7 comments Grading Mel Kiper's 2007 NFL Draft Grades

As you all know by now, I enjoy going back and re-grading the grades that Mel Kiper has given teams after each NFL Draft. It's a pastime I enjoy and I have regraded every draft grade column Mel has posted from 2001-2006. I have already re-graded Dr. Z's 2007 draft grades back when I didn't know this would be a thing I would do for Mel Kiper, but screw it, I'll do the 2007 draft grades for Mel too. I enjoy this stuff too much. So I found Mel's draft grades on this message board where a person posted ESPN Insider columns like this on the board. I'm sure the punishment for this is 3-5 years in jail, but he risked it anyway.

Mel is famous for not really taking risks with the grades he gives. He gave out B's and C's for this draft. No really, the only grades he handed out were some variation of a "B" or a "C." There is no draft grade that is an "A" or a "D." There are certainly no "F's." Zero NFL teams did very well or very poorly in the draft. This is what Mel seems to believe. Why the fuck would you even have draft grades if you are just going to say every team did slightly below average to slightly above average? It's a wasted effort, but Mel doesn't care. The best part is he wrote nothing that would come back to haunt him. That's all that matters, being right in retrospect by not outright bashing a player or team. What a farce.

Arizona Cardinals: GRADE: B-
 
Once Joe Thomas was gone, the Cardinals had to make a decision whether to take Adrian Peterson or Levi Brown.

Should I eat pizza or dog shit? Pizza has few nutrients in it and I already had pizza this week, so maybe I'll go with the dog shit because it has to have nutrients and I haven't had dog shit lately.

Peterson would have been a luxury pick, which they couldn't afford to do, and Brown fills a hole.

Because when you have J.J. Arrington and Edgerrin James, there's no need for a running back. The Cardinals did just sign James, but still, an offense with Kurt Warner, Adrian Peterson, Anquan Boldin, Larry Fitzgerald, and Steve Breaston. That's a pretty good offense.

There were quite a few teams that didn't think there was a lot that separated Brown from Thomas. Brown has a nasty streak and can play either tackle position.

But he can he play either tackle as well as Adrian Peterson can play running back? Brown was decent, but man, passing up Peterson...

Tight end Ben Patrick is a potential steal in the seventh round. He needs to work on his concentration and catching the ball, but Patrick could have gone in the third round and no one would have argued. 

Other than getting distracted while he's on the field and not being able to catch the ball, Ben Patrick would make an excellent tight end.

This is just the beginning of a lot of "B's" and "C's." What an embarrassment.

Atlanta Falcons: GRADE: B

Defensive end Jamaal Anderson was really the only option with Joe Thomas and Levi Brown gone.

(Bengoodfella coughs) Darrelle Revis, Patrick Willis, Marshawn Lynch.

I really liked what Atlanta did Sunday.

Okay, great. So when is a "B" grade, which is a grade that signifies the Falcons did "above average" mean that Mel Kiper really likes the draft? What is an "A" grade reserved for? Does there have to be another "really" thrown in there?

Baltimore Ravens: GRADE: B

Mel says literally nothing negative about the Ravens draft. Nothing negative. He loves it all. Every pick, yet the draft gets a "B."

Ben Grubbs:

Ben Grubbs is a great pick and pure guard.

Yamon Figurs:

Yamon Figurs has speed to burn and will be the returner the Ravens need with B.J. Sams coming off an injury and being a free agent after 2007.

Marshall Yanda:

Marshal Yanda possibly also could start at guard or right tackle.

Antwan Barnes:

Antwan Barnes is a typical hybrid combination between a defensive end and outside linebacker.

Le'Ron McClain:

Le'Ron McClain was the best pure fullback in the draft. Not only does he fill a need, but he could start since the Ravens lost Ovie Mughelli in free agency.

Troy Brown:

This was a good organization for Troy Smith to go to as a developmental quarterback. He also could push Kyle Boller, who will be a free agent after 2007.

Prescott Burgess:

Prescott Burgess had a nice career at Michigan, and getting him in the sixth round is a nice move because Burgess should have a solid NFL career. 

So how in the ever-living hell is this a "B" draft and not an "A" draft? Mel likes EVERY SINGLE PICK the Ravens made. What a joke. Why even have grades? Why even evaluate a team's draft if he is just handing out "B's" and "C's"?

Buffalo Bills: GRADE: B

Down the road, Trent Edwards could give J.P. Losman some competition.

To be fair, there are a lot of college quarterbacks who could have given J.P. Losman some competition.

And if Edwards develops in two or three years, the Bills could trade him, similar to what Atlanta did with Matt Schaub. 

Ah yes, 2007 when there was a possibility the Bills had such an embarrassment of riches at the quarterback position that they could trade their backup quarterback.

Hey look, a "B" grade. Oh, look another "B" grade coming up! There are five outright "B" grades in a row, not counting the "B-" he gave the Cardinals. Such creativity from Mel.

Carolina Panthers: GRADE: B

I'm not enamored with linebacker Jon Beason, but he has the ability to be a team leader because he has a great attitude.

I love Jon Beason, but someone should create a Jon Beason Doll that signs a new contract and then immediately gets injured when you pull his string.

The Panthers did a good job in the second round, getting WR Dwayne Jarrett and center Ryan Kalil. I thought Georgia defensive end Charles Johnson was a steal in the third round.

I'm shuddering at the thought of Dwayne Jarrett. He was so horrible. Mel was correct about Charles Johnson though.

Dante Rosario is a backup tight end;

As are most tight ends drafted in the 5th round. Great analysis, Mel.

"This guy drafted in the 5th round, try to stay with me here, but I think he may end up being a backup. That's how I project him and feel free to argue with me if you would like. I would give your ability to make an argument a 'B' grade."

Chicago Bears: GRADE: B

The Bears didn't expect Greg Olsen to be available that late in the first round; he'll give Rex Grossman a solid pass-catching tight end.

Or he will be underused during his Bears career. You know, either way.

Defensive end Dan Bazuin is perfect for the Bears' scheme.

As a 2nd round pick, Bazuin never played a regular season snap for the Bears.

Corey Graham will fight for a roster spot at cornerback and on special teams.

Or he will still be in the NFL in 2015 and have played in 125 games while having returned one kick on special teams during his career so far.

Cincinnati Bengals: GRADE: C+

WHAT? A "C+" grade? You don't say?

Mel likes every pick the Bengals made, except for Jeff Rowe, because:

Jeff Rowe was a system quarterback at Nevada, and I didn't like this pick because there were better quarterbacks still on the board;

This is a good call by Mel, because Matt Moore, Tyler Thigpen, and Troy Smith were still out there. Still, it's a 5th round pick that Mel didn't like and also he knocked the Bengals' grade down because he didn't think they helped themselves enough on defense. This despite the fact Mel had nothing negative to say about the players the Bengals chose instead of focusing on defense.

Picking Michigan CB Leon Hall without having to trade up to get him turned out to be very good value for the Bengals. Running back Kenny Irons could have been a first-round pick but couldn't stay healthy his senior season at Auburn. Safety Marvin White was not a bad fourth-round pick;

The Bengals didn't have a 3rd round pick because they chose Ahmad Brooks in the 2006 supplemental draft. They used three of their first four picks on defense, but that wasn't enough for Mel. They got a "C+," or otherwise as it's known, they did just slightly worse than the Ravens did when Mel loved every pick the Ravens made.

Cleveland Browns: GRADE: B+

The Browns were going to use the third overall pick on Wisconsin tackle Joe Thomas or Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn. At the end of the day, the Browns came away with both players.

Again, pizza or dog shit for dinner?

The Browns did, however, give up a lot of picks in this draft. 

The Browns wanted Joe Thomas and Brady Quinn at #3. They traded picks to get Brady Quinn at #22 and Mel didn't like this strategy. Of course he didn't. Mel also didn't like how many picks the Browns gave up, but thought they did better than the Ravens in the draft. So there's that.

Dallas Cowboys: GRADE: B

I really liked the pick of tackle Doug Free in the fourth round because he has a lot of talent.

I'm not all negative. This was a good call by Mel.

Dallas took place-kicker Nick Folk when Mason Crosby was still on the board;

They are both kickers and it was the 6th round. Let's take it easy with this type of criticism.

Courtney Brown has the necessary skills to be a developmental cornerback. 

So Brown has the necessary skills like arms/legs/hands/a head, he played college football in college AND played college football at the position at which he was drafted by the Cowboys, so he may one day become a cornerback who can be developed into a backup or starter? Thanks Mel, that's really, really enlightening to know.

Denver Broncos: GRADE: B-

The Broncos tried to strengthen the defensive line, starting with Jarvis Moss in the first round. In the Broncos' system, he has a chance to get 10-12 sacks next season.

Or 6 sacks for his entire career. That too.

Offensive tackle Ryan Harris had a first-round grade in August, but his stock dropped and Denver grabbed him in the third round. 

What does this sentence even mean? It's interesting Harris had a first round grade in August, and yes, we know Ryan Harris was drafted in the third round. Is there a conclusion to be drawn based on these two bits of information? Mel is getting so lazy with his grades he's just going to allow his readers to guess his conclusions rather than spend the precious time he has actually writing one more sentence for the Broncos' draft grades.

Detroit Lions: GRADE: C

Drew Stanton will be measured against Brady Quinn because the Lions could have taken the Notre Dame QB.

Dog shit or meat that isn't quite spoiled yet, but getting there quickly? Which one for lunch?

A.J. Davis could be a good nickel or dime cornerback;

Davis could be or could not be a good nickel or dime cornerback. Maybe or maybe not. Stop asking Mel tough questions and just let him finish giving every team a "B" or "C" grade.

Manuel Ramirez was a nice fourth-round pick who will be a starting guard in the NFL;

Mel was correct about this.

Johnny Baldwin was a good small-school linebacker at Alabama A&M who will be a good backup and special-teams player. 

Mel was not correct about this. But hey, it's a draft where Mel didn't like one of the Lions 2nd round picks, thought another 2nd round pick had low upside, and stated the other 2nd round pick was too raw. Sounds like a "C" draft according to the dartboard that Mel has which determines his draft grades. By the way, this dartboard only has "B" and "C" on it and Mel determines if a "+" or "-" will be added by the color of the dart he throws.
 
Green Bay Packers: GRADE: C+

Defensive tackle Justin Harrell didn't fill need, but the Packers chose the best available player over need.

This was a tough pick for the Packers. Harrell had injuries, was overweight and only ended up with 28 tackles and 0 sacks over his career with Green Bay. The list of players taken within 30 picks of Harrell is depressing for Packers fans. It's probably easier to sleep knowing they have Aaron Rodgers and a Super Bowl ring since 2007.

James Jones was a decent third-round pick, a good wide receiver with natural receiving skills;

Great analysis here. The Packers drafted a wide receiver, who just happens to have natural receiving skills. I'm starting to wonder why a team would draft a wide receiver who doesn't have natural receiving skills by the time he reaches the NFL, but that's probably a question better not asked.

WR David Clowney has a lot of speed, and inside linebackers Korey Hall and Desmond Bishop should make it in the NFL as backups.

Bishop ended up being a starter in the NFL. You know Mel is starting to get bored when he just describes a guy as "having a lot of speed" and then noting that 6th round picks should be backups in the NFL. I would say he's mailing it in, but the variety of draft grades already shows that.

Houston Texans: GRADE: C-

A "C-" is an "F" based on Mel Kiper's grading curve.

The Texans took defensive tackle Travis Johnson in 2005, and he hasn't played up to his potential. They took DT Amobi Okoye

It seems the Texans wanted a pair of defensive tackles who didn't play to their potential.

when they should have been looking at a cornerback such as Leon Hall or Darrelle Revis.

Yeah, probably.

Wide receiver Jacoby Jones played at Lane College,

This is all Mel has to say about Jacoby Jones. Why even mention him if you are only going to mention what college Jones went to? This is hilarious to me. What is the reader supposed to ascertain from reciting Jones' college?

This turned out to be a typical Houston draft. The Texans didn't help David Carr when he was their QB, and they didn't do much to help Schaub. Cornerback Fred Bennett was a good pick in the fourth round, and I really like linebacker Zach Diles. He had two productive years at Kansas State and might have flown under some teams' radar. Getting Diles in the seventh round was a good move.

Diles was productive for a 7th round pick. It seems like Mel hated the Texans draft, but he just couldn't bring himself to actually grade the Texans on his feelings about their draft. And why would Mel give a draft grade based on how he felt the Texans did in the draft in acquiring talented players who fit the team's needs? That's not the purpose of draft grades apparently. 

Indianapolis Colts: GRADE: B-
 
The Texans should take a page from the Colts. They win the Super Bowl and what do they do in the first round? Give Peyton Manning another weapon on offense by taking WR Anthony Gonzalez. This was a great pick, replacing Brandon Stokley in the Colts' arsenal. 

Gonzalez really didn't do much to replace Brandon Stokley and was out of the NFL by 2012. If you ask me, while Mel likes the strategy of the Colts, I think they should have spent more time drafting for defense than giving Manning more weapons on offense. Manning has the ability to make decent receivers look greater than they are. He can't help the defense like that. That's just my opinion.

Tony Ugoh could be the heir apparent to Tarik Glenn at left tackle,

He was not.

and I really like wide receiver Roy Hall, Gonzalez's teammate at Ohio State.

He caught one pass in his NFL career.

fifth-round pick Michael Coe has the chance to be a good developmental cornerback. 

One day, MAYBE, Michael Coe could develop into a cornerback. He has a chance.
 
Jacksonville Jaguars: GRADE: C

The Jaguars needed a playmaking safety. They not only got Florida's Reggie Nelson

Eh, can't win them all.

Not only do I like punter Adam Podlesh's strong leg, but he runs a 4.45 40 time, which will force defenses to always be thinking about a fake punt.

I have never heard this type of evaluation about a punter. Credit to Mel for at least being creative about it. There could be a chance that Podlesh runs a fake punt, so that's important to know I guess.

Uche Nwaneri as a guard or center made sense in the fifth round.

Nwaneri (who turned out to be a good player) made sense as a guard or center, mostly because he played these positions in college. Mel likes to write, "Player X made sense in Y round" and then lists the player's position at some point in the sentence. Yes, it does make sense to draft a guy who played guard and/or center in college as a guard or center in the NFL. It does sound counter intuitive, but sense has been made. Probably more sense than liking a punter who was drafted because he's fast.  

"Ah, fuck it, here's a 'C' grade. You know what? Here's another one." 

Kansas City Chiefs: GRADE: C 

Wide receiver Dwayne Bowe is a good player, and he filled a need for the Chiefs.

The Chiefs first round pick is a good player AND he filled a need? Why did the Chiefs do that?

Justin Medlock is a good place-kicker, but I would have taken Mason Crosby. 

Yes, we know. Mel Kiper would have taken Mason Crosby #1 overall because it filled a need and Crosby can run fast in case there are any fake kicks the Raiders were looking to run. Actually, Crosby would have probably been a better #1 overall pick than JaMarcus Russell, but that's beside the point.

Mel liked most of the Chiefs picks and he gave them a "C." I have to wonder how they could have gotten a higher grade from Mel.

Miami Dolphins: GRADE: C

Passing on Brady Quinn was ridiculous.

It turns out drafting him in the first round was equally as ridiculous.  

The Dolphins were fortunate that QB John Beck was still available in the second round and they were able to salvage their quarterback situation.

Yep, consider the situation now salvaged. Wait, Mel wrote "salvaged"? I thought he meant the QB situation was "savaged." Nevermind.

Drew Mormino made sense as a backup center; Kelvin Smith has a chance to be a starting linebacker someday;

Ah yes, boring filler analysis. Mel's great at this type of thing.

and Brandon Fields has a strong leg but is inconsistent. 

BUT HOW FAST DOES HE RUN IN CASE THE DOLPHINS WANT HIM TO RUN A FAKE PUNT?

Brandon Fields has made a Pro Bowl and is still the Dolphins kicker by the way.

Minnesota Vikings: GRADE: B+

Vice president of player personnel Rick Spielman had an outstanding weekend.

But not outstanding enough to earn an "A" grade of course. That would be ridiculous to say the Vikings had an outstanding draft and then actually grade them based on this opinion.

Brian Robison is a pass-rushing defensive end and a very good Day 2 selection.

This was true. Robison has 43.5 sacks in his career.

and Tyler Thigpen is more of a developmental, third-string quarterback. 

What? You mean in the 7th round the Vikings didn't draft a capable backup or a sure-fire starter?

Outstanding job by Rick Spielman! Here's a grade that states you did above average, which in Mel's world is pretty much the same thing as doing outstanding.

New England Patriots: GRADE: B

Of the six picks the Pats had in the sixth and seventh rounds, they'll be fortunate if two of them pan out. The reason for giving the Patriots a B grade is they utilized the draft process by getting Randy Moss for a fourth-round pick as well as acquiring the 49ers' first-round pick in 2008. 

That's true, but I find it interesting that Mel grades the 2007 draft based on players the Patriots didn't select and them having the chance to select another player (a player who Mel had no idea whether he liked at this point or not) in the next year's draft. He grades this draft based on another draft basically. Just interesting. Brandon Meriweather was the only player the Patriots drafted who was on the team after the 2008 season.

New Orleans Saints: GRADE: B-

New Orleans went with Robert Meachem, the best available player on the board.

Other than Joe Staley, Ben Grubbs, Greg Olsen, Eric Weddle, and LaMar Woodley of course.

Antonio Pittman will give New Orleans more depth at running back;

Which basically means Mel thinks a fourth round pick who plays running back will make the 53-man roster. Thanks for the contribution, Mel.

Jermon Bushrod is a quality prospect at left tackle; and David Jones from Wingate was a good sleeper pick.

Bushrod was a good pick and Jones was a huge sleeper because he didn't even make the Saints roster during the 2007 season.

New York Giants: GRADE: C-

I would have gone differently with the Giants' draft.

Every single pick the Giants made was still on the roster until after at least the 2009 season. I'd be interested to know how the Giants could do better than that, in terms of depth of their draft, while having 8 picks.

Cornerback Aaron Ross has very good ball skills but not great catchup speed. I was surprised they didn't take left tackle Joe Staley because they need someone who can protect Eli Manning's blind side. The Giants took offensive tackle Adam Koets in the sixth round and even passed on left tackle Jermon Bushrod. If they had taken Staley, they could have drafted Eric Wright from UNLV instead of WR Steve Smith. I would rather have had Staley and Wright,

Yeah, maybe. It's not like the Giants made a huge mistake or anything drafting the way they did.

but Smith is a good receiver and will be someone who holds onto the ball.

That's always a nice quality for a receiver to have. Also, the Giants got Ahmad Bradshaw in the 7th round of this draft and Mel doesn't mention him at all. Definitely not a "C-" draft and this is why Mel doesn't like to take chances with his grades. There's a chance he could be wrong.

New York Jets: GRADE: B

it was quality over quantity for the Jets, who drafted only four players. They traded up to get their first two picks, CB Darrelle Revis and linebacker David Harris. I had Harris going in the first half of the first round, so this is a great pickup for the Jets.

And they were two good picks. Not good enough for an "A" grade of course.

Jacob Bender has a chance to be a nice developmental prospect at tackle. 

He has a chance to one day become a tackle. See? I told you Mel likes to write shit like this that may not mean too much.

Oakland Raiders: GRADE C+

JaMarcus Russell was a no-brainer because he has the chance to be a franchise quarterback.

"No-brainer" is how I would describe JaMarcus Russell too.

The Raiders have been trying for years to draft a tight end, and they took Zach Miller in the second round.

I'm confused by this. Who was stopping the Raiders from drafting a tight end? The team was handing in draft cards with a tight end's name on it and the NFL was changing the pick to another position that wasn't tight end? Was this all Todd Christensen's doing? Let's blame JaMarcus Russell for this too.

safety Eric Frampton was a solid fifth-round pick out of Washington State; and Orenthal O'Neal is a good lead blocker for a fullback. 

O'Neal is a good lead blocker for a fullback? That's nice to know considering a fullback's main role on the field is to be the lead blocker. I don't think Mel even knew where he was going with this sentence.

The Raiders did everything right except for one pick Mel didn't like, got a guy who had a chance to be a franchise quarterback and only got a "C" grade.

Philadelphia Eagles: GRADE: C-

It's the Mel Kiper version of an "F".

First, they made a trade with the Cowboys, who used the pick on defensive end Anthony Spencer. Then, the Eagles used the 36th overall pick (their first pick in the draft) on Houston QB Kevin Kolb when QBs Drew Stanton, John Beck and Trent Edwards were all still on the board.

Yeah, that was probably a smart move in retrospect.

C.J. Gaddis, I thought, would have been a priority free agent instead of a fifth-rounder; Brent Celek is an average tight end prospect;

Gaddis probably should have been a priority free agent, while Brent Celek is still being average on the Eagles roster and has 344 catches, 4300 plus yards, and 27 touchdowns on his NFL career so far.

Pittsburgh Steelers: GRADE: B

For the 3-4 defense, Lawrence Timmons was a good pick in the first round and using their second-round choice on LaMarr Woodley will give the Steelers some versatility in that Woodley could play as a defensive end in four-man fronts. I'm not sure how effective he can be as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme,

57 sacks, 9 forced fumbles, and 5 interceptions. He seems like he's been pretty effective as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme.

I liked the fourth-round pick on Daniel Sepulveda, a left-footed punter with a big leg;

BUT HOW FAST CAN HE RUN? FAKE PUNTS HAPPEN, YOU KNOW!

Another boring "B" grade...

St. Louis Rams: GRADE: C+

I really like the pick of Brian Leonard in the second round because he gives St. Louis options on offense. He can spell Steven Jackson at running back, play fullback when necessary, and also be used as a move tight end or H-back. 

Unfortunately, Leonard seemed to do more of that type of thing with the Bengals than the Rams.

Former wide receiver Jonathan Wade is still raw as a cornerback but was a decent third-round pick; center Dustin Fry is an overachiever; and Cliff Ryan should be able to contribute along the defensive line. 

That's it. If the "C+" grade didn't tip you off, then the lack of interest shown by Mel in evaluating these picks is a tip off that he was bored at this point in this draft grades. Mel just hands out "C's" and "B+" from here on out. Which really isn't straying too far from the grades he handed over this entire column.

San Diego Chargers: GRADE: C

Wide receiver Craig Davis was a slight reach in the first round, but he does fill a major need.

The need to draft a guy nicknamed "Buster" who ends up being a little bit of a bust?

Tight end Scott Chandler is a good pass catcher but a marginal blocker, and WR Legedu Naanee has long-range potential.

I guess there's not much to say about Naanee other than "He may be pretty good one day."

San Francisco 49ers: GRADE: B+

The 49ers got Patrick Willis, Joe Staley, Ray McDonald (for better or worse), Dashon Goldson, and Tarell Brown in this draft. It sounds like an "A" draft to me now.

After the 49ers took a tackling machine in linebacker Patrick Willis with the 11th pick, I liked seeing them move back into the first round (trading for New England's second first-round pick) and get Joe Staley, one of the best offensive tackles in the draft. QB Alex Smith needs someone who's going to protect his blind side, and Staley could do that for years to come.

And he did. He also protected Colin Kaepernick's blind side.

Dashon Goldson is more of a backup cornerback;

Or a starting safety. Either way.

Seattle Seahawks: GRADE: C

Mansfield Wrotto (4th round) went a little high for a player I think will be a backup;

A 4th round pick is too high for a player who will be a backup? Mel thinks NFL teams are expected to still find starters in the 4th round? I don't see how that's a reasonable expectation.

wide receiver Jordan Kent, son of Oregon basketball coach Ernie Kent, also has some ability. 

It's always nice that the Seahawks drafted a wide receiver with some ability. Mel's ability to give a fuck is growing weak right now.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: GRADE: C

This was a bad luck draft. Gaines Adams never really produced for the Buccaneers and never got a chance to redeem himself with the Bears before he passed away. The Bucs 2nd round pick, Arron Sears had to retire due to a neurological condition.

Tanard Jackson is an aggressive cornerback who could move inside to safety;

And he did.

linebacker Adam Hayward is a marginal prospect;

He's still in the NFL.

and offensive tackle Chris Denman is underrated and an overachiever and I like his chances of making the team. 

He did not. He was placed on injured reserve, then released prior to the 2008 season.

Tennessee Titans: GRADE: C-

Vince Young needed help at wide receiver, and the Titans had Robert Meachem staring right at them. Michael Griffin is a nice safety, but he was a luxury pick and the Titans couldn't afford to take a safety when they needed help at other positions.

What's the deal with Mel Kiper and luxury picks? The Titans needed to take the best football player that was available to them and not try to shoehorn a need into a player who plays that position, especially in the first round. Maybe later in the draft they should draft for need, but drafting for need and not finding the most talented player is a good way to miss on a first round pick. Michael Griffin is a two-time Pro Bowler, has made an All-Pro team and has had a nice career with the Titans.

The Titans also needed a running back, but Chris Henry wasn't productive in the Pac-10, so I'm not sold on taking him in the second round. Wide receivers Paul Williams, Chris Davis and Joel Filani are good but not great.

These statements all ended up being accurate. Though I have to question why Mel was so worked up over the Titans passing on getting Vince Young weapons at wide receiver when they drafted three receivers and a running back. They didn't draft the right wide receivers and running back of course, but at least they tried.

Tennessee could have done a better job of helping the offense around Young.

What's funny is Mel is so worried about the Titans offense he didn't talk about four players (Leroy Harris, Antonio Johnson, Jacob Ford, and Mike Otto) who were drafted by the Titans and had productive NFL careers. Instead, Mel gave the Titans a Kiper "F."

Washington Redskins: GRADE: C-

Washington had only one pick in the first four rounds and made the most of it, getting LaRon Landry. (You could argue Landry was the best defensive player in the draft). Drafting Landry will allow Sean Taylor to play center field and roam the middle of the field. Landry will be in the box, and that will negate his weakness, which is judging the deep ball.

Poor Sean Taylor. He was going to be considered such a great player by the time his career was over. 

linebacker HB Blades was a decent sixth-round pick although a bit undersized; and QB Jordan Palmer never really emerged as a potential starter. 

How does Mel know that Jordan Palmer never really emerged as a potential starter? It's true, but was Mel sent from the future to evaluate football players and tear down our very fabric of society by having the world laser-focused on the NFL draft so that the machines from the future can come and attack Earth while everyone is watching the draft? If so, he revealed himself here by using the future tense when discussing Jordan Palmer.

The least Mel could do if he really is from the future is be more risky with his draft grades (since he knows the outcome already) and not simply give every team some variation of a "B" or a "C." It's pointless to just say every NFL team did slightly above average or slightly below average when his only job at ESPN is to evaluate these players. He's supposed to have strong opinions based on watching tape over the year, not give out half-ass grades in order to avoid being seen as incorrect. I'm not asking for hot takes, just grades that seem to reflect his true attitude towards a team's draft.

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. 

5 comments Peter King Used to Hand Out NFL Draft Grades

So apparently Peter used to hand out NFL draft grades in MMQB. That's right, MMQB used to be a column that consisted of something other than Peter's reaction to the latest Meryl Streep movie, complaints about cab drivers who don't speak sufficient English, and 500 words about the week's most interesting Tweets. Thanks to Dave for pointing out these 2000 NFL Draft grades from Peter. Just look at his picture beside the column title. Peter was so young and so much less lofty than he is now. He was just a squirrel out in the world trying to find a nut or at least some good NFL nuggets to chew on. It's amazing how short MMQB used to be back then. It feels very bloated now compared to this one page Peter used to write for his readers every Monday.

I must preface my 2000 NFL Draft Report Card by saying I don't think these things are worth very much. 

And yet, he isn't doing them for fun, so either Peter is being forced to give out draft grades by Sports Illustrated or he chose to give them out and immediately wants us to dismiss his opinion.

I'm a guy who travels or interviews on Saturdays during the fall, catching snippets of games on TV with phone glued to ear. I remember watching Wisconsin beat up Iowa last fall from the Marriott Suites/Chicago O'Hare and seeing Ron Dayne dominate the game and thinking: Boy, is he slow hitting the hole, and is he lucky to have that mountainous offensive line. The NFL will eat him alive. True?

Yes, it was true.

I remember seeing Peter Warrick in the bowl game and thinking what a great NFL player he would be. And so for me to say I know with clarity who did well in the draft this weekend is stupid. 

"Hey everyone, come read this week's MMQB. It's really, really stupid because I try to grade each team's draft. It's incredibly dumb for me to do this, but I encourage you to read it anyway. You are a moron for reading these stupid grades because as someone who makes his living as an NFL insider I know nothing about any of the players entering the NFL Draft."

I will, however, tell you how I think each team did in assessing its needs, responding to its needs and maneuvering to address those needs on draft weekend. 

Yes, but how do you know how well a team addressed its needs on draft weekend if you have no idea how good the players they drafted are? So if a team covered all of their needs, but drafted players who were all back-ups at Division III schools would that team have done a good job on draft weekend? I doubt it. There has to be some analysis and knowledge of the players that are being picked in order know how well a team addressed its needs. Otherwise if you aren't aware of a player's talent then you can't judge how well the need for a team was filled. So Peter can't dismiss his knowledge on the players in the NFL Draft and then expect us to believe his grades as they pertain to filling a team's need.

My ground rules have one key element: With few exceptions, anything after the fourth round I don't count. Look at the fifth round in 1992, for instance.
Three of the 30 guys picked turned into good players -- Ed McDaniel, Santana Dotson, Joe Bowden. I'm not real high on a 10 percent rate of return. 

As we all have heard constantly, Tom Brady was picked in the sixth round of this very 2000 draft. It's sort of ironic Peter didn't worry about picks after the fourth round in this draft.

A-minus
 
1. Oakland. Now, I fault the Raiders for panicking and not dropping down once or twice 10 or so spots and getting an extra four, five or six while ensuring they'd still get their man, kicker Sebastian Janikowski.

This is a tough grade because the Raiders got Shane Lechler and Sebastian Janikowski with two picks. They got two quality players in this draft, but they were a punter and a kicker. The Raiders also took the kicker in the first round and passed up Shaun Alexander. I have a hard time giving this draft an "A-" even if the Raiders nailed down their punter and kicker for the next decade (or more).

B-plus

3. Tampa Bay. I count Keyshawn Johnson, who cost two ones and makes Shaun King 20 percent better just by suiting up. Cosey Coleman's an eight-year starter after Randall McDaniel retires. 

Actually Coleman started for seven years until he knees gave out on him. This is probably the right grade, even though Nate Webster was the second-best player to come out of this draft. Johnson did help Tampa Bay win a Super Bowl.

4. Washington. They picked the right guys. By the way, remember it's the long-lost Charley Casserly who made Arrington/Samuels happen. 

Did they pick the right guys though? I know Arrington had injuries, conflicts with the coaching staff and other issues, but Urlacher was still there for the Redskins to draft (more on Peter's opinion of Urlacher later). The Redskins didn't get anyone else out of this draft other than Arrington and Samuels. I'm not sure I can go all the way to a "B+" for a team that had two of the top 3 picks (with one of the guys not lasting past 2006 with Washington) and they didn't do anything with their other six picks. 

5. Buffalo. Pick 89 overall, Corey Moore, will be one of those classic Bills picks (they always get a very good player after the first round, every year), the kind of player GMs will regret passing on. 

Big miss here. The Bills regretted drafting Moore. Erik Flowers, the Bills' first round pick, didn't last to the 2002 season with the Bills and Corey Moore lasted one season in Buffalo. The Bills' second round pick Traveres Tillman last two seasons with the Bills. This was a bad draft for them and Sammy Morris is probably the best player to come out of it. It has to be an "F," right?

6. Green Bay. Bubba Franks becomes the next Mark Chmura, for health and off-field reasons, immediately. Late Sunday, one scout told me Na'il Diggs, the Ohio State linebacker picked in the fourth, will be a classic NFL playmaker, a quicker Spielman. 

It's hard to grade this draft fairly. The Packers had 13 picks and came away with Franks, Diggs, Clifton, Gbaja-Biamila and Mark Tauscher. That's a lot of picks in a draft, but the Packers did pretty well with five of them, so I have to agree (I know!) with Peter. This is a "B+" draft.

7. Pittsburgh. Here's one of my post-fourth-round exceptions: Love the pick of Tee Martin late in the fifth.

Well of course Peter is going to make an exception to the rule he just stated about not evaluating players past the fourth round. It's one of his northeast NFL teams and the Steelers drafted Tee Martin who was (Peter's boy) Peyton Manning's backup at Tennessee. That's a home run pick right there...or it was until it wasn't.

Watch the games. He belongs in the NFL.

I did watch the games and have the benefit of hindsight. It turns out Tee Martin did not belong in the NFL after all. He didn't belong in NFL Europe or the CFL either. 

Steelers got two big receivers (Plaxico Burress and Danny Farmer) and I have a sneaking feeling that Martin will be throwing to them in December, at the end of a lost Steelers season.

Tee Martin never ended up throwing a pass in the regular season as a Pittsburgh Steeler. So much for the Tee Martin era in Pittsburgh. The Steelers did draft Plaxico Burress, Marvel Smith, Kendrick Clancy and Clark Haggans though. Not a terrible draft. I think "B+" is a bit high though.

8. New England. J.R. Redmond will be the every-down back by Oct. 1. Not bad for the 76th overall pick. 

Redmond wasn't an every-down back by October 1. The Patriots did draft Adrian Klemm and Patrick Pass though. Oh, and they also drafted Tom Brady. I don't like giving out a grade based entirely on one pick, but I'm going to give the Patriots an "A" for this draft. That tends to happen when Hall of Fame quarterbacks are taken in the sixth round.

B
  
9. Tennessee. Good value in LB Keith Bulluck at 30. The Titans are the NFL's Linebacker U. 

Other than Bullock the Titans got Robaire Smith and Erron Kinney in this draft. I'm pretty sure that's not a "B" draft. Let's give this one a "C-" and move on.

10. Cleveland. Courtney Brown is a draft. 

No he's not. Courtney Brown is a bust. The Browns had 13 picks in this draft. That's a lot of picks and the best player they got out of this draft was Dennis Northcutt or Lewis Sanders. That's right. So what grade should I give this draft. They didn't draft all busts, and even Brown was okay when he was healthy, but this was a terrible draft for Cleveland. I'll be kind and give it a "D-."

11. San Francisco. The 49ers did the right thing by passing on Pennington.

Probably not. On the bright side they did draft Giovanni Carmazzi and Tim Rattay.

Four or five of the defensive draftees will be in the starting lineup on opening day, and none is a slam-dunk great player. Worrisome. But what choice did they have? This gives them the best chance to be good the fastest. 

It really depends on the scale you want to grade these picks on (like whether you think short-term contributors are valuable), but this wasn't a bad draft for San Francisco. A "B" might be a fair grade. The 49ers had 11 picks and got Ahmed Plummer, Julian Peterson, Tim Rattay, Jeff Ulbrich, John Engelberger, and Jason Webster. It's certainly not a murderer's row of picks, but they also played well and contributed for the 49ers.

C-plus

12. Jacksonville. R. Jay Soward and Tom Coughlin. Now that's a match made in heaven.

Soward was drafted later in the first round so I don't know if I would call him a bust, but he was one of the worst first round draft choices in the history of the NFL Draft. Soward had a drinking problem, didn't want to be a first round pick and played in Jacksonville for one season catching 14 passes. This was a match made in Hell, not heaven. Even the most disciplinarian-type coach can't coach an alcoholic who won't listen to anyone.

Why do I give this a chance? Because scouts love Soward -- assuming he'd have someone to lean on him 25 hours a day. 

So it could work as long as the Jaguars never let Soward out of their sight. That sounds like a plan that had no way of working. The Jaguars did excellent in getting Brad Meester, Rob Meier, and Danny Clark. I'm not sure that deserves a "C+" grade. I would bump it down to a "C."

14. Jets. Call me a nut. I like Laveranues Coles, who has Deion speed and, at 77 overall, is an almost riskless pick.

Actually Coles was 78th overall, but third round picks really aren't "riskless" picks. A team hopes a player chosen in the third round can be ready to be contribute or be a quality backup. So there is some risk involved in the pick, especially since the Jets had just traded Keyshawn Johnson.

The Jets had four first round picks and Peter barely mentions them. I find that somewhat odd.

The big question here is: Is Keyshawn Johnson for John Abraham and Anthony Becht a good trade? Didn't think you'd think it was.

Actually that's not a terrible trade. John Abraham was a really good player for the Jets until he left to go to the Falcons. The Jets got Shaun Ellis, Abraham, Pennington, and Becht in the first round, as well as getting Coles in the third round. I have to give this draft at the very least a "B+" and possibly an "A-." Becht wasn't ever great, but Ellis, Pennington and Coles were good players for the Jets for a while.

C
 
15. Giants. I do think Dayne's a plodder, which would be okay here if he had a line to open a hole for him.

This was a good call by Peter. Dayne was a plodder.

The Giants have picked six in the top three rounds of the past seven drafts: Thomas Lewis, Amani Toomer, Ike Hilliard, Joe Jurevicius, Brian Alford, and, this year, Lambuth (Tenn.) College's Ron Dixon. You see, then, why I am not advocating Ron Dixon buy a split-level in Tenafly, or even a condo in Hackensack. 

Peter King with the brief travelogue on north Jersey. I would say this was a "C" draft and Peter was right, but I have to give the Giants credit for hitting on Short and Dhani Jones. Well, maybe a "C" sounds about right. Actually, I'll be kind and go with a "C+."

16. Baltimore.

But the Ravens were dumb not to trade down from 5 for a bounty of picks. Shaun Alexander (who went 19th) will be a better pro than Jamal Lewis (fifth), by the way. 

They were actually pretty equal to each other. Lewis (along with the Ravens defense) did lead Baltimore to a Super Bowl victory, so maybe I would give him the slight edge. He was more a plodder and never had a high per carry average for much of his career, so maybe Alexander has the edge. Clearly this part of Peter's draft grades has me very confused.

Either way, the Ravens left this draft with Travis Taylor and Adalius Thomas also. I think a grade a bit higher than "C" is required, but not too much higher.

17. Arizona. The Thomas Jones draft. He'd better be the long-term back there, because they've spent too many picks trying to get this right. 

He was a long-term back, but just not for the Cardinals, but for the Jets and Chiefs. The other best players from this draft for the Cardinals were Raynoch Thompson, David Barrett and Darwin Walker. I'm thinking this is more of a "D" draft. The Cardinals waived Walker before he even played one game.

18. Cincinnati. One scout I like said Sunday: "I always like their draft. Then every year their team stinks. I don't know what that means."

This is not even a "C" draft. This was the Neil Rackers Draft. Does that excite you to hear?

I will say this: Peter Warrick will be the offensive rookie of the year or my name is Giovanni Carmazzi. 

Warrick wasn't the offensive rookie of the year and Peter King has still not changed his name. They got Neil Rackers, so that moves this draft into "D-" territory and explains why the Bengals struggled so much at the beginning of the 2000's.

19. Denver. Deltha O'Neal is a better returner than corner; Denver needs him to be great at both jobs. Bill Romanowski, those are Ian Gold's footsteps you're feeling. And his hot breath on your neck.  

Even though O'Neal wasn't great, this probably wasn't a "C" draft. The Broncos got Cooper Carlisle, Mike Anderson, Kenoy Kennedy, and Ian Gold in this draft. Okay, so maybe it isn't much higher than a "C," but it is higher.

20. Kansas City. I like Sylvester Morris.

Well, at least someone liked Morris. The game of football did not like him. He was injured and ineffective for most of his career.

But I can't figure for the life of me why Carl Peterson, who is a smart man, didn't go out and spend a couple of picks to save his running game for years by dealing for Corey Dillon. Dumb, dumb, dumb. 

In retrospect this probably would have been a good move. The Chiefs also got Dante Hall in this draft, so that was fun for a while.

C-minus

21. Carolina. Top pick Rashard Anderson, a corner/safety, has hands of stone. Not a good quality for an interceptor. 

Oh, and he also had a drug problem. Who doesn't miss the George Seifert era in Carolina? This may shock you, but a team that went 1-15 in 2001 did not have a good draft in 2000. Jeno James and Deon Grant played a big part in the 2003 Super Bowl run, but that's about it.

Lester Towns did teach me a valuable football-related lesson that sometimes tackles are overrated. SOMEBODY has to tackle the ball-carrier and that explains how he had 91 tackles in 2001 despite being the slowest linebacker I have ever seen play. That 2001 team was so terrible somebody had to tackle the opposing player after a 5-6 yard gain.

23. Chicago. Brian Urlacher had better be great. I keep getting a feeling that he might be 80 percent player, 20 percent shoot-up-the-chart myth. 

He's also 100% a Hall of Famer. Remember Peter thought Urlacher was 20% shoot-up-the-chart myth the next time Peter talks about how great Urlacher is. The Bears also got Mike Brown and Paul Edinger in this draft. Anytime a team drafts a Hall of Fame linebacker in the draft I think that draft deserves an "A" not a "C."

SPECIAL ENTRANT IN THE C-MINUS CATEGORY: Brett Favre's Pennzoil commercial. Cute, almost. But you-know-what about the day job. 

Not that Peter has ever had any type of obsession with Brett Favre of course. He still randomly brings Favre up now after Favre has retired and has managed to force a Favre reference into MMQB for over a decade now.

26. Miami. JIMMY JOHNSON HAS NO PICKS TO PLAY WITH! VIDEO AT 11! 

Whew! That's painfully unfunny. I'm embarrassed for Peter.

27. San Diego. When you have one pick in the top 80, as it seems the Chargers do every year, draft is annually unimpactful. 

This draft was an "F." Damion McIntosh was pretty good for a while, but there's not much else here. Okay, if I give the Bengals a "D-" for drafting Neil Rackers maybe I could give this draft an "F+."

29. Atlanta. Their draft looks totally non-impactful. 

This draft wasn't totally non-impactful, but about as close it can be. Travis Claridge is the best player in this draft for the Falcons. Another "F" draft. Peter has to be meaner.

30. Dallas.

Another "F" draft. It's either Mario Edwards or Michael Wiley that were the best picks in this draft.

31. New Orleans. Uninspired. And it's all Ricky Williams' fault. 

Not really uninspired. The Saints landed Tutan Reyes (not great, but he played for a while in the NFL ), Marc Bulger, Darren Howard, Chad Morton, and Terrelle Smith. It's not a "D" draft, but considering they didn't have a first round pick they didn't do too terribly.

3. I think ESPN does a wonderful job covering the draft.

Of course Peter King thought ESPN did a wonderful job. It makes sense. He probably still thinks this.

I did, however, love the ripping by Ron Jaworski of the Browns' picking a Spergon Wynn over Joe Hamilton in round six.

It's good to see Jaws was ripping a draft choice that 13 years later would be seen as debating the value of a turd burger versus a shit sandwich.

There are days, those close to Parcells say, when he thinks he'd like to stay in the Jet front office beyond this offseason. But there are more days that he finds himself thinking how good a life it would be to live in Sea Girt, N.J., a block from the Atlantic Ocean, and, about noon every Saturday, either drive or helicopter up to Bristol, Conn., to work Sundays and Mondays in the ESPN studios. Two workdays a week for what I'm sure must be nearly seven figures.

We had to deal with another decade of Parcells threatening to "come out of retirement" and coach the Buccaneers, then he actually coached the Cowboys, and finally he ended up in the Dolphins front office. I'm not sure if Parcells was ever really thinking about how good life could be a block from the Atlantic Ocean. He was more interested in putting out feelers for jobs and then denying his interest in those jobs.

corners Robert Bean and Anthony Midget went to Cincinnati and Atlanta, respectively. Midget's 5-10, so I guess he's no Mini-Me. 

An "Austin Power" reference. It was the year 2000, so Peter was just being hip and "with it."

8. I think I wonder why the Grande Hazelnut Latte at the Starbucks bars I frequent in Burlingame, Calif., and Embarcadero when in the Bay Area costs $2.95, while the Grande Hazelnut Latte at my Starbucks in Montclair, N.J., costs $3.45. Does it cost 50 cents to ship a pod of espresso from Seattle to New Jersey?

Peter was still complaining about the cost of coffee 13 years ago. I'm pretty sure he will never stop doing this. The reason the prices differ is because it very well could cost Starbucks more money to ship the coffee across the United States or Starbucks just knows Peter will pay whatever it costs to get the Grande Hazelnut Latte wherever he may be.

Shouldn't I have better things to worry about on draft weekend? 

Absolutely. Should you not complain every time you are inconvenienced in any way while in public? Again, yes, but it has never stopped you.

10. I think opening weekend is exactly 20 weeks away. I like Tampa Bay over Indy for the marbles. 

It was Baltimore over the New York Giants. Tampa Bay and Indy both lost in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. It's been over a decade, but MMQB isn't too much different, just much, much longer and it contains more material that is non-NFL related. 

4 comments Grading Mel Kiper's 2002 NFL Draft Grades

This is probably one of my favorite things to write. I like to go back and see what Mel Kiper said about each NFL team's draft and see what kind of grades Kiper gave each team's draft. It goes to show two things. First, it goes to show that Mel Kiper doesn't traditionally go out on a limb in giving these grades. You see a lot of "C's" and "B's." In fact, in his 2002 NFL Draft grades there are only three grades that aren't some variation of a "B" or a "C." Think about that. Three teams did excellent or poorly and otherwise Mel thinks each team did "well" to "average." What is the point of draft grades if they are just going to be an exercise in hedging? The second reason I like covering Kiper's grades is that it goes to prove there are no draft experts. It's mostly guessing. So kudos to Mel Kiper for making ESPN pay him to be an expert on something it is nearly impossible to be an expert on.

So the 2002 draft grades for Mel are behind a pay wall, so I had to get creative. I will be using his first round commentary and what Mel wrote that I found on this message board. I traditionally would hate copying an article off a message board and hope it is true that these are his grades, but it certainly reads like something Mel would write. Plus, there is a huge gap in my Kiper grades. I have done the 2001, 2003, 2004, and 2005 drafts. So I need to find a way to do the 2002 NFL Draft one way or another. I have found my way.

I'll start with the NFC and provide commentary when necessary about what Mel said about each team's first round pick as well.

Dallas Cowboys
 
As Jimmy Johnson would say, "How 'bout them Cowboys?"

I told you this sounds like something Mel would write.

For value and talent, WR Antonio Bryant is the best pick of any position in the draft. Despite his 4.6 clocking in the 40, he has a ton of ability. He should come in ready to prove his doubters wrong. Former Cowboy great Michael Irvin was similar in a lot of ways to Bryant.

They were both troublemakers off the field. After that, there's not a ton more comparison between these two players. One is a Hall of Famer and the other is not. 

DB Pete Hunter could have been a fourth-rounder, so he is not a bad fifth-round pick.

Pete Hunter also could have gone undrafted too. So that makes him a bad pick.

OT Tyson Hunter and TE Bob Slowikowski have a chance as backups.

Tyson Hunter doesn't have a chance as a backup because the Cowboys didn't draft a Tyson Hunter. They did draft a Tyson Walker though. I always love it when Kiper says a player "has a chance as a backup" as if this is a statement of some importance. Yep, that could be backup or a starter. Not a good point.

Then in discussing the Cowboys first round pick of Roy Williams, Kiper says:

He will step in at free safety and form an awesome, deep-patrol tandem with strong safety Darren Woodson. There may not be a bigger defensive difference-maker in the draft than Williams.

Other than Dwight Freeney and Julius Peppers, but really, who is counting? 

He comes up into the box to deliver bone-jarring blows. He is also just as comfortable operating in coverage.

But IS Williams just as comfortable operating in coverage? Is he? 

Grade: A

Kiper loved this draft. They got Roy Williams, Andre Gurode, and Antonio Bryant out of this draft. I'd say that's a solid "B-" in my opinion. But I guess since there are only two more grades that aren't a "B" or a "C" I should be happy Kiper didn't use one of those letters.

New York Giants

WR Tim Carter helped himself at the Senior Bowl practices. But remember, at the beginning of the year, I had Carter as a fifth- or sixth-round pick. He would have been better as a third-rounder rather than a second. I would have taken Antonio Bryant over Carter.

I rip Kiper, but he was very correct about this evaluation. Blind nut. Squirrel. You get the rest.

LB Nick Griesen could be the long snapper and a backup linebacker.

Griesen could be a long snapper or he could also be a financial advisor or any other profession he should choose. The world is your oyster Nick Griesen.

(Actually, Griesen was one of the Giants better picks)

WR Daryl Jones has a chance to make the team because he was a decent player at Miami.

In-depth evaluation here. "Daryl Jones played football and was okay at it."

LB Quincy Monk was around the ball a lot at North Carolina

Which in terms of playing linebacker in the NFL, it is always useful to be around the football. It's hard to tackle a running back when you aren't near the football.

Grade: B-

The Giants hit on one player in this draft, Jeremy Shockey. I will call this a "D" draft for that reason.

Philadelphia Eagles

I was surprised they addressed their defensive backfield with their first three picks, but I can see why they did it. They need to beat Steve Spurrier's Redskins in the same division and beat the Rams to go to the Super Bowl. Coach Andy Reid said they wanted to get younger in the secondary.

So Andy Reid said he wanted to go younger in the secondary and it makes sense the Eagles went younger in the secondary, but Mel is still surprised? Really?

CB Sheldon Brown was a slight reach in the second round. They also reached on RB Brian Westbrook. While he is versatile, he needs to show necessary explosiveness. His key is his ability as a punt and kick returner and as a pass-receiving option. I guess they hope he can be a young Brian Mitchell.

Wow, quite a few misses in a row there. Brian Westbrook showed the necessary explosiveness that Mel wanted to see I guess. We know now that Brian Westbrook was better than Brian Mitchell and Sheldon Brown wasn't a reach at all. Now, Mel's misses continue...

In the fourth round, I like C Scott Peters because he is an underrated, tough, hard-nosed anchor who can also play guard -- and they needed a versatile interior lineman. I had no problems with the picks of WR Freddie Milons in the fifth or LB Tyreo Harrison in the sixth.

Combined, these three players played four seasons for the Eagles. Good job, Mel. Brian Westbrook and Sheldon Brown suck, but these three forgettable picks were good ones.

Grade: C+

The Eagles got Lito Sheppard, Michael Lewis, Sheldon Brown, Brian Westbrook and Raheem Brock out of this draft. Sure, they cut Brock, but they still drafted him. This feels like an "A-" draft to me and I'm probably being a little conservative.

Washington Redskins

I like what the Redskins did. They moved down twice, picked up extra picks and still got QB Patrick Ramsey.

They traded away the chance to get Ed Reed AND landed Patrick Ramsey? It doesn't get much better than that.

I really like the Redskins' final pick, FB Rock Cartwright. At 5-foot-7, 240 pounds, he ran a 4.46 in the 40 and did 30 strength reps. He is a very capable receiver, and as a lead blocker he was able to spring Josh Scobey to daylight off the edge on the option pitch.

Grade: B-

I'm trying to decide if Rock Cartwright, Ladell Betts, Patrick Ramsey, Robert Royal or Andre Lott were the best picks for the Redskins in this draft. Sounds like a "D" to me. Yeah, they didn't really land any good players, but they got a bunch of okay, but not really okay players. Plus, they traded back to avoid drafting that bum Ed Reed.

Chicago Bears

I like what the Bears did, drafting OT Marc Colombo. They have a question at left tackle, and he can play both tackle spots.

I think Mel left off the word "well" at the end of this sentence. Colombo could play both tackle spots, but not play them well, which was the problem.

DB Roosevelt Williams was a nice third-round pick because he could have been a second-rounder.

Jimmy Clausen could have been a first round pick but that doesn't mean he was a good pick in the second round. Poor reasoning.

The Bears needed an edge pass rusher, and DE Alex Brown made sense in the fourth round.

"The Bears needed a defensive end and Alex Brown plays defensive end. This pick makes sense and this is what passes for analysis in a job I claim to be an expert at." I give this draft a "C-" because I am mean.

Grade: B

Detroit Lions

I had Joey Harrington ranked as 1A to a 1 for David Carr. 

Of course you did Mel. I have eating crap ranked 1A to a 1 for drinking piss, but that doesn't mean they are two good options for dinner.

He is perfectly suited for the dome, where any questions about arm strength would be minimized. Coming from Oregon, Harrington is ideal for Marty Mornhinweg's West Coast offense. He also has a desire to win and to excel.

Plus, Harrington plays the piano and is available for parties!

OT Victor Rogers was a nice pick at the end of the draft; no one would have argued if he had gone in the fourth or fifth rounds.

Now we argue over whether he should have been drafted at all.

Now for Mel's breakdown of the Harrington pick...

Harrington is the third highest player on my draft board and deserved to go in this area. Playing in Mike Bellotti's offense at Oregon, Harrington is a great fit for Mornhinweg's West Coast scheme. Harrington, who has a Brett Favre-like flair for the dramatic,

The difference is that Brett Favre is a drama queen who is interested in helping his team come back late in the game in dramatic fashion. Joey Harrington was more likely to try to make it as a dramatic actor than help his team come back late in the game. 

The Lions had to make a pick to generate fan interest in their team, especially with a new stadium coming soon. 

So Lions fans, at least you had your interest in the team increased and then completely stomped on as if your interest never really meant anything in the first place. 

Grade: B

Let's see, missing on the #3 overall pick and and the best pick being between Kalimba Edwards or Andre Goodman...what kind of draft does that seem like to you? I'm the anti-Mel Kiper in that I keep giving out "D's" instead of "B's" and "C's."

Green Bay Packers
 
The Packers moved up to get WR Javon Walker when they could have stood pat and still gotten him.

I'm not sure how Mel knows the Packers could have stayed pat and gotten Walker, but he's the expert isn't he?

DB Marques Anderson was only a so-so pick in the third round. I like the selection of FB Najeh Davenport in the fourth round; he was my top-rated player at the position. DE Aaron Kampman has a motor that never stops.

Grade: C

Overall, not terrible analysis by Mel. He didn't like where the Packers traded up to get Walker and didn't like their third round draft choice, yet he gives them a "C?" I don't know if I get that logic. I think Walker was a good choice, Dookie Davenport was a good choice, and Aaron Kampmann was also a really good choice. I think I give them a "C+" just so I am not like Mel.

Minnesota Vikings

I have questions about the Vikings.

The team? Or the Norse explorers who are famous (wrongly in many ways) for raiding and pillaging other groups of individuals? Or does Mel have questions about both?

They didn't turn their card in to bypass Dallas and get Ryan Sims, the player they really wanted. They have to be prepared for situations like that.

Yeah, that's not even really a single question, much less "questions." It sounds more like Mel Kiper had a statement to make about the Vikings.

Nevertheless, OT Bryant McKinnie is a nice pick and solid prospect at left tackle. He needs to be a better run blocker and has to sustain his blocks. He could be a great pick because Daunte Culpepper and Randy Moss are the franchise. To perform at a high level, they need a quality LT. What looks like a mistake could end up being a blessing.

It was a blessing, especially considering Ryan Sims was a bust.

The big question about McKinnie has been his run-blocking, which is a surprise considering his size. He tends to fall off blocks and not sustain them.

Should it really be surprising that McKinnie, who is huge, would have some trouble in run-blocking? After all, he is big and part of run-blocking is getting leverage and his size could have hurt him in some ways in regard to getting leverage. 

Grade: C

The Vikings got Bryant McKinnie right and did pretty well in drafting Brian Williams. Other than that, there wasn't much else. I'll give them a "C-" like Mel did. McKinnie pretty much makes this draft for them.

Atlanta Falcons
 
I was surprised they did not go after a wide receiver early in the draft as a primary target for Michael Vick.

If the Falcons really wanted to find a primary target for Michael Vick they would have drafted a carpet for the Georgia Dome since that is what most of Vick's passes ended up skipping off of.

They could have had one of consequence in the first round, like Ashley Lelie or Javon Walker.

It's weird Mel says the Falcons could have had Walker at #18 but then he criticized the Packers for drafting Walker at #20. A little consistency please.

Mel doesn't even mention the best pick from this draft, Kevin Shaffer, but if he did mention him then I am sure he would say something non-meaningful like "Shaffer has a chance to be a backup."

Duckett has the potential to be like a Jerome Bettis,

You mean from the state of Michigan and retired by the time the 2009 season comes around? 

Michael Vick needs receivers to throw to. The Falcons need to address the receiver situation, which is what I thought they would do with this pick.

Grade: C

So Mel Kiper didn't like how the Falcons used their first round draft choice and the Falcons didn't have a second round draft choice...but they got a "C." I'm pretty sure Mel doesn't even pay attention to his grades. Duckett wasn't terrible and Shaffer was a starter for a while in the NFL, but the Falcons missed on nearly every other pick. Look like another "D" draft to me.

Carolina Panthers

RB DeShaun Foster is talented, but he needs to learn to take better care of the football and to prove he can play a full season without injury.

Neither of which he ever proved.

LB Will Witherspoon made sense in the third round.

"Will Witherspoon played football in college, so it makes sense an NFL team would draft him to play football in the NFL."

TE Keith Heinrich was an excellent choice in the sixth round, and OG Pete Campion was solid in the seventh.

Grade: B

Neither player ever did anything in the NFL. Kiper brought out the "B" and "C"-only dartboard again and came back with a "B" for Carolina. They got Peppers, Foster was good for a while, and Witherspoon was the prototypical linebacker who is good enough to start, but not good enough for a team to want to keep him as a starter. I gave the Vikings a "C" for drafting McKinnie and this is probably a step above that. Let's go with a "C+" for this draft.

New Orleans Saints

Because the Saints had already added Jerome Pathon in the offseason, I felt they could have taken Albert Haynesworth or Patrick Buchanon. But in drafting Donte Stallworth, they get a receiver with speed and big-play ability to go along with Joe Horn. DE Charles Grant was a reach at No. 25 overall; he had one great game, but wasn't a factor in others. He was on my overrated list,

I would say the Saints did a really good job by drafting Charles Grant. Stallworth did have speed, but that's about all he did in the NFL, other than test the league's new discipline policy when he ran over a pedestrian while high.

C LeCharles Bentley was an excellent second-round choice because he can play center or guard.

Very good call. Bentley was a great choice.

Instead of drafting QB J.T. O'Sullivan in the sixth, they could have taken Seth Burford.

I'm not falling for that one, Mel. Seth Burford isn't a real person and you can't trick me into thinking that he is.

Grade: B-

A "B-" for a draft that netted the Saints two starters, a good speed receiver, a couple good contributors in James Allen and Mel Mitchell, and the guy who has tied the NFL record for "most teams played for" in J.T. Sullivan? No thank you. That's a solid "B+" draft at a minimum.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Because they gave up picks to land coach Jon Gruden, the Bucs didn't draft until the third round. I'm a big Gruden fan, though.

He did lead them to a Super Bowl, so there is a reason to be a big Gruden fan I guess.

S Jermaine Phillips is solid as a fifth-rounder, but there were better players at his position on the board.

Grade: B

Jermaine Phillips is the only player out of this draft for Jon Gruden and the Bucs who stayed with the team for longer than a few seasons. He was a very good pick. It's hard to grade this draft since Gruden got the Bucs a Super Bowl, but this draft was very, very weak. For the draft-only I would have to go with a "D-." It's pretty brutal outside of Jermaine Phillips.

Arizona Cardinals
 
The Cardinals laid the building blocks for a much stronger front seven with the solid selections of DT Wendell Bryant and LB Levar Fisher in the first two rounds.

Wendell Bryant repeatedly violated the NFL drug policy and Levar Fisher had injuries. So these building blocks turned into nothing for the Cardinals.

I have mixed opinions about their first third-round pick, QB Josh McCown. He has size, athleticism and mobility, but he is still developing as a passer. He needs to improve his accuracy and decision-making and has only a decent arm.

Of all the players from this Cardinals draft, which one has made the biggest NFL impact? You guessed it, Josh McCown, the guy who Mel had mixed opinions about.

At Wisconsin, he received no help and had to constantly fight through double teams. But Bryant remained a destructive force, getting after quarterbacks like Antwaan Randle El, Drew Brees and Joey Harrington. 

This is ironic that Bryant got no help at Wisconsin because he wasn't any help to his teammates in the NFL. 

Grade: B 

Almost none of these players made any NFL impact at all and the Cardinals essentially missed on their first two draft picks. There's no way around it, I see this as an "F" draft.

St. Louis Rams

I like CB Travis Fisher as a nickel or dime type of defensive back, but in the fourth round, not the second.

I saw him projected as a seventh round pick when I was researching to post these grades of Mel Kiper's grades. Still, Fisher played more like a second round pick than a seventh round pick. Mel actually has this Rams draft fairly correct. It wasn't great.

C Chris Massey is nothing more than a long snapper.
 
Grade: D

Yes, but Massey is a very, very good long snapper. He had a run of 528 clean snaps during his career and only messed up one snap out of 703 snaps. That's impressive. Fisher wasn't terrible, Thomas wasn't worth a first round pick, and the pick that lasted the longest with the Rams was a long snapper. I think Mel had the right grade.

San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers wanted a cornerback and went for Mike Rumph, a big, press-coverage type who must prove he has the necessary recovery speed to hold up. He is an excellent tackler who could be moved to safety down the road; once upon a time, Ronnie Lott did the same thing with great success.

Rumph did move to safety, but unfortunately he was absolutely nothing like Ronnie Lott. He was injured a lot and wasn't even close to being on-par with Lott regardless of injuries.

QB Brandon Doman is a more mobile version of Ty Detmer.

"A mobile version of Ty Detmer..." How did Doman not go in the first round?

I also like OG Eric Heitmann as a value pick in the seventh round. OT Kyle Kosier has a chance to be a backup at tackle or guard.

This was a very weird 49ers draft. Eric Heitmann was with the team until 2011 and Kyle Kosier was in the NFL until 2011 as well. They were probably the two best picks in this draft for the 49ers.

Grade: B-

Mike Rumph wasn't a bust, but the 49ers had 10 picks and hit on their two 7th round picks best. Sounds like a "C" draft to me.

Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks moved down and lost an opportunity to get Daniel Graham. Instead, they got TE Jerramy Stevens, who has a lot of upside.

He also has the ability to smack a bitch if she gives him too much lip. Well, he is also arguably maybe or maybe not a rapist, but I won't knock the Seahawks down in their draft grade for that.

Terreal Bierria has the physical ability to be a backup safety or to play special teams.

He also has the physical ability to commit first degree murder. But again, I wouldn't dare let this affect my grade of this draft.

DT Rocky Bernard could work into the rotation along the defensive line.

Or he could also end up being the best player from this Seahawks draft.

Grade: C- 

That grade seems about fair to me.

Buffalo Bills
 
Knowing they would land Drew Bledsoe for their first-round pick in 2003 and that they had acquired Trey Teague through free agency, the Bills addressed their offensive line even more with the first-round pick of OT Mike Williams. It will enable them to move Jonas Jennings inside to guard. The Bills now have the makings of an outstanding offensive line.

This would have been if Mike Williams had not been a tremendous bust in the NFL. He didn't pan out and the Bills tried to move him around the offensive line to no avail.

I had Williams rated ahead of Bryant McKinnie after the knee injury wasn't viewed as a concern.

Epic miss on Mel's part.

WR Josh Reed was an excellent second-round pick. He has quickness, a burst out of his break and outstanding ability in the open field. DE Ryan Denney has a motor that is comparable to Phil Hansen, who just retired. I really like the selection of S Coy Wire in the third round. He went earlier than I thought, but he could be a better pro than his Stanford teammate, Tank Williams, who went in the second round to Tennessee.

My head is aching from this logic. Mel liked the pick of Coy Wire in third round, though he thinks Wire could be better than the guy drafted in the second round. So if Wire could be better than a second round pick, why be surprised Wire went in the third round?

Grade: B

This was a pretty good draft for the Bills, Mike Williams not included. Josh Reed, Ryan Denney, Justin Bannan, and Coy Wire all spent considerable time in the NFL and Bannan is still in the NFL. I wouldn't give it a "B" since the Bills missed so hard on their first pick, but I think I could go with a "B-."

Miami Dolphins

I love RB Leonard Henry; he's an outstanding seventh-round pick who runs with determination. He can excel down the field catching the ball and operated in a sophisticated offense under Steve Logan. He could be a solid backup to Williams.
 
Grade: B

Leonard Henry did almost nothing in his two seasons with the Dolphins. They got Randy McMichael and Seth McKinney out of this draft and that's about it. They didn't have a first round pick because they traded for Ricky Williams. Considering they had five picks I think Mel's grade is probably appropriate.

New England Patriots

WR Deion Branch was a bit of a reach, but he was productive at Louisville and has ability as a kick and punt returner.

Branch wasn't a reach at all. He has had a long and very productive NFL career. 

DE Jarvis Green is OK as a fourth-rounder who can pass rush off the edge.

A defensive end who can pass rush? Whoever heard of such a thing?

WR David Givens didn't produce enough game-changing plays, but he has good size and is an excellent athlete.

And really, is there a more fair way to judge a 7th round pick than how many game changing plays he made in college? 

Grade: B

Daniel Graham had a sort of frustrating career with the Patriots, but Branch and Givens were very important to the Patriots winning two more Super Bowls. Jarvis Green became an important part of the Patriots defensive line over the next 6-7 years. This draft seems to me like an "A-" draft to me. It isn't so much the quality of player, but how these players helped the Patriots win a couple more Super Bowls.

New York Jets

The Jets didn't address their desperate need at cornerback, where they lost both starters -- Aaron Glenn and Marcus Coleman -- in the expansion draft. Instead of drafting someone like Lito Sheppard, they opted for DE Bryan Thomas. I would have looked at a free safety over a cornerback, but not a defensive end.

Though he hasn't been outstanding through his career, Thomas is still on the Jets roster, so that has to count for something.

I like DT Alan Harper in the fourth because he can make plays, even he lacks ideal computer numbers.

What are "ideal computer numbers" for a nose tackle again?

OG Jonathan Goodwin was a major reach in the fifth round; I had a free-agent grade on him.
 
Grade: C

92 games started and one Pro Bowl later Jonathan Goodwin still wasn't a reach in the fifth round.

The Jets had five picks and three of these picks were in the NFL for almost a decade and one of these picks is still on the team. Granted, none of these players were outstanding for the Jets, but I give them a "B" for three quality picks out of five picks.

Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens had targeted two players, Levi Jones and William Green, but neither one was on the board at No. 24. So they went for their third option, FS Edward Reed, a playmaker and someone they really needed in their decimated secondary.

Wow, the Ravens dodged two big bullets there didn't they? They could have gotten Levi Jones or William Green and instead drafted a Hall of Famer.

Grade: B

The Ravens drafted a Hall of Famer, a punter that is still in the NFL, and Chester Taylor in this draft out of 10 possible picks. It's hard to knock a draft where the Ravens draft a Hall of Famer at #24, so I'm going to give Mel's grade a slight bump to a "B+."

Cincinnati Bengals

Levi Jones could be a solid bookend at left tackle for the Bengals, and he has also has the ability to switch to guard if needed. But I thought they could have gotten more value with the 10th pick. I would have either drafted Phillip Buchanon or traded down; they could have still gotten Jones.

Mel Kiper had a strange obsession with Phillip Buchanon through this entire draft. It's bizarre how much he liked Buchanon.

Thompson is a playmaker in the defensive secondary, finishing his college career with 24 interceptions.

He was a second round pick who played one season with the Bengals. That should tell you something.

Grade: C

Levi Jones probably wasn't worth the #10 overall pick, but he did play for the Bengals for a while. The Bengals had six picks and didn't get much out of any others except for Matt Schobel. I think this draft really deserves a "D."

Cleveland Browns

RB William Green could be a solid player for Butch Davis if he improves his pass-catching ability.

The #16 overall pick in the draft could be a solid player if he improves his pass-catching ability...so that's never good to hear.

LB Ben Taylor could be a backup either inside or outside or play on special teams.

BREAKING NEWS: A rookie linebacker may play the linebacker position or be on special teams. 

Grade: C+

Either Andra Davis or Andre Davis were the best picks in this draft for the Browns. Other than that, they missed on William Green, so this really looked like a low "C" draft to me.

Pittsburgh Steelers

S Chris Hope is steady, but not spectacular.

Hope's Pro Bowl appearance and decade in the NFL say differently in some ways.

I figured WR Lee Mays and DB LaVar Glover would be late picks and that DE Brett Keisel would be an undrafted free agent.
 
Grade: B

Brett Keisel still plays for the Steelers. Great job scouting by Mel though. It's a good thing he doesn't get paid to be an expert. The Steelers got Chris Hope, Kendall Simmons, Antwaan Randle-El, Verron Hayes, Brett Keisel, and Larry Foote out of this draft. I think this is an "A" draft.

Houston Texans

The Texans had twelve picks and drafted David Carr first overall.

Carr now becomes the cornerstone of the Texans' franchise. He is a franchise-caliber quarterback with accuracy and velocity reminiscent of another No. 1 overall pick, Troy Aikman. Look what Aikman meant to Dallas. Carr is a major building block; with the right supporting cast, the rest could be history.

David Carr was history playing behind the Texans offensive line. 

OT Chester Pitts was a reach in the second round.

He started every game during his first seven seasons with the Texans. Granted, he was part of the offensive line that couldn't block for David Carr.

Grade: C

The Texans missed on the first overall pick and while they did draft Fred Weary and Chester Pitts, both of these guys were part of the offensive line that ruined Carr. The Texans had a lot of picks, but didn't do too much with them. You can't miss on the first overall pick. It's more of a "C-" draft based on the quantity of picks and lack of impact these picks made.

Indianapolis Colts

Grade: B-

Mel basically just said he liked how the Colts drafted for defense. The Colts drafted Dwight Freeney and David Thornton. Other than that, this draft is part of the reason the Colts "only" won one Super Bowl with Peyton Manning as their quarterback. It's hard to give a draft with Dwight Freeney a bad grade, but I'm going to do it. This is a "C" or "C-" draft in retrospect.

Jacksonville Jaguars

I am not too enamored with OT Mike Pearson, the second-round pick. He needs to become more aggressive and a better run blocker. He also lacks great feet. LB Akin Ayodele is a 'tweener who has not shown the speed and experience to warrant a third-round pick.

Mike Pearson wasn't great, but he did start 33 games for the Jaguars, while Akin Ayodele did show in the NFL he warrants a third round pick.

I had projected QB David Garrard in the fifth round, but the Jaguars took him in the fourth. He has a strong arm and runs like a fullback, but he needs more polish and consistency throwing the football.

Garrard ended up starting for the Jaguars when Byron Leftwich and doing a pretty good job.

Grade: C+

The Jags got John Henderson, Mike Pearson, Akin Ayodele and David Garrard with their first four picks, so that was pretty good. I have to be kind to them and think this is a "B" draft. They missed on all of their late picks, so maybe I am being too kind.

Tennessee Titans

The Titans drafted two guys named "Rocky" and one guy named "Tank" for the defensive side of the ball. Either they were trying to put together a team that sounds like "G.I. Joe" characters or they wanted toughness on their defense. 

DT Albert Haynesworth is a roll-the-dice pick. He could be a boom or a bust. He needs to gain sustained intensity and improve his technique to take advantage of his incredible athleticism at 6-foot-6, 320 pounds. He's a gamble on greatness, but the Titans needed a defensive tackle after losing Jason Fisk in free agency.

Albert Haynesworth turned into a boom-or-bust NFL player as well.

OG Jason Hartwig went where he was projected, as did WR Darrell Hill and DE Carlos Hall. Their late-round picks were all average.

I don't know who the hell "Jason Hartwig" is, but Justin Hartwig was not average. He started 79 out of 83 games in his NFL career, which isn't bad for a 6th round pick.

Grade: C

What do you know? A "C" grade from Mel. The Titans got Haynesworth, Hartwig, and Tank Williams from this draft and the "Rocky's" were just average. So maybe Mel was right. Squirrel. Blind Nut. Again.

Denver Broncos

They drafted WR Ashley Lelie, who is fast, angular and productive and gives Brian Griese yet another solid weapon. It looks as if Mike Anderson will be moving to fullback, so RB Clinton Portis, a second-rounder, should blend in well, especially with the halfback injuries Denver has had. DT Dorsett Davis made sense in the third round.

(Mel Kiper thinking) "Dorsett Davis played college football. It makes sense he got drafted. I better be sure to put this thought in my draft grades."

Grade: B

This wasn't a "B" draft. Ashley Lelie never really panned out (except for during the 2004 season) and the biggest contribution Clinton Portis made to the Broncos was to play well enough for the Broncos to trade him for Champ Bailey AND a second round pick. Otherwise, it was a pretty "blah" draft. I have to believe this is a "C," while acknowledging the Portis trade was a pretty good one for the Broncos.

Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs were bold in the first round.

And fortune favors the bold, right? That's what Gregg Easterbrook says, so it must be true. Well, not really.

They wanted DT Ryan Sims and moved up ahead of Minnesota to get him. Sims, an explosive player with excellent lower-body strength, fills a key need position.

Sims was a bust.

When you looked at the North Carolina defensive line, you wondered if the more destructive force was Peppers or Sims.

And the answer at the time, and in the NFL, was very, very clearly that Julius Peppers was the more destructive force.

LB Scott Fujita is a former safety with decent physical ability, but he is not great at reacting to the direction of the play.

Because Mel Kiper didn't really like Fujita, he just happened to be the best player out of this draft for the Chiefs.

Grade: C

The Chiefs missed on their first, second, and fourth round pick. Their best pick was a fifth round pick who played his best once he wasn't on the Chiefs team. You can't miss on your first three picks. This looks like an "F" draft to me.

Oakland Raiders

The Raiders did a great job this year. They ended up with two impact defensive players in CB Phillip Buchanon and OLB Napoleon Harris. Buchanon is a dynamic cover man who also excels as a punter.

I told you that Mel Kiper LOVED Phillip Buchanon. He loves him so much that he is now making up talents that Buchanon has. He is a good punter? I don't recall Buchanon ever punting at the University of Miami. The Raiders did a pretty good job in this draft, but let's not make things up.

We'll have to see what QB Ronald Curry has as a seventh-round pick. Rich Gannon is getting older, Marques Tuiasosopo is entering his second seaso, and they still have Bobby Hoying.

Grade: A-

We all know if a team has Bobby Hoying then they don't want to draft over him or anything like that. Give Hoying a chance to show himself to be the Pro Bowl quarterback we all know he can be. Curry was eventually turned into a wide receiver. An "A-" seems a bit too much to me for this draft. The Raiders did well with their first two first round picks in the draft and did okay with their next two second round picks, but I expect more from them. I think this is a "B" draft because the Raiders had four of the first 55 picks and didn't get any players that really had a long-term impact for the team.

San Diego Chargers

Instead of drafting CB Quentin Jammer, I would have traded down and looked at Phillip Buchanon because they are basically equal in ability. Jammer is a good, but not great player. In other words, he is not Deion Sanders, Charles Woodson or maybe even Champ Bailey.

Again, Mel works out his obsession with Phillip Buchanon. Quentin Jammer wasn't Champ Bailey or Charles Woodson, but neither was Phillip Buchanon. So there's that.

I had WR Reche Caldwell rated higher than Jabar Gaffney, but he also must prove Florida receivers can succeed at high level in the NFL. TE Justin Peelle went a little early, but he is a clutch pass receiver.

Most of the clutch pass receivers tend to go a little later in the sixth round. That's the common time for "clutch pass receivers" to go. Whatever that is.

I like Seth Burford as a developmental quarterback. He has the arm, mobility, strength and size, but he is raw. The Chargers have to be patient with him.
 
Grade: B 

Give Mel a team with Seth Burford and Phillip Buchanon and start counting your Lombardi trophies. The Chargers managed to draft Jammer in the first round, Toniu Fonoti in the second round and find contributing players (to the Chargers and other teams) like Justin Peelle, Reche Caldwell, and Ben Leber later in the draft. Still, I can't quite shake the feeling they could have done better than they did with three picks in the first 48 picks of the draft. This feels much like a "B+" draft to me. Mel isn't giving Jammer enough credit and the Chargers did a good job of drafting talent (not including the infamous Seth Burford) later in the draft.

So there we go. Because Mel gave out 3 grades that aren't a "B" or a "C" then I think I will give him a "C+" for his draft grades. I figure he would like that grade since it is right between a "B" or a "C."