2010 Drafts

Who Lost
by Evan Higgins Contributor Written on April 27, 2010
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Who Was the Biggest Winner of the 2010 NFL Draft?

Oakland Raiders. Carolina Panthers. New England Patriots. Seattle Seahawks. Detroit Lions. Tampa Bay Buccaneers. San Francisco 49ers. vote to see results It's always fun to scrutinize the NFL Draft, but in all reality we have no idea how good these players will be.

But due to the hype that players received, we are able to give teams a grade on how well they did selecting the big-name players.

Here are my winners and losers for the 2010 NFL Draft:

Winners:

Oakland Raiders

Finally, Al Davis overcomes speed and athletics to go after skill. First-round pick Rolando McClain will be the leader of this defense for years to come, making him a smart pick.

Oakland didn't stop there, grabbing defensive tackle Lamarr Houston in the second-round, and tackles Jared Valdheer and Bruce Campbell with their third-and-fourth round picks.

Davis did go back to his bad habits when he traded up for speedy-receiver Jacoby Ford. But he was good value in the fourth-round, and could have a steady career.

Carolina Panthers

It's funny, the San Francisco 49ers acquired a first-round pick from Carolina that ended up being used on offensive linemen Mike Lupati.

Since the Panthers gave up that pick for a second-round pick last season, their first pick was the 16th selection in the second round (48th overall). That pick ended up being quarterback Jimmy Clausen, who most thought would go to San Francisco in the first-round.

Carolina got the best value pick of the draft, as they were able to grab a franchise quarterback at that late in the draft.

They were also able to grab receivers Brandon LaFell and Armanti Edwards, linebacker Eric Norwood, defensive end Greg Hardy, and quarterback Tony Pike.

Some question the Pike selection, but who would have been better to get on the board?

Carolina chose to take the best player available at every round, and I think they did a very good job doing so.

New England Patriots

Like every year, New England traded down to collect more picks just about every time they were on the clock.

Some teams wouldn't be able to survive it, but it works for New England, as they filled every hole they had during the first four rounds. And they grabbed players that will contribute from day one.

First-round pick Devin McCourty wasn't the sexiest pick of the draft, but he comes to a team in desperate need of defensive backs.

In the second-round, they were able to grab an excellent tight end, selecting former Arizona Wildcat Rob Gronkowski. With two more second-round picks they filled another need, selecting Florida linebackers Jermaine Cunningham and Brandon Spikes.

I love the Spikes selection here, as he comes to the perfect team for him, and will be a leader from the onset.

Receiver Taylor Price out of Ohio shot up draft boards, and is perfect for what New England needs. Another Florida prospect, Aaron Hernandez, will give this team another two-tight end set.

Seattle Seahawks

Not only did Seattle have an outstanding draft, they were also able to acquire a two-headed monster at running back.

For such a cheap price, they were able to acquire power back LenDale White from Tennessee, and speedy back Leon Washington from the Jets.

During Pete Carroll's first draft with his new franchise, he was able to pick-up the best tackle in the draft, Russell Okung, talented safety Earl Thomas and receiver Golden Tate all in the first two rounds.

Their later picks won't make too much of an impact during their rookie year, but could surprise as of late.

Detroit Lions

Jim Schwartz got exactly what he needed by drafting the best player in the draft in Ndamukong Suh out of Nebraska.

He knows what he is dealing with after helping to groom defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth during his time at Tennessee. Suh becomes the immediate leader of this defense, and will be one of the top defensive players in the league for years to come.

Detroit traded up to select running back Jahvid Best out of California, another good selection for the Lions, who are in need of a playmaker. Best's quickness will give this team a nice one-two punch at running back when Kevin Smith recovers from a severe knee injury.

Corner Amari Spievey and offensive tackle Jason Fox were also nice selections in the third- and fourth-rounds.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tampa Bay got great value when they selected Gerald McCoy third overall, but then surprised many by selecting Brian Price with their second round pick.

At the time, it seemed as they were losers of the draft.

But when their other second-round pick came around, their selection of Arrelious Benn turned their draft around, earning them an A+ grade.

In the fourth-round, they also selected Syracuse receiver Mike Williams, improving their offense drastically.

San Francisco 49ers

I can't say enough how much I love the 49ers draft.

With two first-round selections, San Francisco didn't do anything to wow fans, selecting two offensive lineman with those picks.

The New York Jets were the last team to do that, and it ended up working out for them.

First round picks Anthony Davis and Mike Iupati will come in and start day one for the 49ers, giving them much-needed protection for former first-overall pick Alex Smith.

In the second round, they were able to grab the most athletic and argued player in the draft, safety Taylor Mays. I think he'll do great, as I believe head coach Mike Singletary will bring out the potential in him.

They were also to able to grab another great value-pick in the third, selecting linebacker Navorro Bowman out of Penn State. He will start from day one on this linebacker-needy team.

In the sixth-round, the 49ers selected running back Anthony Dixon, who should be able to get on the field fast. Dixon was yet another value-pick for San Francisco in this draft.


Losers:

Jacksonville Jaguars

Not only was their draft straight up terrible, they also released players who were key contributors to their franchise.

The Jags' selections (or should I say, reaches) included defensive tackle Tyson Alualu 10th overall, and then drafting another defensive tackle with their third-round pick.

That following Monday after the draft, Jackonsville released former Pro Bowl defensive tackle John Henderson, a leader of their defense for years.

Also let go were linebackers Clint Ingram, Tanl Daniels, Brian Iwuh, and defensive tackle Montavious Stanley.

Buffalo Bills

With the AFC East Division getting so deep, Buffalo looks to be lost before the season even starts.

Knowing they had to make a splash, they selected running back CJ Spiller.

Although I'm not doubting Spiller's skills, Buffalo had a lot more needs than running back at the ninth overall spot. With quarterback Jimmy Clausen still on the board, they should have gone in a different direction.

Then in the second-round, they reached for their nose tackle, selecting Torell Troup with the ninth pick in the second round, with many better defensive tackles on the board.

Third-round pick Alex Carrington is big in size, but not his game. His consistency will lead him having a tough career.

Not a good draft here.

Denver Broncos

In this draft, Denver selected players at the right position.

Although, the players they did draft were reaches, and there were better prospects at that position.

Denver drafted receiver Demaryius Thomas in the first-round, a position of need, but with Dez Bryant still on the board, it was a bit of surprise.

Yes, Bryant has a lot of off-field issue, but if he gets those taken care of he has a lot more upside than Thomas.

After trading down many times in the first round, acquiring many picks, they gave a lot of them back in order to trade up and select quarterback Tim Tebow. With Jimmy Clausen still on the board, i'm not sure that was a smart move.

With their second-and-third round picks they selected offensive linemen Zane Beatles and JD Walton. There were still much better offensive linemen on the board then these prospects.

The rest of their draft wasn't too sexy either.

Tim Tebow

Some people would argue here, saying that Tebow was lucky to have been drafted in the first-round.

Although I believe that if it wasn't the Broncos that traded up for him, it would've been another team. The Bills were rumored to be trying to trade up also (I guess that's why Denver gave up so much for him).

Tebow comes into a situation where a franchise already has their starting quarterback, Kyle Orton, and backup Brady Quinn.

Tebow now becomes the third quarterback, and Josh McDaniels recently said Tebow "Will be limited to a quarterback role."

So with that said, it looks like Tebow will either have to put up a fierce fight to win out the job or wait until it is his turn to have the spotlight.