SimNFL Draft Grades Part 1

[kgreene829]

Ok The draft has ended and before I go back and hide in my cave where I won’t make any SimNFL content I have a couple more things I want to do. I was going to start with this but about 3 picks I made a smart decision for the first time in my life. I realized this would be a lot easier if I made positional rankings for the draft class. I will go through each team's draft and grade it as a whole as well as grade each individual pick. Each pick grade will be based on how good the player is(obviously), how good the players at that position taken later are(a pick will get a lower grade if several players at that position taken later in the draft are better than them), the pick used(a good player taken in the 6th or 7th round will get a higher grade than an equal player getting picked in the 1st round), team need(obviously), and team fit(a ok player that fits your team will be ranked higher than a good player that is a bad scheme fit). I want to clarify a B- in the 1st round is not the same as a B- in the 7th round expectations for a 1st round pick are much higher than a 7th round pick so a player could be worse than another player and get a higher grade because they were picked in a later round. These are all my opinions so don’t take them too seriously and if you feel that I was wrong in my evaluation or didn’t see the vision feel free to explain it and I will update the grades if I feel like you have a good point. Also to clarify when I talk about rankings it is from my SimNFL draft position rankings but when I say rated I am talking about overall grade from the draftbook. Last thing I am sorry if I come off mean in this I really don’t want to be mean in this. With that being said I feel like if I were to do draft grades and not be honest about how I felt I might as well have not done them.

 

Splitting this into 2 parts because I really want to post something already lol. I apologize for this being a wall of text I really don't like just having a ton of text with nothing breaking it up but I don't really have to break it up with.

 

Arizona Cardinals: C-

Round 1 Pick 26 OT Tony Varvaro B/B-: B-

Jake Sosa 56/A+ was taken in the 4th round, Chris Reyes 58/B- was taken in the 6th round, and Micha Price B/B- was taken in the 7th round. Tony Varvaro was the 5th OT taken off the board and I have him ranked as the 9th best OT drafted. I have 5 of the 11 OTs taken after him ranked above him so the value wasn’t amazing. I think they could have waited and gotten a better OT but going into the draft the Cardinals only had 1 OT on the roster so I can’t blame them for going with the highest rated OT on the board with their first pick. With an 80 overall pocket QB you would assume they would want a pass block OT but with an 80 overall RB who is 4 years younger I think they have the luxury of going either way. I think the ideal pick for them would have been balanced OT Burch Ramos who was picked in the 3rd round by the Ravens. Ramos is a 61 overall and being balanced would be able to help in both the run and pass game. I think they had the right idea with OT and like I said I can’t blame them for going run block since I assume they were just looking for the best OT available at the time but better options were on the board and 4 of them were taken after their 2nd pick in the draft. I think they could have made a better pick but I can’t fault them too much for grabbing a good player at a position of need so I am giving this pick a B-. 

 

Round 3 Pick 77 OLB Beau Martin C+/C+: C

Brett Lin 55/C was taken in the 4th round, Myles Bolles 52/A+ was taken in the 4th round, and Andre LeMahieu 53/B was picked in the 6th round. I think that the ideal player for the Cardinals here would have been Myles Bolles. Not only is he a higher overall and much higher potential but looking at the Cardinals defense I think they are going to run a speed defense and while Martin isn’t a bad fit as a run stopper Myles Bolles would have been a scheme fit as a speed OLB. I have Beau Martin ranked as the 11th best drafted OLB with 6 players drafted after him ranked above him. With that being said 3 of them are pass rush OLBs which if I am right about their scheme would have been bad fits so only the 3 I listed earlier would have been better picks with an argument to be made that Martin is better than Lin. I think they used too high of a pick on Martin but with only 1 OLB on the roster going into the draft and Beau Martin rated as a top 2 OLB I see why the pick was made. I think the combination of this being such a big position of need and OLB being such a weak class this is an easier pill to swallow. I am giving this pick a C. I think in a vacuum this is a pretty bad pick but I can’t give them a super bad grade because only 2 OLBs are 100% better options for this team and it was a need. I can’t give them a better grade because Martin just isn't good enough to warrant a better grade.

 

Round 4 Pick 125 CB Nikola LeBlanc B-/B: B

Ok I have LeBlanc ranked as the 19th best CB in the draft but because the CBs are so good and are clumped in terms of how I ranked them I can see LeBlanc being ranked as high as 16 so for the sake of the drafts that's how I will treat him. Now being the 16th ranked CB isn’t amazing but this class was so good and only 1 CB picked after him is ranked higher. Even if we kept him at 19 only 2 CBs selected after him are ranked higher so this was a good pick in terms of value because even as the 19th ranked CB of the 26 that were drafted LeBlanc is good. Going into the draft the Cardinals only had 2 CBs so again another draft pick filling a hole. LeBlanc is a man coverage CB which isn’t great because the other Cardinal CBs are zone coverage guys. The Ideal pick would have been David Rader who was taken in the 6th round by the Packers. Rader is a 54 overall A+ potential zone coverage CB so he would have been an amazing pick but other than LeBlanc not being able to play zone this was a great pick. I am giving this a B because while I really loved the value and talent I can’t justify giving them a higher grade for a player that just doesn’t fit the team. 

 

Round 5 Pick 133 DE Joel Guerra C/C+: F

Yeah I don’t like this pick. I ranked Joel Guerra as the 21st DE drafted out of 22 and I ranked 6 of the 7 DE’s drafted after Guerra higher than him. DE is a need with them having only 1 DE on the roster above 60 overall and that's Richard Salazar who is 29 and on an expiring contract and he is only a 62 overall. Last year's 2nd round pick DE Kendall Dunn and 2022 draft pick DE Matt Wallace are both better in every way. The Cardinals also need DT, ILB, and TE and they could have drafted one of those here instead of later in the draft. I have no way of knowing if they would have taken these players but the best ILB was drafted with pick 172 and the Cardinals drafted an ILB with pick 191, the 1st, 2nd, and 4th ranked TEs were picked between this pick and the pick they used on a TE. I think DE was a pretty weak class outside of the top 6 who were all on the board at this time and think that they could have gotten a much better player if they had looked to draft a player at one of their other needs. As long as Dunn and Wallace are on the Cardinals this was a waste of a pick. 

 

Round 5 Pick 158 DT Mike LeVert C+/B-: B-

Mike LeVert is not the best player drafted by the Cardinals but he may be the best value pick by them. I have LeVert ranked as the 10th best drafted DT but only 1 player picked after him is above him and that’s at 9. I think this was the best DT pick the Cardinals could have made at this pick because the 7th round DT I have ranked 9th is a nose tackle which would be a bad scheme fit. At C+ LeVert is the team's worst DT to start the season but with last year’s 3rd round pick Chris Hill being a nose tackle he could be moved since he is a bad scheme fit. LeVert has B- potential so if he is given snaps he should develop nicely and like I said is the best DT they could have taken with this pick. I think the only way the Cardinals could have raised their grade here is to draft a player at a different position because what I said about players at other positions that were available is still true.

 

Round 6 Pick 191 ILB Damien Chachere C+/C-: C+

Damien Chachere was the worst ILB drafted but he was also the last ILB drafted so I can’t say that they missed out on any ILB with this pick. They could have still drafted the 2nd best TE from the draft but hindsight is 20/20 and they needed an ILB because, and stop me if you have heard this before but, the Cardinals only had 1 player at this position going into the draft. I think Chachere could be solid for the Cardinals the overall and potential aren’t great but he is a do it all LB with good unrevealed grades. While the potential isn’t great I don’t mind that too much. Higher potential obviously helps but if a player is given enough snaps they will develop enough and Chachere could be a good example of that. At the very worst Chachere will be a solid backup ILB that can be used in any situation and late in the 6th round that's not a bad player to get. I don’t have much more to say, I think it was a good value pick despite the poor ranking among other drafted ILBs.

 

Round 6 Pick 196 WR Chris Snell C/C: C

I can’t tell you if the Cardinals had any intent on drafting him but the 6th best drafted WR Travis Chirinos was picked 11 picks earlier and at B+/A- they would have loved him. Chris Snell is ranked 30th of the 31 WRs drafted but only 3 available WRs would have been a big upgrade over Snell. Despite the ranking Snell was a good pick especially this late in the draft if you can get an average player you're happy and that's what I see Snell as. His stamina isn’t good and you would prefer it if he had better hands but the Cardinals get a fast agile WR that is smart and can run super crisp routes. I get the willingness to address WR with 2 34 year old WRs who are about to trade their pads in for walkers and while the group behind them isn’t great this late in the draft you aren’t expecting much I think TE (which they took with their last pick) would have been a better pick since that's a position where they needed to grab another guy. I can’t fault this pick too much but I can’t really praise them for it either so this gets a C.

 

Round 7 Pick 229 TE Cordrea Hahn 47/C-: D+

Nate Adam the 2nd ranked TE was drafted just 6 picks earlier and while this was their worst pick of the draft I think it was the best pick they could make. The Cardinals needed a backup TE and looking at the TE drafted after this they clearly made the right choice. With that said I just can’t give a 47 overall C- potential a higher grade than a D+. 

 

I think overall it was a decent draft. They could have grabbed better players throughout the draft but they drafted someone at every one of their holes (other than punter and kicker) and they were all at the very least ok picks which is something you have to respect. I think the highlights were OT Tony Varvaro in the 1st, CB Nikola LeBlanc in the 4th, and DT Mike LeVert in the 5th. Other than DE Joel Guerra in the 5th I say everyone of the picks was around what you would expect to get with the pick and the reasoning for the pick made sense. A draft where you get expected value at positions you need to address is never a bad thing but without any steals or gems I can’t rate it too much higher.

 

Atlanta Falcons: B- 

Round 1 Pick 8 DT Logan Lopez 62/F: B+

The Falcons took the 1st DT in the draft and I ranked him as the 3rd best DT drafted. At 62 overall he is the highest rated DT in the draft but the F potential and 3 stamina is scary. I think the Falcons had the luxury of going BPA with this pick since none of the positions they needed had anyone worth taking this high. I think this was a good pick when you take the previous sentence into account and now they have the “problem” of having 3 60+ DTs. I am giving this pick a B+ but it is very close to an A-. Obviously it was a good pick getting such a high overall player at pick 8 and only 2 OGs and 2 OLBs (their 2 biggest needs) were drafted between this pick and the pick that they used to select a player at that position. So while they didn’t fill a need they didn’t majorly miss out on a great player at a position they needed and drafted a player at a position they needed would have been a reach. All that to say despite the lack of need it’s not something that lowers this grade too much.

 

Round 2 Pick 40 OG Alex Hitchens 58/C: B+

I have Alex Hitchens as the 4th best OG drafted and only one of the top 3 was taken after Hitchens so another good pick. OG was a position the Falcons really wanted to improve and Hitchens is a guy that you could call a day 1 improvement but even if it is a step back for year 1 this pick is a big improvement in the long run. I really like this pick and as a run blocker it helps that they have a good running game but I really like Chris Frazier as a young QB and I think they could have used a decent pass blocker. With that said only 1 OG is balanced so they had to choose between a pass blocker and a run blocker here. The Falcons have 2 pass blockers, 2 run blockers and a balanced O-lineman all over 60 overall on the team. On top of that the Falcons run game is more established than the pass game so I think they made the right choice and even if you don't agree it's close enough that you can't be mad at the choice that was made.

 

Round 2 Pick 45 OLB David Brown Jr. 59/C: B+

I think David Brown Jr. is a good player and the value at this pick is good. I have David Brown Jr. ranked as the 5th best OLB that was drafted. I have questions about the fit though with 3 good DTs they are going to run a formation with 2 DTs they also want a scheme that doesn’t hurt their Speed ILB and Coverage OLB. I was told by Falcons owner Subsequent that they plan to run a 4-2-5 defense with David Brown Jr. being a DE. This would make Brown Jr. a speed rush DE which would make the 4-2-5 Nickel formation in the speed man scheme a perfect fit. This would give their 2 speed rush DEs(including Brown Jr. in this) a bonus while also giving their 2 best LBs a scheme bonus. Depending on which DT they play with Logan Lopez that could be another scheme bonus too. Knowing that I raised my original grade for this pick from a C+ to a B+ because they got the 2nd best pass rush OLB in the draft. With that in mind Ravens DE Nick Concepion who was drafted 3 picks earlier would have been a good pick but if they didn’t mind the low stamina Hunter Suh who was picked in the 3rd round by the Jets would have been a good pick. If the Falcons were dead set on converting a OLB to DE 4th round pick for the Seahawks Carlos Mateo would have been a better pick too. Other than those 2 players I mentioned were available at that pick this was the best pick for what the Falcons wanted to do.

 

Round 3 Pick 75 CB Chandler McKay B/F: D

Another good player with F potential for the Falcons. I ranked Chandler McKay as the 24th best CB drafted but that's less of him being bad and more the rest of the class being good. I really like McKay, he looks to be a great CB but that potential hurts him. It feels wrong to give McKay a bad grade but compared to the other CBs drafted later he just isn’t worth a 3rd round pick. Whitney Robinson was drafted with the next pick and is a 57 overall with C+ potential and the 16th best CB drafted. I just can’t give this pick a good grade with so many other CBs at a similar level or better were drafted after this. Also this pick gave the Falcons 8 CBs and I think they agree with my opinion because they signed 5 UDFA CBs and they might all be better than McKay. I don’t think McKay is a bad player but when you look at the rest of the CB class it’s not hard to tell that taking him with the 75th pick was a big reach and that's why I have to grade him so low. 

 

Round 7 Pick 209 FB Ian Jennings B-/C: B

Ian Jennings is a good pick, he is a rushing FB but based on his grades he can do whatever the Falcons need him to do. All of his attributes are an A except for catching which is a B and stamina which is a C. We have to wait to see his true attributes but I think this was a great pick and it also gives them a FB which they didn’t have going into the draft. I think it’s good value but without seeing the actual attributes I can’t make myself give him a higher grade than a B but this is a pick I really like.

 

Round 7 Pick 232 WR Nick Joseph-Day C+/C+: C-

I like guys with 3 or more names so I am a big fan of Nick Joseph-Day already. Sadly the name doesn’t boost his position in my draft rankings where he is 28th of the 31 WRs drafted. Nick Joseph-Day was the last WR drafted and this late in the draft I can’t fault a pick like this that much. Nick Joseph-Day probably won’t be much for the Falcons but you don’t expect to get key contributors past pick 230 so I can’t be too harsh on this selection. It was the worst player they drafted but it wasn’t their worst pick.

 

I think as a whole the Falcons had a good draft they stumbled a bit in the mid rounds but with 2 strong picks to start the draft and a good pick in Ian Jennings in the 7th round they did enough to get an above average grade. I originally graded this pick as a C+ but now knowing the plan for David Brown Jr. I think it’s a B-. I didn’t hate any of their picks like I said the pick I liked the least Chandler McKay is a great player and only rated so lowly because of the quality of the CB class. I think for the most part the Falcons were able to get what you would expect and like to get with their draft picks which as an organization is something you can’t be mad at. However the failure to really exceed expectations at any pick prevented them from getting a higher grade.

 

Baltimore Ravens: B+

Round 1 Pick 16 OT DeVonte Logan 62/B+: A

Ok I am going to try to be unbiased about my perfect draft class. I ranked DeVonte Logan as the best OT in the draft and I think he was a great pick. 62 overall and B+ potential is amazing and OT was one of if not the biggest need for the Ravens. I don’t want to give myself the first A+ but I think it's deserved, drafting the best player at a position of need is as good as a draft pick that you can make and doing it in the middle of the first round is the cherry on top. I am going to give the DeVonte Logan pick an A because while I love the pick we would have preferred a balanced or pass blocking OT instead of the run blocking that he is. I think A+ should be reserved for hidden gems and late round steals. This could be too harsh but I think in order for a pick that comes before a late 1st round pick to be an A+ it has to be perfect. This pick wasn’t perfect but it was about the closest thing to perfect available and if you can’t tell by now I really like our class.

 

Round 2 Pick 42 DE Nick Concepcion 58/A: A+

I loved this pick for us, I have Nick Concepcion ranked as the 2nd best DE in the class only behind 5th overall pick Vince Gresham. Concepcion was drafted to be DE2 as the Ravens look to trade Robert Jackson and after 3 years of drafting DEs it looks like the Ravens got their guy for the future. Pretty happy with how they have built up their offense in the past couple of drafts DE was the 2nd biggest priority for the Ravens going into the draft and will be expected to be a long term anchor along with FS Matt Perez. Concepcion was the 5th DE taken off the board and being taken in the mid 2nd was great value. Concepcion being a speed rusher is another reason I like this pick so much since the Ravens prefer speed rusher DEs over the other archetypes. I think between the value, the need, and the fit this was an amazing pick for the Ravens.

 

Round 3 Pick 85 OT Burch Ramos 61/D+: A+

The Ravens, wanting to fill what they saw as the final hole on offense, decided to double dip at OT and take Burch Ramos late in the 3rd round. Burch Ramos is tied for the 2nd highest rated OT in the draft and I have him ranked as the 4th best OT in the draft. Ramos being a balanced OT was a more preferable archetype for the Ravens but the D+ potential is what led us to wait longer to take him. With that being said D+ potential or not getting a 60+ overall in the late 3rd round is never a bad thing. Ramos just like Logan will be a day 1 starter for the Ravens is another pick that I am really happy with. I am giving this pick an A+ because to get a player of this caliber in the late 3rd round is big and at such a big position of need I have trouble thinking of a pick the Ravens could have made that I would consider better. 

 

Round 4 Pick 102 OLB Brett Lin 55/C: D+

The talent coming out of the draft at ILB and OLB has not been great and as a team starved for LB talent with their top OLB targets off the board the Ravens drafted Brett Lin. With 2 better OLBs picked in the 120’s this was a dud of a pick and with guys like ILB Breshad Barnes, ILB Jay Vernon, OLB Myles Bolles, and OLB Carlos Mateo still on the board who are all better LBs the Ravens could have made a much better selection here. 

 

Round 5 Pick 146 FS Dallas Maulet C+/C: D-

The Ravens had their eye on Jordan Dickson and traded up to draft him in the 2nd but with the Seahawks drafting and trading him to Miami a pick before them the Ravens had to grab a safety later in the draft as a blind pick. Maulet was the 2nd worst FS drafted and the SS’s on the board were not much better. No matter what the quality of safeties still on the board this was not a good pick.

 

Round 6 Pick 185 WR Travis Chirinos B+/A-: A+

Now we get to the best value pick of the draft for the Ravens. I have Travis Chirinos as the 6th best drafted WR and to get him in the 6th round was an absolute steal. After drafting and trading the 4th best drafted WR to the Panthers 137 picks earlier the Falcons draft a gem WR of their own. Chirinos was picked with the intention of being a depth WR with a 75 and 67 overall WR in their 4th year already on the team and a 65 overall WR in his 2nd year already on the team, we saw Chirinos as a big body WR that could be a nice 5th WR/red zone specialist. After seeing he was a B+/A- WR he is going to be WR4 and a special teamer to start developing him into a future WR2 next to last year's 1st round pick Andrew Jones. The biggest concern is his F stamina but other than that Chirinos is the type of player that gets a scout promoted to GM.

 

Round 6 Pick 200 P Colby Dayes C/D+: D

The Ravens followed up their big hit with a punter. After missing out on Kgreene829’s self described man crush Troy Jackson who was going to be the Ravens 6th round pick the Ravens get a kid with a rocket for a leg. This wasn’t a flashy pick and it wasn’t a good one but with their starting punter getting older and no scouting points I took a shot in the dark on a guy who I thought could be a starter. I was wrong.

 

Round 7 Pick 217 FB Ito Herrera B-/D+: C+

The Ravens drafted a FB in the 4th round last year but in the 7th round they wanted to try and fill out the rest of their depth some more. I don’t have too much to say about Herrera, he was drafted to be a backup and that's what it looks like he will be. I think this was a solid pick this late in the draft but since Herrera won’t be getting meaningful snaps I think anything higher than a C+ would be undeserved.

 

Round 7 Pick 223 TE Nate Adam B-/C: C+

This was not a strong TE class. I have Nate Adam ranked as the 2nd best TE drafted but on the Ravens he will be a backup to star TE Charles Tice and a replacement for Jonathan Nilson who is on an expiring deal. Just like Herrera this is a guy who will be a backup and see the field in 2 TE this is a pick I like but with his snaps most likely being limited with the talented WR room Adam won’t be seeing much playing time and because of that I can’t justify giving him a grade higher than a C+.

 

The Ravens got out to a really strong start with their first 3 picks getting great players at positions they made a priority. They also made an amazing late round pick in Travis Chirinos and followed it up with some good value in the 7th. With that being said they dropped the ball in the 4th and 5th round and wasted a pick in the 6th on a punter. I could not give this draft anything higher than a B+ because of those 3 bad picks but this was a very strong class that I as the head scout and now GM am really happy with.

 

Buffalo Bills: B

Round 1 Pick 18 OLB Jourdan Conner 59/C+: B+

Jourdan Conner had in my opinion the best combine of any LB and maybe the best combine of the draft. Conner has great speed and other than rushing the passer can do whatever you would want him to do. I have Conner ranked as the 4th best drafted OLB and looking at the Bills I expect them to run a multiple man defense which makes Conner a scheme fit as a speed OLB. Conner being the best speed OLB in the draft was a great pick in my eyes. On top of all that OLB was a position then needed to hit as it was their worst position. As far as value goes Jourdan Conner was a good 1st round pick but nothing too special. I think Conner was a good pick but the combination of this being kind of what you expect from a 1st round pick and me having 3 OLBs picked after Conner ranked higher than him I think a B+ is a fair grade. With that being said regardless of this grade I think Conner will be a dominant OLB for Buffalo for the future since he can do so much for your defense.

 

Round 3 Pick 82 OG Corey Cabrera 57/C-: B+

The Bills didn’t really need to fill any holes in the draft and instead were able to draft players that they could sit for a year under a vet and Corey Cabrera is one of those. With 2 aging OGs, Cabrera is a good pick for the future and to get the 6th best OG in the 3rd round(only 1 OG ranked above Cabrera was still on the board at the time of this pick) is good value. I only have 1 of the 6 OGs drafted before Cabrera ranked below him. I think this is another good pick that you can’t complain about but this pick doesn’t move the needle this year and isn’t anything too special so I don’t think I can justify going higher than a B+.

 

Round 3 Pick 92 TE Thad Downs C+/C-: F

I had Thad Downs ranked as the 5th best drafted TE with only 1 of the TEs above him drafted ahead of him. I think Downs is a solid TE but I think the value was not great here and is what really hurts this pick. Tim Therrien is a better TE of the same archetype drafted 90 picks later. Like I said I think Downs is a solid TE but if another team is getting a better version of a player 90 picks later that's a bad pick.

 

Round 4 Pick 115 WR Nick Jones B/C-: B-

Nick Jones is a good pick, yeah he was the 18th best WR drafted but only 4 WRs picked after him are ranked above him compared to 11 WRs picked after him ranked below him. The problem is Jones likely won’t see a lot if any playing time since the Bills have a very crowded WR room. At the end of the day Nick Jones is a good player and good value so despite the lack of fit and playing opportunity I am giving this pick a B-.

 

Round 4 Pick 127 DE Randal Holmes 54/D+: D

I am not a big fan of this pick for the Bills. I get that they are a strong team and they were probably just trying to go to BPA but you already had Matt McCants and Ruben Davis in their 2nd year. McCants is a good young player and Davis has solid potential. On top of that Stephen Dinardo despite being 31 is a 75 overall with 3 more years on his deal. All this to say I don’t think DE was the move here. On top of that Randal Holmes isn’t that great, I have him as the 18th best DE drafted. I can rationalize this pick a bit, a 54 overall in the mid rounds isn’t horrible. The problem is D+ potential and the lack of need just doesn't make this a good pick. 

 

Round 6 Pick 181 RB Alex Dermody C+/C+: C+

Alex Dermody is a solid pick, I don't think he's great but a 6th round pick is right where he deserves to be picked. With 2 RBs already on the team in veteran Michael Torgler and 4th round pick last year J.C. Lacy Dermody will be a nice 3rd option and being a receiving back could see the field on passing downs. Like I said before this is the kind of guy you want and kind of expect to get in the 6th round.

 

Round 6 Pick 193 FB Adam Anderson A-/C-: B+

This is where the draft starts to bounce back for the Bills. Adam Anderson is a great pick and should be a day 1 starter for the Bills which is always a great use of a 6th round pick. Anderson being a blocking FB might not be someone we expect to show up in the box scores but has really nice attributes so who knows he could be a solid rushing option. The Bills have a pocket QB and I always assume that the offensive will run a scheme that gives the QB a bonus which isn’t always the case. I am giving this pick a B+ because in schemes that pocket QBs fit in FBs aren’t on the field a lot and that limits the impact that Anderson can have. With that being said if they run a scheme that allows them to consistently get Anderson on the field without giving maluses to a bunch of players on their team I think this pick is more like an A or A-. Maybe that means they run the Wing-T but with 9 WRs on the roster I don’t think that's the plan.

 

Round 7 Pick 219 DT Javy Axelrod B+/D+: A

I ranked Javy Axelrod as the 9th best DT and he was the only DT taken after pick 199 so in terms of value I really like this pick. I think Axelrod can be a great player and turn into one of the steals of the draft. I am sorry if I don’t have too much to say about picks I like but with picks like this I don’t have much to add. I think this was a great pick, the Bills got a great player at a position that they needed bodies. With Mark Tran already on the team you can argue they wouldn’t want a nose tackle but like I said before I think they are going to run a multiple man defense which doesn’t have a malus for nose tackles and 3 of the 5 formations have 2 DTs so that's not a problem.

 

Round 7 Pick 228 FS John Jefferson B-/C: B+

John Jefferson is a good player and to get him this late in the draft is great. I really like this pick, my only real note is I hope they can find a way to get him more than just special teams snaps. Adam Grier is obviously the starting FS until his contract is up at the earliest and Terence Seth is a solid backup. I think that John Jefferson at the very least could be a good transition player for when they move on from Grier. With that being the case I think the biggest thing is getting him enough snaps so that he can develop and be ready when his name eventually is called.

 

I think the Bills had a really good draft, they started out strong with 2 good picks and then over the next 4 picks had 2 bad picks and 2 picks that I think kinda just treaded water. I think the last 3 picks the Bills made were very impressive, getting 2 great players that help their team now and a good player that I think will help them in the future. I think the Randal Holmes and Thad Downs picks were bad and stopped this class from being seen as one of the top classes. I think this is a class that people haven’t talked enough about because they drafted 6 real good players. 

 

Carolina Panthers: A+

Round 1 Pick 3 Ruben Shaizer 67/B-: A+

I think the Panthers have developed an identity as a team that gets talented guys no matter what and then figures out what to do with them. The Panthers had 73 overall 4th year center Kenneth Eggleston on their roster and could have used a better OT in the draft. Instead they drafted probably the best player in the draft 3rd overall and instead will move Shazier or Eggleston to OG and move one of their OGs to OT. If that is the plan Ruben Shaizer as a 67 will be the worst starting O-lineman and be the only starting O-lineman under 70 overall. They got the best player in the draft, you literally can’t do better than that, I don’t know what else you want me to say.

 

Round 1 Pick 5 DE Vince Gresham 62/B: A+

Last year with the 5th pick the Panthers drafted DT Caleb Suarez, a great DT and with a strong D-line they decided to take the best DE in the draft at 5 this year in Vince Gresham. The Panthers needed to build up their defense since it was pretty lacking and to get maybe the best defensive player in the draft at 5 is a great way to do it. 

 

Round 1 Pick 24 RB Kelvin Dupree 60/A: A+

If you can’t tell by now I love the Panthers draft. Kelvin Dupree was a RB that I loved but not needing a RB I didn’t talk about him much. The Panthers were able to grab him at 24 and give themselves an amazing young RB and give them a lot of options with RB Joseph Cale when his contract is up. I think this pick puts the nail in the coffin of RB James Ibach who is on an expiring contract. Dupree and Ibach are very similar players and I think Dupree was drafted to be the RB that the Panthers hoped Ibach could be. The plan seems to be for Dupree to be the RB2 for 2 years and then to take over as RB1 when Cale's contract expires or to be a RB1b if the Panthers can bring Cale back on a team friendly deal.

 

Round 2 Pick 48 WR Jose Jones 64/F: A

With their 4th pick in the draft the Panthers finally drafted a player who I don’t have as the best player drafted at their position. Sadly they will have to settle for Jose Jones being the 4th best WR drafted which I guess is ok. This gives the Panthers 2 80+ WRs and 2 great young WRs since they drafted Marco Thompson at the end of the 1st round last year. This pick only gets an A, the player was great and I love the value but I can’t give them an A+ for drafting a WR. I see why they did it and I think it was a good decision but SS, ILB, OLB, and CB are all bigger needs. I feel like OLB Ja’Wuan Gray and CB Brad Portis would have been better picks who were both available and taken off the board shortly after. I know that's only 2 players that I think would have been better picks but those are only players who were available at 48 and selected before the Panthers next pick at 100. Maybe I am being too critical of this pick but I think the offense and WR room was strong enough.

 

Round 4 Pick 100 OG Hunter Familia 60/D-: B+

I think the value of this pick was amazing, getting a 60 overall at pick 100 is insane. Here’s my problem Hunter Familia is a player who unless a trade is made has no chance of being a starter. I can’t grade this pick that low because again the value and player is amazing but 59/A OLB Carlos Mateo was picked at 129 and 60/B- ILB Breshad Barnes was picked at 172 along with some great CBs. Again amazing pick but I just feel like OLB and ILB are both bigger needs. Am I being too hard on them for these picks? I can say with 99% certainty that I probably am. Maybe I don’t want to hand out 4 A+’s in a row, maybe I want to add more than just this is a great pick but whatever the reason these are the grades I am giving out. Even though I don’t like them taking an OG here I can’t give them anything lower than a B+ because of how good of a player Familia is and him being a 4th round pick.

 

Round 4 Pick 101 CB Kaelin Swanson 58/C: A-

I ranked Kaelin Swanson as the 10th best CB drafted and even though this looks like a bad pick compared to the first 4 Panthers draft picks this is great value. Swanson was the 3rd best CB on the board at 101 and just like before the OLB and ILB I mentioned were available. Don’t get me wrong this is another great pick but this was the 1st time the Panthers drafted a player who I didn’t have ranked as the best available at their position. This pick gets an A- because while he might be a worse player than Hunter Familia the Panthers could use more talent at CB and have a lot of expiring CBs so getting a young player gives them a good future. The only problem now is getting Swanson enough snaps to develop with 5 mid 60 CBs in their prime above him on the depth chart. Also with 4 of them on expiring deals they could be gone next year.

 

Round 6 Pick 168 DE Wilkin Tatum C+/C+: C-

The Panthers decided to double dip at DE with this being their 7th pick of the draft they probably were out of scouting points and were just looking for BPA. Tatum was the 2023 CFB FBS sack leader and is a nice shot to take. I think this is about what you expect to get from a pick this late so usually I would give them a C but I am dropping it down to a C- because they already picked a DE and could have taken a shot at a position of need. Not to be too hard and suggest they should have had the best draft possible but the best ILB in the draft was selected 4 picks later.

 

Round 7 Pick 206 TE Deonte Cannan C/F: D

The Panthers didn’t need a TE at all and Cannan isn’t good but I don’t blame them for this pick, Sarge wanted to draft a player from UGA and after the draft the Panthers had earned the right to waste a 7th round pick on a homer pick.

 

Look I am going through each team individually so I can’t say for sure but I think this was the best draft class in the sim. With pick 3 they took the best player in the draft who is an offensive player. Then with pick 5 they took arguably the best defensive player in the draft. With those picks they built what may be the league's best O-line and the league's best D-line. Then they took the best RB in the draft and then the 4th best WR in the draft. The Panthers have maybe the most exciting young offense in the league now. Then they took a 60 overall OG, the 5th best OG in the draft and followed it up with the 10th best CB in the draft which was the 3rd best CB available and the first time a player they drafted wasn’t the best available player at his position. They were able to tread water with their last two picks but even if those were the 2 worst picks in the entire draft this still probably be the best draft class of 2024. We may be watching the birth of the greatest dynasty in SimFBA history so if you're looking to win a ring in Sim Pro Football you better do it this year or hope you get lucky with a good SimUFL team.

 

Chicago Bears: B+

Round 1 Pick 21 CB Giannis Wright 56/A: A

I really like this pick for the Bears, Giannis Wright is a great player and since the Bears wanted a CB that could play zone coverage this was the 2nd best player for them on the board. Giannis Wright showed out at the combine zone coverage drill and was a great pick at 21 for the Bears. The CB room is a bit crowded at the moment with 5 CBs rated higher than him on the team so we will see what the plan is since last year the Bears were one of the better teams. They could try to run it back with their best players starting or sacrifice some talent to get Giannis Wright and J.D. Mendez two young promising CBs some snaps to try and develop them for the future.

 

Round 2 Pick 53 DT Cesar Whitehead 55/A+: A+

I loved the Giannis Wright pick and drafting Cesar Whitehead was an even better move. 55 overall A+ potential at a position of need is great, getting that in the late 2nd is even better. I think Whitehead might have a slow start to his career but once he gets going and develops I expect him to be a force on the D-line. The Bears currently have 2 DTs with higher overalls than Whitehead and both are on expiring contracts one of them John Apple is probably not going to be brought back since he is only a 61 overall. The other is 77 overall Reyes Dzul who might come back to be the DT1 but since he is 30 it is a bit of a risk. I think DT is a position that the Bears needed to upgrade at and Whitehead was a great pick but I think they might have to dip into DT in next year's draft if they don't grab a young DT in FA.

 

Round 3 Pick 72 FS Kyle Reimold 56/C+: B+

Reimold isn’t quite on the level as Wright and Whitehead but is a great pick. 6th round pick from last year Thurston Kemp is solid but Reimold is a much better option and should be ready to take over the starting duties from Jerzy Redding after this season so while it might not be as flashy this is a great pick in the 3rd round.

 

Round 4 Pick 118 DE Jack Koroma 54/C+: B+

DE was a big need for the Bears and I may be wrong I think they wanted to address it earlier but with 3 DEs off the board before their first pick they sat back and Jack Koroma is a good 4th round pick. Similar to the Reimold pick this isn't flashy and when quickly looking through the draft classes Koroma might not jump out at you but he should be a great DE who can compliment and develop with late 2nd round pick from last year Jawun Hilton. Combine those two with Cesar Whitehead and the Bears have a very young and promising D-line.

 

Round 5 Pick 142 ILB Mike Kim 48/C+: F

This was by far the worst pick of the draft for the Bears. I assume they wanted to bring in another ILB to compliment young star Jehu Ginn but Kim just isn’t it. Better ILB options were on the board with 53/B+ Gonzalez Tyson who was selected at pick 161 the ideal pick for them.

 

Round 5 Pick 152 TE Shawn Meeks 51/B-: C+

Mike Kim wasn’t a good pick so the Bears followed it up by selecting the best TE in the draft. TE wasn’t a big need for the Bears so that hurts this grade a little but they could not have drafted a better TE so it’s an above average pick for me. I think OLB was a position that would have made more sense since Douglas Bingaman is on an expiring deal and is 33 so getting a young replacement would have been smart.

 

Round 6 Pick 180 OT Francis Snell 57/C: B+

You can argue the Bears didn’t need an OT but they have a 29 year old OG and a 30 year old center both on expiring deals. Snell was the best O-lineman on the board at this pick so they may plan on moving an OT over to OG. On top of that getting a 57 overall in the 6th round is great value.

 

Round 6 Pick 184 RB Stanley Segovia 53/A+: A-

The value for Stanley Segovia is amazing, a good promising young RB in the late 6th is always nice. I really like the Bears RB room with 63 overall Ryan Wilson who has B potential and is in his 3rd season, 59 overall Pat Flexen who has A+ potential and is in his 2nd year and now Segoiva. The Bears have an exciting young trio of RBs and I am interested in how that offense will look because Gerald Lewis is a great QB and Curtis Monk is a great young QB who they may be looking to develop as the next starter. On top of that they have a good WR room so they can really do whatever they want on offense.

 

I think the Bears quietly had a good draft getting some talented players but most of them have great potential too. This class helps them a bit now but really sets them up well for the future and gives them the option to quickly rebuild and reset their window if they want to, which is always a great option to have for a team that while really good still had a bit of work to do to be Super Bowl contenders. I really think the Bears draft was important because it gives them a bit of an out and sets them up well if they think that their window will end without a Super Bowl ring.

 

Cincinnati Bengals: C-

Round 3 Pick 87 FB Shaquil Watkins 58/D: C-

Shaquil Watkins is a good player but with Jevoni Rosenberg I don’t see the need, maybe they wanted to grab a RB but didn’t like any of their options but if not I don’t get taking a FB when you have a better young FB already. In terms of the actual pick I think Shaquil Watkins was a solid pick, the D potential is a bit scary but he’s a solid player. I just don’t think this is that special of a pick and I am giving the Bengals the benefit of the doubt by not punishing them too much for me not seeing the fit but I feel like this is just kind of a meh pick if you know what I mean.

 

Round 4 Pick 120 CB Danny Garcia 55/A: A-

I think Danny Garcia was a great pick, I have him ranked as the 7th best CB drafted and is the only CB I have ranked in the top 8 that was selected past pick 58. The Bengals CB room is full of mid 60’s in their prime so after grabbing a CB at pick 126 last year they grab a CB at 120 to add more youth to a room that the Bengals are probably trying to overhaul. Garcia on top of his 55 overall has A potential and should prove to be the best pick of this draft for the Bengals.

 

Round 5 Pick 153 C Josh Varvao 56/C+: B

Center wasn’t a big need for the Bengals but with starting OG Mark Stern likely riding off into the sunset Varvao or starting center Raul Hallett might move to OG and replace him. If that isn’t the case then Varvao is just a BPA pick which I can’t fault. Getting a 56 overall in the 5th round is good value and Varvao was the best O-lineman on the board so if they plan to move guys around the O-line this was the best pick the Bengals could have made.

 

Round 6 Pick 186 OLB Marquell Gott 50/C-: C

The Bengals needed to draft an OLB and the only better option on the board was pass rush OLB Naz Fiers who is a 51/A. Fiers would have been the better selection unless the Bengals didn’t want to bring in a pass rush guy but with that being the only better option I can’t blame them too much for this pick. Gott was drafted out of necessity because the Bengals only had 2 OLBs on the team so I can’t blame them for making this pick but it wasn’t a great pick.

 

Round 7 Pick 224 OG Tyrell Albies C+/F: D-

Albies was the Bengals worse pick of the draft but like I said before they should be looking for a new OG and while I think Varvao was drafted to fix that with one last pick at 224 I think this was a fuck it pick. I could be wrong but when I look at this pick I can just see Ezaco sitting in his war room screaming “KOBE” as he sends in this pick hoping that Albies is a hidden gem that he can start at OG this year. If that is the case he missed the rim by about 10 feet.

 

I think the Bengals were in a tough spot only having 5 picks and not drafting until the 3rd round and I think they did a solid job. The Bengals ended up with 2 players I like 1 pick I would consider bad and 2 picks that were just kinda meh. I think the Bengals did a great job getting some value out of this draft but like I said they were in a tough spot and I am not going to punish them in my draft grades for missing out on a top 2 round talent when they didn’t have a pick in the top 2 rounds.

 

Cleveland Browns: B+

Round 1 Pick 15 OT Mike Penny 58/A+: A

I have Mike Penny ranked as the 3rd best OT in the draft so the Browns could have done a little better. With that being said Mike Penny is good enough that I don’t mind him being the 1st OT picked in the draft. A 58 overall A+ potential is great value at pick 15 and was a need for the Browns so you really can’t criticize this pick.

 

Round 2 Pick 47 CB Isaiah Williams 58/A: A+

Isaiah Williams is another great pick, I have him ranked as the 6th best CB drafted. Only 1 CB on the board at the time was ranked higher than Williams and that is a zone coverage CB which would not have fit the Browns man coverage CB room. On top of that CB was a pretty big need for the Browns I really don’t think they could have made a better pick here. 

 

Round 3 Pick 69 ILB Carlos Blacknall 56/B: A

Carlos Blacknall was the 2nd best ILB on the board at pick 69 and with an aging ILB room this was another position the Browns needed to hit. On top of that I want to point out Blacknall has 71 run defense already this is someone I expect to be really good and I think will consistently play above their overall.

 

Round 4 Pick 112 WR Tim McRae 57/C: B+

I think Tim McRae is another great pick from the Browns WR is a position that could use some upgrades and a 57 overall in the 4th is a good upgrade at a great value. I have 4 WRs that were selected after McRae ranked above him so they could have done better but that's more because those other WRs are really talented gems. With that being said McRae was the best possession WR on the board at this pick so you could argue this was the best WR on the board for the Browns if they value possession WR above red zone threat(which they do because they have a field general QB and probably aren’t running a wishbone offense) and route runner(this would be a user preference and not a scheme fit thing).

 

Round 4 Pick 119 FS Mychal Mercedes 54/B-: A-

Mychal Mercedes was the best FS available at pick 119 and with 29 year old starting FS Robert Davis on the last year of his deal Mercedes could be a starter this time next season. Mercedes is a great player and even if the Browns don’t plan on making him the starter that soon he is a really good player to get in the 4th round that you are happy to get and you will figure out what to do with him later.

 

Round 6 Pick 164 DE Ronald McKinnon 54/C-: B+

DE is a position that I think the Browns are having a bit of trouble with. Todd Showalter is 30 years old and on an expiring deal so he could be moving on soon so looking to the future you have 61 overall Kendall Lincoln in his 3rd season and 57 overall Ian Last Name in his 2nd season. The Browns are going to want at least one of them to be a starting DE but maybe they want to bring in a better player to give them options or this could be a BPA pick that I am reading too much into. Whatever the case Ronald McKinnon is a solid player that I think you can argue is already a better option than Ian Last Name.

 

Round 6 Pick 178 WR Nick Breslow B-/D+: B

The Browns double dipped at WR with Nick Breslow and in terms of other WRs I only have 2 WRs picked after Breslow ranked higher than him. I think getting Breslow in the 6th round is great but since they already grabbed a WR combined with Breslow’s bad potential this pick isn’t as good as it would have been in a vacuum. With that being said Breslow is a good WR that gives the Browns more options at WR which is never a bad thing.

 

Round 6 Pick 188 DE Brandon Rasmussen B-/D+: C+

10 picks later the Browns decide to double dip with a B-/D+ at another position. Rasmussen is a good player, the value is great but I just don’t see the point. 24 picks earlier you drafted Ronald McKinnon which gave you 3 solid young DEs this pick just feels a little redundant. I feel like you would have been better grabbing an OLB since Michael Malone and Earl Vandyke are on expiring contracts Naz Fiers or Andre LeMahieu would have been a great pick here to lineup opposite of Gordon Diallo. Rasmussen is a good player and getting him this late is great but now you have a logjam at DE with 4 young guys that could develop into solid players with enough snaps.

 

Round 6 Pick 195 C Skai Esch B/C-: B

I think Skai Esch is a pick that sets you up really well for the future with Robert Smith being 31 and only having 2 years left on his contract. Esch can backup Smith for a year or two and then take over and again getting a player like this in the 6th is great.

 

Round 7 Pick 202 RB Mickey Tulowitzki B-/C-: B-

Mickey Tulowitzki is a great 7th round pick. Juan Mora is the starting RB for the foreseeable future but Thomas Kaschalk’s contract expires in 2 years and could be too expensive to bring back. Tulowitzki is someone that I think can thrive as a RB2 and like with the past couple of picks getting a player of this caliber this late in the draft is great.

 

The Browns are another team that I think quietly had a good draft. They really did great in the first 4 rounds and that's where most of the attention will be focused but with 4 6th round picks and 1 7th round pick the Browns grabbed a lot of good players that can be difference makers or just good depth which is amazing to get. 

 

Dallas Cowboys: B

Round 2 Pick 37 OT Francisco Smith 58/C-: B-

The Cowboys have 2 good OTs but with Neil Hankins contract expiring and just looking at their OT room you can tell the Cowboys have been trying to find a replacement. I think Francisco Smith gives them just that while the potential is just ok 58 overall as a rookie with great run blocking this is a good pick for the Cowboys. With that being said I have 6 OTs who were picked after Smith ranked about him. 4 of those OTs were pass blocking, 1 was run blocking, and 1 was balanced so maybe they really wanted run blocking but I don’t think they really had a preference. Like I said though Smith is still a good player and a good pick for the Cowboys.

 

Round 2 Pick 57 OG Jose Moustakas 58/C+: B+

The Cowboys at the very least needed more bodies at OG since they only had 2 going into the draft. Instead they drafted Jose Moustakas who I think will be a starter for them instead of Steven Sarratt. I have Moustakas as the 3rd best OG drafted and the best OG on the board at 57 so this was a great pick for the Cowboys. 

 

The Cowboys only drafted 2 players so it’s a bit hard to rate them but they did great with those 2 picks. I think that they should have looked to draft an ILB since they only have 2 and one of them is a 55. The only reason I am complaining about this is because Dallas is only going to play 1 ILB at a time meaning they won’t start Tulane graduate Khalid Bolt. Seriously though Dallas did a great job they got 2 great players they like and traded their other picks for future picks.

 

Denver Broncos: UNGRADABLE

I am sorry guys the Broncos draft was too good and it wouldn’t be fair to the rest of the league to grade this because they would curve the grading scale and I can’t have draft grades with the Broncos having an A+ and the other 31 teams getting an F-.

 

Detroit Lions: C

Round 1 Pick 23 RB Richard Bianchi 59/C-: C

Richard Bianchi ended up being the 6th best RB drafted and while that is a bit lower than I expected him I think he is still a great RB. Bianchi will probably be the lead back for the Lions replacing Cooper McGough. I think despite Bianchi being picked before 4 RBs I have ranked better than him, this is a solid pick because the Lions get a good RB with a high motor and while it’s nothing amazing he’s a solid player to grab late in the 1st.

 

Round 3 Pick 76 CB Whitney Robinson 57/C+: C-

Whitney Robinson is a solid CB but this is another pick that the Lions could have done better on since I have 5 CBs ranked ahead of Whitney Robinson that were drafted after him. Robinson fills a need because while the CB room isn’t terrible the 2 best guys in that room are 32 and 35. Whitney Robinson is still a solid CB and is a nice get in the 3rd round but with the quality of CBs in this draft the Lions struck out on this pick. 

 

Round 3 Pick 80 SS Shaq Ryan 57/C+: B-

Fun fact Shaq Ryan was the first player in this class that I fell in love with. I thought he had a great combine and good attributes and I wanted to take him in the 2nd round but he got pushed down our board after finding guys we liked more at other positions. But we aren’t here to talk about my pre draft thoughts of guys so let's grade this pick. I really like Shaq Ryan, he is good in both man and zone coverage with good hands too. I think with enough snaps and luck he can be a good SS for the Lions but I have 4 SS ranked above him and 2 of them were picked later in the 3rd round. Despite that he is still a good player and with a 65 overall in his prime as the only other SS on the team this was a pick that makes a lot of sense for the Lions. I think the Lions could have made a better choice but this is still a good pick for them with 1st round pick last year FS Jacob Carlin on the team you don’t need Ryan to be a star and I think Ryan is good value in the 3rd.

 

Round 4 Pick 109 DE Joel Chirinos B-/C: B

I have touched on it already but the top of this DE class was really good. I have Chirinos as my 9th best DE drafted and he is behind 2 guys picked after him. With that being said Chirinos is a speed rusher and the guys above him drafted later in the 4th are a run stopper and a balanced guy and the run stopper would not have been a scheme fit so you can only argue that one player drafted after him would have been a better pick. Sam Moxey who was selected 5 picks later would have been a much better pick but it’s not reasonable to expect a team to always take the best player available at a position so I can’t punish them for that it only becomes a problem when like 3 or more better players are still on the board. Chirinos looks good though so I am sure the Lions aren’t upset with this pick and with Stephen Brouillet being 32 Chirinos can be a good backup and even maybe compete for a starting job once Brouillet retires so another pick that makes sense. I am sure the Lions are kicking themselves a little for not grabbing Moxey but this was a good pick for them.

 

Round 6 Pick 175 OLB Ryan White C/F: C-

The Lions are an old team. The starting OLBs are good but are 32 and 35 and they only had 1 other OLB on the roster. Yeah Ryan White will probably never be in the conversation for a starting job but he can be a solid backup who is versatile which is a great thing for a backup. Also with this being a 6th round pick you weren’t expecting much. With that being said this was the worst OLB picked in the draft and 2 OLBs were drafted after him.

 

Round 7 Pick 213 OT Rashad Bradley C+/C: C

This pick is similar to the Ryan White pick in that they grabbed a late round guy to be a backup Young Pascual just signed a new 5 year deal to keep him with the team until he is 32 and 1st round pick last year Tim Guerra is obviously the other OT so Bradley comes in to be the 4th body in that room and play in blowouts and if 2 OTs get injured so while not a great pick they get what they were probably looking for here which is never a bad thing.

 

The Lions didn’t have a flashy class but they got players that can help without overdrafting too much. I think while this wasn’t a great class they did well enough to not feel bad about it. Getting a guy who either will be a starter or has a path to be a starter in each of the first 4 rounds is something you can be proud of.

 

Green Bay Packers: B+

Round 1 Pick 14 CB Connor Hardison 60/A: A+

Connor Hardison was the 3rd CB off the board and the Packers may be happy that was the case because if one of the CBs drafted earlier was on the board maybe they don’t take the best CB in the draft. That probably is the case because [insert British joke here]. Hahaha man, I am a comedian. Hardison is the 4th best CB on the Packers but next year will progress enough to be the 2nd best CB and with no star Hardison was the perfect pick for the Packers. With 77 zone coverage as a rookie Hardison has reportedly already set up a no fly zone over all of Wisconsin which has actually been a big problem since Hardison has single handedly crippled the dairy industry. The dairy mafia is currently trying to negotiate some kind of exception so they get back to supplying the world with cheese but Hardison has no plans to loosen his grip on the Wisconsin airspace.

 

Round 2 Pick 46 ILB Michael Rozier 58/B-: A

Michael Rozier was the 3rd best ILB in the draft and is the prototypical standup linebacker. Rozier is another great pick as the Packers linebacker room while not bad isn’t impressive and Rozier gives them someone that can really stand out and center this defense.

 

Round 5 Pick 144 FS Maikel Infante B/D: B

The Packers wanted someone to replace 30 year old FS Timothy Sulton after this year. Now I don’t think Maikel Infante is the long term solution but he will fight with 4th round pick last year Abraham Devey for the starting job and likely will be his backup. With that said this is the 5th round and Infante is a stud for a 5th rounder and if they didn’t have a young FS with high potential from the draft last year would be at the very least a good transition guy. I think this is a good pick and is hurt a little by the argument that they don’t need him but after drafting a solid FS in the 4th last year so why not take a shot on a guy who was highly rated before the draft and fell.

 

Round 5 Pick 162 DE Sean Lee B-/C-: C+

Sean Lee is just an ok pick in my mind. They hit the ball out of the park [insert equivalent British sport analogy here] with the first two picks and made a good pick in the 5th so I think they were happy with their draft and drafting guys that could end up being gems and starters. I don’t think Sean Lee is that kind of player but like Infante Sean Lee is a good player so while I don’t think he is in the cards as a starter for the Packers I think this is a good pick for them.

 

Round 6 Pick 177 CB David Rader 54/A+: A+

Ok to do these draft grades I have to look through teams rosters(duh) and I noticed something that I can’t stay quiet about. I don’t think Suffocation knows anything about football and I know that’s a bold claim but I can prove it. If you only care about the pick evaluation just skip to the next paragraph. We all know Suffocation is British but if you look through his roster it’s clear he heard Texas was a big football state and he just grabs a bunch of players with Texas ties. This is going to be a bit long but bear with me C Richard Campos, CB Connor Hardison, CB David Rader, FB Clement Carr, FS Abraham Devey, FS Maikel Infante, ILB Michael Rozier, ILB Marvin Sao, P Francisco Orozco, RB Warren Burke, TE Ramik Phelps, TE Terrence Cothern all went to Texas. Also C Richard Campos went to UNT, DE Sean Lee went to Houston, DE Eury Zimmer went to Temple, DT Aaron DeValve went to Texas State, ILB Marvin Sao went to TCU, RB Warren Burke went to Texas Tech, TE Terrence Cothern went to UNT. Almost 20% of the entire Packers roster was born in Texas 11% of the roster went to a Texas college and it comes out to 24% of the roster having some Texas connection. YOUR NOT SLICK I AM ON TO YOU.

 

Ok now for the actual pick evaluation David Rader was an amazing pick like I said before CB is a position that the Packers needed to improve and after getting the best CB in the draft they got a young promising A+ potential CB in the 6th round. The Packers are on another level when it comes to drafting but going back to my Texas point out of the 5 DBs they drafted(they are all good picks in my opinion) 4 are from Texas. 

 

Round 7 Pick 205 WR Eric Ford C/C-: D+

Eric Ford is not good and the Packers know that because they have already cut him. WR is a position that makes sense for the Packers to upgrade at because the only good pass catchers on the team are TE Ramik Phelps, TE Terrence Cothern, and RB Carl Frost but Eric Ford was the worst WR drafted. It’s not a completely horrible pick because of the need and it being so late but to really drive home this the WR I have ranked 12 from the draft was selected at pick 207.

 

Round 7 Pick 215 WR Jordan Cross C+/C+: C

Well 10 picks later they tried again at WR and got the 5th worst WR drafted again they missed out not by much because this is my 7th worst WR drafted but a pick 227 C+/A+ WR Kyle Grant was selected. With that being said Jordan Cross is a better WR than Eric Ford it was a little later and only 1 WR picked after him was better and only by 2 spots. This was a pick that I think the Packers can be happy with but going back to my other point only 2 players the Packers drafted this year had no ties to Texas and it just so happened to be their 2 worst picks. Really makes you think.

 

The two misses at the end don’t have a huge impact on the grade since who cares about a pair of 7th round misses but I think the Packers had a great draft they really made a point of trying to improve their defense and they did that and I would assume they are very happy with what they got out of 5 of their 7 picks.

 

Houston Texans: A

Round 1 Pick 7 QB Hiram Maronde 62/D-: A+

I got mad at Babayaga because he didn’t scout Maronde but apparently he is a 62 according to Acewolf but I am still mad since we don’t get to see his attributes. Anyway Hiram Maronde is a great pick since the Texans had no QBs on their roster. He is the best QB in this draft class and plays the most impactful position. Now we just have to wait to see if Maronde is the Texans Lamar Jackson or their RG3 but for now I love this pick.

 

Round 2 Pick 39 OG John Massie 59/C+: A+

With only 1 OG on the roster going into the draft this was another position the Texans needed to draft and Massie is the 2nd best OG in the draft so getting him at 2 is another great pick. I apologize for not having more but this was probably the best pick the Texans could have made it just kinda speaks for itself.

 

Round 2 Pick 55 CB Deante Hedges 58/C: C+

Babayaga may have found a way to cheat my draft grades. See if you don’t have a lot of players and every position is a need even if the player you pick sucks it can’t get too low of a grade because you filled a hole. Now Deante Hedges doesn’t suck but I have 4 players picked after him ranked above him. Hedges is a good player and I think he will be solid but they could have done better but they still get a C+ for bringing in a good player to fill a need.

 

Round 3 Pick 71 RB Jeff Holley 60/C+: B+

Jeff Holley is the 5th best RB drafted and was the best RB on the board he is going to come in and be at worst the RB2 but I can see him winning the starting job over Eduardo Jackson or he can be the RB2 to FB Ryan Johnson. Holley gives the Texans slightly more speed than Ryan Johnson but other than that is worse in every way but that's ok because so many RBs are worse in every way than Ryan Johnson. Holley in the 6th is a good pick because he is a very talented player and since all of the Texans WRs suck the quadruple option(UDFA QB Dan Watts is the 4th player involved) is going to be insane in Houston.

 

Round 3 Pick 97 OLB Sebastian Amichia 59/C: A

Sebastian Amichia is already the best OLB on the Texans so yes this was a good pick. I am going to be honest the Texans defense as a whole is kinda ass but getting Amichia in the 3rd round is a great way to start changing that.

 

Round 4 Pick 104 CB Skye Lattimore 55/B+: B

The Texans grab another CB and while Lattimore is a worse player this is a better pick than Hedges because it is 49 picks later. Lattimore might not get too many snaps at CB this year but I expect him to develop well as a special teamer and maybe we will see him playing CB in a couple of seasons.

 

Round 5 Pick 137 OT Chris Reyes 58/B-: A

I really like the picks the Texans made before this but I think Chris Reyes and a player we will get to later are what made this draft. Reyes is great value in the 5th, he is tied for the 2nd best OT on the roster with a 3rd year player so Reyes will be a starter. That means this season the Texans starting OTs will be Chris Reyes who was drafted 137th and Luis Hernandez who was drafted 136th last year. This pick gets an A and I am being 100% serious when I say the only reason it’s not an A+ is they didn’t trade up 1 pick so both of their starting OTs would have been drafted at 136. Do better next time.

 

Round 6 Pick 198 DT Dana Green 49/B: C-

If you're a Texans hater this is for you. Dana Green was the only pick that I don’t like from the Texans. DT was a need so the reasoning is their but Dana Green is the 3rd worst player drafted who has their overall revealed only ahead of pick 229 TE Cordrea Hahn 47/C- and pick 152 ILB Mike Kim 48/C+ he is tied with pick 230 RB Brian DeFratus 49/B. Dana Green isn’t good but he was picked near the end of the 6th round so it’s not completely horrible but it’s a much worse pick because of the rest of this draft class Green just stands out as the only miss. The thing is this pick can’t get worse than a C- in my mind because DT was a need and this pick was so late you're not expecting to get much.

 

Round 7 Pick 207 WR B.J. Barrera 54/A+: A+

This is the other pick that I think made the draft for the Texans. B.J. Barrera is an amazing pick when your WRs best player is a 29 year old 60 overall guy on an expiring deal. Barrera might be the worst WR on the roster based on overall but with A+ potential he has a bright future and you can justify him getting snaps with the weak WR room. Barrera as of now is the future WR1 of the Texans and getting that in the 7th round is amazing.

 

Round 7 Pick 208 FB Clinton Marte C/A+: B+

Ok now with the next pick the Texans decide to take it easy and draft a FB they didn’t scout. The Texans wanted to have a backup FB and since this is the 7th round they don’t need anyone good. Clinton Marte just happens to be the 5th best FB drafted because of his A+ potential. I doubt he develops or sees the field much as a FB man getting an A+ potential guy is always great. With that said this is a backup RB it’s fun and nice to get a high potential guy but as long as Ryan Johnson is on the team and healthy the other FBs on the Texans don’t matter.

Ok I want to keep my original evaluation since I think it adds some value still but I have been told Marte was drafted to play TE so lets reevaluate this pick. Marte still isn't an amazing player that hasn't changed but that A+ potential means that he will be able to grow. I was told that Marte had better blocking than all of the blocking TEs in the draft so that makes him an asset and a solid player for that. After UDFAs Marte will be the 4th best TE on the roster but with his potential could rise through the ranks quickly. I think Marte's ceiling for the Texans is a TE2 since Will Thomas is currently the starting TE and is young and good. I think this makes this pick slightly better so I raised the grade from a B to a B+. I love the idea of moving Marte to TE and think it makes the pick better but it's still a situation where, while Thomas is not as good as Johnson, I don't see Marte passing the starter but in the future if Marte can become a good TE2 for them in 2 TE sets it would be a great pick.

 

I have only graded about 41% of the draft classes so this could change but this is the 2nd best draft class so far. The Texans went out and got high impact players that can make a difference and then decided to add a pair of A+ potential guys in the 7th. No shame in being 2nd but in the future if the Texans have a similar draft to this and want to have the #1 draft class my advice to them is make sure the Carolina Panthers don’t exist. In all seriousness the Panthers got a bunch of great players and it might not make a big difference in record this year but this team has set the foundation of a great team I expect them to be sellers at the deadline and bring in picks for the next draft where they will look to bring some WRs, a TE, and a competent defense.

 

Indianapolis Colts: B-

Round 2 Pick 33 OG Justin Cooper 59/D: B-

The Colts did not start off their draft great. Justin Cooper is a good player but he was the 2nd OG taken off the board but is the 7th best OG drafted. OG was a big need for the Colts with 2 mid 60 overalls nearing the end of their prime(one of them being on an expiring deal). The Colts also have a 60 overall on an expiring deal so they got a good player at a position that made sense for them but they could have gotten a better player. On the bright side the main thing stopping Cooper from being the 2nd best OG is potential so while he might never catch up to the other OGs with enough snaps he will be fine and prove to be a good pick.

 

Round 3 Pick 65 DE Ty Bogdanovic 57/D: C+

The Colts don’t do much better with Ty Bogdanovic. Like Cooper Bogdanovic is a good player but D potential hurts him a bit. I have Bogdanovic as the 13th best DE drafted with 6 guys selected after him ranked above him. In terms of fit this is another good pick the Colts have 2 mid 60 overall players nearing the end of their prime so this was a position that made sense to address and . I think Bogdanovic will prove to be a good draft pick. This is a guy who should be just fine. These guys aren’t drafted in a vacuum and will be compared to players in their own draft class and other players around the league for years to come. When you compare Bogdanovic to the other DEs in this class you can see that they could have done better.

 

Round 3 Pick 81 CB Jonathan Parks 58/D+: C-

Parks is more of the same story, they have a CB room that is losing its top guy with no players that are set to fill that role so it makes sense to get a CB. Jonathan Parks is a really good player but this CB class was so good and because of that he ranks near the bottom of it. Multiple guys drafted after Parks are better players than him or have better potential.

 

Round 4 Pick 98 ILB Josh Joyner 55/C-: B

For the Colts ILB and OG are pretty much identical situations 2 mid 60s nearing the end of their prime 1 on an expiring deal and the other with 2 years left and a 60 overall on an expiring deal. Getting a ILB was a good move for the Colts because it sets them up well for the future. I think Josh Joyner is a good player and if their roster tells me anything they like OLBs who are good in coverage so because of that Joyner was actually one of the best options on the board for them. I think the fit is good and the player is good and I only have 4 players drafted after Joyner ranked above him and none of them are coverage OLBs. Looking at the other LBs one wasn’t scouted so I can’t speak on his coverage, one sucked in coverage, and one was a good zone coverage guy but sucked in man coverage. I think Joyner was at worst the 3rd worst option on the board for the Colts here and obviously you always want the best player for you available but that's not realistic to always get so getting a top 3 available guy is what I think is the range you want to be in and the range you are happy with.

 

Round 5 Pick 139 TE Alex Atkins B/F: C-

Ok Alex Atkins is someone I think was brought in to be a backup TE for them so obviously they aren’t looking for the next Gronk. The Colts got a good player for what I think they were going for. Better players were on the board but I think this is a pick they can be happy with. With that being said the need isn’t huge and Atkins isn’t ranked highly compared to other TEs drafted after him so that hurts the grade. So I am giving this pick a C- because of those things but again for what I think the Colts were going for this was not a bad pick.

 

Round 5 Pick 143 ILB Jay Vernon 56/B: A-

Ok one of the players picked after Josh Joyner that is better than him is Jay Vernon. Everything I liked about the Josh Joyner pick from the fit to being a guy that fits what the Colts want to do is also true for Vernon. Vernon is a slightly better player who might be a little worse for the Colts system but he has much better potential which is what the other Colts picks were lacking. I think Jay Vernon is the best pick of the draft for the Colts because they got a player with good potential which has been the problem with their other picks.

 

Round 5 Pick 145 WR Chris Pulley B/D: B

Chris Pulley is another player I liked as a late round WR and I think he is going to be a good player. The Colts WR is all nearing the end of their prime so Pulley is helping bring in some more youth which is what they need. Because of that Pulley is a good pick. Also I only have 3 WRs selected after Pulley ranked above him so this is another pick I like for the Colts. I think Pulley is the 2nd worst player the Colts drafted but is the 3rd best draft pick for the Colts because they didn’t miss out on a bunch of better players and this being in the 5th round means a player of this caliber is better value.

 

Round 5 Pick 147 RB Brent Rodney B-/C: C+

The Colts RB room going into the draft was 2 28 year olds and a 29 year old with the first 2 having 2 years left on their contract and the 29 year old on an expiring deal. This makes grabbing a RB in the 5th round a good idea. Brent Rodney is a solid player but the Colts had better options on the board at 147. With that being said Brent Rodney is someone that we could see maybe not ever as the lead back but as a change of pace RB or as part of a committee.

 

I think the Colts didn’t look at potential that much when scouting their players and instead were looking to get high floor guys. I think this is something that can work out for them and could even prove to be better than my grades depending on how the rest of the class develops. I really don’t think this was a bad class but the lack of potential really hurt this class but I could end up looking really dumb if potential isn’t as big of a factor as I think it will be. I think the main thing for me is that drafts aren’t done in a vacuum. I really think the Colts got a lot of good quality players but if you look at the draft while doing that they missed out on players that might be better in the long run. 

 

Jacksonville Jaguars: A

Round 1 Pick 11 CB Zac McCutchen 59/A+: A+

I have Zac McCutchen as the 2nd best CB drafted and you can even make an argument for him being the best CB. McCutchen is an amazing player and with A+ potential this is a pick that you can’t give notes on, this was a great pick in terms of the player you're getting. On top of that CB was easily the biggest need for the Jaguars with only 2 CBs on the roster going into the draft a 27 year old 64 overall and a 23 year old 59 overall. Zac McCutchen is now the 2nd best CB on the Jaguars and in my eyes is the day 1 CB1.

 

Round 1 Pick 30 ILB Kenny Daniel 61/D+: A

Kenny Daniel was someone I just couldn’t see dropping past the 5th pick in the draft. Well he did and the Jaguars grabbed him at 30 making him the 3rd ILB on the roster next to a 39 overall David Powers who is a 73 overall and 6th round pick from last year with good potential in Travis Lucas. The potential isn’t good but getting a 61 overall at a position of need right at the end of the 1st round is something you don’t really complain about. I have Kenny Daniel ranked as the 4th best ILB drafted with 2 players drafted after him ranked above him but with Daniel being considered a top 5 pick going into the draft no way the Jaguars were going to pass on him.

 

Round 1 Pick 31 CB Dashaun Ceciliani 62/D-: A+

What is better than one 60+ at a position of need at the end of the 1st round. Obviously it’s 2 of them. The Jaguars, having a huge need of CB, decided to double dip in the 1st round and get the player tied for the highest overall at CB in the draft. I have Dashaun Ceciliani ranked as the 5th best CB drafted but the Jaguars don’t play zone coverage so if you only look at man coverage CBs Ceciliani is the 3rd best CB drafted. The Jaguars drafted the best and 3rd best man coverage CBs and the 2nd best CB was already off the board at 6.

 

Round 2 Pick 43 WR Trevor Wood 57/D+: B

WR is another position the Jaguars needed and Trevor Wood is a player that helps fill that need. I think Trevor Wood is a good player but with so many other good WRs in this draft class he isn’t a great pick here. I have 11 WRs who were drafted after Trevor Wood ranked above him and that’s mostly because of potential. Like I said though Wood is a great player so despite them missing out on better options this is a player you are happy with at 43 and it fills a need.

 

Round 2 Pick 56 CB Rashard Hilliard 56/C+: A-

It took 2 rounds but the Jaguars have completely overhauled their CB room. They grabbed 2 of the top 3 man coverage CBs in the 1st round and now they grab the 7th best man coverage CB in the draft. With that being said only 1 man coverage CB that was still available was ranked above Hilliard. The Jaguars made a point to overhaul the CB position and they did in a really strong CB room.

 

Round 4 Pick 108 WR Jordan Hicks 57/C: B+

After triple dipping on CB the Jaguars go and double dip at WR. 5 of their first 6 picks came at CB or WR which works out well with CB and WR being the strongest positions in this draft class. With that said I think they could have done better at WR in this draft. Jordan Hicks is a better player than Trevor Wood and was selected 65 picks later so he is a much better pick in my eyes. With that being said I have 5 players drafted after Jordan Hicks ranked above him so they could have done better. With that being said Jordan Hicks is a very good WR and is a great player to get in the 4th round. As I already mentioned WR is a big need so I like this pick but as I said the Jaguars could have done better.

 

Round 5 Pick 148 RB Garett Cordier B/C: C+

Ok so the Jaguars are done with CB and WR for the draft so let's get to some other positions. The Jaguars RB room is starting to age and they decide to be productive by grabbing a RB. Cordier was the 2nd best RB on the board so they get good value on a player who looks like he will be a solid player, I like this pick for the Jaguars.

 

Round 6 Pick 174 DT Da'Norris Alexander C+/C-: C

The Jaguars drafted Da’Norris Alexander but I think they are just looking for a good backup player which is what Alexander gives you. Also with him being the 2nd best DT on the board this is good value. I think this is a solid pick but it’s just kinda a pick the Jaguars made if you know what I mean. Like it wasn’t bad but nobody is running to go get a Da’Norris Alexander jersey which is fine, sometimes a good backup is a great pick and I think that's the case here but in terms of grading this pick it’s just an average pick.

 

Round 6 Pick 190 QB Brooks Burke C-/B: C-

This is a nothing pick, Steven Connolly is retiring soon since he is 34 and Matt Howard is going to be the starter. Brooks Burke was not drafted to play football. From what I have heard Brooks Burke is a total pushover and his contract has an absurd list of scenarios that can result in his contract being voided. I have heard that Burke can be released at no cost to the Jaguars for underperforming at or refusing to do things like be Matt Howard’s wingman, be Matt Howard’s designated driver, pretend to be Matt Howard’s friend(I have heard Matt Howard can be very insecure and if he thinks people aren’t his friend it has a significant negative impact on his performance in games) and the list goes on and on. Matt Howard is also not allowed to find out about any of this or Burke’s contract can be voided. I am allowed to write this because I am using a super advanced technology that prevents Matt Howard from seeing this. If you were wondering that technology is called words Matt Howard reportedly can’t read but he often pretends to read to look smart. I reached out to both Matt Howard’s dad and his former coach @Kirbyabout this and they both said “The only thing I care about is if he can read a defense and we are working on that” I also heard his motto is “throw bombs fuck girls” and yes I confirmed that Matt Howard thought of that himself and thinks he’s a genius for it. I pray that Burke can keep his sanity but I doubt it.

 

Round 6 Pick 199 SS Ben Lombardozzi B-/F: C

Ben Lombardozzi was brought in to be the backup to veteran SS James Wilson who is 30 years old. Lombardozzi is a good SS but I really don’t think the Jaguars are expecting much from him. I also heard that Matt Howard spent an hour trying to correctly pronounce his last name before saying it in the most wrong way you can think of and now only calls him that. “Bon Lambodambozooie” has not had a fun start to his NFL career.

 

Round 7 Pick 212 OG Trevor Gonzalez C+/C-: C-

Just like the last 3 players I don’t think Trevor Gonzalez is a player that will be playing much for the Jaguars. With that being said he is a solid player at 212 who’s grade is hurt by the lack of need of an OG.

 

Round 7 Pick 236 OT Micah Price B/B-: B+

Micha Price is a great pick at the end of the draft for the Jaguars and while he is set to be a backup I can see the Jaguars trading 31 overall OT Donn Shuster before his contract is up and giving Price a shot at the starting job next to last years 1st round pick by the Rams Ryan Dunn.

 

The Jaguars made some picks at the end of the draft that probably won’t make an on field impact for them but they did so well with their first 6th picks that it doesn’t matter this was a really good draft for the Jaguars as they got some great players to fill some big holes.

 

Kansas City: C+

Round 1 Pick 27 WR Ronald Cimber 59/C: B

The Chiefs needed WR with since they only have 2 WRs over 60 overall and Cimber is a good WR who can come in and be a WR3 this year and start working his way up the depth chart if they decide they don’t want to bring back their top 2 WRs. A couple of better WRs were on the board at this pick but this WR class was so good that you still get a great player as my WR10. On top of that Cimber wasn’t expected to go this high and other than Matt Siri the WRs picked after Cimber that I have ranked above him are guys that I don’t think I heard anyone talk about. This was a good pick by KC to get a talented player at their biggest need.

 

Round 2 Pick 59 OT Brad Adams 59/C: B

Jeffrey Theriot is one of the best OTs in the league at 81 overall but 66 overall Douglas Decker is the other starting OT. Decker is 26 years old and on an expiring deal so drafting Brad Adams gives them the option to move on from Decker if he is asking for too much money or maybe they trade him and start Brad Adams to start the season. Regardless Brad Adams is a good OT to protect Theo Scribner or whoever the Chiefs decide to go with at QB.

 

Round 3 Pick 91 C Trey Wall 52/A+: B-

Last year the Chiefs drafted center Noah Prater 9th overall who is now a 62 overall with A+ potential. Seeing how well that went for them they draft a center in the 3rd this year and Trey Wall also has A+ potential. Look I don’t know how the Chiefs plan on getting Trey Wall snaps but with A+ potential I am getting on the hype train. I think that either Prater or Wall will be moved to OG to be a replacement for the mid 60 overall OGs that are nearing the end of their contracts. I think this is a good pick and given enough snaps Wall can be a great O-lineman for the Chiefs.

 

Round 5 Pick 157 RB Taylor Abreu 52/B: C

James Carter is the starting RB for KC and Jhan Peters is RB2 so all I can say is it looks like the Chiefs wanted a RB3. I think Abreu is a solid player with good potential and he was the 2nd best RB on the board but I just don’t get this pick since Fernando Blue is a solid option as a 3rd RB. Like the Trey Wall pick I like this pick but I have to cap the grade at C because I just don’t see the reasoning for drafting a RB when OLB and ILB are bigger needs.

 

Round 6 Pick 201 SS Ben Blossomgame C/C+: C-

The Chiefs would have loved to find a better player than Anthony Ahmed to potentially replace William Redman since he is on an expiring contract but Ben Blossomgame is not that guy. I can’t blame the Chiefs, Blossomgame was the best SS on the board but they got what you more or less expect to get in the late 6th round so I can’t punish them too much for that.

 

Round 7 Pick 239 SS Hung-Chih McHugh F/C: C

Hung-Chih McHugh is one of the best names in the sim and was our mister irrelevant unfortunately he was cut immediately. Just going to give this pick a C because of the name but this is not a pick that the Chiefs were going to get a great player at so the grade doesn't really matter.

 

I think the first two picks were really good for the Chiefs and are the real highlight. I think the next two picks are good picks but have some questions. The last two picks weren’t good but this late in the draft what do you really expect? I think the Chiefs did a good job considering they had some auto draft picks but I can’t take that into account when grading so they would have probably done better if they had made all the picks themselves. I think this is a solid class for them but the lower number of picks combined with the questions I have on some of them makes a C+ a fair grade.



Thank you for reading I will try and finish the next half quickly to get that out but this takes a bit of time. I am pretty sure I already said it but since I would have wrote it 2 weeks ago and I refuse to reread any of this and because people might skip the opening paragraph I am open to conversation about my grades and am willing to make changes if I see or hear a good enough reason to do so.

Edited March 31 by kgreene829
I forgot to hit enter 1 time. Edited some grade evaluations

[Piercewise1]

Awesome content!

DE was one of our biggest needs going into the draft, but Gresham going at #5 caught me by surprise. I panic-scouted Whit Wilson when I was on the clock, but with C- potential and F injury rating I decided to go with our second biggest need (OT) since I knew that Penny was a 58/A+. After that I had limited remaining points, so I went BPA based on who I had scouted. And through 4 rounds it worked pretty well. I started trading back to stockpile late round picks, figuring I would just grab a bunch of guys and hope that 1 was a hidden gem.

Ronald McKinnon was the last player on my board that I'd scouted and decently liked, and he seemed like good value in the 6th. Once I ran out of players and points I was flying blind, which is where Breslow and Rasmussen came in. I liked the guys I'd gotten at their positions so far, but I was looking at combine results and reaching out for any singularly good role players. Breslow was a top-5 route runner (9.08 grade) and Rasmussen's Run Stop was 2nd only to Kenny Daniel, so I grabbed them. I got unlucky with their Potentials, but it's not like I need them to be starters anytime soon.

[BabaYaga]

Thanks for taking the time on this deep dive. Really cool.

[Ricky Campbell]

Great post!