2013 NFL Draft Analysis
I’m going to go over each team’s draft and I’ll break it down by division. I’m not giving out grades because that’s just foolish the week after the draft so I tell you what I think about certain players and an overview of what each team did or didn’t do.
AFC East
Buffalo Bills
16. EJ Manuel QB
41. Robert Woods WR
46. Kiko Alonso ILB
78. Marquise Goodwin WR
105. Duke Williams SS
143. Jonathan Meeks SS
177. Dustin Hopkins K
222. Chris Gragg TE
Immediate Impact: WR Robert Woods
Woods is a fantastic talent and the Bills need another receiver opposite Stevie Johnson. Woods is a great route runner and he will take a lot of pressure off of Johnson and give the Bills the first legitimate #2 WR they have had in quite a while.
Best Value: WR Robert Woods
Woods could have easily gone in the first round and the Bills got him #41 overall. He’s ready to contribute from day one and that is great value in the second round.
Sleeper: WR Marquise Goodwin
Goodwin is the track star out of Texas that could be a scary weapon out of the slot receiver position. Whether it is Kevin Kolb or EJ Manuel lining up at QB having Johnson, Woods and Goodwin means the QB will have some weapons at WR.
Overall Analysis:
EJ Manuel going #16 overall in the first round was the first real surprise of the draft and this was GM Buddy Nix shooting for the moon. Manuel has all the physical talent you want in a QB the question is whether or not he can translate that to the field in the NFL. The good news is that Kevin Kolb is there so Manuel shouldn’t be rushed the bad news is Manuel may be rushed because Kevin Kolb is all that is there. Kiko Alonso has the inside track on a starting spot at ILB and Duke Williams may surprise and line up with Jarius Byrd at safety before you know it. My biggest question with this draft is where are the offensive linemen? The loss of Andy Levitre is big and the right side of the line could have used help too and they didn’t select a single one.
Miami Dolphins
3. Dion Jordan DE/OLB
54. Jamar Taylor CB
77. Dallas Thomas OL
93. Will Davis CB
104. Jelani Jenkins ILB
106. Dion Sims TE
164. Mike Gillislee RB
166. Caleb Sturgis K
250. Don Jones SS
Immediate Impact: DE/OLB Dion Jordan; CB Jamar Taylor
The Dolphins better hope that Jordan gives them the pass rusher opposite Cameron Wake that they are hoping for because they traded up to #3 and passed on OT Lane Johnson to take him. They have a big hole at LT that Johnson could have filled but they are betting on Jordan being an impact player. CB Jamar Taylor steps in immediately to fill the hole created by the departure of Sean Smith and he will be a good one.
Best Value: CB Jamar Taylor
Getting a starting CB in the second round with the 54th pick is the definition of value.
Sleeper: ILB Jelani Jenkins; TE Dion Sims
Jenkins is a good ILB with coverage skills so he could make some noise in sub packages. The Dolphins TE position is thin and newly signed starter Dustin Keller is not known for his blocking. Sims has always been a tease with his big body and soft hands and if the coaching staff can get him to live up to his potential he can do it all. He is a big guy that should be a good blocker and he should be a threat down the middle.
Overall Analysis:
The Dolphins are taking their shot at improving their defense by adding Jordan, Taylor and CB Will Davis along with their free agent signings. Jordan should bring the pass rush and Taylor and Davis should improve their coverage. My concern is with only the addition of Dallas Thomas at offensive line who takes over at LT for Jake Long. They can try Thomas there but entrusting the blindside protection of franchise QB Ryan Tannehill to a rookie that is probably better served playing guard is a frightening proposition. They could try Thomas on the right side and slide Jonathan Martin to LT like last year when Long was hurt but that is still asking Thomas to play tackle. The best course of action now looks like playing Martin at LT, letting Thomas fight for playing time at guard and signing a veteran free agent like Eric Winston to man the right side.
New England Patriots
52. Jamie Collins OLB
59. Aaron Dobson WR
83. Logan Ryan CB
91. Duron Harmon SS
102. Josh Boyce WR
226. Michael Buchanan DE/OLB
235. Steve Beauharnais ILB
Immediate Impact: WR Aaron Dobson
The Patriots better hope that Dobson is an immediate impact WR because they need an outside threat after releasing Brandon Lloyd. Danny Amendola should be the replacement for Wes Welker and Amendola can do some things on the outside but he is needed in the slot. Dobson is a big WR from Marshall and hopefully he breaks the streak of bad WR picks the Patriots have been on for quite some time.
Best Value: CB Logan Ryan
This kid can play. He lacks top end speed but he could be a very good corner in Bill Belichick’s defense. The Patriots need help at CB and Ryan has starter potential that they drafted in the third round.
Sleeper: WR Josh Boyce
The Patriots have a big need at WR and even though Dobson is the big outside guy they need Boyce could come in and make some noise.
Overall Analysis:
Collins is an edge rusher that Belichick will figure out how to use and he can definitely help the pass rush. Hopefully the improved pass rush will help the secondary along with the addition of Ryan. The Duron Harmon pick was universally panned and I have to agree there were some good safeties still on the board (Shamarko Thomas, Duke Williams) and Harmon wasn’t expected to go in the third round.
New York Jets
9. Dee Milliner CB
13. Sheldon Richardson DT
39. Geno Smith QB
72. Brian Winters OG
141. Oday Aboushi OT
178. William Campbell DT
215. Tommy Bohanon FB
Immediate Impact: CB Dee Milliner
Milliner is the best CB in the draft and he gets to replace the best CB in the league. No pressure kid. Milliner allows Kyle Wilson to stay inside covering the slot and that will make him valuable to the Jets defense.
Best Value: QB Geno Smith
I’m not a big fan of Geno Smith but when you get a starting QB at pick #39 you are getting pretty good value. Say what you want about the Jets QB situation but Smith will be the guy at some point and my money is on sooner rather than later. Tim Tebow has already been shown the door and if the Jets have any sense of mercy Mark Sanchez will not be far behind.
Sleeper: OG Brian Winters
Winters is a third round pick and he probably will end up starting. Guards don’t get a lot of credit but teams know their value. It’s hard to see a third round guard making a huge difference but if he becomes a starter that’s a great get.
Overall Analysis:
I love Sheldon Richardson as a player but I don’t like him on this team, with this defense, I just don’t see it working very well. Maybe he will have a bigger impact next year when a new coaching staff is brought in and they switch to a 4-3 defense where his skills will be better utilized. No I don’t have a lot of faith that Rex Ryan is going to get this thing turned around and if he doesn’t it is total rebuilding mode time and that starts with a new coaching staff. Aboushi could possibly help since the Jets’ RT’s are nothing to write home about and he could potentially steal that job. They got Smith where he should have gone, in the second round, so that’s good value and Milliner and Richardson are very talented players.
The Hott Read 