2 comments Grading Mel Kiper's 2006 NFL Draft Grades

From time to time I like to go back and look at what kind of draft grade Mel Kiper has given a team's draft in a certain year. I have graded NFL draft grades for Mel's 2001 draft, the 2002 draft, the 2004 draft, the 2005 draft, and also covered Dr. Z's 2007 draft grades. For some reason, the 2005 post about Kiper's draft grades is one of the most read posts in the history of BotB. Go figure.

It's nearly impossible to be a draft expert since there are so many variables that affect whether a draft prospect succeeds or not in the NFL. Yet, Mel Kiper has made his living guessing at who the best players in each draft would be while kindly handing out "C" and "B" grades to the teams who draft these players. Mel seems to be pretty lukewarm on nearly every team's draft. In his 2006 draft grades he gives zero draft grades that aren't some form of a "B" or a "C." That's right, the guy who is paid to evaluate draft-eligible players and evaluate how teams performed in the NFL Draft thinks EVERY SINGLE team did average or slightly above average. There's no risk in taking a risk and actually evaluating a team's draft I guess. Here is where I got Mel's draft grades from since I am not an ESPN Insider.

I'll start in alphabetical order and give Mel's grade along with some of my comments on Kiper's draft grade. I promise I won't give every team a "B" or a "C" like Mel Kiper does. It's absolutely unfathomable to me he thinks every NFL team did average or above average in the draft. He's hedging like crazy and if I were ESPN I would want a draft expert on my payroll who actually has an opinion other than, "Man, I hope I am not wrong about this draft grade so I will ensure I'm not by refusing to give a realistic grade."

Arizona Cardinals: GRADE: B
 
I give them an A for the first day and a C for the second day.

What do you know? Kiper gave them an "A" for one day and a "C" for the other day and it equals a "B." Don't go too far out on that limb, Mel. You might fall.

The Cardinals' QB of the future, Matt Leinart, fell into their lap at No. 10 (I had Leinart as the third best player in the draft).

I'm not even sure Leinart was the third-best guy named "Matt" in this draft. Actually, there was only one guy named "Matt" drafted, so Leinart is the winner by default. Matt Prater was undrafted so Leinart is the second-best Matt in this draft among players who were drafted and undrafted.

OLB Brandon Johnson and DT Jon Lew could be good backups.

They weren't. The best player out of this draft for Arizona was either Gabe Watson or Deuce Lutui, so given the fact they missed on two of their first three picks this ended up not at all being a "B" draft. It's more like a "C-" draft.

Atlanta Falcons: GRADE: C

You have to factor in the trade that brought them defensive end John Abraham.

I don't have to factor this in, but I will. The Jets drafted Nick Mangold with the selection that sent Abraham to Atlanta. I'd say that wasn't a bad trade on the whole. Still, I don't think I factor that into my grade since I prefer to grade a team's draft on the players drafted and not on what they received for draft picks traded away.

Cornerback Jimmy Williams will help the secondary and was a good second-round pick.

Williams was out of the NFL by 2009 and had not been on an active roster since 2007. He was one of Roger Goodell's earlier personal conduct policy victims. This is better than the Falcons fifth round pick Quinn Ojinnaka who was fairly productive for the Falcons, but was arrested in 2009 after allegedly trying to throw his wife down the stairs. Though in his defense, she was trying to stab him with a pen and a 300 pound man has a right to defend himself. It probably wouldn't shock you to learn the argument was over Facebook, would it?

I was prepared to hate this draft, but while the Falcons didn't do great and missed on their second round pick, they had three guys (Jerious Norwood, Ojinnaka, and D.J. Shockley) who hung around until 2010 as backups and occasional starters. Not bad overall, but not great. I think Kiper was right..sort of. Bump the grade down to a "C-" and it's correct.

Baltimore Ravens: GRADE: B+

Their first-round pick, DT Haloti Ngata, will help right away on the interior of the line and, they hope, will free up MLB Ray Lewis. Chris Chester will help on the offensive line,

It's always nice that an offensive lineman that is drafted in the second round will be able to help on the offensive line.

On the second day, the Ravens helped themselves with WR Demetrius Williams, RB P.J. Daniels, TE Quinn Sypniewski and OLB Ryan LaCasse of Syracuse, who will be a good special-teams player.

And we all know most NFL teams are eager to draft two players in the fourth round who will be good special teams players. The Ravens got Ngata, Chester, Dawan Landry, and Sam Koch out of this draft. That's pretty good. Considering Ngata would possibly be the #1 overall pick if this draft was re-done, then I'd say this is an "A-" draft.

Buffalo Bills: GRADE: C

While it was a reach to take safety Donte Whitner with the eighth pick, he is a great prospect and I like him.

I don't understand this. Whitner was a reach, but Mel Kiper likes him and he's a great prospect. So was it really a reach if the Bills liked Whitner as much as Kiper liked Whitner?

Cornerback Ashton Youboty lasted longer than I thought

That's what she said.

Safety Ko Simpson and defensive tackle Kyle Williams are solid. Overall, the Bills reached on both of their first-round picks but drafted players who will help the team.

Remember, Mel Kiper gets paid to evaluate a team's draft and he just wrote the sentence, "The Bills reached on both of their first round picks but drafted players who will help the team." That's good to hear they drafted players that will help the team. This is analysis.

I don't know if I'm being overly-kind here, but Whitner was decent in his time in Buffalo, while McCargo was a bust. Still, the Bills came out of this draft with Kyle Williams, Brad Butler (who quit the NFL to pursue his other passions in 2009) and Keith Ellison. That's not bad at all in the last rounds. Kyle Williams is a really good player and I don't think he always get enough credit for how good he is.

I think this draft deserves the Mel Kiper special ("A" for the late rounds and a "C" for the early rounds)...a "B."

Carolina Panthers: GRADE: C

Carolina didn't draft a wide receiver and didn't take a tight end until the fifth round.

Oh my. Have you told the cops about this? What did they say? 

Taking RB DeAngelo Williams at No. 27 gives the Panthers good security behind DeShaun Foster. Getting CB Richard Marshall makes up for the loss of Ricky Manning to the Bears. The Panthers made some reaches on OLB James Anderson, OT Rashad Butler and FS Nate Salley, 

Anderson is still in the NFL, so he wasn't a huge reach in the 3rd round, right?

but Jeff King could be a serviceable tight end.

Jeff King was the kind of tight end who conveyed absolutely no threat in the passing game, so that's why he ended up catching over 150 passes in the NFL. Teams could leave him open because he wasn't a threat. I guess that's "serviceable." Overall, the Panthers had players like Will Montgomery and Rashad Butler who made bigger impacts for teams other than the Panthers. It wasn't a bad draft, but also not a very impactful draft for the Panthers. Mel's grade is about right.

Chicago Bears: GRADE: B

The Bears traded out of the first round and were still able to get secondary help in Danieal Manning.

And here I thought all of the cornerbacks and safeties would have been taken by the second round.

Devin Hester is a great athlete, but is he a cornerback or wide receiver? Hester will help the Bears in the return game.

Well, this was a massive understatement. Hester helped in the return game by becoming possibly the greatest return specialist in NFL history.

I really like the pick of defensive end Mark Anderson in the fifth round.

Props to Kiper because this was a great pick. Let's see, the Bears got the greatest return specialist in NFL history, a safety who was an All-Pro once, and a guy with 36.5 career sacks in the fifth round. Their third round pick missed time due to injury and the Bears didn't really miss on a player until the 6th round. Mel's grade might be a little low, but almost accurate.

Cincinnati Bengals: GRADE: C

CB Johnathan Joseph was a solid first-round pick and OT Andrew Whitworth was good value in the second round, but DE Frostee Rucker was a reach in the third round. LB A.J. Nicholson slid because he has had off-the-field issues but is good with the pads on.

Interestingly, A.J. Nicholson wasn't in the NFL long enough to cause problems because he wasn't good enough with the pads on. The Bengals got Joseph, Whitworth, Rucker, and Domata Peko out of this draft. Two of these guys are still playing for the Bengals. There's no way this is a "C" draft. This is an "A-" draft if I have seen one.

Cleveland Browns: GRADE: B

First-round pick Kamerion Wimbley will be a perfect OLB in the 3-4 defense,

Wimbley has had as much success in a 4-3 system as a defensive end as he did as an OLB in the Browns 3-4 defense. Phil Savage drafted Wimbley over Ngata because he wanted to pressure the quarterback. So there's a clue as to why the Browns are where they are now.

Wide receiver Travis Wilson could be a third or fourth option in the passing game.

He was more like the third or fourth option to be cut when it came time for cuts in 2008. Wilson did have two catches during his career, so...that's not a lot of catches. The Browns did draft Lawrence Vickers, Jerome Harrison, and D'Qwell Jackson, so this wasn't a complete bust draft for them. I think Kiper's grade ended up being slightly high. I wouldn't give it a "B."

Dallas Cowboys: GRADE: B-

In the first round, they drafted a very versatile and talented OLB, Bobby Carpenter.

Or not. Though Carpenter was one of the players out of this draft (along with Anthony Fasano) that Bill Parcells was reunited with when he joined the Miami Dolphins organization. I have no idea what this means, but Carpenter was versatile only in how many curse words Cowboys fans could use in referring to him. The Cowboys got Jason Hatcher out of this draft and there wasn't a ton more long-term (and by long-term I mean "on the team in 2008") Dallas Cowboys out of this draft. This isn't a failing draft grade, but it is close. I'm guessing Mel just picked a grade out of a hat at this point in his draft grades.

Denver Broncos: GRADE: B

You have to factor in the acquisition of WR Javon Walker when grading the Broncos.

So you want me to lower my grade because of this? 

I wasn't as high on QB Jay Cutler as much as some people were -- Denver took him at No. 11 -- but he is going to a well-coached team.

A well-coached team? I thought Cutler was drafted by the Broncos? I'm kidding of course. Every single one of these draft picks, except for one (out of seven) made an impact in the NFL. The problem is every draft pick but two made an impact for the Broncos and another NFL team. Tony Scheffler, Jay Cutler, Brandon Marshall, Domenik Hixon all had as much of an impact for other NFL teams as they did the Broncos. The Broncos did get Elvis Dumervil and Chris Kuper in this draft as well. It's pretty hard to grade the draft. Based entirely on the talent they drafted this is an "A" draft, but based on the impact this draft had for the Broncos over the long-term it was probably a "B" draft. I have said a lot of negative things about Mike Shanahan, but this was a really, really good draft for him. The Broncos may have had the second-best draft to the Saints in 2006.

Detroit Lions: GRADE: C+

I thought I'd be higher on the Lions,

"I can't believe my thoughts don't reflect the thoughts that I thought I might have."

but what concerned me was that they passed on Leinart.

In retrospect, this wasn't concerning at all. This was one of Matt Millen's smart moves. Not picking Leinart doesn't save this draft though. The Lions came away with Ernie Sims, Daniel Bullocks, and Brian Calhoun from this draft. That's still not very good. I wouldn't fail the Lions, but it is somewhat close. Mel's grade is another cop-out.

Green Bay Packers: GRADE: B

I gave Green Bay an A after the first day.

But then you realized you are going too far out on a limb and needed to push the grade back to a "B" or a "C" like every other draft grade you gave for 2006?

The Packers had a lot of picks (12), and some were definitely reaches.

And when a team has 12 picks there is zero room to reach for a prospect the team likes. Of course in keeping with his tradition of not wanting to be wrong, Kiper doesn't tell us which picks he thought were reaches.

Linebacker A.J. Hawk, their first-round pick at No. 5, will give the Packers a much-needed face on defense.

Unfortunately, this is the face he gave the defense. 

Offensive tackle Daryn Colledge needs to get stronger and become a better run-blocker. I really like WR Greg Jennings, LB Abdul Hodge and C Jason Spitz. Will Blackmon was both a wide receiver and cornerback at Boston College, but reportedly he will get a chance to play corner initially.

The Packers got Hawk, Colledge, Jennings, Spitz, Blackmon and Johnny Jolly out of this draft. They also drafted Dave Tollefson but he didn't make the active roster. That's not a terribly bad roster of draft picks, even with having 12 of them. The Packers really only missed on three of these picks. I'm inclined to grade this draft highly. I would probably give it an "A." It appears Mel pulled the grade "B" out of a hat, so that's what he gave the Packers.

Houston Texans: GRADE: B+

I would have taken Reggie Bush with the first overall pick. But I have to respect the pick of Mario Williams,

Rest easy Houston Texans, Mel Kiper respects your pick of Mario Williams. Wipe the sweat off your brow now.

DeMeco Ryans at linebacker was a solid second-round pick, while Charles Spencer and Eric Winston will help out the offensive line.

Again, it's great to hear this analysis that offensive linemen drafted by an NFL team will help out that team's offensive line. Very refreshing to hear these offensive linemen won't help the team's concession stands increase their sales of popcorn.

The Texans came out of this draft with three players who have made a Pro Bowl, as well as Eric Winston. Of course, now Mario Williams and Ryans are playing for teams other than the Texans, but they did a pretty good job in drafting and I would say taking Mario Williams over Reggie Bush worked out. I think Mel's draft grade is correct, if not slightly low.

Indianapolis Colts: GRADE: C

First-round pick Joseph Addai (at No. 30) is a good blocking running back, but he is not all that dynamic running the ball. Tim Jennings will be a solid nickel cornerback, and I like the pick of LB Freddie Keiaho in the third round.

Drafting a blocking back in the first round and a nickelback in the second round is worth a "C" grade? I wonder what kind of grade Mel would have given the Colts if he felt they had actually drafted a starting player with their first two picks?

The Colts drafted three guys in this draft who had made a Pro Bowl, but Jennings didn't make the Pro Bowl while a member of the Colts team. I'm inclined to be kind to this draft considering the Colts got Antoine Bethea and Charlie Johnson in the sixth round and Addai was a key member of the 2006 Colts Super Bowl winning team. This wasn't a "C" draft and I think based on his comments Mel should have graded it lower than that. Of course, that would have made him even more wrong when evaluating the talent the Colts acquired through the 2006 draft and he can't have that. This is one of many times Mel's comments don't reflect the grade he gives a team's draft. I think this is a "B+" draft.

Jacksonville Jaguars: GRADE: C+

First-round pick Marcedes Lewis (No. 28) will get a great opportunity to be the pass-catching tight end the Jaguars need.

This type of comment means absolutely nothing. Yes, Lewis was drafted in the first round and he is a tight end, so he will get the opportunity to be a tight end that catches passes for the Jaguars.

The Jaguars only had six picks in this draft and they only really hit on three guys in the draft who had any kind of impact on the team. I still can't decide if Marcedes Lewis was a disappointment in where he was taken or not. I lean towards saying he has earned his status as a first round pick, especially since the last three years he hasn't had a decent quarterback throwing him the football. Plus, the Jaguars came out of this draft with Maurice Jones Drew in the second round. Mel's grade might be a little bit high.

Kansas City Chiefs: GRADE: C

I thought the Chiefs would go with a cornerback, but you can't argue with their first-round pick at No. 20, DE Tamba Hali. S Bernard Pollard is a hitter but is questionable in coverage.

This is the part where Bill Simmons would write BERNARD KARMELL POLLARD and I would get annoyed. The Chiefs got Tamba Hali, Pollard, and Jarrad Page out of this draft. Of course they also got the non-quarterback of the future Brodie Croyle out of this draft, so I should probably knock them down a grade for that. I think one of the many "C's" that Mel gave was right in this case.

Miami Dolphins: GRADE: C

This was a Dolphins draft when Nick Saban was the head coach. The Dolphins didn't really do great on any of their picks. Jason Allen was pretty good and the rest of the draft (Derek Hagan, Fred Evans, Devin Aromashodu) had more success with other NFL teams. This is a "D" draft, bordering on an "F" draft if you ask me.

Minnesota Vikings: GRADE: C+

Linebacker Chad Greenway was a very good pick at No. 17, while Cedric Griffin is a solid defensive back who needs to play the ball better.

Fortunately he is a cornerback so he won't have to play the ball very much or anything like that.

QB Tarvaris Jackson went a bit high, but he has a chance to be the Vikings' future quarterback

Again, it's always nice to see a quarterback drafted in the second round has a chance to be the quarterback in the future for the team that drafted him. Overall, the Vikings did pretty well. They got Chad Greenway, Cedric Griffin, Ryan Cook and Ray Edwards in this draft. Tarvaris Jackson was also taken in the second round. Not a great showing, but also not average like Mel's grade reflected. I thin Mel's grade is too low.

New England Patriots: GRADE: B

Laurence Maroney, selected at No. 21, gives the Patriots a security blanket at running back. WR Chad Jackson was a nice pick in the second round and could have gone in the middle of the first.

Ugh, I shudder at that thought.

Kicker Stephen Gostkowski was a reach in the fourth round (I didn't think any kickers would get drafted).

Gostkowski was in no way a reach and he has become one of the best kickers in the NFL. That's worth a fourth round pick. The Patriots sort of hit on Maroney in the first round and Chad Jackson was an absolute bust. Overall, the best player out of this draft was probably Stephen Gostkowski and they drafted Jeremy Mincey, but he had his most success with Jacksonville. The Patriots had 10 picks and only two of them were on the team after the 2008 season. Definitely not a "B" draft.

New Orleans Saints: GRADE: C

The Saints got the top player on the board in running back Reggie Bush, but I don't understand the pick of safety Roman Harper in the second round when they needed help at cornerback and linebacker...I do like guard Zach Strief in the seventh round, especially since he could have gone as high as the third round.

Roman Harper is still on the Saints team, so that seems to have worked out. Overall this was an excellent, excellent draft for the Saints. They had eight picks and four of these picks are still on the team today, while Reggie Bush wasn't close to a bust and Rob Ninkovich bounced around a bit before landing in New England. A draft where the Saints landed Roman Harper, Marques Colston, Jahri Evans, and Zach Strief is an excellent draft. Mel missed on this draft pretty damn bad. This was the best draft class in the 2006 NFL Draft. I would give it an "A+."

New York Giants: GRADE: C+

DE Mathias Kiwanuka was a reach late in the first round, but he will get a chance to learn from Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora.

Oh, he "has a chance to learn" from these two guys. That's good to hear. I'm glad they aren't going to ignore him completely and no one on the Giants coaching staff will choose to not coach Kiwanuka.

Getting WR Sinorice Moss in the second round was one of the best picks in the draft; he could be the deep threat the Giants' offense needs. 

Or he could be injured a lot and never turn into a productive receiver. So the Giants got Kiwanuka, Barry Cofield, and a couple of guys (Guy Whimper and Charlie Peprah) who were successful as much on other teams as they were the Giants. That miss on Moss in the second round and their third round pick being a specials team-only kind of linebacker doesn't help this draft classes's grade. Let's put a "-" in front of the "C" instead of a "+."

New York Jets: GRADE: B-

I thought the Jets reached late on the first day with LB Anthony Schlegel and S Eric Smith.

It turns out Schlegel was a reach, but Eric Smith wasn't a reach at all. He was productive for the Jets for a while. The Jets drafted Nick Mangold, D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Leon Washington, and Drew Coleman in this draft as well. They did miss on a second and third round pick, but overall not a terrible draft. I think Mel's grade is a bit low, but who is to argue with the letter grade drawn out of a hat?

Oakland Raiders: GRADE C:

Safety Michael Huff, their first-round pick at No. 7, and linebacker Thomas Howard will help the defense,

Defensive players drafted by the Raiders will help the Raiders defense! What a concept and I'm glad Mel Kiper is around to provide this kind of analysis to his readers. Without it, I would be lost.

while S Darnell Bing made sense in the fourth round.

(Mel Kiper looks through his notes after Bing gets drafted, sees that Bing plays football and is draft-eligible, then nods knowingly because choosing a guy who played football in college and is eligible for the draft does make sense)

Paul McQuistan and Kevin Boothe both had more success with teams that weren't the Raiders and Michael Huff was always a bit of a disappointment. The Raiders didn't exactly blow any draft picks, but they also didn't draft any guys who made a huge impact on the team over the long-term. Mel's grade is about right.

Philadelphia Eagles: GRADE: B

This is the year the Eagles drafted Jeremy Bloom, who was a downhill skier/wide receiver in college. He was quite the big deal for a day or two. Mel got excited about the hype and said Bloom would help in the return game, which he didn't do. The Eagles got Brodrick Bunkley, Winston Justice, Chris Gocong, Max Jean-Gilles, Jason Avant, and Omar Gaither out of this draft. They drafted eight guys, six of which were contributors to their team. That's a better draft than a "B" in my opinion.

Pittsburgh Steelers: GRADE: C+

I feel like the Steelers deserve an "A" for a draft that included guys named Willie (two of them!), Orien, Omar, Marvin, and Cedric. It sounds like the names in a boy band where every member is 65 years old or more. It doesn't look like Mel gave the Steelers extra grade points for this unfortunately. This was not a great draft for the Steelers and none of the picks are currently on the team and all but two were off the team by 2008. It's not even a "C" draft.

San Francisco 49ers: GRADE: B+

Mel starts to get board at this point and write stuff that's even more useless than what he had written earlier in his draft grades. The 49ers drafted Vernon Davis, Manny Lawson, Parys Haralson, and Delanie Walker out of this draft. I think Mel's grade is about right. 

San Diego Chargers: GRADE: C 

CB Antonio Cromartie (first round, No. 19) could be a great player and has tremendous upside. The Chargers needed a cornerback, and Cromartie is worth the roll of the dice.

Cromartie has "tremendous upside"? Is Cromartie an NBA player or something?

OT Marcus McNeill is good, but he plays tall and could have trouble with quick, smaller defensive ends.

It's weird that a guy who is 6'7" would play tall. Who would have thought it? Of course if McNeill was 6'2" then Mel would drop McNeill down his draft board for being too short and not playing tall enough. Despite playing too tall, McNeill managed to start every game he played in as an NFL player. I think a "C" grade is too low. McNeill retired due to injuries, Cromartie was traded for population control reasons to the Jets since he was singlehandedly responsible for re-populating the San Diego area, and Jeromey Clary is still with the team having started 89 games with the Chargers. Definitely a better grade than the one Mel gave. I would give it a high "B" grade.

Seattle Seahawks: GRADE: B

They had only six picks, but I like what the Seahawks did with each of them.

Mel liked every pick the Seahawks made. Naturally, liking every pick a team made isn't enough to get an "A" grade. I don't know what in the hell an NFL team would have to do to get an "A" from Mel, but I chalk the "B" grade up to Mel not wanting to even come close to going out on a limb. What would an NFL team have to do in 2006 to get an "A" grade from Mel if he doesn't give an "A" to a team whose every pick he liked? Would the Seahawks have to find a way to draft more players than they had draft picks to get an "A"?

Interestingly, Mel's grade is about right. The Seahawks got Darryl Tapp, Kelly Jennings, Ben Obomanu, and Rob Sims out of this draft.

St. Louis Rams: GRADE: C+

I like some things the Rams did -- like taking CB Tye Hill at No. 15 --

Not a very good move in retrospect.

They got two very good tight ends in Joe Klopfenstein and Dominique Byrd, although Byrd dropped because of concerns about his knees.

These two tight ends had 41 combined catches in their NFL careers. The Rams didn't get much out of this draft at all. The most successful player was either Hill or Klopfenstein. Not a "C+" draft in any way.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: GRADE: C+

I still think it is hilarious that Mel only gave out "B's" and "C's" in his draft grades. How useless can he be?

Tampa Bay went offensive line with its first two picks: OG Davin Joseph and OT Jeremy Trueblood. Joseph might have been high for the first round,

Well, Joseph is still in the NFL and hasn't failed a drug test so I don't think he was high for the first round.

while Trueblood is tall and sometimes plays upright.

Mel Kiper hates tall offensive linemen. If he was building a team he would only have offensive linemen who were 6 feet tall and hunched over all the time. That's Mel's perfect offensive lineman. One who isn't tall and doesn't play tall. The Buccaneers had seven picks that didn't last past the 2007 season. Possibly Jon Gruden should have stuck to simply drafting offensive linemen since Joseph and Trueblood were the two best picks here. the Buccaneers did get two starters out of this draft, but out of 10 picks I don't think I can give them quite a "C+" for this draft.

If I were Jon Gruden I would say, "Now this draft here. I like it a lot. If I had to choose one draft class the Buccaneers had in 2006, this would be the draft class I would choose. I just love those guys."

Tennessee Titans: GRADE: B

I would have taken Leinart, but Vince Young will be a very good quarterback.

Matt Leinart was Mel Kiper's Jimmy Clausen before there was a Jimmy Clausen available in the NFL Draft. I have a feeling somewhere there is a notebook with Mel's doodle-writing all over it with hearts around Matt Leinart's name. Actually, Mel has probably burnt that notebook by now.

RB LenDale White will be highly motivated coming in as a second-round pick. 

This Titans grade should be subtitled "Mel Kiper's Worst Hits."

Don't forget that he's reunited with Norm Chow, the former offensive coordinator at USC who holds that position with Tennessee.

Oh, we didn't forget it. White scored 24 touchdowns in the NFL but calling him "highly motivated" seems to be overstating the case quite a bit.

A "B" is probably a little high for this draft. Vince Young was great for the Titans in the short-term, while Cortland Finnegan and Stephen Tulloch were also great picks. Considering their first, second and third round picks didn't last being on the team past the 2010 season I have a hard time thinking this is a "B" draft.

Washington Redskins: GRADE: C

The Redskins had only one pick on the first day,

Some things will never change. Ever.

McIntosh will come in and start at weakside linebacker.

He started two games in his rookie year at weakside linebacker. The Redskins had six picks actually still have two players from this draft still on the roster. Reed Doughty and Kedric Golston. Neither player are a star, but like Rocky McIntosh they were able to contribute to the Redskins team for more than just a few years. I think for having three picks the Redskins did decently in the draft. I think Mel's draft grade is about right.

If Mel gives enough (32 of them in this case) "B's" and "C's" then eventually he will be right about a few of them. That's all that matters with Mel's draft grades. Not saying anything that could make him look bad down the line, yet by not saying anything or taking a hard stance he looks even worse than he would if he actually had the guts to really grade the draft of these teams.