NFL Czar: Grading the NFL draft

Boy, was my Mock Draft off or what? Other than hitting Sam Bradford at number one to the St. Louis Rams, I was far from perfect. Now I get to do some grading of the first round. I'll keep it short and sweet for each of the 32 first round picks.

1. St. Louis Rams — Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma: Got their franchise QB, have been impressed so far. (Grade: A)

2. Detroit Lions — Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska: A building block for the defence, Suh will be a force. (Grade: A)

3. Tampa Bay Bucs — Gerald McCoy, DT, Oklahoma: Was a better fit than Suh in their defence anyway. (Grade: A)

4. Washington Redskins — Trent Williams, OT, Oklahoma: Also a writer for this very paper (different Trent Williams). (Grade: A)

5. Kansas City Chiefs — Eric Berry, S, Tennessee: Ball-hawking safety a huge pick at this spot. Had other needs though. (Grade: A-)

6. Seattle Seahawks — Russell Okung, T, Oklahoma St.: Best rated tackle by many, fills huge need. (Grade: A+)

7. Cleveland Browns — Joe Haden, CB, Florida: There were many other needs, but Haden should be a great player. (Grade: B)

8. Oakland Raiders — Rolando McClain, LB, Alabama: A rare smart, safe pick for the Raiders. (Grade: A)

9. Buffalo Bills — C.J. Spiller, RB, Clemson: Strange pick, but the potential is there. Have to move Marshawn Lynch to make this work. (Grade: B+)

10. Jacksonville Jaguars — Tyson Alualu, DT, California: A major reach at this point, but the Jags must have saw something they liked. (Grade: C)

11. San Francisco 49ers — Anthony Davis, OT, Rutgers: Really unnecessary trade to move up, but good selection. (Grade: B)

12. San Diego Chargers — Ryan Mathews, RB, Fresno St: A huge move up the first round, for the replacement for LaDainian Tomlinson. (Grade: B+)

13. Philadelphia Eagles — Brandon Graham, DE, Michigan: Another big trade up, and the Eagles finally get a complement for Trent Cole. (Grade: A-)

14. Seattle Seahawks — Earl Thomas, S, Texas: The ‘Hawks complete their stellar first round by getting Thomas. (Grade: A)

15. New York Giants — Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, South Florida: Some ranked him higher, but really didn't prove himself in college. Risk/reward pick. (Grade: B-)

16. Tennessee Titans — Derrick Morgan, DE, Georgia Tech: The best defensive end in the draft, Morgan falls a bit, but the Titans are ecstatic. (Grade: A)

17. San Francisco 49ers — Mike Iupati, OG, Idaho: Paired with Davis, should give them a heck of an offensive line. (Grade: A)

18. Pittsburgh Steelers — Maurkice Pouncey, C, Florida: The offensive line has been a huge problem, Pouncey will help. (Grade: B+)

19. Atlanta Falcons — Sean Weatherspoon, LB, Missouri: The Falcons struck gold with this pick, a true talent. (Grade: A)

20. Houston Texans — Kareem Jackson, CB, Alabama: A bit of an unknown, but talent will show in Texans' defence. (Grade: B)

21. Cincinnati Bengals — Jermaine Gresham, TE, Oklahoma: Should be a big help in the Bengals passing game. (Grade: B)

22. Denver Broncos — Demaryious Thomas, WR, Georgia Tech: Should help erase the loss of Brandon Marshall. (Grade: B+)

23. Green Bay Packers — Bryan Baluga, OT, Iowa: Should not have fell this far, an absolute steal. (Grade: A+)

24. Dallas Cowboys — Dez Bryant, WR, Oklahoma St: Traded up for this dynamic playmaker. Had other needs though. (Grade: B+)

25. Denver Broncos — Tim Tebow, QB, Florida: The absolute worst pick of the round. Could never develop into an NFL Quarterback. (Grade: D)

26. Arizona Cardinals — Dan Williams, DT, Tennessee: A very good addition to an already stout defence. (Grade: A)

27. New England Patriots — Devin McCourty, CB, Rutgers: Should start right away in a weak secondary. (Grade: B+)

28. Miami Dolphins — Jared Odrick, DT, Penn St: Wanted Dan Williams, but got a solid player in Odrick. (Grade: B)

29. New York Jets — Kyle Wilson, CB, Boise St: The best defence in the league got better by adding Wilson. (Grade: A)

30. Detroit Lions — Jahvid Best, RB, California: Traded up to get this speedy back. Completed a strong first round for the Lions. (Grade: B+)

31. Indianapolis Colts — Jerry Hughes, DE, TCU: This hybrid DE/LB should be a good depth player on the Colts line. (Grade: B)

32. New Orleans Saints — Patrick Robinson, CB, Florida St: Some had him as the number two corner behind Haden. Good move for the defending Champs. (Grade: A)

There you have it folks. Overall, it was a very exciting NFL Draft this year. Can't wait for the 2010 NFL season to start.