So who had the best draft this year? I give a gold star to Baltimore, Cleveland, Minnesota, Buffalo, Carolina, and Jacksonville. However, not everyone can go home happy. Philadelphia, San Diego, and Green Bay should be hanging their heads' in shame.

Hi everyone, my name is Shawn Zobel, the newest NFL writer here at 411. To tell you a little bit about myself, I have my own website, draftheadquarters.com, where I dish out the latest info on everything about the NFL draft. This past draft, I placed 8th in the nation in a Mock Draft contest, finishing only one point behind Mel Kiper Jr. I beat out a number of notable draft experts, including Charley Casserly, ex/Houston Texans General Manager, Mike Mayock, NFL Network, and Todd McShay, ESPN/Scouts Inc. I personally consider myself to be a knowledgeable football fan with many contacts inside the NFL. I have done television, radio, and print interviews and am always open to talking football. I speak with agents and scouts on a regular basis have produced my own NFL Draft guide (Shawn Zobel's 2007 Draft Preview.)

My impressions on this year's draft are all over the board. My Post-Draft grades will show that there were several good drafts, while there were some that I really didn't like. My favorite drafts came from Baltimore, Cleveland, Minnesota, Buffalo, Carolina, and Jacksonville.

Baltimore Ravens

With the #29 Overall pick in the Draft, the Ravens selected Ben Grubbs, offensive guard from Auburn. Grubbs was a great pick here. He is a standout guard that should be capable of stepping in and starting as a rookie. The Ravens offensive line has lost a few pieces this offseason, so this was a great pick. With their first 3rd Round pick, the Ravens took Yamon Figurs, wide receiver from Kansas State. I love this pick. Figurs was the fastest player at the Combine (4.30 in the 40-yard dash) and has amazing kick return ability. Don't be surprised if he ends up playing in a Pro Bowl or two in his career. With their second 3rd Round pick, the Ravens continued to address their offensive line with Marshall Yanda, offensive guard from Iowa. Yanda is a versatile offensive lineman that is capable of playing both guard and tackle.

With their first pick in the 4th Round, the Ravens selected Antwan Barnes, linebacker from Florida International. I love this pick. Barnes is another player that I am very high on. Do not be surprised if he plays in the Pro Bowl as a member of the Ravens defense. With their second pick in the 4th Round, the Ravens selected Le'Ron McClain, fullback from Alabama. This offseason, the Ravens lost their fullback Ovie Mughelli to the Falcons. McClain should be capable of stepping in as his replacement. In the 5th Round, Baltimore went with Troy Smith, quarterback from Ohio State. This was a great pick. Steve McNair is closing in on the end of his career and Kyle Boller is not the quarterback of the future for the Ravens. Smith could be that guy. With their final pick, in the 6th Round, the Ravens selected Prescott Burgess, linebacker from Michigan. Burgess was a solid pick here and should add some nice depth to the Ravens linebacker core.

Cleveland Browns

The Browns had one of the most intriguing drafts that I have ever seen. With the #3 Overall pick, they selected Joe Thomas, offensive tackle from Wisconsin. Thomas was the best lineman available in this year's draft and should hold down the left tackle position for the Browns for quite a while. The Browns then decided to trade back up into the 1st Round, and selected Brady Quinn, quarterback from Notre Dame. Quinn had been sliding down the board, and the Browns were very fortunate to land him here. In the 2nd Round, the Browns again traded up and drafted Eric Wright, cornerback from UNLV. Wright has some character problems, but he has the talent to be a starter in the NFL. With their next pick, in the 5th Round, Cleveland selected Brandon McDonald, cornerback from Memphis. McDonald's stock had been rising in the days leading up to the draft, and was a good pick here.

In the 6th Round, the Browns took Melila Purcell, defensive end from Hawaii. I didn't really like this pick. I personally felt that there were better defensive ends on the board than Purcell. With their first 7th Round pick, the Browns selected Chase Pittman, defensive end from LSU. Pittman, at the least, should have an impact on special teams. With their second pick in the 7th Round, the Browns drafted Syndric Steptoe, wide receiver from Arizona. I really like this pick. Steptoe has the potential to play in the slot or flanker position for the Browns and he has very good kick return ability.

Minnesota Vikings

Moving on to Minnesota, with their 1st Round pick, the Vikings selected runningback Adrian Peterson. This was a great pick. Peterson was the best player available and will surely bring some much needed excitement to that offense. The duo of Chester Taylor and Peterson has the potential to be one of the best in the NFL. In the 2nd Round, the Vikings took wide receiver Sidney Rice. Rice is an inexperienced receiver from South Carolina. Sound familiar? I don't understand why the Vikings would pass on both USC receivers, Dwayne Jarrett and Steve Smith, for another receiver from South Carolina. With their 3rd Round pick, the Vikes selected cornerback Marcus McCauley. I like the pick. McCauley has the potential to be a great player in the NFL. As a junior he had an outstanding year, but as a senior, he looked horrible. If he can return to his junior form, he could be a steal for Minnesota. Brian Robison, in the 4th Round, was a very nice pick. The Vikings land their defensive end help here and also land a special teams stud. Robison is known for blocking punts over the course of his career at Texas.

In the 5th Round, the Vikings went with Aundrae Allison, wide receiver from East Carolina. Allison was a sleeper this year and brings some much needed depth to the wide receiving core. He has the potential to be a very good player in the NFL. In the 6th Round, Minnesota went with Rufus Alexander, linebacker from Oklahoma. He was one of the best players available at the time and should, at the least, have a big impact on special teams. With their first 7th Round pick, the Vikings took Tyler Thigpen, quarterback from Coastal Carolina. The Vikings were high on Thigpen before the draft and likely brought him in as a developmental prospect. With their second 7th Round pick, they took Chandler Williams, wide receiver from Florida International. With this pick, they continued to add depth to their wide receiving core, which was a smart move. Chandler is a developmental receiver and could potentially see some playing time next year.

Buffalo Bills

Heading over to Buffalo, with the #12 Overall pick in the Draft, the Bills selected Marshawn Lynch, runningback from California. With Patrick Willis gone, this was a great pick. They also could have gone with a cornerback in Darrelle Revis or Leon Hall, but Lynch was a safe pick. In the 2nd Round, Buffalo traded up for Paul Posluszny, linebacker from Penn State. This was a great move by the Bills Front Office. Linebacker was a pretty big need for them, and they filled it with a true leader in Posluszny. In the 3rd Round, the Bills selected Trent Edwards, quarterback from Stanford. Edwards was a steal here, as it was very surprising that he lasted this long. Great pick.

With their 4th Round selection, the Bills continued to add to their stable of runningbacks, drafting Dwayne Wright from Fresno State. Wright is a bigger runningback and should form a nice 1-2 punch with Lynch. In the 6th Round, Buffalo selected John Wendling, safety from Wyoming. Wendling was another steal. I was very surprised to see him fall as far as he did. This was a great "value" pick for the Bills. With their first pick in the 7th Round, the Bills selected Derek Schouman, fullback from Boise State. This was a pretty good pick. Schouman, at the least, should be capable of providing help on special teams. With their second pick in the 7th Round, the Bills drafted CJ Ah You, defensive end from Oklahoma. I like this pick here. Ah You is a solid defensive end and should bring some nice depth to the Bills defensive line.

Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers traded down 11 spots in the first round and still picked up the guy they had been targeting, Jon Beason, linebacker from Miami (FL). Beason is a solid player and should be able to contribute right away. With their first 2nd Round pick, the Panthers drafted Dwayne Jarrett, wide receiver from USC. I love this pick. Dwayne Jarrett is of great value here and is capable of stepping in and starting for the Panthers. With their second 2nd Round pick, Carolina selected Ryan Kalil, center from USC. Again, I love this pick. Carolina got great value with both of their 2nd Round picks, and had an outstanding Day 1. With their 3rd Round pick, the Panthers took Charles Johnson, defensive end from Georgia. Johnson had a great junior season and decided to leave early. The Panthers, once again, got great value here in the 3rd Round.

In the 4th Round, the Panthers drafted Ryne Robinson, wide receiver from Miami (OH). I really like this pick. Robinson is a great kick returner and should be able to contribute right away. With their 5th Round pick, Carolina went with Dante Rosario, tight end from Oregon. I like that they went with tight here, but I would have gone with a different player. With their second 5th Round pick, the Panthers took Tim Shaw, linebacker from Penn State. Shaw is a versatile player and should bring some nice depth to the Panthers defense. With their final selection, the Panthers drafted CJ Wilson, cornerback from Baylor. Wilson was a solid pick here. I loved the Panthers draft, expect for the fact that they didn't address their greatest need, safety.

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