R1 Von Miller, OLB Texas A&M
R2 Rahim Moore, FS UCLA
R2 Orlando Franklin, OL Miami
R3 Nate Irving, LB N.C. State
R4 Quinton Carter, DB Oklahoma
R4 Julius Thomas, TE Portland St.
R6 Mike Mohamed, LB California
R7 Virgil Green, TE Nevada
R7 Jeremy Beal, DE Oklahoma
Von Miller is an incredible talent, but he is much better suited to be an OLB in a 3-4 defense than a 4-3 defense and is too small to play defense end. I also think Marcell Dareus is a much better prospect and would have filled a much bigger need for the Broncos, who desperately need help all over their defensive line. Rahim Moore was a great find in the second round since he was considered the top safety in this draft. Brian Dawkins will teach him to play the position like a pro and eventually replace him. Franklin will probably step in immediately at right tackle for the Broncos and could be the starter there for a long time. Irving has the speed and size to immediately start at one of the linebacker positions for the Broncos. He is also a vocal leader and should energize this defense, which was the worst in the NFL last season. Carter adds another safety to their rotation and could end up starting next to Moore once Dawkins retires.
Thomas and Green are both pass catching tight ends with good speed. They both have great value for where they were drafted and have the potential to develop into dangerous weapons in this offense that already has the deepest receiving corps in the NFL. Mohamed will immediately be a tackling machine on special teams and should be a decent backup middle linebacker. Jeremy Beal was a steal in the seventh round and could be a dangerous situational pass rusher.
The Broncos really made the most out of their picks and got great value in every round. Their defense was absolutely horrendous last year and they loaded up on that side of the ball. They found at least three quality starters for that side of the ball, which is extremely impressive. I would have liked this draft a lot more if they had taken Dareus with the second pick, but Miller is a rare pass rushing force.
Chargers: B
R1 Corey Liuget, DT Illinois
R2 Marcus Gilchrist, DB Clemson
R2 Jonas Mouton, LB Michigan
R3 Vincent Brown, WR San Diego St.
R3 Shareece Wright, CB USC
R6 Jordan Todman, RB Connecticut
R6 Steve Schilling, OL Michigan
R7 Andrew Gachkar, OLB Missouri
Liuget looks like a better 4-3 defensive tackle than a 3-4 defensive end, which he will be playing in San Diego. However, he was one of the top defensive tackles in this draft and I have no doubt he will be effective no matter what scheme he plays in. He might be the best run stuffer in this draft and he also has the ability to collapse the pocket in the pass game. Gilchrist can play both corner and safety for the Chargers and should start immediately in nickel packages. I understand that the Chargers special teams were horrific last season, but drafting a player who will mostly only contribute on special teams in the second round is never a good idea. He might end up seeing sometime at one of the inside linebacker spots, but he is not a quality starter and this is a huge reach for him. Brown is the perfect slot receiver to compliment Vincent Jackson and Malcolm Floyd. Jackson and Floyd are both over 6’4 and at 5’11 Brown gives them a small, shifty slot receiver who will be an outlet for Philip Rivers. Brown ran a really slow 40 yard dash an will never be a deep threat, but you could say the same thing about Wes Welker and we know how important he is to the Patriots offense.
Shareece Wright has significant injury concerns, but he has the potential to be a quality starting cornerback in the NFL. Todman looks to be a great replacement for Darren Sproles. He is a small back but is extremely strong and fast. He has not had much experience catching the ball and pass blocking, but he will at least contribute as a dangerous returner. He was way too good to pass up in the sixth round. Schilling adds some depth to the Chargers’ offensive line. Gachkar is another linebacker to help about their special teams.
The Chargers had to help out their kickoff and punt coverage after missing the playoffs despite being in the top 5 in almost every offensive and defensive category. They drafted at least four players that should help out their special teams and despite reaching for Mouton, this should be seen as a successful draft. I see the Chargers getting over the hump and making a push late into the playoffs this season if Vincent Jackson and Malcolm Floyd can stay healthy and out of trouble.
Chiefs: B-
R1 Jonathan Baldwin, WR Pittsburgh
R2 Rodney Hudson, OC Florida St.
R3 Justin Houston, OLB/DE Georgia
R3 Allen Bailey, DE Miami
R4 Jalil Brown, DB Colorado
R5 Ricky Stanzi, QB Iowa
R5 Gabe Miller, OLB Oregon St.
R6 Jerrell Powe, NT Mississippi
R7 Shane Bannon, FB Yale
One of the Chiefs’ biggest needs was adding playmakers in the passing game. However, Baldwin seems like a horrible fit for the Chiefs despite having unbelievable potential. They already have one troubled receiver in Dwayne Bowe. Baldwin has a ton of character concerns and has been called a diva by a lot of people close to him. The Chiefs are not the Patriots, despite how many of the Patriots old coordinators they hire, and they do not have the leadership or organizational stability to take on this many players with character concerns. Bowe and Baldwin more than likely will be a negative influence on each other and could have an adverse effect on the entire team. This is not good for a team that barely made the playoffs for the first time in years. Hudson on the other hand is a solid player on and off the field. He should start immediately at guard or center for the Chiefs and help to fill the huge void in the middle of that offensive line when Brian Waters and Casey Wiegmann, who are 34 and 37 respectively, finally retire.
Before the draft, Justin Houston was considered a first round pick, so the Chiefs landing him in the third round is a real bargain. Houston fell because of character concerns, but he is a very talented pass rusher and has the quickness to immediately start at OLB in the Chiefs’ 3-4 defense along side Tamba Hali. Bailey is another player who helps out the Chiefs’ front seven and could end up starting at one of the defensive end positions for the
Chiefs. Brown is a big press corner who has a lot of potential and started next to Raven’s first round pick Jimmy Smith in college. He might take a year or more to develop, but he offers good value late in the forth round. The Chiefs have realized they made a mistake by drafting Brodie Croyle, who does not even look like he can become a decent backup quarterback, let alone a franchise quarterback. Drafting Ricky Stanzi allows them to cut ties with Croyle. Considering Stanzi could have gone in the late second or early third round, this is a great pickup. Miller and Powe add some more depth to their front seven and both have potential to end up in prominent roles for the Chiefs’ defense. Bannon is a big blocking fullback who could help the league’s top rated rushing attack.
I really like most of what the Chiefs’ did in this draft except they reached for Baldwin, who could end up hurting the team more than helping them. I almost gave them a C+ exclusively because of that pick, but they should find at least four starters from this draft. For a team that won their division last year, you have to be at least a little impressed by them finding that much talent.
Raiders: D+
R2 Stefen Wisniewski, OL Penn St.
R3 Demarcus Van Dyke, DB Miami
R3 Joseph Barksdale, OL LSU
R4 Chimdi Chekwa, CB Ohio St.
R4 Taiwan Jones, RB Eastern Washington
R5 Denarius Moore, WR Tennessee
R6 Richard Gordon, TE Miami
R7 David Ausberry, WR USC
After putting together the first solid draft class in a long time in the 2010 draft, the Raiders were back to their old ways by reaching for players who had no business being drafted as high as they were. If you have been reading my other draft analyses, you know that I do not look kindly upon teams that reach for interior lineman, especially with their first pick in the draft. I understand that Wisniewski’s uncle played for the Raiders and is now on their coaching staff, but that is absolute no reason to draft a guy in the second round who probably would have fallen to the fifth round. If Wisniewski starts, he will be one of the worst starting guards in the NFL. Not exactly what you want out of your first pick in a draft pick. Then Al Davis, as he always does, reaches for the defensive back who ran the fastest 40 yard dash time. Van Dyke could turn into a productive player, but he is an extremely inexperienced player and has a lot of work to do before he has an impact on the Raiders’ defense. Barksdale was yet another reach along the offensive line. He has great agility for someone his size (6’5, 325 lbs) and could turn out to be a decent starting right tackle, but he again should have been drafted at least two rounds lower than he was taken.
Finally, once the Raiders hit the forth or fifth round is when they usually start taking players worthy of where they are drafted. Chekwa has great size and speed who has the potential to be a decent starting cornerback. Taiwan Jones reminded a lot of people of Chris Johnson when he ran a 4.3 40 yard dash at his pro day. Jones is worthy of a forth round pick and should be a solid third down back as well as another explosive returner to pair with Jacoby Ford. Moore has solid hands to go along with good speed and could help out the Raiders’ passing game immediately. Gordon looks to be a blocking tight end to compliment Zach Miller, who is more of a pass catching tight end. Ausberry is a huge receiver (6’4, 243 lbs) and could be a solid possession receiver if he keeps focused on football.
There is not a single player in this rookie class that looks to have much of any impact on this team, which is pathetic considering this is still one of the worst teams in the NFL. The Raiders took huge strides last year, going undefeated in their division and winning more than 5 games for the first time since they went to the Super Bowl. However, they fired Tom Cable without any explanation, had an awful draft, and are planning on allowing their best player (Nnamdi Asomugha) to walk in free agency. These are all major setbacks for a team that has been seen as a literal “black hole” of talent.
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