Draft Grades (NFC South)

Atlanta Falcons- Atlanta had only five draft picks, but they made the most of them. First off, they traded their first round pick for defensive end Jonathan Abraham of the Jets. They traded a 4th round pick for veteran tackle Wayne Gandy of the Saints. Atlanta traded up in the second round to nab cornerback Jimmy Williams of Virginia Tech. While Atlanta signed safeties Lawyer Milloy and Chris Crocker in the off-season, they still were mediocre on the other side of pro bowl corner DeAngelo Hall. Williams will help tremendously. The rest of their picks were made for depth purposes. With Warrick Dunn aging and T.J. Duckett being inconsistent, Atlanta drafted the fastest running back available in Mississippi State's Jerious Norwood. With Allen Rossum being slowed by injuries last season, Atlanta picked up Fresno State's return specialist Adam Jennings. For their final selection, the Falcons picked a hometown prospect in Georgia dual-threat quarterback D.J. Shockley. With Matt Schaub in the last year of his contract and the offense perhaps being more geared toward Vick's abilities, this was probably a smart move. Grade- B

Carolina Panthers- The Panthers had one of the better first days in the draft, but didn't get too much done in day two. They got two steals with their first two picks in running back DeAngelo Williams of Memphis and Fresno State cornerback Richard Marshall. Drafting them at #27 and #58 was quite impressive. Williams was ranked 2nd behind Bush on most everyone's boards at running back. His running style is reminiscent of Barry Sanders. If Williams can be half the tailback that Sanders was, Carolina would've gotten themselves one heck of a late first round steal. Carolina drafted three Virginia Tech Hokies, in outside linebacker James Anderson, tight end Jeff King, and center Will Montgomery. Grade- B

New Orleans Saints- What was New Orleans' biggest need going into draft day? Cornerback and heck, their whole defense, but especially their secondary. They didn't draft a corner until the 6th round in drafting Bernard Lay of Pittsburgh. In the second round, they selected Roman Harper, an Alabama safety without much size or speed. Many think that the Saints got the steal of the draft in Reggie Bush at #2, but does he fulfill a gaping hole in the Saint offense? No. He does give them a bit more stability with Deuce McCallister being oft injured. But, what would have been a better move? Trading down and helping upgrade that defense, especially the secondary. New Orleans didn't do this and even though some wannabe "experts" think they got the steal of the draft, New Orleans, overall, had one of the worst drafts in the league. Grade- D+

Tampa Bay Buccaneers- The Bucs needed to address the offensive line and they attempted to do this with their first two picks, but could've gone about it differently. Davin Joseph, guard from Oklahoma and Jeremy Trueblood, tackle from Boston College were the Bucs two picks. Tampa made up for themselves with their 3rd and 4th round picks, in taking Notre Dame wideout Maurice Stovall and Penn State cornerback Alan Zemaitis. Even though they had ten total draft picks, Tampa didn't make the most of them. Grade- C-