I’m of that opinion that you can’t truly grade a draft until 4 years after it took place. It takes that long to really evaluate which players have adapted to the NFL, and which players haven’t. For that reason, anything before that should only be looked at from a “Pass/Fail” perspective. The things that I take into consideration when looking at a draft and deciding on whether a team “passed” or “failed” are:

• Did they get good value with their picks?
• Did they fill the majority of their needs?
• Did they get good value with their trades?

2nd Round, Pick 43: Everette Brown, DE, Florida State

The Panthers traded their 2010 First Rounder for this pick while managing not to part with any   picks this year but I'll address the trade in a minute. First, let's focus on the pick itself. Brown was rated as a first rounder by most of the credible draft sites on the internet, so it makes sense for the Panthers who were in dire need of players with the ability to rush the passer to make a  move to acquire him. Brown fits the mold of Robert Mathis, a DE that played six seasons for new Defensive Coordinator Ron Meeks and accumulated 53.5 sacks in that time period. The two have similar size & skills though Brown is likely a bit more ready to contribute immediately coming out of college.