Pro Sports Draft

Best Picks - Chris Wells - Rashad Johnson - Hermann Johnson

Analysis

 The Arizona Cardinals coming off of a surprising Super Bowl run couldn't be happier with Chris "Beanie" Wells falling to them. The kid was rated the best RB on my board and despite the injury concerns, the Cards feel like they have a total steal in Wells who many believed is top ten talent. He has a chance to start right away after the Cardinals let go Edgerrin James. Ed Hightower might be the starter as of now but he has yet to prove he can lead the team all season. Wells will get every opportunity to start on a good playoff team. Rashad Johnson was also a good pickup. Coming from the SEC, he has seen the nation's best offenses and being rated the one of the tops at his position says something especially coming from that league. Hermann Johnson, also from the SEC is a sleeper pick and may eventually start at some point within his first couple years with Arizona.

Overall - Besides the Beanie Wells pick, the Cardinals didn't go for the flashy pick but instead stayed true to their board and got their needs taken care of at least for now. 

Draft Grade

 B-

Best Picks - Aaron Maybin - Eric Wood - Jairus Byrd - Andy Levitre

Analysis

The Bills draft picks fall under the "safe" category. Aaron Maybin was an excellent choice at pick eleven and he should make an immediate impact right away. My favorite Buffalo Bill pick came in the pick they acquired from the Philadelphia Eagles at 28 when Buffalo selected C Eric Wood out of Louisville. Wood was part of a strong Center class in this year's draft. The Jairus Byrd pick was kind of a surprise at the moment the pick was made but further reading into this selection, the Bills got a player they've kept their eyes on for a while and Byrd should help that secondary a plenty. Andy Levitre, the offensive linemen out of Oregon State should also compete for playing time. The Bills improved offense allowed them to go defense with five out of their eight total selections.

Overall - The Bills drafted based on need and got the best player left on the draft for the most part throughout the draft.

Draft Grade

 B+

Best Picks - Brandon Pettigrew - Louis Delmas - Derrick Williams - Sammie Lee Hill

Analysis

When you look back a couple years from now, this Detroit Lions draft will be based on how Matt Stafford turns out. Will he be that franchise Quarterback we all hope he'd be? Or is he going to be the next great bust we all are accustomed to seeing in this city? Only time will tell but I think the Lions made a huge mistake in passing up on their OT of the future in Jason Smith. The Pettigrew pick was one of the smartest decisions I've seen in a while from any Lions front office. Yes they passed up on a potential franchise LT in Michael Oher but no one helps a rookie QB better then having a good pass catching TE. Pettigrew could turn out to be the best of this bunch. Louis Delmas, the home-grown kid out of Western is a stud. He is the best rated safety by far in this year's class and has a nose for the ball and is a hard hitter. You don't find many like this in any draft. Derrick Williams brings several dimensions to this team. Not only his offensive breakaway play ability as a slot receiver in the next level, but also his return ability which the Lions have sorely needed ever since the departure of Eddie Drummond. Sammie Lee Hill will be a project but with right coaching from defensive line guru Jim Schwartz, this kid can be a steal.

Overall - The Lions got three players rated at the top of their respectable positional rankings in Stafford, Pettigrew and Delmas. The bodes well for a team coming off an 0 - 16 season. 

Draft Grade

B+

Best Picks - Vontae Davis, Pat White, Sean Smith, Patrick Turner

Analysis

 The Dolphins, coming off of a pretty impressive turnaround, will once again look to take another step forward this upcoming year. Vontae Davis, the corner from Big Ten country Illinois, was the best player available and he just happened to be one of the team's biggest needs. His versatility and athletic freak of nature skills should bode well to Parcells Miami defense. Pat White, who I think is an absolute steal, couldn't have came to a better offense. The Wildcat should be even more enhanced now that the Dolphins has a new toy to play with. White's running ability and passing threat will add an extra dimension to the Wildcat. Imagine the Wildcat formation with Pat White and Ronnie Brown behind center, and Ted Ginn Jr. aligned on the right, boy would that be scary. Sean Smith, another corner out of Utah, makes a great value pick at this point. You can never have enough corners when you have a Tom Brady in your division. Patrick Turner, the huge wide receiver out of Southern Cal has all the abilities you can ask for in a receiver. His size will be a huge factor in this offense as he may become the perfect compliment to the small-speedy wideout Ted Ginn Jr.

Overall -  The Dolphins went with team NEED all the way and got the players that fit their scheme. All around playmakers should make Miami a tough team to beat in the 2010 season.

Draft Grade

A

Best Picks - Patrick Chung - Ron Brace - Darius Butler

Analysis

The New England Patriots get their star former MVP and all world Quarterback Tom Brady back. Look for them to once again return to prominence and be the leaders for Super Bowl XLIV. Patrick Chung, Oregon Safety, and Darius Butler, UConn corner, will add tremendous youth to that aging secondary. After the loss of Asante Samuel to the Eagles, that secondary just wasn't the same a year ago. The trade of Ellis Hobbs also to the Eagles didn't make things any easier for this defensive secondary. Both Chung and Butler should seem immediate playing time as backups and nickel to open the season and one, if not both, can emerge as a full time starter. Ron Brace, the DT out of Boston College, should also help out the inside. He didn't get as much attention as college teammate BJ Raji did, but was just as disruptive in plugging up the oppositions best efforts to get through the hole. 

 Overall - The Pats made numerous trades to get in great position for not just this year but also next year's draft.

Draft Grade

A+

Best Picks - Mark Sanchez - Shonn Greene

Analysis

The New York Jets "Brett Favre" experiment didn't turn out as well as they had hoped and the team now looks forward to a new beginning with the big splash they made in round one. The Jets had their man, and were willing to do whatever it took to get him. Mark Sanchez, the phenom QB from Southern Cal,  has great accuracy. Look for Sanchez to have the better rookie year of the top two signal callers drafted in the top five. I still think Stafford is the better long term QB but we'll give the props to Sanchez as of now because of the top notch offensive line he will have. Filled with first round talent, the Jets O Line should help the quarterback tremendously in year one and will only improve as his career prolongs. Shonn Greene, one of the top RBs in this year's draft, could be one of those late Joseph Addai type of pick. He's a guy who did everything you can ask for in his final year in college. The knock on both these extremely talented players is experience. We'll see how they adjust to the NFL and this could be one of the best drafts for New York in a long while.

Overall - The Jets almost gave up the entire draft to get the man they wanted all along in Sanchez. Therefore, the Jets had the smallest 2009 NFL Draft Class out of any team in the league. They had guts to move up that far  into the top of the draft which earns them an A.

Draft Grade

A

Best Picks - Aaron Curry - Max Unger - Mike Teel

Analysis

The Seahawks grabbed the best player in this draft and who many think the safest pick. Curry had an offer on the table to be the number one overall player chosen but Detroit chose to go with Stafford instead. Curry should have no problem replacing Julian Peterson's leadership he left after the trade to Detroit. Max Unger, should be an immediate starter on the interior line. Mike Teel can be a developmental QB the Seahawks need for long term.

Overall - The Seahawks brought in a pretty decent draft class and should make a push to get back to the playoffs.

Draft Grade

B+

Best Picks - Michael Crabtree - Nate Davis - Ricky Jean-Francois

Analysis

The San Francisco 49ers should give out thank you letters to every Oakland Raider that made this possible. How can you pass up a talent like Crabtree and draft the same position but a different guy? Michael Crabtree will be a sure-fire super star from the minute he steps on the field. The Niners got an absolute steal in Crabtree falling to ten. Nate Davis may not fill their long term QB need, but he will provide good competition for the group of QBs the 49ers currently have. He's one of those QBs that you may look at year's from now and say WOW how can so many teams pass this kid up, but he can also be just a bust and not even make the team but I like his chances for playing time in San Fran. Ricky Jean-Francois fell further then I expected but the Niners jumped on it and got themselves another good solid pick.

Overall - This team gets an A just for the fact they were able to land Crabtree at ten. They could have moved up to select a QB but they stood true to their board and got the best player available. 

Draft Grade

A

Best Picks - Jason Smith - James Laurinaitis

Analysis

The Rams got a pretty solid draft in picking up the best OT in this year's draft along with a disciplined LB out of the Ohio State. Jason Smith will no doubt be a starter from Day 1 and will not disappoint. Look for Steven Jackson to have another 1,000 season thanks to the run blocking ability of Smith. Also, don't be surprised if you see Bulger have a much better season and getting back to his gun slinging ways. The Laurinaitis pick was just as impressive. He has done everything right since the minute he stepped in Columbus and won't disappoint in the pros. The Rams got themselves a special kid.

Overall - The Rams went BPA on both their picks early on and came away with two starters. You can't ask for more for a team that won just two games in 2009.

Draft Grade

B+