CW21's 2021 NFL Draft Grades (Top 16 Grades Up)

[CWood21]

Day 1 Grades

1.) Jacksonville Jaguars - Trevor Lawrence [QB; Clemson]
No surprises here.  He was always going to be the #1 pick coming out, and only a late season win by the Jets kept him from ending up in New York.  He's the best pro prospect since Andrew Luck.
Grade: A+

2.) New York Jets - Zach Wilson [QB; BYU]
Zach Wilson slowly moved into QB2 for me throughout the draft process.  He's not quite your prototypical QB prospect, but his moxie and his gunslinger attitude are going to endear him to Jets fans.  After missing out on Sam Darnold, and more importantly missing out on Trevor Lawrence with their late season win over the Rams, the Jets need to get this right.  If the Jets can put the right pieces around him, there's no reason to believe that Wilson can't be successful.
Grade: A

3.) San Francisco 49ers - Trey Lance [QB; North Dakota State]
Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch are hanging their careers on this pick, and it's a daring pick especially given the fact that he only played in 1 game in the last 12 months.  In terms of physical talents, he's as talented as any other QB prospect and he apparently has the mental aptitude to succeed.  The NFL has moved to the athletic QBs, and Lance is no different.
Grade: B-

4.) Atlanta Falcons - Kyle Pitts [TE; Florida]
With the exception of the 49ers' pick, this was part of the scripted part of the draft.  But the Falcons are reaffirming their faith in Matt Ryan.  He's arguably the best TE prospect to come out in years, and he's probably more than just a TE.  He's an offensive weapon, and he's going to be a matchup nightmare for just about any defensive player.  Adding him to a receiving corps with Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley.
Grade: B+

5.) Cincinnati Bengals - JaMarr Chase [WR; LSU]
In the end, Burrow won out and he got his former #1 target.  While the Bengals could have opted to take an OL to help protect, they chose Burrow's old target and probably looking to add to their OL somewhere on Day 2.  Chase graded out as my highest rated receiver in this year's draft even if ultimately I would have taken Penei Sewell instead.  I understand the logic of taking Chase.
Grade: B+

6.) Miami Dolphins (from Philadelphia) - Jaylen Waddle [WR; Alabama]
I really wish I understood the Dolphins logic coming into the draft.  Moving down from 3 to 12 and picking up all the assets they received from the 49ers was fantastic.  But then to make a pre-draft deal giving up their FRP without knowing how the board would shake out.  If they could have been guaranteed one of Pitts or Chase, I could have found some logic but I'd imagine this deal would have been available on the draft day.  Maybe even slightly cheaper.
Grade: C-

7.) Detroit Lions - Penei Sewell [OT; Oregon]
The Lions got my #2 ranked player in this year's draft, and the Lions who have historically made terrible pick after terrible pick finally got one right.  Detroit might have finally figured out how to build a roster correctly.  Before the 2020 season, Sewell was billed as a prototypical LT prospect and a sure-fire top 5 pick prior to him opting out which probably attributed to him falling down the draft.
Grade: A+

8.) Carolina Panthers - Jaycee Horn [CB; South Carolina]
Jaycee Horn was quickly making himself comfortable in the conversation for CB1 in this year's draft with Farley's injury concerns.  While he's probably not as scheme diverse as Surtain, he's an excellent man corner with sticky ability.  The Panthers are building a top notch defense and their gamble on Sam Darnold this year will give the Panthers a strong idea of whether or not he's the man moving forward.
Grade: C+

9.) Denver Broncos - Patrick Surtain [CB; Alabama]
Color me a little surprised that the Broncos opted not to take Justin Fields here, but instead continue to reload the defense.  Surtain would have been my top ranked CB prospect had you not been comfortable with Farley's back.  He'll form a strong pair of corners with Kyle Fuller, and make the Broncos' secondary one of the best in the NFL.  You'd be hard pressed to not like this pick for the Broncos.
Grade: B+

10.) Philadelphia Eagles (from Dallas) - DeVonta Smith [WR; Alabama]
No real issues with this pick even if there's nothing that suggests that the Eagles should have used another FRP.  The value is fine here, but given the mess that the Eagles' franchise is in you have to wonder if the Eagles would have been better off focusing on a non-skill position instead.  I was very surprised that the Eagles and Cowboys were able to make a deal, although the Eagles did overpay a little bit.
Grade: B-

11.) Chicago Bears (from NY Giants) - Justin Fields [QB; Ohio State]
Bears' fans are going to rail on me for this one.  Let me start off by saying, I think the player is good and the value is fine, but the fit is what I have the most concerns about.  Pace and Nagy probably extended their stay in Chicago for 2-3 years, but if Chicago is bad this year then they could be on their way out.  And a new regime is going to want to bring in their own guy instead.  I just don't trust Nagy to develop a QB, especially when his only success was under Andy Reid with Patrick Mahomes.
Grade: B+

12.) Dallas Cowboys (from Philadelphia via San Francisco) - Micah Parsons [LB; Penn State]
Another off-ball LBer early in the draft?  Especially when Rashawn Slater was still available.  It's absolutely mind-boggling that Dallas continues to invest in off-the-ball LBers early and often.  Sean Lee was a good one before injuries derailed his career, and LVE and Jaylon Smith are solid LBers when healthy.  Dallas was most effective when they had an elite OL, and their OL hasn't been elite for a few years now.  Value of the pick isn't an issue here if you're comfortable with his character.
Grade: D+

13.) Los Angeles Chargers - Rashawn Slater [OT/OG; Northwestern]
Absolutely love the fact that the Chargers didn't even have to trade up for OL2 in this year's draft.  After Justin Herbert's fantastic rookie year, the Chargers are make an effort supply him with a strong OL alongside former Packers' Bryan Bulaga and Corey Linsley.  I'd imagine they'll look to improve their defense on Day 2, but this was a strong value pick even if I don't think Slater is a stud LT prospect and have compared him to Brandon Schereff.
Grade: A

14.) New York Jets (from Minnesota) - Alijah Vera-Tucker [OG/OT; USC]
You have to applaud the Jets for doing something that they weren't doing when they selected Sam Darnold 3rd overall a few years ago.  Protect their damn QB.  Hopefully they've learned from their mistakes and are going to do everything in their power to make sure Zach Wilson succeeds.  I'm not big on AVT's ability to play LT at the next level, but I think he's a top notch OG and could probably play a passable RT.
Grade: B

15.) New England Patriots - Mac Jones [QB; Alabama]
I just don't like the value on this pick.  I think in a best case scenario, you're looking at a rich man's Kirk Cousins which is a fringe top 10 QB.  And that's at his very best.  I think he's more likely an Andy Dalton-level of QB.  I'd imagine he'll end up being the starting QB for the Patriots by midseason, but I think the Patriots are likely going to be back in the market for a QB a few years from now.
Grade: C-

16.) Arizona Cardinals - Zaven Collins [LB; Tulsa]
I really have no issues with this pick, even if it's a bit too early for my taste.  The problem is there's no real other player like him in this year's draft.  He's not your traditional off-ball LBer, but he's also not an EDGE either.  I think he's going to turn out to be what people thought Anthony Barr was coming out of UCLA as that kind of unique defensive weapon that you can move around and use in a number of different ways.
Grade: B-

[CWood21]

Day 2 Grades

[CWood21]

Final Grades

[Dr LBC]

The heck you think you're doing going to bed?!  Get you butt in here and finish your 1st round grades.  Don't start a thread and cut out after 7.5 picks.

[beekay414]

1 hour ago, Dr LBC said:

The heck you think you're doing going to bed?!  Get you butt in here and finish your 1st round grades.  Don't start a thread and cut out after 7.5 picks.

It's @CWood21, not finishing threads or "prettying" them up is what he does!

[CWood21]

8 hours ago, Dr LBC said:

The heck you think you're doing going to bed?!  Get you butt in here and finish your 1st round grades.  Don't start a thread and cut out after 7.5 picks.

UP to 16 picks.  Have to go check on the neighbor's animals and then I'll be back.

[TwoToneBlue]

 

His neighbor’s animals. 

[BayRaider]

The F is coming, and I have zero arguments. 

[Wyld Stallyns]

WTH!!! It’s UDFA signings period and I am expecting someone outside of my team to pat me on the back and tell me my team did good. Where are you? 

[DirtyDez]

Keim said Collins will be the 100% Mike backer.  Not sure how I feel about that since it’s the QB of the defense and he’s a converted player.  He’s not the freak Willis is, not the instinctual player Kuechly/Urlacher were and doesn’t have the burst Wagner has.  Best case I think he’s a bigger, less explosive Wagner.  Idk who that compares to currently. 

[Kiwibrown]

2 hours ago, DirtyDez said:

Keim said Collins will be the 100% Mike backer.  Not sure how I feel about that since it’s the QB of the defense and he’s a converted player.  He’s not the freak Willis is, not the instinctual player Kuechly/Urlacher were and doesn’t have the burst Wagner has.  Best case I think he’s a bigger, less explosive Wagner.  Idk who that compares to currently. 

1999 rey lewis? He was like 260 then.

Does zae have room to drop 20 pounds. 

I like him as an olb in a 3-4 didnt like him as a off the ball linebacker 

[Oregon Ducks]

Really fair grades, IMO.

[Scoundrel]

6 hours ago, TwoToneBlue said:

 

His neighbor’s animals. 

This is one of my favorite posts on this site ever

[DirtyDez]

1 hour ago, Kiwibrown said:

1999 rey lewis? He was like 260 then.

Does zae have room to drop 20 pounds. 

I like him as an olb in a 3-4 didnt like him as a off the ball linebacker 

I don’t think he’s got room to sacrifice 20 lbs.

 

[LinderFournette]

On 5/1/2021 at 10:18 PM, DirtyDez said:

Keim said Collins will be the 100% Mike backer.  Not sure how I feel about that since it’s the QB of the defense and he’s a converted player.  He’s not the freak Willis is, not the instinctual player Kuechly/Urlacher were and doesn’t have the burst Wagner has.  Best case I think he’s a bigger, less explosive Wagner.  Idk who that compares to currently. 

Lve?