Winners and Losers

I want to break down the draft some more to give out my final grades. So, today I will be looking at some of the winners and losers throughout the NFL Draft.

Winners:

The obvious answer to the winners of this draft are the Kansas City Chiefs.

Glenn Dorsey will step in right away as their stud defensive lineman and make the rest of their line that much better. In my opinion Dorsey's game will be able to translate well into the NFL ranks. Having Dorsey drop to them made the Chiefs decision an easy one. With his athleticism Branden Albert will be able to make an effective transition to Right Tackle. The Chiefs were reportedly going to draft Albert at five and they got him at 15.

They also got a CB that has a chance to start for them in Flowers, a change of pace back in Charles, and a good pass catching TE in Cottam who can back-up Gonzalez for the next 2-3 seasons.

Carolina Panthers:

I love the pick of Jonathan Stewart, who I thought was the second best back and think he can be a nice backup for DeAngelo Williams. I also like the pick of Jeff Otah who is a very good run-blocker and average pass-blocker. If he can improve his pass-blocking the trade will have been worth it. They also drefted an underrated pass catching TE in Barnidge in the 6th round.

They added depth to their defense with the picks of Godfrey (CB), Dan Connor (LB), Nick Hayden (DT), and Hilee Taylor (OLB), the first three I could see starting at some point in the next three seasons.

Dallas Cowboys:

I liked the pick of Felix Jones over Mendenhall due to the Cowboys circumstances, they need a speed back to provide a change of pace for Barber. I also like the move up to grab CB Mike Jenkins as a versatile DB that can line up at multipe positions and succeed. They also added depth with Martellus Bennett and Tashard Choice.

Miami Dolphins:

The pick of Jake Long was an obvious pick for a team that needs to rebuild, he will stabilize the line and provide some heart to a team that had none last year. I was surprised that Phillip Merling dropped into the 2nd round, even with the sports hernia, and Parcells was smart enough to grab him. Finally, Henne will either be the starter for the Dolphins or force John Beck to play better.

Minnesota Vikings:

The reason that I will put the Vikings in the winners column is that they went and got the best defensive player available in Jared Allen. To me you have to include draft trades in rankings and Allen adds 12-15 sacks for next season, barring an injury. They have also added great depth with Johnson (S), David Booty (QB), and Sullivan (C).

The losers are tougher to find, but in my opinion some teams reached for bad players and traded to much to make their picks.

Tennessee Titans:

I do not know if the Tidtans understand what the draft is supposed to be used for. They ignored their obvious need at WR until the fourth round when they finally drafted Lavelle Hawkins. I do not get what the Titans were thinking throughout the draft.

Houston Texans:

The Texans drafted Duane Brown, who is not ready to step in right away in NFL, in the first round. They also did not draft a player that is going to be a starter for them next season.

Jacksonville Jaguars:

I like Derrick Harvey and am not sure where he was going, considering some projections had him at 5 and others in the late teens. However, I would have tried to either trade my second round or first round to the Dolphins for a proven DE Jason Taylor. Then address the rest of my needs throughout the rest of the draft.