Miami Dolphins: C-

It didn't surprise me at all to see the Dolphins trade up.  What did surprise me was the selection of Dion Jordan.  I really thought they were trading up to get Lane Johnson and I believe that is what they should have done.  Tannehill is a young QB who needs help to develop.  They have been aggressive getting him some weapons to work with but that doesn't matter much if there isn't anyone to block for him.  You worry that Tannehill could end up the new David Carr.  As far as Jordan is concerned, he is an tremendous athlete; however, there are times when he doesn't make a ton of plays.  I thought he was better suited for a 3-4 team.  As a 4-3 DE he will struggle some at the point of attack because he lacks bulk.  He will improve the pass rush and he can make plays out in space.  For a tall guy he has unbelievable change of direction.  He has the potential to be a really good player but I am not a big fan of the pick.  In the second round they selected Jamar Taylor.  He was decent value but I think he is a little overrated.  He is physical and fast and really improved this past season.  He also probably fits the system better than some other CBs I liked better.  The biggest issue is that they again ignored the T position with Terron Armstead still available.  In the third round they get an OL in Dallas Thomas.  He could be tried at T but it sounds like they will play him at G which is his more natural position.  Thomas was a solid pick.  He is a big, strong guy.  He anchors well in pass protection and is difficult to get around.  As a run blocker he is aggressive and is hard to get off of if he gets his hands on you.  He has a chance to start in year one.  Later in the round they continued to address the CB position with Will Davis.  There were some guys I liked better but this was an alright selection.  Davis has some ball skills, decent feet and some closing ability.  The problem is that he can get lazy and lose concentration at times.  He also isn't overly physical or a great tackler.  In round 4 they took Jelani Jenkins.  I was really surprised that he had declared for the draft.  He was good value here in the draft.  He has good speed and is physical.  If he can stay healthy he could develop into a solid player.  He has the ability to play inside or outside.  A couple picks later they took Dion Sims.  I feel that he is really overrated but he isn't a horrible risk in the 4th round.  He has great size and is really athletic for a big guy.  He just doesn't make a ton of plays.  He runs poor routes and doesn't extend his arms for the catch.  This combination allows defenders to make plays on the ball.  Despite his size he is not a good blocker.  He leans into defenders and rarely sticks to his block.  He has the physical ability to dominate but he hardly makes a splash.  In round 5 they picked Mike Gillislee.  He was decent value here.  He has good size and runs hard.  He is a one cut type back with decent vision and good pad level.  A couple picks later they took the first K in the draft in Caleb Sturgis.  I liked Dustin Hopkins a little better but they are both decent value at this point in the draft. To finish the draft they selected Don Jones.  He has good size and athleticism.  He has good speed and it appears that they will first try him at CB.  He is a little bit of a project.

Buffalo Bills: D+

I liked the idea of trading down and picking up some more picks before selecting a QB.  The part I didn't like was the actual QB they selected. I felt that E.J. Manuel was really overrated.  Sure he has an ideal frame, has a good arm and is athletic but his play really fails to impress.  He really struggles when under pressure and often likes to look at the pass rush rather than down the field.  He tends to make the same mistakes over and over again.  He struggles with accuracy and at times hangs his receivers out to dry.  He has potential but nothing in his play screams franchise QB.  As much as I hate their first pick is as much as I like their second pick.  I thought that Robert Woods was really underrated.  People like to say he had a down year last year but his down year is other people's dream years.  It is hard to keep big numbers when you have Marquise Lee opposite you.  He was also dealing with an ankle injury.  Woods plays faster than he times, has great hands and understands route running.  He can get deep and can catch the ball in traffic.  Once the ball is in his hands he has the ability to take it the distance.  I was a little surprised by the selection of Kiko Alonso with Arthur Brown still avaiable.  Alonso is a good player and wasn't too big of a reach, especially considering the need.  I have run a little hot and cold with Alonso.  At times I felt he was unathletic and stiff.  At other times I feel he has great anticipation and instincts.  He is a solid tackler and is very physical.  He will likely join the starting unit quickly.  I didn't really like the selection of Marquise Goodwin.  Over the course of the season he has gone from underrated to overrated. He has really good speed and despite being a track guy he has shown good toughness and a willingness to be physical.  He improved throughout the season but still needs a lot of work with route running.  His hands aren't horrible but they could be better.  He is not a bad prospect but the third round was early for him, especially with Markus Wheaton still available who is a much better speed option out of the slot.  The next two rounds the Bills reached for a pair of SS in Duke Williams and Jonathan Meeks.  There were a number of players I liked better than this duo.  Williams has potential.  He has good size and speed.  He flashes closing ability.  The main concern with him is his overall focus.  Meeks was a big reach.  He has good size and will hit but is limited athletically.  He just doesn't show up a lot on film.  In the 6th round they grabbed K Dustin Hopkins.  This was a solid place in the draft for the top kicker to go.  To close out the draft they went with TE Chris Gragg.  I really liked this pick.  Gragg is really athletic and will really help the passing game.  He doesn't offer a lot as a blocker but the Bills really need people who can make plays down the field.

With the first round wrapped up it is time to determine the "winners and losers". Time will tell but here is my gut reaction to the first round.

Winners:

  1. Cincinnati Bengals- Some times the best plan is to sit back and take the best player available.  It wasn't a huge need area but adding Tyler Eifert changes the dynamic of the offense and makes the Bengals a better team.  He was really good value at pick 21.

  2. Carolina Panthers- Some times the best plane is to sit back and let your ideal player drop into your lap. The Panthers have needed some DL help and for whatever reason they let Dwan Edwards leave town, so now they really needed DL help. They avoided the urge to move up into the top 10 and were rewarded with having the opportuntiy to choose between Star Lotulelei and Sharrif Floyd. Still can't believe how far Floyd dropped.

  3. St. Louis Rams- Three players stood out to me for the Rams: Tavon Austin, Kenny Vaccaro and Alec Ogletree.  I really didn't see how the Rams were going to be able to get either of the first two on that list but they were aggressive and moved up to get Austin. The reality is that they didn't give up a ton to get Austin and then they were smart enough (and lucky enough) to trade down and get back some of those picks they had lost and still get Ogletree with their second pick in the first round.

Losers:

  1. Buffalo Bills- I liked the idea of moving back despite the fear of possibly losing the guy you liked; however, I didn't realize that the guy was E.J. Manuel.  If you look at my position overview you know I felt Manuel was overrated.  That was when I thought he would be a high second round pick not the 16th pick overall and the first QB off the board.  He has all the physical attributes you look for but his play and his progress through college have left a lot to be desired. I could be wrong but I just don't see the light going on once he becomes a pro

  2. New York Giants- Again if you look at my position overview you will see that I thought that Justin Pugh was overrated and like Manuel above, that was when I though he would be a high 2nd round pick.  They think he can play RT but I think he will end up solely being a G. They took Pugh with the likes of Tyler Eifert, Sharrif Floyd, Desmond Trufant, Bjoern Werner and Alec Ogletree still on the board.

  3. San Francisco 49ers- Again if you look at my position overview you will see that I thought Eric Reid was overrated, and again that was when I thought he would be a high 2nd round pick. The 49ers traded way up to get him. The 49ers have a ton of picks in this draft and not a ton of needs, so I have no problem with them using a bunch of picks to get someone they love.  I just didn't like that it was Reid. He has a ton of ability but he really doesn't produce on the field.  I also felt that they had a really good shot of getting him at pick 31, but again I don't blame them for moving up to secure a player.  I just thought the player should be Tyler Eifert, Sharrif Floyd or their pick of the WRs.

  4. Chicago Bears- I usually only pick three losers but due to the fact that they were predictable if you had read my overviews, I added an extra one.  For years I have been beating up the Bears and Cardinals for not addressing the OL and turning their QBs into human pinatas. So it feels weird to attack the Bears for finally addressing the OL.  The Cardinals got lucky and had the best G available.  The OL options had been depleted by the time that the Bears picked.  I really thought that pick 20 was too early for Kyle Long. Maybe the pick of Pugh right before them made them panick a little but I thought that Manti Te'o or any of the WRs or Tyler Eifert would be much better value. There will likely be a T or G with similar value available in round 2 or 3.

Surprises:

  1. Dion Jordan- I was not surprised at all that the Dolphins traded up.  I was completely surprised when the pick was not Lane Johnson.  They must feel confident that they will get Branden Albert.

  2. Sheldon Richardson- I really thought that maybe the Jets would try to trade back and maybe they tried but couldn't find a deal. With that being said, there were a lot of options available. I was thinking: Kenny Vaccaro, Jarvis Jones, Tyler Eifert, any QB they wanted, any WR not named Tavon Austin or a NT type like Star Lotulelei.  I was completely blindsided by the Sheldon Richardson selection.  I didn't feel like it was a huge reach (although there were some other talented DL still available) but I just don't really see how he fits that scheme.

  3. D.J. Hayden- I really liked the move back, especially when they were on the clock and both Sharrif Floyd and Star Lotulelei were still available.  I felt like those would be the two guys they would consider at pick 3. So I was really surprised when Hayden was announced as the pick.  Hayden has a lot of potential but is a health concern and you can't be sure how he will bounce back.  I understand the desire to select a guy you think will be a shut down corner but I thought they might go for that dominating force in the middle of the line due to the mentioned concerns.

Underrated:  Earl Wolff, North Carolina St

Overrated:  Eric Reid, LSU

Boom or Bust:  Tony Jefferson, Oklahoma

Sleeper:  Rontez Miles, California (PA)

Undrafted Sleeper:  Kanorris Davis, Troy

Underrated:  Jordan Poyer, Oregon St

Overrated:  Blidi Wreh-Wilson, Connecticut

Boom or Bust:  Tyrann Mathieu, LSU

Sleeper:  B.W. Webb, William & Mary

Undrafted Sleeper:  Charles James, Charleston Southern

Underrated:  Jon Bostic, Florida

Overrated:  A.J. Klein, Iowa St

Boom or Bust:  Kevin Reddick, North Carolina

Sleeper:  Vince Williams, Florida St

Undrafted Sleeper:  Kennith Jackson, Cal Poly

Underrated:  Sio Moore, Connecticut

Overrated:  Khaseem Greene, Rutgers

Boom or Bust:  Alec Ogletree, Georgia

Sleeper:  Ty Powell, Harding

Undrafted Sleeper:  Brandon Thurmond, Arkansas- Pine Bluff

Underrated:  Kwame Geathers, Georgia

Overrated:  Johnathan Hankins, Ohio St

Boom or Bust:  Kawann Short, Purdue

Sleeper:  Nicholas Williams, Samford

Undrafted Sleeper:  Jake McDonough, Iowa St

Underrated:  John Simon, Ohio St

Overrated:  Michael Buchanan, Illinois

Boom or Bust:  Damontre Moore, Texas A&M

Sleeper:  Armonty Bryant, East Central (OK)

Undrafted Sleeper:  Rufus Johnson, Tarleton St