A Draft History and Review

Since the draft seems to be such a crap shoot, I decided to take a gander at how the Bills stack up to other franchises over the past few years (starting in 2002-2007). I only checked the first three rounds for each team over the past 6 years (I've only got so much time on my hands). The 2008 draft class will be omitted for obvious reasons. I graded each year with a hindsight approach and y'all can be the judges to determine which franchises/coaches historically do the best on the first day of the draft. It's a graduated scale: teams are penalized more for missing in the 1st round than in the 2nd or 3rd. Players that cannot be graded do not count against a team, they are marked "NC." It works out just like real life: anything below a B just kills your GPA. This is not academia, however, so it is all subjective and open for debate... enjoy. I actually had to do this in bits and pieces.

Arizona Cardinals - B

2002- Wendell Bryant, Levar Fisher, Josh McCown -----------------(C)

2003- Bryant Johnson, Calvin Pace, Anquan Boldin, Geno Hayes (B)

2004- Larry Fitzgerald, Karlos Dansby, Darnell Dockett ------------(A+++)

2005- Antrel Rolle, JJ Arrington, Eric Green-----------------------------(B+)

2006- Matt Leinart (NC), Deuce Lutui, Leonard Pope --------------- (C-)

2007- Levi Brown, Alan Branch, Buster Davis ------------------------- (C+)

Atlanta Falcons - C+

2002- TJ Duckett, Will Oversheet------------------------------------ (D)

2003- Bryan Scott--------------------------------------------------------- (B-)

2004- DeAngelo Hall, Michael Jenkins, Matt Schaub----------- (B+)

2005- Roddy White, Jon Babineaux, Jordan Beck---------------- (B)

2006- Jimmy Williams, Jerious Norwood--------------------------- (C-)

2007-Jamaal anderson, Justin Blalock, Chris Houston--------- (B)

Carolina Panthers - B+

2002- Julius Peppers, DeShaun Foster, Will Witherspoon----------- (A+)

2003- Jordan Gross, Bruce Nelson, Ricky Manning-------------------- (A)

2004- Chris Gamble, Keary Colbert, Travelle Wharton----------------- (B-)

2005- Thomas Davis, Eric Shelton, Evan Mathis------------------------- (C)

2006- DeAngelo Williams, Richard Marshall, Rashad Butler--------- (B+)

2007-Jon Beason, Dwayne Jarrett, Ryan Kalil, Charles Johnson---- (A)

Chicago Bears - C+

2002- Marc Colombo, Roe Williams, Terrance Metcalf-------------- (C+)

2003- Michael Haynes, Rex Grossman, Charles Tillman, Lance Briggs (A)

2004- Tommie Harris, Tank Johnson, Bernard Berrian------------- (A)

2005- Cedric Benson, Mark Bradley--------------------------------------- (F)

2006- Daniael Manning, Devin Hester, Dusty Dvoracek ------------- (B+)

2007-Greg Olsen, Dan Bazuin, Garrett Wolfe---------------------------- (B-)

Dallas Cowboys - B-

2002- Roy Williams, Andre Gurode, Antonio Bryant--------------- (B+)

2003- Terrence Newman, Al Johnson, Jason Whitten------------ (B-)

2004- Julius Jones, Jacob Rogers, Stephen Peterman---------- (B-)

2005- DeMarcus Ware, Marcus Spears, Kevin Burnett------------ (B+)

2006- Bobby Carpenter, Anthony Fasano, Jason Hatcher-------- (B)

2007- Anthony Spencer, James Marten--------------------------------- (C+)

Detroit Lions - C+

2002- Joey Harrington, Kalimba Edwards, Andre Goodman------ (C)

2003- Charles Rogers, Boss Bailey, Cory Redding----------------- (D+)

2004- Roy Williams, Kevin Jones, Teddy Lehman------------------- (A)

2005- Mike Williams, Shaun Cody, Stanley Wilson------------------ (C-)

2006- Ernie Sims, Daniel Bullocks, Brian Calhoun------------------ (B+)

2007- Calvin Johnson, Drew Stanton (NC), Ikaika Francis, Gerald Alexander (A)

Green Bay Packers - B

2002- Javon Walker, Marques Anderson--------------------------------------- (A-)

2003- Nick Barnett, Kenny Peterson--------------------------------------------- (A-)

2004- Ahmad Carroll, Joey Thomas, Donnell Washington---------------- (D)

2005- Aaron Rodgers, Nick Collins, Terrence Murphy---------------------- (B+)

2006- AJ Hawk, Daryn Colledge, Greg Jennings, Jason Spitz------------ (B+)

2007-Justin Harrell, Brandon Jackson, James Jones, Aaron Rouse--- (B+)

Minnesota Vikings - C

2002- Bryant McKinnie, Raonall Smith, Willie Offord-------------- (B+)

2003- Kevin Williams, EJ Henderson, Nate Burleson------------ (A+)

2004- Kenechi Udeze, Don Thomas, Darrion Scott---------------- (F)

2005- Troy Williamson, Erasmus James, Marcus Johnson, Dustin Fox (F)

2006- Chad Greenway, Cedric Griffin, Ryan Cook, Tavaris Jackson (C)

2007- Adrian Peterson, Sidney Rice, Marcus McCauley----------- (A)

New Orleans Saints - B

2002- Donte Stallworth, Charles Grant, LeCharles Bentley, James Allen (A-)

2003- John Sullivan, Jon Stinchcomb, Cie Grant-------------------- (B-)

2004- Will Smith, Devery Henderson, Courtney Watson----------- (B+)

2005- Jamaal Brown, Josh Bullocks, Alfred Fincher--------------- (B)

2006- Reggie Bush, Roman Harper------------------------------------- (B)

2007- Robert Meachem, Usama Young, Andy Alleman------------ (C+)

New York Giants - B+

2002- Jeremy Shockey, Tim Carter, Jeff Hatch------------- (B)

2003- Will Joseph, Osi Umenyiora, Visanthe Shiancoe-- (B)

2004- Eli Manning, Chris Snee---------------------------------- (A)

2005- Corey Webster, Justin Tuck------------------------------ (A+)

2006- Mathias Kiwanuka, Sinorice Moss, Gerris Wilikonson (B-)

2007-Aaron Ross, Steve Smith, Jay Alford-------------------- (B+)

Philadelphia Eagles -B

2002- Lito Sheppard, Michael Lewis, Sheldon Brown, Brian Westbrook (A++)

2003- Jerome McDougal, LJ Smith, Billy McMullen-------------- (C-)

2004- Shawn Andrews, Matt Ware------------------------------------ (A-)

2005- Mike Patterson, Reggie Brown, Matt McCoy, Ryan Moats (C+)

2006- Broderick Bunkley, Winston Justice, Chris Gocong----- (B)

2007-Kevin Kolb (NC), Victor Abiamiri, Stewart Bradley, Tony Hunt (B)

San Francisco 49ers - C

2002- Mike Rumph, Saleem Rasheed------------------------------- (B-)

2003- Kwame Harris, Anthony Adams, Andrew Williams------- (C-)

2004- Rashaun Woods, Justin Smiley, Shawntae Spencer---- (C-)

2005- Alex Smith, David Baas, Frank Gore, Adam Snyder------- (C-)

2006- Vernon Davis, Manny Lawson, Brandon Williams--------- (C+)

2007- Patrick Willis, Joe Staley, Jason Hill, Ray McDonald------ (A)

Seattle Seahawks - B

2002- Jeremy Stevens, Moe Morris, Anton Palepoi, Kris Richard (C-)

2003- Marcus Trufant, Ken Hamlin, Wayne Hunter--------- (A)

2004- Marcus Tubbs, Michael Boulware, Sean Locklear (B+)

2005- Chris Spencer, Lofa Tatupu, David Greene (NC), Leroy Hill (A)

2006- Kelly Jennings, Darryl Tapp------------------------------ (B)

2007- Josh Wilson, Brandon Mebane-------------------------- (B)

St. Louis Rams - C+

2002- Robert Thomas, Travis Fisher, Eric Crouch-------------------- (C)

2003- Jimmy Kennedy, Pisa Tinoisamoa, Kevin Curtis-------------- (C)

2004- Steven Jackson, Anthony Hargrove-------------------------------- (A-)

2005- Alex Barron, Ron Bartell, OJ Atogwe------------------------------- (A)

2006- Tye Hill, Joe Klopfenstein, Claude Wrotten, Jon Alston------- (C+)

2007-Adam Carriker, Brian Leonard, Jonathan Wade----------------- (B+)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers - B

2002- Marquise Walker--------------------------------------------------------- (C)

2003- Dwayne White, Chris Simms----------------------------------------- (B-)

2004- Michale Clayton, Marquis Cooper------------------------------------ (C)

2005- Cadillac Williams, Barrett Ruud, Alex Smith----------------------- (A)

2006- Davin Joseph, Jeremy Trueblood, Maurice Stovall--------------- (B+)

2007-Gaines Adams, Aaron Sears, Sabby Piscitelli, Quincy Black--- (A)

Washington Redskins - B+

2002- Patrick Ramsey, Ladell Betts, Rashad Bauman, Cliff Russell (C-)

2003- Taylor Jacobs, Derrick Dockery--------------------------- (B)

2004- Sean Taylor, Chris Cooley---------------------------------- (A++)

2005- Carlos Rogers, Jason Campbell-------------------------- (A)

2006- Rocky McIntosh-------------------------------------------------- (A)

2007- LaRon Landry---------------------------------------------------- (A-)

Baltimore Ravens - C+

2002- Ed Reed, Anthony Weaver---------------------------------------------- (A+)

2003- Terrell Suggs, Kyle Boller, Musa Smith----------------------------- (B-)

2004- Dwan Edwards, Devard Darling--------------------------------------- (C-)

2005- Mark Clayton, Dan Cody, Adam Terry-------------------------------- (C+)

2006- Haloti Ngata, Chris Chester, David Pittman------------------------ (B)

2007- Ben Grubbs, Yamon Figurs, Marshal Yanda----------------------- (B)

Buffalo Bills - B-

2002- Mike Williams, Josh Reed, Ryan Denney, Coy Wire------------ (C)

2003- Willis McGahee, Chris Kelsay, Angelo Crowell------------------- (B+)

2004- Lee Evans, JP Losman, Tim Anderson----------------------------- (B-)

2005- Roscoe Parrish, Kevin Everett (NC)---------------------------------- (B-)

2006- Donte Whitner, John McCargo, Ashton Youboty------------------- (B-)

2007-Marshawn Lynch, Paul Posluszny, Trent Edwards----------------- (A)

Cincinnati Bengals - B

2002- Levi Jones, Lamont Thompson, Matt Schobel--------------- (A-)

2003- Carson Palmer, Eric Steinbach, Kelly Washington--------- (A+)

2004- Chris Perry, Keiwan Ratliff, Madieu Williams, Landon Johnson (B-)

2005- David Pollack, Odell Thurman, Chris Henry------------------ (C+)

2006- Jon Joseph, Andrew Whitworth, Frostee Rucker------------ (B)

2007- Leon Hall, Kenny Irons---------------------------------------------- (B+)

Cleveland Browns - B-

2002- William Green, Andre Davis, Melvin Fowler--------------------- (C)

2003- Jeff Faine, Chaun Thompson, Chris Crocker------------------- (C+)

2004- Kellen Winslow, Sean Jones---------------------------------------- (A+)

2005- Braylon Edwards, Brodney Pool, Charlie Frye------------------- (B+)

2006- Kamerion Wimbley, D'Qwell Jackson, Travis Wilson---------- (C+)

2007-Joe Thomas, Brady Quinn (NC), Eric Wright----------------------- (A)

Denver Broncos - B

2002- Ashley Lelie, Clinton Portis, Dorsett Davis--------------------------- (B)

2003- George Foster, Terry Pierce---------------------------------------------- (B-)

2004- DJ Williams, Tatum Bell, Darius Watts, Jeremy LeSueur------- (B)

2005- Darrent Williams, Karl Paymah, Dominique Foxworth, Maurice Clarett (B)

2006- Jay Cutler, Tony Scheffler------------------------------------------------ (A)

2007- Jarvis Moss, Tim Crowder, Ryan Harris------------------------------ (C)

Houston Texans - B-

2002- Davis Carr, Jabar Gaffney, Chester Pitts, Fred Weary--------- (D+)

2003- Andre Johnson, Bennie Joppru, Antwan Peek------------------ (B)

2004- Dunta Robinson, Jason Babin--------------------------------------- (B-)

2005- Travis Johnson, Vernand Morency---------------------------------- (C+)

2006- Mario Williams, DeMeco Ryans, Charles Spencer, Eric Winston (A+)

2007- Amobi Okoye, Jacoby Jones (NC)----------------------------------- (A)

Indianapolis Colts - A

2002- Dwight Freeney, Larry Triplett, Joe Jefferson----------------------- (A)

2003- Dallas Clark, Mike Doss, Donald Strickland------------------------ (B+)

2004- Bob Sanders, Ben Hartsock, Gilbert Gardner----------------------- (B+)

2005- Marlin Jackson, Kelvin Hayden, Vincent Burns--------------------- (A)

2006- Joespeh Addai, Tim Jennings, Freddie Keiaho-------------------- (A)

2007- Anthony Gonzalez, Tony Ugoh, Dante Hughes, Quinn Pitcock (NC) (A)

Jacksonville Jaguars - B+

2002- John Henderson, Mike Pearson, Akin Ayodele---------------- (A)

2003- Byron Leftwich, Rashean Mathis, Vince Manuwai------------- (A)

2004- Reggie Williams, Daryl Smith, Greg Jones, Jorge Cordova (C+)

2005- Matt Jones, Khalif Barnes, Scott Starks--------------------------- (B-)

2006- Mercedes Lewis, Moe Jones-Drew, Clint Ingram-------------- (A-)

2007- Reggie Nelson, Justin Durant, Mike Walker--------------------- (A-)

Kansas City Chiefs - C+

2002- Ryan Sims, Eddie Freeman---------------------------------------- (D)

2003- Larry Johnson, Kawika Mitchell, Julian Battle------------------ (A)

2004- Junior Siavii, Kris Wilson, Keyaron Fox--------------------------- (F)

2005- Derrick Johnson, Dustin Colquitt---------------------------------- (A)

2006- Tamba Hali, Bernard Pollard, Brodie Croyle-------------------- (B+)

2007- Dwayne Bowe, Turk McBride, Tank Tyler------------------------- (B+)

Miami Dolphins - D+

2002- Seth McKinney------------------------------------------------------------- (D)

2003- Eddie Moore, Wade Smith, Taylor Whitley-------------------------- (F)

2004- Vernon Carey---------------------------------------------------------------- (B)

2005- Ronnie Brown, Matt Roth, Channing Crowder--------------------- (A)

2006- Jason Allen, Derek Hagan----------------------------------------------- (F)

2007- Tedd Ginn, John Beck (NC), Samson Satele, Lorenzo Booker (B+)

New England Patriots - B

2002- Daniel Graham, Deion Branch---------------------------------- (B)

2003- Ty Warren, Eugene Wilson, Bethel Johnson----------------- (A)

2004- Vince Wilfork, Ben Watson, Marquise Hill, Guss Scott----- (A)

2005- Logan Mankins, Ellis Hobbs, Nick Kaczur--------------------- (A-)

2006- Lawrence Maroney, Chad Jackson, David Thomas--------- (C+)

2007- Brandon Meriweather------------------------------------------------- (B)

New York Jets - C+

2002- Bryan Thomas, Jon McGraw, Chris Baker--------------------------- (B)

2003- Dwayne Robertson, Victor Hobson, BJ Askew--------------------- (C)

2004- Jonathan Vilma, Derrick Strait------------------------------------------- (A-)

2005- Mike Nugent, Justin Miller, Sione Pouha------------------------------ (D)

2006- Brick Ferguson, Nick Mangold, Kellen Clemens (NC), Eric Smith (B+)

2007- Darrelle Revis, Davis Harris--------------------------------------------- (A+)

Oakland Raiders - C-

2002- Phillip Buchanon, Napoleon Harris, Langston Walker, Doug Jolley (C+)

2003- Nnamdi Asomugha, Tyler Brayton, Teyo Johnson, Justin Fargas (B)

2004- Robert Gallery, Jake Grove, Stuart Schweigert------------------- (D)

2005- Fabian Washington, Stanford Routt, Andrew Walter, Kirk Morrison (B)

2006- Michael Huff, Thomas Howard, Paul McQuistan---------------- (C+)

2007- JaMarcus Russell, Zach Miller, Quentin Moses----------------- (D+)

Pittsburgh Steelers - A-

2002- Kendall Simmons, Antwan Randle El, Chris Hope--------------- (A)

2003- Troy Polamalu, Alonzo Jackson, Ike Taylor-------------------------- (A+)

2004- Ben Roethlisberger, Ricardo Colcough, Max Starks-------------- (A+)

2005- Heath Miller, Bryant McFadden, Trai Essex-------------------------- (A-)

2006- Santonio Holmes, Anthony Smith, Will Reid------------------------- (B-)

2007- Lawrence Timmons, LaMarr Woodley, Matt Spaeth---------------- (A-)

San Diego Chargers - B+

2002- Quentin Jammer, Toniu Fonoti, Reche Caldwell, Ben Leber (B)

2003- Sammy Davis, Drayton Florence, Terrence Keil---------------- (C)

2004- Phillup Rivers, Igor Olshansky, Nick Hardwick, Nate Kaeding (A+)

2005- Shawn Merriman, Luis Castillo, Vincent Jackson------------- (A++)

2006- Antonio Cromartie, Marcus McNeill, Charlie Whitehurst----- (A+)

2007- Buster Davis, Eric Weddle, Anthony Waters---------------------- (B-)

Tennessee Titans - B-

2002- Albert Haynesworth, Tank Williams, Rocky Calmus------ (A)

2003- Andre Woolfolk, Tyrone Calico, Chris Brown---------------- (C+)

2004- Ben Troupe, Travis LaBoy, Antwan Odom, Randy Starks  (B)

2005- Pacman Jones, Michael Roos, Brandon Jones------------- (C+)

2006- Vince Young, LenDale White-------------------------------------- (B)

2007- Michael Griffin, Chris Henry, Paul Williams-------------------- (B)

If there's something I learned from this exercise.... it is you MUST nail the 1st round. If you miss on a 1st rounder it really hinders your franchise from improving in the short AND long-term. Imagine if Buffalo had scored on Mike Williams and JP Losman... the Bills would be significantly better if just those 2 players panned out. Keep in mind these grades are for the "1st day" only, and a lot of teams make their living on the 2nd day. One thing I have been happy with Jauron and Co. about is they rarely miss in the 1st round (I barely count McCargo as a 1st rouder).

The top  Day 1 drafters over the past 5 years or so have been the Panthers, Giants, Redskins, Colts, Jags, Steelers, and Chargers. The Bills did their best work in that time frame under DJ and made a killing on Day 2 picks. The Redskins made excellent picks when they had picks. The Steelers and the Colts were easily the 2 best drafters and it's no surprise those are 2 of the most successful franchises this century.