With the first two rounds in the books, NFL GM’s continue to try and make their money with another pivotal round. Again lets take a look at just how well teams did with their third round selections.
63. Kansas City Chiefs – TE from Cincinnati – Travis Kelce – Very good vertical threat here but the Chiefs should have went defense. With DT’s like Bennie Logan and John Jenkins on the board, the Chiefs would have had a better defensive line. Kelce though could be the replacement for injury prone Tony Moeki.
Grade: C
64. Jacksonville Jaguars – CB from Connecticut – Dwayne Gratz – Matt Barkley is on the board and they let him fall while they take a very good corner in Gratz. I’ve compared him to Chris Houston and the Jaguars should be pleased with his production after the loss of Rashean Mathis and Aaron Ross.
Grade: B
65. Detroit Lions – OG from Kentucky – Larry Warford – After passing on filling the need of offensive line with their first two picks, the Lions count their blessings and get Larry Warford. Now Ansah still looks like a project and with Slay having doubters this pick helps their offense and turned things around for the Lions.
Grade: B+
66. Oakland Raiders – OLB from Connecticut – Sio Moore – Rolando McClain was released and the Raiders still need a LB. Moore will be that guy who can come off the edge in run support or with the pass rush. A solid pick in the third round for the Oakland Raiders.
Grade: B
67. Philadelphia Eagles – DT from LSU – Bennie Logan – For me, John Jenkins was the best DT on the board because of his ability as a NT but Chip Kelly likes those guys who are athletic and Logan fits that. He should become a starter in the future and be a good rotational player now.
Grade: B-
68. Cleveland Browns – CB from San Diego State – Leon McFadden – As expected, the Browns go out and grab a corner but did they grab the right one though? I don’t think so because Logan Ryan was still on the board as well as Blidi Wreh-Wilson. McFadden could become a better tackler but needs to get faster. In my eyes he’s a nickel back.
Grade: C-
69. Arizona Cardinals – CB from LSU – Tyrann Mathieu – Honey, I’m home. The Cardinals grab their 3rd LSU player defensively since 2011 and Mathieu is ready to go. I think he’ll come in with a lot of confidence and of course ability to play nickel back at times but primarily be the starting free safety for the Cardinals. This could very well be the steal of steals.
Grade: B+
70. Tennessee Titans – CB from Connecticut – Blidi Wreh-Wilson – With three corners going in a row, the Browns will look back one day and realize they picked the wrong guy. The Titans will not. Wilson is physical with a long frame and has the ability to compete next to Cortland Finnegan. That should be a good pairing over the next couple of years.
Grade: B
71. St. Louis Rams – FS from USC – TJ McDonald – Finding a safety was a need for the Rams and McDonald has football history to his name because of his dad and now he gets to make his own name. Having Jeff Fisher as his coach is a good start.
Grade: B
72. New York Jets – OG from Kent State – Brian Winters – Finding a weapon for Geno Smith was ideal here but getting him protection is another need. Winters should find a spot at LG or RG come training camp.
Grade: B-
73. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – QB from North Carolina State – Mike Glennon – Josh Freeman you’ve been warned. I don’t understand how Ryan Nassib and Matt Barkley get all this hype and then Mike Glennon slips in front of them. He’s tall and in my opinion he’s too tall. I see him having a hard time trying to make throws that comes easy for other quarterbacks.
Grade: D
74. Dallas Cowboys – WR from Baylor – Terrance Williams – This pick makes no sense to me and the Cowboys again, neglect their defense. Jerry Jones really is losing it.
Grade: D
75. New Orleans Saints – OT from Arkansas Pine-Bluff – Terron Armstead – The skill Armstead played against in college is the reasoning behind his fall to the third round. The Saints take him as they lost Bushrod to the Bears. They hope they can develop him into a starting LT.
Grade: C
76. San Diego Chargers – WR from California – Kennan Allen – Injuries are what concern me with Allen but he’s a fluid route runner that has never had a big arm quarterback. Phillip Rivers and him could create some really good chemistry.
Grade: B
77. Miami Dolphins – OG from Tennessee – Dallas Thomas – You won’t find your Jake Long replacement this late in the draft but adding to your offensive line is a must for the Dolphins. Dallas Thomas makes sense and now they have to find a way to get Brandon Albert.
Grade: C+
78. Buffalo Bills – WR from Texas – Marquise Goodwin – The speed factor is what got Goodwin this early to the Bills. EJ Manuel is sitting pretty as the only 1st round QB in this years draft and now he’s got three targets at WR. Goodwin should be a perfect slot receiver due to his speed.
Grade: C+
79. Pittsburgh Steelers – WR from Oregon State – Markus Wheaton – His size isn’t great but it’s average for a guy who should be the possession receiver for the Steelers. At WR he was probably the best available.
Grade: C+
80. Dallas Cowboys – SS from Georgia Southern – JJ Wilcox – Finally a pick that makes sense. Wilcox is an underrated talent with a lot of upside and could find himself starting for the Cowboys.
Grade: B-
81. New York Giants – DE from Texas A&M – Damontre Moore – Falling into the lap of a perfect organization that knows a thing or two about breeding defensive ends. Moore should fall right behind Justin Tuck and Jason Pierre-Paul while maturing into what the Giants want him to be.
Grade: C+
82. New Orleans Saints – DT from Georgia – John Jenkins – Weight has been the biggest concern for Jenkins but the Saints won’t mind as they’ve had players like Shaun Rogers on their roster. Jenkins should be a fine rotational player in their new 3-4 scheme.
Grade: C+
83. New England Patriots – CB from Rutgers – Logan Ryan – It’s almost as if teams purposely skip on good prospects for the Patriots to swoop them up and turn them into all-stars. Ryan is one of those guys who has the potential to become a great corner. I think he has to get better with his press skills and recovery time but being in New England should help him.
Grade: B
84. Cincinnati Bengals – SS from Georgia – Shawn Williams – A hard hitting safety going to the Bengals to add great value to their secondary. I thought Williams had sleeper potential and the Bengals have the coaching to make him a starter in about a year.
Grade: B-
85. Washington Redskins – TE from Florida – Jordan Reed – Size is a problem for Reed as he’s only 240 pounds but he’s athletic and could find himself being a contributor the Redskins offense.
Grade: C
86. Indianapolis Colts – OG from Illinois – Hugh Thornton – Dallas Thomas was off the board a few picks back so the Colts had to go with the next best guard in the draft and that was Thornton. He wasn’t predicted to go until the 4th round but the Colts will develop him into a pass protector for Andrew Luck.
Grade: C
87. Seattle Seahawks – DT from Penn State – Jordan Hill – This pick is questionable as well being that Jesse Williams was on the board. Exceptions were the Seahawks adding depth to their defensive line, we just didn’t think it would be a player who falls in the 4th to 5th round range.
Grade: D+
88. San Francisco 49ers – DE from Auburn – Corey Lemonier – In about two years, Lemonier will be really good because of the players he plays with and the players he learned from. The 49ers just keep becoming more dangerous here.
Grade: B
89. Houston Texans – OT from North Carolina – Brennan Williams – His length is his nicest asset while his injuries are his biggest weakness. He’s a work in progress that’s for sure.
Grade: C
90. Denver Broncos – CB from South Florida – Kayvon Webster – I assuming the speed of Webster is what got him into the 3rd round. I thought for sure I wasn’t hearing his name until day 3 because honestly, I had no idea who he was. He fits a need and has upside but way too early to take him with the players still on the board.
Grade: D+
91. New England Patriots – SS from Rutgers – Duron Harmon – Originally Harmon was considered a 7th round pick at best so you have to question the Patriots on this one. Especially since Shamrako Thomas was on the board.
Grade: D+
92. St. Louis Rams – WR from West Virginia – Stedman Bailey – The Rams must have been big fans of the West Virginia WR’s at the pro day’s. Bailey gets his name called and should see some production with Tavon Austin in front of him and Sam Bradford at quarterback.
Grade: C+
93. Miami Dolphins – CB from Utah State – Will Davis – Adding to their secondary is a must and Davis makes sense. They traded for this pick which is something I question but usually when a team really wants a player, they’ll do what they can for that player.
Grade: C+
94. Baltimore Ravens – DT from Missouri Southern State – Brandon Williams – He was the best player in his conference and could see some rotational playing time with the Ravens while developing his skill into being a starter. His strength is outstanding with 38 bench reps.
Grade: B
95. Houston Texans – DE from LSU – Sam Montgomery – Personally I would have taken Alex Okafor here but Montgomery has the potential to become a special player for the Texans. His burst has to get better and he needs to learn how to shed the blocker to become that special player.
Grade: C+
96. Kansas City Chiefs – RB from Arkansas – Knile Davis – Getting an extra pick for no reason and you pick this guy…fumble and injury concerns. Definitely not the guy I would have picked if I was in KC.
Grade: F
97. Tennessee Titans – OLB from Missouri – Zavier Gooden – Despite adding two OLB’s last year, the Titans add another in Gooden who has that pass rushing ability. Overall he has to get stronger when dealing with a blocker but he has steal potential written all over him.
Grade: C+
Trade tracker
- Tennessee Titans trade 40th overall pick (2nd round), 216th overall pick (7th round) and 2014 3rd round pick to the San Francisco 49ers for the 34th overall pick (2nd round)
- San Diego Chargers trade 45th overall pick (2nd round) and 110th overall pick (4th round) to the Arizona Cardinals for the 38th overall pick (2nd round)
- San Francisco 49ers trade 61st overall pick (2nd round) and 173rd overall pick (6th round) to the Green Bay Packers for 55th overall pick (2nd round)
- Baltimore Ravens trade 62nd overall pick (2nd round), 165th overall pick (5th round) and 199th overall pick (6th round) to the Seattle Seahawks for the 56th overall pick (2nd round)
- Cleveland Browns trade 104th overall pick (4th round) and 164th overall pick (5th round) to the Miami Dolphins for WR Davone Bess, 111th overall pick (4th round) and 217th overall pick (7th round)
- New York Jets trade 106th overall pick (4th round) to the New Orleans Saints for RB Chris Ivory
- Miami Dolphins trade 82nd overall pick (3rd round) to the New Orleans Saints for 106th overall pick (4th round) and 109th overall pick (4th round)
- San Francisco 49ers trade 93rd overall pick (3rd round) and 216th overall pick (7th round) to the Green Bay Packers for 88th overall pick (3rd round)
- Miami Dolphins trade 109th overall pick (4th round), 146th overall pick (5th round) and 224th overall pick (7th round) to the Green Bay Packers for 93rd overall pick (3rd round)
