This seems like a draft where there will these grades will prove to be wildly inconsistent. The Packers have played the upside game with a multitude of their picks. So my final grade will most likely be wrong. But here we go. A preliminary draft grade.
1) Bryan Bulaga (OT-Iowa) A (A ready made heir for Chad Clifton. He’ll be a starter before long.)
2) Mike Neal (DT-Purdue) B- (An interesting attempt to bolster the pass rush. He’s got a lot of good when it’s right. But short arms and getting dinged is worrisome.)
3) Morgan Burnett (SS-Georgia Tech) C (I don’t like giving up a pick for him. I don’t like that he can disappear and look really bad. But he can hit and he can ballhawk. I may be blaming him for costing the Packers a cornerback.)
5) Andrew Quarless (TE-Penn State) B- (In terms of need? It’s an F. In terms of upside? It’s an A. In terms of gut feeling about his pro future? B+).
5) Marshall Newhouse (G-TCU) D (Last year they drafted Jamon Meredith and I loved it. He didn’t break camp with the Packers. This year? I’m not a fan. And lightning will strike just to spite me. :P)
6) James Starks (RB-Buffalo) A+ (I will tell you this again. If James Starks stays healthy, he will be the heir to the throne. And he’s the 3rd down back this year. I love love love this pick.)
7) C.J. Wilson (DE-ECU) B+ (I like this pick. I like it a lot. He seems like the sort of guy who’s going to see more time than Lane.)
Final Grade: B- (The picks they made were decent to pretty darn good. But if you’re a team where you got torched through the air as they did at the end of the year? You can’t stand pat at corner. The Packers did. Thus they lose points.)
