NFL Draft Grades: AFC East And NFC East

NFL Draft

By: Mike Mauro

Posted: 4/28/08

Another NFL Draft is in the books and it's time to hand out early grades on how each team fared in improving their teams. As the New York Giants proves last season, with Aaron Ross, Steve Smith, Kevin Boss and Ahmad Bradshaw among others, a good draft can vault a franchise to a championship.

Here are the initial draft grades for each team in the NFC East and AFC East:

NFC EAST

New York Giants - B-plus

The Giants came into the draft needing a safety and got the player they targeted with Miami's Kenny Phillips. He is the next great safety to come out of Miami and is expected to compete for a starting job right away. USC cornerback Terrell Thomas strengthens the secondary as well, but third-rounder Mario Manningham, wide receiver from Michigan was a great steal at that point. Once thought to be battling for the No. 1 receiver spot in the draft, a subpar 40-yard-dash time and character concerns made him fall. However, he has the ability to make big plays and comes into a good situation without pressure. Also of note was sixth-round pick Andre' Woodson, quarterback from Kentucky. Once viewed as a potential top-10 pick, he will have a chance to develop behind Eli Manning.

Washington Redskins - B-plus

For a team that traded out of the first round, they had a great draft. They were able to draft three guys in the second round that had first-round value. Wide receiver Devin Thomas from Michigan State who many viewed as the best receiver in the draft slipped to them at No. 34. Washington also added USC tight end Fred Davis and Oklahoma receiver Malcolm Kelly later in the round. All three should contribute greatly in their rookie seasons.

Dallas Cowboys - B-minus

They took Arkansas running back Felix Jones with the first pick, but Rashard Mendenhall was still on the board and is much more of a complete running back. With their other first-rounder they traded ahead of Houston and took South Florida cornerback Mike Jenkins who was a good value at No. 25. They then went on to reach for Martellus Bennett, tight end from Texas A&M, who has never lived up to the skills that he possesses. They grabbed another solid running back in round four with Tashard Choice from Georgia Tech and also got an athletic cornerback from Boise State, Orlando Scandrick, in round five. Overall though, passing on Mendenhall was a big mistake.

Philadelphia Eagles - C-plus

Their first pick didn't come until the second round after they traded their first-round pick to Carolina for a first-rounder next year. In the second round, they took Notre Dame defensive tackle Trevor Laws and California wideout DeSean Jackson. Both are good players who help solidify two areas of weakness but they failed to add any other value in the later rounds. For a team that was the lone non-playoff participant from this division last season, they didn't help themselves in the draft, especially considering how well everyone else in the division did.

AFC EAST

Miami Dolphins - A-minus

Once again Bill Parcells proved why he is Bill Parcells. Taking Jake Long No. 1 was the safe pick and you can always build a team around a great left tackle. But the rest of the draft is what makes this class so great. They took Clemson defensive end Phillip Merling and Michigan quarterback Chad Henne in the second round. Merling should have been a first-rounder but a sports hernia scared teams off. He is a perfect fit at end in their 3-4 alignment because he can play both the pass and run extremely well. Getting Henne as late as they did in the second round was a great pick. He is definitely better than incumbent John Beck and look for Henne to beat him out in his rookie year. When you factor in a traded fourth-round pick that brought back Dallas tight end Anthony Fasano and linebacker Akin Ayodele and Parcells has the Dolphins headed in the right direction.

New York Jets - B

The way the board fell, the Jets weren't able to get their No. 1 target Darren McFadden, but Vernon Gholston is a nice consolation prize. He will be a terror off the edge in their 3-4 scheme. They traded back into the first round to select Purdue tight end Dustin Keller who is the most athletically gifted player at his position. He will certainly bring another element to their offense, one that they did not currently have with Bubba Franks and Chris Baker. When you can add two potential difference-makers in one draft, you can definitely label it a success.

Buffalo Bills - B-minus

Buffalo took cornerback Leodis McKelvin at No. 11 and while that was a solid pick, Dominique-Rodgers Cromartie (Arizona No.16) has more potential to be a star in this league. They did add a solid receiver in James Hardy from Indiana in the second round and he will complement speedy No. 1 wideout Lee Evans with his great size and playmaking ability. In the third round, adding Virginia Tech defensive end Chris Ellis gives them another solid guy who can really get after the quarterback.

New England Patriots - C

For a team that usually does a fantastic job of drafting players they came away with a rather average class this season. Trading down from pick No. 7 and taking Tennessee linebacker Jerod Mayo at No. 10 was one of their few bright spots. Perhaps taken a little earlier than expected, Mayo will be terrific and really help their aging linebacker core. Other than him they reached for several players. They took quarterback Kevin O'Connell from Sand Diego State in the third round and while he is a decent prospect, he obviously doesn't fill a need.

Contact Mike Mauro at

Michael.Mauro@UConn.edu