First round NFL Draft grades

1. Miami Dolphins- Jake Long, T.
Grade: B-. It's a safe pick, but I just don't think you can build a franchise around an offensive tackle. Still, Miami didn't need another player at a skill position.

2. St. Louis Rams- Chris Long, DE.
Grade: C+. Everyone has fallen in love with Long, but I don't think he will be near as good of a player as Vernon Gholston, who should have been the pick here. I'm not sure Long is quick enough to be a premier pass-rusher in this league.

3. Atlanta Falcons- Matt Ryan, QB.
Grade: A-. Not that I am too crazy about Ryan, but the Falcons had to make this move. Did they really want to go into the season with Joey Harrington as their starting signal-caller? Plus, there was no guarantee they would have been able to trade down for a quarterback, either.

4. Oakland Raiders- Darren McFadden, HB.
Grade: A+. Oakland got the best player in the draft. Whoever says halfback is not a need for the Raiders is out of their mind. I'm sorry, but Justin Fargas is not Darren McFadden. He will be the Adrian Peterson of this year's draft.

5. Kansas City Chiefs- Glenn Dorsey, DT.
Grade: A+. The best defensive lineman in the draft fell right into Kansas City's laps at number five. Yes, he had some injury issues in college, but if he can remain healthy, Dorsey will become one of the most dominant defensive tackles in the league.

6. New York Jets- Vernon Gholston, DE/OLB.
Grade: A+. I loved this pick. The Jets picked up the best pure pass-rusher in the draft in Gholston, the only player in college football to pick up a sack against Jake Long in the 2007-08 season. New York was in dire need of someone who could apply pressure to the quarterback, and they got their man.

7. New Orleans Saints (trade with NE)- Sedrick Ellis, DT.
Grade: A-. New Orleans made an aggressive move by trading up with the Patriots so they could get Ellis, and it will pay off. Ellis will not be a perennial Pro-Bowler, but he'll be a very solid player. Think of a poor man's Warren Sapp.

8. Jacksonville Jaguars (trade with BAL)- Derrick Harvey, DE.
Grade: A-. The one thing the Jaguars lack on defense is a pass-rush, so they began to remedy that problem by trading up for Harvey in the first round. Nice move.

9. Cincinnati Bengals- Keith Rivers, OLB.
Grade: C+. I think Cincinnati has more of a pressing need at middle linebacker than outside, so I think this pick should have been Jerod Mayo. I am not really in love with Rivers at all.

10. New England Patriots- Jerod Mayo, MLB.
Grade: A-. In my mock, I had Cincy taking Mayo and the Pats getting Rivers, but it turned out to be the other way around. Mayo could flourish in New England's 3-4 defense.

11. Buffalo Bills- Leodis McKelvin, CB.
Grade: B+. I didn't like the pick too much at first because of their need for a WR, but the fact that they picked up James Hardy later in the draft made this move look a lot better. Still, with Terrence McGee and Jabari Greer, I didn't think cornerback was that big of a need for the Bills.

12. Denver Broncos- Ryan Clady, T.
Grade: A. Denver needed a tackle due to the sudden retirement of Matt Lepsis, so they went with the next best one in the draft in Clady. Good move.

13. Carolina Panthers- Jonathan Stewart, HB.
Grade: C. With their needs at defensive end, I'm very surprised Carolina didn't trade up for Harvey at this pick. Still, I like Stewart a lot and think he could be a solid back in this league. Think Maurice Jones-Drew.

14. Chicago Bears- Chris Williams, T.
Grade: D+. I really don't get the Bears. They desperately need a quarterback and receivers, and they draft a tackle? They could have easily traded down and picked up someone like Brian Brohm or Chad Henne or even drafted Joe Flacco straight up with this pick, and if not one of those options, they could have traded down for a receiver. Bad move by Chicago.

15. Kansas City Chiefs (from DET)- Branden Albert, G.
Grade: A. The Jared Allen trade really paid off for the Chiefs. Here, they get the most versatile offensive lineman in the draft in Albert, as he can play either guard or tackle and do one equally as well as the other.

16. Arizona Cardinals- Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, CB.
Grade: A. This was a great pick. Cornerback became a big hole for the Cardinals as soon as Antrel Rolle moved to safety, and Rodgers-Cromartie may very well be the best one in the draft.

17. Detroit Lions (from MIN)- Gosder Cherilus, T.
Grade: F. Okay; so the Kevin Jones experiment didn't work out, and they cut ties with him. That has to mean Detroit is taking a halfback here, right? Wrong. They go with Cherilus, and they traded down to do so when they could have taken Albert at #15. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Rashard Mendenhall was there for the taking both times, and they pass up on him?

18. Baltimore Ravens (from HOU)- Joe Flacco, QB.
Grade: A-. I really like this pick. Flacco has the most raw talent of any quarterback in the draft, as he has unbelievable arm strength and size (he stands nearly 6'7" and weighs 240).

19. Carolina Panthers (from PHI)- Jeff Otah, T.
Grade: A. Now this was a good pick. The Panthers desperately needed an offensive lineman, so they go with Otah. He can help form a great tackle tandem along with Jordan Gross.

20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Aqib Talib, CB.
Grade: A-. Solid pick here. Philip Buchanan just wasn't cutting it for the Buccaneers, and Ronde Barber isn't getting any younger. Many feel that Talib is the most talented cornerback in this draft. His main issue is his off-the-field problems.

21. Atlanta Falcons (from WAS)- Sam Baker, T.
Grade: C. I am not too crazy about this pick. Most people felt that Baker wasn't even a first-round talent. Plus, Atlanta has pretty big needs at defensive tackle and tight end. Either Kentwan Balmer or Dustin Keller would have been a better pick here.

22. Dallas Cowboys (from CLE)- Felix Jones, HB.
Grade: B-. Jones is a very nice player, but I felt that Dallas needed a pass-rushing defensive end to anchor the line of scrimmage. I would have went with Lawrence Jackson or Phillip Merling, but losing Julius Jones did open up a hole at the number two halfback slot.

23. Pittsburgh Steelers- Rashard Mendenhall, HB.
Grade: B+. I think this was just a case of taking best player available. Pittsburgh doesn't have a need at halfback considering they have Willie Parker, but the north-south Mendenhall can provide a nice change of pace from the finesse Parker. I do think the Steelers should have worked on their secondary here, though. Kenny Phillips, maybe?

24. Tennessee Titans- Chris Johnson, HB.
Grade: F. What is it about the Titans that they refuse to give Vince Young any help at all? Johnson is just going to be another Chris Henry. He is a workout warrior who turned heads in the 40-yard dash. Tennessee could have easily taken a receiver or at least traded down to pick one up later, but they take a second-round talent in Johnson.

25. Dallas Cowboys (from SEA)- Mike Jenkins, CB.
Grade: C. They again beat around their need for a pass-rushing end, this time to pick up a cornerback. I think Jenkins is an overrated prospect, hence the reason why he was the fourth corner taken instead of the first or second like many predicted.

26. Houston Texans (from BAL)- Duane Brown, T.
Grade: D-. Houston blew this pick. They have many other holes like at receiver, defensive end, and even outside linebacker and safety. The Texans could have easily traded down to get Brown while still compiling more picks to address other needs, but they failed to do so. Bad, bad decision.

27. San Diego Chargers- Antoine Cason, CB.
Grade: B+. The Chargers really don't have any huge needs. They have a bit of a hole at right tackle, but there weren't any good tackles remaining on the board. Cason is a very nice player who I think is one of the more underrated players in this draft.

28. Seattle Seahawks- Lawrence Jackson, DE.
Grade: D. This was a pretty bad pick by the Seahawks. They already have two very good pass-rushing ends in Patrick Kerney and Darryl Tapp. What Seattle really needed was a tight end, and Keller was still on the board here.

29. San Francisco 49ers- Kentwan Balmer, DT.
Grade: C+. I think the 49ers should have really addressed their problems at wide receiver first, but they did need a defensive tackle. Many scouts are worried about Balmer's work ethic, and rightfully so, as he didn't really start playing like a first-round pick until his senior season. Still, the kid has talent. Not a horrible pick, but not one I would have made.

30. New York Jets (from GB)- Dustin Keller, TE.
Grade: A. Phenomenal move by the Jets. Yes, they may have overpaid a little considering their next pick was only a few picks away, but they have been longing for a dynamic tight end for a while. Keller reminds me of an Antonio Gates or Kellen Winslow Jr. type player.

31. New York Giants- Kenny Phillips, S.
Grade: B. I think the Giants could have traded down and still gotten a safety (Tyrell Johnson) and picked up a pass-rushing outside linebacker (Quentin Groves) with the extra pick. However, the G-Men did need a safety, and Phillips is the best one in the draft.