NFL Draft: Winners and Losers, and the Jets

Winners:
St. Louis Rams
Picks:
R1: 8. Tavon Austin WR West Virginia, 30. Alec Ogletree ILB Georgia
R3: 71. T.J. McDonald S Southern California, 92. Stedman Bailey WR West Virginia
R4: 113. Barrett Jones C Alabama
R5: 149. Brandon McGee CB Miami, 160. Zachary Stacy RB Vanderbilt

Austin(1) and Bailey(3) give QB Sam
Bradford the weapons he needs.

Last season the Rams had one of the worst offences in the league, mainly due to the fact that QB Sam Bradford had no legitimate weapons around him other than WR Danny Amendola, who signed with the Patriots this off season. In order to address this issue, they went out and got arguably the most explosive receiver and play maker in the draft in Tavon Austin. The kids fast as hell and should have an immediate impact catching passes and returning kicks and punts. The Rams also added his college teammate Stedman Bailey, who was one of the best receivers in the history of West Virginia football, and was a big reason QB Geno Smith put up such large numbers last year. Bradford now has weapons around him who he can get the ball to. They also added one of the best defensive players in this draft in Alec Ogletree, the linebacker out of Georgia. I was surprised he fell to them at 30th overall, but that may be due to his DUI he got back in February. Him and James Laurinaitis should form a great linebacker duo for Jeff Fishers defense, and T.J. McDonald is a nice pickup from USC who should make an impact at the safety position. Barrett Jones lead Alabama's offensive line to multiple championships, and should be a solid, starting center in the league. The Rams are slowly improving and are about a year or two away from contending for a playoff spot.

Minnesota Vikings
Picks:
R1: 23. Sharrif Floyd DT Florida, 25. Xavier Rhodes CB Florida St, 29. Cordarrelle Patterson WR Tennessee
R4: 120. Gerald Hodges OLD Penn State
R5: 155. Jeff Locke P UCLA
R6: 196. Jeff Baca OG UCLA
R7: 213. Michael Mauti ILB Penn State, 214. Travis Bond OG UNC, 229. Everett Dawkins DT Florida St.

Floyd is a run stopper who is a
steal for the Vikes. 

The Vikings needed a defensive tackle, a defensive back, and a wide receiver. They got one of each in the first round, and all three are solid picks. Patterson gives them the wide out they need after trading Percy Harvin to the Seahawks earlier this offseason. Rhodes can come in and start for a team that was the 9th worst in pass defence last season. Floyd was a steal for them at 23. He was predicted to be the first tackle off the board, as high as Oakland at number 3. He can come in and be a solid replacement for Kevin Williams. The Vikings are winners because they got 3 solid players for 3 different positions.

San Diego Chargers
Picks:
R1. 11. D.J. Flucker OT Alabama
R2: 38. Manti Teo ILB Notre Dame
R3: 76. Keenan Allen WR California
R5: 145. Steve Williams CB California
R6: 179. Tourek Williams DE Florida International
R7: 221. Brad Sorensen QB Southern Utah

Phillip Rivers should be safe in the
pocket for years with Flucker.

The Chargers had three guys with first round talent fall to them in the top three rounds. Flucker gives them a solid tackle who will help protect Phillip Rivers for years to come. Teo's stock dropped because of the Alabama game(and maybe a little due to the catfish scandal) but he's still going to be a solid NFL linebacker, and will be  good replacement for Takeo Spikes, who was cut by the team. Allen was at one point considered one of if not the best receiver in this draft, so he is a good value as a 3rd rounder and gives Rivers another weapon on the outside.

Losers:

New York Jets
Picks:
R1: 9. Dee Milliner CB Alabama, 13. Sheldon Richardson DT Missouri
R2: 39. Geno Smith QB West Virginia
R3: 72. Brian Winters OG Kent State
R5: 141. Oday Aboushi OG Virginia
R6: 178. William Campbell OG Michigan
R7: 215. Tommy Bohanon FB Wake Forest

Milliner could be one of
the best corners in the
league within a few years. 

The Jets didn't have that bad a draft. Picking up Smith in the second round is good for them. He was the best player available and they need to try to move on from the Mark Sanchez era. Taking Milliner with the 9th pick was great for them. He was the best cornerback in the draft and will be a great replacement for Darrelle Revis. It's picking Sheldon Richardson at 13 that i have a problem with. He is a good defensive tackle and I thought he would go around 13, 14 , or 15, but I don't understand why the Jets took him. The Jets have solid tackles already on their roster, so drafting Richardson wasn't essential. And my main problem with this pick is that they lack offensive weapons, and Tyler Eifert, a match up nightmare and probably the best tight end in the draft was available.  Whoever is their quarterback next year, whether Smith or Sanchez(if he's still on the team) will need weapons and they have none. That's my problem with the Jets draft, they really didn't help their offence. Smith may be an upgrade from Sanchez, but its likely that he, and most of the QB's in this draft, will be average at best. Not a horrible draft by the Jets and new GM John Idzik, but it could have been a lot better.

Buffalo Bills
Picks:
R1: 16. E.J. Manuel QB Florida St.
R2: 41. Robert Woods WR Southern California, 46. Kiko Alonso ILB Oregon
R3: 78. Marquise Goodwin WR Texas
R4: 105. Duke Williams S Nevada
R5: 143. Johnathan  Meeks S Clemson
R6: 177. Dustin Hopkins PK Florida St.
R7: 222. Chris Gragg TE Arkansas

Manuel would be better off sitting
on the bench for a season or two,
but may not have that luxury. 

I love almost everything the Bills did this draft. Adding two good receivers in Woods and Goodwin, and safeties in Williams and Meeks. Kiko Alonso is a fast cover linebacker who i loved watching play at Oregon.   And Hopkins will e a great NFL kicker. But picking Manuel in the first round at 16 was a bad decision by the Bills. No quarterback in this draft deserved to in the first round. I have no doubt in my mind that they could have gotten him in either the 2nd or 3rd round on day two. They had a chance to the best player available such as Eifert, linebacker Jarvis Jones, or offensive tackle Justin Pugh to sure up their line. With Kevin Kolb coming to Buffalo this season, Manuel may get a chance to sit and learn, which is what would be best for him, but considering Kolb's last few seasons in Arizona, E.J. may be tossed into the starting job early and is likely to struggle. Maunel has potential to be a very good QB, but the Bills took him to early and missed out on some immediate, game changing players.