The AFC East was one of the most exciting divisions in last year’s NFL with three teams all in contention for a play-off berth on the final weekend of the season. After the draft, 2009 promises to be another cracking season in the AFC East.
Were The Jets Right To Pick Sanchez?
The Jets caused the biggest storyline on draft weekend by drafting up to number five in the first round to select QB Mark Sanchez. After the retirement of Brett Favre, Sanchez is the perfect player to succeed in Gangrene and guide the Jets forward. He won’t be expected to win games single-handledly, as Rex Ryan philosophy is to have QB who is efficient while the defence makes the big plays; but the Jets will need to find a big time receiver to support the rookie QB.
The Jets only had two other picks and used the third round pick extremely effectively to select RB Shonn Greene. Greene has the ability to have a long productive career in the NFL and could be the ideal replacement to Thomas Jones, who is unhappy with his contract in New York.
Grade:A
How Did The Patriots Draft Play Out?
It is clear that Bill Belichek didn’t rate any player high enough in this draft to warrant a first round selection. In fact he traded down and stock-piled picks in the later rounds and for next year. This was a clever policy as Belichek will think that he has selected good enough players to add to the roster while not spending too much of his salary cap.
The Pats already had possible the best starting team in the NFL so it is going to be difficult for any of the players selected to break into the starting line-up. The likes of Patrick Chung, Darius Butler and Ron Brace will compete for rotational positions and in the sub-dime packages.
Draft Grade: A
How Exciting Could The Dolphins Be?
The Wildcat formation is here to stay and the Dolphins now have the ability to make it even more dangerous in 2009. The selection of Pat White in the second round the Dolphins now have a QB who can run that system as he can run and throw. In fact with the addition of White the Dolphins will now become less concerned if Chad Pennington gets injured as White will make a good compliment to second year QB Chad Henne.
The Dolphins also managed to pick up an excellent physical cornerback in Vontae Davis which will be vital as the Dolphins will encounter receivers such as Randy Moss in their division.
The only thing lacking from the Dolphins draft board was a stout young nose tackle.
Grade: B+
What Was The Bills Draft Like?
The selection of DE Aaron Maybin filled a fundamental need for the Bills of pass rush. The Penn State product specializes in this role and though he has only one year of experience, he has highly impressive quickness for a young talent.
Though the Bills addressed one problem, they have given themselves a glaring headache. By trading Jason Peters to the Eagles the week before the draft, the Bills left a huge starting void on their offensive line. Yet they failed to fill this void in the draft and are now without a key starter in their offensive system. The Bills must now hope to pick up a left tackle in free agency.
The selection of Shawn Nelson, however, at TE gives the Bills a target in the centre of the field with T.O. and Lee Evans working the sidelines.
Grade: B-
