| PICK | TEAM | PLAYER | ANALYSIS |
| 1.01 |  | WR Jordy Nelson |
Grade: A. Position Rank: 2. Nelson was a consensus top 5 pick but not the best receiver available. However, he wasn't far behind the number 1 ranked WR. |
| 1.02 |  | WR James Hardy | Grade: TBC. Position Rank: 1. Hardy was the #1 guy atop my board. I will let someone else grade him. |
| 1.03 |  | HB Jonathan Stewart | Grade: A. Position Rank: 1. With Alexander starting to regress but still having value, this move makes a lot of sense. It was something I had contemplated if I had stayed at 4. |
| 1.04 |  | DE Chris Long | Grade: A+. Position Rank: 1. The Chiefs picked up a future 1 and arguably the best player in the draft trading down. |
| 1.05 | | CB Aqib Talib | Grade: A-. Position Rank: 1. The Chiefs also picked up the #1 rated CB. However, the CB class wasn't very strong and this might be a slight reach. However, with a decent skew this could turn out to be a very nice pick. |
| 1.06 |  | TE Gary Barnidge | Grade: A. Position Rank: 1. This was the pick I had Rock making. Barnidge is a freak specimen at the position. It's not an A+ purely because of the relative importance of the position but it's still a very nice selection. |
| 1.07 |  | QB Erik Ainge | Grade: B+. Position Rank: 1. I understand the pick. Hasselbeck is 33. However, Carl Nicks was still on the board and they could have helped their offense now with that pick. Not a bad pick at all though - Ainge was the #1 QB on my board. |
| 1.08 |  | SS Domonique Barber | Grade: A-. Position Rank: 1. The Cardinals had very few holes and Barber was one of the handful of legit blue chip talents. I can't really argue with the pick although perhaps Chilo Rachal may have made a little more sense. Or maybe not. |
| 1.09 | | RT Carl Nicks | Grade: A+. Position Rank: 1. This was the guy I was drafting at 4. Fills a need and comfortably the best OT. Great pick and value. |
| 1.10 |  | NT Frank Okham | Grade: A. Position Rank: 1=. Okham can play as a 4-3 or 3-4 tackle and fills one of the few holes on the New England roster. My only gripe with this is that ILB was arguably a greater need. However, NE obviously opined none of the top prospects warranted a top 10 pick and I agree with that. |
| 1.11 |  | HB Matt Forte | Grade: B. Position Rank: 2. Again I get the rationale of a succession plan for Johnson. However, I think there were bigger holes at safety (Steltz or Campbell) or even at QB (Brohm or Henne) - Pennington and Brooks are both past 30. I imagine Forte must have worked out well here. |
| 1.12 |  | DT Red Bryant | Grade: B. Position Rank: 1=. Bryant is a nice pick, value wise. I am struggling to see the need though given the stable of competent DTs the Lions possess. Someone like Calais Campbell, Brian Brohm (I am biased against Vick) or Andre Caldwell may have been a better team fit. |
| 1.13 | | RG Chilo Rachal | Grade: B+. Position Rank: 1. Rachal is a very nice pick, value wise. However, the Eagles have two really good starting OGs. Perhaps Rachal is being pencilled in at LT as they have been shopping McKenzie. I imagine Breck was hoping for Forte here and this is a pretty good backup plan. Rachal is a very nice player. |
| 1.14 |  | QB Brian Brohm | Grade: A-. Position Rank: 3. Again understand the thought process with Kitna being 36. I had Brohm narrowly behind Henne (Ryan, Henne, Brohm and Booty were all in the same ball park for me but Henne wasnt drafted in Round 1, so what do I know. You could make a case for Cory Lichtenstigr or DE Calais Campbel here but this is a good value pick. |
| 1.15 |  | OT Gosder Cherilus | Grade: A. Position Rank: 2. Odgen is 34 and with Bryant and Okham off the board, the Ravens go with the best OT available. Nice selection. |
| 1.16 |  | DE Derrick Harvey | Grade: C. Position Rank: 3. The Colts had a few holes - secondary, linebacker and defensive end. They could have gone Calais Campbell who is a better prospect with fairly unique measurables. Harvey is nice but unless Campbell skews down, I think it was the wrong pick if you wanted an end. |
| 1.17 | | OG Roy Schuening | Grade: B+. Position Rank: 2. Despite not having stellar strength, Schuening is arguably the most athletic guard in the draft. The Ravens have Gallery and have been trying to move Stinchcomb so the assumption is either he or Gallery will switch over. The picked up a safety with their next pick, which was where I might have gone. |
| 1.18 |  | WR Andre Caldwell | Grade: A-. Position Rank: 4. Caldwell is a very nice pick - he has great athletic ability that cannot be taught. Receiver was a need but I could really have envisaged Neal taking SS Craig Steltz as the heir apparent to the excellent but 35 year old Dawkins. |
| 1.19 |  | ILB Philip Wheeler | Grade: A. Position Rank: 1. With Kevin committing, it appears, to a 3-4, he takes the best ILB prospect. Wheeler isnt elite but is close enough - and if you needed a LB in this range, he was a very solid pick. |
| 1.20 | | SS Craig Steltz | Grade: A. Position Rank: 2. Second safety on my board and fills in a gap behind the veteran Demps. This was a very nice pick that probably should have been made with their earlier pick. If he skews well, he's a relative steal at this slot. |
| 1.21 |  | QB Matt Ryan | Grade: A. Position Rank: 4. This pick makes a lot of sense given Delhomme's age. Again, as with all the QB's after Ainge, the separation and preference is personal. Ryan has the best THA of the four behind Ainge. You can't do anything but commend a good decision, even if you were to go a slightly different route (again, Henne was #2 without PWs). Calais Campbell would have been an equally good choice this late on. |
| 1.24 |  | HB Clifton Smith | Grade: A-. Position Rank: 4. This was a polarising pick amongst two different schools of thought at HB. I personally don't like HBs who start with such a low CAR or BTK and don't carry at least 220lbs but recent seasons and my experiences with Ricky Williams and Clinton Portis show that I know very little. What Smith does have - in spades - is dynamism and explosive athletic ability. He has elite speed, agility, acceleration and strength. Will his frame count against him? This is truly an intriguing experiment as bar the AWR, CAR and BTK, he isn't a million miles away from Clinton Portis. The grade reflects the gamble - can his attributes be progressed enough? If so, he could be the best back taken in this draft. |
| 1.29 |  | QB John David Booty | Grade: A-. Position Rank: 5 . This was a good QB class - no sure fire studs out of the gate but 5 very good prospects. I had Booty ranked last of the 5 and he was taken before Henne who was my #2 - the differences between any of these guys is purely personal preference at the end of the day and it was literally paper thin between all of them. Brandon needed a QB - he got one - he got a good one and if the skew is kind, I'll damn the pick.. |
| 1.30 |  | WR Josh Morgan | Grade: C. Position Rank: 6. There had been a number of receivers taken and the Chargers pulled the trigger late in round 1. Hindsight is a wonderful thing - I think LB Keith Rivers would have been an upgrade on Briggs but receiver was a need. I think Devin Thomas was the pick to make if you wanted a WR. Morgan isn't terrible by any stretch but he doesnt have anything that wows you. |
If anyone from picks 16-32 wants a grading, let me know. This was hard work :D
