So you already know how I did (if you don’t, take a look back at a previous post but I can sum it up for you like so: I did shitty). Let’s see how the teams did this year with the NFL Draft Marathon of Delight and Despair (or Delight and La’el if you prefer). Remember, this is totally subjective but could be just as relevant as any other person’s draft grades.
We are going to do this on the Mike Mayock Scale. Five Mayocks means you had a pretty good draft. One Mayock means your scouting crew may need an overhaul. Here we go:
Atlanta Falcons (First round pick: Vic Beasley, Other good picks: Jalen Collins, Tevin Coleman, Justin Hardy, Grady Jarrett) – The Falcons hit about the biggest home run for this draft class, at least in an overall sense. Seven picks, with five being very good selections. Their worst choice was Jake Rodgers in the 7th, but really, 7th rounders are crapshoots to begin with.
Jacksonville Jaguars (First round pick: Dante Fowler Jr., Other good picks: T.J. Yeldon, A.J. Cann, Rashad Greene, Michael Bennett) – The Jags have another solid draft so now there is no reason to start moving up the ladder in the AFC South. Other than Jameis Winston, Fowler seemed to be the most predictable pick as almost everyone’s mock draft had him to the Jags. Yeldon is a great pick in the 2nd.
Miami Dolphins (First round pick: Devante Parker, Other good picks: Jordan Phillips, Bobby McCain, Jay Ajayi, Tony Lippett) – Parker was the other given in the first round with almost everyone (including myself) having him going to the Fins. Phillips is a good pick in the 2nd, but it’s their selections of Ajayi and Lippett that look huge considered they got them in the 5th round. Another team with fewer picks finding good value.
Houston Texans (First round pick: Kevin Johnson, Other good pick: Jaelen Strong) – I am still in the camp that says Kevin Johnson was a reach by the Texans. Not a huge reach as I had him early second round so they must have figured he wouldn’t drop to them in the 2nd. Getting Jaelen Strong as late as they did was the one pick that saved them from moving further down this list.
Oakland Raiders (First round pick: Amari Cooper, Other good pick: Ben Heeney) – Cooper is a very good pick by the Raiders. Heeney was a good later pick. The Raiders just picked solid players across the board with no flaws in their draft strategy.
New York Jets (First round pick: Leonard Williams, Other good picks: Devin Smith, Bryce Petty, Jarvis Harrison) – The Jets got the steal of the draft when Sideshow Bob Williams dropped in their laps. That alone made their draft successful. Being able to pick up a good darkhorse pick in Smith and Petty who could surprise at the pro level puts them just out of top draft range.
Arizona Cardinals (First round pick: D.J. Humphries, Other good picks: David Johnson, Shaquille Riddick, Jamarcus Nelson) – The Cards made a good solid value pick with Humphries. The hope is he can fit in quickly on that O-line. Nelson may surprise as he is the last UAB player ever drafted (as of now).
Chicago Bears (First round pick: Kevin White, Other good picks: Hroniss Grasu, Adrian Amos) – I thought the Bears did well but many are shitting all over their draft class? Why? They didn’t have many picks due to trades so they did well with what they had. White was a great pick after Cooper went off the board and Grasu is a good value pick at centre.
Cincinnati Bengals (First round pick: Cedric Ogbuehi, Other good picks: Tyler Kroft, Paul Dawson, Josh Shaw, Marcus Hardison, Derron Smith) – The Bengals made a lot of good picks. Ogbuehi may be one of their worst. Which isn’t a bad thing since Ogbuehi is an average pick but maybe a tiny bit of a reach for the Bengals considering where they were in the draft.
Dallas Cowboys (First round pick: Byron Jones, Other good pick: Randy Gregory) – If it wasn’t for a good pick in Jones and a great (but risky) pick in Gregory, the Cowboys would have plummeted down the list. The rest of their draft was not too good to say the least.
Minnesota Vikings (First round pick: Trae Waynes, Other good picks: Eric Kendricks, T.J. Clemmings) – The Vikings defense gets a lot better with Waynes and Kendricks but it’s having Clemmings fall into their lap, despite some health issues, that has to be considered the jewel of their draft this year.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (First round pick: Jameis Winston, Other good picks: Kwon Alexander, Kenny Bell) – Winston was an obvious choice. The crab legs were a nice touch, idiot. Alexander and Bell were pretty good value picks but the rest of their draft was mediocre at best. I still think Ali Marpet is not a good pick considering the competition he had.
Tennessee Titans (First round pick: Marcus Mariota, Other good picks: Dorial Green-Beckham, Jalston Fowler, David Cobb, Andy Gallik) – It’s not that Marioto wasn’t a good pick. Marioto was a great pick. Just not the right pick for the Titans. If I was Zach Mettenberger I’d be very nervous of this situation as the Titans brass obviously wants Marioto to start over him. After that gaffe, the Titans made up for it, especially with DGB and Cobb. Marioto.
Baltimore Ravens (First round pick: Breshad Perriman, Other good picks: Maxx Williams, Carl Davis, Za’Darius Smith, Darren Waller) – The Ravens reached big time with Perriman. Jaelen Strong should have been picked in that spot. That would have put the Ravens draft class up quite a few notches after somehow landing Williams and Davis, two guys who were considered first-rounders at one point or another.
Denver Broncos (First round pick: Shane Ray, Other good picks: Ty Sambrailo, Jeff Heuerman, Max Garcia) – The Broncos’ picks were all over the board. Ray wasn’t bad. Sambrailo and Garcia were very good value picks. Then the floor dropped out from under them with their last three. No consistency here.
Detroit Lions (First round pick: Laken Tomlinson, Other good picks: Quandre Diggs, Corey Robinson) – I think the Lions may have reached a bit with Tomlinson but there’s no way he would have dropped to them later on. Robinson an awesome pick for a 7th rounder. Ameer Abdullah is a good pick…if it had been done in the 5th round, not the 2nd.
Pittsburgh Steelers (First round pick: Bud Dupree, Other good picks: Jesse James, Laterrius Watson, Gerod Holliman) – Their bookend picks were easily better than any team’s first and last picks. James and Watson were pretty good picks. The rest were below average and made it so the Steelers weren’t rated higher.
San Diego Chargers (First round pick: Melvin Gordon, Other good picks: Kyle Emanuel, Darius Philon) – I thought Gordon was a good pick although that thought isn’t shared by the majority. Emanuel a very good pick at the spot he was selected. Average draft overall. Nothing too spectacular.
St. Louis Rams (First round pick: Todd Gurley, Other good picks: Robby Havenstein, Jamon Brown, Sean Mannion, Bud Sasser) – Home runs with Havenstein, Mannion, and Sasser. Three quality picks. Gurley was a stretch especially since he was slated as a mid-1st rounder at best. I didn’t even think he was the best back. And now Zac Stacy is gone. Not a huge deal but not great when you piss off roster players with your picks.
Green Bay Packers (First round pick: Damarious Randall, Other good pick: Jake Ryan) – I think Randall was a massive stretch. Jake Ryan was a great pick and probably saved the draft for them since the rest of the picks were average at best.
Philadelphia Eagles (First round pick: Nelson Agholor, Other good picks: Eric Rowe, JaCorey Shepherd) – What could have been. Chip “The Green Bastard” Kelly had a chance to shake the entire draft to its core. Instead he couldn’t pull it off. Which is fine. Then he picks Agholor which is a bad pick at that spot. Eric Rowe was a fantastic selection but other than that? Meh.
New York Giants (First round pick: Ereck Flowers, Other good pick: Geremy Davis) – I’m sorry. I don’t buy it. I think Flowers was the biggest reach of the first round. By quite a bit. The rest of their draft class was average with Geremy Davis standing out a bit. But still. Flowers? At the 9th pick? Please.
Kansas City Chiefs (First round pick: Marcus Peters, Other good pick: Steven Nelson) – It’s not that the Chiefs had a bad draft. It was just another ordinary draft. Nothing exciting. Nothing pops out. Peters was a good pick though.
New Orleans Saints (First round picks: Andrus Peat, Stephone Anthony, Other good picks: Hau’oli Kikaha, Tyeler Davison) – I thought Peat was a good selection. Better than Flowers. Anthony not so much. There’s a possibility he could have been had late in the second. Kikaha another good value pick and then a lot of average scout teamers.
San Francisco 49ers (First round pick: Arik Armstead, Other good picks: DeAndre Smelter, Blake Bell) – Armstead seemed like the obvious choice for the Niners and was a safe pick. Smelter and Bell are good picks although the Belldozer is pretty raw. Everything else was below average. The bad off-season for the team continues.
Washington Redskins (First round pick: Brandon Scherff, Other good picks: Jamison Crowder, Arie Kouandjio) – Scherff seemed to be dropping in all the mock drafts I saw (including my own) so it was a bit of a surprise to see him picked by the Skins at the 5 spot. Crowder is underrated and should be a gem of a receiver (if someone can get him the ball). And the other half of the Flying Kouandjio brothers leaves the Crimson Tide Football Factory to try his wares at the pro game and was a solid mid-draft pick.
Cleveland Browns (First round picks: Danny Shelton, Cameron Erving, Other good picks: Ifo Ekpre-Olomu) – Ok. Shelton was a good pick. Erving was not a good pick at that spot. Ekpre-Olomu was an absolute steal in the final round. In between, pretty bad. But I kind of expect it because it’s the Browns. But hey, if the Clippers can turn things around in the NBA, there is still a glimmer of hope for Cleveland.
Buffalo Bills (First round pick: none, Other good pick: Nick O’Leary) – If it wasn’t for O’Leary I fear the Bills would have dropped to the bottom. No real good picks throughout this draft other than the Seminole tight end.
Seattle Seahawks (First round pick: none, Other good pick: Frank Clark) – I think Clark was a good pick as long as he can stay out of trouble. Great value for where he was picked up. Very mediocre the rest of the way although Tyler Lockett could surprise.
New England Patriots (First round pick: Malcom Brown, Other good pick: Trey Flowers) – Brown was a good pick at #32. Surprised he fell that far. Flowers also a good pick. But the rest of their draft was pretty bad. And I get it: they try to fit guys in specific roles. But a long snapper? Come on. And their last two picks were atrocious. This is a team that gets a lot of credit for a lot of things and deservedly so. This draft? They better hope someone steps up or it doesn’t pass the smell test.
Carolina Panthers (First round pick: Shaq Thompson, Other good picks: none) – I thought Thompson was a good pick but many are saying it was the worst of the first round. Wow. Funny, last year I had them rated as the worst draft class and this year it’s the second worst. Luckily they play in the NFC South where mediocrity is celebrated.
Indianapolis Colts (First round pick: Phillip Dorsett, Other good pick: Josh Robinson) – Some are saying Dorsett was a good pick. I am not one of those people. I think it was a bad pick. Period. And other than Josh Robinson, they didn’t get one guy who strikes me as a guy who could sniff an NFL roster. Brutal. They are lucky they play in the AFC South and already have a pretty good team because otherwise they could be in trouble.
There. Finally. Draft grades done. And now it looks like the Cowboys picked up La’el Collins. So they have to be considered one of the winners of this part of the off-season, along with the Falcons, Jags (like last year), and Dolphins. The Colts and Panthers rank at the bottom by a country mile.
The college football schedules are finally shaping up. Dates for most of the games are set. Now it’s the TV we are waiting on although these are trickling in. I plan on doing another set of posts on the most important games of the season probably starting late this month. A little over three and a half months away. It’ll feel like forever. Thank god for the warm weather (most of the time).
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