2009 NFL Draft Report Card-AFC East

Buffalo Bills

Round 1 #11 DE Aaron Maybin, Penn State
Round 1 #28 C Eric Wood, Louisville
Round 2 #42 CB Jairus Byrd, Oregon
Round 2 #51 OL Andy Levitre, Oregon State
Round 4 #121 TE Shawn Nelson, Southern Miss
Round 5 #147 DB Nic Harris, Oklahoma
Round 6 #183 CB Cary Harris, USC
Round 7 #220 DB Ellis Lankaster, West Virginia

Overall Grade: B

Fantasy Outlook: Aaron Maybin gives the Bills a legitimate pass rusher.  Buffalo also tried to improve their mediocre fantasy defense by taking secondary help in Jairus Byrd, Nic Harris, and Cary Harris.  On the other side of the ball, the Bills concentrated on improving their offensive line when they snagged Eric Wood and Andy Levitre.

Miami Dolphins

Round 1 #25 CB Vontae Davis, Illinois
Round 2 #44 QB Pat White, West Virginia
Round 2 #61 DB Sean Smith, Utah
Round 3 #87 WR Patrick Turner, USC
Round 4 #108 WR Brian Hartine, Ohio State
Round 5 #161 TE John Nalbone, Monmouth
Round 5 #165 S Chris Clemons, Clemson
Round 6 #181 OT Andrew Gardner, Georgia Tech
Round 7 #LB J.D. Folsom, Weber State

Overall Grade: A-

Fantasy Outlook: The Dolphins certainly got more athletic with their first two selections being Vontae Davis and Pat White. White will serve as the backup quarterback, but they will likely get him involved in some plays that feature the “wildcat formation.”  Davis and Sean Smith should really improve Miami’s secondary.  However, they should still be viewed as a middle-of-the-road fantasy defense.  Patrick Turner and Brian Hartine were nice values at wideout, and they both are capable of making some fantasy noise in another year or two.

New England Patriots

Round 2 #34 S Patrick Chung, Oregon
Round 2 #40 DT Ron Brace, Boston College
Round 2 #41 CB Darius Butler, Connecticut
Round 2 #58 OL Sebastian Vollmer, Houston
Round 3 #83 WR Brandon Tate, North Carolina
Round 3 #97 LB Tyrone McKenzie, South Florida
Round 4 #123 G Rich Ohrnberger, Penn State
Round 5 #170 G George Bussey, Louisville
Round 6 #198 LS Jacob Ingram, Hawaii
Round 6 #207DT Myron Pryor, Kentucky
Round 7 #232 WR Julian Edelman, Kent State
Round 7 #234 DT Darryl Richard, Georgia Tech

Overall Grade: B+

Fantasy Outlook: The Patriots were not worried about selecting starters in this draft, and they did a fantastic job of wheeling and dealing to get some second round picks next season.  New England took three defenders with each of their first three picks, selecting Patrick Chung, Ron Brace, and Darius Butler.  Butler and Chung both have legitimate chances to crack the starting lineup sometime this season on an already upper tier fantasy defense.   Watch out for Brandon Tate as he is a wideout that is worth some fantasy consideration in keeper leagues.

New York  Jets

Round 1 #5 QB Mark Sanchez, USC
Round 3 #65 RB Shonn Greene, Iowa
Round 6 #193 G Matt Slauson, Nebraska

Overall Grade: A

Fantasy Outlook: You have to give the Jets credit for doing whatever it took to go get the guy they wanted.   Mark Sanchez will be given an opportunity to compete to play right away at quarterback, and even if he isn’t named the opening day starter, he figures to get the nod at some point in the season.  Consequently, he warrants fantasy consideration in keeper leagues.  Shonn Greene was a nice pick in the third round, and he should be an ideal change-of-pace runner for Thomas Jones.  Greene eclipsed 100 rushing in every game this past season for the Iowa Hawkeye, so it is clear the kid can play.  If Greene can be what Jonathan Stewart was for the Carolina Panthers last season, he would then certainly be worth more than a look in fantasy.