NFC draft: Rating top picks, intriguing players to follow
Looking at how NFC teams fared in the draft, and which prospects bear watching as they develop:
NFC EAST
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Draft Tracker | Draft trades | Rang's NFL Draft blog Prisco grades: Bucs give contenders competition Draft Judgements: Carroll showcases capability Rang grades: Seahawks, Niners do well in draft Draft notes: Campbell deal leads day of shuffling Day 3: Campbell sent to Raiders, White to Seattle Day 2: Panthers take Clausen; C. McCoy to Browns Day 1: Bradford, Suh, Gerald McCoy chosen 1-2-3 Grades: Round 4 | Round 5 | Round 6 | Round 7 RapidReports: Team-by-team draft updates |
Prisco: First pick: Dez Bryant
Bryant was rated a top-five talent. He is one of the best receivers I have seen in the past 10 years. He is big, strong and explosive. He dropped in the draft for many reasons. One of them would have been his subpar workout this spring that raised concerns with teams about his work habits. If I were a GM, it would concern me. The Cowboys, I believe, have a boom-or-bust pick. Bryant is going to need a strong mentor on and off the field to be successful.
The pick I will follow most: Sean Lee
A very good value pick. He had late-first to early second-round value. He is very well coached and was a fun player to watch. He is very instinctive. Lee can shed blocks and get to the ball. I thought he was a good tackler. He was my second-rated inside linebacker. I expect him to eventually replace Keith Brooking. The reason I want to watch him is to see if he is as good as I think he is and if he should have gone in the first round.
First pick: Jason Pierre-Paul
He was one of my favorite players to watch over the past few months. He has terrific potential as a pass rusher. He can get the edge and also beat you inside. He has the long arms and athletic ability you want in a defensive end. When the Giants won the Super Bowl they did it with a relentless pass rush. Paul gives them a chance to get back to that.
The pick I will follow most: Pierre-Paul
He has top-10 talent, but probably didn't go there because he had limited college experience. Is he a flash in the pan or did the Giants steal a top-10 pick? I really want to see if the Giants can get him on the field. They moved Justin Tuck inside to get him on the field. It will be interesting if the Giants can get all four of their rushers -- Tuck, Pierre-Paul, Mathias Kiwanuka and Osi Umenyiora -- on the field at the same time. Tuck has proven he can play inside. I don't think the other three players have the body types to play inside.
First pick: Brandon Graham
The Eagles wanted to improve their pass rush and they did that with Graham. They have had success with an undersized defensive end in Trent Cole, and in their style of play they can continue that. Graham has very quick hands when transitioning on the pass rush. He also has deceptive strength on his bull rush. His height (6-feet-1) can be viewed as a problem, but Elvis Dumervil and James Harrison are not that tall.
The pick I will follow most: Mike Kafka
You might think this is a strange pick to follow. But I had Kafka rated as my fifth-best QB. I thought he had good mobility and was very quick and smooth in his throwing motion and movements. His accuracy was good in the tape I saw. Everyone seemed to agree on the first four QB prospects but no one could agree on the next prospect. Kafka had my vote, so let's see how he does.
First pick: Trent Williams
Williams will step in right away at left tackle for the Redskins and fill a major need. He has played left and right tackle and center, which tells you he is smart. Some teams felt that he reminded them of Denver's Ryan Clady, who Mike Shanahan drafted in Denver. Williams is a better prospect at the same point in his career. Williams has the athletic ability to do the things the Redskins need him to do in their running game: cut-off block on the backside and get to the second level.
The pick I will follow most: Williams
Since they had so few picks, I will focus on Williams. He has the ability to play in the NFL. Some teams did not think he could play left tackle. In the tapes I saw I thought he could. So can he play left tackle or not?
NFC SOUTH
First pick: Sean Weatherspoon
The Falcons had needs in the defensive line and at outside linebacker and did the right thing; they took the best player on the board, Weatherspoon. He is an instinct player who could play inside or outside linebacker. He has the athletic ability to cover and be a three-down linebacker. He actually had an off year and played better in 2008.
The pick I will follow most: Corey Peters
The third-round pick from Kentucky was not rated that high in the fall but seemed to rise. He has good quickness to go along with his size. I never looked at him because he was initially ranked as a later-round prospect, so I want to see what other people saw in him to put him in the third round. I made some calls to people I respect in the NFL and they liked him. This was an "under the radar" prospect.
First pick: Jimmy Clausen
As much publicity as the Tim Tebow pick got this was just as controversial. No one I talked to in the NFL felt that Jimmy Clausen lacked the talent of a top pick. The questions about him seem to surround his personality. That talk is over now and reality sets in. It is in Clausen's hands. As a college prospect, I thought he had first-round skills, but had two things that bothered me: He forced the ball when he got in the red zone and tended to leave the pocket too early.
The picks I will follow most: Clausen, Armanti Edwards
Certainly it will be Clausen, but the other prospect will be Armanti Edwards, projected to move from quarterback to wide receiver. He is athletic and fast with good hands. I am told he looked good in receiver workouts. The Panthers traded a second-round pick next year to get him.
First pick: Patrick Robinson
In a pressure defense you can't have enough corners. Last year, Saints cornerbacks Jabari Greer and Tracy Porter played well, but when they missed time with injuries, the Saints struggled on defense. Drafting Robinson, who is a very talented corner, allows the Saints to move Malcolm Jenkins to free safety, which I think is his best position.
The pick I will follow most: Charles Brown
Brown, a left tackle from Southern California, is very athletic. I like his ability to pass protect. I think he needs to be more physical in his anchor. He was rated as a late first-round pick, but a number of teams needing a tackle passed on him. We will see who was right.
First pick: Gerald McCoy
This was a natural fit for the Bucs. In fact, in the game tapes I watched, I thought McCoy outplayed No. 2 overall pick Ndamukong Suh. He is an up-field player with very good quickness. He is a natural in the three-technique position. He reminded me of Tommie Harris in college in the way he was a very disruptive player.
The pick I will follow most: Mike Williams
Williams was rated as a second- or third-round prospect before he left the Syracuse team during the middle of last season. His leaving the team probably hurt his draft ranking. He is a good athlete with good size and hands. The question is if he will reach his full potential in the NFL, something he did not do in college
NFC NORTH
First pick: Major Wright
He fills a need for the Bears. He was a tough player to grade because he played deep in the secondary and was in and out of the lineup. I liked what I saw from him. He showed speed, athletic ability and instincts in the games I watched.
The pick I will follow most: Corey Wooten
Wooten had a second-round grade coming into his senior year, but coming off of a knee injury probably caused him to have a subpar year. Did the Bears get a steal in Round 4? I want to find out.
First pick: Ndamukong Suh
I'm sure the Lions were torn about whether to take an offensive tackle or Suh. But in the end they thought Suh was better than the offensive tackles available. I see their point. Suh will be a better player in pro football than in college because he will be able to be more aggressive off the ball. This will better take advantage of his quickness and strength. He also will give an identity to the Lions' line and improve their physicality. I like him as a prospect, but I don't see him as a dominating player.
The pick I will follow most: Jahvid Best
Cal's Best had first-round grades. He has some injury history that may have had some teams lower their grades on him. He is a speed back who will work best in a two-back rotation because he is big. I do not know how much difference there is between him and C.J. Spiller.
First pick: Bryan Bulaga
Most draft predictions had Bulaga going higher, but I agreed with most personnel people I talked to who thought this was the range of where he should go. The Packers say they will line him up at left tackle, which they should. He played there in college and should be given the opportunity to prove he can play there. He might be a better right tackle in the end because there are some questions about his ability to handle the outside rush.
The pick I will follow most: Bulaga
When I surveyed teams on him his grades varied from top 10 to a second-round grade. Some people thought he could play left tackle and some others thought he was only a right-side player, either at tackle or even at guard.
First pick: Chris Cook
Cornerback is one of the positions the Vikings wanted to fill in this draft, and Cook fits their system very well. He is a very good cover two corner and plays well in a zone. He is physical. He can play press and is aggressive against the run.
The pick I will follow most: Everson Griffen
The fourth-round pick had late first- and second-round grades. He has some pass-rush ability. If he lives up to his promise he will be a steal. Vikings defensive end Ray Edwards was viewed as an underachiever in college and he turned into a pretty good pro. We will see if that is the case with Griffin. It's interesting that Pete Carroll, who needs a defensive end in Seattle, passed on him.
NFC WEST
First pick: Dan Williams
Williams is a natural nose tackle. He is physical at the point of attack and will be tough to move. He has very good anchor. I do not think you will get much out of the pass rush from him except some bull rush at times to push the pocket.
The pick I will follow most: Daryl Washington
Washington is a very good athlete, but I didn't think he played the run very well. Specifically he needs to improve his ability to shed blocks. How will Arizona use him to make up for this deficiency, or will he improve it?
First pick: Sam Bradford
Bradford is an interesting story. He may have been the top pick in the draft last year but chose to stay in school. He played sparingly in 2009 because of injuries and still was the top quarterback in the draft. That is a testimony to his ability. I like his athletic ability, accuracy and decision making. I rated him over Matt Stafford and Mark Sanchez in accuracy and Matt Ryan in athletic ability. Overall I rated him ahead of all three of the other quarterbacks.
The pick I will follow most: Rodger Saffold
Saffold was the fifth-rated tackle with most of the teams I talked to, but did not sneak into the first round. He did get drafted ahead of more-publicized players like Charles Brown and Bruce Campbell. Were the Rams right? I think they were. Let's see.
First picks: Anthony Davis, Mike Iupati
The Niners set out to rebuild the right side of their offensive line and they drafted two excellent prospects. Both players need some work. Iupati is a physical player who can knock defenders off the ball. He can also pull and block on the run. But he needs technique work with his hand placement and he plays too high. Davis has a wide body with long arms. He has the ability to slide his feet to pass protect. He needs to work on finishing his blocks more consistently.
The pick I will follow most: Taylor Mays
Mays was a player most people had first-round grades on but had questions about his ability to cover and change directions in space. Is he a hazard in coverage or will San Francisco put him in a scheme where his deficiencies are not noticeable, and his strength as a hitter will be what people notice first?
First picks: Russell Okung, Earl Thomas
Sometimes you have to be lucky and Seattle had some luck on its side. They needed a left tackle to replace Walter Jones, sometimes there might not be one there. In Seattle's case they landed Okung, who can start immediately and fill the position. He is a solid player who has good pass protection ability. He is also solid as a run blocker. I thought he was a little more consistent than Trent Williams, who went ahead of him. Thomas is a very athletic safety. He has very good range and has good coverage skills. He also needs to improve his tackling. That being said, he is one of the better safeties I have seen in recent years. Safety was also a big need for the Seahawks.
The pick I will follow most: Anthony McCoy
Carroll drafted only one of his college players, McCoy in the sixth round. He dropped in the draft for a number of reasons, but Carroll knows him better. Did teams overrate his problems or were they right on passing on him? He has good hands and size. In surveying teams he had a third-round grade average.
