The NFL Draft: NFC South and North

This is not going to be my usual post. One of the few things I love as much as I love philosophy or theology is football. Therefore, to dedicate some space to this I'm going to do some analysis on the draft and look at strengths and weaknesses based on what people picked up. I'm going to analyze 2 divisions at a time in my analysis

NFC South
Carolina Panthers:
Cam Newton (QB), Terrell McClain (DT), Sione Fua (DT), Brandon Hogan (CB), Kealoha Pilares (WR), Lawrence Wilson (OLB), Zachary Williams (OC), Lee Ziemba (OT)

Carolina gets the flashy QB they need for their division and some help on defense. Carolina needs a lot of stuff to rebuild but this is a decent start if Cam Newton works out, who has a lot of questions of how well his game will adapt to the pros. Overall grade B-

Atlanta Falcons:
Julio Jones (WR), Akeem Dent (ILB), Jacquizz Rogers (RB), Matt Bosher (P), Andrew Jackson (OG), Cliff Matthews (DE)

The Falcons gave up a lot to get Julio Jones (2 draft picks this year and next). However, Julio Jones is the weapon the Falcons need to assist Roddy White and Matt Ryan. Also, I love the Jacquizz Rogers pickup as it adds dynamic running offense in contrast with Michael Turner's power running game. Akeem Dent will also be a very nice addition to a defense that needs some young energy. Overall, they did well, but there will be rough effects due to the amount given up to get Julio Jones. Overall grade: B.

New Orleans Saints:
Cameron Jordan (DE), Mark Ingram (RB), Martez Wilson (OLB), Johnny Patrick (CB), Greg Romeus (DE), Nathan Bussey (OLB)

The Saints didn't have a lot of picks, but I like what they did in the first round, shoring up their defense with a solid pick in Cameron Jordan, and adding a reliable running back with Mark Ingram. Given what they had to work with, this wasn't a bad draft. Overall grade: B

Tampa Bay Buccaneers:
Adrian Clayborn (DE), Da'Quan Bowers (DE), Mason Foster (ILB), Luke Stocker (TE), Ahmad Black (S), Allen Bradford (RB), Anthony Gaitor (CB), Daniel Hardy (TE)

I like what the Buccaneers did here. They have a stud offense with Josh Freeman, Mike Williams and LeGarrette Blount, so they shore up their defense which did not get a lot of pressure on the QB last year. Clayborn and Bowers will wreak havoc on opposing defenses, along with their picks McCoy and Price from last year. Building a young defensive line and having a lot of success with offense from lower round and undrafted free agents is a great key for success. Overall Draft: A

NFC North:
Minnesota Vikings:
Christian Ponder (QB), Kyle Rudolph (TE), Christian Ballard (DT), Brandon Burton (CB), DeMarcus Love (OT), Mistral Raymond (S), Brandon Fusco (C), Ross Homan (OLB), De'Aundre Reed (DE), Stephen Burton (WR)

The Vikings got a lot of players, but they didn't get what they needed. They didn't get a Safety, they didn't get a quality corner, and Christian Ballard is the only solid defensive player they acquired. They did get a QB but Christian Ponder was probably picked too early and the Vikings really didn't need another tight end. Overall grade D-

Green Bay Packers:
Derek Sherrod (OT), Randall Cobb (WR), Alexander Green (RB), Davon House (CB), D.J. Williams (TE), Caleb Schlauderaff (OG), D.J. Smith (OLB), Rick Elmore (DE), Ryan Taylor (TE), Lawrence Guy (DT)

The Green Bay Packers are the Super Bowl Champions but I don't particularly like what they did in this draft. The Packers got a receiver in Randall Cobb which will help spread defenses, but I don't see a lot of depth on defense in this draft (anyone after the first four-five picks are not usually people who have an immediate or at all effect for a team.) It's hard to explain but I don't see enough sizzle in this draft for the Packers, though they got some line help for Aaron Rodgers. Overall grade C

Detroit Lions:
Nick Fairley (DT), Titus Young (WR), Mikel LeShoure (RB), Douglas Hogue (OLB), Johnny Culbreath (OT)

Not a lot of picks, but I love what they did with their defensive line. Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley are going to run over the NFC North offensive lines. Titus Young is also a very good receiver who got a lot of throws from Kellen Moore (who was an underrated QB in this draft.) Leshoure will be a good compliment to Jahvid Best. Surprising to say, but the Lions had a really good draft. Overall grade A

Chicago Bears:
Gabe Carimi (OT), Stephen Paea (DT), Christopher Conte (S), Nathan Enderle (QB), J.T. Thomas (OLB)

Decent draft for the Bears. Not a lot of picks, however, they shore up the offensive line (Jay Cutler will be happy), and they added another solid defender in Stephen Paea. Overall grade B.

We see some good teams and some bad teams. Good teams draft for their needs, don't overpay for players and find the best talent they can on the board. Bad drafts include some combination of drafting players too early, not drafting to needs, or not taking opportunity of a good situation. The best teams in these two divisions are the Detroit Lions and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. These teams took advantage of the players that fell their way and built a good draft class. The worst team on here by far was the Minnesota Vikings. They overpaid for their QB (Ponder would have been available second round more than likely, and they took him 12th overall) and Kyle Rudolph wasn't really a need for the Vikings, (particularly with Da'Quan Bowers still on the board when they took Rudolph). The Vikings didn't address their defensive needs (like getting a safety) either. Though this is basic, I hope this gives some basic insight into what I observe while watching the NFL Draft.

Aristocrates