Grade Your Draft

[TheFinisher]

I'm not big into post draft grades, so I'll sum it up;

Dallas

1. Leighton Vander Esch - We've been starved for a MLB like this since our transition back to the 4-3 defense.  Lack of range/athleticism/coverage from the Mike has plagued us, and this kid seems tailor made for the scheme.  I don't know if he's Brian Urlacher, but I sure do like having a Mike with Urlacher-traits.  Our defense has always imploded when Sean Lee was out due to horrific LB depth, it's exciting to think what this unit could become with LVE and a now healthy Jaylon Smith at LEO.

2. Connor Williams - If LB depth was the pitfall of our 2017 defense, OL depth was it's offensive counterpart.  Once Tyron Smith went down with the back injury, our vaunted OL completely broke down and the Adrian Clayborn 6 sack game was the reminder all off season that we need to make sure that doesn't happen again.  We had a difficult time replacing Ron Leary, and suffered for it in the run game.  Williams was an absolute steal at 50, he fell due to a shortened injury plagued JR campaign combined with having short arms (shrug), but his 2015/2016 film shows a dominant OL prospect who should transition smoothly to the LG position between Tyron and Frederick.  Gotta admire Dallas for doubling down on the engine that makes the whole thing work with this pick, and shows  commitment to reclaiming their position as the best ground game in the NFL.

3. Michael Gallup - I was interested in grabbing him at 50 so to get him at 81 was incredible.  The best way to describe Gallup is a WR who's just really good at everything, but lacks any standout elite trait like 4.3 speed or 6'3"+ height.  I thought he was one of the most consistent WRs in this class, and he'll have the opportunity to climb the depth chart immediately.  Dallas has completely revamped their WR position this off-season, and while Dez Bryant is the big name the media types like to chalk up as "hoW do yOu RepLaCe DeZ BrYanT?!", the reality is he hasn't produced in 3 years, has seen his ability fall off a cliff, possessed a sense of entitlement, and was eating up a considerable % of our cap.  Dallas should be applauded for cutting ties, and the new blood they brought in that includes Gallup will be a welcomed change for Dak Prescott entering 2018.

 

Rounds 4-7 were you basic matching value with needs types of picks, I'm most intrigued with Armstrong and Scarbrough although Schultz should have an opportunity to win the most snaps out of that group with Witten retiring and the TE position being wide open.

 

Overall I thought Dallas had a fantastic first 2 days and made picks on day 3 that made sense.  Williams and Gallup were great values for where they got them and they along with LVE, are all probably starters by November, if not earlier.

[minutemancl]

5 hours ago, chris00cm said:

This is a losing argument. You're in the minority if you think the Giants did the right thing at the top of the draft. Gettleman's ignorance makes him an easy target.

Patently false. The Giants have the best average draft grade of all teams this year. 

We all know how much stock to put into immediate post-draft draft grades, but your statement is undeniably false. This graphic doesn't even count Lance Zierlein's NFL.com rankings, where he had us #1. 

The whole thing is blown out of proportion. To think any modern NFL GM doesn't use analytics is choosing to be ignorant. He made fun of some draftniks and those who have devalued the runningback position and some people couldn't take it  

[chris00cm]

Guarantee you those grades would be the same if they took Darnold, who was the consensus number one QB by all those guys.

[CatalystNX]

PANTHERS

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1st: D.J. MOORE, WR, MARYLAND: I was expecting us to take a corner with this pick, but I thought if we did go wide receiver it would be Calvin Ridley. Thankfully, I was wrong as I'm not a huge Ridley fan and always felt D.J. Moore was both a better scheme fit for us and a better overall player. But I definitely like this pick; love his RAC ability and I think he can be a better pro than college player, especially considering he won't be the only offensive threat on the field here and won't have 3rd string college QB's throwing to him. He likely gets every opportunity to start as a rookie and even if he doesn't start, he should get plenty of snaps early-on. I can't really think of anyone I'd have flat-out preferred us to take with this pick.
MY GRADE: A-

2nd: DONTE JACKSON, CB, LSU: I like his potential as a top-flight nickel, but I question his ability to play outside on a regular basis, especially against bigger receivers. But his speed is something we certainly lacked in our secondary, so it is nice to finally have a corner who can match-up with quicker, faster wideouts. Personally, I was hoping we'd take Justin Reid here and go corner with one of our 3rd rounders, but I don't hate the pick either.
MY GRADE: B-

3rd: RASHAAN GAULDEN, S, TENNESSEE: I've seen a lot of Panther fans complain about this pick and I don't know why. I have always thought Gaulden has the skillset and ability to be a solid NFL safety. It seems like a lot of people are down on the idea of him making the move from nickel in college to safety in the NFL, but to be honest, I'm not sure why he wasn't playing safety at Tennessee to start with given his skillset. Will he ever be elite? Probably not, but how many safeties are? I've heard the plan is to ease him in as a rookie, but I would not be the least bit surprised if he ends up starting much earlier than expected and playing well.
MY GRADE: B+

4th: IAN THOMAS, TE, INDIANA: It seems like we've been trying to find a solid #2 TE - who can also be a long-term successor to Greg Olsen - for years now, so it's nice that we finally seem to have found a player who fits the bill. I do wish we could have found someone who was a little more pro-ready and not as raw, but if there's one position we've seen raw athletes come in and find success in the league, it is tight end. Solid pick.
MY GRADE: B+

4th: MARQUIS HAYNES, EDGE, OLE' MISS: I get that we need pass rushers, but I question whether Haynes can even really factor into the equation for us in the long run. His lack of NFL size (235 lbs) might be something an NFL team could work around in a 3-4 scheme, but we run a base 4-3, so I don't really see how he fits. especially considering Ron Rivera commented after the draft that the plan was to keep him around his current weight. This one is a bit of a head-scratcher to me.
MY GRADE: C-

6th: JERMAINE CARTER, LB, MARYLAND: I don't hate this pick, I just feel like there were better overall players at positions where depth was needed much more than linebacker. I suppose we can always use help on special teams, but considering we used our next pick on another - and better, IMO - linebacker, I'm not sure Carter even makes the roster.
MY GRADE: D+

6th: ANDRE SMITH, LB, UNC: Another linebacker? I'm not getting the logic here, but I do like the player's potential a lot better than Jermaine Carter. Andre Smith could well have been a 2nd or 3rd round pick if not for his injury last season. I have questions about his coverage skills, but if nothing else I feel like he adds solid special teams value. I just don't get us drafting two linebackers in the 6th round who will seemingly have to compete with each other for a single roster spot.
MY GRADE: C+

7th: KENDRICK NORTON, DT, MIAMI: We needed to improve our depth at DT and Norton is another player who I think has the potential to be better as a pro player than he was in college. He's not a lock to make the team, but he's got a clearer shot than the two players drafted ahead of him.
MY GRADE: B+

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OVERVIEW:
I thought our day 1 & 2 picks were all solid, especially D.J. Moore in the 1st round. I wasn't as crazy about our day 3 picks, especially the 6th rounders that we may have ended up basically wasting in the long run. I think D.J. Moore is an instant starter, Donte Jackson gets extended playing time as a rookie, and Rashaan Gaulden could play a lot sooner - and better - than most fans I've seen seem to think. I don't expect much from Ian Thomas as a rookie, but he needs to at least develop into a solid #2 TE by next season to justify the pick  IMO. Marquise Haynes is a total question mark for me in our scheme; Kendrick Norton has a chance to become a part of our DL rotation early-on. Overall, there were some things I'd have done differently, but I feel like we did well enough that we won't look back on this draft in 3 years as a complete failure.
MY OVERALL GRADE

[Broncofan]

LOL @ that draft grade list for some guys - one guy has 17 teams with A- or better grades.    How about a participation medal too?

Kiper gets my respect for giving 3 A- and one A grade.   That's a more relevant system than tossing A's to one-third or worse, over half the league (seriously?).     He loved Allen as the 1.1 pick, so he's going down with the ship.   I'll respect it, even if I don't agree with it.

It's all guess work, and it's not easy, but these guys have more info than we should - take a stand.   There can't be 1/3 of the league who just nailed the draft.  Be bold. 

And FWIW, before ppl then ask who my 3-4 A/A- teams are, it's GB as the only A draft, while I've got ARI at A-.   CHI, DEN, DAL & TEN all got B+'s.  

[Spartacus]

I'll try my hand at the Packers. Going to steal Catalysts  nice format. 

 

Packers

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1st: Jaire Alexander, CB, Louisville : The initial trade down with the Saints annoyed the living crap out of me. Our earliest pick in 10 years and we trade down. That on top of the fact that Derwin James & Edumunds was still on the board really bothered me....till I saw what the Saints gave up. An extra first next you for a non-top 10 pick. Then trading a mid 3rd we essentially came away with the guy the Packers wanted while trading a 3rd this year for a 1st next year. It was HUGE. Now the player himself I really liked. My second favorite corner to Ward in the draft and may have been my favorite had he not been injured this year. Great athlete with man and ball skills. He is willing tackler and very aggressive for a corner his size. The more I see of him the better I like him. At 18 I was really happy with the pick. At 18 + the extra 1st round pick next year I was ecstatic. MY GRADE: A (Accounting for the extra 1st) B+ (Just the player) 

2nd: Josh Jackson, CB, Iowa :  A one year wonder but what a year he had. Short sample size hurts him but I don't think I would be too out of bounds to say he is the best to close the the best playmaker at corner in this draft. Good height and strength matched with his ball skills make him probably the best zone corner in this draft. Questions about his speed probably dropped him to the 2nd round. Considered a 1st round corner by many I think getting him midway through the 2nd round could be considered a minor steal. MY GRADE: A

3rd: Oren Burks, LB, Vanderbilt: I was and still am pretty meh about this pick. Super athletic dime LB with questionable instincts. Could be a huge playmaker with his speed and agility but I could see him just as easily being benched or relegated to back up duty due to questionable instincts. I assume some draftniks loved him and others hated him but I believe he is the Packers answer to the new LB for today's NFL. Still not a huge fan. MY GRADE: C

4th: Jmon Moore, WR, Missouri: I'm honestly kind of surprised Moore didn't get more hype during the lead up to the draft. Great size and speed matched with great production at the college level usually translates to higher pick but he went exactly where I think most had him mocked. Raw talent that needs time develop. Needs to learn NFL route trees and route running but could be a real steal if he figures it out. Questionable hands make me nervous though. MY GRADE: B

5th: Cole Madison, OL, Washington State: Classic Packerscollege LT that they seem to do so well drafting late. Athletic enough for the Packers heavy zone running. Lacking some strength and small arms means most likely he will move inside to play guard. Hes got some nasty to his game that I like in interior O Line. Plus the running joke around Packer land is he is the love child of Mark Tauscher & Josh Sitton (Try not to get that stuck in your head). MY GRADE: B-

5th: J.K. Scott, P, Alabama: Our punter last year wasn't terrible and int he 5th round there were better players available. Huge leg which is important in the cold months in Wisconsin but just so underwhelming.... MY GRADE: D

6th: Marquez Valdes-Scantling, WR, USF: Height, weight, speed prospect. Was a head case in college from what I have read. May be a better pro than college player with some coaching. I'm not really a fan of his, reminds me alot of Jeff Janis. MY GRADE: C-

6th: EQB - Eq St Brown, WR, Notre Dame: Love this pick and in the 6th round he could be one of the bigger steals in the draft. Most likely dropped due to quarky family and his love of football being questioned. He has the height, speed, and athleticism to be a #1 WR. Needs to be a better route runner at the NFL level. Full of potential. MY GRADE: A

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OVERVIEW:
I thought overall Day 1 was about as great as it could be. Day 2 was average with Josh Jackson being Great and Oren Burks being OK to below average. I liked what we did on day 3 even if I wasn't a fan of all the players. If there is one thing that can be said about this draft is every single one of the day 3 picks have quite a bit of potential . Overall I thought the Packers had one of the better drafts. 
MY OVERALL GRADE A- 

[BleedTheClock]

15 hours ago, CatalystNX said:

6th: ANDRE SMITH, LB, UNC: Another linebacker? I'm not getting the logic here, but I do like the player's potential a lot better than Jermaine Carter. Andre Smith could well have been a 2nd or 3rd round pick if not for his injury last season. I have questions about his coverage skills, but if nothing else I feel like he adds solid special teams value. I just don't get us drafting two linebackers in the 6th round who will seemingly have to compete with each other for a single roster spot.
MY GRADE: C+

7th: KENDRICK NORTON, DT, MIAMI: We needed to improve our depth at DT and Norton is another player who I think has the potential to be better as a pro player than he was in college. He's not a lock to make the team, but he's got a clearer shot than the two players drafted ahead of him.
MY GRADE: B+

I didn't love your draft overall (wasn't bad tho), but these were the two best picks on day 3 IMO. Smith is not dissimilar from Jarrad Davis in last year's draft. I expected him to be drafted much earlier and be the leader of someone's defense at the MLB spot for the forseeable future. He's a fantastic run & chase linebacker that can shut down a run game. Not that the Panthers need freaking linebackers, you greedy sluts.

Kendrick Norton was in my top 32 players. He's very inconsistent and lazy/out of shape, but the dude flashes the potential to be a superstar. He is a big dude, but has plenty of pass rush potential. He needs a lot of work on his technique and conditioning, but if you get those things ironed out, Norton is going to be a superb starting DT. When he plays motivated, he eats up run games and harasses the QB. He plays to the level of his competition which is infuriating at times. If your DL coach can motivate him, you got a stud in the 7th round. Plus, he used FSU QB Deondre Francois' leg as an electric guitar after a sack once. Bonus points for that.

[BleedTheClock]

1 hour ago, Spartacus said:

5th: J.K. Scott, P, Alabama: Our punter last year wasn't terrible and int he 5th round there were better players available. Huge leg which is important in the cold months in Wisconsin but just so underwhelming.... MY GRADE: D

Scott is an amazing punter. I'm actually shocked he fell this far to be honest. I remember watching him when he was a freshman and thinking that he might be the highest drafted punter ever if he continued to impress. I thought GB had a pretty darn good draft aside from that Burks pick. Don't you guys have two pretty good ILB's already? And aren't you guys in need of OLB's, not ILB's?

[BleedTheClock]

On 5/2/2018 at 8:45 PM, minutemancl said:

Patently false. The Giants have the best average draft grade of all teams this year. 

We all know how much stock to put into immediate post-draft draft grades, but your statement is undeniably false. This graphic doesn't even count Lance Zierlein's NFL.com rankings, where he had us #1. 

The whole thing is blown out of proportion. To think any modern NFL GM doesn't use analytics is choosing to be ignorant. He made fun of some draftniks and those who have devalued the runningback position and some people couldn't take it  

This doesn't mean they shouldn't have taken a QB though. You're not going to get a bad grade for taking Barkley, who I expect to be a stud, but I think you'll be annoyed in a few years when your QB room is composed of Webb & Lauletta instead of Darnold/Rosen/Allen. Still, it's not like Barkley was a bad pick by any stretch. He's going to be a superstar and I'm glad the Giants got serious about fixing their OL with the Hernandez pick. I'm glad they didn't just go, "ok we drafted Barkley! Run game fixed!" and move on. They addressed the biggest problem on that team by drafting Hernandez--a road-grader that should have gone in the top 20--to pair with Saquon.

Still, I thought there were 4 franchise QB's in the draft and the Giants needed one. It was strange that they elected to take Barkley instead of finding the QB of the future given how poorly I'd expect Manning to perform in the twilight of his career.

 

I agree with @chris00cm that they still would have gotten the same grade--if not better--if they took Darnold at #2 and then Mark Walton or someone in round 4 instead of Lauletta.

[Spartacus]

38 minutes ago, BleedTheClock said:

Scott is an amazing punter. I'm actually shocked he fell this far to be honest. I remember watching him when he was a freshman and thinking that he might be the highest drafted punter ever if he continued to impress. I thought GB had a pretty darn good draft aside from that Burks pick. Don't you guys have two pretty good ILB's already? And aren't you guys in need of OLB's, not ILB's?

It would be one thing if the Packers had poor punting last year but Vogel was more than serviceable. I guess if he ends up as a pro bowl punter for the next 15 years it would be a great pick. I just think there was still some talent in the 5th. 

We have Blake Martinez at ILB who had a breakout year last year. One of the lone bright spots of last years defense.  Jake Ryan is the only other one and he is mediocre. Pure run stopper with limited athleticism. Clay Matthews may also play some ILB if necessary. Our biggest issue with ILB was not one of them was even average in coverage which is why I assume Burks was picked. More as a safety/LB tweener for 3rd downs that can both shoot gaps when blitzing and can cover TEs/Slots at least a bit. 

OLB we have Mathews and Perry. They have been average to below average. Behind them we have a grouping of Kyler Fackrell (Stinks to high heaven), Reggie Gilbert (Showed promise and thought to be in for a bigger role this year), and Vince Biegel (Didn't play much last year probably in for a bigger role this year). All in all its an incredibly average group. The biggest issue is outside of Chubb this draft class was extremely underwhelming when it comes to OLB talent. I didn't really like a single pass rusher in this draft sans Chubb. 

[Broncofan]

1 hour ago, Spartacus said:

It would be one thing if the Packers had poor punting last year but Vogel was more than serviceable. I guess if he ends up as a pro bowl punter for the next 15 years it would be a great pick. I just think there was still some talent in the 5th. 

We have Blake Martinez at ILB who had a breakout year last year. One of the lone bright spots of last years defense.  Jake Ryan is the only other one and he is mediocre. Pure run stopper with limited athleticism. Clay Matthews may also play some ILB if necessary. Our biggest issue with ILB was not one of them was even average in coverage which is why I assume Burks was picked. More as a safety/LB tweener for 3rd downs that can both shoot gaps when blitzing and can cover TEs/Slots at least a bit. 

OLB we have Mathews and Perry. They have been average to below average. Behind them we have a grouping of Kyler Fackrell (Stinks to high heaven), Reggie Gilbert (Showed promise and thought to be in for a bigger role this year), and Vince Biegel (Didn't play much last year probably in for a bigger role this year). All in all its an incredibly average group. The biggest issue is outside of Chubb this draft class was extremely underwhelming when it comes to OLB talent. I didn't really like a single pass rusher in this draft sans Chubb. 

Well it was a supp 5th pick, so you're really at the very end.  But yeah, there were John Kelly, Duke Ejiofor, DT Fatusaki, all who went soon after.  And there were UDFA's like Jeff Holland and Holton Hill (now maybe 3rd CB wasn't going to be GB's target lol) too.  

But given SEA had picked Michael Dickson already in that round, and OAK (who cut Marquette King) took a P right after (causing the first ever P run that I recall lol) - it's hard to say he went too soon.   No way he's there when GB picks again in Rd 6 - and given they snagged ESB, can't really argue the result.  If anything, I might have argued passing on Valdez-Scandling 3 picks later and instead going after one of those talents mentioned above.

[Shanedorf]

Part of the reason GB used a pick on a punter is that he also can handle kick offs. As Mason Crosby ages, the Packers want him focused on FGs and this takes some of the work off of his right leg. They ordered the combo platter and the hope is to squeeze more years out of Crosby

The other reason listed for the Packers taking a punter is that GB is loading up the roster with WRs and CBs instead of TE/LBs who play on STs. The guy with the hang time can help out the punt coverage crew as well. Jeff Janis, the Ace gunner, moved on to Cleveland and GB will need time to groom his replacement

Several viable reasons to take a top punter over a late rounder who's not likely to crack the squad

[Broncofan]

17 minutes ago, Shanedorf said:

Part of the reason GB used a pick on a punter is that he also can handle kick offs. As Mason Crosby ages, the Packers want him focused on FGs and this takes some of the work off of his right leg. They ordered the combo platter and the hope is to squeeze more years out of Crosby

The other reason listed for the Packers taking a punter is that GB is loading up the roster with WRs and CBs instead of TE/LBs who play on STs. The guy with the hang time can help out the punt coverage crew as well. Jeff Janis, the Ace gunner, moved on to Cleveland and GB will need time to groom his replacement

Several viable reasons to take a top punter over a late rounder who's not likely to crack the squad

Yeah DEN paid for a P for the same reasons you cited - our coverage team needs the hang time boost.

I'd point out ESB was probably drafted so fantasy owners would have another great white whale (figuratively) sleeper pick to drool over in dynasty leagues to replace Jeff Janis.    

[SteelKing728]

Its easier to grade another teams draft than your own. It helps eliminate some of the bias.

[SteelKing728]

23 hours ago, Shanedorf said:

Part of the reason GB used a pick on a punter is that he also can handle kick offs. As Mason Crosby ages, the Packers want him focused on FGs and this takes some of the work off of his right leg. They ordered the combo platter and the hope is to squeeze more years out of Crosby

The other reason listed for the Packers taking a punter is that GB is loading up the roster with WRs and CBs instead of TE/LBs who play on STs. The guy with the hang time can help out the punt coverage crew as well. Jeff Janis, the Ace gunner, moved on to Cleveland and GB will need time to groom his replacement

Several viable reasons to take a top punter over a late rounder who's not likely to crack the squad

Wasn't the guy he replaced a Pro Bowl level player as a rookie?

That was a bad pick.