Indianapolis Colts: B+

The Indianapolis Colts came into the draft knowing exactly who their selection would be. Essentially, there was only ever two potential picks that the Colts would make, and they stuck with the early consensus pick, taking Andrew Luck and anointing him as their next franchise quarterback.

After picking Luck, Ryan Grigson went to work, trying to give Luck some weapons to work with in an effort to ensure his success as a rookie. Those weapons included TE Coby Fleener who is also from Stanford, TE Dwayne Allen, WR T.Y. Hilton, and WR LaVon Brazill.

The Colts have a lot of young pieces on their team, but they all revolve around Andrew Luck. His level of success will determine how successful the above mentioned draftees will be in the NFL which is why I only gave the Colts a B+. You may say that Andrew Luck was the obvious pick for the Colts, but that doesn't change the fact that he was the right pick. The only major downside to Grigson's inaugural draft is that it puts all of the Colts' eggs in the Andrew Luck basket. There's a lot riding on Luck's success in Indianapolis.

Jacksonville Jaguars: A-

Using baseball terms, the Jaguars hit a homerun, a triple, and a solid double with their first three picks of the 2012 draft. The Jaguars sacrificed their 4th round selection to move up two spots in the first round to snag Justin Blackmon, the first true #1 receiver they've had in Jacksonville since the days of Jimmy Smith. That pick should allow Blaine Gabbert to spread the ball around to his other receivers as well as Blackmon, leading to more success from the Jaguars' passing attack.

From there, the Jaguars drafted DE Andre Branch in the second round and P Bryan Anger in the 3rd round. Branch is a pass rusher that the Jaguars will put to work immediately. The hope is that he's the final piece in what could be one of the better defensive units in the NFL. Bryan Anger is a pick the Jaguars have caught a lot of flak over, but I really like the pick. Taking a punter is a safer pick than taking virtually any other position in the draft, and if he can indeed change field position as well as many think he can, he's definitely worth a 3rd round pick.

Sad news to report in the NFL. TMZ and various media outlets are reporting that former San Diego Chargers linebacker Junior Seau has been found dead in his home in Oceanside, Calif.

According to the TMZ report, police are investigating a shooting, according to several of their law enforcement sources. According to those same sources Seau died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest.

Seau played for 20 seasons in the NFL, 13 of those with the San Diego Chargers.

Seau, a 12-time Pro Bowler and 6-time First-Team All-Pro, was selected fifth overall in the 1990 NFL draft after an outstanding collegiate career at USC. He played with the San Diego Chargers through the 2002 season, spent 2003-2005 with the Miami Dolphins, and then signed with the New England Patriots in time for the 2006 season. In New England's perfect regular season of 2007, he played in all 16 games and started four. Seau first retires after that season, only to come back and play in 2008 and 2009 before finally leaving the NFL for good.

"I'm going to go surf," he told Showtime upon his January, 2010 retirement announcement. Whatever happens, I can say, honestly say, that that probably was my last game."

Seau is the eighth member of the Chargers 1994 Super Bowl team to pass. We will keep you updated on this story as more news is confirmed.

Like TGS on Facebook

Follow TGS on Twitter

Today the NFL handed down its long anticipated punishments of Saints players involved in "bountygate." As was widely believed, Jonathan Vilma was the player hit heaviest, getting a one year suspension. Here's exactly how the suspensions break down.

• LB Jonathan Vilma is suspended for 2012 NFL season, effective immediately.
• LB Scott Fujita (now with the Browns) is suspended without pay for the first 3 games of the 2012 season.
• DE Anthony Hargrove (now with the Packers) is suspended without pay for the first 8 games of the 2012 season.
• DE Will Smith is suspended without pay for the first 4 games of the 2012 season.

It's still unclear whether the players will appeal their punishments, but they have only three days to do so.

The most peculiar thing about the suspensions handed down today was the timing. This round of suspensions was expected well before the draft, and the timing hurts the teams those players are now part of. It's possible that Roger Goodell didn't want the Browns, Packers, and especially the Saints to know those players' fates before the draft. Maybe there's some other reasons for the delay, but it certainly hasn't been made clear yet. That's just my speculation though.

The next major question to be answered in the "bountygate" saga is whether the NFLPA will go to bat for the suspended players, or will the NFLPA shy away from any appeals that could come in the next 3 days. I would expect Vilma and Hargrove to appeal their suspensions, although considering Roger Goodell's track record with disciplinary action, I wouldn't be too hopeful if I was one of those players. As for the NFLPA, it's probably wiser for them to just stay away from any appeals that may follow these suspensions.

Like TGS on Facebook

Follow TGS on Twitter

Chicago Bears: C+

The Bears met one of their most important needs before the draft began by reuniting Jay Cutler with wideout Brandon Marshall thanks to a trade with the Miami Dolphins. With Marshall in the fold, wide receiver went from a near "must have" to a "would be nice to have," especially if Johnny Knox is misses some or much of the regular season. Beyond receiver, more quality bodies on the offensive line looked like a priority, as did potentially a starting defensive end, and better defensive back depth.

The result of Phil Emery's first draft was a bunch of "ifs." First-round pick Shea McClellin could nail down the starting defensive end spot opposite Julius Peppers if he adjusts to playing defensive end full-time and holds up okay in run defense. Second-round pick Alshon Jeffery could be another big-target for Culter if he keeps his weight closer to 215 than 250. Third-round pick Brandon Hardin could be a big-time safety if the shoulder injury that cost him all of the 2011 season doesn't provide any lingering effects.

If, if, if. The uncertain fates of the top three picks emphasize the deep uncertainty inherent in grading a draft before any of the players have a chance to play. It's possible all three could become stars and also possible none is in the NFL in five years. Bet on one stud, one starter, and one scrub, in which case the fate of this class rests as much on the long-term contributions of late-round corners Isaiah Frey and Greg McCoy as much on the early players.

Detroit Lions: B+

The Detroit Lions were in an interesting position heading into the draft. An unexpected playoff appearance in 2011 came largely on the strength of Matt Stafford's over 5,000 passing yards. The conventional wisdom was the Lions needed a better running game and more importantly better top-end defensive talent. After all, a shaky secondary shredded by the Saints in the postseason lost perhaps its best player in Eric Wright.

The Lions instead chose to buttress their explosive offense with their first two picks then add bodies and more bodies to the defensive back seven in the rest of the draft. First-round pick Riley Reiff should be either an upgrade on Gosder Cherilus at right tackle or Jeff Backus's long-term replacement at left tackle, or perhaps the former immediately and the latter after a year or two. Second-round pick Ryan Broyles is coming off an ACL injury, but projects as the long-term replacement for Nate Burleson.

Beyond that, it was defense, defense, defense. Third-round corner Dwight Bentley will probably contribute as a rookie, while fifth-rounder Chris Greenwood has athletic upside. Broyles' fellow Oklahoma Sooners linebackers Ronnell and Travis Lewis should provide immediate special teams contributions, while Ronnell has long-term starting potential. Later-round defensive players, especially in the secondary, are more of a risk, so the Lions are probably counting on at least one corner and at least one linebacker to develop into a long-term starter. They'll probably get it, but it's not guaranteed.

According to the Associated Press the St. Louis Rams have submitted plans to upgrade the Edward Jones Dome, a key step to making sure the team doesn’t leave town.

The team turned in its counterproposal on Tuesday, declining to release details. The plan was given to the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission, the operator of the dome that announced its own plan in February. The CVC said it will begin the review process, but spokeswoman Donna Andrews declined further comment.

The Rams can legally break its 30-year lease after the 2014 season if the dome is not deemed to be among the top tier of NFL stadiums.

The rejected CVC plan included $124 million in improvements, featuring a massive scoreboard measuring 96 feet long, new club seats, windows to add natural light and even a 50,000-square-foot attachment with a “Geek Suite” area for electronic buffs and fantasy football players.

But the CVC plan called for the team to pay 52 percent of the cost, or about $64.5 million Taxpayers in St. Louis city and county would have been asked to pick up the rest of the cost or some $60 million.

The Rams offered no details on why the plan was rejected.

Under the lease, the two sides now have until June 15 to try and reach an agreement. Otherwise, arbitration begins. The arbitration process could last through the end of the year.

Rams owner Stan Kroenke has been non-committal about the team’s future in St. Louis if the dome is not upgraded, creating concern that St. Louis could lose an NFL team for the second time in a quarter of a century. The football Cardinals left for Arizona after the 1987 season in large part because of stadium issues. Owner Bill Bidwill wanted a stadium of his own rather than sharing Busch Stadium with baseball’s Cardinals.

Former Rams owner Georgia Frontiere brought the team from Los Angeles to her hometown of St. Louis prior to the 1995 season. The dome, built with taxpayer funds, opened that season. Frontiere died in 2008 and Kroenke, who had a 40 percent share, bought the remaining stake from her children.

Since the dome opened, several NFL teams have opened new open-air or retractable-roof stadiums. The St. Louis stadium is smaller than many and lacks some of their amenities.

The lease has built-in intervals when the team can break the lease if the dome is not deemed to be among the top 25 percent of all 32 NFL stadiums based on various criteria. The next interval is 2014.

There is concern in St. Louis that Kroenke could move the team back to Los Angeles. Kroenke, a real estate mogul whose wife is a Wal-Mart heir, is a Missouri native but has ties to California, too. He owns an estate in Malibu, Calif., and recently made an unsuccessful bid to purchase baseball’s Los Angeles Dodgers.

The dome was financed largely with taxpayer money — $256 million in bonds repaid by the state of Missouri and St. Louis city and county in a 30-year debt that will total $720 million.

The CVC is a public agency, though the lease says the CVC and the Rams can keep some information confidential except under certain circumstances — such as when the law or NFL policies require information to be released, or if all parties give permission to making information public. It wasn’t clear if that provision conflicts with the Missouri Sunshine Law, which requires governments and public agencies to keep most records and meetings open to public view.

Like TGS on Facebook

Follow TGS on Twitter

The Vikings still don't know if they'll be getting a new stadium in Minnesota. They don't even know if such a stadium would have a roof or not. As the stadium debate rages on in Minnesota, I can't help but think this is the type of situation that ends with a lot of hurt feelings and people asking why.

Earlier today Mark Dayton, the democratic governor of Minnesota heard that Republicans were trying to get authorization to potentially build a stadium without a roof. Dayton, along with the mayor of Minneapolis, quickly shot down the possibility of a roofless stadium pointing out that such a plan defeats the ability of the stadium to host non-football related events.

To be sure, the continued struggles of the Vikings and the state of Minnesota to come to an agreement on a plan to get the Vikings a new stadium is disappointing. The Vikings have a long, proud tradition in the NFL that is inseparably tied to the state of Minnesota. How this problem ever got to this point is beyond me, but the Vikings have options.

As of today, the Vikings don't fulfill the NFL's criteria for relocating outlined here, but that doesn't mean the Vikings can't eventually fulfill those requirements.

The biggest hurdle for relocation for the Vikings may be the effect that such a move would have on the NFL's divisions. Assuming the Vikings moved to a certain west coast city, the NFL would almost certainly have to realign a couple of its divisions. Because of the proximity of the Rams to the rest of the NFC North teams, it would seem logical that the Rams would become part of the NFC North, and the Vikings would move to the NFC West, but that's purely speculation on my part. Here's to hoping it doesn't come to that.

Like TGS on Facebook

Follow TGS on Twitter

Carolina Panthers – Overall grade B+

After getting their franchise pivot last year, it was time to build around Cam and get him some guys to protect him, some weapons to work with and some stability on the other side of the ball to give him a chance to win.

Value Pick – 2^nd round pick: Aminu Silatolu - Tackle, Midwestern St.

Silatolu was moving up the boards leading up to the draft and the Panthers were surely happy to have him available on day two. He is a small school player so he did not have a chance to play against elite competition, but he can play either tackle position and even bump inside to play some guard.

He will likely start out playing inside with Gross and Otah on the ends of the line and Kalil in the middle. Silatolu will start from day one barring an injury, and should start for the next decade.

Sleeper Pick – 4^th round pick: Joe Adams - WR, Arkansas

Adams is a solid SEC product that will instantly add some explosiveness to a passing attack that turned one dimensional at times last year. Brandon LaFell has not been able to be that solid number two man behind Steve Smith, and Adams could swoop in and take that roll if all goes according to plan.

Surprise Pick - 4^th round pick: Frank Alexander - DE, Oklahoma

Alexander is a bit of a tweener without a true position of defined set of skills. A two year starter for the Sooners, he can rush the passer with marginal success, and lacks coverage skills in the flat. He was a late-round prospect that the Panthers felt that he was worth taking in the mid-rounds.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Overall Grade B

It was a down years for the Buccos last year after Josh Freeman burst onto the scene a year prior. The young pivot could not get back on track with Mike Williams, and the team found themselves near the bottom of the league. They cracked out the check book for Vinny Jackson, Carl Nicks and Eric Wright, and continued to improve through the draft.

Value Pick – 2^nd round pick: Lavonte David – OLB, Nebraska

The Bucs front seven is one of the youngest in the league, and they added a stud to that core in David. He will be able to step in for Adam Hayways on the right side of the 4-3 and provide a solid mixture of pressure and run stuffing.

He has a solid mix of size, speed and strength, and if he can shed blockers off of his 6-foot-1 frame, then he should be able to step in from day one and succeed.

Sleeper Pick - 7^th round pick: Drake Dunsmore – TE, Northwestern

More and more teams are going towards spread sets with double tight, and Dunsmore might be able to provide that. Winslow is obviously the main man, but Dunsmore could bring a Cooley/Aaron Hernandez type look to the mix down the road.

He is still raw, but he has impressive 4.64 speed that could give him the ability to separate from safeties down the field. If the Pirates can get anything out of the 7^th round pick, call it a success.

Surprise pick – 1^st round pick: Mark Barron – SS, Alabama

The Bucs were positioned at 5 to get Claiborne, but they decided that Wright, Talib and Barber was enough on the corner for now. So instead they traded down for the Bama safety. After releasing Tanard Jackson, they clearly had a need for a safety, but if was mighty early in the draft for a player that may not be a Eric Berry/Earl Thomas game breaker.

John Harbaugh has never been one to mince words, but his latest statement is harsh even by a straight shooter's standards. In an interview with 97.9 FM, a Baltimore area radio station, Harbaugh was asked about Bountygate and the Saints. To answer the question, Harbaugh quickly answered by addressing the Patriots previous scandal, Spygate, saying,

"In the end, everything is brought before the light of day. Even the thing in New England, no matter whether those things had any impact on whether they won their championships or not, they got asterisks now, it’s been stained. So to me, it’s never worth it. You’ve got to figure out ways to use the rules to your advantage.

If you’re cheating, in the end, you’re going to get discredited. It’s just not worth it."

Harbaugh wasn't completely done at that point. He indicated that the Ravens have likely been the victims of other cheating teams, but he wouldn't talk about which specific teams may have cheated. Why wouldn't he say? He says that Pro Football Talk would run with it. Let's be perfectly honest here Coach. Pro Football Talk, SBNation, Bleacher Report, ESPN, Fox Sports, and This Given Sunday would all run with that kind of accusation.

As for the Patriots' titles having asterisks, maybe they do, and maybe they don't. Personally, I very rarely think about spygate. Frankly, I don't believe that filming walkthroughs would give the Patriots much of a competitive advantage, and that's not my own opinion only. When spygate broke, I had the opportunity to talk to a former two-time Indiana state champion high school coach, and he didn't think filming a walkthrough would give the Patriots much of an edge, but I can understand where some people, especially other head coaches, may think there's an asterisk attached to the Patriots' Super Bowls. For me, it's a dead issue. Let's just let it go.

Like TGS on Facebook

Follow TGS on Twitter

They say grading a draft only days after its completion is fruitless and absurd. But we do it anyway, mainly because there's a demand for the analysis, but also because I believe there's a way to evaluate a draft based on needs addressed and related circumstances that have little to do with the unpredictable futures of the players selected. These grades will likely change based on injuries, overachievement and underachievement. But there were still myriad situations on Thursday, Friday and Saturday where teams clearly either just missed on players they were targeting or hit on a pick they were praying would land in their lap.

That's how you grade a draft immediately. Let's attempt to do so with the four teams that reside in the NFC East, keeping our focus on needs addressed, rather than on the perceived quality of the players chosen.

Because let's face it: When it comes to the latter, we're all pretty much clueless.

Dallas Cowboys: A

Realistically, if Morris Claiborne turns into a star, this draft will be a success. If not, it'll likely be a failure. Dallas gave up a second-round pick in order to move up eight spots and select arguably the best defensive player in this year's class. Considering how often players selected at or around the 45 spot never pan out, that's a smart gamble in my books. With Claiborne, Brandon Carr and (for now) Mike Jenkins at corner, the Cowboys have turned a weakness into a strength this offseason.

And while they might have reached a tad for safety Matt Johnson in the fourth round, there's a belief that Johnson could have a huge upside in the NFL, making that secondary even stronger. Dallas didn't want to risk waiting for Johnson, a four-year starter at Eastern Washington with 17 picks, and so they used a compensatory pick on him. It's a small gamble, but another admirable one.

Dallas took some heat for not aggressively addressing the pass rush, but with DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer on board, they only need complementary pieces in the front seven. Tyrone Crawford and Kyle Wilber might not be stars-in-the-making, but as third- and fourth-round picks, they could become important parts up front.

While I'm a bit disappointed that they spent no picks on the interior of the offensive line to help DeMarco Murray and Felix Jones, the defense had to be the focus in this draft. Tony Romo is coming off his best season as a pro, and he should have Miles Austin in better shape, along with a healthy Murray, from the get-go. I love that the Cowboys spent their first four picks sprucing up a defense that was ranked bottom-10 across the board against the pass in 2011.

New York Giants: B

Some will say that the world champion's main job is to simply address any holes left in free agency and bolster any potential weaknesses. That's what the Giants did, drafting running back David Wilson to replace Brandon Jacobs, wide receiver Rueben Randle to replace Mario Manningham, cornerback Jayron Hosley to replace Aaron Ross and tight end Adrien Robinson to help replace the injured Jake Ballard.

Fine, but maybe that was too defensive. After all, the rest of the division was trading up to get better, while the Giants sat back and accepted something close to the status quo.

Luck wasn't on their side, either, as the Wilson pick might have been born out of panic after the team missed out on Doug Martin at the bottom of the first round. The key to fixing that running game might be the offensive line, but the G-Men didn't address that unit until they took tackles in Rounds 4 and 6, and neither Brandon Mosley nor Matt McCants are expected to see the field much in 2012.

But Hosley could contribute quickly, and if Terrell Thomas can stay healthy, those two will bolster a secondary that struggled for much of 2011. And the athletic Robinson has the potential to become a stud, which is convenient since he also helps add depth at a position of need.

The Ravens kicked off their 2012 draft by trading out of the 29th overall pick and the first round altogether. Their first selection came with the 3rd pick of the 2nd round, and they selected Courtney Upshaw, a guy that some analysts had going in the top 10 earlier in the postseason, but Upshaw slid down the board in recent weeks.

Eric DeCosta, the Ravens' director of player personnel, tends to make baseball analogies to explain how the Ravens' draft went. After this year's draft, he pulled out one of baseball's greatest cliches.

"I think we probably had to manufacture some runs this year. We had some players that we liked and they got picked, and we had to get creative quickly on the fly."

Whenever a team trades out of the first round altogether, you already know that their draft day strategy didn't work as that team may have envisioned it. Sometimes "plan A" doesn't pan out, and you have to adapt to the changing dynamic of the draft, and that's exactly what DeCosta and Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome did.

It was rumored that Patriots LB Dont'a Hightower was in the Ravens crosshairs, but the Patriots pulled the trigger before he could fall to the Ravens' original first round pick at 29th overall. Kevin Zeitler, a guard from Wisconsin, was taken at 27th overall, just in front of the Ravens' pick. With their targets disappearing, it made perfect sense for the Ravens to trade down and find another targeted player they felt good about.

Courtney Upshaw will fit in well with the Ravens' defense, and he'll compete for a starting job right off the bat. Even if Upshaw isn't able to show he's good enough to start on one of the league's best defenses, he'll add valuable depth to one of the most important positions in a 3-4 defense, and he's even more valuable on a Ravens defense that likes to continuously shift.

It's clear that the Ravens didn't have everything work out exactly as they had hoped. The Ravens have a great personnel department, and they were able to shift their draft strategy as the situation changed with each pick. Being able to walk away from the draft having filled most of their team needs is a great accomplishment, and draft day performances like that are what keep the best teams in the league on top.

Like TGS on Facebook

Follow TGS on Twitter