2013 NFL Draft First Round Draft Grades

Stay with PatsPulpit.com as this page is updated with each and every selection throughout the first round. Opinion and analysis will also be provided by contributor Kevin O'Connor. Be sure to follow @Kevin__OConnor and @PatsPulpit if you'd like to discuss the draft on Twitter!

2013 NFL Draft

Round One

1. Kansas City Chiefs - Eric Fisher, OT, Central Michigan
---Fisher potentially gives the Chiefs a stud tackle for years to come. He's an athletic player that perfectly fits Andy Reid's pass-heavy offense. He's a tad more of a risk than Luke Joeckel but has more upside. Grade: A

2. Jacksonville Jaguars - Luke Joeckel, OT, Texas A&M
---The Jags bolster their offensive line with a potentially elite offensive tackle. However, they miss an opportunity to improve their terrible pass rush by passing on players like Dion Jordan and Ziggy Ansah. Grade: B-

3. Miami Dolphins (f/OAK) - Dion Jordan, DE/OLB, Oregon
---Watch out, Tom Brady! Cameron Wake and Dion Jordan will likely be one of the best pass rushing tandems for years to come. By trading up with Oakland, the Dolphins are doing everything they can to compete with New England. Grade: A+

4. Philadelphia Eagles - Lane Johnson, OT, Oklahoma
---Johnson is an abnormally athletic offensive tackle that fits Chip Kelly's fast-paced, up-tempo system on offense. I would imagine this is the player they wanted from the start, no matter what happened in the three picks before them. Grade: A

5. Detroit Lions - Ezekiel Ansah, DE, BYU
---Ansah is one of the fast risers in the draft. He has very little experience playing football but has already shown potential to be a terrific NFL player. It's risky but well worth it for the Lions. Grade: B

6. Cleveland Browns - Barkevious Mingo, DE/OLB, LSU
---The Browns are doing everything they can to build a well-rounded defense by signing Paul Kruger and drafting Mingo. With strong a linebacker crew and secondary, I like this pick. Mingo might have a lot of problems defending the run early in his career but has big upside as a pass rusher. Grade: B-

7. Arizona Cardinals - Jonathan Cooper, OG, North Carolina
---With three strong defenses in the NFC West, the Cardinals need to bolster the offensive line in order to give their quarterback time to throw. This might be a tad early for guard but the pick had to be made. Grade: A-

8. St. Louis Rams (f/BUF) - Tavon Austin, WR, West Virginia
---The Rams make the aggressive move by trading up to get the player they wanted. Tavon Austin is the most dynamic player in the draft and has the potential to be perfect replacement for Danny Amendola -- and maybe even more. Grade: A+

9. New York Jets - Dee Milliner, CB, Alabama
---Milliner has a scary medical history but was a terrific cornerback for Alabama. He's the replacement for Darrelle Revis, so a lot of pressure will be on him to stay healthy and succeed. Great pick if he's healthy. Grade: B-

10. Tennessee Titans - Chance Warmack, OG, Alabama
---Warmack has big-time potential and I consider him the best guard in the draft. Chris Johnson and Jake Locker need protection in front of them and Warmack will provide that for years. Grade: A-

11. San Diego Chargers - DJ Fluker, RT, Alabama
---The Chargers need to protect Philip Rivers and now have two gigantic bookend tackles in DJ Fluker and King Dunlap. They would've preferred a left tackle so Dunlap can shift to right tackle, but this will do for now. Grade: B

12. Oakland Raiders (f/MIA) - DJ Hayden, CB, Houston
---What a story. From near death to the #12 pick in the draft, DJ Hayden will now have the opportunity to be a star like Nnamdi Asomugha was for Oakland. Hayden is probably the best corner in this draft but the risk is there because of his long recovery from surgery. Grade: A-

13. New York Jets (f/TB) - Sheldon Richardson, DT, Missouri
---It's surprising he is the first defensive tackle off the board but Richardson is a freak of nature and fits the Jets scheme on defense better than Sharrif Floyd does. Richardson is a versatile, explosive player that could play either DT or DE for the team. He can defend the run and get after the quarterback. Grade: A-

14. Carolina Panthers - Star Lotulelei, DT, Utah
---I'm a tad surprised to not see Sharrif Floyd here, I thought he fit their scheme a lot better. But Star Lotulelei is a terrific player that has versatility on the defensive line. He's another powerful player that does a quality job at defending the run and getting after the quarterback. Grade: B+

15. New Orleans Saints - Kenny Vaccaro, S, Texas
---The Saints need help in the secondary. Vaccaro can play in the box, cover tight ends and is very good in coverage too. He's a good all around player though you have to wonder if a pass rusher would've been a better selection here. Grade: B

16. Buffalo Bills (f/STL) - EJ Manuel, QB, Florida State
---The first quarterback off the board is EJ Manuel. This pick is based more on upside than anything else. He was an above average quarterback on a great college team but showed the potential to be special. This is a pick that could make or break the Buffalo Bills franchise. At least he's a much better selection than Ryan Nassib would've been. Grade: B-

17. Pittsburgh Steelers - Jarvis Jones, OLB, Georgia
---Like I said in my mock draft, "Jarvis Jones is absolutely the perfect replacement for James Harrison. In my opinion, a pass rusher to the Steelers makes more sense than any other selection in the draft." However, Jones does have a degenerative disease in his spinal cord so there is a risk (like with any edge-rusher). Perfect fit though. Grade: A-

18. San Francisco 49ers - Eric Reid, S, LSU
---The 49ers trade up to replace Dashon Goldson with Eric Reid, one of the safer selections this year. Reid had a lot of success with LSU and is very good in both coverage and in run support. A stud 49ers defense just got that much stronger. Grade: A

19. New York Giants - Justin Pugh, OT/OG Syracuse
---Pugh is a flexible lineman that can play both tackle and guard. This pick isn't as sexy as Sharrif Floyd or Tank Carradine would've been but the Giants need to improve the offensive line and Pugh helps there. Grade: B-

20. Chicago Bears - Kyle Long, OT/OG, Oregon
---This is the first pick that really came out of nowhere. I thought the Bears would've been better off going defense in the first round and fix the offensive line in round two. I assume they'll grab a defensive player in round two but I don't think Long warrants the #20 selection, though he is talented. Grade: C

21. Cincinnati Bengals - Tyler Eifert, TE, Notre Dame
---The Bengals clearly want their own version of Gronkowski and Hernandez. Eifert alongside Jermaine Gresham and AJ Green gives Andy Dalton a lot of options to work with. This Bengals team is slowly building an offensive to be reckoned with as Eifert has potential to be a great tight end. Grade: A-

22. Atlanta Falcons (f/WAS via STL) - Desmond Trufant, CB, Washington
---I had the Falcons taking Trufant at #30 in my mock draft. He's a perfect fit for the team after losing Brent Grimes to free agency. Check out this in-depth scouting report on Trufant. Grade: A-

23. Minnesota Vikings - Sharrif Floyd, DT, Florida
---What a gift. If Floyd drops this far there is no possible way that Minnesota can pass him up. He's a monster with virtually no weaknesses. I think Floyd will be a star in the NFL. That is essentially wrote in my mock draft where I had Floyd slotted at #14 to Carolina. In my opinion, this is the steal of the draft. Grade: A+

24. Indianapolis Colts - Bjöern Werner, DE, Florida State
---Werner is a safe pick which is why he has seen his stock decline from top-five to the late first. He's good at almost everything but isn't spectacular anywhere. I'm not sold on his ability to drop into coverage in the Colts 3-4 defense, but he is a quality pick. Grade: B-

25. Minnesota Vikings (f/SEA) - Xavier Rhodes, CB, Florida State
---With Antonio Winfield out the door, Xavier Rhodes comes in as his replacement as the best cornerback left on the board. Rhodes is a big, strong cornerback that excels in press coverage and has potential in other areas of his game. The Vikings can fill their needs at linebacker in a later round. Grade: B

26. Green Bay Packers - Datone Jones, DE, UCLA
---Jones is a perfect fit for Green Bay's 3-4 scheme. As i wrote in my in-depth draft preview on Jones, he's a versatile player that can play a number of roles on the defensive line. The Packers now have a collection of pass rushers that could wreak havoc in the NFC. Grade: A

27. Houston Texans - DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Clemson
---Hopkins is my favorite wide receiver in the draft besides Tavon Austin and I feel he is the perfect compliment to Andre Johnson. He's a physical player that has a special ability to find open spots on the field. He's also able to pick up an insane amount of yardage after the catch. I wrote an in-depth scouting report on him that you can read here. Grade: A

28. Denver Broncos - Sylvester Williams, DT, North Carolina
---The Broncos really couldn't do anything wrong here as they are strong at basically every area. Williams is a very good due to his size. He's an instinctual player that is a solid pass rusher and a great defender. I think his upside is limited Grade: B-

29. Minnesota Vikings (f/NE) - Cordarrelle Patterson, WR, Tennessee
---Minnesota Vikings fans should be on cloud nine after these three first round selections. Patterson has the most upside out of any receiver in the draft. With Greg Jennings as the number one receiver in Minnesota, he can be eased into the offense as the number two. He's young and immature so there is some risk, but he'll have a great mentor in Greg Jennings. Grade: A-

30. St. Louis Rams (f/ATL) - Alec Ogletree, LB, Georgia
---Alec Ogletree is a versatile linebacker that can play either inside or outside linebacker. He first started as a safety at Georgia and his skills really show considering how exceptional of a coverage linebacker he is. He does have some character concerns which is why he dropped so far. This grade gets an extra boost considering they were able to get a quality player and pick up extra picks. Grade: A-

31. Dallas Cowboys (f/SF) - Travis Frederick, C, Wisconson
---I'm glad I'm not a Cowboys fan. This is a total reach. While the Cowboys do need to improve the offensive line, how do you trade down from #18 and #31, only pick up a third rounder (#74) and still reach on a center? Unbelievable. The only reason this isn't a total failure is because center is a need. Grade: D

32. Baltimore Ravens - Matt Elam, S, Florida
---With Ed Reed and Bernard Pollard out of town, the Ravens are in need of a safety for the future. Elam is a very good all around safety but is not nearly the ballhawk that Ed Reed is but Michael Huff fills that role. Elam more or less fills the Pollard role, as a punishing run defender. Elam has room to grow and needs to be more disciplined but he has flashed the potential to be an effective player in the NFL. Grade: B+

Day One Draft Day Trades
Raiders trade #3 (R1) to Miami for #12 (R1) and #42 (R2)
Bills trade #8 (R1) and #71 (R3) to St. Louis for #16 (R1), #46 (R2), #78 (R3) and #222 (R7)
Cowboys trade #18 (R1) to San Francisco for #31 (R1) and #74 (R3)
Rams trade #22 (R1) to Atlanta for #30 (R1), #92 (R3) and #198 (R6)
Patriots trade #29 (R1) to Minnesota for #52 (R2), #83 (R3), #102(R4), and #229 (R7)

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