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Pick #33 – St. Louis Rams: Rodger Saffold (Off. Tackle - Indiana) |
Grade |
|
Analysis: Great pick here by the Rams. Standout left tackle to protect Bradford’s blindside and solidify the line as a whole. |
A |
Pick #34 - Minnesota Vikings: Chris Cook (Cornerback – Virginia) |
Grade |
|
Analysis: Solid cover corner with excellent size and ball skills. Vikings definitely needed an upgrade here and got it. |
B+ |
Pick #35 - Tampa Bay: Brian Price (Def. Tackle – UCLA) |
Grade |
|
Analysis: Good value pick here. Not sure that the Bucs needed to take two defensive tackles, but it never hurts to be able to stop the run. |
B |
Pick #36 - Kansas City: Dexter McCluster (Wide Receiver - Mississippi) |
Grade |
|
Analysis: Size is an issue, but all McCluster does is make plays. Will be a versatile (and dangerous) threat in Charlie Weis’ offense. |
A |
Pick #37 – Philadelphia: Nate Allen (Free Safety – South Florida) |
Grade |
|
Analysis: Allen will be a standout player for the Eagles and should help solidify their defense from day one |
B+ |
Pick #38 – Cleveland: T.J. Ward (Strong Safety – Oregon) |
Grade |
|
Analysis: Tough player with great instincts, but troubling health history makes this pick somewhat questionable |
C+ |
Pick #39 – Tampa Bay: Arrelious Benn (Wide Receiver – Illinois)
|
Grade |
|
Analysis: Fantastic value here with Benn. Solid receiver with excellent hands and speed. Big upgrade for Tampa’s offense |
A |
Pick #40 – Miami: Koa Misi (3-4 Rush Linebacker – Utah) |
Grade |
|
Analysis: This pick has Bill Parcells written all over it. Misi is an intelligent, talented playmaker with a knack for finding the ball. |
B+ |
Pick #41 - Buffalo: Torrell Troup (Def. Tackle - Central Florida) |
Grade |
|
Analysis: Bit of a reach here, as more established/experienced talent was still on the board. Fills a big need up front though. |
B- |
Pick #42 - New England: Rob Gronkowski (Tight End – Arizona)
|
Grade |
|
Analysis: Solid pick by the Patriots here. Great hands and character; another weapon for Brady to play with |
B+ |
Pick #43 - Baltimore: Sergio Kindle (3-4 Rush Linebacker – Texas)
|
Grade |
|
Analysis: Any other team and there’s reason for concern. But the Ravens can handle Kindle’s issues and will reap the reward as a result. |
B |
Pick #44 - Oakland: Lamarr Houston (Def. Tackle – Texas) |
Grade |
|
Analysis: Really beginning to wonder if Al Davis is still alive. Two solid picks in a row for the Raiders to improve their defense. |
A |
Pick #45 -Denver: Zane Beadles (Guard – Utah) |
Grade |
|
Analysis: Another strange pick for Denver. Beadles is a nice player, but not worth the pick here. Better guards still on the board. |
C |
Pick #46 - New York: Linval Joseph (Def. Tackle – East Carolina) |
Grade |
|
Analysis: Solid player that should fit in nicely up front for the Giants. Could have some issues with his weight though. |
B |
Pick #47 - Arizona: Daryl Washington (Linebacker – TCU)
|
Grade |
|
Analysis: Strange pick here. I like Washington and think he’ll be a solid pro, but not in the 3-4. Size, skills translate better into the 4-3. |
B- |
Pick #48 - Carolina: Jimmy Clausen (Quarterback – Notre Dame) |
Grade |
|
Analysis: It’s incredible that Clausen fell this far and that the Panthers were able to steal him here. Perfect fit for Clausen and Carolina. |
A |
Pick #49 - San Francisco: Taylor Mays (Free Safety – USC)
|
Grade |
|
Analysis: Another outstanding value. Mays has issues with his coverage skills, but that can be taught. |
A |
Pick #50 – Kansas City: Javier Arenas (Cornerback – Alabama)
|
Grade |
|
Analysis: The Chiefs are clearly placing an emphasis on production in their picks. Despite his size, Arenas makes plays all over the field and will electrify in the return game. |
B |
Pick #51 - Minnesota: Toby Gerhart (Running Back – Stanford) |
Grade |
|
Analysis: The Vikings hit a home run here in getting a talented runner that flat out crushes his opponents en route to the end zone. Good luck trying to stop the run if you’re facing Minnesota. |
A |
Pick #52 - Pittsburgh: Jason Worilds (3-4 Rush Linebacker - Virginia Tech) |
Grade |
|
Analysis: I think there were better options available at this position, but the Steelers clearly like what they saw in Worilds, and he should be productive from day one in that system. |
B |
Pick #53 – New England: Jermaine Cunningham (Defensive End – Florida) |
Grade |
|
Analysis: Solid player that should be capable of making the transition to playing outside in the 3-4. Patriots continuing to draft strong. |
B+ |
Pick #54 – Cincinnati: Carlos Dunlap (Defensive End – Florida) |
Grade |
|
Analysis: Talent has always been there for Dunlap, but his heart and brain often are not. Still, it’s a strong pick for the Bengals, as they could get a tremendous pass rusher if they can get Dunlap’s head on straight. |
B |
Pick #55 – Dallas: Sean Lee (Linebacker – Penn State) |
Grade |
|
Analysis: Great pick for the Cowboys here. Lee has some issues off the field, but overall the talent is unquestionable and he’ll be a standout in Big D for a long time to come. |
B+ |
Pick #56 – Green Bay: Mike Neal (Def. Tackle – Purdue) |
Grade |
|
Analysis: Not a big fan of this pick, although I like Neal’s ability on the field. The Packers really needed to find a legit pass rusher that can play outside in their 3-4 defense, but Neal will be a big help up front. |
C+ |
Pick #57 - Baltimore: Terrence Cody (Def. Tackle – Alabama)
|
Grade |
|
Analysis: Another solid pick here by Ozzie Newsome and Co. in Baltimore. Cody has weight issues but those should be mitigated by the Ravens outstanding player development team. |
A- |
Pick #58 – Houston: Ben Tate (Running Back – Auburn) |
Grade |
|
Analysis: Tate was one of the most underrated runners available in this draft, and combined with Steve Slaton, the Texans should be deadly in the running game. |
B+ |
Pick #59 – Cleveland: Montario Hardesty (Running Back – Tennessee) |
Grade |
|
Analysis: Hardesty will be a nice option for the Browns next year, but with other needs present, this isn’t a great pic. |
C |
Pick #60 - Seattle: Golden Tate (Wide Receiver – Notre Dame)
|
Grade |
|
Analysis: Can this draft get any better for Seattle? Getting Tate here is a tremendous steal and he should provide them with an excellent option alongside T.J. Houshmanzadeh next fall. |
A |
Pick #61 - New York Jets: Vladimir Ducasse (Off. Tackle - UMass) |
Grade |
|
Analysis: Nice pick here by the Jets. Ducasse is a versatile blocker that can play tackle or guard, and will likely slot in at Alan Faneca’s old spot, once New York gets around to cutting him that is. |
B |
Pick #62 – New England: Brandon Spikes (Linebacker – Florida) |
Grade |
|
Analysis: I’m surprised the Pats went with Spikes here, but not because I think he isn’t valuable enough. Spikes will be a solid player at the next level, but I think New England would have been better off focusing on the outside instead. |
C+ |
Pick #63 - Indianapolis: Pat Angerer (Linebacker – Iowa) |
Grade |
|
Analysis: Angerer is a tough, hard nosed player that will grind out games and tackle with reckless abandon. Should be a great fit in Indy, although his speed is a bit lacking in comparison to the rest of the team. |
B |
Pick #64 – New Orleans: Charles Brown (Off. Tackle – USC)
|
Grade |
|
Analysis: Great value here for the Saints. Brown is athletic and should slot in nicely with the style of play employed by New Orleans. |
B+ |