Only one round is complete, but already some 2011 NFL Draft grades have been released. The final grades once all seven rounds are done could change, but for the first round specifically the Detroit Lions earned high marks for picking Auburn defensive tackle Nick Fairley.
SB Naton's NFL Draft grades gave the Lions an A for picking Fairley. The reasoning was simple: putting Fairley on a defensive line together with Ndamukong Suh could make for a "truly legendary DT combination." While DT wasn't a need for the Lions, they just made a strength about as strong as it can get. For that, SB Nation gave the Lions one of their only two A grades (the Saints got the other one).
CBSSports.com's Pete Prisco is an even bigger fan of this pick than SB Nation. Prisco gave the Lions an A+ for taking Fairley, and he called the pick a "steal." What's more, Prisco wished good luck to future teams that have to play the Lions, because it won't be an easy task to handle both Fairley and Suh.
Lions fans on Pride of Detroit have not voted on a grade for the Fairley pick just yet, but in a poll immediately after the pick was made, 81 percent of the voters responded that they liked the pick. I have a feeling that as time goes by that percentage will go up even higher.
SB Nation has full coverage of the 2011 NFL Draft at its NFL Draft hub and NFL Draft blog, Mocking The Draft. For more on the Detroit Lions, make sure to check out Pride Of Detroit and SB Nation Detroit's NFL Draft StoryStream.