AFC East Draft Grades

It has been a while since I have been able to talk sports on here, but one of my favorite sports seasons just passed. With the NFL Draft now behind us, here are my reactions to the picks and those not picked. I will list all draft picks and undrafted FA signings by team. The teams will be listed alphabetically by division. Each division will be presented separately and alphabetically. Draft recaps for each division will be released by June 1st. A divisional recap will be released every few days.

Let us begin with the AFC East...

Buffalo Bills

1(4) Sammy Watkins (WR, Clemson)

2(44) Cyrus Kouandjio (OT, Alabama)

3(73) Preston Brown (LB, Louisville)

4(109) Ross Cockrell (CB, Duke)

5(153) Cyril Richardson (OG, Baylor)

7(221) Randell Johnson (LB, Florida Atlantic)

7(237) Seantrel Henderson (OT, Miami)

Best Pick: Seantrel Henderson

Henderson was at one point a projected 1^st round pick and rarely mentioned as a possibility to be available on Day 3 period. To get a guy in the last round that was at one point a round 1 value is a steal for Buffalo. To get this guy who could eventually start has to be considered a win in that spot. Above you can see Henderson manhandling Markus White who stuck on a NFL roster for a few years. His star may have faded as a pick and he did test positive for drugs at the combine, but in round 7, what a fantastic pick.

Summary: Henderson and Richardson were both amazing Day 3 values. Both could be starting coming into next season. Richardson might start this season. To potentially get 3/5 of your future starting O-line in one draft has to be considered a great deal. The players picked up could all end up being solid players for the Bills down the road. However, the Bills cannot get an A draft for this draft despite the quality players throughout. The trade for Watkins while necessary will hurt the team down the road. To give up two 1^st round picks to get a guy is too steep a price. Even as an ACC guy, I still say Mike Evans is the best WR of this draft anyway. Benjamin is also better than Watkins IMO. Watkins will be good and EJ needed weapons, but too steep a price for the WR in a very deep WR draft.

Grade: B

Undrafted Free Agents:
Derek Brim (DB, Buffalo)
Deon Broomfield (DB, Iowa State)
Damien Jacobs (DT, Florida)
Bryan Johnson (LB, West Texas A & M)
Darrin Kitchens (LB, Florida)
Kenny Ladler (DB, Vanderbilt)
Darius Robinson (DB, Clemson)
Colby Way (DL, Buffalo)

The undrafted free agent crop is nothing to get too excited about. I don't see any of these guys making the roster, but would not be surprised if Robinson made it.

Miami Dolphins

1(19) Ja’Wan James (OT, Tennessee)

2(63) Jarvis Landry (WR, LSU)

3(67) Billy Turner (OT, North Dakota State)

4(125) Walt Aikens  (CB, Liberty)

5(155) Arthur Lynch  (TE, Georgia)

5(171) Jordie Tripp  (LB, Montana)

6(190) Matt Hazel (WR, Coastal Carolina)

7(234) Terrence Fede (DE, Marist)

Best Pick: Billy Turner

Turner fills an area of need and was a very important pick for the Dolphins. The Dolphins need an offensive line. The only quality lineman they have returning sports “Free Hernandez” shirts and was questioned about Hernandez’s arrest and a double-murder in Gainesville. I don’t have a lot of faith in the Dolphin’s o-line. Turner was a good value pick for where he was in the draft and has a lot of upside. Given the O-line woes, he or a similar offensive lineman had to be the pick in round 3.

Summary: The Dolphins needed to address Oline strongly and they just didn’t do it in this draft. The picked up two tackles only despite needing an entirely new offensive line. Not just that, but their 1^st round pick was the most overrated lineman in the draft. Ja’Wan James should not have been a 1^st round pick and is actually a worse football player than Cyrus Kouandjo who the Bills got in the 2^nd round. The Dolphins cannot compete with the Patriots still and had the worst draft in the AFC East.

Grade: D

Undrafted Free Agents
Deion Belue (DB, Alabama)
Steven Clarke (DB, Vanderbilt)
Tariq Edwards (LB, Virginia Tech)
Evan Finkenburg (OL, Arizona State)
Harold Hoskins (TE, Marshall)
David Hurd (OL, Arkansas)
Anthony Johnson (DT, LSU)
Derrell Johnson (LB, East Carolina)
Kamal Johnson (DT, Temple)
Ryan Lankford (WR, Illinois)
Tyler Larsen (OL, Utah State)
Tevin Mims (DE, South Florida)
Garrison Smith (DT, Georgia)
Marcus Thompson (LB, Rutgers)
Davonte Wallace (OL, New Mexico State)
Damien Williams (RB, Oklahoma)
Andrew Wilson (LB, Missouri)
Rantavious Wooten (WR, Georgia)

Strength in numbers for the Dolphins FA class here. They signed a ton of guys and got some OL as undrafted free agents that hopefully will stick. There is some talent here and a few guys are better than guys that Miami actually drafted. They did pretty impressive for undrafted free agents. I could see multiple guys from this list making the team. Tevin Mims and Tyler Larsen are two I like in particular. The chances of making the team for those two are better than you might think.

New England Patriots

1(29) Dominique Easley (DT, Florida)

2(62) Jimmy Garoppolo (QB, Eastern Illinois)

4(105) Bryan Stork (C, Florida State)

4(130) James White (RB, Wisconsin)

6(179) Jon Halapio (G, Florida)

6(206) Jemea Thomas (DB, Georgia Tech)

7(244) Jeremy Gallon (WR, Michigan)

Best Pick: Bryan Stork

Stork is a future starter and to get him in the 4^th round is a great pick for the Patriots. He is a top 5 C in this draft on any board and will make Tom Brady happy for years to come. He had a great season for the National Champs and will deliver in Foxboro.

Summary: The Stork pick was great and I liked the White pick right after as well. However, this was a very unspectacular draft for the perennial playoff team. This did not help restock the team that has a lot of holes right now. This team is a Tom Brady injury away from having a Top 5 selection next season and reinforcements are not coming at least through the draft.  The back end of the draft wasn’t awful, but I hate the front end. Brady needs help on offense and the solution was to draft a DT coming off 2 ACL Surgeries and a 3^rd string QB. Look I understand that Mallett is leaving at the end of the year, but in a loaded draft that was weak at QB, I hated that pick. I am a firm believer in draft the best available player, but NE should have used those picks a little better.

Grade: D+

Undrafted Free Agents
Tyler Beck (TE, Bowling Green)
Deylan Buntyn (DT, NC State)
Jeremy Deering (S, Rutgers)
Seali'i Epenesa (DT, UCLA)
Roy Finch (RB, Oklahoma)
Shamiel Gary (S, Oklahoma State)
Cameron Gordon  (LB, Michigan)
Travis Hawkins (CB, Delaware)
Stephen Houston (RB, Indiana)
Justin Jones (TE, East Carolina)
Ja-Mes Logan (WR, Ole Miss)
James Morris (LB, Iowa)
Tyler Ott (LS, Harvard)
Deontae Skinner (LB, Mississippi State)
Asa Watson  (TE, NC State)

Much like the Dolphins, the Patriots have strength in numbers when it comes to the undrafted free agents. The quality of the players is better than the Dolphins group as well. There are at least two guys here who will make the team. My bet is that Justin Jones makes it and contributes. I believe the other tight end, Tyler Beck, will make it as well.  Also like the Dolphins I like some of these guys better than the ones they picked. They have several good fits for their offense. The one thing I will say is that they didn't pick up a WR worth a darn on the undrafted free agent market. Kenny Shaw was sitting there and they let him go to the Browns. Not a fan of Ja-Mes Logan. Don't see him making an impact.

New York Jets

1(18) Calvin Pryor (FS, Louisville)

2(49) Jace Amaro (TE, Texas Tech)

3(80) Dexter McDougle (CB, Maryland)

4(104) Jalen Saunders (WR, Oklahoma)

4(115) Shaq Evans (WR, UCLA)

4(137) Dakota Dozier (OT, Furman)

5(154) Jeremiah George (LB, Iowa State)

6(195) Brandon Dixon (DE, NW Missouri State)

6(209) Quincy Enunwa (WR, Nebraska)

6(210) IK Enemkpali  (DE, Louisiana Tech)

6(213) Tajh Boyd (QB, Clemson)

7(233) Trevor Riley (LB, Utah)

Best Pick: Calvin Pryor

Pryor is the best safety in this draft and that is what the Jets needed the most (other than QB). He is an impact player and immediate starter. This pick will end up giving the Jets back to back DROY selections I believe. Pryor is not the highest rated player on my board, but he is as NFL ready as anyone. He will step in for the Jets and plug a big hole.

Summary: None of these picks really blow me away, but each player is a decent value at the spot they were selected. The Jets picked safely and solidly and I am impressed with what they did. They didn’t blow any picks and they handled themselves pretty solid in the draft. They got some guys that can help early and who might help make this the surprise team of 2014.

Grade: B+

Undrafted Free Agents
Tevon Conrad (OT, Saginaw Valley State)
Nick Dimarco (LB, WilliamPenn)
Steele Divitto (LB, Boston College)
Anthony Grady (DL, Missouri)
Kerry Hyder (DT, Texas Tech)
Jermaine Jones (WR, St.Augustine)
Terrance Miller (WR, Arizona)
Michael Palardy (K, Tennessee)
Brent Qvale (OT, Nebraska)
Zach Thompson (DL, Wake Forest)
Chad Young (FB, San Diego State)

The Jets did as well as anyone on the undrafted free agent market. All of their players they got I like. I am a big fan of a few of these guys and think they would have gotten drafted in most drafts. They picked up two good depth Offensive lineman and three quality defensive lineman. I love the WRs and LBs they picked up.
For me personally, my favorite pickup is Zach Thompson. The Ashburn native is a former Stone Bridge Bulldog and 4 years behind me. While I was helping coach Stone Bridge the summer after I graduated Zach was a freshman on the team that I worked with. He is also my HS football coach's son. Zach worked hard then and I am sure he worked just as hard in college. Glad to see a kid like that get an opportunity. Good luck to Zach Thompson on his journey to make an NFL roster.

-Noland