NFL Draft

NFL Draft Grapevine: 2008 Losers

April 30, 2008 @ 15:07:12

By Cory J. Bonini
Edited by Richard Garcia

In the first release of KFFL's NFL Draft Grapevine this week we addressed the winners of the 2008 NFL Draft. Today's release will focus on the teams that didn't come away as well as they could have (The Bad) and those that were outright awful during the draft process (The Ugly).

The Bad

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars needed a pass rush, and no one will deny that. They did what they felt was necessary to do to gain this pass rusher, University of Florida defensive end Derrick Harvey, but they gave up the farm for him. Jacksonville traded their No. 26 overall pick, two third-round picks and a fourth- to the Baltimore Ravens in order to select Harvey. If they feel that is what it took to receive the No. 8 overall pick, so be it, but it is hard to imagine four players being worth one in this case. However, why draft Auburn University defensive end Quentin Groves in the second round? Groves, at the NFL level, likely isn't a defensive end at 253 pounds. He is an outside linebacker in a 3-4 alignment well before he is a defensive end, but Jacksonville opted to choose him anyway.

Worst Value: University of Florida defensive end Derrick Harvey (first round, No. 8 overall)

On the Bright Side: University of South Florida cornerback Trae Williams

Jacksonville rounded out their draft with a solid pick in University of South Florida cornerback Trae Williams in the fifth round to gain excellent value, but that simply isn't enough to keep them off of the draft's worst dressed list.

Grade: C

Houston Texans

Apparently, the Texans front office decided against applying sound logic to their draft plans. Trading down twice is acceptable, especially when the player you choose in the first would have been around in the middle of the second. The Texans drafted Virginia Tech offensive tackle Duane Brown at No. 26 overall. Brown graded out to a late second-round pick, at best, which shows that Houston was caught up in the run on tackles. We don't have an objection to the third-round choice of Eastern Kentucky University cornerback Antwaun Molden, but drafting West Virginia University running back Steve Slaton in the third round was unnecessary. Slaton brings little more to the table, if anything, than a current Texan, running back Darius Walker, does. Slow, undersized scatbacks are not what the doctor called for in Houston.

Worst Value: Virginia Tech offensive tackle Duane Brown (first round, No. 26 overall)

On the Bright Side: Virginia Tech outside linebacker Xavier Adibi

The rest of Houston's draft wasn't horrendous, adding value in the fifth round with University of Texas defensive lineman Frank Okam. The Texans gaining depth in their safety corps by drafting the University of Minnesota's Dominique Barber, the younger brother of Dallas Cowboys running back Marion Barber III, in the sixth round.

Grade: C-

New York Jets

We'll buy the pick at No. 6 overall of Ohio State defensive end/outside linebacker Vernon Gholston, because he fills a need and should immediately start ahead of the uninspiring Bryan Thomas at left outside linebacker. Trading back into the first round at No. 30 overall, which the team gained from the Green Bay Packers, for Purdue University tight end Dustin Keller makes almost zero sense for a team that has no clue what the tight end position is. The Jets routinely ignore the position; say what you want about tight end Chris Baker, but he is an adequate pass catcher. The need simply wasn't great enough to warrant a trade into the first round, and Keller wasn't even the best tight end available.

Worst Value: Purdue University tight end Dustin Keller (first round, No. 30 overall)

On the Bright Side: University of Tennessee quarterback Erik Ainge

The Jets followed up the Keller pick with a fourth-round pick of San Jose State cornerback Dwight Lowery. The Jets need help at cornerback, but waiting until the fourth round to address such a need is baffling. At the end of the day, the team said a pass-catching tight end with question marks makes more sense than drafting key defensive or cornerback help. General manager Mike Tannenbaum's third draft doesn't look as promising as his first two did with regards to immediate hindsight.

Grade: C-

Oakland Raiders

If there was any doubt who was running the draft for the Raiders, their fourth overall pick sure answered that question. Managing general partner Al Davis, whose reportedly failing health left doubts as to whether he was still calling the shots, was at it again. Davis loves measurables and offense. University of Arkansas running back Darren McFadden, their selection at No. 4, is the epitome of that. Passing on Louisiana State defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey was a brazen, if not stupid, move, but the Raiders are no stranger to making questionable first-round draft picks. Due to a lot of trading away of picks, the Raiders were devoid of a second pick until the fourth round, where speed once again won out with the fourth-round selection of University of Connecticut cornerback Tyvon Branch. University of Richmond wide receiver Arman Shields (knee) is another player who fits the mold of a workout warrior; Shields is blazing fast but is returning from a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

Worst Value: University of Richmond wide receiver Arman Shields (fourth round, No. 125 overall)

On the Bright Side: Cornerback DeAngelo Hall (acquired from the Atlanta Falcons for a second-round pick)

McFadden should be an immediate upgrade at running back, but at what cost to the team's win/loss totals? Upgrading the wide receiver position was a big need, too, but the Raiders didn't necessarily do that with Shields.

Grade: C-

The Ugly

Atlanta Falcons

Once again, how can a team pass on the best player in the draft, Louisiana State defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, for a quarterback that is hardly a lock to be a franchise signal caller? Atlanta managed to do it. The team is shifting to a power-running offense and yet again let incarcerated former Falcons quarterback Michael Vick dictate their plans. Taking their ineptitude one enormous step further, they traded back into the first round to draft University of Southern California offensive tackle Sam Baker. The reasoning is because after six tackles had gone, the Falcons felt Baker was the only remaining player left on the board that could start for them. Is that a nice way of admitting to a severe reach?

Worst Value: Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan (first round, No. 3 overall)

On the Bright Side: University of Oklahoma middle linebacker Curtis Lofton

The Falcons righted the ship just a tad with their second-round selection of University of Oklahoma inside linebacker Curtis Lofton, who should step into a starting role at the onset of the season, which would allow linebacker Keith Brooking to return to his natural weakside linebacker role. With a trio of third-round picks, the Falcons added questionable depth at wide receiver (University of Louisville's Harry Douglas), a slow but respectable cornerback in LSU's Chevis Jackson, and drafted a very intelligent safety in the University of California-Berkeley's Thomas DeCoud. Some slight respectability has been restored, but the damage has been done.

Grade: D

San Diego Chargers

It is tough to have a terrible draft when you don't have enough picks to have what is considered a draft, but the Chargers managed to do it. We will give them some love on their pick of University of Arizona cornerback Antoine Cason. He is a tough player and fits their scheme well. There, however, is where our praise abruptly ends. Without picks in the second, third and fourth rounds, wouldn't trading away your first pick have made more sense? Instead, the Chargers traded up into the top of the third round to grab Louisiana State running back/fullback Jacob Hester, who presumably will be the chief backup to star running back LaDainian Tomlinson (knee). In any other year that would be perfectly fine, but following a season in which LT suffered a Grade 2 medial collateral ligament tear and damage to the fibers of his hamstring muscles doesn't leave a great taste in our mouth. The team's next pick came in the fifth round and happened to be another running back.

Worst Value: Louisiana State running back/fullback Jacob Hester (third round, No. 70 overall)

On the Bright Side: University of Arizona cornerback Antoine Cason

Bolts fans have a motto: "In A.J. (Smith, general manager) we trust." Smith has given fans plenty of reason to believe in him, but last year's draft didn't exactly instill a lot of warm and fuzzy feelings. Adding another slow, upright running back in the University of Texas-El Paso's Marcus B. Thomas made almost as much sense as drafting Hester. Finally, in the sixth round they selected Boston College cornerback DeJuan Tribble, whose 4.60-plus 40 times won't find him being confused with Deion Sanders any time soon.

Grade: D

Baltimore Ravens

Trading the moon and the stars to acquire a project quarterback always seems like a logical move for a franchise that has shown to be incapable of evaluating the position correctly. The Ravens drafted University of Delaware signal caller Joe Flacco after trading up to No. 18 overall. The team surrendered their No. 26 overall pick, third-round pick (No. 89 overall) and sixth-round pick (No. 173 overall). Flacco has the biggest arm in the draft, but so did current quarterback Kyle Boller when he came out. Flacco is a project and needs to sit for a year or so behind a proven veteran. Next, a running back was a bit of a need for the Ravens, but in the second round (Rutgers University's Ray Rice)? Spending $40-plus million on running back Willis McGahee wasn't enough? Why not offer him an offensive line?

Worst Value: University of Delaware quarterback Joe Flacco (first round, No. 18 overall)

On the Bright Side: University of Miami (Fla.) inside linebacker Tavares Gooden

The Ravens, to their credit, added University of Texas-El Paso offensive tackle Oniel Cousins in the third round, as well as Notre Dame strong safety Tom Zbikowski, who should provide some grit on special teams.

Grade: D-

Author Bio

Cory J. Bonini

Cory J. Bonini is a senior editor at KFFL. In late 2002, Bonini joined the KFFL staff as a research analyst. He vaulted himself into one of the industry's leading fantasy analysts.

Bonini has been involved in fantasy sports since 1996. A member of the Fantasy Sports Trade Association as well as Fantasy Sports Writers Association, he has been featured in print, on the radio and is also a published writer on scores of sites. Bonini co-hosted Big Lead Sports on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio from 2011 to 2012.

Bonini was recognized with the 2010 Best Article in Print Award from the FSWA and was a finalist for the same award in 2011. In '11, he finished first overall in the FSWA NFL experts challenge that featured 60 of the industry's best competitors.

Follow him on Twitter @CoryKFFL