2010 NFL Draft Grades

AFC East

Buffalo Bills: B-

They drafted C.J. Spiller, who could develop into one of the elite ball carriers in the league as early as the end of this year. After that, there was nothing to write home about. The only other picks that look like locks to be contributors on this team any time soon are defensive linemen Torell Troup and Alex Carrington. WR Marcus Easley will get playing time right away, but needs time to develop into an elite player.

Miami Dolphins: C

While the trade for Brandon Marshall will help Chad Henne and the Dolphins offense greatly, the draft itself, partly as a result of trading away a second-round pick to get him, was underwhelming. They drafted a few solid players, but I'm not convinced that any one of them will make the Pro Bowl within the next two or three years.

New England Patriots: B+

All of the wheeling and dealing on the first day of the draft, and they still got exactly what they wanted. Devin McCourty perfectly fits the mold of a defensive back in the Patriots scheme, and they added solid starters to an already elite team. The goal here was to get younger and just a little better. With 12 picks, and additions to the already dangerous passing game, they did just that.

New York Jets: A-

They didn't need to do much, given what they already had. After this draft, the best defense in the league has outstanding corner Kyle Wilson, who will be added to a secondary that already had Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie. They also added Joe McKnight to complement Shonn Greene, and turned one of their draft picks into a deep threat (Santonio Holmes), which should make things easier on Mark Sanchez.

AFC North

Baltimore Ravens: B

As boring as their draft was, they were smart with their picks, and, like the Patriots, did the right thing by trading down, and getting more picks in the process. At the end of the day, they replaced every major piece they lost, most notably by getting Terrance Cody to solidify their defensive line. Overall, it was a good draft for the Ravens.

Cincinnati Bengals: B

They didn't fill all of their biggest needs, but adding Jermaine Gresham and Jordan Shipley makes the offense much better, and Carlos Dunlap could prove to be a great value pick. I love half of their picks, but the others leave me unimpressed. Still, I think they made their team better, which makes this a successful draft for them.

Cleveland Browns: C

I've heard quite a bit about what a wonderful job Mike Holmgren did with this draft, but I just don't see it. Colt McCoy was a good pick in the third round, but they took nearly everyone else too high. Joe Haden seems overhyped to me, as do RB Montario Hardesty and WR Carlton Mitchell. Athleticism goes a long way, but instincts go farther. I just don't see any of their picks making an immediate impact, and as bad as they are, they need players who can contribute now.

Pittsburgh Steelers: B

They didn't fall for the hype, but instead went with solid players who can start right away. Maurkice Pouncey and Thaddeus Gibson give them young players that could develop into leaders for their team on both sides of the ball. Most of the picks also fit the Pittsburgh offensive and defensive schemes perfectly. This was a solid draft for the Steelers.

AFC South

Houston Texans: C+

Their biggest offseason loss was Dunta Robinson, who they replaced with Kareem Jackson. Other than that, they had an average draft with some picks, like Auburn RB Ben Tate, who could be regular contributors, but have little chance to be game-changers. They might have reached for a few players like Earl Mitchell and Garrett Graham, but this draft wasn't too bad for Houston.

Indianapolis Colts: C

Their entire draft was unexciting, and filled with fairly solid picks like Jerry Hughes and Pat Angerer, who have upside, but were probably not worth first and second-round picks, respectively. But this team didn't get any worse, and they still have Peyton Manning throwing passes. It was an average draft for a great team.

Jacksonville Jaguars: D+

Tyson Alualu was the biggest reach since the Chiefs drafted Tyson Jackson with the third overall pick in 2009, and D'Anthony Smith could have probably been picked one round later. Believe it or not, the best pick they made came in the sixth round, when they took RB Deji Karim, whose pro day numbers ranked among the best in the draft. Overall, this was a disappointing, although not completely disastrous, draft for the Jaguars.

Tennessee Titans: B

They replaced Kyle Vanden Bosch with Derrick Morgan, and got Damian Williams at the end of the second day. Those are two of the highest-value picks in the draft, and filled glaring holes in this team. They also drafted players like Alterraun Verner that add depth to a team with some aging players, which should leave them satisfied with this year's draft.

AFC West

Denver Broncos: F

They didn't add a single player that will make an immediate impact, and they gave up too much to get back into the first round, where they then reached for a player in Tim Tebow that most experts agree will never be a quality NFL starter. All of this came after using their first pick on a WR that was probably only the third-best available at that position. This draft was a failure in every possible way.

Kansas City Chiefs: A-

Eric Berry was the most NFL-ready player in the draft, and will probably be a game-changer by the end of the year. While I initially hated the second-round pick of Dexter McCluster, the more I thought about it, the more I liked it. He could be to Matt Cassel what Wes Welker was in New England. Jon Asamoah was also a high-value pick, and will start right away. The Chiefs are much better now than they were last Wednesday.

Oakland Raiders: A-

If this was any other team, I might be inclined to give them a slightly lower grade. But the Raiders taking players like Rolando McClain, Lamarr Houston, and Jacoby Ford surprised me enough to make a great draft seem that much more impressive. Add in the fact that they turned one of their picks into Jason Campbell, and this was the best draft they've had in a long time.

San Diego Chargers: C+

They traded up 16 spots to take Ryan Matthews, which I initially thought was a reach. But factor in that they needed a replacement for L.T., and that Matthews is coming from an offense much like the Chargers', and it was a solid pick. Still, they gave up a lot to get him, and drafting Donald Butler is a bit of a head-scratcher, considering their depth at LB. They did a better-than-average job overall, which is all they had to do to remain the class of the AFC West.

NFC East

Dallas Cowboys: B-

As good as Dez Bryant is, they had more glaring needs than WR, which was a relatively deep position in this year's draft. They probably could have done better by taking an offensive lineman, and then taking a quick receiver like Jordan Shipley later. Instead, second-round pick Sean Lee will be a welcome addition to the quickly-aging Dallas linebackers. They did well enough to warrant some praise, but could have done even better.

New York Giants: C

I'm not at all sold on Jason Pierre-Paul, who only started seven games in D1 in his college career, and there were better picks available at that point in the draft. But picks like Mitch Petrus, who benched 225 pounds 44 times at the combine, were solid, needed additions to this team. There is nothing impressive about this draft, but the only truly bad pick was Pierre-Paul, making this an average, if not boring, draft.

Philadelphia Eagles: B

They didn't make any moves that will be talked about for the rest of the offseason, but they drafted 12 players, most of whom will at least compete for a starting position. They will be one of the youngest teams in the league when the regular season rolls around, and a good one at that.

Washington Redskins: C

They had an extraordinarily boring draft, but that's okay for them. Trent Williams will be a staple of their offensive line for a while, and the rest of the picks should be fine under the tutelage of Mike Shanahan. They couldn't ask for more out of a draft where their main goal was to put pieces around an offense that features Donavan McNaab, Clinton Portis, Willie Parker, and Larry Johnson.

NFC North

Chicago Bears: C+

They didn't draft in the first two rounds, but still found some great players after that point. Major Wright and Corey Wootton are two players with a lot of potential, and Lovie Smith is usually pretty good at developing defensive players. Without any truly elite players, this wasn't a great draft for them, but it certainly wasn't bad.

Detroit Lions: A-

In the first round, they got Ndamukong Suh, the most talented player in the draft, and Jahvid Best. In my mind, a single round that nets you an anchor for the defensive line and an explosive offensive playmaker is excellent. They only picked six players, but each of them might be the frontrunner to start at their respective positions.

Green Bay Packers: B-

Bryan Bulaga and Mike Neal just look like they belong in Green Bay, and should help immensely. With Bulaga protecting Aaron Rodgers and Neal putting pressure on opposing passers, the Packers drafted with the intent of building their young core starting with the line, which seems to be what perennial playoff contenders always do.

Minnesota Vikings: B-

Chris Cook is the type of defensive back that can stick with a receiver all day long. Given the Vikings' star-studded defensive line, he was exactly what they needed to get with their first pick. I think Toby Gerhart could be a great complement to Adrian Peterson, but he could just as easily be a total bust. Overall, this was an above-average draft that got the Vikings exactly what they needed to remain one of the best teams in the league.

NFC South

Atlanta Falcons: B+

They added speedy defenders Sean Witherspoon and Dominique Franks, both of whom will fit perfectly in their cover 2 defense. Mike Johnson and Joe Hawley are solid linemen to protect Matt Ryan. This is one of the most underrated group of players put together in the draft, and should get Atlanta back to the playoffs this year.

Carolina Panthers: B

I thought not having a first-round pick might really hurt this team, but then again, I also thought Jimmy Clausen wouldn't fall out of the first round. Having a QB with his skillset will make it easier to transition out of the Jake Delhomme era. Armanti Edwards was the FCS version of Tim Tebow last year, and will find some position in the Carolina offense. They did well, considering the picks they had.

New Orleans Saints: B

I think their first-round pick, Patrick Robinson, will improve a mediocre defense, especially against speedy receivers. All of their picks on the second and third days were low-risk players, although none of them have much potential for high-reward.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: A-

Gerald McCoy will make plays for this defense from the get-go, and is also a great presence in the locker-room. Arrelious Benn may prove to be the best WR in this draft and could play special teams, too. Myron Lewis and Cody Grimm complement the pick of McCoy on defense, and help make this one of the better drafts for Tampa Bay in recent memory.

NFC West

Arizona Cardinals: B-

In the first round, they got the player they wanted with DT Dan Williams, but nothing else about this draft was exciting. They got players like Daryl Washington that will fit in well with the established schemes, but I can't see him or Andre Roberts, who also looks like a good fit, making a difference in the near future.

St. Louis Rams: B-

They got their QB of the future in Sam Bradford, and even drafted a receiver for him in Mardy Gilyard. Both of those players should be solid contributors for years to come, but I don't think some of their picks, most notably George Selvie, will do well in the Rams system. The success of this draft will be determined by Bradford and Gilyard, however, and that should be enough to make this a pretty good draft for the Rams.

San Francisco 49ers: A-

This team was close to breaking out last year, and this draft should fix most of the problems they had. Anthony Davis and Mike Iupati will make this an elite offensive line for the foreseeable future, and with Frank Gore running behind them, might make the San Francisco offense one to fear. Taylor Mays in the second round was also a steal, and is exactly what they needed on defense. They had a nearly perfect draft.

Seattle Seahawks: A+

The Seahawks had an unbelievable first round. Russell Okung was the best OT in the draft, and Earl Thomas will contribute right away. After that, they got WR Golden Tate and turned some picks into both Lendale White and Leon Washington. No other team got anywhere near as much out of their picks. Pete Carroll should have a fine first year in Seattle.