The Pewter Plank » Draft Grades http://thepewterplank.com A Tampa Bay Buccaneers Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and more. Fri, 24 May 2013 01:56:55 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 Grading the Division’s Drafts http://thepewterplank.com/2011/05/03/grading-the-divisions-drafts/ http://thepewterplank.com/2011/05/03/grading-the-divisions-drafts/#comments Tue, 03 May 2011 10:21:12 +0000 Patrik Nohe http://thepewterplank.com/?p=4778 We’ve spent plenty of time dissecting what the Buccaneers did in the NFL draft over the weekend and while we’re still not entirely done with the coverage, it’s also time to look around the rest of the division and take stock of what the competition was looking to do as well. The NFL is as [...]

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The Falcons gave up a lot for Julio Jones.

We’ve spent plenty of time dissecting what the Buccaneers did in the NFL draft over the weekend and while we’re still not entirely done with the coverage, it’s also time to look around the rest of the division and take stock of what the competition was looking to do as well. The NFL is as much about what you’re doing to improve your own team as what you’re doing to compete with your division, and the Bucs division got considerably better in this year’s draft.

In fact, I’d go out on a limb and say the NFC South may be the NFL’s toughest division at this point, and if it’s not it’s top two. The Saints and Falcons were already playoff teams, in fact Super Bowl contenders. The Bucs finished last year 10-6 and just improved their biggest area of need and dramatically, and even the Panthers may not be in as bad of a position as it looks like. Let’s scout the NFC South:

Atlanta Falcons

Notable Players: Julio Jones, Akeem Dent, Jacquizz Rodgers

Grade: B, I give Thomas Dimitroff a ton of credit for making a bold move that he feels will help get the Falcons over the top. Atlanta traded a boat-load of picks to move up to 6th and get, in my opinion, the draft’s best receiver. Atlanta now has a mean tandem of receivers in Jones and Roddy White to compliment Michael Turner and Tony Gonzalez, that offense is even more balanced and potent. The Falcons also picked up a solid linebacker and the very speedy Jacquizz Rodgers. They didn’t have a ton of needs entering the draft but still managed to get more dangerous. They do lose points for drafting a punter (Matt Bosher) in round six.

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]]> http://thepewterplank.com/2011/05/03/grading-the-divisions-drafts/feed/ 0 Grading the 2011 Bucs Draft http://thepewterplank.com/2011/05/01/grading-the-2011-bucs-draft/ http://thepewterplank.com/2011/05/01/grading-the-2011-bucs-draft/#comments Sun, 01 May 2011 20:28:15 +0000 Patrik Nohe http://thepewterplank.com/?p=4762 I think that grading a draft at this stage is a little bit premature, obviously just as everything has been to this point these grades are largely speculative based on perception and projection. The real grades can only be slapped on three or four years down the road when these players have had time to [...]

Grading the 2011 Bucs Draft - The Pewter Plank - The Pewter Plank - A Tampa Bay Buccaneers Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and more.

]]> I think that grading a draft at this stage is a little bit premature, obviously just as everything has been to this point these grades are largely speculative based on perception and projection. The real grades can only be slapped on three or four years down the road when these players have had time to develop and come into their own (or go the other way). If you haven’t figured out, this is the obligatory disclaimer almost everyone seems to add to their day-after draft grades.

At any rate, the Bucs had a very solid draft over the weekend. Starting with the selection of Adrian Clayborn on Thursday and continuing with the additions of Da’Quan Bowers and Mason Foster on Friday. The first two days of the draft were devoted to the defensive front seven exclusively. Though probably not by design that’s how it ended up working out. Then on Saturday, they started by going after a player they had rated highly on their board in Luke Stocker, added Ahmad Black out of Florida and then grabbed some solid players they were high on the rest of the way through.

Raheem Morris should have some fun new toys to play with whenever the lockout finally lifts and the NFL gets back to business. The law-firm of Bowers, Clayborn, Price and McCoy should be pretty big-time. What linebacker wouldn’t want to clean up behind a group of maulers like that?

Let’s grade some picks…

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