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I've never been a big fan of draft grades, regardless of which sport's draft you're talking about. Nobody ever knows who is going to work out where -- I seem to recall that Sporting Kansas City got a lot of flack for selecting C.J. Sapong in the first round, and I think they're the ones laughing now -- so it's
Still, it's nice to see that Colorado is getting high praise from just about everywhere on the wide world of the internet after making three solid selections on draft day. Picking up DeShorn Brown, Dillon Powers and Kory Kindle were well received moves and I couldn't find anywhere that the Rapids got anything lower than a B. In fact, of the four draft grades I found, the Rapids got two A's, a top score in one without a letter grade and a B.
Here's what the people are saying about Colorado's draft.
Colorado Rapids – Started the day by signing a Chilean international winger, finished it by getting direct replacements for Omar Cummings (Deshorn Brown) and Jeff Larentowicz (Dillon Powers) as well as the left back with the highest ceiling in the draft (Kory Kindle). They are in much, much better shape to play Oscar Pareja’s 4-3-3 now.
Colorado Rapids: B
There were rumblings that Powers showed up to the combine overweight, which may have really worked to the Rapids favor on Thursday. The center midfielder from Notre Dame could be in for a big rookie season with the Rapids dealing away Jeff Larentowicz on Wednesday. Rapids used that pick to select Brown who is a quality prospect for a forward line that lost Omar Cummings in the offseason.
Colorado Rapids: A
Oscar Pareja's side was perhaps the winner of this draft day. With two picks in the top 11, Colorado took a speedster forward in Deshorn Brown that should find a good spot in Pareja's 4-3-3 while Dillon Powers is a ready-made replacement for Jeff Larentowicz and a player Pareja is likely very familiar with from his days in Dallas. Second round pick Kory Kindle fits the mold of outside backs that Pareja loves.
Colorado knocked it out of the park for me with their three picks. They went big and bold just like we expected them to and boy did Oscar Pareja and company not disappoint. We all assumed they would take Walker Zimmerman but when they couldn’t work out a deal with Toronto to move up, they stuck to what they had and got better with the picks that they had. Brown will be a complete game changer on the wings and up front for them. Powers is a fantastic player that I’m sure Pareja is familiar with from his time in Dallas. Lastly, getting Kindle in the second round was a good snag as well. If they end up signing HGP Dillon Serna, they may end up with the best draft of anyone.
Grade: A