BetUS $500 Match Bonus
Sign up for a new account with BetUS and deposit $500 or more to get a $500 match bonus!

$20 Free Play at Sportsbook.com
Your first bet is free when you open a new account at sportsbook.com!

2009 NFL Draft Grades: Round 1 Picks 1-5

Written April 27, 2009 by Steve Janus

#1 Pick – Detroit Lions: Quarterback Matthew Stafford (Georgia) - The Lions obviously have high hopes for Stafford, and the young QB will have all of the pressure in the world on him coming into the the 2009 NFL season. I wish Detroit all the best with their selection, but they must have seen something in Stafford that I didn’t. Stafford was a good, not great, college quarterback, and I simply do not see him as the savior of the organization. Now, I understand the logic behind the pick, especially when it comes to ticket sales and merchandising, but there were players in this draft that I feel would have made more sense for the direction of the franchise. Even an amazing starting QB is going to be rendered useless without an offensive line, and I feel that is where the Lions should have focused their attention. Instead, they went with the popular pick. Detroit needed change, and fast, so what better way to change things up than to bring in the #1 QB in the draft? I get it, I’m just not sold that he makes this team any better anytime soon. For the Lions’ sake, I hope I’m wrong. Grade: C+

#2 Pick – St. Louis Rams: Offensive Tackle Jason Smith (Baylor) – Smith probably goes number one overall to any team other than the Lions, and it’s probably the pick they should have taken. Smith falls to the Rams, and I have to think they are excited to have him on their team (I know the Marc Bulger is). St. Louis was awful on the offensive line last season, but Smith can come in and have an immediate, positive impact in the trenches. Smith is an athletic 6′6″ 305 lbs, having converted from tight end after his first season with Baylor. Any team would be lucky to have him on their roster next season. Grade: A+

#3 Pick – Kansas City Chiefs: Defensive End Tyson Jackson (LSU) – I thought that Aaron Curry was probably a better fit for this team, but the Chiefs obviously saw something in this defensive end. He should help KC in their rush defense, but I don’t see Jackson as much of a pass rusher in the NFL. With the Chiefs switching to a 3-4 defense next season, Jackson can be a good fit by plugging up multiple gaps, so I can see why KC decided to go this route, I just don’t agree with it. Grade: B-

#4 Pick – Seattle Seahawks: Lineback Aaron Curry (Wake Forest) - This isn’t the direction I thought the Seahawks would go with in the draft, but they couldn’t leave Curry on the table after Kansas City passed on him. In my opinion, Curry is the most game-ready of any defensive player in this year’s draft and I believe he will be a force for years to come with the Seahawks. Grade: B+

#5 Pick – New York Jets: Quarterback Mark Sanchez (USC) - The Jets traded up with Cleveland to grab Mark Sanchez with the 5th overall pick in the 2009 NFL draft. Coming into the draft I did not like Sanchez as a high first round pick, but this absolutely makes sense for the Jets. Sanchez is a careful, accurate passer, who should be comfortable handing the ball off with the majority of his snaps, then making an occassional short throw. Sanchez should take a look at what Joe Flacco did with Baltimore last season as a rookie as I feel his role will be very similar with the Jets, at least for year one of the Sanchez era. Grade: A-

If you liked this article, you may also be interested in:

No comments yet, but your thoughts are welcome!

Comments

Got something to say?