Foxsport's Draft Report Card

[palmmyjohnson]

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/6746812

Ravens: C-, Browns: A+, Steelers: B

Also check out the helmet for the Colts. Right now its striped, lol.

[Stripes]

He seemed to approve of all the Bengals' picks. The C seems a bit arbitrary.

[Oldcat]

He seemed to approve of all the Bengals' picks. The C seems a bit arbitrary.

Note that drafting a player with character red flags is only a problem when the Bengals do it.

The Patriots and KC and Browns(?) get a pass and high grades for it.

[Kazkal]

psssh i think we did better then steelers

[derekshank]

I grade his analysis a 'D'

[Stripes]

I grade his analysis a 'D'

I grade your grade of his analysis an 'A'.

[HoosierCat]

A few others, all higher...

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/dr...es_N.htm?csp=34

3/4 stars

http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/eagles..._the_draft.html

B+

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18372056/

B+

[princeton]

some teams made lucrative trade downs; Bengals did not. Bengals claimed that their second round pick lost its trade value right before they drafted. Maybe so.

So the big question was whether obtaining the first round CB was worth a lucrative trade down with Cleveland.

Probably it was; you never want to help within a division. Personally, I was hoping that the Bears would get Brady-lust and would make Cincy a big offer. But I guess they love Rex

[TJJackson]

I note the Fox analyst downgraded the Hall pick because Ginn and S Smith burned him.

Uh, those players burned a lot of corners :-)

That said, Champ Bailey is arguably the best corner (top 5, at worst) in the league and yet Chad Johnson owned him a couple of years ago. Champ Bailey had a bad day, but Champ Bailey is STILL a premier CB who you want out there on the other team's bst receiver.

So the downgrade of the Hall pick for the reason stated seems silly to me

[ThortonMelon]

These draft grades are really stupid. Whether they realize it or not, they are grading teams solely on the basis of how closely the team's draft corresponds to how the media ranked players.

Obviously no one knows how any team did until for a couple of years. The Browns get an A+ today, but what if Quinn isnt any good? That A+ quickly becomes an F.

[CJBestInAFC]

Quinn does have the possibility of being a bust. Not to mention that they play in a division where they are still the worst team in the division even with all of their offseason acquisitions. Now you add onto that you gave up your first round pick in next years draft where you more than likely will be drafting very high in next years draft. I just think they over spent for Quinn. Remember the next qb was taken at the Browns pick in the second round. Then you wonder why Quinn dropped so far in the draft. There were teams like the Dolphins who needed a qb, but passed on him and kept their pick for a qb until the second round. These picks better pan out or the Browns are some serious trouble. I still don't think Jamal Lewis is going to do much for the Browns. He was on the decline in Baltimore. I think in todays era of pro football first round picks are like gold.

[GregCook]

Mock drafts are like the lists of girls I wanted to take to dances. Imaginative but lets just say, lacking in reality.

Grading the Bengals is speculative, right. Who knew any of these players past Hall? I know I didn't.

As I look over past drafts, Mathias Askew was a 4th rounder that the Bengals misjudged. The guy wouldn't play.

Chris Perry can play, Odell, Henry all can play, its injuries or head cases that keep them off the field. The Bengals have a good record of picking athletes, so I assume they'll have at least 4 players from this year's draft who will be on the field come September.

[Pinkygen]

Any ESPN insider have Kiper's thoughts?

[HoosierCat]

He seemed to approve of all the Bengals' picks. The C seems a bit arbitrary.

Here's another one, same deal

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=jc-a...o&type=lgns

Since when does "a solid draft" = C? Because it's "not sexy"? I guess if we took Brady Quinn at 18 we would have gotten an A or something like that...

[duus]

My opinion about most of these folks throwing around grades is that I simply cannot give merit to someone doing the grading when they likely haven't seen an 'A' since gradeschool themselves. I choose to watch these guys play over the next couple of years ... then trying to grade things might mean something. There is a reason for final tests to be completed before grades are determined ... playing time at the NFL level is the test that must take place.

[HoosierCat]

My opinion about most of these folks throwing around grades is that I simply cannot give merit to someone doing the grading when they likely haven't seen an 'A' since gradeschool themselves. I choose to watch these guys play over the next couple of years ... then trying to grade things might mean something. There is a reason for final tests to be completed before grades are determined ... playing time at the NFL level is the test that must take place.

Draft grades now are, of course, for entertainment purposes only. All I ask is that the grader have some internal consistency. Dont tell me it was solid draft and then give it a C. Dr. Z over at SI did basically the same thing, calling Hall the top CB in the draft and Irons a fast productive back...and then giving the bengals a C.

Meanwhile, Prisco over at sportsline.com said B-. Thinks Irons was our best pick!

[Pinkygen]

Meanwhile, Prisco over at sportsline.com said B-. Thinks Irons was our best pick!

At least he justified the overall grade, thinking we did not get a lot of help up front.

[HoosierCat]

Meanwhile, Prisco over at sportsline.com said B-. Thinks Irons was our best pick!

At least he justified the overall grade, thinking we did not get a lot of help up front.

Yup -- and that's a fair criticism. I think they could have taken Branch at 18, but can you really pass up arguably the draft's best corner to do so? And I think DT in the second would have meant whistling past the graveyard on offense. The argument that they could have gotten a quality back on day 2 seems thin to me given that the very next thing that happened was Tennessee panicking and taking Chris Henry at least a round early.

[GregCook]

Meanwhile, Prisco over at sportsline.com said B-. Thinks Irons was our best pick!

At least he justified the overall grade, thinking we did not get a lot of help up front.

Yup -- and that's a fair criticism. I think they could have taken Branch at 18, but can you really pass up arguably the draft's best corner to do so? And I think DT in the second would have meant whistling past the graveyard on offense. The argument that they could have gotten a quality back on day 2 seems thin to me given that the very next thing that happened was Tennessee panicking and taking Chris Henry at least a round early.

The knock on Branch was he had a small motor. Lewis dealt with a dlinemen like that in Mathias Askew. No way he'd do it again. If that was true about Branch and Marvin would know, no surprise he passed him up. Where did Branch go? 33rd?

Given KK & James gone, CPerry likely out a few games, I find it hard to knock the Bengals for their draft picks. Of all the picks, the one that I do question is the QB choice. Was this the guy they had to have this year? So good in the 5th round they would find none better next year when they'll have about 11 picks?

Other than that, I'm good.

[NJ29]

A+ for the Browns? Ha.

They gave up a first rounder next year for a guy that isn't any better than the second rounders that went after him. John Beck > Brady Quinn. He has marginal arm strength and is skittish when pressured. I know the "big game" gripe has been beaten to death, but it's legit. They didn't pick up much of anything on the second day.

[HairOnFire]

some teams made lucrative trade downs; Bengals did not. Bengals claimed that their second round pick lost its trade value right before they drafted. Maybe so.

So the big question was whether obtaining the first round CB was worth a lucrative trade down with Cleveland.

I just listened to Phil Savage state point blank that the only two teams the Browns didn't attempt to trade with between #12 and #22 were Pittsburgh at #15 and Cincy at #18. Obviously he's well aware of how much the Browns gave up, and there was no way he was going to offer that type of package to a team within the division.

[SkinneymulleT]

some teams made lucrative trade downs; Bengals did not. Bengals claimed that their second round pick lost its trade value right before they drafted. Maybe so.

So the big question was whether obtaining the first round CB was worth a lucrative trade down with Cleveland.

I just listened to Phil Savage state point blank that the only two teams the Browns didn't attempt to trade with between #12 and #22 were Pittsburgh at #15 and Cincy at #18. Obviously he's well aware of how much the Browns gave up, and there was no way he was going to offer that type of package to a team within the division.

http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm

Similarly, Peter King of SI.com reported that, when Browns general manager Phil Savage was looking for trading partners to get back into the first round and draft Brady Quinn, he didn't even bother trying to talk to the Bengals, who owned the eighteenth overall pick. "'You think they'd ever trade with us?' he said, chuckling. 'I don't think so.'''

[HairOnFire]

Similarly, Peter King of SI.com reported that, when Browns general manager Phil Savage was looking for trading partners to get back into the first round and draft Brady Quinn, he didn't even bother trying to talk to the Bengals, who owned the eighteenth overall pick. "'You think they'd ever trade with us?' he said, chuckling. 'I don't think so.'''

I'd say he's spinning it....badly.

The Bengals almost certainly would have considered trading with Cleveland which is exactly why the deal wasn't offered. Can you imagine the Bengals with two 1st round picks next season, one them very likely in the Top 10, as well as the three or four compensatory picks they'll likey add to their regular picks? There's no way Savage was going to risk making a move that would have given a team within his division the ammunition needed to make either the Bengals or Steelers truly elite.