Ready for your grades?

The good doctor evaluates each team's draft-day efforts

I'm going to do something new. I'm going to evaluate the draft for you. Then I'm going to evaluate it again five years from now, to the day. Then I'll evaluate today's evaluation, based on a five-year overview, and let you know how I rate as an evaluator. And then I'll figure out something else to evaluate.

It'll be an evaluating hall of mirrors. Following is Step One, with teams listed in alphabetical order:

ARIZONA

They wanted a DT, with John Henderson at the top of their list; they settled for Wendell Bryant at the same position. Nothing wrong there. Two out of their next four picks went to the D-line, which Dave McGinnis said was the No. 1 concern. Either of the two, Dennis Johnson or Nate Dwyer, could help. If both do, then it's a good draft. Grade ... B-

ATLANTA

I'm sure the T.J. Duckett pick makes sense, but not to me. Spent a lot of money for Warrick Dunn, then drafted a big, Mike Alstott-type (more speed, less power) at No. 1 and stood away from the much-needed wideout until the sixth round. Grade ... D

BALTIMORE

They're trying to stem a flood with sandbags. Twelve starters gone, 10 draft picks, including a punter and a seventh round backup QB, arrive. The top two picks, safety Ed Reed and DT Anthony Weaver, should start. Reed should be outstanding. After that, it's the old hope chest. Grade ... B-

BUFFALO

Is it fair to count Drew Bledsoe? I mean, the deal was done on a draft day. But my gosh, look at the help they're giving him -- Mike Williams, 375 pounds of tackle, and Josh Reed, the Fred Biletnikoff Award-winning receiver who could have been a first rounder. They got him in Round 2. Their second pick in the same round, Ryan Denney, is a 6-foot-7 DE with great potential. Coy Wire in the third round is a good, sturdy, Adam Archuleta-type safetyman. Hell of a draft to go with the big trade. Grade ... A

CAROLINA

The jury's out on Julius Peppers. Will he be another Michael Strahan or just another rich rookie with an outside rush and little else? But here's the pick I really like -- DeShaun Foster, the UCLA running back, at No. 2. OK, so he fumbles. Franco Harris fumbled, too. Just watch, he'll be the LaDainian Tomlinson of 2002. Grade ... B+

CHICAGO

Why is everyone automatically plugging top choice Marc Colombo into Blake Brockermeyer's LT spot and saying the Bears filled the position? Most boards had Colombo going in the second round. He's still very raw. Their second pick, Roosevelt Williams, is a feisty corner from Tuskegee who impressed people at the Senior Bowl, thereby enriching himself greatly. An interesting player. Grade ... C

CINCINNATI

I'm one of the few people who didn't laugh at their Levi Jones pick at No. 10 in the first round. He's a solid player. Too high? Maybe, but at least they didn't get all carried away by this idea of "unlimited potential." Their next two choices, safetyman Lamont Thompson and tight end Matt Schobel, are injury gambles, but if they're OK, then it's a pretty decent draft. Grade ... C

CLEVELAND

Beware, Browns. I might not phone you next year to find out whom you're picking. You smoke-screened Duckett for a month, then crossed up the world by picking another runner, William Green. You just wait. Nobody will call you next year. You think we're just kidding around with these mock drafts of ours? Sure, Green's a player. So's that track-man wideout you took in the second round, Andre Davis, and the center, Melvin Fowler, is quick and tough, and so is the sleeper tackle from Miami, Joaquin Gonzalez , you stole in Round 7, but just for all those shenanigans I'm lowering your grade by half a tick. Grade ... B-

DALLAS

Jerry, baby, you broke the bank. You're the darling of the draftniks after you worked the trade and picked up the free one in the third round, who turned out to be Derek Ross, the Ohio State cornerback. Everyone knows that all Buckeye CBs are players. On top of that? Nothing but blue chippers -- safety Roy Williams, guard Andre Gurode and wideout Antonio Bryant, who's got Michael Irvin written all over him. Grade ... A

DENVER

Ashley Lelie is a good fit in Mike Shanahan's offense, which died from a lack of wideouts last year. Clinton Portis joins the group of injured runners. I don't see a lot of defensive fireworks here, but the third rounder, DT Dorsett Davis, might be of some help. Grade ... B-

DETROIT

Five years from now I'll be saying one of two things -- they should have taken Quentin Jammer or how could they ever have thought of taking Quentin Jammer? The big question is, what happens if Mike McMahon beats out Joey Harrington in camp? Uh oh. Farther down, well, Luke Staley , in Round 7, is a productive runner, but he's had six surgeries and a concussion. Grade ... B (if Harrington turns out to be what everyone thinks he should be)

GREEN BAY

Took a flyer, Javon Walker, then went blue collar. A good draft if Walker takes over for Bill Schroeder as Favre's long-range target. Grade ... C+

HOUSTON

Oh my, what a mob. Twelve rookies, including the franchise QB. Should we worry about that fluky three-quarter arm delivery? Well, that's what they're paying Chris Palmer for. They gave David Carr a big-league receiver, Jabar Gaffney, to work with, plus two tough linemen, Chester Pitts and Fred Weary, in the next two rounds. Grade ... A-/B+

INDIANAPOLIS

This is a draft I can understand. The defense was out to lunch last year, so their first six picks went for that side of the ball. Yeah. Make it easy for poor fools like me. I think the No. 1 pick, Dwight Freeney, will be a fine edge rusher for the Colts. After that? Well, it's saturation bombing. Grade ... B

JACKSONVILLE

Tom Coughlin wanted to help his D-line so he got John Henderson inside and Akin Ayodele outside with his first and third picks. In between he got one of the better offensive tackles in the draft, Mike Pearson. It's a start. Grade ... B/B-

KANSAS CITY

Whew, they got the trade done in time and snatched DT Ryan Sims away from the Vikings, thereby acquiring a terrific lineman. I like the two other defenders they got as well, DT Eddie Freeman and LB Scott Fujita . Grade ... B

MIAMI

Does Ricky Williams count in this draft? Yes, you say? Then it's a B. No? Then it's a D, with five picks total, none higher than the third round.

MINNESOTA

Mount McKinnie will play left tackle. So far, so good. The rest of it, I'm afraid, doesn't excite me. Grade ... C

NEW ENGLAND

After the wonderful job this organization did last year, it's hard to be critical, but c'mon now, they picked up tight ends Christian Fauria and Cam Cleeland in free agency and then traded up for Daniel Graham. I guess the theory is that when you're already on top, every little improvement is great, but on paper, I'll have to grudgingly call this draft a D. Grade ... D (but next year will balance it out, I promise)

NEW ORLEANS

Yes, they figured to get DE Charles Grant with their first pick and then a wideout with their lower first round choice, but they gambled and went for the premier pass catcher, Donte' Stallworth, on top and got Grant anyway, plus the nation's best center, LeCharles Bentley, a round later. Good work. Grade ... B+

N.Y. GIANTS

Jeremy Shockey, a terrific tight end whom they needed all sorts of maneuvering to land, plus wideout Tim Carter, the fastest runner at the combine workouts at 4.32, make this Jim Fassel's kind of draft. Grade ... B/B-

N.Y. JETS

Here's the guy who could make their draft -- Jon McGraw, a smart, dedicated safetyman, a second rounder to step in for FS Damien Robinson , who killed them last year. Their top choice, Bryan Thomas, is a rusher with speed. Grade ... C-, but there's an upside.

OAKLAND

Al Davis is back in it, folks. Phillip Buchanon, the top deep cover guy dropped for some reason, and Al and his Raiders were there to catch him. Now he doesn't have to worry so much about Eric Allen's possible retirement. The other first round pick, LB Napoleon Harris, was the guy everyone thought Oakland would take right away. Got some good quality lower down, too. Grade ... A-

PHILADELPHIA

OK, so Andy Reid said he was looking for backup help, but three DBs in the first three picks? I mean, it would be different if he were playing in the same division as the Rams, but, c'mon now. Grade ... D

PITTSBURGH

The Steelers love guards and pass-rushers, and they got the former in Kendall Simmons, a good one, a teeth-gritter. They've got the rushers. And they also picked up another Slash, Antwaan Randle El, who will run back kicks and do lots of other things. Grade ... C+

SAN DIEGO

Quentin Jammer, big, physical, talented corner. Yes! Toniu Fonoti , crushing guard. Yes! Reche Caldwell, second wideout to Gaffney at Florida. Uh, maybe. Ben Leber. Good, tough, hard working LB. Yes! Pretty good start, huh? Grade ... B+

SAN FRANCISCO

Well, we knew it would be a corner because they face the Rams twice a year. Mike Rumph is a big, press-coverage guy, and we saw what those kinds of people did to the Rams receivers in the Super Bowl. Two of the next three picks went to defense, which figures. Grade ... C

SEATTLE

Uh, no. Couldn't get either of the tight ends they wanted, so they took Jerramy Stevens, a TE with talent -- plus a rap sheet. I'm looking for something exciting farther down and not finding it. Grade ... D

ST. LOUIS

Some decent players, LB Robert Thomas in the first round, CB Travis Fisher in the second. Mike Martz says Nebraska's speedy QB, Eric Crouch, will be a speedy receiver. Then we'll upgrade our not so speedy mark here. Grade ... C

TAMPA BAY

The same old problem. Do we count Jon Gruden as part of the draft? Then what kind of a grade do we award? The Bucs' draft started in the third round. Incomplete. Grade ... Inc.

TENNESSEE

A lot of people ranked the Titans' No. 1 guy, Albert Haynesworth, as the best DT in the draft. Others felt that the switch went on and off. The No. 2 choice, safetyman Tank Williams, will fit right into their secondary. Their third pick, Oklahoma's coverboy LB, Rocky Calmus, couldn't keep the blockers off him during the Senior Bowl workouts. The next two picks were corners. Fearless prediction: the Titans should be better on defense. Grade ... B-/C+

WASHINGTON

History might prove this a great draft. Bill Walsh made a living out of trading down, then trading down some more, until he had a mob of players, many of whom helped. The whole trick is finding the right people, and isn't that what it's all about anyway? At any rate, the Skins kept dealing until they wound up with 10 young people, and if QB Patrick Ramsey, who came to them on a, yes, a tradedown, unseats Steve Spurrier's boy, Danny Wuerffel, then we're on to something, folks. Grade ... B

Sports Illustrated senior writer Paul Zimmerman covers the NFL beat for the magazine and is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com. To send a question to Dr. Z's Mailbag, click here.

 

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