TMG DraftZone NFL Draft Grades: AFC West

The Denver Broncos moved on from Tim Tebow to Peyton Manning, and pulled away from the rest of the AFC West to claim their second straight division title. The Broncos had the best record in the AFC, then let the playoffs slip through their fingers with one poorly timed jump by Rahim Moore in the final minute of regulation against the Baltimore Ravens in the Divisional Playoff game. The Broncos are stil the class of the West, and are reloading for a return trip to the playoffs. San Diego, Oakland and Kansas City all fell on hard times in 2012, and are hoping that off season changes can move them back up to playoff contention. The Chiefs brought in Andy Reid as their new head coach, and with the first overall pick they selected Eric Fisher, the athletic offensive tackle from Central Michigan. Their second round pick went to San Francisco to acquire Alex Smith, and there is enough talent on both sides of the ball in Kansas City to return the Chiefs to their division winning level of 2010. San Diego brought in Mike McCoy to coach, and the Chargers still have Phillip Rivers at quarterback. But the Chargers still have holes to fill, and protecting Rivers has been a concern. D.J. Fluker was taken at #11 to shore up the offensive line, and Manti Te'o looks to be the leader on defense for years to come. The Oakland Raiders continue to cause people to scratch their heads. They traded Carson Palmer for a late round pick, after acquiring him from Cincinnati for a 1st and 2nd round pick. Doing this 10 years down the road is one thing. But this happened two years after Mike Brown fleeced the Raiders. It's tough to build through the draft when you keep trading your top draft picks. This year, the Raiders traded down from #3 to #12 to add a second rounder, and with those two picks they selected D.J. Hayden to play corner and Menelik Watson to play tackle. Hayden is coming back from a near fatal chest injury, and Watson is talented but raw. If they pan out, the Raides will reap the rewards. If not, one has to wonder what is going on with the Silver and Black. So here are the TMG DraftZone 2012 NFL Draft Grades for the AFC West, including key selections and sleeper picks: Denver: B Montee Ball (RB) Kayvon Webster (CB) The Broncos seelcted Sylvester Williams in Round 1, and he can move into the middle of the defensive line right away. If Ball can provide a consistent, healthy running game for Manning then the passing game will be even more dangerous. Champ Bailey probably won't play forever, so Webster might get a chance to prove himself sooner rather than later. Kansas City: B Eric Fisher (T) Nico Johnson (LB) Fisher will eventually be the Chiefs left tackle, and if Brandon Albert keeps pouting about his situation in Kansas City then he might be anchoring the blind side soon. Fisher has all the tools to be a star in the NFL, and I look for him to do just that. Travis Kelce can add another dimension to the offense by teaming with Tony Moeaki to set up a dangerous pass catching two tight tnd set. Knile Davis can give Jamaal Charles a break from all the wear and tear, and Johnson will add to a strong linebacking corps. Oakland: Sio Moore (LB) Tyler Wilson (QB) Hayden and Watson have the talent, but the injury and experience concerns need to be ironed out. Moore is a fast, athletic linebacker and the Raiders need help on defense. It will be interesting to see if Wilson gets a chance to play quarterback. Matt Flynn is first on the depth chart, and Terrelle Pyror is second, but when you have been going through quarterbacks like they are stuck in a revolving door then Wilson might a chance. San Diego: A- D.J. Fluker (T) Keenan Allen (WR) Fluker played right tackle in college, and if the Chargers keep him there he can flourish. If a move is made to the left side, it will be interesting to see if he can handle to change. Te'o is in the nearly perfect setting for him to flourish. Away from the large media markets, and on a team that really needs him to take charge and lead the defense. Allen was a surprise drop to Round 3. He gives Rivers a target on the outside that he has nto had since Vincent Jackson moved to Tampy Bay.

2013 DSA Player Rankings 4.0--Settling In/Bottoming Out Edition

We are just over a week removed from the 2013 NFL Scouting Combine, and Pro Days are starting up at universities and colleges all across the nation. Free agancy begins in less than a week, and mock drafts are starting to reflect the moves already made and those that may be made. The players at the top of the mock drafts appear to be pretty much set, and those at the bottom half of Round 1 look like they could be listed in any order and no one would be surprised. I call this the Settling In/Bottoming Out Edition of the 2013 DSA Player Rankings, version 4.0. Luke Joeckel and Eric Fisher are still in the top 2 slots, Dee Milliner and Dion Jordan are still #4 and #5 respectively, Ezekiel Ansah is #7 and Barkevious Mingo is #9. Geno Smith and Sharrif Floyd exchanged positions at #3 and #6, with Floyd moving up behind Joeckel and Fisher in the top three. The biggest move up in the top half was Jarvis Jones, now at #11, and the largest drop at the top was Bjoern Werner, falling six moer positions to #14. Looking at the top 18 players, there isn't that big of a talent gap among the group. A player like Kenny Vaccaro or Xavier Rhodes could easily move up to the top 10 if a team values their talent enough, and Dion Jordan or Ezekiel Ansah could fall to the middle of Round 1 if they are seen as too raw or unpolished. But for now I do not see anyone making the jump up into the top group. The reason is that the gap between player ratings I mentioned in the previous DSA's is getting even larger. Vaccaro is stuck in the middle, but there is now a nearly 6 point gap between Jonathon Cooper at #17 and Keenan Allen at #19. The players at the bottom are bunched up ratings points wise. Less than 3 points separate six players from #20 to #25, and the last seven spots are less than 2 points apart. The biggest risers and fallers are found in the lower half. Sylvester Williams makes his first appearance at #27, and Sam Montgomery is back in at #34. Montgomery at the same position as the first DSA's this year, but his score is a full three points less. Arthur Brown also makes his first appearance, and he nearly surpassed Manti Te'o. If Te'o does not impress during his Pro Day at Notre Dame, look for the Heisman Trophy runner-up to start showing up in Round 2 of mock drafts everywhere. So here is the 2013 DSA Player Rankings 4.0--The Settling In/Bottoming Out Edition: 1) Luke Joeckel 1.40 2) Eric Fisher 4.30 3) Sharrif Floyd 4.70 4) Dee Milliner 5.00 5) Dion Jordan 5.10 6) Geno Smith 6.30 7) Ezekiel Ansah 8.40 8) Lane Johnson 10.60 9) Barkevious Mingo 10.70 10) Cordarrelle Patterson 11.90 11) Jarvis Jones 13.00 12) Star Lotulelei 13.10 13) Chance Warmack 13.30 14) Bjoern Werner 14.30 15) Xavier Rhodes 14.60 16) Sheldon Richardson 14.70 17) Jonathon Cooper 15.90 18) Kenny Vaccaro 18.30 19) Keenan Allen 21.40 20) Damontre Moore 22.70 21) Tyler Eifert 22.70 22) D.J. Fluker 23.80 23) Alec Ogletree 24.30 24) Desmond Trufant 25.40 25) Tavon Austin 25.50 26) Datone Jones 28.90 27) Sylvester Williams 29.30 28) Johnathon Hankins 30.40 29) DeAndre Hopkins 33.00 30) Kawann Short 33.40 31) Manti Te'o 33.50 32) Arthur Brown 33.90 33) Cornelius Carradine 34.30 34) Sam Montgomery 34.60 35) Matt Elam 34.90 In case you are wondering what has happened to Matt Barkley, of the ten mock drafts I compiled for this DSA, he was at #9 in one and out of the other 9. In fact, Tyler Wilson had a higher grade, as he was at #8 in one and out of the other 9 as well. The rumors coming out of the Scouting Combine about the Cardinals taking Barkley at #7 seem to be fading. I have made the bold prediction that 5 quarterbacks will be selected in the 1st Round, and right now I can say that there will need to be a severe case of Panic In The Draft Room for it to happen. Geno Smith looks to go in either the seventh, eighth, or ninth picks, and any other quarterbacks will most likely go at the bottom of Round 1 via teams trading up to get their quarterback of the future. Considering how deep and balanced this draft is, who goes where and when is not going to surprise me at all. So far, I have listed 56 players from various mock drafts that have gotten a first round grade. That is nearly enough to fill the first 2 rounds. I will say this: someone is really going to have to screw up their picks to get a draft grade below a C this year. Let the Pro Days commence, and let's see who is moving up and down for the next edition of the TMG DraftZone DSA Player Rankings.

2013 DSA Player Rankings 3.0 Post-Combine Edition

The 2013 NFL Scouting Combine has come and gone, and it is time for the DSA Palyer Rankings 3.0, the Post-Combine Edition. The players have done the drills, taken the tests, and interviewed until they are blue in the face. Now it is time to analyze the results of last weekend in Indianapolis. The players that have stood out the most, for better or worse, are also the ones that are taking the biggest hits on their mock draft ratings, and in the DSA Player Rankings. The biggest drop was from Johnathon Hankins, who many see as a player who should have stayed in college another year. Hankins is talented, and can be a premier run stopper, but he still needs some polishing. Hankins fell 12 spots, but he still looks to be a late first/early second round pick. The next three biggest drops came from players who either underperformed or didn't perform at all. In the previous DSA Player Rankings, Damontre Moore dropped from #3 to #9. Now Moore has dropped another 10 spots to #19. His on-field workouts were lackluster, and his showing in the weight room was less than stellar. Moore could still be a top 10 selection in the upcoming draft, but his pro day workout had better be impressive. Two players that did not work out and who are taking hits on their draft stack are Jarvis Jones and Star Lotulelei. Jones chose not to work out, but questions concerning his spinal stenosis have thrown up red flags about his long term health. But the biggest health concern came from Lotulelei. He was shown to have a circulation problem with a heart ventricle, and he did not get a chance to show teams that he is the dominant defensive tackle on the draft boards. Lotulelei fell 10 spots, and Jones fell nine. The biggest sideshow of the combine was Manti Te'o. He answered all the questions concerning his alleged girlfriend and the whole catfish hoax, but he failed to impress on the field. His 40 time of 4.82 was slower than expected, and he did not stand out from the pack. Coupled with his poor showing in the BCS Championship Game, his draft stock is going even further down. Te'o fell another 8 spots in the latest DSA Player Rankings. Perhaps the oddest drop belongs to Bjoern Werner. But his fall in the DSA's is indicitive of how wide open this draft is going to be. Werner fell 6 spots, but in 4 of the 10 mock drafts I used for this DSA Rankings he was listed at #2 on the boards to Jacksonville, and on antoher Werner was 3rd. But Werner was also placed at #18 three times and #19 once. The draft is loaded with a lot of very good players that could go anywhere in Round 1 or Round 2. This is very much a 15/35/55 Draft. The player that goes at #55 is going to be as good as the one at #35, and that player is going to be as good as the one at #15. The biggest movers up are, for the most part, at the top of the DSA's. Ezekiel Ansah gained 10 spots, and Dion Jordan and Sharrif Floyd gained 6 each. Eric Fisher moved up three spots to take over the 2nd slot, and Dee Milliner gained four spots to #4. Both players had excellent workouts, and it has shown in their placements at the top of mock drafts everywhere. Cornelius Carradine made the biggest jump of all, moving up into the top of the class to #27. His physical ability has teams intrigued, and between Carradine and Margus Hunt it will be fun to watch which one moves up the charts the fastest. Hunt looks to be the second coming of J.J. Watt-tall, athletic, with the ability to swat down passes and kicks with the greatest of ease. But he is a raw talent and teams see the potential. Hunt will be the biggest mover up the draft boards in the coming weeks. Luke Joeckel remains at the top of the DSA's, and with Alex Smith on his way to Kansas City, he looks to stay there a while. If the Chiefs re-sign Brandon Albert, they may look to a pass rusher. But for now the #1 pick of the draft looks to be the player who has been rated at the top of everyone's draft boards since Day 1, and Joeckel is the pick. So here is the DSA Player Rankings 3.0, the Post Combine Edition: 1) Luke Joeckel 2.10 2) Eric Fisher 5.50 3) Geno Smith 5.50 4) Dee Milliner 5.80 5) Dion Jordan 7.60 6) Sharrif Floyd 8.10 7) Ezekiel Ansah 9.30 8) Bjoern Werner 9.60 9) Barkevious Mingo 9.60 10) Chance Warmack 11.30 11) Lane Johnson 12.00 12) Sheldon Richardson 13.10 13) Cordarrelle Patterson 13.60 14) Star Lotulelei 15.00 15) Jarvis Jones 16.00 16) Xavier Rhodes 17.20 17) Kenny Vaccaro 17.20 18) Jonathon Cooper 17.90 19) Damontre Moore 18.20 20) Keenan Allen 22.20 21) Tavon Austin 25.50 22) Matt Barkley 26.00 23) Tyler Eifert 26.10 24) D.J. Fluker 27.10 25) Desmond Trufant 28.00 26) Datone Jones 28.80 27) Cornelius Carradine 29.40 28) DeAndre Hopkins 29.90 29) Alec Ogletree 30.00 30) Kawann Short 30.20 31) Manti Te'o 31.20 32) Jesse Williams 31.30 33) Johnathon Hankins 32.00 34) Eddie Lacy 32.40 35) Johnathon Cyprien 32.50 36) Alex Okafor 33.70 37) Jonathon Banks 34.00 38) Matt Elam 34.40 One strange anomoly of this DSA is the big score gap in the middle of the rankings. Normally, a difference of 3 points between spots is a big gap. But from Damontre Moore at #19 to Tavon Austin at #21, there is a difference of nearly 8 points. Players are finding their way to spots all over the mock drafts. The rumors have Matt Barkley going to Arizona at #7, and there are those who say he won't go in the first round at all. Barkley has made his way up to #22, but the fact he was not in six of the 10 mock drafts that make up this DSA shows that there is a great difference of opinion concerning the draft. We are going to see a lot more in the weeks to come. The question now is 'Who is going to separate themselves at their Pro Day workouts?' In the next seven weeks before the 2013 NFL Draft, we are going to find out.

DSA Player Rankings 2.0

You can call this version of the 2013 DSA Player Rankings the Pre-Draft Combine Edition. The Annual NFL Draft Combine started today, and for many players it is wonderful opportunity to impress coaches and front office personnel as to why they should be selected by their teams and how high in the draft they should go. I was very interested to see who the movers are in the latest DSA Player Rankings. Those who are getting to love from the mock drafters and those who are seen as being on the outs. The three biggest advances were Sharrif Floyd, who moved up nine spots to #12, and Floyd can very easily move up even more. He is getting very high draft slots, and quite a few are projecting the defensive tackle to go as high as #3 overall to Oakland. The next two players who made the biggest gains were Datone Jones and Kawann Short, both of whom were not even listed on the first DSA Player Rankings of 2013, but a little research showed that they each improved eight positions. I can see both moving up along with Floyd, and I can see Jones maknig a move into the top half of the first round. The biggest drops came from two different players for different reasons. Big Drop #2 came from Manti Te'o, as questions concerning his off field behavior in his catfishing episode and, most importantly, his on field performance against Alabama in the BCS Championship Game, have many wondering how effective he will be as a pro. But the biggest drop came for Damontre Moore. Even though Moore was listed as the #3 overall pick in half of the mock drafts I sampled, he was listed at #21 in one and not in the first round in another. Moore is still in the top 10, but a drop of six spots came about due to those low draft slots. I can see Moore making his way back up to the top 5 in no time. But the players who are not getting any love at all are the quarterbacks. Geno Smith fell one spot to #3, and not as many people are convinced that Kansas City will take the signal caller at the top. But Smith was the only quarterback in the top 32. I'm still convinced there will be a run on quarterbacks in Round 1, but it looks more and more it will be at the bottom of the draft through trades and teams moving up. So here is the 2013 DSA Player Rankings 2.0, the Pre-Draft Combine Edition: 1) Luke Joeckel 2.50 2) Bjoern Werner 3.70 3) Geno Smith 4.80 4) Star Lotuleili 6.50 5) Eric Fisher 7.50 6) Jarvis Jones 7.60 7) Barkevious Mingo 8.60 8) Dee Milliner 9.30 9) Damontre Moore 10.20 10) Chance Warmack 10.40 11) Dion Jordan 11.80 12) Sharrif Floyd 13.50 13) Lane Johnson 14.70 14) Cordarrelle Patterson 15.10 15) Kenny Vaccaro 16.50 16) Sheldon Richardson 17.60 17) Ezekiel Ansah 18.20 18) Keenan Allen 18.50 19) Jonathon Cooper 22.90 20) Xavier Rhodes 23.00 21) Johnathon Hankins 23.90 22) Alec Ogletree 24.20 23) Manti Te'o 25.60 24) Kevin Minter 26.00 25) Desmond Trufant 27.50 26) Tavon Austin 28.00 27) D.J. Fluker 29.50 28) Johnathon Banks 30.40 29) Datone Jones 30.70 30) Kawann Short 31.00 31) Zach Ertz 31.70 32) Tyler Eifert 33.30 The NFL Draft Combine concludes on Sunday. I'll put up my Post-Draft Combine Edition of the DSA Player Rankings right afterwards. It will be interesting to see who has made the biggest and best impressions on the mock drafters with their performance this weekend ni Indianapolis.