TMG DraftZone 2013 NFL Draft Grades: NFC East

The 2013 NFL Draft has come and gone, my vacation is over and it's time to hand out grades to the teams. I posted in a blog earlier this draft season that without the big names at the top, with loads of depth and with players at 15-35-55 that would wind up having similar talent and value, that it would be tough for any team to really screw up their draft. I was right on that point. I was wrong on my very early prediction that 5 quarterbacks would go in the first round. For this year, Panic In The Draft Room did not take over. But it did hit in Round 4. The quarterbacks in this draft may end up being quality players, but teams went for what they saw as the moer sure thing and waited to take the signal callers. When Round 4 came around, the quarterbacks went off the board. But 2013 was all about The Big Uglies. 6 offensive lineman taken in the first 11 picks. 3 defensive lineman in the first 6 picks. Even Travis Frederick, seen by many as a third round pick, went in Round 1 to Dallas. No running backs selected in the first round, and only one quarterback. What in the name of Russell Erxlaben is going on here? My team draft grades will be followed by key selections and sleeper picks. So here is the TMG DraftZone team grades for the 2013 NFL Draft, starting with the NFC East: NFC East Dallas: C Gavin Escobar (TE) Joseph Randle (RB) Frederick will move into the center position and plug up the revolving door there, but he could have been gotten in late Round 2 or even Round 3. Escobar will give Tony Romo an excellent target, and Randle could get his chance to carry the ball if the Dallas backs keep getting injured. NY Giants: B+ Johnathon Hankins (DT) Damontre Moore (DE) New York looked to shore up their offensive line with the pick of Justin Pugh. His running mate from Syracuse, quarterback Ryan Nassib, may not get much of a chance to play but he gives the Giants a solid backup to Eli Manning. Hankins is a load who can tie up the middle of the defensive line and free up the Giants pass rush from the ends. And if Moore plays like the one who racked up 12 sacks last year at Texas A&M instead of the player who looked like he took his future for granted at the combine, he could have a big impact down the road. Philadelphia: A- Matt Barkley (QB) Jordan Poyer (CB) The Chip Kelly Era starts with the building block of the most athletic tackle in the draft with Lane Johnson. Zack Ertz will give the Eagles quarterback a big target down the middle, and I believe that the quarterback who will be throwing the ball to Ertz, DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin and others will be Barkley. I don't believe he will begni the year as the starter, but I can see Barkley finishing the year taking snaps. Jordan Poyer was seen as an early round pick, and he fell all the way to the seventh round. With the Eagles porous pass defense, Poyer could get a chance early. Washington: B David Amerson (CB) Phillip Thomas (S) Washington surrendered their first round pick last year to move up and take Robert Griffin III, and that move worked out very well as the Redskins won the NFC East. Washington beefed up their pass defense early and often with the picks of David Amerson in Round 2 and later on with Phillip Thomas in Round 4. Jordan Reed gives Griffin another target to throw to when he finally learns that he will last a lot longer in the NFL by not running as much as he did last year.

How does your Mock Draft look now?

If it looks anything like my NCAA Tournament Bracket after Day 1, it's probably needs to find the nearest shredder. Free agency has been going full tilt for over a week now, and the moves that have been made are sure to have an impact on the first round of the upcoming 2013 NFL Draft. Kansas City looked to be in the market for a quarterback, wide reciever and tackle. But the Chiefs traded for Alex Smith to run the offense, re-signed Dwayne Bowe and picked up Donnie Avery to catch the ball, and placed the franchise tag on left tackle Brandon Albert. Kansas City is looking for a right tackle to bookend Albert, and to eventually replace him, and Luke Joeckel is still on their radar. One thing that Andy Reid might be looking for is a tradig partner for that top pick, since the Chiefs gave up their second rounder to San Francisco for Smith. But I don't see it happening. The draft is loaded with good players but not the superstars that past drafts have featured. Why would a team trade up to get a player and give up other picks when they can get another pick that is just as good? So for my money KC is still on the clock, and I see them selectnig from a group of Joeckel, Eric Fisher, Star Lotulelei and Sharif Floyd. It all depends on which side of the ball they want to upgrade at the top. Two teams that are looking for quarterbacks continue to be Arizona and Buffalo. Arizona signed Drew Stanton, but I don't think this is pleasing Larry Fitzgerald too terribly much. Now the Cardinals have Stanton, John Skelton, Kevin Kolb and Ryan Lindley to compete for the starting job. My suggestion: get rid of all 4, and draft either Geno Smith or Matt Barkley and start fresh, just the same way new coach Bruce Arians did last year in Indianapolis with Andrew Luck. Now I am not saying that Smith or Barkley is anywhere near the level of Luck, but putting four bald tires on your car is not going to improve the overall performance. Time for a complete overhaul, and you have to start at quarterback. Buffalo did the opposite of Arizona. They just cut their starting quarterback. After giving Ryan Fitzpatrick a huge contract in 2011, they parted ways with Fitzpatrick and now the Bills are faced with a bit of a dilemna. Do they stay put at #8 and take whoever the Cardinals do not select, or do they trade up and leapfrog Arizona and get their man. This is going to be a classic example of Panic in the Draft Room. I don't see a move up to the top with Kansas City, but I would nto be surprised to see Jacksonville move down. The Jags need defensive help, and they can get that at #8 as well as #2, and the prospect of acquiring picks that they gave away to select Justin Blackmon has to be appealing to the Jaguars. Minnesota traded Percy Harvin and then signed Greg Jennings, so their need for a receiver is still there. Miami was a popular landing spot for Cordarrelle Patterson, but with the signing of Mike Wallace look for the Dolphins to go defensive with Xavier Rhodes to take over at cornerback, or Lane Johnson to replace former #1 Overall Pick Jake Long. If Ryan Tannehill is your future quarterback, you better have his backside covered with a franchise tackle. Johnson can fill the bill. And just today the news came out that Tampa Bay will trade a 1st and 2nd Round pick in 2014 to the NY Jets for Darrelle Revis. I have had the Bucs going cornerback in the first round and targeting Xavier Rhodes as well. One might think that with Revis on board that corner would not be a priority. I see that is can still be for Tampa. Revis is still rehabbing a torn ACL, and his status is still up in the air. But I have always been an advocate of having 2 shutdown corners and turning the pass rush loose. Want to get to the quarterback? It's a lot easier if he can't find an open receiver to throw the ball to. Putting Rhodes opposite Revis would create the Florida Keys. One island in line with another. Much has been said about Baltimore losing so many players on defense. Ray Lewis retires. Ed Reed is on his way to Houston. Paul Kruger signed as a free agent with Cleveland. Bernard Pollard is now a member of the Titans. But the Ravens have one of the best GMs in the league with Ozzie Newsome, so I don't see too many holes on the roster come training camp. Now the team that really has my head needing a good scratch is Cincinnati. The Bengals went into free agnecy with over $40 million in cap space, and what have they done-not much of anything. The placed the franchise tag on defensive end Michael Johnson, and re-signed Wallace Gilberry, Rey Maualuga, Mike Nugent, Clark Harris and Adam Jones. They have yet to sign a player from the open market, and have not struck a deal with Andre Smith to bring him back to play right tackle. This is what happens when your owner is also the GM, and the owner is a tightwad. Just about everyone will agree that the Bengals are ready to get over the hurdle, win in the playoffs and make a run at the Super Bowl. But when you have the cap space to improve your team and you don't, you shouldn't expect your team to improve. The talent is there in Andy Dalton, A.J. Green and Geno Atkins, but apparently Brown is happy picking 21st every year, since that is the pick which goes to the team that makes the playoffs and has the worst record of those that lose in the divisional round. 2013 is the 3rd time in 4 years that Cincinnati has picked in that particular slot. There is still time to make some moves in free agency. Now it will be seen if the Bengals can make the moves they need to make a run through the playoffs. I will be putting together the Post-Free Agency DSA Player Rankings, and it will be interesting to see who has who going where now that the veterans have found their landing spots. It's five week until the 2013 NFL Draft. Let the mock draft roll on in.

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.

Round and Round the Mock Drafts Go

The TMG DraftZone is back after a brief hiatus. As much as I love writing about the NFL Draft and the mock draft industry that surrounds it, family and work have taken precedence lately. But after compiling my initial data for the 2013 NFL Draft there are a number of trends starting to emerge. It is pretty clear that the best player, the one with the most upside, and the one with the best chance at success in the NFL is the same player: Luke Joeckel. The top offensive tackle prospect out of Texas A&M looks to be the only player certain to go in the top 5 at this time. Kansas City needs him to anchor it's line, Jacksonville and Oakland could really use him to protect their quarterbacks, whoever they may end up playing at the position, and Philadelphia should thank the football gods if Joeckel falls to them at #4 overall. If for some reason Joeckel goes to #5, either Detroit will take him or someone will trade up to get him. I'll take that to the bank now. From what I have seen so far, the rest of the first round is up for grabs. I believe that Kansas City will take Geno Smith with the #1 overall pick. I've seen mock drafts with Joeckel there as well. I've also seen a mock draft with Tyler Wilson going #1. That is also the only mock draft that even has Wilson going in the first round. I've seen people put Mike Glennon in the top 10 to either Buffalo or the New York Jets. Or not in the first round at all. But Panic in the Draft Room will set in, and both will end up going in the first round. If they do not go early, the trade frenzy at the end of Round 1 will be off the charts. Teams like Arizona, Jacksonville, and the aforementioned Jets and Bills should be looking to get the best player available at the top of Round 1, then trading back up to get a quarterback. and I'm sure there will be a number of trading partners available. Can you picture the New England Patriots NOT making a deal? Or Baltimore. Teams that have a history of making deals and still getting the players they want. It's going to happen. I'm going to make my February Bold Prediction: Even though there are no superstar quarterbacks coming into the 2013 NFL Draft, there will be 5 quarterbacks taken in the First Round. Geno Smith, Mike Glennon, Tyler Wilson, Matt Barkley, and Ryan Nassib. I see two of them going in the Top 10, and the other three going in the last 10 picks of the First Round. The reason teams will be making deals is that there is a depth of good, solid players throughout the draft. Players that the right team can pick in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th rounds, sit for a while, get them acclimated to the NFL, and then become productive starters. I have started to see players projected to go in the top 5 in some Mock Drafts and in the second half of Round 1 as well. Players are all over the board, even more than usual. I'm sure there will be some settling in the mock draft process. There always is. The NFL Scouting Combine is less than 2 weeks away, followed by Pro Days at campuses all across the nation. The process should sort itself out, but this year is crazy enough that anything can happen. Welcome to the 2013 NFL Draft. Let the fun begin.

The Quarterback Carousel Goes Round And Round

The 2012 NFL regular season ended two days ago. Seven coaches and five general managers got the ax yesterday. It's amazing how much the NFL has become a quarterback driven league. Taking a look at everyone who got a pink slip, with the exception of Lovie Smith in Chicago, they have one thing in common: inconsistent to bad play at the quarterback position. Normally, my blog centers on the NFL Draft. But with the lack of superstars at the quarterback position coming into the draft, and the annual Panic In The Draft Room that occurs every year, what happens to the veterans at the position will impact which signal callers entering the league end up where they get selected. Kansas City holds the first selection, and they need a quarterback perhaps more than any one. Matt Cassell has not been the player in KC that he showed in New England during his one season in place of Tom Brady. Then again, that year he took over a team that had just gone 18-1, and he had Randy Moss and Wes Welker to throw to. Cassell led the Chiefs to the playoffs in 2010, but he was supported by a strong running game and a strong defense. The pieces are in place, but Cassell has not been able to put the puzzle together. Brady Quinn stepped in late in the season after Cassell was injured, but Quinn has been a bust for three teams now, and his future is that of Terry Hanratty. A clipboard holding backup. Jacksonville has the second pick, and I believe they will start the dominoes when they trade for Tim Tebow. Shahid Khan wants him in Jacksonville, and even though everyone is telling him that Tebow is not the answer Khan knows that he will put people in the seats. At least for a few games. Tim Tebow is a great competitor, a winner, and a bad passer of the football. He deserves a fair chance to succeed on a team that wants him. And no matter what you say about Tebow the quarterback, he is better than Blaine Gabbert. Blaine Gabbert shows that teams will take a chance on a quarterback high in the draft these days. With the rookie salary cap in place, the big money isn't going to the unproven rookies as it once did. Missing on a high pick can still set a team back, but now they can cast them off earlier then before because the financial hit is not what it once was. So even though the talent at the quarterback position going into the 2013 NFL Draft is not anywhere near the top tier of past drafts, some team will take a chance on Geno Smith, Matt Barkley, Mike Glennon, or Tyler Wilson. But when the quarterback carousel finally stops, and the veterans finally find new homes, that may change. Teams are going to be looking at Michael Vick and Alex Smith, perhaps Matt Cassell or Carson Palmer. I would not be at all surprised to see Tony Romo or Mark Sanchez find new homes. I would be surprised even less if they were traded for each other in a straight up swap. Give each player a new home and a fresh start. Brandon Weeden and Colt McCoy both may be on the way out of Cleveland with new ownership and a new coach coming in. Matt Flynn most likely won't want to sit behind Russell Wilson in Seattle, and may want out. Joe Flacco is a free agent, and after turning down a contract from Baltimore in the offseason, if the Ravens do not put the franchise tag on him, Flacco will be looking for a new team. But I do not see Flacco going anywhere except the bank. But one quarterback who will get a lot of interest from teams is the one player who has the least amount of experience on field, and that is Ryan Mallett of the New England Patriots. Tom Brady is not going to retire any time soon, and Mallett has two years left on his rookie contract. Mallett fell to the third round in 2011 due to off field issues, but he has kept his nose clean under the tuteledge of Bill Belichick, and New England could very easily get a higher draft pick for Mallett than what they selected him with. Mallett has the talent, has had the opportunity to learn from the best in New England, and someone will give him a chance if the Patriots want to part ways. Teams will be looking for the next Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III or Russell Wilson. But I don't see the talent in the deep end of the pool this year. But as I have posted the past drafts, Panic In The Draft Room will set in, and the quarterbacks in this years draft will shoot up the boards. Just as they do every year.