Grading the 2006 NFL draft -Foxsports

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Grading the 2006 NFL draft

John Czarnecki / FOXSports.com

1. N.Y. Jets: OK, they passed on Matt Leinart and didn't make a serious trade offer to move up to grab Reggie Bush, but they had a very good draft and took a solid quarterback prospect in Oregon's Kellen Clemens in the second round while rebuilding the offensive line with first-round picks D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Ohio State's Nick Mangold, who should replace long-time center Kevin Mawae. Some scouts said that Clemens ran the Texas-style offense better than Vince Young did. Huh? Buckeyes LB Anthony Schlegel has a very big upside and rookie head coach Eric Mangini loves the receiver upside of former Missouri quarterback Brad Smith. Plus, with all the trading, they picked up a second-round pick for next season, too. Grade: A+

2. Arizona: Denny Green got his quarterback of the future — USC's Matt Leinart — by simply sitting and waiting a couple hours. If Kurt Warner goes down this season, Leinart has enough moxie and talent to step in and help out immediately. Leinart was the most-ready quarterback in the draft and now he has a chip on his shoulder, having lost at least $10 million in bonus money by dropping all the way to the 10th overall pick. Another Trojan, guard Taitusi Lutui, could push for a starting spot as long as he keeps his weight in check. They took two two-gap defensive tackles in Gabe Watkins and Jonathan Lewis that should help the line rotation and bring some depth to the defense. TE Leonard Pope of Georgia may struggle picking up the offense because of low test scores. Grade: A

3. Denver: Months ago, the Broncos started out with the 29th overall pick in the first round and somehow made several trades and ended up with Vanderbilt quarterback Jay Cutler and Green Bay's Pro-Bowl receiver Javon Walker. The bottom line is that Mike Shanahan improved his team, especially if Walker produces like he did in 2004. Western Michigan TE Tony Scheffler is a Wesley Walls-type while Louisville pass rusher Elvis Dumervil had 20 sacks last season. Dumervil has a great motor and should help on nickel defense. A very productive draft when you consider Walker and Cutler are Broncos. Picked up Bronco-like offensive linemen in Chris Kuper and Greg Eslinger in the later rounds. Grade: A

4. Cleveland: Browns GM Phil Savage probably got the most value pick-by-pick than any team in the NFL. They needed a young pass rusher and selected Kamerion Wimbley from Florida State while moving to grab Maryland linebacker D'Qwell Jackson, who was the defensive player of the year in the ACC last season. Receiver Travis Wilson had a strong Senior Bowl. Miami linebacker Leon Williams definitely fits Romeo Crennel's 3-4 scheme while Washington State running back Jerome Harrison led the Pac-10 in rushing last season while scoring 16 touchdowns. Savage may have taken the best fullback in the draft with Lawrence Vickers. Grade: A

5. Green Bay: The Packers went for intelligent, all-around football players starting with all-everything linebacker A.J. Hawk, who can play the middle and also be a nickel linebacker. Boise State offensive tackle Daryn Colledge could end up being a starting guard this season while Jason Spitz of Louisville was another critical need at center. Green Bay lost its three best interior linemen from the 2004 season. Cory Rodgers of TCU and Will Blackmon of Boston College will be shooting to break the lineup as a receiver. The only knock on the Packers was giving up on Javon Walker, a former first-round pick and a Pro Bowl player, for a second-round choice. They could end up regretting that trade. Grade: B+

6. San Francisco: Basically, the 49ers didn't mess up. Maryland tight end Vernon Davis, like Hawk, was one of the best players in the draft. Davis will give Alex Smith a tremendous target because he's basically a very large wide receiver. Manny Lawson will try to replace Julian Peterson. Wisconsin receiver Brandon Williams is a super kick returning threat while Penn State quarterback Michael Robinson can be either a runner or a receiver. Fifth-round selection Parys Haralson is a tweener who should mature into a pass rusher. Grade: B+

7. New Orleans: Reggie Bush, regardless of the housing mess with his family, was the best player in the draft and new head coach Sean Payton will definitely find a way to have Bush and Deuce McAlister in the lineup at the same time. Don't forget Drew Brees, either. Bush will be an excellent third-down receiver and should also return kicks. Alabama safety Roman Harper was a good pick. Also, they took Oregon State receiver Mike Hass in the sixth round and all Hass did was walk-on and catch over 200 passes in his college career. Grade: B+

8. Tennessee: Tough call here because most teams would have taken Matt Leinart over Vince Young, who won the national championship for Texas last season. Young has more upside maybe while Leinart is more ready to play. LenDale White holds the touchdown record at USC and that has to be worth something, no matter how talented the Trojans' offensive line. Also, White didn't flunk any NFL administered drug test. He could be another Eddie George. Calvin Lowry is an instinctive player and punt returner and Terna Nande is a promising outside linebacker from Miami of Ohio. Veteran QB Steve McNair has no interest in sticking around and grooming Vince Young and would like to be traded or released this week. Grade: B

9. Carolina: The Panthers got off of LenDale White and settled for simply the most productive runner in this draft in DeAngelo Williams of Memphis. Fresno State cornerback Richard Marshall is a solid choice, considering a few teams rated him in the bottom of the first round and linebacker James Anderson might have the best tackler at Virginia Tech last season. Anderson gives the Panthers some depth, especially with last year's No. 1 pick Thomas Davis moving full-time to linebacker. Took another solid Ohio State player in safety Nate Salley. Grade: B

10. Jacksonville: Coach Jack Del Rio starred at USC, but he picked some Westwood boys to start the draft. UCLA tight end Marcedes Lewis could evolve into an unstoppable target because he actually plays taller than his 6-foot-6 frame. Lewis has great hands and is very athletic. Maurice Drew led the Bruins for three straight years in rushing and he should bring some excitement to the offense, plus he can return punts. Oklahoma LB Clint Ingram figured in the third round. Did the most with the fewest picks. Grade: B

11. New England: Minnesota running back Laurence Maroney helped himself with a 4.46 40-yard dash after the Indy combine and well as 21 repetitions of 225 pounds on the bench press. The lone knock is that he's a runner, not a pass blocker or a receiver. Florida receiver Chad Jackson had the best speed at the position and he could replace departed David Givens. Texas TE Dave Thomas can also long snap while Stephen Gostkowski was a solid placekicker at Memphis with three field goals beyond 50 yards. But no one is saying he is Adam Vinatieri. Florida DE Jeremy Mincey ran a 4.65 40-yard dash for the Pats and some teams simply ignored him, allowing him to slip to the sixth round. Grade: B-

12. Baltimore: The Ravens had another solid draft and much of it based on need. They traded with arch-rival Cleveland for Oregon strongman Haloti Ngata, who might be able to keep some blockers off Ray Lewis. Oklahoma center Chris Chester has quick feet David Pittman, a third-rounder, is a solid cover cornerback. Oregon receiver Demetrius Williams had 10 touchdown catches last season. They are trying to address the quarterback situation by getting Steve McNair from Tennessee. Running back Prince Daniels had a great season in 2003 for Georgia Tech and could be a pleasant surprise. Grade: B-

13. Houston: The Texans slipped based on ignoring Reggie Bush and taking North Carolina State defensive end Mario Williams, who was simply easier to sign. Williams would have been available later if they wanted to make a trade with someone. Still, Williams could be a star, but the best value choices might have been Alabama linebacker DeMeco Ryans, a total football guy, and Pitt offensive tackle Charles Spencer who retains the attitude of a defensive player. Wisconsin tight end Owen Daniels is a very good blocker. Grade: B-

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14. Detroit: Nothing against Florida State linebacker Ernie Sims, but you have to wonder why GM Matt Millen didn't make an attempt to select Vandy quarterback Jay Cutler, the passer that offensive coordinator Mike Martz would have liked. The Lions need a franchise quarterback, but Millen opted to help his first-year head coach Rod Marinelli with Sims, who is a concussion waiting to happen, he plays so hard. Wisconsin running back Brian Calhoun ran a 4.35 40-yard dash and could be a special weapon as a third-down receiver. Millen also selected a hard-hitting safety in Daniel Bullocks and a potential starting tackle in Jonathan Scott of Texas. Grade: C

15. Oakland: Al Davis decided on Friday that he was going with Texas safety Michael Huff, who has the athletic ability to play some cornerback in nickel situations. Huff will be a sure starter; he's the fifth defensive back taken by Davis in the first round in the last eight drafts. USC safety Darnell Bing probably will moved to linebacker because he's such a good tackler. They definitely reached on Weber State guard Paul McQuistan, who most teams had as a second-day choice. Thomas Howard, the UTEP linebacker, is a project who could become a star in two or three years. Most teams liked Howard's upside. The local newspapers had a field-day on Sunday while poking fun at new head coach Art Shell for calling Matt Leinart "Michael" Leinart. The Raiders were also booed for selecting Maine WR Kevin McMahan over Virginia Tech bad-boy quarterback Marcus Vick with the final pick of the entire draft. Grade: C

16. Tampa Bay: They had a solid, but unspectacular draft. They needed offensive line depth and added Oklahoma guard David Joseph and Boston College tackle Jeremy Trueblood. Joseph may allow Sean Mahan to return to center and that should help. Remember, Jon Gruden needed depth on the offensive line and he wants to run it as much as possible with Cadillac Williams. Notre Dame receiver Maurice Stovall is a big target like Keyshawn Johnson used to be. Penn State cornerback Alan Zemaitis is a perfect cover-two cornerback in Monte Kiffin's scheme and had six interceptions last season. Grade: C

17. Dallas: The Cowboys may have reached a little on Ohio State linebacker Bobby Carpenter and some teams had medical doubts about Notre Dame TE Anthony Fasano because of previous back/neck injuries. But Parcells went on his gut, having coached Carpenter's father, Rob, with the Giants while loving Fasano's blocking punch. But tight end wasn't a need with Jason Witten on the roster. Parcells loves special teams and they grabbed LSU's Skyler Green, who was named the SEC special teams player of the year last season with four TD returns. Grade: C

18. Seattle: It's difficult to draft next-to-last in every round, but GM Tim Ruskell seemed to grab good value with Virginia Tech defensive end Darryl Tapp and U. of Miami cornerback Kelly Jennings, who is fundamentally solid. USC fullback David Kirtman should star on special teams while Ohio State guard Rob Sims will get a chance to replace Steve Hutchinson. Well, realistically, Sims could be a functional backup. Grade: C

19. St. Louis: Rookie head coach Scott Linehan shocked the NFL by taking two players with questionable character in LSU defensive tackle Claude Wroten and USC TE Dominique Byrd. However, both are very good players and Wroten, who tested positive for marijuana at the combine, could become a dominant player if he can stay clean. They wanted him and traded down in order to get him, too. Colorado TE Joe Klopfenstein was a very good pick and allowed them to trade Brandon mmm to the Chargers. Marques Hagans of Virginia will help the Rams as a punt returner. He played quarterback and has been compared to Antwaan Randle-El. There were concerns that Stanford's Jon Alston doesn't like to play football, and they took him with the 77th overall choice. Grade: C

20. Pittsburgh: The Steelers needed a receiver and they boldly moved up in the first round to select the draft's most polished route runner in Ohio State's Santonio Holmes. With the losses of Plaxico Burress and Antwaan Randle-El, the Steelers were looking for a home-run threat. Third-round pick Willie Reid can return kicks while Syracuse safety Anthony Smith is a very good run supporter. Grade: C

21. Buffalo: What was weird with Marv Levy's first draft in a decade was that he received value in the third round with Ohio State cornerback Ashton Youboty while maybe reaching in the first round for Youboty's Buckeye teammate Donte Whitner with the 8th overall selection. The other shocker was John McCargo, the third defensive linemen from North Carolina State taken in the first round. South Carolina safety Ko Simpson has a chance as well as Oregon State OLB Keith Ellison. If Levy is right, Dick Jauron's defense has a big chance to improve. Grade: C

22. Philadelphia: The Eagles did a solid job, but fans must remember that USC tackle Winston Justice was reminded who he had to block in the national championship game on that critical fourth down and still messed up. The perception is that the Eagles stole him in the second round with the 39th overall pick. They definitely reached on Cal Poly SLO linebacker Chris Gocong while defensive tackle Broderick Bunkley was a no-brainer in the first round. Coach Andy Reid likes skier Jeremy Bloom as a kick returner and slot receiver in a spread formation. Michigan WR Jason Avant has some potential, but no one should confuse him with Terrell Owens. Grade: C

23: N.Y. Giants: LaVar Arrington was New York's biggest move this off-season, but if second-rounder Sinorice Moss can be as productive as his older brother Santana Moss, well the Giants had a great draft. Boston College DE Mathias Kiwanuka is a pass-rush specialist and there didn't seem to be a need for him. However, Kiwanuka was a top-rated player in September who would have slipped into the second round if the Giants didn't select him. Gerrick McPherson of Maryland and Charlie Peprah of Alabama will need some coaching to help in the secondary. Grade: C

24. Miami: Dolphins coach Nick Saban likes his draft because of Tennessee safety Jason Allen taken in the first round. Allen attended some of Saban's football camps while in high school. Allen was a definite need and remember that Saban is a secondary coach at heart. ASU receiver Derek Hagan dropped too many passes, but also averaged over 100 yards receiving per game. Washington OT Joe Toledo could add some depth while Auburn receiver Devin Aromashodu definitely has a chance. Grade: C

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25. Cincinnati: The best pick might have third-rounder Frostee Rucker of USC. The defensive end simply needs to put on 20 pounds and keep his quickness to become a monster. Some thought LSU offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth might have a short NFL career because of spinal concerns. First-round pick Johnathan Joseph started only one season at South Carolina. There is some potential upside in outside linebacker A.J. Nicholson, who slipped to the 157th pick because of a 4.9 40-yard dash. But he was a run stuffer at Florida State. Grade: C

26. San Diego: Took total potential in the first round with cornerback Antonio Cromartie, who didn't even play last season at Florida State because of a torn ACL. But he was a workout warrior with a 42-inch vertical jump and several 40s in the 4.3 range. But he does have the size (6-2, 210) to be a quality starter if he can play! Big question. Clemson QB Charlie Whitehurst had good games and awful games. A.J. Smith took a big chance in the second round with huge Auburn OT Marcus McNeill, whose narrowing spinal-cord column could limit his years in the NFL, according to some teams. Grade: C-

27. Indianapolis: When you're picking at the bottom of the draft, it's difficult to really impress. But they selected two really undersized players in Georgia CB Tim Jennings and San Diego State linebacker Freddie Kelaho. Now, first-round running back Joseph Addai is a perfect Colt because he can catch, run and pass block. Addai is tough kid and will help immediately, but he doesn't look like a 20-carry a game runner. Grade: C-

28. Kansas City: The Chiefs took some great character players in Penn State defensive end Tamba Hali, Purdue safety Bernard Pollard and Alabama quarterback Brodie Croyle, but the general consensus is that they reached on all three of these players. Hali may be simply a situational pass rusher and Croyle has had so many injuries that one ESPN commentator said he may have to sit for two years before he's really ready to contribute. Grade: D

29. Atlanta: When coach Jim Mora was praising the selection of CB Jimmy Williams he spoke about how many Virginia Tech players have a certain competitiveness and athletic arrogance while also being so-well grounded. "We want to create that type of culture here," Mora said. Williams, who expected to be a first-round pick, already has a $250,000 gold Lamborghini on order. Jerious Norwood, a running back from Mississippi State, may have a tough time sticking and he was the 79th overall pick. Grade: D

30. Chicago: Danieal Manning didn't have the grades to stick at Nebraska and that's why he became a star at Abilene Christian, returning three turnovers for TDs and also six punt-kicks for touchdowns. Has raw ability and was such a good cornerback that opponents quit throwing his way. Manning will immediately be a star on special teams. That being said, we don't understand why the Bears would select another returner (Devin Hester) with their second overall pick? The Bears might win the NFC North, but they aren't that good to be trading out of the first round simply to save money. They could have taken a tight end, upgrading a position that has been weak ever since Mike Ditka played. We all thought the Bears needed some offense. Grade: D

31. Minnesota: They took Iowa linebacker Chad Greenway in the first round and many teams thought he didn't have the sudden burst necessary to be a big-time NFL linebacker. Then they took a sixth-round center Ryan Cook with the 51st overall choice and traded up to select Alabama State quarterback Tarvaris Jackson with the 64th pick. Most teams had Jackson in the 7th round. Georgia safety Greg Blue will be a special teams' demon, but doesn't have good coverage skills and may be moved to weakside linebacker. Finally, if they wanted to select Oregon's Kellen Clemens in the second round, they were out-foxed by the inexperienced Jets. New personnel chieftan Fran Foley has more headaches than quite a few biographical mistakes in his resume. Grade: D

32. Washington: The Redskins sort of skipped the draft and reached on Miami linebacker Rocky McIntosh, who was considered an injury risk by some teams. Joe Gibbs gave up a second-round pick next year and a third this year for Rocky. Gibbs said they took him because he liked the name and that they knew a lot about him. This is a franchise that cares more about spending in free-agency than it does working the draft. Grade: F

Thoughts?

[JetFreak89]

WOW. . .I thought you put the Jets #1 just to make it easier for us. I'm so used to seeing the Pats with the A+ and the Jets with the B- (if we were lucky, mostly C/C-) glad things are finally turning around. I know it is only 1 guy....but that is 1 guy more than we have had in the past WAY TO GO TANGINI!!!

[stormshadow19]

Whoever wrote this, is fudging stupid. Yeah, he's (she's) got the Jets as their lone A+, but they missed the point of the Lions draft. They should get, at least, a B for not drafting offense in the first two rounds. I'm not sure why everyone assumes the Lions need to draft a QB, considering they signed two in the offseason, one of which is young enough for Martz to work his magic, and they drafted one last year.

It's the same thing about the Jets having to drafting Leinart... I don't get it.

[mbn007]

The Jets draft was solid, but not (yet) spectacular. I don't go with the A+, but a solid A- would be about right.