By: Jack McLane
This year's draft wasn’t special, nothing different or unusual happened that changed the tides of the upcoming NFL season. Sure there were a few surprises, like the Jaguars taking a running back in the first round after they already had one last year that had 1,400+ all purpose yards. You would think the worst team in football last year would hold on to their only bright spot on the roster. But, that is irrelevant for now. The way I will be ranking each team is by giving them a grade (A-F) on who they drafted, when they drafted them and if trading at all was a good decision. I will also be going alphabetical order so starting with the Arizona Cardinals and ending with the Washington Football Team.
Arizona Cardinals
C+. The Cardinals would have a B grade if they didn’t draft Rondale Moore. I don’t see a big use for him on a team with multiple wide receivers. They have Deandre Hopkins, Christian Kirk, Larry Fitzgerald, A.J. Green and more. They didn’t need to waste a second round pick on this guy. I like him a lot but he should not have been picked there. I really like the Zaven Collins pick mainly due to the Cardinals lackluster defense last year.
Atlanta Falcons
B. I would have given this team a better grade if they would have drafted a quarterback rather than Kyle Pitts. I really like Kyle Pitts but drafting a TE when you were losing shoutouts last year and an aging Matt Ryan just doesn’t make sense to me. After the Pitts decision the rest of the draft I thought they did very well. They drafted all defense after the first round besides Jaylen Mayfield (who I thought was a great pick at 68) which was 100% needed. They also took WR Frank Darby with their last pick.
Buffalo Bills
A-. The Bills didn’t have much to do in this years draft and yet they still made great decisions that made sense. One of those picks that was so good was Gregory Rousseau from Miami. He’s an athletic freak at 6’7, 265. I was honestly super shocked that he fell that far. After that they took a lot of good players in positions that weren’t totally in need of help but still useful. So I feel an A- is a fair grade for the Buffalo Bills.
Carolina Panthers
B-. I am a HUGE believer in Sam Darnold. I believe he wasn’t given enough help in New York and making this guy your starter is a good choice. I would have tried to give this guy more help by keeping Curtis Samuel but that’s okay because they took Terrance Marshall in the second round which I thought was a great pick. They would have a lower grade but they had so many picks this year and drafted pretty okay means they get a B-.
Chicago Bears
C+. All I have to say is, eh. I mean Fields was a good pick but the rest of their picks seemed just okay. Teven Jenkins was a decent pick to say the least and the rest of their picks seemed not very thought through. I honestly think they’re just lucky that Fields fell so much, they didn’t do any blockbuster trades to get him he just happened to be there. I know they did trade up but they had no idea he was going to be there.
Cincinnati Bengals
B+. Ja’Marr Chase really made this grade be even higher than it should be just because he is so good and playing with his former college teammate could do really good things especially with the departure of AJ Green. The rest of the draft was some good picks here and there. Another thing that made their grade boost so much is how many trades they made and the fact they had 10 picks in the draft this year.
Cleveland Browns
A-. The Browns honestly hit the spot with getting Jermiah Owusu-Koramoah with the 52nd pick. I am honestly quite shocked he fell so far in the draft but apparently, he got injured so that might have hurt his draft stock. Andrew Berry believes that his injury won’t matter and went ahead and made a pretty good pick. The rest of the draft they just took solid sleeper picks that will develop well in my eyes. Also, they’re Greg Newsome II pick was a really strong one as well, I feel that Newsome was there and they just couldn’t pass up on the guy.
Dallas Cowboys
B. The Cowboys had a rough 2020 season with Dak getting severely injured and then the whole quarterback fiasco. But, with that type of season the only way to go is up. They didn’t draft spectacularly (besides Micah Parsons), they just had 11 picks this year. But, to be fair they drafted pretty well.
Denver Broncos
D. I just don’t get it. Why do they believe in Drew Lock? They could have taken Justin Fields but they took a cornerback, when they had a decent enough defense last year and they’re offense was what killed them because of who? Drew Lock. The only reason this team doesn’t have an F right now is because of all the picks they had. They just missed out on so much for no reason at all.
Detroit Lions
A. I may be a little biased here, but Dan Campbell knew who he wanted at each pick and got those exact guys. It’s clear he doesn’t trust Jared Goff much (neither would I) and he is going to hopefully go all in on defense. I thought Penei Sewel was the right pick, there isn’t much to say here it just makes sense. I don’t love the Onwuzurike pick a ton mainly because he didn’t do anything spectacular. After that though, I loved the choices the Lions made at each spot.
Green Bay Packers
C. Eh. That expression really explains it all. They drafted Eric Stokes who is a good prospect but a little raw, the rest of their picks were a little shaky but I really like the Amari Rodgers pick. I think he will fit well behind Davante Adams, Allen Lazard and Marquez Valdes-Scantling. But overall, they just drafted good enough.
Houston Texans
D. This team is too bad to only have 6 picks in the draft. This would be an F grade but I can guarantee Deshaun Watson isn’t going anywhere, yet. For game one of the 2021 NFL season Deshaun Watson will be starting but the very last game of the season for the Texans he won’t not be there. So this team would have an F if Deshaun wasn’t there right now then they should have drafted better, but, because he is technically still there then they drafted bad, technically not horrible yet.
Indianapolis Colts
B. The Colts didn’t have to do much this year and they still drafted very well. I don’t really have anything to say for this team just because they didn’t really need to target any position in the draft.
Jacksonville Jaguars
A. This team would have an A+ if they didn’t draft Travis Etienne. I think he’s a good player I really do but when he stayed that extra year of college he just didn’t improve in my eyes. But to be fair no matter the prospect you don’t need him when you had a guy who was your only bright spot in your franchise’s worst season ever. He had 1,400+ yards from scrimmage...as a rookie. I just don’t really see the sense in that pick. But, this team just drafted fairly well and had a lot of picks this year so their grade feels fair at an A.
Kansas City Chiefs
C. The Chiefs didn’t really have to do much in this years draft especially when you don’t have a first round pick. I would give them a B but because of not having a first and only having 6 picks this year just gives them a C. Basically what I’m saying is that they barely passed.
Las Vegas Raiders
D. The Raiders need to learn to stop reaching for players. Alex Leatherwood is a great prospect and should be drafted in the first round..but not at 17. I see Leatherwood going in the mid 20’s range and this team probably took him about 10 picks too early. I get it if you’re scared someone is going to randomly trade up and take him but then you need to do more than just sit there. Although that may be a good reason to reach, you guys are professionals, I’m 13 so there has to be more of a reason than that or the Las Vegas Raiders are just very bad at drafting.
Los Angeles Chargers
A+. This team hit the spot in this years draft getting Justin Herbert more help and just stacking up on defense with strong prospects. With this team I see them making it to the playoffs and winning Justin Herbert an award. Whether that is MVP or OPOY is for the future to decide. All in all, I believe that Rashawn Slater is just what they needed to elevate their playoff odds.
Los Angeles Rams
B. I don’t have a lot to say about this team, they didn’t have a first round draft pick this year but I honestly think the rest of the draft was very smooth for them. With 9 picks it’s hard to not get any of the prospects you like. Like I said I don’t have much to say for this team.
Miami Dolphins
A. This is already a good football team and they clearly believe in Tua but still wanted to get him some more help. They got Jaylen Waddle who is one of Tua’s former teammates and signed Will Fuller V who is young and a really good receiver. They also improved their defense while getting Jaelen Phillips who is a great player and that makes their defense even stronger for the future.
Minnesota Vikings
A. I honestly don’t really need to say much for this team to be fair. The Vikings always draft well and they did especially well with 11 picks this year. And they didn’t even have their own first round pick and had to use the Jets pick (via Seahawks). Christian Darrisaw was a great pick at 23 and the Vikings really stuck to their ways of drafting very strongly.
New England Patriots
A+. I know the world wasn’t shocked with the Mac Jones pick but I honestly was, I expected Bill Belicheck to stick to his ways and draft late in the draft and win 6 more rings with another Tom Brady like story quarterback but, he picked a quarterback in the first round which was a good pick. To put it simply their first 3 picks this year were just really good picks and that gives them the A+ grade.
New Orleans Saints
C. I believe in Jameis Winston, I really do but this team should of spent their picks to protect him and give him time to throw. They only had 6 picks this year which also brought their grade down and the Pete Werner pick seemed unnecessary and stupid in my eyes. I liked the Payton Turner pick which is the only reason this team isn’t getting an F grade.
New York Giants
C. I just want to say real quick that this is the make or break year for Daniel Jones. If he can’t put together a winning season with Kadarius Toney, Kenny Golliday, Sterling Shepard, Darius Slayton and Saquon Barkley then he is no longer a New York Giant. Anyways, this team went into the draft with a lot to work on and they achieved almost none of it. Saquon Barkley only played 2 games last season and only had 34 yards because of the Giants terrible offensive line and he tore his ACL and the Giants didn’t draft a single offensive lineman. The only reason this isn’t an F grade is because they drafted Toney. Although they reached I think Toney is just too good of a prospect.
New York Jets
A+. The Jets nailed this draft, they clearly like Zack Wilson but don’t trust him enough to work with the Jets past offense and they gave him the perfect prospects. With 9 picks in the draft it is hard to miss out on the people on your draft board. With Elijah Moore and Alijah Vera-Tucker you’re preparing for a better record this season. Also with Robert Salah and getting defensive studs this year has really improved this football team. Does this mean I think they’re going to be any good? No but they’re future is bright.
Philadelphia Eagles
B. The Eagles had a good amount of places to fill in this year's draft and did a pretty good job getting good prospects like Davonta Smith and Milton Williams. Davonta can really help their quarterback next year (I’m not going to pretend to know who it is going to be) with his speed and good route running that fits well with his pretty good hands, Milton Williams will line up next to Fletcher Cox and the Eagles are suddenly a little more scary. But overall they didn’t hit on a lot of spots but still, a B grade is good.
Pittsburgh Steelers
C-. I honestly don’t see the wisdom in the Najee Harris pick. Why would they make that pick? It just angers me because Benny Snell came off a fairly decent season and even though James Conner left doesn’t mean they should be picking a running back in the first round. What they should have done is tried to make any attempt at trading for Mac Jones or pick Davis Mills early in the second for exchange of their first round pick. There are simple solutions and Ben Rothelsburger is not a good football player anymore. He’s old and injury prone. But, having 9 picks in the draft will raise your grade a little.
San Francisco 49ers
A+. I think the 49ers knew exactly what they were doing in this year's draft and executed perfectly. Trey Lance, Trey Sermon and Ambry Thomas are studs that are great football players. They all can play physical, Trey Lance a great downhill force, Trey Sermon is 6’1 215 and used to contact at the line and Ambry Thomas came out of Michigan who is coached by Jim Harbaugh who is a firm believer in contact and hand fighting in coverage. They also had 8 picks this year and hit on all of them. The 49ers just did so well this year.
Seattle Seahawks
F. When you have 3 picks this year and use one of those very very very valuable picks on a position that is not needed then you have messed up. That is basically all I have to say.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
A. The Bucs didn’t need to do really anything and still did a pretty good job. They just took the best prospect on the board at each pick and that is the only thing you can do when you just won a super bowl with Tom Brady. There honestly isn’t much to say here again.
Tennessee Titans
A. I would give the Titans a B if they had passed up on Caleb Farley, he is just such a good corner and got drafted to a very well coached team that could use some shine at the cornerback position. Like the Bucs they took the best player at each pick, they didn’t have to do much and succeeded. This is a well coached team...and Derrick Henry so you are in a good position right now in terms of playoff hopes.
Washington Football Team
B+. Washington had a pretty good offseason bringing in Ryan Fitzpatrick who I think would be a great player on this team with Terry Mclaurin and the defense they have. Is it a step down from Miami? Yes, but that doesn’t mean it was a drastic step. Overall Washington just drafted well and had 10 picks this year to prove it.
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