Grade Your Draft

[One Punch Man]

1. Rashaad Penny - I’m still laughing about this one. You either don’t hate it or you do. Nobody really likes it. Absolutely nobody loves it. Considering positional value, everyone else available and this was just gross. I do think he’ll end up being a good one for us, which saves his grade a little bit. Grade: C-

2. Rasheem Green - Absolutely love this pick. Green is going to be a future pro-bowler. At worst, he’s going to be a better Kony Ealy. It’s not an offensive lineman but it’s a position of need right below that. Grade: A-

3. Will Dissly - I understand other Hawks fans justification and I understand how this could be good for us. But if you’re looking to upgrade your run and return to your smash mouth roots, draft some goddamn lineman. This guy could’ve been drafted later. And even if not, there are tons of other prospects that are close enough. There were quite a bit of decent offensive line prospects still available. Grade: D-

4. Shaquem Griffin - Awesome pick. Will be a versatile chess piece in our defense. Great value too. Obvious concerns but the potential is there. Grade: B+

5. Tre Flowers - Not a fan. Seems stiff. Our CB converts haven’t been panning out. Don’t think this one will either. Grade: D

6. Michael Dickson - Well. I mean I guess we needed one right. Ryan and Seabass ain’t going to be here forever. Grade: C

7. Jamarco Jones - I like it. Reminds me of Charles Leno. He’s a step above JAG, which is miles ahead of what we were fielding last year. Kick him inside, set and forget. Won’t be a strength but will far away from a weakness. Athletic concerns aren’t great for me. He’s one of those guys that’ll get it done. Grade: B

8. DE from Temple - Project player, I’m assuming. Still meh. Grade: D

9. QB from FIU - Lol why. Would’ve taken Quinton Flowers or Barrett over this guy. Jesus. Grade: F

Overall Seahawks Grade: C

A typical modern Seahawks class. Classes like these aren’t going to save your job, Carroll. 

[Broncofan]

From our Forum page, here's mine:

Day 1

1.5 Chubb - A grade pick.   No doubt he contributes from Day 1, too good in all facets of the game. 

Day 1 - A grade.   Crazy that BUF came through and offered 1.12, 1.22, 2.56 for our 1.5 and 3.71.   In hindsight, that would have netted Vea, a top 3 G (Hernandez/Wynn - who can play T) and Freeman upgrades to either Oliver/Davis (wow) or Guice.  But at the time of 1.5, there was no way Elway could safely predict that far ahead, 50 picks later, or that Elway wouldn't have gone in a different direction than best-case.   So even with knowing the trade was on the table, and the results (hindsight-only), Elway gets a full A grade for Rd1.

Day 2

2.40 Sutton - B+ pick.  He is more likely to help in 2019, and yes, he fell.   Only reason I put the pick at B+ and not an A pick is what I've said before (and I said before 2.40 was picked on our draft page, before people start accusing me of hindsight lol) - WR was so deep, we could have waited until 3.7 and gotten a difference-maker talent, and an even better 2.40 impact guy for another key spot, the BPA list (Oliver, Goedert, Conor Wiliams) had 3 guys ahead of the WR's, and by 3.7, those positions had a lot lower-tier talent guys left.   Still, unlike Elway Day 2 picks, he's actually a player lol.  So it's not a disaster, just a missed opp.

3.71 Freeman - B- pick.  I actually think he'll be our 2-down guy eventually.   I have a bias to seek out 3-down profile guys, and Freeman's mileage, the ORE system (where the running lanes are a mile wide), and his punishing style have me worried he won't hold up, even for a rookie deal.   Still, it's not horrible at all.   But not my preference (and again, not just hindsight, stated b4 and at pick time in the DEN forum draft thread).    

3.99 Iyadom - B- pick.   He'll take time.   Guys who take time, though, probably can wait, and if not, it's not a crushing loss.   This is probably the only pick where I think Elway/Kubiak felt compelled by need and falling in love with 1 guy, to not want to wait.   It wasn't a huge reach, though, so that's progress too lol.

Overall, Day 2 gets a B grade.  That makes this the best Day 2 since 2011.   

Day 3

4.106 Jewell - A+ pick - after this, a huge drop-off in ILB talent.  So maximized return IMO.   Full marks.

4.113 Hamilton - B+ pick - I was so tempted to say we should go TE Smythe.   But I get Elway isn't seeing Carlos Henderson as capable of slot in the future, then this pick makes a ton of sense.  

5.153 & 6.218 - Fumigali & Williams - D picks - I'm going to put this as combo pick - because we could have stood pat and gone T/G Tyrell Crosby, who would have been another A pick IMO (fell due to concerns on past concussions, thx to @Uncle Buck there for that).   And Jones is just a replacement level 2-down guy (or worse) & Fumigalia is Owen Daniels, at best, virtually no difference-making talent.   That's a big whiff vs. the potential to hit with Crosby, sad to say IMO. 

6.180 & 6.226 - Jones & Bierria - C- picks - Again, treated like a combo pick since this was for 5.160.   Jones at least has some projection.   Bierria is just a ST guy.   Much rather have NT Tim Settle, T Jamarco Jones, or TE Jaylen Samuels. 

Overall, Day 3 gets a B- grade.   Rocking start, awful finish.

UDFA

Jeff Holland EDGE

Philip Lindsay RB

Lowell Lotululei NT (Star’s brother)

i forget the rest lol 

A - Jeff Holland should have been drafted around Round 5.  A+ pick.    Lindsay actually fits a great role (but makes the Williams pick look pointless, as we can only keep so many guys on the 53-man squad, and only 1 guy on the PS).    Lotululei fits a need and has some ceiling - but really AWFUL character concerns.   But it's a free shot.  So yeah, have to give this  UDFA class an A overall.

 

So the Draft gets a solid B grade - but the UDFA class pushes it to a B+ grade.   Could have been an A draft with Round 5-7 standing pat, and could have been A+ with a different Day 2 order (Rd 5-7 would have also addressed our key deficiency in this draft with a difference-maker in Crosby, and also concentrated our talent to more difference-makers - so have to ding Elway & Kubiak there).    The UDFA class really is a breath of fresh air, it's a shout out to the old days, we actually got 1 guy other teams wanted badly.

But overall, B+ literally makes this DEN's best draft since 2011 (and sadly, so would a B lol).   And as discussed before, Elway/Kubiak's change in approach for going BPA early on (when big gaps are present), and adjusting to how the Board is shaking out, and not reaching for "their guys" no matter what (not all the way there, but it used to be a complete 0 in this area, so that's so encouraging to see the progress).    Other than not realizing the WR class was deep enough to wait and get a difference-maker at CB/TE/T (Conor Williams) 2.40, ironically the one other key change for 2019 is let the old Elway draft style of going insane-ceiling, low-floor loose for Day 3, once the high-skills / still-good-ceiing guys are gone.

Now, final reminder for our DEN fans - DEN is still a meh to bad 2018 team.  This draft doesn't change that.   We need to give this class at least 2 years to know, so patience (2017's draft class we should still wait, although taking Hamilton Rd4 after taking Sutton Rd2 signals 3.82 WR Carlos Henderson's potential as a slot guy is fading fast, which with Rd 5 WR Isiaiah McKenzie's failure and likely roster cut, is  really bad there.  And taking Iyadom Rd3 also signals 3.99 CB Bradon Langley still needs a lot more time.  And taking 3 RB's suggests Rd 6 RB DeAndre Henderson isn't seen as anything special, which by itself for a 6th rounder, is fine.  But with all those other guys looking hard like busts by Elway/Kubiak's own actions, it looks as bad as many of us feared...or worse, if  Rd 5 TE Jake Butt/ Rd 2 DE DeMarcus Walker don't salvage the Day 2-3 disaster so far).

[RaidersAreOne]

3 minutes ago, Broncofan said:

 Crazy that BUF came through and offered 1.12, 1.22, 2.56 for our 1.5 and 3.71.

Damn really?? That would have been a very good trade for you boys no doubt. However you did land Chubb who although not a Bosa, Clowney, Garrett level of DE, he is still a freaking awesome player who will scare me for a long time. 

The AFCW has the most freaking crazy passrushers in the entire league.

[CWood21]

8 minutes ago, RaidersAreOne said:

Damn really?? That would have been a very good trade for you boys no doubt. However you did land Chubb who although not a Bosa, Clowney, Garrett level of DE, he is still a freaking awesome player who will scare me for a long time. 

The AFCW has the most freaking crazy passrushers in the entire league.

Maybe I'm in the minority, but that's a trade I wouldn't make.  I'd rather have Chubb/Freeman than Vea/OG/Oliver.

[Broncofan]

13 minutes ago, RaidersAreOne said:

Damn really?? That would have been a very good trade for you boys no doubt. However you did land Chubb who although not a Bosa, Clowney, Garrett level of DE, he is still a freaking awesome player who will scare me for a long time. 

The AFCW has the most freaking crazy passrushers in the entire league.

Yeah, Elway through DEN's beat reporter confirmed this - http://www.9news.com/article/sports/nfl/denver-broncos/a-look-inside-elways-day-1-strategy-why-chubb-trumped-bills-hefty-trade-offer/73-546939481 (So the offer is confirmed as true, not speculation).

 

Still, we're pretty much almost all on board with Elway passing, for 3 reasons:

1.  No guarantee Elway would have made the best-case picks (passing on Freeman at 3.71 and going Oliver at 2.56, then taking a RB at 3.99, and say, going with Isiaih Henrnandez or Wynn at 1.22.  Vea probably yes, but even then - if Tampa doesn't move back, can't say they don't take Vea, either.  Then our draft completely changes). 

2.  More importantly, at 1.5, there was no way for Elway to know how the picks would run.  At 2.40, or a 3.71 or 3.99, or even at 5.149, when Elway traded picks, you have a very good idea of how the Big Board is going.  You don't at 1.5, not for 50+ picks later.    So it's entirely hindsight at 1.5 to project 50 picks later.   

3. Chubb to us at 1.5, Elway believes he's elite.  If he's not, then it's a bad move.  But if you believe it (Elway had him as 3 overall, and in the elite tier).  

Given that, pretty much everyone is on board with Chubb at 1.5....but it's fun to hear what BUF was offering.  Unlike the Draft rumors, now it's concrete.

BUF is obviously happy that they didn't have to pay as much, obviously.   

[Mox]

2 hours ago, animaltested said:

1. Rashaad Penny RB - Im not the biggest fan of drafting a RB in the first but oh well. I know Seattle got slacked for the pick, but it sounds like alot of teams had him as their 2nd or 3rd RB, he probably wouldnt have lasted past 40-45. Seattle had no shot at drafting him past 27, so they took the guy they wanted. Individual rankings have been proven to be pretty moot, so him being drafted 15-20 picks too soon shouldn't mean much. PCJS seem to like what he has to bring, and to be honest, he and Carson (if he can return from injury) complement each other really nice. Plus, the more I think about, RB was BY FAR the weakest unit of the entire team. YES that includes OL. Deal with it.

Value: C

Fit: B+

 

2. Sheldon Richardson DT - You could make the argument Sheldon was the at least the 2nd or 3rd most consistent defensive player throughout the entire year. Shame they couldn't resign him. Losing a 2nd for a 15 game rental. Blah

Value: B+ / D [Hindsight being 20/20]

Fit: A

 

3a. Duane Brown LT - OL didnt get massively better after the trade BUT he was a huge upgrade from they trotted out there. With a full off-season + Pre-Season plus stability to his rightside, Id imagine Duanes level of play will increase. 

Value: B-

Fit: A+

 

3b. Rasheem Green DL - A lot of potential, sounds like he needs a year to bulk up and grow into his body, but Seattle need a high upside edge, and he fits the bill nicely. Dion Jordan and Marcus Smith are both on 1 year contracts, and with Clark being the go-to edge, Green can be slowly integrated into the rotation. In fact, I see his progression being similar to Clarks his rookie year. After flubbing on McDowell, its really imperative Green sticks.

Value: B+

Fit: B+

 

4. Will Dissly TE - Again, another pick people see as a reach. But thats what you do in day 3, find player you like to fit specific roles OR high ceiling projects. Dissly is BOTH. After years of watching Jimmy Graham try to block, its makes sense they feel in love with Disslys skill. Between the drafting of Dissly AND the signing of Dickson, its obvious Seattle is trying to re-ignite the run game. Expect alot of run concepts from 2TE sets (with Vannett in the mix as a well)

Value: C-

Fit: B+

 

5a. Shaqeem Griffin LB? - It will be interesting to see how Seattle will use him. Cannot deny his production and talent. Legion of Griffin in full effect. 

Value: B

Fit: Wanna wait and see how he is utilized. 

 

5b. Tre Flowers DB - Tall, fast, instincts, production. Sounds like they are moving him to CB. I think his potential versatility is most intriguing. Seems like he could play all three DB positions. Good type of player to have on the depth chart.

Value: B

Fit: B

 

5c. Michael Dickson P - Well, he is really good. But with P/K its really a crapshoot. Things get broken too easily. Seattle got to experience first hand last year how much poor special teams can can hurt. 

Value: C

Fit: B+

 

5d: Jamarco Jones T - Seattle passed on him 4 times on day 3. That doesnt instill me with great confidence, and it didnt seem like the other 31 teams did either. Sounds like they will keep him on the left side. Hopefully he can be a solid back up. IDK.

Value: C

Fit: C+ 

 

6: Jacob Martin DE/LB - Dont know nuffin about him. 

Value ?

Fit: ?

 

7. Alex McGough QB - Only thing I have heard is he is really accurate throwing on the move. Which I guess is good?

Value: Who Cares

Fit: Doesnt matter

 

Overall: Idk... C?

Seattle filled just about every need they had. YES including the OL. Look I know they struggled last year, but injuries and revolving doors at the guard positions really enhanced the sitation. There is alot of capital invested in the line...

Brown [3rd + 2nd] Pocic [2nd] Britt [2nd + $] Fluker [$] Ifedi [1st] Odihambo [3rd]

Investing in all this has really inhibited Seattles abilities to invest in other positions. Why not focus on other, wider needs, and see if you invests can pay off with a new scheme. Give it at least another year to see if some stability and consistency settle things down [Which Seattle hasnt had on that unit since 2015]

Seattles draft like many recently focused on contributors, not necessarily starters. Thats why its seems pretty lukewarm. Gonna hold off on my pitchforks and torches until after the start of season.

 

 

Arm talent, athleticism and accuracy.

[Ajayii]

13 hours ago, Lilseb93 said:

TLDR: Miami got faster and fixed their biggest weakness on defense: the middle of the field. They finally got legitimate TEs for their QB. They might have found their kicker and Ballage could be a great weapon with Drake. Poling could be a future starter or key rotational piece. They got a lot of guys who can contribute immediately. I really liked this draft despite the iffy day 3. 

Loved our draft. The first five, with the exception of Smythe, should be immediate contributors. Smythe won't be counted on nearly as much with AJ Derby still on the team and the addition of Gavin Escobar.

[BleedTheClock]

14 hours ago, bucsfan333 said:

 

CB MJ Stewart - I thought there were better CBs available. But he's not bad by any means. Sounds like he's gonna compete to be our slot guy. C

 

He's a top 5 CB in this draft. You're going to love him.

[pnies20]

Jamarco Jones needs a lot of help or he won’t make a roster.

[Techbert]

3 hours ago, ///mcompact said:

Having this guy:

try to duplicate Drew Pearson's original troll, while your team wasted resources trading up in front of the Cowboys for a hybrid TE they had no plan in taking....just because his name was "Dallas"?

Priceless.

Tell Akers to drink more ovaltine.

I'm just curious. Were you born the last time the Cowboys have been to the Super Bowl?

Techbert,
only problem I had with Akers is his tie was too long

[Go_Giants]

Looks like no one has graded the Giants.  I might as well do it.

 

Round 1, RB Saquon Barkley A, I myself wanted Sam Darnold not Saqoun, however even I can't deny his talent and RB is a need for the Giants. Lowest grade I can give is an A.

Round 2,  G Will Hernandez A+, Such a beautiful thing when talent, value and need are all combined into a draft pick.

Round 3, LB Lorenzo Carter A-, We add another Linebacker to help us adjust to the new 3-4 scheme we will be using, he was projected to be drafted in the 2nd round. 

Round 3, DT BJ Hill B - He is going to help the DL rotation and in a season or two could be a starter. I would have preferred we upgraded at  RT, C, FS or CB with this pick.

Round 4, QB Kyle Lauletta C-, If Kyle or Davis Webb take over for Eli in a couple of years then Dave Gettleman is a genius and was right to pass up on Sam Darnold. Odds are he is wrong and Kyle Lauletta will just become the next Ryan Nassib (in other words have no impact at all for the Giants).

Round 5, RJ McIntosh B-, Like with BJ he will help the DL rotation, but there were a couple of RT's that had dropped that I would have preferred we drafted instead. 

 

I give the Giants draft overall an A- because the talent brought in will improve the team. I thought the Giants were around a 5-11 team before the draft, I could see us being 8-8.  My problem with the draft is we could have used the last three draft picks to care of needs, upgrading at the areas I said earlier, RT, C, FS, CB. 

 

 

 

[JJ6]

1) Calvin Ridley - The whole draft process I was convinced we'd go Vea, Payne or Bryan if avalibale. I was very high Bryan and thought he would be the pefect fit at 5/3 tech. So when he was on the board and his name wasn't called it caught me by surprise. Taking a couple mintues to digest the pick I really liked it. Great value while filling an underrated need. Ridley went to the most ideal situation possible and will be a day 1 contributer. 

2) Isahia Oliver/CB - My favorite pick in the draft. How did he fall that far? When the Pats traded up I thought they were about to ****** him from us. I would have been cool drafting him at 26. Perfect DQ corner who can matchup with the bigger WRs in the divison that always kill us. Big upside.

3) Deadrin Senat/DT - Loved this pick. Perfect 1 tech in our scheme with sneaky pass rushing upside. In the mold of Timmy Jernagin and Javon Hargrave. His tape is really fun to watch. 

4) Ito Smith/RB - Didn't hate this pick but wasn't ecstatic with it. Im a fan of Ito Smith as he reminds me alot of Dion Lewis and is a good fit in this scheme but I think we should have went in another direction. I would have liked a pass rusher or a RB with more power to his game. Some of the guys I would have taken over Smith were Sweat, Hurst, Ballage or Kelly. 

6 - Russell Gage/WR - Didn't know much of Gage but Mayock had him ranked as his 99th overall player. Sounds like he was drafted to be a standout gunner. Mabey some untapped potenial at WR as a converted CB? Decent pick.

6 - Foyesade Oluokun/LB - Prototypical DQ LB. Fast and physical. Solid pick late in the draft. 

 

Overall I'd give this draft a B+. Loved the first 3 picks, all of which will get significant playing time. Day 3 left a little to be desired but overall I'm happy. 

[couchscout]

1 hour ago, Techbert said:

only problem I had with Akers is his tie was too long

the good news is after puberty hits he may grow into it

[Sacks98]

I know a lot of Seahawk fans hate the Penny pick since our backfield is crowded but none of them ever seem to stay healthy.

[Forge]

2 minutes ago, Sacks98 said:

I know a lot of Seahawk fans hate the Penny pick since our backfield is crowded but none of them ever seem to stay healthy.

I don't think it has anything to do with the backfield being crowded. I think it has more to do with most people viewing the selection as a reach for the most part, along with considerably more prominent needs on the team. Their continued refusal to improve the offensive line is mind boggling.