JEFFRI CHADIHA'S AFC Draft Grades
TOP MARKS
BROWNS Selected apotentially dominant LT in Wisconsin's Joe Thomas at No. 3 and made the dealwith the Cowboys to move up and get QB of the future Brady Quinn of Notre Damewith the 22nd pick. For those decisions alone, the Browns get an A.
RAIDERS Did thesmart thing by taking JaMarcus Russell and get bonus points for unloading RandyMoss on the Patriots for a fourth-round pick (used to select Cincinnaticornerback John Bowie). RB Michael Bush of Louisville looks like a fourth-roundsteal. A--
BILLS Filled majorneeds with strong value picks, including Cal RB Marshawn Lynch in the firstround and Penn State LB Paul Posluszny in the second. Third-round QB TrentEdwards of Stanford provides insurance behind J.P. Losman. A--
SOLID EFFORT
BRONCOS The toppriority was to improve the pass rush, so taking DEs Jarvis Moss of Florida andTim Crowder of Texas with their first two picks made sense. B
JETS Traded uptwice to help the defense: First-round pick CB Darrelle Revis of Pitt improvesthe suspect secondary, and second-round LB David Harris from Michiganstrengthens the front seven. B
RAVENS With anaging offensive line, they took the best G in the draft, Ben Grubbs of Auburn,in the first round, then found another potential starter at that position,Iowa's Marshal Yanda, in the third. B
BENGALS MichiganCB Leon Hall was considered a top 10 talent, so Cincy was happy he fell to No.18. Teamed with CB Johnathan Joseph, a 2006 first-rounder, Hall willsignificantly upgrade the AFC's worst pass defense. B
STEELERS First twoselections, OLB Lawrence Timmons of Florida State and DE LaMarr Woodley ofMichigan, should help the transition from a 3--4 defense to the 4--3. B--
COLTS Having lostBrandon Stokley in free agency, Indy found a replacement in Ohio State WRAnthony Gonzalez. He'll be a nice third option for Peyton Manning. B--
PATRIOTS NewEngland gambled twice on character, selecting Miami S Brandon Meriweather, whobrawled with FIU players, in the first round and trading a fourth-round pick toOakland for WR Randy Moss. Bill Belichick will be put to the test. B--
S0-SO SHOW
CHIEFSFirst-rounder Dwayne Bowe of LSU gives them a sturdy WR who can take somepressure off Tony Gonzalez and Larry Johnson. C
CHARGERS Couldhave taken a WR with a higher profile, but first-rounder Craig Davis of LSUwill add speed to the offense. C
JAGUARS Got theplayer they wanted in Florida S Reggie Nelson, but passed on Quinn at No. 21when they could have addressed a chronic QB problem. C--
TEXANS LouisvilleDT Amobi Okoye will bolster the pass rush, but Houston waited too long to pickup offensive line help for new QB Matt Schaub. C--
DROPPED THEBALL
TITANS Desperatelyin need of a big-play WR, and with Dwayne Bowe and Robert Meachem still on theboard, they instead took Texas S Michael Griffin in the first round. D
DOLPHINS Badenough that quarterback-hungry Miami passed on Quinn with the ninth pick. Butto use that pick to reach for unpolished Ohio State WR Ted Ginn Jr.? That's ahefty price to pay for a player whose immediate impact will be on specialteams. D
PHOTO
JOHN BIEVER
COLTCOMFORT
Gonzalez fits well with the Super Bowl champs.