We Finally Have A Winner - Draft Grades

[ice grillin you]

1. fletcher cox = B+ - didnt necesarily think they needed to trade up but they got their man and arguably the best at his position
2. mychal kendricks = B - i like the player i hate the decision to try and run him at SAM
2. vinny curry = B- - not an exciting player and i woud have went in a different direction but the guy has potential to be very productive
3. nick foles = D+ - made no sense whatsoever
4. brandon boykin - A+ - could make a great case to have picked him in the 3rd
5. dennis kelly = F - puke
6. marvin mcnutt = A - exactly where they should have went at this point in the draft
6. brandon washington = B+ - big time value
7. bryce brown - B - im always for going after the talent and athleticism over all else....thats what this pick is

B+

the most impressive thing about this draft imo was the strategy...before the draft i was on record as saying all defense and then some OL depth...more or less thats what they did and it was a script that was perfectly followed


whats everyone else got??

[BigEd76]

NFL Network gave it a B-, worst in the division

ESPN had it as one of the two best, along with the Colts

Love the Cox pick, OK with the next 3 defensive ones, meh on the QB, and the last four will battle for depth spots but I'm not expecting much from them.  I didn't really see anyone that they missed out on.  I'll give it a B+.

[ice grillin you]

what did nfln criticize about it?

[BigEd76]

Didn't like the Curry pick and questioned the Foles pick.  They gave an A to Dallas and Bs to NY and Washington

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

Haters gonna hate.

[Sgt PSN]

LOL....not saying the Foles pick isn't questionable but how do you grade the racists higher when they drafted 2 qbs in the first 3 rounds?

[BigEd76]

Kiper just gave the Birds an A too, says they and the Bengals had the best drafts

[ice grillin you]

Didn't like the Curry pick and questioned the Foles pick.  They gave an A to Dallas and Bs to NY and Washington

taterskins had a gimme #2 pick and were awful the rest of the way - D+

i think claiborne was the best pick of the draft but they were pretty vanilla otherwise - C+

giants panicked with wilson but made up for it with randle...the rest of ok - B

[Sgt PSN]

Kiper just gave the Birds an A too, says they and the Bengals had the best drafts

I don't agree with that either.   I think they had a very good draft but I don't think it was 1 of the 2 best drafts.  They're in B+/A- territory though. 

[PhillyPhreak54]

How in the hell does anyone, even their mouth breather fans, give Dallas an A?

[Eagaholic]

How in the hell does anyone, even their mouth breather fans, give Dallas an A?

Because half the people that throw out grades only look at how big the names are and how they are rated, especially if they have star power. I know they have traded down in the past but still, nothing says dallas mentality more than that. They don't take into account who else dallas could have had if they stayed pat and who they could have had from the middle of the second round. They just see the hyped player.

Farg dallas

[Feva]

1. Cox - There were a number of players that I would have liked here, but Cox was right at the top of the list for me, along with Barron. I don't mind the trade up to make sure they got their guy, especially since the Rams ended up going DT at 15. They got the cream of the crop in what was considered the deepest position in the draft. A

2. Kendricks - Again... he along with David, were the top LB's on the list for me. I actually saw a good number of Cal games thru work this year and Kendricks always stood out on D. A productive player at a position of need is always good and I loved Polian calling him "Bloodthirsty". Exactly what you want your LB's to be. I don't know about them talking about moving him to SAM though. We'll see. B+

2. Curry - Another productive player (26 sacks in 2 yrs) at a position that they could use some more youth. He's got a solid frame to build on and I think Washburn can get some production out of him in the rotation. Not a big run stuffer, but if you think they give a damn about that under this wide 9, then you haven't been paying attention. B

3. Foles - Whatever. You knew there were gonna be some "WTF" picks along the way. Here it is. No point in grabbing your "QB of the future" if you're not grabbing him early on. Brady notwithstanding. D

4. Boykin - Another thing that bothered me about the Foles pick was that I thought they'd missed out on Boykin for sure. So, I was pleasanty surprised to see him still on the board for them to grab in the 4th. B+

5. Kelly - They drafted the farging missing link. Should be fine as long as he doesn't have to block. D

6. McNutt - Big WR who knows how to use his body when going up to snatch passes out of the air instead of waiting for them to come down to him. Not a burner, and he'll need to rely on route-running to get open in the NFL.. but should be able to provide some help in the red zone. I think they were considering a move for Plax at some point... this is their answer for that. Pretty good value for the 6th round. B

6. Washington - Athletic G for Mudd to make something out of. Looks like a road grader type that should provide good depth for the line. Again, good value so late. B-

7. Brown - No risk whatsoever. You're basically taking fliers in the 7th anyway (unless you're the Eagles where you're normally looking for starting LB's). Sounds like a guy who can be a real find if he reaches his potential. Still no real backup option for Shady though at this point. C+


Overall, B - has the looks of a real solid draft. Even if the picks don't pan out, you can't really fault Andy/Howie on this one too much because they at least addressed defensive needs on all 3 levels, with productive players... and athletic productive players at that. Still a head scratcher or two... but a nice haul overall.

[ice grillin you]

excellent review but i feel like you liked the draft more than me yet i had it a B+

[PhillyPhreak54]

I definitely like the little deviation from the previous philosophy of not taking BPA and going with good football players. There were a few exceptions with the QB and OT but other than that it looks like they took BPA's. They also didn't let character concerns sway them.

My biggest thing that I liked was they took productive guys. Too many times in the past they may have relied on measurables or post-season AS game/practice performances. I will always go with a guy who performs on the field in games regardless of what college he attended. I said that back when Brandon Marshall and Greg Jennings were coming out. Smaller school guys who threw up huge numbers.

1. FLETCHER COX - A: Mark Barron was my number one want but he went too high. To have Cox fall enough for them to jump up there a couple spots and grab him was huge. He was the #1 ranked DT and can rush the passer. Once Washburn polishes him up we'll see a guy who will disrupt the pocket. With Jenkins getting older and Patterson a blocker-eater they needed a top tier guy. I don't mind the trade up because I think he's worth it; the fact the recouped the 4th was a bonus.

2. MYCHAL KENDRICKS - A: I love watching good LB play and that's been missing for the most part for years. I like his speed and he seems to be a sure tackler and like Dawk would say "has some dog in him". The move to SAM I am not sure about but if he can ball then why not? Let him get out there and see what he can do. Worst case is you move him weakside and put Chaney at SAM. He's small but he played middle at CAL and had to take on lead blocks there too. I like a guy who can run with TEs.

2. VINNY CURRY - B+: Like I said above, I like to see production. He can rush the passer and he's made for this scheme. As we have seen with the Giants, they have a bunch of guys who can bring pressure and Curry adds another bullet in the DE rotation.

3. NICK FOLES - D: Did not like this pick at all. He may turn out to be a good player and honestly they better hope he is. He seems to have a bigger arm than Kafka, who I think is very limited, and Trent Edwards is a bum. Like the rest of you I believed there were other players on the board who would have been better in this spot. TY Hilton, Jayron Hosely, Brandon Boykin or Lamar Miller should have been the pick here.

4. BRANDON BOYKIN - B+: Loved this pick and they were lucky to get him. With Hanson getting older, Nnamdi and DRC not the best slot guys and Marsh and Hughes being unproven they needed a slot guy. They nailed it here and also get his return skills as a bonus. Let's hope he stays healthy.

5. DENNIS KELLY - D: He wasn't invited to the combine and has a propensity to hold a lot. He also doesn't fit Mudd's OL criteria because he's so big. But Andy always gets an OL project and this guy is it. I would have rather seen Chris Rainey, George Iloka or Asa Jackson here.

6. MARVIN MCNUTT - B: Production! Caught 82 balls at Iowa...that is an accomplishment. He's big and hopefully will unseat Sunshine Cooper as the 4th wideout. Excellent pick for the 6th round.

6. BRANDON WASHINGTON - B: A big boy who can move and plays nasty. Everything I have read says he pulls well and is light on his feet for being 320. I like when OL are described as brutal blockers. He slid a bit based on projections. Nice pick.

7. BRYCE BROWN - B: Character concerns be damned, they took a shot on a 6-0 223 guy who blazes a 4.4. I liked Andy's reasoning of taking him to avoid a bidding war so that shows that they really see something despite him not playing college ball much. He's a longshot to pan out but the fact they took a potential playmaker rather than mailing it in and taking another interior OL or DE says something.

OVERALL: A-

I liked what they did on 7/9 picks...so that says A- for me.

[ice grillin you]

an overall grade would be appreciated