The 2009 NFL Draft was everything we expected and more!

Here are the first eight REPORT CARDS in a series that will highlight the success and/or failure of all 32 teams in the 2009 Draft. Please keep in mind that our OVERALL GRADE is based on what the teams did to help themselves in all aspects of improving their team.

ARIZONA CARDINALS - OVERALL GRADE: B

The Cards had needs at RB, DL, LB and OL.

Of these positions the Cards did reasonably well at RB, DL and OL. The one area they did not address was the LB position and that was one of their most glaring needs.

COULDA – SHOULDA – WOULDA: The ongoing saga of contract talks between the Cards and Anquan Boldin had some thinking the Cards would land a WR but that never materialized. Q could be closer to returning than most people think. We are also surprised that the Cards ignored what we think was a need to land a pass catching TE in this year’s draft. It will be interesting to see who emerges as the Cards #1 TE in pre-season.

FANTASY IMPACT PLAYERS FOR 2009: By drafting RB Chris “Beanie” Wells with the 31st (31) selection in the 1st round, the Cardinals will be able to release RB Edgerrin James at some point this week. Farewell former Fantasy Stud! Wells will move into a committee role with RB Tim Hightower. If Wells can remain healthy, which is a big if, he will have an impact as a #3 RB on this-years Fantasy Drafts.

ATLANTA FALCONS - OVERALL GRADE: B

The Falcons had needs at DL, S, OL and CB.

The Falcons were able to address all of these needs on Draft Weekend. They started by drafting Peria Jerry with their first round pick 24th overall (24) and moved methodically through the Draft from there.

COULDA – SHOULDA – WOULDA: The Falcons addressed their most immediate offensive need when they signed TE Tony Gonzalez before the Draft. Gonzo is now in a position to have a monster year in Atlanta. We think they could have addressed the OL position a little earlier in the draft. They did land OT Garret Reynolds but he will be a work in progress who will need development. This is not good news for RB Michael Turner but it’s not devastating either.

FANTASY IMPACT PLAYERS FOR 2009: The Falcons were all about defense in this years Draft. Bump their Fantasy D up somewhat but don’t get too excited just yet.

BALTIMORE RAVENS - OVERALL GRADE: C-

The Ravens had needs at WR, DL, LB, S and CB.

The Ravens were able to address three of their five needs on Draft Weekend with those being LB, DL and CB. They went totally off the board when they grabbed OT Michael Oher with the 23rd pick (23) in the first round. This may have been a “grab the best player available” scenario.

COULDA – SHOULDA – WOULDA: The Ravens did nothing to help QB Joe Flacco with a deep threat and take some pressure of aging WR Derrick Mason. We are very surprised that the Ravens totally ignored the WR position.

FANTASY IMPACT PLAYERS FOR 2009: The Ravens did not add anyone who can be considered as a Fantasy Impact Player for the 2009 season. TE Davon Drew is a work in progress and may emerge as an H-Back type player down the road.

BUFFALO BILLS - OVERALL GRADE: C

The Bills had needs everywhere heading into Draft Weekend. They included DL, OL, TE, LB, RB and WR.

The Bills were able to address three of their six needs on Draft Weekend with those being OL, DL and TE. Their first pick of DE Aaron Maybin is a monster that knows how to track down the QB as is evident by his 12 sacks in his final season at Penn State. On offense the Bills saw highly touted TE Shawn Nelson fall all the way to the 5th round and grabbed him with the 147th overall pick. His fall can be traced to his lack of blocking ability but that can be taught at the next level. One thing is pretty certain, Nelson will catch more than he blocks.

COULDA – SHOULDA – WOULDA: Not replacing LOT Jason Peters, who went to the Eagles, has many people scratching their collective heads. With two first rounds picks one would think they should have been able to address this situation. This is not good news for the offence in Buffalo unless they have someone in camp that they think is ready to step up.

FANTASY IMPACT PLAYERS FOR 2009: One has to wonder if TE Shawn Nelson fell so far just because of his blocking ability. The Bills are desperate for a big, pass catching TE and Nelson certainly fits at 6’ 5” and 240. Look for him to be the Bills starting TE on Opening Day. With T.O. and Evans stretching the field, Nelson could be a nice sleeper pick if he is all that’s advertised and has someone who can get him the ball.

CAROLINA PANTHERS - OVERALL GRADE: B

The Panthers were limited with what they could accomplish on Draft Weekend. They didn’t have a first round selection and didn’t get a selection until the 11th pick (43) in the second round. Going into the weekend the Panthers had needs at DL, CB, QB, WR and on the OL.

The Panthers did what they could with what they had. Their first pick was DE Everette Brown from Florida State. Brown was a potential first round selection, but he ended up falling into the second round. The only thing that kept him from going in the first round is that he’s a little small for a proto-typical NFL DE. The Panthers also did well by getting S Sherrod Martin out of Troy with the 27th pick (59) in the second round. Martin is one tough cookie with great size and skills and he should be a starter as a rookie.

COULDA – SHOULDA – WOULDA: The Panthers re-signed QB Jake Delhomme just prior to Draft Weekend (4/25/2009) to a five year contract. This is huge surprise to us as we felt that Jake had all but worn out his welcome in Carolina. Without a first round pick it looks like signing Delhomme was the lesser of two evils with the other being trading for a new starting QB. With limited picks in this year’s draft the Panthers were also unable to address their need for a compliment to WR Steve Smith.

FANTASY IMPACT PLAYERS FOR 2009: The Panthers were able to land FB Tony Flammetta with the 28th pick (128) in the 4th round and many think that was a steal. Flammetta will be able to step in pay immediate dividends to an already potent Panthers running game. FB Brad Hoover’s days are probably numbered in Carolina.

CHICAGO BEARS - OVERALL GRADE: B+

The Bears are another team that was limited with what they could accomplish on Draft Weekend. They didn’t have a first round selection and didn’t have a selection at all until the 4th pick (68th) in the third round. Going into the weekend the Bears had needs at WR, DL, CB and S.

The Bears took care of defense first with their selection of DE Jarron Gilbert from Sans Jose State. At 6’ 5” and 288, Gilbert is viewed as a “beast or bust” prospect. With the 35th pick (99th) in the 3rd round, the Bears took WR (not the singer) Juaquin Iglesias out of Oklahoma. They also added a speedster at WR in Johnny Knox (not Fort Knox) out of Abilene Christian with the 4th pick (140th) in the fifth round.

COULDA – SHOULDA – WOULDA: The Bears felt they needed a QB more than anything for the 2009 season. The trade for QB Jay Cutler has them hoping they found it. Considering what they had to work with this was a successful Draft Weekend for the Bears.

FANTASY IMPACT PLAYERS FOR 2009: Will the Bears put both Iglesias and Hester deep to return kicks this year? That would certainly be a huge boost to their special teams. On offense, Iglesias is notably fearless going over the middle and has very good hands. He will be given every opportunity to be a starter on opening day and has “sleeper” written all over him. Johnny Knox, because of his blazing speed and ability to stretch the field, will also have an opportunity to see action in his rookie season and should be viewed as a “deep sleeper”.

CINCINNATI BENGALS - OVERALL GRADE: B-

The Bengals were a mess going into Draft Weekend and, while they improved in a couple of areas, they are still a mess. The Bengals had needs at OL, DL, RB and S, among others, heading into the Draft.

The Bengals hope they took care of their OL need with the 6th overall pick when they selected OT Andre Smith out of Alabama. It may or may not be ironic that a team that makes more news through police blotters than on the field would make this selection. Smith is definitely a stud at tackle but some pre-draft shenanigans had more than a few people questioning his integrity and maturity. Many think the Bengals got a steal when they took ILB Ray Maualuga out of Southern Cal with the 6th pick (38) in the 2nd round. The Bengals liked TE Ben Utecht and lured him away from the Colts last season but he was a bust in 2008. So, in typical Bengal fashion, they drafted TE Chase Coffman with the 34th pick (98) in the 3rd round. Coffman is a mirror image of Utecht in that he has good hands but he’s slower than mud going uphill. Coffman also broke his foot at the Alamo Bowl (Utecht was hampered with a foot injury for most of 2008) to end his career with Missouri. Is it any wonder why they are so referred to as the Bungles?

COULDA – SHOULDA – WOULDA: The Bengals say they want to run the ball more this season and they better be able to do it because they don’t have much at the WR position. That being said, the Bengals did very little to improve at the running back position. Why they passed on WR Iglesias is also very puzzling. The Bungles Draft, from a Fantasy perspective, was a bust and clearly shows that 2009 will be a rebuilding season in Cincinnati. When are they NOT rebuilding?

FANTASY IMPACT PLAYERS FOR 2009: None!

CLEVELAND BROWNS - OVERALL GRADE: B

The Browns had everyone at the Draft wondering if they wanted to make any selections at all after they traded down so many times in the first round. Their needs heading into Draft Weekend were many including LB, S, CB, OL, WR and TE.

The Browns hope they have solidified the C position for many years to come with the 21st overall pick in the first round by selecting California C Alex Mack. It may not have been the “glamour” pick but it will certainly help the Browns anemic rushing attack. They followed that up by selecting Ohio State WR Brian Robiskie with the 4th pick (36) in the second round. In keeping with their motivation to improve the passing game they then selected Georgia WR Mohamed Massaquoi with the 18th pick (50) in the second round as well.

COULDA – SHOULDA – WOULDA: Somewhat surprisingly, the Browns didn’t do anything in the Draft to fill the void left by the departure of TE Kellen Winslow (TB). Guess the Browns are OK with the recently acquired TE Robert Royal (BUF). Yikes for now but he could blossom in Cleveland and is worth keeping an eye on in pre-season.

FANTASY IMPACT PLAYERS FOR 2009: WR Robiskie does not have great speed but he is coming from a Pro Style offense and was touted as the most “polished” receiver in the Draft. Look for Robiskie to start as the Browns #2 WR and make an impact opposite the speedy but klutzy Braylon Edwards (if Edwards sticks with the team at all). Massaquoi will battle for the #3 WR spot and that wouldn’t be bad if someone could emerge as the true leader at QB for the Browns. The Browns waited until the 6th round and overall pick #195 before adding a RB. The one they got though has some serious “sleeper” potential. James Davis, who was highly touted after his junior year, saw his stock plummet following his senior year. The entire Clemson Tiger team imploded last year with some pointing their finger at Davis as being partially responsible for the stunning decline. That being said, this kid is quick and should step in as an immediate compliment to the aging power of RB Jamal Lewis.

More to Come…Stay Tuned!

StatsGuru