the 2^nd. One pick I don’t like is Jamaal Charles. Last time I checked you still have Larry Johnson on your roster, and you have a lot of holes to fill other than running back.