There are so many TV stations, websites, newspapers telling everyone who are the winners and losers of this year’s draft. Whether it’s lazy journalism or an easy way to keep the lead story going, it just doesn’t seem right to me. There is no way to give a team a fair grade, for at least three years. So here’s a review of the 2010 NFL Draft by division.
NFC East
From the division that had the best draft to the division that may have had the worse draft. Most of these teams hit on their first round pick, but missed big time with other selections.
Cowboys: The ‘Boys drafted Dez Bryant who was coming off a controversial season at Oklahoma State. When he is focused, Bryant is one of the most gifted receivers in the league. He has run into some trouble off the field, hence the reason he slipped to them with the 24th pick. They landed their big play receiver for years to come. Jerry Jones took linebacker Sean Lee in the second round. When healthy, the Penn State linebacker has proven to be one of the biggest playmakers for the Dallas defense, with seven career interceptions. They nailed it with a big play receiver for Tony Romo and a guy on defense who can complement Demarcus Ware for years to come. Then it gets ugly. Akwasi Owusu-Ansah, Sam Young, Jamar Wall and Sean Lissemore never found a place on this team and proved the scouting department wrong.
Redskins: Washington’s first two picks have contributed to both sides of the ball. Trent Williams was the 4th overall selection out of Oklahoma, and has not disappointed. He made the Pro Bowl last season, but he didn’t play in the game due to a fight in a club. It wasn’t with Richard Sherman either, but I digress. Williams has been an anchor for that offensive line and his future is bright. The Redskins didn’t pick again until the fourth round where they selected Perry Riley from LSU. I wonder if they had to do it all over, would they have taken Aaron Hernandez in that spot? Riley has played in all 16 games the past two seasons. The rest of their picks…Dennis Morris, Terrance Austin, Erik Cook and Selvish Capers. You be the judge.
Giants: Many “experts” criticized the G-Men’s first pick. They said Jason Pierre-Paul was raw, unpolished and would never develop into a dominant pass rusher. Fast forward to 2013, and he has surpassed all expectations and is one of the most dominant pass rushers in the league right now. Their 2nd round pick Linval Joseph is a space eater and has played in all 16 games the past two seasons. The defensive tackle from ECU had a career high 4 sacks in 2012. JPP and Joseph can be two forces on the defensive front for a long time. But like the rest of the NFC East, the buck stops there. Their next selection Chad Jones’ future was bright until a tragic car accident, put his future in doubt. The Giants would later cut him and he is on the road to recovery. Their seventh round choice is famous, but not for a good thing. Punter Matt Dodge is known for punting the ball to Desean Jackson who scored the winning touchdown with no time left on the clock. Watch it here.
Jerry Reese and the Giants don’t have too many bad drafts, but this is not one of their best ones.
Eagles: What did the previous three teams have in common? They all nailed their first round pick. The Eagles had 13 picks, but are still waiting for many of those players to be steady playmakers. Their first selection was Brandon Graham from the University of Michigan. Philly is hoping the 13th overall pick will unleash his potential soon. In three seasons, Graham has recorded only 8.5 sacks. The good news is he had a career high 5.5 sacks and two forced fumbles in 2012. New defensive coordinator, Billy Davis, may be able to tap into this wealth of talent. The Eagles addressed the safety position, which was a major area of need. Nate Allen (2nd round) and Kurt Coleman (7th round) have started but have a tendency to miss tackles and have bad ball skills. Many Philly fans want them out ASAP. To me, the jury is still out on these two. Chip Kelly has brought in Patrick Chung and Kenny Phillips, so the fans may have their wish. Time will tell. Daniel Teo-Neishem (3rd round), Michael Kafka (4th round), Keenan Clayton (4th round), Ricky Sapp (5th round), Charles Scott (6th round), Jeffrey Owens (7th round) are not even on the team’s roster right now. That’s 6 of 13 picks who will not contribute this season. Big time misses! But I will end on a good note. Trevard Lindley (4th round), Riley Cooper (5th round), Jamar Chaney (7th round) are still there. Just to show you how grading drafts too soon is bad business, many people called the Eagles winners.
