Detroit Lions - OVERALL GRADE:  A-

Mike Adams has been the subject of much scrutiny for much of the off-season, but I love his value at #23 to the Lions.  He will likely provide an upgrade over Gosder Cherilus at the right tackle position, and has the potential to develop into an excellent blindside protector to eventually replace Jeff Backus.  2nd round pick Andre Branch is a Cliff Avril clone who fits nicely into the Lions wide 9 defense, and who offers insurance in the event that the Lions are unable to sign Avril to a long-term deal.  3rd round pick Josh Norman comes with some character concerns, but demonstrated the ability to click and close in Detroit's off-man and zone coverage scheme during his week of practices for the East West Shrine Game.  The Lions bring in the eventual replacement for Dominic Raiola (33 years old) at the center position by drafting Mike Brewster in the 4th round.  5th round pick Kelcie McCray will push Amari Spievey for the starting strong safety position, but will likely make his contributions on kick coverage teams.  Case Keenum comes from a wide open offense at Houston, and is an undersized developmental prospect that the Lions take a flier on in the 7th.  Later in the 7th, the Lions get a great value in homegrown talent B.J. Cunningham, a wide receiver who lacks great speed, but who has good size, balance, and is a good route-runner.  The Lions GM did an exceptional job of filling needs with talented players who fit their scheme on both sides of the ball.  The lack of depth at the halfback position, where the Lions struggled to put a healthy body on the field in 2011, was the only blemish on an otherwise stellar draft.

Minnesota Vikings - OVERALL GRADE:  B+

The Vikings use their #3 overall pick to select an elite left tackle to help protect Christian Ponder.  The selection of Matt Kalil begins what will be a major overhaul along the Vikings offensive line.  Jamell Fleming is one of the more feisty corners in this draft, and is a welcome addition to the Vikings secondary in the 2nd round.  3rd round pick Antonio Allen replaces Tyrell Johnson at strong safety.  The Vikings take receiver Nick Toon in the 4th round to give Ponder a reliable target at wide receiver.  4th round compensatory pick Terrell Manning can compete with Erin Henderson for the middle linebacker position, with the loser moving over to the weak side.  With their second compensatory pick in the 4th, the Vikings select Kheeston Randall, an impressive athlete who should provide pressure from the interior on passing downs.  5th round pick Vick Ballard was unimpressive at Senior Bowl practices, but has the raw talent to be an NFL back.  Frank Alexander was a productive pass rusher at Oklahoma, and could be a steal in the 6th round.  7th round corner Keith Tandy struggles to keep up with vertical threats, but has the skills to play in the Vikings zone coverage scheme, and 7th round linebacker Sammy Brown has a knack for getting to the quarterback.  The Vikings GM did a solid job addressing the long list of team needs with the picks available to him.  The only negative was the lack of depth added to the offensive line, where the release of veterans Steve Hutchinson and Anthony Herrera leaves the Vikings short able bodies in the event of injury.

Green Bay Packers - OVERALL GRADE:  B+

The Packers grab the versatile pass rusher Shea McClellin in the 1st round.  I can't complain too much about a slight reach here because he would not have been available in the 2nd round, and he gives the Packers a perfect compliment to Clay Matthews Jr.  Green Bay uses that 2nd round pick to beat the rest of the league to the top free safety prospect in this class, Notre Dame's Harrison Smith.  With uncertainty surrounding Nick Collins' career-threatening neck injury, the Packers needed someone they could plug into their secondary right away.  3rd round pick Jake Bequette gives the Packers depth at outside linebacker, and allows them the flexibility to move Shea McClellin to the inside linebacker position.  With Mike Neal suspended for four games in 2012, Malik Jackson or Billy Winn may have been better choices here.  Bernard Pierce gives the Packers a ready producer in the running game, and is a good value late in the 4th.  Green Bay was awarded two compensatory picks at the end of the 4th round.  Leonard Johnson is an underrated press corner who is a solid value here, and Travis Lewis adds depth at inside linebacker.  Donald Stephenson (5th round) is an athletic offensive lineman with left tackle upside and the versatility to provide depth along an oft-injured offensive line for the Packers.  Rush linebacker prospect Donte Paige-Moss was considered a 1st round talent prior to last season, and is worth taking a flier on late in the 6th.  The Packers select developmental quarterback prospect Austin Davis from Southern Miss in the 7th in hopes of landing another solid late-round backup to replace the departed Matt Flynn.  James Carmon is a developmental offensive tackle with plenty of upside.  Bryce Brown was very highly sought after coming out of high school, and is a very talented halfback prospect.  The Packers finish the 7th round by drafting another talented rush linebacker prospect in Ryan Davis from Bethune-Cookman.  The Packers GM helped the rich get richer, but left at least a four-game hole at defensive end (Mike Neal suspension) by not landing a defensive line prospect in the first three rounds. Failure to add a ready contributor at a time when one was available cost him what would have otherwise been a solid "A" grade.

Chicago Bears - OVERALL GRADE:  C

Chicago looks to replace J’Marcus Webb as their blindside protector with their 1st round pick.  I am not so sure Jonathan Martin is an NFL left tackle, and think Mike Adams or even Cordy Glenn would have been better choices here.  The good news is that Martin can’t be much worse than Webb.  I’m not a fan of Bruce Irvin at #50 overall either.  I have Irvin graded as a 5th round prospect, and don’t see him being successful playing playing linebacker or with his hand in the dirt in Chicago’s cover-2 defense.  With their 3rd round pick the Bears take wide receiver Chris Givens, a productive college player upon whom many of us may be sleeping.  4th round pick Orson Charles provides a good complement to Kellen Davis, and gives Jay Cutler a formidable weapon at tight end that can stretch the field.  5th round pick Lucas Nix can push right guard Charles Spencer and provide depth on the interior offensive line.  Chris Owusu (6th round) fell under the radar after missing time with a concussion in 2011, but gives the Bears another speedy receiver in the event that Johnny Knox is unable to return.  Mike Daniels (7th round) is a good fit as a developmental 3-technique.  My grade for Chicago's GM is just average, mainly because I think he could have gotten better value early in the draft.  I struggle most with the Bruce Irvin pick, and while I realize that others have him rated higher than my 5th round grade, I don't see where he helps the Bears.