NFC Draft Grades
By: Robert Davis

Click here for AFC draft grades

Arizona Cardinals

Best Pick: Matt Leinart, QB, USC. 1st Rd(10)
Anytime you land the top QB and top 3 talent overall at 10, its a fantastic selection.

Worst Pick: None
The Cardinals had three great picks on Day One, filling needs with value picks.

Second Day Steal: Gabe Watson, DT, Michigan. 4th Rd(107)
Watson is a first round talent, but doesn't always play with enough intensity. If he can, he could dominate.

Overall: A. The Cards benefitted from the lunacy in the Titans front office by having the top QB fall into their laps at pick 10. The future of their offense could rival the Colts explosiveness. Deuce Lutui and Leonard Pope were excellent picks in the second and third rounds as well.

Atlanta Falcons

Best Pick: Jimmy Williams, DB, Virginia Tech. 2nd Rd(37)
Williams has the versatility to play safety or corner, and was a steal at 37.

Worst Pick: None.
The Falcons only had two Day One picks because the earlier trade for John Abraham, and they landed quality talent at both picks.

Second Day Steal: Adam Jennings, WR, Fresno St. 6 Rd(184)
Jennings is a very good return man, and could be a solid backup receiver.

Overall: B. Landing John Abraham was a coup, and he should be a stud pass rusher for them if he is healthy. He cost them their first rounder, but they ended up with a first round talent in Jimmy Williams in the second round.

Carolina Panthers

Best Pick: DeAngelo Williams, RB, Memphis. 1st Rd(27)
The second best back in the draft may turn out to be better than DeShaun Foster. Even if he is not, Foster has injury issues, and Williams will play a lot.

Worst Pick: James Anderson, OLB, Virginia Tech. 3rd Rd(88)
Anderson has some talent, but was a reach on Day One.

Second Day Steal: Stanley McClover, DE, Auburn. 7th Rd(237)
McClover declared after his sophomore season, and has a lot of developing left to do. Talent is not an issue though.

Overall: B+. With Stephen Davis retiring and Foster always hurt, the Panthers needed to add a backup to rotate with him. Williams is excellent value. Richard Marshall was another great pick in the second, and he should replace Ricky Manning immediately.

Chicago Bears

Best Pick: None.
The Bears traded out of the first round, and landed two major projects in the second round, and a player that was kicked off his team in 2004.

Worst Pick: Danieal Manning, DB, Abilene Christian. 2nd Rd(42).
Manning has talent, but he is very raw. Not only did he play at the D-II level, but he declared early for the draft on top of it. He was taken too early for being such a risky selection.

Second Day Steal: Mark Anderson, DE, Alabama. 5th Rd(159)
Anderson is a second round talent, and could develop into a quality pass rusher off the edge.

Overall: D. The Bears definitely left people scratching their heads. They moved out of the first round and drafted a project in Danieal Manning. Devin Hester is extremely raw at corner and wideout, and probably should not have gone in the second round. Dusty Dvoracek is a solid player, but has had problems with alcohol, resulting in being kicked out of Oklahoma in 2004. He was later re-instated. The Bears could have done a lot more with their picks, and were definitely one of the losers on draft day. The draft has a lot of upside, but just as much risk.

Dallas Cowboys

Best Pick: Anthony Fasano, TE, Notre Dame. 2nd Rd(53)
Bit of a reach, but for a team that wants to run a two TE set, they needed an all around second option. This was their only solid Day One selection.

Worst Pick: Bobby Carpenter, LB, Ohio St. 1st Rd(18)
Carpenter just was not worth a Top 20 selection, and better players were available.

Second Day Steal: Pat Watkins, S, Florida St. Rd 5(138)
Watkins is a jumbo(6'5) free safety, and his centerfield skills are a perfect compliment to Roy Williams.

Overall: D+. The Cowboys just seemed to reach all over the place. Carpenter is a solid player, but not worth the pick they used on him. Fasano is solid, but was a slight reach himself. Jason Hatcher in the third round was a reach, and a project.

Detroit Lions

Best Pick: Daniel Bullocks, S, Nebraska. 2nd Rd(40)
Has the talent to play both safety spots, and should help ugrade the secondary.

Worst Pick: Ernie Sims, OLB, Florida St. 1st Rd(9)
Sims is a great talent, but not a Top 10 pick.

Second Day Steal: Jonathan Scott, OT, Texas. 5th Rd(141)
Scott has the natural talent to land in the Top 50, but lacks the mean streak. If he can play with a consistent intensity level, he could start in the NFL.

Overall: C+. I know they are scared after the Joey Harrington fiasco, but they do not have a long term answer at QB, and passing on Leinart hurts. To cap it off, they reached for an undersized(but definitely talented) linebacker.

Green Bay Packers

Best Pick: Abdul Hodge, ILB, Iowa. 3rd Rd(67).
Great value in the third round, and a player that will play immediately.

Worst Pick: Jason Spitz, C, Louisville. 3rd Rd(75)
He's tough, but lacks the physical talent to be a Day One pick.

Second Day Steal: Will Blackmon, CB/WR, Boston College. 4th Rd115)
Should play corner, and had he not been moved to WR this past year, could have been a Top 50 pick. Lacks the refinement, but should pick things up quickly once he shakes the rust off.

Overall: B+. The Packers had a ton of picks, and did a very good job landing talent. They didn't reach and landed good value with each of their first four picks.

Minnesota Vikings

Best Pick: Chad Greenway, OLB, Iowa. 1st Rd(17)
Second best linebacker in the draft was excellent value and fills a big need.

Worst Pick: Tarvaris Jackson, QB, Alabama St. 2nd Rd(64)
There were many better options available at QB, and was taken way too early.

Second Day Steal: Ray Edwards, DE, Purdue. 4th Rd(127)
Has all the talent to be a starter, just needs to show the ability to listen to his coaches to get the most out of his talent.

Overall: C+. After losing Culpepper and Burleson, the Vikings were poised to have a great draft. It didn't quite turn out that way. Greenway and Griffin were nice picks, but Ryan Cook was a reach, and Tarvaris Jackson was one of the bigger reaches of the draft.

New Orleans Saints

Best Pick: Reggie Bush, RB, USC. 1st Rd(2)
The best player in the draft at pick two. What more can you ask for? Should be an absolute superstar for the Saints.

Worst Pick: Roman Harper, S, Alabama. 2nd Rd(43).
This was almost by default, since it was their only other Day One pick. He was a slight reach as early as he went, though he has talent.

Second Day Steal: Marques Colston, WR, Hofsta. 7th Rd(252)
Colston is the top jumbo wideout selected in the draft, and he is excellent value in the 7th round. Only a possession target, but could develop into red zone threat.

Overall: B+. The Saints were extremely lucky, and landed the clear best player in the draft. After that, things got shaky. Still, landing a player of Bush's talent level makes for a great draft.

New York Giants

Best Pick: Sinorice Moss, WR, Miami. 2nd Rd(44)
Moss gives them a playmaking threat at WR that they lack, and was excellent value.

Worst Pick: Mathias Kiwanuka, DE, Boston College. 1st Rd(32)
This was one of the more senseless picks. The Giants have two great DE's, and a youngster that showed promise last year. Kiwanuka is a project, and does not fill a need.

Second Day Steal: Barry Cofield, DT, Northwestern. 4th Rd(124)
Cofield is not a guy that is going to make too many plays, but he will plug the run and open up others to make plays.

Overall: B-. After landing a slew of DB's and LaVar Arrington in free agency, the had a little more freedom in their selections. Going for a 4th defensive end in the first round was one of the more puzzling picks of Day One.

Philadelphia Eagles

Best Pick: Winston Justice, OT, USC. 2nd Rd(39)

Worst Pick: Chris Gocong, DE, Cal Poly SLO. 3rd Rd(71)
Not a terrible pick, but a slight reach. Almost the pick by default because the Eagles had an excellent Day One.

Second Day Steal: Max Jean-Gilles, G, Georgia. 4th Rd(99)
All year long, Jean-Gilles was the top guard in the draft. Then he checked in over 355 and slid a bit. If he keeps his weight in check, this is a major steal for the Eagles.

Overall: A-. The Eagles landed two players that slid a bit, and both should provide outstanding upside. Bunkley should start inside at DT immediately, and Justice is a steal in the second, who has the potential to be a standout LT. Max Jean-Gilles on Day Two was a great pick, and could team with Justice and Shawn Andrews to give the Eagles a powerful young OLine.

San Francisco 49ers

Best Pick: Manny Lawson, DE/OLB, North Carolina St. 1st Rd(22)
Lawson will provide an immediate pass rush threat off the edge, and has the talent to develop into a real difference maker.

Worst Pick: Brandon Williams, WR, Wisconsin. 3rd Rd(84)
Williams is a decent player, but a slight reach. This is the pick by default because the 9ers landed two playmakers with their first two picks.

Second Day Steal: Parys Haralson, DE, Tennesse. 5th Rd(140)
Solid value pick on Day Two, and Haralson could be a nice situational pass rusher.

Overall: A-. The 49ers had an excellent draft. Davis should be Alex Smith's best friend, and Lawson could turn into a very good replacement for Julian Peterson.

Seattle Seahawks

Best Pick: Darryl Tapp, DE, Virginia Tech. 2nd Rd(63)
Tapp should provide a consistent pass rush off the edge, and was a solid pickup in the second round.

Worst Pick: None
The Seahawks only had two picks on the first day, and landed two solid players in the first and second. Their third rounder went to Minnesota for Nate Burleson, another solid move.

Second Day Steal: Rob Sims, G, Ohio St. 4th Rd(128)
With Hutchinson leaving, it left some depth issues inside. Sims has the talent to start in the NFL.

Overall: B. Kelly Jennings and Darryl Tapp will help the defense, and Sims could be a steal on Day Two. The best move they made was signing Nate Burleson, and sending their late 3rd rounder to Minnesota as compensation.

St. Louis Rams

Best Pick: Claude Wroten, DT, LSU. 3rd Rd(68)
A first round talent, but slid due to some character concerns. Excellent value in the third.

Worst Pick: Joe Klopfenstein, TE, Colorado. 2nd Rd(46)
Too early for Klopfenstein, and they Rams landed a better TE in Dominique Byrd in the third round.

Second Day Steal: Victor Adeyanju, DE, Indiana. 5th Rd(113)
Adeyanju has a lot of potential, and could have landed in the third round.

Overall: B. Tye Hill, Claude Wroten, and Jon Alston were very good pickups. Drafting two one dimensional tight ends on Day One makes you think.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Best Pick: Maurice Stovall, WR, Notre Dame. 3rd Rd(90)
Big time talent that finally produced in a pro style offense as a senior. Stovall could be a great intermediate threat.

Worst Pick: Jeremy Trueblood, OT, Boston College. 2nd Rd(59)
Decent player, but a reach. May lack the athleticism to play left tackle, and the bulk to play on the right side.

Second Day Steal: Bruce Gradkowski, QB, Toledo. 6th Rd(194)
Very underrated prospect who has a chance to develop. He could be the second day QB that surprises down the road.

Overall: C+. The Bucs addressed their OL early, but maybe too early with both picks. The players have to help though, so they did a solid job upgrading their offense. Justin Phinisee from Oregon is an interesting player to keep an eye on.

Washington Redskins

Best Pick: None.
The Skins only had one Day One selection, and they reached on a linebacker.

Worst Pick: Rocky McIntosh, OLB, Miami. 2nd Rd(35)
McIntosh is a solid player, but not just outside the first round.

Second Day Steal: Kedric Golston, DT, Georgia. 6th Rd(196)
Golston has all the talent to develop, but needs a lot of refinement to see the field.

Overall: F. The Skins had a terrible draft. Only one player selected on Day One, and they reached to fill a need. On Day Two, they landed nothing of note. The worst drafting team this year.