This year, more than a few things stood out to me with the draft. There were a lot of trades, a lot of good players dropping, and more than a lot of teams reaching and taking a player too high. With that said, here’s my team by team analysis of the draft.

Arizona Cardinals The Cardinals had a great first three rounds by taking Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Calais Campbell, and Early Doucet. The one thing on offense that the Cards lacked was an impact slot reciever. Cromartie had a great combine and ran a 4.33 and should help Arizona’s secondary with Antrel Rolle moving to safety. Brandon Keith will add depth to their offensive line and Tim Hightower is comparable to Marion Barber and may be a complement to Edgerrin James. I give them a B.

Atlanta Falcons The Falcons did themselves a huge favor by being smart and taking Matt Ryan here. They now have a franchise quarterback that can help them in the future and possibly forget about Vick. They traded back into the first round to get Sam Baker from USC when they didn’t have to and that wasn’t smart since they lost a pick or two in the process. I think they waited too long to address their needs in the secondary but they did draft Chevis Jackson from LSU.  Robert James from Arizona St should help that linebacking corps and the local kid from Georgia Thomas Brown will give them some depth at running back. A

Baltimore Ravens As good as Joe Flacco might be, he wasn’t looked at as first round pick. The Ravens might have taken him a bit early especially with Chad Henne, John David Booty, and Brian Brohm still on the board. Ray Rice is a great running back and he’ll make life easier for Willis McGahee. With an aging defense, they also helped themselves out by taking Tavares Gooden from Miami and Tom Zbikowski from Notre Dame. I also like Haruki Nakamura. He had a great senior year at Cincinnati and he doubles as a kick returner. C+

Buffalo Bills The Bills first three picks will most likely end up being starters in the NFL. Leodis McElvin is the right replacement for Nate Clements,  James Hardy is going to be a quality reciever in the NFL opposite Lee Evans, and Chris Ellis can be a great pass rusher if he can stay consistent. B-

Carolina Panthers I thought the Panthers took Jonathan Stewart a little too early because I thought that Rashard Mendenhall was a better back, but it wasn’t a bad pick. Jeff Otah was a smart pick by the Panthers considering they had 4 starting quarterbacks last season. It all starts with the offensive line.  The Panthers also hit the lottery with Dan Connor in the third round. B-

Chicago Bears I thought that Chris Williams was perfect for the Bears to help them on the offensive line, especially with run blocking. I thought taking Matt Forte from Tulane was a reach considering there were other running backs available. The defense needed some help after a subpar year and Craig Steltz is a good enough safety to help the Bears right away. The Bears best pick may have been taking Marcus Monk in the seventh round. Before injuring his knee and having two surgeries, he was an impact receiver at Arkansas. C+

Cincinnati Bengals Could it be some foreshadowing that the Bengals took Andre Caldwell. Jerome Simpson,  and Harry Douglas? If they really do trade Chad Johnson, they have plenty of guys to help replace him. Keith Rivers should also be the first of many high character guys the Bengals bring in. B+

Cleveland Browns Its hart to rate a teams draft when they dont have any picks before the 4th round. I’ve seen Beau Bell play and he’s good. Very instinctive. The Browns traded some of their picks last year to get Brady Quinn so I guess it worked out for them. D+

Dallas Cowboys I think the Cowboys could have benefited from drafting a wide reciever to provide some help for Patrick Crayton and Terrell Owens. Jerry Jones is confident that Terry Glenn can still be productive.  Speaking of Jerry Jones, he got his running back in Felix Jones and also upgraded a very good secondary with Mike Jenkins from South Florida. B+

Denver Broncos With Ryan Clady and Eddie Royal, the Broncos have a great tackle that fits into their zone blocking system and a guy that doubles as a reciever and a return man which is what they sorely needed. Scouts say that Royal could become a Steve Smith type player. Picking up Ryan Torain will also help. A-

Detroit Lions The Lions took Gosder Cherilus a little early and they’re getting good value with Kevin Smith out of Central Florida. I think it was great of Rod Marinelli to pick up Caleb Campbell from Army. I also think the Lions could have helped themselves out by taking a cornerback somewhere in this draft. C

Green Bay Packers The Packers took a good reciever when they really didn’t need one but they did address all their other needs so consider Jordy Nelson a bonus. I’d like to see if either Brian Brohm or Matt Flynn will end up challenging Aaron Rodgers. A

Houston Texans The Texans addressed all their needs and got great value all throughout the draft. Duane Brown will sure up that offensive line for Matt Shaub,  Steve Slaton will give them added depth at running back and may eventually become a Warrick Dunn type player, and Xavier Adibi is a great linebacker that can play well in pass coverage. Frank Okam can also come in and help on defense. A+

Indianapolis Colts The Colts traded this year’s first round pick last yeat to draft their offensive tackle Ugoh, who’s currently starting and being productive so that worked out for them. They were able to draft Georgia Tech linebacker Phillip Wheeler. Wheeler brings a different dynamic to this team because he’s less of the coverage type linebacker and more of a bruising blitzer. In college he had over 250 tackles and 16 sacks. The Colts also got tremendous value in Mike Hart, who despite a slow 40 time at the combine and being undersized, he’s very durable and a high character guy who plays well against blitzes. Tony Dungy got a steal this late in the draft. Hart may end up being the back to complement Joseph Addai. I also like them picking Tom Santi from Virginia. After the departure of Ben Utecht to Cincy, Santi could fill that void as Dallas Clark’s backup. A

Jacksonville Jaguars he Jaguars had a simple task this offseason and they didn’t do it. They needed help on the defensive interior and they drafted back to back defensive ends. They needed a safety to replace Sammy Knight, and they didnt draft one.  They needed help on the offensive line, and they didnt draft one. I do like Chauncey Washington that late in the draft but it wasnt what they needed.  For that, they get a big whopping F.

Kansas City Chiefs Where do I begin. These guys had the best draft. Between Glenn Dorsey, Branden Albert, and Brandon Flowers, the Chiefs have three starters for years to come. Throw in Jamaal Charles as a productive backup to LJ, and you have someone very valuable in the third round. Brad Cottam from Tennessee  might be groomed to be the eventual backup to Tony Gonzalez, and Will Franklin from Missouri gives the Chiefs some added depth at reciever. I would have like to see them take a shot at a quarterback but they seem sold on Brodie Croyle. A+

Miami Dolphins You gotta give Bill Parcells credit, he knows how to build a team. Did it with the Giants in the 80s, the Jets and the Pats in the 90s, the Cowboys a few years ago and now the Dolphins. The question is whether head coach Tony Sparano can put it all together. Jake Long is this year’s Joe Thomas. Phillip Merling could be the eventually successor to Jason Taylor. There is some speculation that Henne could start right away. Many believe he’s a better prospect than John Beck was coming out of BYU. A+

Minnesota Vikings The Vikings already have a good defense after making the trade for Jared Allen and they addressed all their needs in the draft. Getting John David Booty in the 5th round is a steal and he’ll challenge Tarvaris Jackson for the starting job. B-

New England Patriots The Patriots made a great move by draft Jerrod Mayo from Tennessee because they have to get younger in the linebacking corps. Mayo might replace Junior Seau if he decides to retire. The Pats needed to improve their secondary and they added a cornerback from Colorado. Bo Ruud is a linebacker and brother of Tampa Bay’s middle linebacker Barrett Ruud. He’s not as good as his brother but linebacker is in his blood. B+

New Orleans Saints The Saints traded up to get Sedrick Ellis, and I’m not convinced that they had to. With the talent at linebacker, I’m disappointed that they didn’t pull the trigger on anyone, especially in the later rounds. They also relied too much on trying to trade for Giants tight end Jeremy Shockey and they didn’t go after one themselves in the draft. The Saints havent had a good starting tight end in several years with Boo Williams. C-

New York Giants The Giants addressed their need at safety by drafting Kenny Phillips in the first round. If Phillips can return to the player he was during his junior year, he’ll be just as effective as Gibril Wilson was. The Giants also got great value at wide reciever with Mario Manningham in the third round. He’ll learn under Amani Toomer, another Michigan reciever, and I believe he’ll contribute right away. They added depth at cornerback with Terell Thomas from USC, and got tremendous value in Andre Woodson in the sixth round. Woodson was a Heisman candidate at one point. The Giants could have helped themselves by taking an offensive lineman. A-

New York Jets The Jets could have helped themselves by moving up to take Darren McFadden and this marks the second time in three years, they didn’t pull the trigger to take an impact running back. I don’t understand why they traded back into the first round to take Dustin Keller when they just acquired Bubba Franks and gave an extension to starting tight end Chris Baker. Baker is already upset at what the team has done during the season and I wouldn’t be surprised if this is the same outcome as last year’s dispute with Pete Kendall. The Jets didn’t address their needs at running back and linebacker, but they did draft Erik Ainge, who has all the talent and intangibles to succeed in the NFL. B-

Oakland Raiders  The Raiders have tons of talent but does it all come together? The Raiders have dumped a lot of money in players coming off of injuries. The trade for DeAngelo Hall makes them better but how does it make Nnamdi Asomugha feel now that he’s been slapped with the franchise tag? The Raiders made one great pick, in my opinion. Hopefully, their later picks will pan out. C+

Philadelphia Eagles The Eagles addressed all their needs and got great talent and versatility out of DeSean Jackson. At one point, Jackson was the highest rated reciever in this year’s draft class. Quintin Demps adds depth to their secondary and can play special teams. He may eventually take over for Brian Dawkins. C+

Pittsburgh Steelers The Steelers added depth in the running game with Rashard Mendenhall and also got a huge target for Big Ben with Limas Sweed. Look for Dennis Dixon, a former Heismna candidate, to play different positions. The Steelers have a history of getting good value out of their athletes like Hines Ward, Antwaan Randle-El, and Kordell Stewart. B+

San Diego Chargers The Chargers didn’t address their needs on the defensive line nor in the secondary. Drafting LSU fullback was smart and Antoine Cason will add some depth to the cornerback. C-

San Francisco 49ers The Niners added a quality defensive lineman as well as a good enough guard. I dont know if they added much else to their offense. C-

Seattle Seahawks The Seahawks just added Patrick Kerney, but Lawrence Jackson from USC could one day replace him. The Seahawks could have benefited from taking a better tight end, but  John Carlson could end up being a decent tight end. C

St. Louis Rams The Rams can move Adam Carriker to defensive tackle and Chris Long could benefit from the attention Carriker will recieve. Justin King has great value in the fourth round and may evolve into a starting cornerback. B+

Tampa Bay Bucanneers  Aqib Talib is a perfect Cover 2 cornerback, Dexter Jackson gives them depth a wideout for an aging Joey Galloway. Cory Boyd is actually a very good back and could have gone earlier in the draft. B+

Tennessee Titans The Titans dropped the ball here. The one thing that the Titans needed is a wide reciever and they didn’t get one until the fourth round. Lavelle Hawkins is not the answer. For messing up their team, the Titans get an F

Washington Redskins The Redskins sorely needed help with recievers and they got some. Malcolm Kelly had a bad combine but he’s a great player. Devin Thomas may have been a one year wonder but he’s worth the pick in the second round. Their most intriguing pick may have been Colt Brennan. If he can stay healthy and put on some weight, he might evolve into a decent backup. B+