First impressions are not always the best impressions.  That being said, no NFL draft would be complete without them.  Most of us who study the draft have put in hundreds of hours of study over the past several months.  We just can’t let this three day extravaganza go without speaking our minds.  

Grading drafts before players ever play one down in the NFL is an inexact science.  It can also be quite controversial.  My own board is bound to be different from others, and players some of us like, others will not like.  Some of the things I look for include the following: Did a team address most, if not all of their primary needs?  Did a team leave higher rated talent on the board at the time they drafted?  Did a team draft lower rated players at the position they drafted?  Did a team get value with their pick, both early in the draft as well as on days two and three?

No grades will be presented here.  That will be done later on once I have had more time to digest what happened these past three days.  What follows is a brief summary for each team.  How did each team manage their draft board and take advantage of the opportunities presented to them?

Please feel free to agree or disagree.  I am more than happy to answer any and all questions.  You can leave comments below or reach me on twitter @ronacesports, or via e-mail at ronace2477@aol.com.  Without further ado, here are my first impressions as I wrap up work on my 36th NFL draft!

Arizona Cardinals: I was worried about how Arizona was going to address needs along the offensive line.  Carson Palmer has a quick release, masking some limitations up front.  Arizona did not add anyone in this draft.  I like the productive Bucannon and had him with a high 2nd round grade.  Kareen Martin fills a need and so does John Brown as a #3 WR.  I was hoping Arizona would draft a young QB, but Logan Thomas did not make my list of rated QB’s.  Overall I was not impressed with how Arizona worked the draft board.  Bucannon could be a special talent, but Niklas, Martin and Brown do not look like upper echelon players.

Atlanta Falcons: No team could have used Jadeveon Clowney more than Atlanta but the price to move up was too steep.  Drafting OT Matthews is about as good, enabling Sam Baker to move from LT to RT.  DE Hageman will help jump start a bottom five pass rush, but why stop with just one pass rusher?  In my draft needs article I listed impact LB.  Atlanta did not select a LB until pick 139 but finished with four LB’s in this draft!  I gave safety Southward a 4th round grade and he was taken at pick 68, about 40-50 choices too high.  Safety was a top five need and so was RB, and the Falcons did well do get the (lower) rated Southward and RB Freeman.  I’d have gone pass rusher in rounds two and three before coming back to safety and RB.  Because Shembo is a risk, and Allen and Sprull are much lower rated I would have added another OL and drafted two different LB’s.

Carolina Panthers: It’s hard to find a double digit win team with more critical roster holes than these Panthers.  Every WR who caught a pass for them is gone.  Stud OT Jordan Gross retired and two other OL left via free agency.  The secondary has no standout talent.  Many are knocking the pick for WR Benjamin but I believe my 9th rated WR fits nicely here as Cam Newton is more of a high ball thrower and Benjamin has the height to make a difference.  I like DE Ealy’s pass rush potential but I can’t endorse the pick over CB or OL.  OG Trai Turner should have stayed in school.  In this case I like the focus but not the value.  The same can be said for DB’s Boston and Benwikere.  Boston was grossly overdrafted and Benwikere was listed as a 6th round nickel CB on my draft board.  I’d keep Benjamin (although I’d have preferred Lee or Matthews) and RB Gaffney but would change the rest of their picks.  In the end there would be two CB’s, two OL, two WR’s and RB Gaffney. 

Chicago Bears: Chicago probably coveted DL Donald but he went to the Rams right before their pick.  I like what they did in taking CB Fuller at 14.  Four of their 1st five picks were for their defense.  I like the focus with DL at 51 even though I had LSU’s Ferguson in the 3rd round range.  DL Will Sutton had a down year in ’13 but his ceiling is far above his drafted position of 82.  Chicago needed a short yardage RB and Carey could fit that role.  Adding another DB works as well.  This is the 2nd straight year the Bears have got it right on draft day, breaking a run of bottom five drafts.  Even the move for my #2 punter was solid. 

Dallas Cowboys: Dallas played it safe in this draft, going OL early and for the most part sticking to filling holes at the less glamorous positions on the field.   OG/OT Martin made sense but trading up for Lawrence represented poor value.  I keep picks 47/78 and use them to fill holes with a DL and a CB.  DL Murphy, Crichton or Jernigan could have been the pick at 47 and safety Brooks at 78.  As for trade value, many teams, including Dallas should have considered a small trade up in the 4th round for CB Desir.  My top two areas of need for the Cowboys were DL and DB, which they did address a total of five times.  I like the picks for Martin and WR Street, who made my top 15 list but I’d have liked to see Dallas be more aggressive in filling their primary needs.

Detroit Lions: The good news is that these Lions chose all rated players in the draft.  Ebron can be a force down the seam.  Van Noy is a playmaker.  Lawson, rated in my top 15 CB list, immediately challenges for playing time in a secondary crying for help.  Reid and Webster were drafted at appropriate spots.  Freese was a need, and a correct scoop on my part to this team.  The problem with this draft is that CB, OL and safety are my top three needs, and once again GM Mayhew has failed to understand the correlation between impact secondary play and making the playoffs.  Mayhew has been at a high level with the Lions for over 14 years.  During this time the Lions have drafted just 15 DB’s (yes, CB’s and safeties), most of them below the second round.  According to one source, the best of the bunch was Louis Delmas, and he just left the team.  The Lions have had one winning season since 2000.  I compiled a full article one this subject a short time ago.  I can’t completely dish this draft since at least three starters should come from it, but until Mayhew and the Lions draft impact players for their secondary they will be vulnerable to losing late leads, as has happened way too often just in the past two seasons.  

Green Bay Packers: Safety, TE and a pair of WR’s represented my top three needs and the Packers didn’t disappoint.  Dix represented value and need in the 1st round.  Adams rated 10th on my WR board but remember this position was loaded.  He carried a grade in the 35-40 range and was drafted at 53.  Last year I blasted GB on its WR selections.  This year they got great value, with Abbrederis and Janis in my top 16.  Remember, Cobb and Nelson are in their contract years.  I thought DE Thornton was overdrafted and better choices could have been made at OL and late for DB but overall I like what the Packers did in this draft. 

Minnesoat Vikings: I have to admit that upon first inspection the Minnesota draft might be the most difficult to evaluate.  Was LB Barr the right choice over DL Donald or even OT Lewan?  Will Teddy Bridgewater overcome his historic Pro Day faux pas?  Why draft the talented Jerick McKinnon at RB when that position is occupied by AP?  In the end I’m going to trust the highly respected Mike Zimmer on Barr, and there’s no question about his upside.  In addition to Bridgewater, Minnesota also got solid draft value with DE Crichton at 72, OG Yankey at 145 and if healthy, the versatile Exum at 182.  I’d have doubled up at OL and changed pick 96 to OL Brandon Thomas or Dozier, or to CB Desir.  Even if Bridgewater let’s some of us down there’s enough value in this draft to get excited about, and that includes NT Stephen in the 7th round.

New Orleans Saints: It turns out the Saints were serious about drafting well-spoken WR Cooks, trading ahead of Philly and KC to get him.  He reportedly wowed the Saints in their interview, and the WR who loses no speed at all when he makes his cuts was considered the top interview by as many as ten NFL teams.  Payton will find ways to get him in space.  Unfortunately, the rest of the draft does nothing for me.  I gave CB Baptiste a 4th round grade and am not as high on him as many analysts.  He lacks physicality and the learning curve is steep.  Fortt and Powell match a need, but I see them as rotational players at best.  OT Rooks was not one of the 550 players I even studied!  Safety Sunseri  is coming off a serious injury but he’s the only drafted player outside of Cooks that holds some value.  I’m comfortable keeping the focus of the Saints but I’d change four of six picks.

New York Giants: The NYG made an unusually high number of moves during free agency, determined to erase memories of an 0-6 start in 2013 in a season where they committed too many mistakes (turnovers and otherwise).  Likely coveting OT Lewan, the NYG decided against drafting OL Martin or DL Donald and instead went for versatile WR Beckham.  Clearly Beckham has 1st round talent but in this deep WR draft I’d have gone in a completely different direction, fixing longstanding LB needs with Mosley.  I like OC Richburg but 43 is too rich for me.  I get a WR or sack specialist here and easily double up on WR’s later.  I like the pick of RB Andre Williams who fits this team and scheme perfectly.  DL Bromley was overdrafted at pick 74 even though his blue collar approach is typical NYG.  The later picks for LB and DB are “acceptable” but where is the TE in this draft?

Philadelphia Eagles: Chip Kelly’s initial draft was passive as he learned the ropes of wheeling and dealing.  His second draft was typical Chip!  I gave out information leaking Marcus Smith to the Eagles, but in round two or three, and not in the 1st round.  Like a record number of teams in this deep draft class the Eagles drafted mostly rated players from my draft board, with only DT Allen (224) unrated.  Philly targeted six players early and all were off the board including WR Cooks and at least one of the top two safeties.  WR and DB were my top areas of need.  I thought former Oregon WR Huff was drafted a bit too early but DB Watkins and safety Reynolds were strong choices.  DE Hart adds rotational value.  LB was need area #4 and obviously Smith fits.  In the end, WR Matthews might be my favorite player in the entire draft.  I fixated on him in 2013 and his opening game vs. Ole Miss solidified what would ultimately become a top five WR grade.  Philly’s roster improved as a result of this draft class. 

St. Louis Rams: The Rams did well early but I differ with the way they targeted secondary needs and I felt they reached with most of their final six selections.  Donald is a stud but for me this was the time to fix the secondary with Dix or Pryor.  They did draft three DB’s and to be honest I do have a high grade on Joyner but he is on the small side.  I’m also disappointed that they did not address OLB, finding a better ‘cover” LB than current starter Dunbar.  I like the pick of RB Mason.  Four of their final five selections were unrated by me, including QB Gilbert.  I’d have drafted two OL better DB’s and two LB’s.  I have a (lower) rated grade on Michael Sam, but the situational sacker will find it hard to crack this loaded sack happy roster.  The top four selections continue Fisher’s attempt to rebrand the Rams but I wish they would have done more with the rest of their picks.

San Francisco 49ers: In the past I criticized the 49ers for wasting picks on unrated players but this year I felt better about what they did.  I’m surprised SF did not try to trade up for a CB, especially when Dennard was dropping, but I’m told that Fuller was their initial target and after he went the price to trade up was too high.  CB was my #1 need and SF failed in this regard, drafting a pair of late, unrated CB’s.  Of course Ward is versatile and may be tried at CB.  All other needs were more than adequately filled.  RB Hyde will eventually take over for Gore and fits this scheme.  OC Martin is a direct hit on a need.  ILB Borland is a smart two-down LB.  OG Thomas will redshirt off his unfortunate Pro Day injury but carried a late 2nd round grade if 100% and the 49ers can easily afford to wait on him to recover.  I know DE Lynch disappointed at USF but he flashes talent and is worth the risk at 150.  WR needs were more than fully addressed with the trade for Stevie Johnson and the pickup of route savvy Ellington.  I’d have doubled up on pass rushing talent and found a pure CB in this draft but clearly SF added talent. 

Seattle Seahawks: Seattle does things their own way.  They like drafting in quantity which is a good thing because I count about 13 unrated selections from the past three drafts.  They have found late round gems, but those players were not surprises to me.  I list only two contributors from the 13 unrated players, a converted DL and the unheralded DB star of the Super Bowl.  So with that backdrop, I really dislike this draft!  Players 1-5 are rated, but Richardson (45) Britt (64) and Marsh (108) all carried 4th round grades, and Pierre-Lewis (132) a late 6th round grade.  Only WR Norwood (123) was properly drafted.  Their final four picks did not receive draft worthy grades from me, although I will revisit OG Scott before finalizing his grade.  I see 5-6 players making the team and the two WR’s playing and contributing to some extent but once again much more could have been done.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Lovie Smith is known as having a defensive slant but the Bucs were all about offense in this draft with all six selections for this side of the ball.  WR Mike Evans has flaws but might thrive in this system, especially with a pair of high ball throwers on the roster.  TE Seferian-Jenkins might also carry immediate impact.  RB Sims is the premier 3rd down back of the draft.  I like the focus on drafting two OL but I’m not high on the players selected.  Don’t sleep on fast, but inconsistent WR Herron, whose rating is solidly in my top 20.  I’d have taken higher rated OL and found a way to draft an OLB and a late safety but Tampa, through the draft and free agency has an improving roster.

Washington Redskins: Mike Shanahan knew how to spot RB talent but the rest of his drafts yielded some far below average talent.  That is why most analysts felt OL and DB were areas of need despite Washington using a plethora of recent draft picks for these areas.  I don’t feel Washington got value with any pick in this draft other than when they drafted yet another RB (Seastrunk), but LB Murphy, OT Moses and CB Breeland were all slotted about right.  I have OG Long as a 6th round (at best) talent and he was overdrafted at 78.  WR Grant was rated but not needed for this team.  I would have drafted a higher rated OL along with at least one DL and ILB.  Washington did not draft at either position.  This was an average draft class.