Drafts in the neighborhood--AFCN

[Preacherman0]

Well, I have made it well-known that I pretty much despise FoxSports and put very little stock in their "analysis."  However, it's the first one I saw, so here goes the thoughts on the rest of the division:

Cincinnati
This has a chance to be one of the best drafts in Bengals history, especially if Alabama offensive tackle Andre Smith and USC middle linebacker Rey Maualuga develop into All-Pro performers. Both have the ability to be great NFL players. Maualuga slid into the second round because of off-the-field issues, plus the fact that he didn't call the defense at USC despite being a middle linebacker. But Maualuga is an upbeat, physical player who can lead in the locker room. Smith's bad body got him in trouble with some teams, but he weighed in at 333 pounds this week, plus Alabama head coach Nick Saban totally supported his status as a high pick.

Missouri TE Chase Coffman, 6-5, broke his foot in the Alamo Bowl game vs. Northwestern, but he has a pro pedigree, being the son of former Packers tight end Paul Coffman. Georgia Tech pass rusher Michael Johnson has great physical skills although many scouts thought he took many plays off on Saturdays. A local kid, Cincinnati punter Kevin Huber, won the Ray Guy Award as the nation's best punter last season. Grade: A

The "best draft in Bengals history" pretty much doesn't mean crap.

I could not disagree more with this; in fact, I almost laughed out loud when I saw the grade.  Apparently this guy has skipped the draft history of the Bengals in the last five years:  Talented players, underachievers, and head cases drafted on a team full of talented players, underachievers and head cases.  To succeed, these guys needed to go to teams with veteran leaders, strong coaches, and discipline--of course, all the teams that have those qualities wanted nothing to do with them. 

And why do I give a crap what Nick Saban has to say???  "Well, his college coach says he's a great player, so I'll draft him."  The guy is unreal as a college coach, but he ain't a pro coach and he ain't what I would call "high-character."

I'll be shocked if these guys ever live up to their potential.  Lazy guys who have off-field troubles in Cincinnati?  When in Rome...

Now, I liked their day 2 picks, but I'm not sure that will overcome the POTENTIAL disaster in rounds 1 and 2.
Grade:  C   


ClevelandThere's a good chance that Eric Mangini's former employer, the Jets, picked the Browns' pocket. Cleveland didn't get enough value for the fifth overall spot in the first round from the Jets, unless you really love Jets safety Abram Elam, DE Kenyon Coleman and third-string QB Brett Ratliff. Well, Mangini does love those players and that's why he pulled the trigger on the draft's biggest trade. The Rams may not be the best judge, but they passed on these same players.

Cal center Alex Mack should eventually be a starter and the fans had to love Buckeyes WR Brian Robiskie in the second round. Hawaii's David Veikune is a project at outside linebacker, but he does have power and good hands. Grade: C

Yeah, they traded down for 173 different guys; but, this team sucks.  They're going to suck next season.  They need volume, cause one or two guys ain't gonna do it.  I thought they could have gotten more for their 1st-round picks, but it's not as bad as all that.  I like their first pick a LOT (anchor the middle to build success), and the kid from Hawaii looks like he could be a great 3-4 player.

Grade: B


Baltimore
GM Ozzie Newsome made a bold move to trade up and select Ole Miss offensive tackle Michael Oher at No. 23. Oher was rated in the top 12 on most teams' draft boards and was considered the smartest player at his position.

Utah's Paul Kruger reminds me of Jared Allen, a high-motor pass rusher who seems to fit Baltimore's defensive scheme. Texas Christian University inside linebacker Jason Phillips will be given a shot to replace the departed Bart Scott. Grade: B-


I don't know a lot about the skills of their other picks, but I LOVED the Oher pick.  I think Peerman is another potential bruiser at RB, and they probably could have used more speed/agility there to open up the offense.  Didn't see anything about whether or not Peerman can catch the ball, but I hope he can because they didn't get a single WR.  That may be a mistake.

Grade: B 

[aj_law]

My own very quick impressions of Pittsburgh's divisional rivals drafts:

Cincy - I think Maualuga is to Cincy what Woodley was to Pittsburgh in that a R1 valued player slipped to each team's pick in R2.  Don't think Maualuga will be as good as Wood, but he's a very solid player and when the draft unfolded how it did for Pittsburgh, I was hoping they would take him at 1.32.  Personally, I think Pittsburgh reached to fill a need versus just taking the BPA which would've netted them Maualuga.  Insult to injury that they'll now have to face him twice a season.  The wildcard for them is really Man Teats II.  If Smith can be the player they hope he will be, their draft should have two home runs at the top.  For that team, anything else would be gravy.

Cleveland - Yeah, they probably didn't get enough value for that 1.5 spot, but remember that the exorbitant price tags afforded to top picks have resulted in their devaluation when viewed using traditional draft charts.  They got a solid center and a few other players they were targeting all while avoiding paying a monster contract to an unproven top 5 rookie draftee.  A good O-line got better (imagine...) so it really boils down to picking a QB, sticking with him and hoping he pans out.  Really surprised we didn't see a draft day trade of Edwards so that "issue" still lingers, but I think they can get a solid WR between Robiskie and Massaquoi.  I actually like the latter more than most.  He catches everything; the anti-Edwards, if you will.

Baltimore - They drafted my ideal R1 pick 9 spots ahead of Pittsburgh so that should give you an idea of how I feel about their day.  In today's game, R1 picks almost have to be home runs and to hit one in the bottom quarter of the round is a great start to your draft.  Not too familiar with the rest of their bounty, but I have seen a little of Phillips and I'll say that I think they got a great steal in R5.  The dude's a gamer and plays hard whistle to whistle.  Wouldn't surprise me to see him fill Scott's shoes.