Grading the 2006 NFL draft

FOXSports.com ^ | 5/1/05 | John Czarnecki

[rhema]

With the NFL draft now a thing of the past, It's time to hand out some grades.

1. N.Y. Jets: OK, they passed on Matt Leinart and didn't make a serious trade offer to move up to grab Reggie Bush, but they had a very good draft and took a solid quarterback prospect in Oregon's Kellen Clemens in the second round while rebuilding the offensive line with first-round picks D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Ohio State's Nick Mangold, who should replace long-time center Kevin Mawae. Some scouts said that Clemens ran the Texas-style offense better than Vince Young did. Huh? Buckeyes LB Anthony Schlegel has a very big upside and rookie head coach Eric Mangini loves the receiver upside of former Missouri quarterback Brad Smith. Plus, with all the trading, they picked up a second-round pick for next season, too. Grade: A+

2. Arizona: Denny Green got his quarterback of the future — USC's Matt Leinart — by simply sitting and waiting a couple hours. If Kurt Warner goes down this season, Leinart has enough moxie and talent to step in and help out immediately. Leinart was the most-ready quarterback in the draft and now he has a chip on his shoulder, having lost at least $10 million in bonus money by dropping all the way to the 10th overall pick. Another Trojan, guard Taitusi Lutui, could push for a starting spot as long as he keeps his weight in check. They took two two-gap defensive tackles in Gabe Watkins and Jonathan Lewis that should help the line rotation and bring some depth to the defense. TE Leonard Pope of Georgia may struggle picking up the offense because of low test scores. Grade: A

3. Denver: Months ago, the Broncos started out with the 29th overall pick in the first round and

[Maximus of Texas]

Dallas grades out at an "A". Afterall, they are the Cowboys!

[Wristpin]

Tom Brady just got a bunch of new weapons.

[thegreatbeast]

Re. New England ...Stephen Gostkowski was a solid placekicker at Memphis with three field goals beyond 50 yards. But no one is saying he is Adam Vinatieri.

A genuinely stupid comment.

[Maximus of Texas]

"But no one is saying he is Adam Vinatieri."

He is Adam Vinatieri. There. I said it.

[Gunflint]

I'm glad to see my Vikings once again were thinking 'outside the box'.

Great job Fran Foley! You outsmarted them all. The upside down draft. Pick the late round guys first, then you can concentrate on the crapshoot projects you pick later on.