Chiefs find draft quality in quantity

Arizona: The Cardinals needed to address their pass defense, which ranked 28th in the NFL last season. CB Dominique Rogers-Cromartie was a steal at No. 16 and defensive ends Calais Campbell, Kenny Iwebema and Chris Harrington can help dial up the heat up front. B

Atlanta: The Falcons gave their fans hope -- and also slammed the book shut on the Michael Vick era -- by drafting Matt Ryan at No. 3. Atlanta had the best third round of this draft with two defensive backs for the 23rd-ranked pass defense and WR Harry Douglas out of Louisville. B

Baltimore: The Ravens needed a quarterback and probably overextended for Joe Flacco. New head coach John Harbaugh didn't forget his special teams roots when he drafted safeties Tom Zbikowski and Haruki Nakamura and wide receiver Marcus Smith. C

Buffalo: The Bills came away with the best cornerback and best kick returner in the draft, and it's the same player -- CB Leodis McKelvin. WR James Hardy gives the Bills a huge target in the red zone. He's a great complement for speedy WR Lee Evans. C

Carolina: The Panthers had the best seventh round, landing a pass rusher in Hilee Taylor and two blockers in Mackenzy Bernadeau and Geoff Schwartz. Getting OT Jeff Otah and RB Jonathan Stewart will help the Panthers establish the running game. B

Chicago: The Bears subscribe to the big-school drafting philosophy and found quality throughout. WR Earl Bennett in the third, S Craig Steltz in the fourth, CB Zackary Bowman in the fifth and WR Marcus Monk in the seventh were all value picks. A

Cincinnati: The Bengals were the one team that did not shy away from character players (once again). LB Keith Rivers and S Corey Lynch have great character and will be the face of this class. DTs Pat Sims and Jason Shirley can be boom or bust. C

Cleveland: The Browns did remarkably well for not having a pick in the first four rounds. MLB Beau Bell could have an impact as a rookie in the NFL's 27th-ranked run defense, and Paul Hubbard and Martin Rucker can help diversify the passing attack. C

Dallas: The Cowboys were cruising along with a great draft until reaching for LB Erik Walden in the sixth. RB Tashard Choice in the fourth and CB Orlando Scandrick in the fifth were superb second-day selections. RB Felix Jones of Arkansas will be a boon to the special teams. B

Denver: Denver needed help for its defense, which ranked 19th in the league last season. But Coach Mike Shanahan is an offensive genius, so the Broncos used their first three picks to bolster the league's 11th-ranked offense. C

Detroit: The Lions wanted to make this a defensive draft and selected three potential starters in the first three rounds. But their offense, the NFL's worst last season, may benefit even more from the arrival of OT Gosder Cherilus and RB Kevin Smith. A

Green Bay: The Packers traded out of the first round and then turned in the best second round of the draft. Louisville's Brian Brohm gives them insurance for Aaron Rodgers, Auburn's Patrick Lee gives them another big corner, and Jordy Nelson is a big-body, big-play receiver. B

Houston: Desperate for an offensive tackle, the Texans reached deep into the first round to claim Virginia Tech's Duane Brown with the 26th overall selection. EKU's Antwaun Molden could be the home run of this draft if the Texans show patience. C

Indianapolis: There were six quality centers in this draft, and the Colts claimed three of them: Mike Pollak, Steve Justice and Jamey Richard. Those three will also work as guards. Indy had the best sixth round, adding Steve Justice, RB Mike Hart and TE Tom Santi. C

Jacksonville: There were four elite pass rushers in this draft, and the Jaguars came away with two of them, DEs Derrick Harvey of Florida and Auburn's Quentin Groves. Southern Cal alum Jack Del Rio stayed true to his school by drafting LB Thomas Williams and RB Chauncey Washington late. C

Kansas City: The good fortune began when Outland Trophy-winning DT Glenn Dorsey slid to them at five. The Chiefs drafted seven players who had third-round grades or better. A quantity draft (12 picks) evolved into a quality draft. A+

Miami: Chad Henne and Jake Long helped take Michigan to four consecutive bowls. The Dolphins are hoping they can continue working their bowl magic in South Florida. DE Philip Merling has the size up front that Bill Parcells likes. C

Minnesota: The Vikings sent their first- and third-round picks to Kansas City in the deal for NFL sack leader Jared Allen, which slowed this draft down. But getting S Jaymar Johnson at No. 43 was a bargain, and John David Booty provides insurance at quarterback. C

New England: The Patriots have a different type of draft board, targeting skills rather than positions. Tennessee's Jarod Mayo can play all four linebacker spots, Shawn Crable is an edge rusher, and Matt Slater is the draft's best special teams player. C

New Orleans: The Saints wanted to come away with a defensive tackle and tried to trade up for Dorsey and for Ellis, succeeding in landing Sedrick Ellis. Carl Nicks is the best run blocker in the draft, and Adrian Arrington is one of the best possession WRs. B

NY Giants: Like the Bears, the Super Bowl champions love big-school players and have an affinity for Michigan players in particular. Mario Manningham was the beneficiary in 2008. Kenny Phillips steps in for free-agent defection Gibril Wilson. C

N.Y. Jets: The Jets landed the best pass rusher and the best pass-catching tight end in the draft. San Jose State's Dwight Lowery also was one of the best ballhawks available. Erik Ainge of Tennessee could stoke an already-heated quarterback competition. C

Oakland: Pencil in RB Darren McFadden out of Arkansas as the favorite for NFL rookie of the year honors. Al Davis likes size and speed, and McFadden has plenty of both. Safety Tyvon Branch, WR Arman Shields and DE Trevor Scott are also prototype speedy Raiders. C

Philadelphia: After coming up short in the offensive tackle market, the Eagles bailed out of the first round. DT Trevor Laws will provide the Eagles an inside rotation on defense, and WR DeSean Jackson and S Quintin Demps should have immediate impacts on special teams. C

Pittsburgh: Rashard Mendenhall was the steal of the draft at No. 23. Teaming with Willie Parker, the Steelers will have two offensive speeds -- fast and faster. The play-action game will never be better. QB Dennis Dixon has Slash-like potential. C

St. Louis: Chris Long will be a great complement up front to last year's top pick by the Rams, Adam Carriker. They will be two of the highest motor defensive linemen in the league. Donnie Avery and Keenan Burton of Kentucky inject fast legs into an aging receiving corps. A

San Diego: Antoine Cason replaces free-agent defector Drayton Florence in San Diego's cornerback rotation, and FB Jacob Hester of LSU was arguably the highest character player in this draft. He was an investment in the future success of LaDainian Tomlinson. C

San Francisco: The 49ers didn't have many picks but smartly took the value as it arrived up on the draft board. Kentwan Balmer, Chilo Rachal and Cody Wallace will make the 49ers more formidable up front. Josh Morgan could be a real find with his speed. C

Seattle: The Seahawks took a kicker and a deep snapper to bolster the NFL's 14th-ranked special teams unit. Lawrence Jackson adds size on defense, and John Carlson will give QB Matt Hasselbeck a dependable underneath receiver. C

Tampa Bay: The Bucs made one of the biggest reaches of the draft, taking WR Dexter Jackson in the second round. He projected as a fifth-rounder. But GM Bruce Allen recovered nicely in the second day with Dre Moore, Josh Johnson, Geno Hayes and Cory Boyd. C

Tennessee: The Titans needed offensive speed and landed the fastest player in this draft in RB Chris Johnson. Tennessee had the best fourth round of the draft, taking big-school producers Lavelle Hawkins and Staford Keglar and small-school riser William Hayes. B

Washington: New coach Jim Zorn can build the offense to his liking with the first-day selections of two wide receivers and a tight end. Devin Thomas, Fred Davis and Malcolm Kelly had first-round grades, and the Redskins found them in the second. C