Cincinnati Bengals
They filled their most gaping hole at tight end by locking up Oklahoma’s Jermaine Gresham at No. 21 and took advantage of Florida defensive end Carlos Dunlap‘s slide to No. 54. Gresham will take some slack off wideout Chad Ochocinco, who had a revitalizing season in 2009, and Dunlap is a house with serious talent but questionable character issues — hmmm, maybe Cincinnati wasn’t the best landing spot for him, after all.
Texas wide receiver Jordan Shipley was a good get in the third round, as was Wake Forest cornerback Brandon Ghee.
Cleveland Browns
The Browns redesigned their secondary by jumping on Florida cornerback Joe Haden with the seventh pick, and T.J. Ward is the latest promising safety to come out of Oregon. Tennessee running back Montario Hardesty was a really good find late in the second round, but the Browns made their weekend when they took Texas quarterback Colt McCoy at No. 85. That’s some serious value for a guy who could have gone late in the first round or early in the second.
Detroit Lions
Defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh is the beast who the Lions can build their defense around. And quite frankly, that’s a really good place for them to start. Detroit also got aggressive by trading up to the 30th pick to take Cal running back Jahvid Best, whose speed and playmaking ability will be a good fit for that offense.
Kansas City Chiefs
One word describes the Chiefs’ 2010 draft: aggressive. They could have gone the safe route and added an offensive lineman with the fifth overall pick, but Scott Pioli went after Tennessee safety Eric Berry, who’s got explosive, ball-hawking skills that can add a new dimension to their defense.
It was a reach to use the 36th pick on Mississippi running back/wide receiver Dexter McCluster, but he’s got so much speed and shiftiness that he could end up redefining Kansas City’s offense. McCluster can carry the ball out of the backfield and line up as a slot receiver, and he’ll also be a dynamic return man. The Chiefs used another second-round selection on Alabama cornerback Javier Arenas. He might fly under the radar in the same secondary as Berry, but Arenas should do some good things in the AFC West.
Oakland Raiders
Apparently, the 2012 Armageddon is coming sooner than we thought because the Raiders just had themselves one heck of a draft. They took Alabama middle linebacker Rolando McClain to lead their defense with the eighth pick and added Texas defensive lineman Lamarr Houston with the 44th pick in the second round. Tackles Bruce Campbell and Jared Veldheer will help reshape the Raiders’ weak offensive line, and Clemson wide receiver Jacoby Ford will be a dynamic player on offensive and special teams. Plus, Ford, a fourth-rounder, was a track star, so the front office can sell that to Al Davis before explaining the smarter picks in the earlier rounds.
St. Louis Rams
Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford had to be the pick at No. 1. He can be the face of the franchise after perhaps the most important draft in franchise history. St. Louis immediately went to work to protect Bradford by adding Indiana tackle Rodger Saffold with the 33rd pick, and they got the former Sooner a weapon when they selected Cincinnati wide receiver Mardy Gilyard in the fourth round. The Rams also got South Florida cornerback Jerome Murphy in the third round, and he will likely be able to start right off the bat.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Bucs were another team that took advantage of their opportunities at the top of the draft, nabbing Oklahoma defensive tackle Gerald McCoy with the third pick and UCLA defensive tackle Brian Price at No. 35, meaning every interior offensive lineman in the NFC South had a seriously difficult time sleeping this weekend. And after losing wide receiver Antonio Bryant this offseason, Tampa Bay picked up a pair of dynamic replacements with Illinois’ Arrelious Benn and Syracuse’s Mike Williams.
Tennessee Titans
They got a gift when Georgia Tech defensive end Derrick Morgan fell to No. 16, and the Titans also added USC’s big-play wide receiver Damian Williams in the third round. Florida State cornerback Myron Rolle might be a bit of a project, but the Rhodes Scholar was a potential steal in the sixth round.
