AFC East Draft Grades
by adelfish | 7 years ago | 0 Comments
AFC East
The AFC East is a great division, one that has a Super Bowl winner in the Jets, and a couple of perennial wild card teams, and then there’s the Patriots (despite that one year they made the playoffs!). This division is a three team race as of today, especially with the Jets trading for Ryan Wang (LA - QB), and the Bills and Dolphins having arguably the two next great quarterbacks in Van Roten and Metcalf. Let’s see how they helped out their young quarterbacks.
Buffalo Bills
Wait, the Bills….drafted….well? Yes you read that right, despite only five selections in this year’s draft, and no 1st round pick, the Bills hit on some serious value early, and late.
They went into the draft with a goal to build on their offensive line, which has shown some signs of weakness on the interior. They never expected this guy to be there, but offensive tackle Tevita Blair fell to the second round and they grabbed him. Not a complete ‘need’ pick, but Blair can step in at almost any spot on the line with his versatility, and Red Zone ready blocking abilities.
In the 7th round, the Bills stole offensive tackle Joey Makovicka, a very talented blocker from UCLA. The knock on him pre-draft was his struggles in learning pre-snap calls, but the Bills believed in him enough to select him. Joey made the final roster, and actually moved inside to guard, where he could receive more help from elite center Bryant Incognito.
I really like the selection of the safety Cummings in the second round as well, an elite athlete who can cover ground quickly, and has some great tackling abilities already, he will develop into a nice piece for them. Also a fan of the cornerback selection in the 6th round, Cedric Holland, who has slot cornerback written all over him.
Their one misstep I believe was reaching on Henry Tripplett in the 5th round. Sure I know it’s a 5th rounder, but Tripplett was seen by many as undraftable, due to his lacking athleticism in his first five steps, and inconsistent play all four years at Yale. He made the final roster, but that spot doesn’t seem stable.
Overall, I love what the Bills did, bringing in two future potential starters on the o-line, atheticism in the secondary, and taking a chance on a boom or bust receiver.
FINAL GRADE - C+
BEST PICK - TEVITA BLAIR (2nd Round)
WORST PICK - HENRY TRIPPLETT (5th Round)
Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins had so many picks coming into this draft, that financially they couldn’t afford to keep them all! The greatest thing, was how many that they had in the first two rounds. They had three 1st round picks, and two 2nds. It helps that they knocked all five out of the park, so let’s take a look.
The Dolphins talked about improving the trenches on both sides of the ball, so they started with former Buckeye defensive tackle, Demetruce Garner. Garner is interesting because he was slated by many as a guy who has already hit his ceiling, and his coaches said he never took off the field development seriously - but Garner brings so much in terms of raw strength and rushing ability, Miami couldn’t pass on him. The kid is only 21, so there is potential for him to become more than he is penciled in as.
Stanford cornerback Algrenon Hanna was the second of their 1sts, a 5’10 corner who was one of the top 40 time runners at the combine, and showcased in the cone drill as well. Truth be told - he is fast. Can he learn to cover well though, is the real question. Coach Snyder is a defensive back guru, and having a piece like Hanna is going to make him excited. Great pick.
My personal favorite pick of the first round for them (and the draft) is offensive tackle Juan Simpson, from LSU. Kid was compared to the likes of Lane Johnson coming out, and ran the fastest cone drill at the combine. He is a freak, but unfortunately can’t get into the starting lineup just yet. The Dolphins are loaded across the line, but developing Simpson and getting him ready, will save the Dolphins a ton of money down the road.
Outside of the big three, the Dolphins drafted three running backs, including future star Jamal Green, one of the fastest backs in the class, and will be a true dual threat for them. I see him contending for rookie of the year if given the carries. Khyri Riley (4th) and Irvin Lowery (2nd) are the other two rookie backs selected, Riley will certainly see playing time, but Lowery appears to be the weakest of the bunch. He will likely be a pure goal-line guy, or a move the chains kind of back on short yardage situations.
Overall, the Dolphins completely revamped their backfield, added studs to both sides of the line, and a future starting corner. Nailed it.
FINAL GRADE - A
BEST PICK - JUAN SIMPSON (1st Round)
WORST PICK - IRVIN LOWERY (2nd Round)
New York Jets
Flip from the Dolphins who had a surplus of picks, to the Jets who ended the day with just two selections, but boy did they nail one of them. They traded a signifcant amount of capital to acquire quarterback Ryan Wang from the Rams, then shoot themselves up the draft order to the 4th overall pick, so they could select the linebacker some are calling the best prospect we’ve seen in a decade at the position.
From Miami, linebacker Marshall Crawford is a near perfect prospect. Elite speed, elite acceleration, already great football sense in terms of closing on the ball carrier. He can even rush the passer and put his hand in the dirt, and he hits like a safety. The kid forced 4 fumbles his last year in college, and caught 4 interceptions! He checked all the boxes at the combine, interviews, and on the field play. The Jets ran to the podum, and this kid jumpstarts their defensive reboot.
Pete Wagner from Tennessee was their other selection, a fine player who could challenge for a starting job, but ultimately just fills a spot in the linebacking group. I would have liked to see the Jets do something else here, instead of reaching on a linebacker, but the Crawford pick makes up for it.
FINAL GRADE - B
BEST PICK - MARSHALL CRAWFORD (1st Round)
WORST PICK - PETE WAGNER (2nd Round)
New England Patriots
The Patriots offense regressed tremendously last season, and it was due to a complete lack of respect for the ground game, and inability to protect quarterback Brenden Jeffries. They went into the day with 7 selections, and ended with 4, acquiring some future choices for their 5th, 6th, and 7th round picks.
With the 2nd overall pick in the draft, New England grabbed running back Jaron Dyson out of Pitt. He may be the next great running back in the AFC East, due to his incredible speed and acceleration, ability to cut on a dime, and can even put his head down and run you over. I can’t love the pick, due to the fact that a running back without elite open field moves, and one that struggles to get away from tacklers, may not be worth the 2nd overall pick. But time will tell, he has all the tools to improve.
They hit a star in the second round in left tackle Tramell Brooks, who fell out of the first due to a run on defenders at the end of the first round. Brooks is a prototypical plug and play tackle, only 21 years old, with great strength and pass blocking abilities this early in his career. At UCLA he only allowed 1 sack his final year playing, and a total of 6 pressures - unbelievable numbers. We could see him slide to the right side, and take over for Trent Brown very soon.
I didn’t like the reach on linebacker Rannell Ecker in the 3rd round. Tons of great prospects were still on the board, and Ecker seemed to tempt the Patriots with his above average athleticism, and he lead Virginia Tech in tackles for 3 straight years. There simply isn’t room for him to get any meaningful playing time, so we will see how he develops on special teams.
Finally, they selected tight end Derek Diaz in the 4th round with their final draft choice, and I actually like this kid a lot. Third tight end in the draft in terms of drops for a career, and above average athleticism. Not to mention, HE PLAYED BASKETBALL for Alabama! I think he has a legitimate shot to get 20-30 catches his rookie season.
Overall, the Patriots brought in some very solid offensive help, their run game will no doubt improve, and Jeffries has to be happy with what they did for him this weekend.
FINAL GRADE - B-
BEST PICK - TRAMELL BROOKS (2nd Round)
WORST PICK - RANNELL ECKER (3rd Round)