Lots more drafting still to go Saturday, but let’s take a look quickly at three teams that helped themselves with their picks in the first three rounds and three teams that still have work to do before the close of business Saturday:
WINNERS
-Cincinnati Bengals. After taking perhaps the draft’s best player, wide receiver A.J. Green, in the first round to replace the soon-to-be-gone Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco, the Bengals got the quarterback they wanted early in the second round. TCU’s Andy Dalton is a three-year college starter who can step right in and play next year if Carson Palmer really is serious about retiring if the team doesn’t trade him. In the third round, Cincinnati drafted Nevada linebacker Dontay Moch, a long-range project with big-time speed who could develop into a difference-maker and should help immediately against the ru.
-Washington Redskins. They had multiple opportunities to take the quarterback they need, but the Redskins wisely decided that they had so many needs that the best move was to keep trading back, Bill Belichick-style, for later-round picks that could help them rebuild at receiver and offensive line and add pieces that fit Jim Haslett’s 3-4 defensive scheme better than the ones they had last year. They’re up to 13 picks in this year’s draft, and in the meantime they’ve used the first three they’ve made very well. First-rounder Ryan Kerrigan will start for them at outside linebacker. Second-rounder Jarvis Jenkins is their new nose tackle. And in third-round receiver Leonard Hankerson, they drafted a huge, reliable wideout who can offer a short- or mid-range target for whomever they get to play quarterback while Santana Moss stretches the field. The success of Washington’s off-season will come down to which veteran QB they get to anchor things, but it’s off to a good start.
-Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After recording just 26 sacks in 2010 and nearly making the playoffs anyway, the Bucs went after pass-rushers and got a couple of huge ones. After nabbing Adrian Clayborn in the first round, they finally stopped the fall of Clemson’s Da’Quan Bowers, who at one time was a possible No. 1 overall pick but ended up still being there when Tampa Bay picked at 51. If Bowers’ knee is all right, the Bucs will head into 2011 with two new fearsome pass rushers to add to that sack attack. Third-round pick Mason Foster could be their new middle linebacker if he picks up the scheme quickly enough.
LOSERS
-Buffalo Bills. Somehow, Buffalo’s decision to ignore its QB problem seems worse than Washington’s. Sure, they used their picks to upgrade their defense, especially against the run with first-rounder Marcell Dareus and third-rounder Kelvin Sheppard. But passing on QB after QB for the second year in a row leaves them committed to Ryan Fitzpatrick for another year. Didn’t GM Buddy Nix say this year was the perfect time to pick a QB?
-New England Patriots. It’s tempting to always say Belichick knows what he’s doing, but this is a weird draft for New England. They’ve pulled off only a couple of their patented trade-downs, seem to have focused on running back for some reason and used the 74th overall pick for Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett. Sure, maybe Mallett represented value there, but in case you hadn’t heard…the Patriots already have a fairly good quarterback. They added picks for next year, but not a pass-rusher for this one.
-Arizona Cardinals. They did fine taking Patrick Peterson fifth overall, but they looked lost in the second round after the 49ers jumped ahead of them to take quarterback Colin Kaepernick. They selected running back Ryan Williams, adding to a position where they already had depth. And later they passed on Mallett to take Florida Atlantic TE Rob Housler. The Cards just looked kind of lost on Day Two, and still need to find a QB somewhere.
