Grading the Draft

I have been very critical of NFL Commissioner Roger "Judge, Jury, & Executioner" Goodell. His policy of protecting the shield through disciplinary action without conviction borders on the line of downright absurd. This policy is only possible in the NFL, with the weakest players union in the four major sports. So when Roger Dodger wanted to change the format of the draft and move it to 3 days, I was more than skeptical. If it aint broke don't fix it right?

Having the 1st round in primetime was a brilliant move. The draft beat NBA playoff games on TNT, and were up 30% over last years 1st day coverage. Having the break between the 1st and 4th rounds, let teams reset and reevaluate their team needs and overall draft strategy. I watched the majority of the draft. Albeit some of it on DVR. I got up at 6am to watch on Saturday, not 4am like the diehards. But I thought it was great! 3 days is better than 2. Kudos to you Mr. Goodell. And I don't say that very often.

Draft moving to primetime: A


Teams that I think did well on draft day:

Seattle Seahawks: Had many needs when the draft started. Addressed just about all of them. Grade: A
Balitimore Ravens: Solid draft top to bottom. Grade: A
Detroit Lions: Got the best player in the draft in Suh. Grade: A
San Francisco 49ers: Love what they did in the first round. Mays might be a whiner, but a solid value in the 2nd. Grade: A
New England Patriots: Not so much for their picks this year, but how they set themselves up for next year. Grade: B+

Teams that I didn't do so well on draft day:

Minnesota Vikings: Puzzling moves all weekend long. WTF guys. Grade: D+
Jacksonville Jaguars: Reaches in all early round picks. Alualu is from Hawaii. But he could have been had much later in the first or even the early second. Grade: D
Buffalo Bills: RB was not a need. O-Line and QB were. So you take Spiller in the first. And passed several times on QB's again, and again, and again. Epic Fail. You guys just clinched 4th place in the AFC East. Congratulations. You suck. Grade: F-

My favorite moves of the draft:
Lions getting Suh at number 2.
Seattle getting Okung at number 6.
Cowboys trading up to steal Dez Bryant from Baltimore in the late 1st.
Panthers getting Clausen deep into round 2.
Patriots picking up picks in 1st and 2nd round of next year.
Raiders getting Jason Campbell for peanuts.
Seahawks getting Leon Washington for a 5th and 7th rounder. I thought he was worth a 2nd-to-3rd rounder.

My Homer Simpson "DOH!" Moves of the draft:
Tyson Alualu to the Jagz. Way too early.
Oakland Raiders had a good LB in Kirk Morrision. They could have traded back to get Rolando McClain 10 picks later. They do this every year.
Denver Broncos selecting Tim Tebow at the end of the 1st. They gave up way too much to move up. It's not that I don't like Tebow, it's that they passed on Clausen and gave up too much to get him.
Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings every time they got on the clock. WTF guys?

So the Seahawks had many needs entering the NFL Draft. Those included o-line (specifically a left-tackle), defensive end, wide-receiver, running back, safety, corner, and quarterback.

The hawks had the left tackle that could possibly play the next 10 years fall to them at number 6 with Russell Okung. There was a huge difference between the top 6 players, and what the Cleveland Browns had to pick with at 7 on Thursday. Thank you Washington and Kansas City. I hope we don't select anywhere near you jabroni's in the near future.

The Seahawks addressed the D-line with Robert Henderson (trade with Detroit), Chris Clemons (trade with Philly), Kevin Vickerson (trade with Tennessee), and EJ Wilson and Dexter Davis in the draft. Not big splashy names, but bodies that might be able to get the job done. When you don't sign a big time free agent you throw a whole bunch of guys against a wall and hope one or two of them stick. I think that's the strategy here. Or this will be the position (or maybe QB) that we will be selecting next year in the 1st round. Hopefully later rather than sooner.

Seattle got an absolute steal in the 2nd round with WR Golden Tate. They also picked up an intriguing prospect in Jameson Konz (H-back) out of Kent State. He's huge, coming in at 6-4, and weighs in at around 240 pounds. He ran a 4.4 40. He will get a shot at WR. Hawks also picked up pothead Anthony McCoy (TE) in the 6th round. He'll help out in Alex Gibbs 2 TE sets. He's a good blocker. Seattle also signed former 1st round WR's Mike Williams and Reggie Williams to free-agent contracts. The best move was letting Brandon Marshall leave Seattle without a contract after his visit in March. So glad they didn't sign him. Sometimes the best moves are the ones you don't do. Injuries have decimated this group in the past. It looks like we have a lot of players to choose from at the WR position.

I hate Julius Jones. Never liked the guy. So I like the moves to sign LenDale White and Leon Washington. Washington more than LenDale. I'm not completely sold on Forsett as anything more than a 3rd down/change of pace back. I feel a lot better about the position today, than I did on last week Wednesday. Hope LenDale can stay away from the Tequila in Seatown. I like the bellcow running back to be about 230 pounds. I'm not fond of 200 pound running backs.

Seahawks got Earl Thomas (1st) and Kam Chancellor (5th) at the safety position. And Walter Thurmond (4th round) at cornerback. The Seahawks got burned bad in the defensive backfield last year. These guys will help. Marcus Trufant isn't getting any younger.

Which brings us to the last position of need, quarterback. I flat out didn't like the Charlie Whitehurst move when we made it in March. Moving back 20 spots in the second, giving up a 3rd next year, and handing a guy a 2 year, 10 million dollar contract, when he has no regular season snaps, is just downright crazy in my eyes. Especially considering what was available at that pick in this years second round. I like the Whithurst move even less today after the draft, then I did prior to the draft. I would have preferred Clausen or McCoy. But we'll see.

Pete Carroll and John Schneider did a great job for the Seahawks. They picked up a lot of players that can help out immediately. They got starters. I agree with just about everything they did with the exception of the Whitehurst move. Seahawks are on their way back. Just hope that Pete can coach these guys up and get them to execute his system. The NFC West could be and should be wide open this coming season. Seahawks should be better than last year. And as a Seahawk fan, I'm pleased. Seattle Seahawks Draft Weekend Grade: A

I'd like to finish this up by giving an A grade to my girlfriend Dawn. She was off on Friday and watched about 60% of the draft with me on Friday and Saturday. That's 55%-60% more than most guys girlfriends will do. She likes the guys with funny names and human interest stories. Michael Oher last year and Myron Rolle this year.

I really enjoyed the draft as a Seahawk fan, NFL fan, and as Dawn's boyfriend. I'm lucky and very optimistic about the future.