1. Houston Texans: Jadeveon Clowney DE South Carolina
For the longest time this was projected to be the pick and despite some late talk of trading down or taking Khalil Mack we saw Clowney be the pick. Clowney will play the OLB position, but lets not kid ourselves, teams are prominently in the nickel defense and Clowney will be playing in a four man front. They made the right decision here.
Pick Grade: A+
2. St. Louis Rams: Greg Robinson OT Auburn
It was no secret that the Rams were going to add an offensive lineman at some point and Robinson was the favorite by many. He's still a little raw, but that shouldn't matter because it looks like he'll start at guard and give them a fierce run blocker to open up holes for Zach Stacy. He's their LT of the future.
Pick Grade: A+
3. Jacksonville Jaguars: Blake Bortles QB UCF
Surprising pick here considering the elite talent still on the board. However it's a QB league and if you like somebody you usually take him. Word is Bortles wasn't going to last long so hard to blame the Jags for pulling the trigger. However Sammy Watkins is special and the second tier QBs are right there with Bortles in my opinion.
Pick Grade: B+
4. Buffalo Bills: Sammy Watkins WR Clemson
There was plenty of talk of the Bills moving up, but I thought it would have been for one of the offensive tackles. But to be able to get one of the four best players in this draft and give EJ Manuel a true number one reciever is a smart move for a franchise that needs some excitement. They better hope he makes an immediate impact because they gave up their first round pick next year to get him.
Pick Grade: A
5. Oakland Raiders: Khalil Mack OLB Buffalo
For a franchise that has really messed up a lot of picks, they got this one right. Mack was legitimately challenging Clowney for the top spot and to get him at five is a steal in my opinion. He'll start day one for the Raiders as their SLB and play the Von Miller role in Dennis Allen's defense.
Pick Grade: A+
6. Atlanta Falcons: Jake Matthews OT Texas A&M
All the talk leading up to the draft had the Falcons moving up, but instead they end up staying put and get the left tackle they need to protect Matt Ryan. Matthews is as technically sound as they come and allows them to get bigger and more physical like they've done all off season. Matthews may start at right tackle to begin his career but he'll be on the left side before you know it.
Pick Grade: A+
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Mike Evans WR Texas A&M
Personally I don't like this pick. I seriously question Evans' ability to separate in the NFL and he has a high bust chance. However the Bucs desperately need a second receiver to pair up with Vincent Jackson and many love Evans ability to go up and get the ball. This also gives the Bucs two big receivers like McNown had in Chicago.
Pick Grade: B
8. Cleveland Browns: Justin Gilbert CB Oklahoma State
Cleveland finally gets a quality CB opposite of Joe Haden which allows them to get really creative with blitzes and coverages. Gilbert was my top rated cornerback and reminds me a lot of Antonio Cromartie. Now this wasn't a sexy pick like a QB would have been, but it makes their defense even better which improves the team. He also gives them a punt returner which is an added bonus.
Pick Grade: A
9. Minnesota Vikings: Anthony Barr OLB UCLA
For some reason everybody kept thinking the Vikings were going to take Manziel despite Zimmer bashing him. Instead they take a player that everybody was started to sour on even though he was a top 10 player for a while. Barr's best football is still ahead of him and he gives defensive minded coach a player to move around and take advantage of his speed and athletic ability. Love this pick
Pick Grade: A+
10. Detroit Lions: Eric Ebron TE North Carolina
Even though I successfully projected this pick, I don't like it. Detroit's offense is fine, but their defense has some enormous holes that could have been addressed with some good players here. Instead of taking a safety like Ha'Sean Clinton-Dix they take an oversized slot receiver. Ebron could develop into a good TE, but they Lions don't need him.
Pick Grade: C+
11. Tennessee Titans: Taylor Lewan OT Michigan
So I get that Michael Roos is getting up there in age, but they just signed Micheal Oher to be their right tackle and have three good young interior lineman. The line was one of the strong suites of this team. So why take a lineman here when they could have taken a safety or cornerback here? Don't be surprised to see Roos get cut in the coming days. Otherwise the 11th overall pick will be a swing tackle.
Pick Grade: D
12. New York Giants: Odell Beckham Jr WR LSU
The Giants are a team that you never really know where they are going to go, so when they took Beckham here it shouldn't have been too big of a surprise. But with Hakeem Nicks gone and the fact that they love to play in three receiver sets it makes sense. Beckham allows they to keep Cruz in the slot where he is lethal.
Pick Grade: A
13. St.Louis Rams: Aaron Donald DT Pittsburgh
Aaron Donald was thought to be a lock to go in the top 10 so when he falls here to the Rams it's a tremendous value. The Rams already had one of the best defensive lines in the league, but didn't have much of a pass rush up the middle. Now you add Donald to Robert Quinn, Chris Long, and Michael Brockers and that could be the scariest defensive lines in the league.
Pick Grade: A+
14. Chicago Bears: Kyle Fuller CB Virginia Tech
Chicago has spent this off season working on rebuilding a once great defense. They wanted to get bigger and more athletic and they do that with Fuller who has good size and length. With Jennings and Tillman both over 30 and Tillman on a one year deal this was a no brainer. They'll have those three on the field quite a bit.
Pick Grade: A
15. Pittsburgh Steelers: Ryan Shazier LB Ohio State
I know there are a lot of Shazier fans, but I just don't see it. Shazier is a very good athlete, but that is what he is to me. He can run from sideline to sideline, but playing in the 3-4 he'll have to shed blocks. Normally the Steelers let good players fall into their lap. This time they reached on a guy in my opinion.
Pick Grade: F
16. Dallas Cowboys: Zach Martin G Notre Dame
Even though Johnny Manziel was sitting there, the Cowboys made the smart pick taking Martin. He was graded out to be a top 10 player by many teams and this is a tremendous value considering they need a guard badly. Martin has the potential to be a multiple time All Pro and fits their zone blocking scheme very well. Smart pick by the Cowboys which you can't say often.
Pick Grade: A+
17. Baltimore Ravens: CJ Mosley LB Alabama
With two Alabama players sitting there we knew that Ozzie was going to draft one of them. CJ Mosley is the top inside linebacker and gives the Ravens a stalwart in the middle of the defense. He doesn't have Ray Lewis' physicality, but he is good in coverage and has some of the best instincts in a linebacker since Luke Kuechly. I'm not a huge fan of him, but a good pick here by the Ravens.
Pick Grade: B+
18. New York Jets: Calvin Pryor S Louisville
A lot of people, including me, that had Clinton-Dix higher than Pryor, but they are close so it isn't a big deal. Rex Ryan loves to play three safeties and adding him to Antonio Allen and Ed Reed and Ryan has some toys to play with. Pryor also brings some physicality to the defense who can be an enforcer.
Pick Grade: B+
19. Miami Dolphins: Ja'Wuan James OT Tennessee
I feel the picks that I successfully pick are the ones that I'm hammering the most. Miami wanted to add a RT in this draft because of a huge need. But did they really have to reach on James? He's not a bad player, but they could have easily gotten a better player here and a comperable player in the second round. Clinton-Dix and Dennard would have been better value at just as important needs.
Pick Grade: D+
20. New Orleans Saints: Brandin Cooks WR Oregon State
It's scary when one of the best offenses gets even better. The Saints had to let Darren Sproles go because they needed to free up cap space and may have gotten a younger faster version of him. Cooks doesn't have good size, but he has elite speed and quickness and is a nightmare in the open field. He'll be moved all over the field and used to take advantage of mismatches.
Pick Grades: A+
21. Green Bay Packers: Ha'Sean Clinton-Dix S Alabama
It's picks like this that allow teams like the Packers to be good year in and year out. Clinton-Dix was seen as a top 15 player who teams passed on by reaching for other players while the Packers let him fall right into their laps. They'll pair him up with Morgan Burnett and give the Packers two young dynamic safeties that will give teams fits.
Pick Grade: A+
22. Cleveland Browns: Johnny Manziel QB Texas A&M
It was funny to watch everybody freak out when Manziel started to slide, but what did they expect? He's a unfinished player who has a ton of talent, but isn't ready to start day one. But he's already brought excitment to Cleveland who have been seeing it in season ticket sales in just one evenring. If he's allowed to sit for a year he could really succeed, but he'll likely be thrown into the fire too soon.
Pick Grade: B+
23. Kansas City Chiefs: Dee Ford OLB Auburn
A curious pick for the Chiefs who have a big need at receiver. Add that Marqise Lee was sitting there available many Chiefs fans aren't too happy about adding a third pass rusher. Now Ford has a lot of talent, but I don't like the value here. He just isn't as explosive as many people are giving him credit for. They could have done much better with this pick. But should we be surprised with Any Reid?
Pick Grade: C
24. Cincinnati Bengals: Darqueze Dennard CB Michigan State
With Dennard falling this far it shouldn't have been a shock to see the Bengals take him. They love to draft Big 10 players and love physical corners. A big reason why Dennard fell to the mid 20s is he doesn't have good size or length which can hurt him when facing off against the tall receivers in the league.
Pick Grade: A
25. San Diego Chargers: Jason Verrett CB TCU
If Verrett was three inches taller he might have been the first cornerback taken. However he is only 5'9 which caused him to fall. But what Verrett lacks in size he makes up for in his tenacious play and coverage skills. Pound for pound he is the best cover corner in this league. Don't be surprised to see him get matched up against Wes Welker twice a year.
Pick Grade: B
26. Philadelphia Eagles: Marcus Smith OLB Louisville
A lot of people are hammering the Eagles for this pick, but I like it. I really fell in love with Marcus Smith when I did his scouting report when he showed the best explosion of any pass rusher I saw. He still has some developing to do, but he was a quarterback when he came to Louisville. He'll thrive in the Eagles 3-4 defensive and give them that pass rusher they're lacking.
Pick Grade: A
27. Arizona Cardinals: Deone Bucannon S Washington State
Not too surprised that Bucannon went in the first round but mainly because the safety class isn't very deep and teams had to reach to get the top four guys. Bucannon should be a good fit because he's a better at the strong safety position who getting paired with Tyrann Mathieu gives the Cardinals two play making safeties to go along with Patrick Peterson and Antonio Cromartie and that's a scary secondary.
Pick Grade: B
28. Carolina Panthers: Kelvin Benjamin WR Florida State
It's no secret that the Panthers needed receiver help, but surprised they took Benjamin here. After getting a ton of hype after his game winning catch in the National Title game, Benjamin's average hands and lack of separation looked like he was going to slide. I'm sure Cam wanted a big bodied receiver, but you have to wonder if the organizations past failures with USC receivers scared them off of Marquise Lee.
Pick Grade: C
29. New England Patriots: Dommique Easley DT Florida
Curious pick for the Patriots because Easley has top 15 talent, but two torn ACL's is no joke. Easley has the talent. He has a quick first step and is stout at the point of attack. He can play DE and DT which the Patriots love. Add in that they probably couldn't get him at their pick in the second and it makes sense why they reached on him. But can you trust that he makes it back to 100%?
Pick Grade: C+
30. San Francisco 49ers: Jimmie Ward S Northern Illinois
After all the talk of them making a huge splash it was interesting to see them stand pat. They desperately need cornerback help but take a safety here, despite having Eric Reid and Antoine Bethea. But Ward is a very good in man coverage and has a cornerback's body. He'll likely be their nickel back to starter out and could end up being a starter at CB because they like to play a lot of bracket coverage.
Pick Grade: B+
31. Denver Broncos: Bradley Roby CB Ohio State
Denver is in win now mode and are going to look to find those final pieces to get them over the top. Even after signing TJ Ward and Aqib Talib they still have issues in the secondary. Roby had a bad junior season, but has the raw talent to be a first round pick. Denver is taking the gamble that he'll take the next step and thrive in their system. But I'm not buying it.
Pick Grade: B+
32. Minnesota Vikings: Teddy Bridgewater QB Louisville
Much like last draft, the Vikings aren't afraid to move back into the first round to get a player they want. They passed on a QB in the top 10, but get a guy that was once a lock to be the number one pick. I still question Bridgewater's ability to play outside in cold weather, but he'll be asked to manage the offense and hand the ball off to Adrian Peterson. But he's much better than anything they have already.
Pick Grade: A
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