2024 simFBA Draft Grades: acewulf edition

[acewulf]

2024 simFBA Draft Grades: acewulf edition

Hello all!  Draft time has come and gone so let us reminisce of days gone by with draft grades by yours truly.  I'll be updating as I finish waves of these.

Note: I don't know everything and this is meant for discussion.  Don't come at me if I have a bad opinion.  OK BYEEE


Arizona Cardinals
8 picks
OT Tony Varvaro B/B-
OLB Beau Martin C+/C+
CB Nikola LeBlanc B-/B
DE Joel Guerra C+/C+
DT Mike LeVert C+/B-
ILB Damien Chachere C+/C-
WR Chris Snell C+/C
TE Cordrea Hahn 47/C-

Best Pick: OT Tony Varvaro B/B-
Worst Pick: TE Cordrea Hahn 47/C-
Most Exciting Pick: DT Mike LeVert C+/B-

Arizona is in a bit of an interesting place with a lot of star power, but in need of a ton of depth.  With only 40 players on the roster at the moment, getting that layer of depth to flesh out this roster was key.  Tony Vavaro should be a key piece on their OL for a while, but questions arise about his ceiling.  Hahn is probably their worst player they drafted just from a pure overall standpoint, but he was their last pick so that is to be expected.  Mike LeVert is an intriguing prospect that I think was on a lot of people’s draft boards as a potential steal late.  Not as high as you might want, but the potential is there.  

Draft Grade: C

Atlanta Falcons
6 picks
DT Logan Lopez 62/F
OG Alex Hitchens 58/C
OLB David Brown Jr. 59/C
CB Chandler McKay B/F
FB Ian Jennings B-/C
WR Nick Joseph-Day C+/C+    

Best Pick: DT Logan Lopez 62/F
Worst Pick: WR Nick Joseph-Day C+/C+    
Most Exciting Pick: DT Logan Lopez 62/F

In my initial look at the Falcons I was not the most impressed.  That being said, getting the 3 guys they did at the very top with Chandler McKay right after isn’t as bad as I initially thought.  That’s a solid base of prospects when you only had 6 picks to work with.  Lopez is by far their Best and Most Exciting in my eyes just from a value standpoint.  The hands down best DT falling to you at 8 is incredible.  Hitchens, DBJ, and McKay are good prospects in their own right.  Nick Joseph-Day is the only meh pick in this bunch, but he was their last pick so I’m not worried.  

Draft Grade: B-

Baltimore Ravens
9 picks

OT DaVonte Logan 62/B+
DE Nick Concepcion 58/A
OT Burch Ramos 61/D+
OLB Brett Lin 55/C
FS Dallas Maulet C+/C
WR Travis Chirinos B+/A+
P Colby Dayes C/D+
FB Ito Herrera B-/D+
TE Nate Adam B-/C

Best Pick: WR Travis Chirinos B+/A+
Worst Pick: OLB Brett Lin 55/C
Most Exciting Pick: DE Nick Concepcion 58/A

2 positions that the Ravens wanted to nail in this draft were OT and DE and I would say they did a good job of filling both of those with high quality prospects.  They got 2 bookend OTs in this class with a top 3 DE in the class by the 2nd.  But the highlight of the class is for sure 6th round pick WR Travis Chirinos who is an absolute gem.  Worst pick is 3rd rounder Brett Lin who is only ok at best.  Concepcion is the most exciting to keep track of moving forward to see if he turns into that premier pass rusher that the Ravens think he will become.

Draft Grade: B+

Buffalo Bills
9 picks

OLB Jourdan Connor 59/C+
OG Corey Cabrera 57/C-
TE Thad Downs C+/C-
WR Nick Jones B/C-
DE Randal Holmes 54/D+
RB Alex Dermody C+/C+
FB Adam Anderson A-/C-
DT Javy Axelrod B+/D+
FS John Jefferson B-/C

Best Pick: DT Javy Axelrod B+/D+
Worst Pick: TE Thad Downs C+/C-
Most Exciting Pick: OLB Jourdan Connor 59/C+

Bills are a bit up and down with this class.  Connor and Cabrera are both solid contributors early on, then a few picks that are a bit off in the mid rounds with Holmes, Downs, Dermondy all being a bit lower than I think people would have thought, then they nail Anderson, Axelrod, and Jefferson at the end.  Axelrod is a gem late in my eyes in this lackluster DT class getting a NT like that is huge in the late 6th.  Thad Downs was a top 100 pick that in my eyes is probably the worst value they got.  Jourdan Connor is probably the most exciting player they took as arguably the best OLB in the class.  Fast as hell and a nice piece to add to their defense.

Grade: B-

Carolina Panthers
8 picks

C Ruben Shazier 67/B-
DE Vince Gresham 62/B
RB Kelvin Dupree 60/A
WR Jose Jones 64/F
OG Hunter Familia 60/D-
CB Kaelin Swanson 58/C
DE Wilkin Tatum C+/C+
TE Deonte Canaan C/F

Best Pick: C Ruben Shazier 67/B-
Worst Pick: TE Deonte Canaan C/F
Most Exciting Pick: RB Kelvin Dupree 60/A

Panthers with a very flashy draft grabbing some of the best players in the draft.  Expected since they had 2 top 5 picks, but they still rocked with what they were able to haul in.  An impressive 5 60+ players from an 8 player class is early for one of the best classes in the draft.  Shazier will come in and play like a vet immediately.  Gresham is the best DE in the class.  Dupree is going to be one of the best RBs from this class.  After the 4th, it seemed like they were flying a bit more blind and had a few lesser picks, but Tatum and Canaan had great production in college so it remains to be seen how well those picks will pan out.

Draft Grade: A+

Chicago Bears
8 picks

CB Giannis Wright 56/A
DT Cesar Whitehead 55/A+
FS Kyle Reimold 56/C+
DE Jack Koroma 54/C+
ILB Mike Kim 48/C+
TE Shawn Meeks 51/B-
OT Francis Snell 57/C
RB Stanley Segovia 53/A+

Best Pick: OT Francis Snell 57/C
Worst Pick: ILB Mike Kim 48/C+
Most Exciting Pick: DT Cesar Whitehead 55/A+

There will be a few classes like the Bears where the impact will be felt in 3 years.  Not a bad class overall, but the ceiling and if they reach it will be the key for them.  Kim and Meeks are a little disappointing, but Snell and Segovia make up for them as prospects.  Whitehead is a purely potential pick who I am super excited to see grow in the league.  DT was not easy to find and they have a great prospect there.  Grabbing Snell as late as they did (#180) was awesome and I think he’s got some decent potential for them as a late flier.

Draft Grade: B-

Cincinnati Bengals
5 picks
FB Shaquil Watkins 58/D
CB Danny Garcia 55/A
C Josh Varvaro 56/C+
OLB Marquel Gott 50/C-
OG Tyrell Albies C+/F

Best Pick: CB Danny Garcia 55/A
Worst Pick: OG Tyrell Albies C+/F
Most Exciting Pick: CB Danny Garcia 55/A

Not a lot of picks to work with for the Bengals.  Just as hard to get good value out of limited picks late. First pick off the board was #87 and that is typically tough to find good value.  Danny Garcia is a nice little gem they got in the 4th that I think will grow nicely for them.  Bright spot in an otherwise more bland class.  Tyrell Albies is probably their worst pick, but that is to be expected late.  

Draft Grade: C-
 

Cleveland Browns
9 picks

OT Mike Penny 58/A+
CB Isaiah Williams 58/A
ILB Carlos Blacknall 56/B
WR Tim McRae 57/C
FS Mychal Mercedes 54/B-
DE Ronald McKinnon 54/C-
WR Nick Breslow B-/D+
DE Brandon Rasmussen B-/D+
C Skai Esch B-/C-
RB Mickey Tulowitski B-/C-

Best Pick: OT Mike Penny 58/A+
Worst Pick: DE Brandon Rasmussen B-/D+
Most Exciting Pick: OT Mike Penny 58/A+

Cleveland did one of the more impressive things in my book: Quality depth in the later rounds.  All of the players they didn’t have fully scouted were all B- players.  Very well rounded draft that makes it hard to pick any bad spots.  Mike Penny is a rising star for the Browns.  High potential with a decent floor at OT, excited to see him develop. Could argue that Blacknall is the more exciting player, but it’ll take him some time to develop I think.  Hard to pick a bad player from this class, but if I had to it’d be Rasmussen, even though he had great college production with 60+ TFLs in his career.  Just not great potential.

Draft Grade: B
 

Dallas Cowboys
2 picks
OT Francisco Smith 58/C-
OG Jose Moustakas 58/C+

Best Pick: OG Jose Moustakas 58/C+
Worst Pick: OT Francisco Smith 58/C-
Most Exciting Pick: OG Jose Moustakas 58/C+

Dallas makes the sorting of this class easy.  2 quality guys that they were able to get outside the 1st.  Moustakas has a bit higher potential, but other than that it’s hard to judge them more than that.  Dallas made a few savvy trades in the draft for future capital so I will bump up their grade slightly to compensate for the amount of picks.

Draft Grade: B

Denver Broncos
0 picks

Best Pick: 
Worst Pick: 
Most Exciting Pick:

N/A

 

Detroit Lions
6 picks
RB Richard Bianchi 59/C-
CB Whitney Robinson 57/C+
SS Shaq Ryan 57/C+
DE Joel Chirinos B-/C
OLB Ryan White C/F
OT Rashad Bradley C+/C

Best Pick: RB Richard Bianchi 59/C-
Worst Pick: OLB Ryan White C/F
Most Exciting Pick: RB Richard Bianchi 59/C-

Similar to the Falcons earlier, it’s hard to make a huge impact with a class that is on the smaller side compared to others.  I like some of the individual players, but the class as a whole is still looking for that mega star to crown.  The closest we have is Richard Bianchi who, if he progresses well, can be that feature back to lean on for years to come with that stellar stamina.  Ryan White is probably the most disappointing, but that is more from the F potential than anything.  Solid, smaller class.

Draft Grade: C+
 

Green Bay Packers
7 picks
CB Connor Hardison 60/A
ILB Michael Rozier 58/B-
FS Maikel Infante B/D
DE Sean Lee B-/C-
CB David Rader 54/A+
WR Eric Ford C/C-
WR Jordan Cross C+/C+

Best Pick: CB Connor Hardison 60/A
Worst Pick: WR Eric Ford C/C-
Most Exciting Pick: CB Connor Hardison 60/A

Hardison and Rozier are a hell of a 1-2 punch at the top of this draft.  Hardison is a stellar pick that I am surprised lasted as long as he did.  The rest of this class kind of plateaus with each day.  Day 1 is great, Day 2 is good, Day 3 is just meh.  Rader is a highlight later with the A+ potential and he is probably the best of the non-Day 1 picks.  Eric Ford is the worst of the 2 late WRs that are going to take a while to see much time on the field.

Draft Grade: B

 

Houston Texans
10 picks
QB Hiram Maronde 62/D-
OG John Massie 59/C+ 
CB Deante Hedges 58/C
RB Jeff     Holley 60/C+
OLB Sebastian Amichia 59/C
CB Skye Lattimore 55/B+
OT Chris Reyes 58/B-
DT Dana Green 49/B
WR B.J. Barrera 54/A+
FB Clinton Marte C/A+

Best Pick: OLB Sebastian Amichia 59/C
Worst Pick: DT Dana Green 49/B
Most Exciting Pick: QB Hiram Maronde 62/D-

Not going to lie, this is one of my favorite classes from this draft.  Getting a franchise QB at 7, 4 other high floor rookies, and multiple later round guys with good potential.  Amichia was a late 3rd round pick that is one of the best Pass Rush OLB players in the class and in my opinion is the best find of the draft for them.  Dana Green is the one blemish of this class that is very low floor, but at least has some potential to help out.  But the exciting part of this draft is the potential of Maronde.  The Texans have a good blueprint for building a nasty running attack around Maronde and Ryan Johnson and I can’t wait to see how it progresses.

Draft Grade: A

Indianapolis Colts
8 picks
OG Justin Cooper 59/D
DE Ty Bogdanovic 57/D
CB Jonathan Parks 58/D+
ILB Josh Joyner 55/C-
TE Alex Atkins B/F
ILB Jay Vernon 56/B
WR Chris Pulley B-/D
RB Brent Rodney B-/C

Best Pick: ILB Jay Vernon 56/B
Worst Pick: WR Chris Pulley B-/D
Most Exciting Pick: DE Ty Bogdanovic 57/D

Following the Colts and their draft process, it reminds me of what we did in a more analytical sense.  They definitely were able to use this to their advantage to get a ton of high floor prospects, even without a 1st round pick.  Jay Vernon was a 5th round pick who looks like a fantastic prospect for the round.  Ty Bogdanovic fell further than I think some expected, but if he lives up to the billing he had pre-draft that could be one of the better picks of the draft for the Colts.  I list Pulley here just due to the lower potential, but I genuinely loved him in scouting so I trust that he’ll turn it around.  I think the only place I would have wanted them to address is QB, but they are probably looking to next year’s class for that.

Draft Grade: B-

Jacksonville Jaguars
12 picks
CB Zac McCutchen 59/A+
ILB Kenny Daniel 61/D+
CB Dashaun Ceciliani 62/D+
WR Trevor Wood 57/D+
CB Rashard Hilliard 56/C+
WR Jordan Hicks 57/C
RB Garett Cordier B/C
DT Da'Norris Alexander C+/C-
QB Brooks Burke C-/B
SS Ben Lombardozzi B-/F
OG Trevor Gonzalez C+/C-
OT Micah Price B/B-

Best Pick: OT Micah Price B/B-
Worst Pick: DT Da'Norris Alexander C+/C-
Most Exciting Pick: ILB Kenny Daniel 61/D+

Volume + Good Scouting = Great Draft Class.  Jacksonville did a fantastic job of filling a bunch of good players with their class with 12 picks that in my opinion are really good for what the value was.  They definitely had some key positions that they targeted in CB and WR picking a combined 5/12 players at both those positions.  Micah Price is an excellent pick in the 7th at a B.  Was hoping he’d fall to UDFA.  Da’Norris Alexander is disappointing but you’re not looking for him to get starter snaps anyway.  Hard to solidify a best pick, but barring any issues in progression my pick is Kenny Daniel.  He’s a pretty good consensus for the top ILB in the class and you get him at the back of the 1st.  My only 2 knocks on this class is while it is nice that you revamped the CB and WR rooms, position variety could have been better early to hopefully get a bit more of a well rounded class.  And as stated with Daniel, you are banking on snaps helping out more than inherit potential with a class that is more on the D/F range than B/A range at the top.  Great class.

Draft Grade: A

Kansas City Chiefs
6 picks

WR Ronald Cimber 59/C
OT Brad Adams 59/C
C Trey Wall 52/A+
RB Taylor Abreu 52/B
SS Ben Blossomgame C/C+
SS Hung-Chih    McHugh F/C

Best Pick: OT Brad    Adams     59/C
Worst Pick: SS Ben    Blossomgame C/C+
Most Exciting Pick: WR Ronald    Cimber     59/C

Considering that KC was not around for some of these picks, they actually ended up with a pretty decent, albeit small, class for what it’s worth.  Cimber and Adams are great high floor prospects at 1&2, Wall and Abreu are low floor/high ceiling prospects, and Blossomgame and HC McHugh are on the more disappointing side of things.  The Brad Adams pick is actually super surprising to me that he fell that far considering the pre-draft he had.  I figured most people would be clamoring for him higher, even with the 59/C that he ended up with.  Was a super popular Focus Scout target.  The top 4 are good picks for the situation, but we will see down the line if they pan out.

Draft Grade: C+

Las Vegas Raiders
6 picks
SS Andrew Zagunis 55/B
OT Jake Sosa 56/A+
DE Sam Moxey 54/A+
CB Evan Duke 57/D-
OG Logan Travis B-/D
DT Chris Crawford 55/C

Best Pick: OT Jake Sosa 56/A+
Worst Pick: DT Chris Crawford 55/C
Most Exciting Pick: DE Sam Moxey 54/A+

Grading teams with low volume or not a lot of early picks is hard as you kinda need to take into context what they are working with.  In my eyes, Las Vegas put on a clinic on how to draft without a 1st and 2nd.  Considering they have a pretty robust team already, the Raiders focused on getting one of 2 things: high potential guys with a decent floor that will slide in the draft or high profile guys that have high floors that have slid and you take a chance on the pedigree.  With a small class, I would argue they hit 3/6 in the former and 2/6 in the later with 1 being just a mix of both in the wrong ways in Chris Crawford.  Sosa is a fantastic OT prospect to keep in the oven and Sam Moxey is one of the more exciting DE prospects in the class.  Not instant impact, but we will see these guys sooner than you think.  

Draft Grade: B+
 

Los Angeles Chargers
16 picks
DE James McKinnon 56/A+
OT J'Mon Wolters B+/C-
C Jorge Jacobs 59/B
DT Phillip Bell B/C
WR D.J. Sturdevant B/F
RB Nick Pounders B/C+
QB Xavier Means B-/D
CB Arnold Smith B/C+
WR Ryan Forbes C/C+
OG Tim Robinson 53/A
OLB Derrick Vasquez C+/C-
WR Sean Plutko B-/C+
DE Maurice Vereen B-/D+
FS Joe Socolovich B-/C+
CB Simeyon McCoy B-/C+
TE A.J. Bonifacio D+/F

Best Pick: C Jorge Jacobs 59/B
Worst Pick: TE A.J. Bonifacio D+/F
Most Exciting Pick: DE James McKinnon 56/A+

Volume is the name of the game with the Chargers.  16 picks is a lot of picks.  Generally for Day 1 and Day 2 I actually like a lot of the picks and think they are fairly smart and thought out.  Heavy emphasis on rebuilding the OL/DL and smart scheme fits.  But once you hit Day 3 it kinda unravels.  The best players are B- at best and I don’t see many of them having a huge chance of making a large impact.  Jorge Jacobs is a great consolation prize for the Chargers since they missed out on Rueben Shazier and is going to be an anchor for them for a while.  AJ Bonifacio might be one of the worst graded players drafted, but he was Pick 16 of 16 so I don’t think that they will mind.  James McKinnon can be a future star if he hits his potential.  Overall a decent haul, but you would want more hits than they had with 16 picks.

Draft Grade: B-

 

Los Angeles Rams
5 picks
RB Isaiah Rogers 56/A
SS Bobby Britton 52/A+
ILB Gonzalez Tyson 53/B+
OLB Andre LeMahieu 53/B
WR Jamie Freese 53/C

Best Pick: RB Isaiah Rogers 56/A
Worst Pick: WR Jamie Freese 53/C
Most Exciting Pick: RB Isaiah Rogers 56/A

Rams only had 5 picks and did a great job of getting those high potential prospects.  Rogers is probably my favorite pick of theirs as a 56/A and should be a great backup to Bruce for cheap.  Freese is probably their worst pick as a 53/C, but he’s right in line with the other prospects they got.  This class is one that I think we will have to look back after a few years to see how these guys panned out to fully judge.  

Draft Grade: C+
 

Miami Dolphins
11 picks
WR Arden Ejiofor 62/B+
OT Mike Hubbard 61/C+
DT Robinzon Terrell 60/B-
FS Jordan Dickson 62/C-
CB Brad Portis 62/C+
C Edward Colon 58/C-
OLB Myles Bolles 52/A+
QB Blake Smith B-/C+
ILB Ali Sandoval B-/C-
OG Robert Hernandez B/D-
WR Kyle Grant C+/A+

Best Pick: DT Robinzon Terrell 60/B-
Worst Pick: ILB Ali Sandoval B-/C-
Most Exciting Pick: WR Arden Ejiofor 62/B+

Between Miami and Carolina, we’re going to be debating who had the better class by the end of their contracts.  5 players with 60+ all at a few positions of need and a variety of levels of the roster.  Robinzon Terrell is in consideration for the top DT in the draft and to get him outside the 1st is incredible value.  Ejiofor kicked the draft off with a bang at #2 and is going to be a monster in that offense.  If J’Mon McCoy can lead rookies in yards last year, I’m excited to see what Ejiofor can do.  

Draft Grade: A+

Minnesota Vikings
8 picks

OLB Rasheed Downs B/A-
RB Yogi Oladipo C/A+
WR Jordan Suter B/B-
ILB Tyler Bradley B-/B-
DT Jason Marte B-/B-
QB Dylan Gomes B-/B-
CB Matt Viloria C-/B-
DE Fish Vander Laan C+/A+

Best Pick: OLB Rasheed Downs B/A-
Worst Pick: CB Matt Viloria C-/B-
Most Exciting Pick: QB Dylan Gomes B-/B-

The Vikings draft is a bit of a grab bag.  Some guys are clear cut great prospects (Downs, Suter, Gomes) and some are risky high potential guys (Oladipo, Viloria, Vander Laan).  I love Downs as one of the clear cut best OLB prospects in the class and the Gomes pick is savvy in my opinion to get a guy that is a scheme fit to be a young QB of the future.  Suter, Bradley, and Marte are all decent prospects who we will have to see how they grow to truly judge.  Good floor and decent potential.  The main get from this is that the lowest potential of the class is a B- and that is truly the talk of this draft.  Vikes are playing the long game with these guys.

Draft Grade: B

New England Patriots
2 picks
WR Logan Njoku 59/C+
FS Dan King C+/D

Best Pick: WR Logan Njoku 59/C+
Worst Pick: FS Dan King C+/D
Most Exciting Pick: WR Logan Njoku 59/C+

The Pats only had 2 picks.  Always hard to judge small classes, but Njoku is a very flashy prospect that should slot in well as a receiving threat as a rookie.  Dan King is disappointing, but when you only have 2 picks someone will look worse than the other.   Not too much else to say other than Njoku better pan out.

Draft Grade: C

 

New Orleans Saints
9 picks

CB Stansly Alvarez 61/C-
SS Justin Ramirez B/B-
TE Hakeem Judd B-/C-
WR Matt Zavala B+/C-
DE Thaddeus Pestano B-/C-
WR Gregory Donnal B/C+
RB Devante Fuentes 55/C-
CB Chaz Zeitler B/D
DT Carl Melton B-/C

Best Pick: TE Hakeem Judd B-/C-
Worst Pick: RB Devante Fuentes 55/C-
Most Exciting Pick: CB Stansly Alvarez 61/C-

The Saints quietly had one of the best drafts of the day racking in 9 picks with effectively all of them being B- or better.  I would argue that Hakeem Judd is their best pick of the day in context of how disappointing the TE class as a whole is.  Getting the top TE at the end of Day 1 is a great pick for the future.  There are better prospects in this class, but Judd is TE1 in the entire class.  I love a lot of their picks in Ramirez, Zavala, and Zeitler all being high floor prospects that can make impacts early.  Fuentes is probably their least impressive pick, but I put that more on his potential than anything.  Alvarez is probably the best pick they had as a 60+ player out the gate.  Really good haul for 9 picks.

Draft Grade: A-

 

New York Jets
6 picks

WR Marvin Thomas A-/B-
ILB Davis Covey 58/B-
FB Michael Elias 59/B-
K Ronald Baker 63/C+
DE Hunter Suh 57/A
WR Matt Siri B/B

Best Pick: WR Marvin Thomas A-/B-
Worst Pick: K Ronald Baker 63/C+
Most Exciting Pick: DE Hunter Suh 57/A

I am a bit critical of the Jets draft.  The quality of prospect isn’t bad, it’s great honestly.  My issue is value.  You have 6 top 100 picks and you take a kicker and fullback.  They will be fine, but there are better ways to have filled your prospect pool.  Marvin Thomas, Davis Covey, Hunter Suh, and Matt Siri are a great group for sure.  I am particularly excited to see Thomas and Suh as they progress.  But I can’t get the value conversation out of my head when thinking about this class.  

Draft Grade: B

New York Giants
5 picks

WR Paul Canha 66/F
CB Sam Voth 59/D+
RB Christian Simon C+/C
CB David Whitesell C+/C
OG Carlos Tom C/C-

Best Pick: WR Paul Canha 66/F
Worst Pick: OG Carlos Tom C/C-
Most Exciting Pick: WR Paul Canha 66/F

Paul Canha is the make or break for this class.  If he is as advertised, then this class is a lot better than it looks on paper.  Canha and Voth are your 2 best picks on the board.  The other 3 prospects aren’t the best.  I don’t envy the Giants for needing to fill the rest of their roster as they regroup under new management.  Hopefully they will be able to fill in the roster over the next few seasons and work through these growing pains.  At minimum, Paul Canha is exciting.

Draft Grade: C+

Philadelphia Eagles
10 picks

DE Whit Wilson 59/C-
RB DaQuan Badgley 59/A
CB Riley Correa 59/C-
SS Keibert House 55/B
QB Andrew Moncrief 55/B
WR Evan Gordon 58/B-
DT Chris Holmes B+/F
ILB Jarrod Young C+/B
C Trayvon Wadley B/C
FB Ryan Witherspoon C+/B

Best Pick: RB DaQuan Badgley 59/A
Worst Pick: ILB Jarrod Young C+/B
Most Exciting Pick: QB Andrew Moncrief 55/B

Biased here, but the Eagles draft is reasonably good.  Lots of high floor guys with legit great potential at times.  But compared to some of the higher end classes, it lacks a true star prospect.  Whit Wilson is close, but he isn’t as good as we thought in the pre-draft process.  DaQuan Badgley is the closest I think we got, but it will take some time to see his true potential.  The worst pick is probably Jarrod Young, but I’m not going to be salty over a C+/B guy.  The true storyline from this class will be Andrew Moncrief.  The Eagles might have found themselves a franchise QB if all the cards pan out.  Overall, the Eagles made the most out of the 10 picks they had to reload the roster.  There’s a great chance all 10 make the opening day roster.  

Draft Grade: B+

 

Pittsburgh Steelers
7 picks

OG Felix Rodriguez B/A-
DE Benardrick Taylor B-/C-
OT Chris Diaz 53/B+
DT Trenton Williams 53/C+
TE Jadeveon Desir D+/C+
RB Brian DeFratus 49/B
OLB Naz Fiers 51/A

Best Pick: OG Felix Rodriguez B/A-
Worst Pick: TE Jadeveon Desir D+/C+
Most Exciting Pick: OG Felix Rodriguez B/A-

Felix Rodriguez is the gem of this class.  Just a mauler and one of the best Guard prospects in this class.  Most of the rest of the class is a test of potential for these guys.  More than half the picks are B or higher potential which bodes well for their development.  Unfortunately for the Steelers, I think they will be testing just how far high potential will take some of these prospects.  Hopefully Felix will be an anchor on this Pittsburgh OL.

Draft Grade: C+

San Francisco 49ers
9 picks

QB Andrew Solano 56/B-
DE Paul Fowler 54/C+
FS Mike Barr B-/B+
DT Dante Gates A/C-
OT Blake Robinson B/D
WR Jester Soroka B/F
FB James Gyorko C+/D
OLB Michael Bell C+/D+
DE Buck Alburquerque C/C

Best Pick: DT Dante Gates A/C-
Worst Pick: FB James Gyorko C+/D
Most Exciting Pick: QB Andrew Solano 56/B-

The Niners are going all in on Solano.  Easily the best non-scrambler prospect in this class in my opinion, but the jury is out on if he is ready to start right away.  Dante Gates is a behemoth of a man and is in consideration for the best value pick in the whole draft.  Getting that level of prospect at the top of the 4th is absurd.  Worst pick is a fullback taken late so I’m not going to criticize too much.  Gyorko, Bell and Alburquerque could be better. Overall, there’s a lot to like with this class.  Just have to hope the highs outweigh the lows.  

Draft Grade: B-

 

Seattle Seahawks
9 picks
RB Clayton McGee 62/D+
WR Joe Edmunds 58/A+
OLB Carlos Mateo 59/A
CB Brett Maxey 57/B-
DE Myers Wilson 57/D
ILB Breshad Barnes 60/B-
TE Ervin Dotson 51/C-
QB Frank Robinson C+/C+
FB Chunky Nuno F/C

Best Pick: ILB Breshad Barnes 60/B-
Worst Pick: TE Ervin Dotson 51/C-
Most Exciting Pick: RB Clayton McGee 62/D+

The Seahawks did the exact opposite of most of us during the draft: spend scouting points!  And it paid off with so many great prospects that I think were pretty well overlooked by most of the organizations.  Breshad Barnes is an absolute steal in the 6th and make the Seahawks one of the most envied LB rosters in the league.  Once the points ran out, you started to see it show in the quality of picks with Ervin Dotson not being nearly as good as the others.  Frank Robinson is exciting as a potential gadget guy like Devonta Doyle, but the true gem of the class is Clayton McGee.  A true weapon on the offense is going to be a welcome sight for Komoko Allard and company.  Incredible class.  

Draft Grade: A

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
11 picks
DT TY Hubbard 59/B-
OLB Ja’Waun Gray 59/A+
C Ryan Wiggins B/B-
OT Trevon Ingram B/D+
WR Devon Alford B-/C-
SS Niko Suarez C+/B-
TE Tim Therrien C+/C-
FB Owa Flaherty B-/B
RB Jalen Watkins B/F
K Ike Tauchman B+/C+
P Troy Jackson B+/C

Best Pick: OLB Ja’Waun Gray 59/A+
Worst Pick: TE Tim Therrien C+/C-
Most Exciting Pick: OLB Ja’Waun Gray 59/A+

Tampa’s new regime did a great job of stocking up with the 11 picks they had this class.  Only 2 picks that I can say really missed the mark in Suarez and Therrien, but I love Suarez as a prospect.  All of the other picks are fantastic value and help the base of the Bucs roster.  Ja’Waun Gray should be a cornerstone of their defense in no time and is one of the more exciting picks they had.  I had a hard time deciding between him and TY Hubbard for most exciting, but either one is good.  This class is actually really similar to the Eagles draft in that there are a lot of good high floor prospects, but no clear “stars”.  I like this a lot as a first step for this new organization.

Draft Grade: B+

Tennessee Titans
7 picks
SS Garrett Smith 61/C-
ILB Joe Yanda B-/C
TE Mike Urias B/F
RB Lorenzo Carr B+/D+
C Rashard Nall B/C+
QB Brandon Alexander C+/A+

Best Pick: SS Garrett Smith 61/C-
Worst Pick: ILB Joe Yanda B-/C
Most Exciting Pick: QB Brandon Alexander C+/A+

The Titans made the ballsy move to take Garrett Smith at #1 overall, but that is looking to be a wise investment as the clear #1 safety in the class.  He should be a consterstone of that defense for years to come as a tackle machine. (especially with the new scheme adjustments that we have for this year.)  I actually love the value in getting Lorenzo Carr where they did and there are a few others that are similar in that vein (Nall, Urias).  Yanda is disappointing for where he was taken, but he can still develop into a great ILB for them.  Brandon Alexander is an exciting prospect purely for the A+ potential.  What a wild card in the 7th to see if he can turn into something more than a clipboard holder. 

Draft Grade: B

 

Washington Commanders
0 picks

Best Pick: 
Worst Pick: 
Most Exciting Pick:

N/A


Carolina Panthers: A+
Miami Dolphins: A+
Seattle Seahawks: A
Jacksonville Jaguars: A
Houston Texans: A
New Orleans Saints: A-
Baltimore Ravens: B+
Philadelphia Eagles: B+
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: B+
Las Vegas Raiders: B+
Tennessee Titans: B
New York Jets: B
Minnesota Vikings: B
Green Bay Packers: B
Dallas Cowboys: B
Cleveland Browns: B
Atlanta Falcons: B-
San Francisco 49ers: B-
Los Angeles Chargers: B-
Indianapolis Colts: B-
Chicago Bears: B-
Buffalo Bills: B-
Detroit Lions: C+
Pittsburgh Steelers: C+
Kansas City Chiefs: C+
Los Angeles Rams: C+
New York Giants: C+
Arizona Cardinals: C
New England Patriots: C
Cincinnati Bengals: C-
Denver Broncos: N/A
Washington Commanders: N/A
 

Edited March 9 by acewulf

[Sarge]

This is the only draft grade that matters for anyone concerned. 

[Vivid]

Great analysis. Spot on for the Rams perspective! I think it’s a passable draft with potential but nothing to be excited about right at this moment.

[Spoof]

Kickers and Full Backs are real people too dammit!

[kwheele]

I am happy with our grade and the fact that a late 1st round ILB (from most of the mocks) fell to us in the late 3rd round. Will see if he pans out or if we move him to DE to be a speed rusher

 

[Piercewise1]

11-16 range feels right for us. Excited about our first 2, happy with the next 2, and did a decent job grabbing depth late but didn't discover any huge gems. Solid draft that builds on a potential-heavy philosophy that @RobSun08 and I both believe in.