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Post by mitch9234 on Feb 2, 2015 20:32:59 GMT -5
I had no idea about Fulton, I'll check that out. For Chris Watt, he started 4 games because of an injury, but he is the backup again at season's end. I didn't count undrafted free agents, but if I did, Brandon Oliver would have helped the Colts grade a lot. He was their best rookie no doubt. Jancey sorry if that came across wrong. It's too early to judge, he's not a bust by any means, but was a reach. He had an overall negative grade from PFF, and I can't evaluate further than that since the Colts line as a whole was bad and injured. It was mitch9234 who made the Mewhort comment. And that's funny because he was once on their Rookie of the Year candidates. But he wasn't a reach and he was one of the few players on the offensive line who contributed positively.
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Post by Juggs on Feb 2, 2015 20:47:09 GMT -5
I had no idea about Fulton, I'll check that out. For Chris Watt, he started 4 games because of an injury, but he is the backup again at season's end. I didn't count undrafted free agents, but if I did, Brandon Oliver would have helped the Colts grade a lot. He was their best rookie no doubt. Jancey sorry if that came across wrong. It's too early to judge, he's not a bust by any means, but was a reach. He had an overall negative grade from PFF, and I can't evaluate further than that since the Colts line as a whole was bad and injured. It was mitch9234 who made the Mewhort comment. And that's funny because he was once on their Rookie of the Year candidates. But he wasn't a reach and he was one of the few players on the offensive line who contributed positively. I saw that, but it was for post week 4. I guess he went downhill or just had a really good start and was average after
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Post by cityofchamps on Feb 2, 2015 21:49:42 GMT -5
AFC NORTH: Pittsburgh Steelers: After the draft: A-. Now B. This draft is an A- quality in terms of talent, but the grade falls because the Steelers didn’t really utilize their talented class. This is partly a product of Dick LeBeau usually not giving rookies significant reps. While Ryan Shazier played well, Stephon Tuitt, Wesley Johnson, Jordan Zumwalt and Daniel McCullers all rode the pine in year 1. However, Martavis Bryant and Ryan Shazier showed they’re ready to be the future of the Steelers, as long as Bryant keeps his head on his shoulders. Consider this grade a B that has the potential to be an A+. I have to disagree strongly on that statement. - Ryan Shazier was injured for a good part of last season and never really had enough time to build momentum. In Preseason, he looked on fire, but showed the struggles you would expect from a rookie in this Defense. He still needs to show more before being tabbed as a future star for the Steelers.
- Stephon Tuitt was easily our best Defensive Rookie and really came into his own late in the season, earning the starting job away from Keisel before he (Keisel) got hurt. His best game came against Kansas City where he forced a fumble purely from the force of the hit that he made on Jamaal Charles, tracking him down from behind after getting beat on his assignment.
- Wesley Johnson isn't even on the team anymore. He was waived and got signed by the Jets.
- Dan McCullers showed a good amount of promise as the primary NT backup last year (beating out Cam Thomas about midway through the season). He was brought in situationally, but showed flashes of being very good as a Run Stopping specialist.
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Post by Juggs on Feb 2, 2015 22:02:25 GMT -5
AFC NORTH: Pittsburgh Steelers: After the draft: A-. Now B. This draft is an A- quality in terms of talent, but the grade falls because the Steelers didn’t really utilize their talented class. This is partly a product of Dick LeBeau usually not giving rookies significant reps. While Ryan Shazier played well, Stephon Tuitt, Wesley Johnson, Jordan Zumwalt and Daniel McCullers all rode the pine in year 1. However, Martavis Bryant and Ryan Shazier showed they’re ready to be the future of the Steelers, as long as Bryant keeps his head on his shoulders. Consider this grade a B that has the potential to be an A+. I have to disagree strongly on that statement. - Ryan Shazier was injured for a good part of last season and never really had enough time to build momentum. In Preseason, he looked on fire, but showed the struggles you would expect from a rookie in this Defense. He still needs to show more before being tabbed as a future star for the Steelers.
- Stephon Tuitt was easily our best Defensive Rookie and really came into his own late in the season, earning the starting job away from Keisel before he (Keisel) got hurt. His best game came against Kansas City where he forced a fumble purely from the force of the hit that he made on Jamaal Charles, tracking him down from behind after getting beat on his assignment.
- Wesley Johnson isn't even on the team anymore. He was waived and got signed by the Jets.
- Dan McCullers showed a good amount of promise as the primary NT backup last year (beating out Cam Thomas about midway through the season). He was brought in situationally, but showed flashes of being very good as a Run Stopping specialist.
My bad on Johnson. I just checked the Steelers defensive snaps from this year and saw he didn't have any. But it's even worse if he's off the team. I get where you're coming from about Shazier. I know he's awesome, don't let a B overall let you think he's not. It's just that staying healthy counts as part of it, and Tuitt not playing most of the season does count. That's why my overall inclination is that because LeBeau always is hesitant to start rookies, this class started a bit slow in the case of Tuitt and McCullers, but that will change next year. As it stands going into 2015 you've got Shazier, Tuitt, Bryant all looking to be starters and really good ones. And if McCullers comes in on running sets and makes a difference than great, I didn't really like the pick, but it was only a 7th rounder anyway. Also, I still think Zumwalt is potentially phenomenal and I look forward to seeing him get a shot. This whole class is trending up, but the B grade just reflects that they didn't get to meet the high potential this last season.
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Post by steelersfan4life56 on Feb 3, 2015 2:35:05 GMT -5
AFC NORTH: Pittsburgh Steelers: After the draft: A-. Now B. This draft is an A- quality in terms of talent, but the grade falls because the Steelers didn’t really utilize their talented class. This is partly a product of Dick LeBeau usually not giving rookies significant reps. While Ryan Shazier played well, Stephon Tuitt, Wesley Johnson, Jordan Zumwalt and Daniel McCullers all rode the pine in year 1. However, Martavis Bryant and Ryan Shazier showed they’re ready to be the future of the Steelers, as long as Bryant keeps his head on his shoulders. Consider this grade a B that has the potential to be an A+. Tuitt played a lot and was even made the starter by the end of the season, he had just as many if not more snaps than Shazier, the guy is going to be a stud. Bryant doesn't seem to have any problems, just needs to polish some on the field stuff. But damn he is talented, he could have a Mike Wallace like impact for the offense in year two.
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Post by Juggs on Feb 3, 2015 11:04:53 GMT -5
Here's the NFC.
NFC EAST: Philadelphia Eagles: After the draft: C+. Now: C. I really liked Marcus Smith based on his tape, but he didn’t work in a 3-4 for Philly, and he didn’t get on the field despite being taken in the first round, which is a problem. With just 68 non-ST snaps, Marcus Smith played less than any first round pick, even Jadeveon Clowney. Jordan Matthews was a significant reach at the time, however, he was very productive his rookie year and now looks like a good selection. I think his numbers are misleading high though, since he had one of the worst rec/target ratios of any receiver in the league, not just among rookies. The rest of the class disappointed me in general. Receiver Josh Huff caught just 8 passes as a rookie, along with 6 drops and a fumble, although he showed some promise in the return game. Cody Parkey was a great addition, but I don't count UDFA additions for this.
Dallas Cowboys: After the draft: C-. Now: B- Zach Martin was amazing and was a top player, and a smart choice when most people wanted them to take Johnny Manziel, which would have been so bad in so many ways! The problem is, none of their other players contributed as rookies other than Demarcus Lawrence, who was very inconsistent as a rookie despite having a great playoff game against the Detroit Lions, he arguably won them the game. I think this class gets held up by one great selection, but it’s pretty weak overall.
New York Giants: After the draft: A-. Now: A+ Odell Beckham Jr blew away expectations and was the clear rookie of the year, and if he had played 16 games, probably would have been the league’s #1 WR by production as well as talent. The pick proved to be incredibly smart when Victor Cruz missed the second half of the season with an injury. Beckham makes this class by himself. Weston Richburg also switched to guard and played well, starting almost the entire year. Jay Bromley earned some accolades despite not playing much, while Andre Williams had a few big games in a relief role after Rashad Jennings went down with an injury. Nat Berhe didn’t have a chance to start behind Antrel Rolle and Stevie Brown, but that pick looks really smart since both are UDFA’s this year. Devon Kennard saw significant reps and showed starting-caliber athleticism, despite being raw after a move from safety in college. Second best class behind Oaklands’, and it’s close. Not drafting a tight end became a good thing because it allowed Larry Donnell explode onto the scene, although he is now a free agent.
Washington: After the draft: A. Now: C. Trent Murphy and Bashaud Breeland didn’t make a big impact, and I blame that on bad coaching. With Brian Orakpo leaving in free agency, Murphy will get his shot, and David Amerson was terrible in 2014 so Breeland likely will as well. This was a rebuilding draft that will look better next year than it did in 2014. Morgan Moses moved inside to guard and saw the field more than the other rookies, and he was alright, but hasn’t won a starting spot by any other way than the Redskins being desperate. Lache Seastrunk didn’t even make the roster, which is really bad when he was drafted in round 6 and was expected to go earlier than that.
Best pick of the division: Odell Beckham Jr, WR, New York Giants Worst pick of the division: Marcus Smith, OLB, Philadelphia Eagles
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Post by Morkim on Feb 3, 2015 11:08:40 GMT -5
JuggsI demand a Fulton update. And you gave Dee Ford a D+ on your original grades. How the heck can him not doing well drop our overall grade? (And that's assuming you're right, but you're not. He wasn't asked to do much, but he was a very serious special teams contributor, and he was very capable of stopping the run in the last half of the season. He even showed flashes of pass rushing. He just came along slow, much like Houston did.)
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Post by Juggs on Feb 3, 2015 11:10:23 GMT -5
NFC South:
Carolina Panthers: After the draft: B+. Now: B+ Carolina was a team that had glaring needs to start the season. WR, OT, CB, and pass rushers were needed just to be ready to compete at the NFL level. They addressed only WR early on, and Kelvin Benjamin was spectacular as a rookie. That pick gets an A right there. The other picks didn't go as well, until Ben Benwikere was quite a steal at cornerback and on special teams. When Greg Hardy went down, Kony Ealy wasn’t ready to play and did not meet expectations. The Panthers found some great talent, and the class is held up by that, but they should have filled needs that they didn’t.
New Orleans Saints: After the draft: B. Now: B-. New Orleans did very well with their 1st round pick. Brandin Cooks played well before getting hurt and since Marques Colston was terrible this year, they’ll need Cooks to be a future #1. Unfortunately, the grade suffers because Stanley Jean-Baptiste got on the field and struggled often while Khairi Fortt, a player I was very excited about, did not make the roster. Basically no one but Cooks contributed at all, and he got injured, so that took a toll on a team that could have made the playoffs (somehow).
Tampa Bay Bucs: After the draft: A-. Now: B+ The Bucs got their first pick right even though most thought they should have added a quarterback. I still think they should have taken a QB at some point. Evans was productive and looks like he will be an effective weapon for whomever is starting at QB for the Bucs in 2015, whether that be Mariota, Winston, Hundley or someone else. Robert Herron and Charles Sims both look like late round offensive steals, but the rest of the class didn’t contribute last year and doesn’t appear to be working out.
Atlanta Falcons: After the draft: B+. Now: B+ Jake Matthews had a few down games, and he was outplayed by tackles taken later on, but he was largely still effective and was absolutely worthy of a top 10 choice. He’s not worth the A+ grade I thought he’d be, but he’s still an A- at worst. I was totally wrong about Dezmon Southward, who I thought was a monster reach, but ended up being more of a gem. Devonta Freeman didn’t impress, but Prince Shembo did. It seems like half the players didn’t meet expectations and the others did. Atlanta built for the future and got some contributors, but could have done better with a few selections at least.
Best pick of the division: Ben Benwikiere, CB, Carolina Panthers (yes, over Benjamin. Both were amazing but BB went in round 6) Worst pick of the division: Stanley Jean-Baptiste, CB, New Orleans Saints
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Post by Juggs on Feb 3, 2015 11:16:41 GMT -5
JuggsI demand a Fulton update. And you gave Dee Ford a D+ on your original grades. How the heck can him not doing well drop our overall grade? (And that's assuming you're right, but you're not. He wasn't asked to do much, but he was a very serious special teams contributor, and he was very capable of stopping the run in the last half of the season. He even showed flashes of pass rushing. He just came along slow, much like Houston did.) Both valid points. Done.
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Post by Juggs on Feb 3, 2015 11:23:31 GMT -5
NFC North: I didn’t grade these divisions! Rather, I did, but I lost the progress because my computer crashed back in May and I never went back. But I basically remember "good" or "bad" of what I thought of the picks. So I’m just going to give them a “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” for the, after the draft, part.
Green Bay Packers: After the draft: Thumbs up. Now: B The Packers always draft underrated defensive prospects, and they found two this year in HaHa Clinton-Dix and Carl Bradford. HCD fell for no reason and was by far the top safety in this draft class, on tape and on the field. Davante Adams didn’t play much, which does hurt the grade. Richard Rodgers made an impact despite flying way under the radar during the draft, but Corey Linsley was proven to be the best steal of any lineman not named Seantrell Henderson. Jeff Janis and Jared Abbrederis didn’t see the field in 2015, which was disappointing especially in Abbrederis’ case. The fact that the Packers drafted 3 wide receivers and none contributed is really bad and brings down the stock from an A- based on HCD, Bradford and Linsley.
Chicago Bears: After the draft: Thumbs up. Now: C- This draft imploded after a few weeks. Kyle Fuller picked off three balls in three weeks to start the year, but he graded as one of the league’s worst cornerbacks, not just among rookies, after those games. Fuller’s job is not safe despite a need at the position, and the Bears’ other picks didn’t work out either. This very uninspiring class helped get Phil Emery fired. Ferguson, Carey didn’t see the field while Fales didn’t even make the roster, despite being a prospect who had the chance to be something special.
Detroit Lions: After the draft: Thumbs down: Now: D+ Eric Ebron was a major disappointment his first year based on two criteria: his draft position and his production. Top 10 picks at offensive skill positions have enormous expectations on them as rookies, and Ebron is not even really the starter at this point. Eric Ebron is talented and can still work out as a draft pick, but I have to go based on what he did last season, so that pick is a D grade right now. 2nd round pick Kyle Van Noy battled injuries but had a very nice 4th quarter of the year. Talented defensive end Larry Webster did not see the field, but this was mostly due to the Lions deep talent pool rushing the passer. Center Travis Swanson took over the starting job at center, so at least the Lions got one real contributor from the 2014 draft, even if it was just a center. This class is up for a defining year, it could be that Ebron and Van Noy take over and make this grade an A, but if they can’t this draft will be a total failure.
Minnesota Vikings: After the draft: Thumbs up. Now: B Anthony Barr was a prospect I was initially really low on, but ended up liking. He was overrated early on and I never thought he should be a top 10 pick, but he definitely proved otherwise in the first half of the season. Despite generally being inconsistent and disappearing for stretches, Barr was productive overall and looks like a promising young player. I’d grade that pick an A- today. As for Teddy Bridgewater, that’s more interesting. Bridgewater’s season was extremely inconsistent. He looked like a complete bust for the first half of the time he played, throwing just one touchdown and accounting for 7 turnovers in his first 5 games, despite the Vikings pounding the run and making his job very simple: manage the game. Teddy improved over the season similarly to how Geno Smith did as a rookie and was awarded the popularity contest Pepsi rookie of the year award, in one of the most head scratching decisions I have ever seen by fans. Ultimately, the Vikings have an inconsistent, potential franchise QB which they got with the last pick in round 1. That’s a good selection, despite Derek Carr and Zach Mettenberger outplaying Teddy and being taken after him. I’d grade it a B- right now. Jerrick McKinnon stepped up very well after Adrian Peterson was out of the picture as well, but the rest of the Vikings class didn’t see the field, and in my eyes, they got the quarterback choice wrong with Bridgewater.
Best pick of the division: Corey Linsley, C, Green Bay Packers Worst pick of the division: Eric Ebron, TE, Detroit Lions
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