Grade the rookies.
 

How did they do?

Berry - B+. I was very excited about getting him and wasn't disappointed. He could have doen better but I think he was easily the best rookie safety and was as good as advertised.

McCluster C-. Could almost go with an Incomplete since I don't think they got out of him what Pioli & Haley intended when they drafted him. I'm inclined to think that he was playing injured. Not sure what the plan was for him going into the season, but it didn't work. I wasn't happy when we drafted him, but I'm not writing him off. I'll be curious to see what happens with him if Haley calls the plays next season. Could be that they just felt that they didn't want to put too much on the rookie.

Arenas - C. I expected more out of him as a return man. He didn't embarrass himself but he didn't impress.

Asamoah - Incomplete. Clearly he's talented, but he barely saw the field.

Moeaki - A. I was SO wrong about him being a wasted pick. Very happy that we have him. Still concerned that he'll have injury issues but at this point I think he was a steal.

Lewis B-. Did very well, given the spot he was drafted, but I wouldn't say he solidified his position as a starter.

Sheffield - Incomplete.

Berry: A
McCluster: C
Arenas: B
Asamoah: B- (played ok in limited snaps, hopefully developing for the future; smart kid)
Moeaki: A- (too many mental mistakes to get a solid A)
Lewis: A- (5th round starter with a few picks and solid play...can't argue with that)

Draft overall: B+ (with potential to be a solid A if Berry becomes ELITE and McCluster does anything at all)

Pretty accurate. I was really dissapointed in our return game this year, after game one against SD I thought we had a great season ahead.

McCluster showed flashes obviously, but yea he really disappointed me. I think he needs to get bigger because he cant break a tackle to save his life.

I thought he was going to be a slot guy, but that never really happened? Then they gave him a few handoffs at RB in the Ravens game. Whats his position??

Berry: B+ Looked raw in pass coverage early in the season, but improved that real fast. Was a beast on run support.

McCluster: C- or D+ Outside the 49ers game and the Chargers game, he wasn't anything special.

Arenas: B- or C+ Solid nickel CB. Was robbed of a touchdown by Studebaker in the Chargers game.

Asomoah: B Played well when he got the chance

Moeaki: A Had the best hands on the team and was a very very good blocker

Lewis: B+ Wasn't beat a lot. Hell, he was beat less than Berry. Very solid pick.

McCluster is the next Chris Johnson. He was not used wisely by Weis. We need to use him as a RB to spell Charles insted of Jones.

Berry A-
McCluster D
Arenas B- (he played pretty good D)
Moeaki A
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Berry - A- his pass defense skills weren't what i expected but everything else exceeded expectations. Didn't play like a rookie for the most part. Started at a position where experience is normally key.

McCluster - C- should of had the most immediate impact and instead had the least, except for Sheffield due to injury. His skills are making people miss ... as a RB/HB type guy it's the most quickly adaptable position ... most disappointing of all the rookies. I don't see how he's going to LEARN how to make people miss.

Arenas - B- decent returner, strong and can break tackles. wish he was faster. Developing as a nickle guy. We drafted him too high but looks to be a quality player.

Asamoah - B limited playing time but looks good ... expect him to start somewhere next year.

Moeaki - B+ stud potential who made some rookie mistakes but still looking strong. STAYED HEALTHY!!

Lewis B - C+ meh ... a lot of others seem to think he's fantastic or something. I didn't really see it. Safety is a hard position for a rookie so he still gets time.

Sheffield - Incomplete

I can't see him being much bigger and keeping anywhere close the quickness that makes him dangerous. Like I said, I think he's been dinged up for a while and never really recovered from the injury that caused him to miss 5 games mid-season.

I'm hoping Weis just didn't get the vision Haley had for him. One benefit of McDaniels being a potential OC would be the whole Welker thing. Ideally he could take him and Cassel and together the three of them could break down gamefilm of 2008 when Cassel and Welker were together to highlight some of the reasons that Welker caught 111 passes that year.

IMO, if they have any intention of making him into a well rounded Wide Receiver, then they've got to focus his time and attention solely to that role.

We have to factor in slot and expectations. Based on these:

Berry: B
Burned early and numerous breakdowns in coverage. But he developed throughout the year and showed big-play ability. Dude was all over the field early in the playoffs. A "B" is a good grade for a top-five pick due to slot and expectations. He should get consideration for RDPOY.

McCluster: D
Far too little production from a player selected at the top of round two. More sizzle than substance. Yes, he was hurt, but given his body type, this should have been a concern before the draft card was submitted. He must rebound in a big way in '11 and contribute in the slot. Otherwise, this will be a big miss. Blowing out shoes in training camp won't be enough next season.

Arenas: C+
Looks to be a viable nickle corner, despite a poor game in the playoffs. Demonstrated, overall, that he is more than only a STer. Ironically, the big-play returns were few and far between, and many thought this would be his primary strength.

Asamoah: C
This grade is more a criticism of the staff than the player. He simply did not get on the field enough, though he showed much potential in limited snaps. As is, he's the toughest player to grade.

Moeaki: A
Big impact and much consistency from an oft-injured player in college. Looks to be a fantastic selection and provided the other major threat in the passing game outside of Bowe.

Lewis: A
Based on expectations and draft slot, Lewis deserves an "A." Though he showed weakness in run support, 3 INTs and 2 FFs from a fifth-round pick is outstanding production. He and Berry are a very promising set of defensive backs.

Sheffield: --
Edit: Get healthy. Completely forgot. Many apologies.

Injured reserve. Neck injury that hospitalized him in the preseason.

Completely forgot. Thank you.

Many apologies.

Arenas: C+, he played up to his draft spot, never really seemed to be picked on & made a few highlight plays along the way. Good stuff from a rookie.

Big Jon Stud did just enough in limited action to look pro worthy, D+.

Berry: Total Instant Impact, he's going to be a treasured rookie football card... from day one he was an A & despite the unavoidable rookie gaffes, grew all along the way.

Lewis: Stepped in as a rookie starter & held his own most days, played above his draft spot. like Arenas, i never got the sense that teams were able to consistently pick on him - B.

McCluster - Wasnt physically or mentally ready for the rigors of the NFL, needs another year in the weight room & classroom. Even when erring, he looked quicker than everyone else... with continued good coaching, his ceiling is still unknown. C.

Moeaki - He's kinda like McCluster, only a bit further along... gets nicked a lot but the fix is the same... more pro level conditioning & time learning the nuances of the game in practice. Get that straightened out & TM is an easy 10 year starter. - B

Sheffield? heard his name a few times, but he's mostly just a small city in the UK.

Berry: A+

Came out as a junior and played lights out in his first NFL season against the run and steadily improved throughout the season in the passing game. Very instinctual player and should be a 12 year starter.

McCluster: D-

If you throw out his best play of the season (the TD return in game one) and his worst play (fumble), what's left is extremely unimpressive for the #36 pick overall. He was injured for a lengthy period of time and when he returned, he was anything but special. Considering the performance of Koa Misi, Rob Gronkowski, Nate Allen, TJ Ward and even Arrelious Benn, McCluster could be viewed as a F.

Javier Arenas: B

Arenas was average in the return game but was often very good in coverage. He's tough and physical despite his size and his play in the secondary will improve next year.

Jon Asamoah: A

Asamoah started in place of both Waters and Lilja this year and there was no discernible drop off in the quality of play. Considering he's a decade younger than Waters and much younger than Lilja, his ceiling appears to be unlimited. I view him as a ten year starter.

Tony Moeaki: A-

Tony Mo was impressive from the outset. He runs great routes, has great hands and became a better blocker as the year progressed. If he was in New England this season instead of Gronkowski, I have no doubt he'd have matched his numbers and maybe exceeded them.

Kendrick Lewis: B

The Chiefs were clearly a different defense when Lewis was absent. To take the next step, he needs to properly train and condition his body for a full 16 game season in 2011. If he stays healthy for an entire season, the Chiefs will arguably have the best secondary in the NFL.

Cameron Sheffield: Incomplete

Verran Tucker: B

Tucker was an undrafted free agent that made a few nice catches and several important tackles on special teams. I expect him to improve greatly this offseason and catch 20-25 passes in 2011.

Jeremy Horne: Incomplete

Horne "flashed" in preseason but was quickly demoted to the PS in favor of Tucker. The Chiefs like what they saw in Horne and he'll be in training camp in 2011. Hopefully, he'll be able to take a big leap.