Well, this year’s draft has come and gone and now we embark on that long 2 months until training camp starts, 3 months until the start of pre-season, and 4 months until the start of the regular season. So let’s look back at the draft at a few of the teams who had the some of the best picks.
Jacksonville Jaguars-Draft Grade: A
I give the Jacksonville Jaguars a draft grade of A because they had a terrific draft. The greatness started in the 1 st Round with the pick of Blake Bortles. This was a very smart pick considering the state of the franchise right now as having had no QB. They will more than likely start Chad Henne which is a smart decision because it will give Bortles some time to develop. The “terrificness” (I don’t know if that’s a word) continued in the 2 nd Round when they snatched the one and only Marquise Lee out of USC. This was a great decision because they can now give Bortles a weapon to use. Lee was one of the most explosive receivers in the draft and he fell into the Jaguars’ lap and they took him. Also in the second round, they traded up to get another terrific receiver by the name of Allen Robinson out of Penn State. That makes two great weapons of different body types for the Jags to use. These 3 huge picks are going to leave this Jacksonville offense stacked for this year. I can’t wait to see how this plays out.
Carolina Panthers-Draft Grade: B+
I give the Carolina Panthers a draft grade B+. Their best pick came in the 1 st Round when they chose WR Kelvin Benjamin. When Benjamin was drafted I knew they had gotten a receiver who will be a producer for years. In the 2 nd Round I was surprised when they took defensive end Kony Ealy instead of an offensive lineman. However, the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. Charles Johnson was injured last season, leaving a big hole in the defense. If this happens again they will be ready and have a deadly defensive end to take his place. They finally took an offensive lineman in the 3 rd Round by drafting OG Trai Turner out of LSU. I feel there were some smart moves made by Carolina and I am very excited to see how far it gets them this season.
New England Patriots-Draft Grade: A-
The draft guru Bill Belichick is well known for his studious and precise approach to the draft, year after year. This year was no different with him making some very shrewd picks. Let’s start with the first round. With the 29 th pick, the Pats took defensive tackle Dominique Easley. This was very smart due to the fact that the DT position has been the problem child of this Patriot defense due to injuries and simply a lack of talent. Next, their best pick of the draft in my opinion occurred in the 2 nd Round with pick #62. The Patriots drafted QB Jimmy Garoppolo out of Eastern Illinois. This makes sense in so many ways. Some of you may think they have Brady so why would they need another QB? Well, Brady is no spring chicken. It’s plain and simple; Garoppolo will be Brady’s successor. Brady has probably no more than 3 years left of productivity. So, during this time, Garoppolo will be basically an intern waiting for number 12’s exit. This will give Groppolo a great teacher and it will give him a couple of years to learn the system and perfect his craft.
That concludes my 2014 NFL Draft review. Thanks for reading.
