Day 1 Draft Grade

Maybe I'm the only one who was a bit critical but why did we get two WRs? Doesn't make much sense to me at all unless we trade one of them. Also why draft a TE? We have a great starter and we just need to pickup cheap veteran depth at TE.

Would've been nice to see some defensive needs addressed.

Positional philosophy. Still, it's hard to ignore the fact that 1-2 of these second round picks won't be able to contribute as a starter.

Exactly. If we got defensive players they could have. Also seems like we drafted on skill not need. One WR is a need but two is not needed because one will never even see the field. Also there is no way to spin it but TE is NOT a need.

I gave a D just for the first day. Im not rating low because of my opinion on our picks, im basing it off of the rest of the NFL and the picks other teams made. I think 2 WR and a TE is fine, and im ok with that. However KC gets an A, not us. I feel like our front office is very good at judging talent and we can maybe pull off a C by the end of the 7th round.

I dont know why so many people hate these picks. We added 2 big receivers who can go out and catch the ball. We got probably the strongest receiver in the draft in Devin Thomas so I'm pretty grateful. I love Kelly's height and I was rooting for us to get him. As far as defense, I think we'll find someone at DE in the 4th round. We've had luck drafting DL on the second day of the draft.

Also, as far as addressing our OL needs, UNDRAFTED FREE AGENTS!
We got a good one last year in Stephon Heyer so everyone, don't panic. We should embrace the beginning of our success on offense and the success that Jason Campbell will have. Can anyone say 30 TDs?

A for value picks, but I went B because I think we could have gotten a great D End instead of a TE.

Who specifically?

Unquestionably an A for value, at least if you are evaluating these players based on common consensus.

I'm going with a C for now. They could have had an A, but they passed up a good DE in Campbell. They could have easily taken him there and picked up either Davis or Kelly a couple of picks later (whichever was still there).

If you believe you pick the best player available in the second round regardless of need, then I'd grade us an A. I believe that you do it in the 1st round, but not 2nd. By the time you get to the 2nd, player talent is leveling out and I believe you have to address need.

What I'm guessing, is that they have a DT or OG targeted in the 3rd and 4th. Maybe they figured if they couldn't land Chad Johnson in a draft day trade, they would draft WR and then look to pick up a DE/DT somehow after June 1. It just seems hard for me to believe that with all the talk of Blanche identifying a big DT that can collapse the pocket as his biggest need that they have ignored d-line all together. Maybe wouldn't have happened regardless because of where we were picking.

I wonder what our picks would have looked like if we moved up 3 spots in each of our picks. Seems like we just missed a few guys.

Grade = B. Moss played 14 games last year and got 61 receptions (and in how many of those was he gimpy?). ARE played in 15 and had 51 receptions. Thats less total receptions than many #1 receivers in the league. Caldwell/Mix are obviously not the answer. When you look at past draft classes, 30-40% of guys end up being busts. What we got were two solid WRs and even if one gets Rod Gardner disease, at least we have a shot a productive big receiver. As far as TE, after Cooley, we don't have much of anything. At least now, Campbell is assured of a safety valve on every play and when we go to a 2 TE formation for run plays, other teams will have to respect the pass.
I would like to have picked up some linemen as well but we got some great value with those picks.

C+

Without more help on O-line, JC will be scrambling.

C+

Individually, the players we picked not only are all valuable, but they're specifically valuable to this team. We got two big receivers who appear to have been 1 and 1A on our draft board. We got a big pass-catching TE. All those things will help this team. My concern is that we ignored needs to get them, so while they may help us as a franchise, they might not have much positive impact in 2008.

I might also add that I think Jason Taylor could be available for a Day 2 pick. There are rumors that there was an agreement in place with Tampa Bay for the 52nd pick this year. With the selection of Merling, they might be ready to move on.