Grade Your Team’s Draft Picks—2021 Edition

[RaidersAreOne]

Round 1 • Pick 17 (17) • OL Alex Leatherwood - B-

Round 2 • Pick 11 (43) • S Trevon Moehrig - A

Round 3 • Pick 16 (79) • DE Malcolm Koonce - B-

Round 3 • Pick 17 (80) • DB Divine Deablo - B

Round 4 • Pick 38 (143) • S Tyree Gillespie - B

Round 5 • Pick 23 (167) • CB Nate Hobbs - C

Round 7 • Pick 2 (230) • C Jimmy Morrissey - C-

 

Leatherwood was likely a reach yes, but fills a big need and is exactly what Cable covets. The only reason I have some confidence in the pick is what Cable helped develop Kolton Miller into. Moehrig was a home run. FS was our other biggest need and he brings speed, versatility and ball skills, something our D hasn't had in decades. Koonce is all potential and will only see time as a pass-rusher. He's getting comparisons to Yannick (current Raider) and Irvin coming out (played under Bradley). He's not going to be relied on to play heavy minutes vs. the run, likely just a DPR. Deablo will be our probably long-term WLB, playing behind Littleton. Gillespie will see some snaps and eventually may take Abrams job. He is partly the reason why we cut Heath. Hobbs is a project but that's what you get in the 5th. He has the physical makeup but will at best be our 5th or 6th CB early on. Morrissey is likely practice roster fodder, unless he can steal Nick Martin's backup role.

Overall I give it like a ~B. Lots of potential, satisfied our major of areas of needs, and finallyyyyy focused on the D side of the ball hard. Could be a very nice draft if Bradley/Milus develop our young guys + Cable does similar work with ALW.

Edited May 5, 2021 by RaidersAreOne

[THE DUKE]

On 5/3/2021 at 7:12 PM, Johnny Nix said:

Bengals:

1. Ja’Marr Chase WR - A

- any time you land an elite player it’s a solid grade. Sewell vs. Chase will always be compared by Bengals fans for the next 10 years...

2. Jackson Carman OG - C

- I personally didn’t like trading out with Teven Jenkins on the board, even if we did make out in the trade. The plan is to play Carman at G and leave Reiff at RT, I think it’s an ok pick and at least they traded down first. I would have been irate if Carman would have been the original pick. 
 

3. Joseph Ossai Edge- B
- always hesitant to give a sliding player amazing grades, as there is probably a reason they slid. I think Ossai has some good tools, but is very BOOM/BUST.

4. Cam Sample Edge- B+

- probably my favorite pick aside from Chase. I think Sample has an insane motor and tremendous ability. I expect him to make an impact from day 1
 

4. Tyler Shelvin NT- C-

- felt like a bit of a reach, but obviously the Bengals liked what they saw from the tape. Monster of a man, hope he can stay motivated to keep his conditioning in check. Felt like 3T was more of a need than a true NT. 

 

4. D’Ante Smith OT- C+
 

- liked another dart thrown at developmental OL. Kid has a good frame and long arms, with exceptional athleticism. Just needs to put and keep on some weight. Could be the RT of the future while playing behind Reiff this year. 
 

5. Evan McPhearson K- C-

- don’t like taking a kicker this high unless he’s a legit threat. McPhearson will obviously be our starter, but just seemed like it was a round early and there was some good names still on the board. 
 

6. Trey Hill C- B-

- really liked the value of Hill in the 6th. With Billy Price unlikely to be retained, could be a future depth guy. Has a lot of talent, just had some injury issues. 
 

6. Chris Evans RB- C

- apparently the coaching staff loves the kid. I wasn’t much of a fan pre draft and didn’t read much into him. Looks like he might be a ST guy/back of the roster dude. 
 

7. Wyatt Hubert Edge- B

- really loved the additional dart at edge rusher, kid may not have the huge upside, but is all heart and effort. Could be a special teams monster. 

1. Ja'Marr Chase, WR, LSU - A - Would have had the same grade for any of Chase, Sewell, or Pitts.  Any time you can get an elite talent, do it.

2. Jackson Carman, G, Clemson - C+ - I think it's an average to below average pick, but give them a little bump for announcing him as a guard where his shorter arms won't be a liability and another little bump for the trade down and still getting their guy.  The Cincy sources had heard earlier that day that it was going to be Carman, so I believe them when they say they were ready to take him at 38.  I also heard from national guys that several teams had Carman ranked as a 1C, so that made me feel a little better.

3. Joseph Ossai, Edge, Texas - B+ - I thought Ossai was a late 1st/early 2nd talent.  He had the production, he tested like a freak, and I think he can replace what Lawson did for the Bengals on 3rd down.  I agree with there being a reason guys slide, but I still like Ossai.

4a. Cam Sample, Edge, Tylane - A- - This is the pick that makes me think that we might not extend Hubbard.  Basically does everything Hubbard does but has a little more athletic upside.  If we do manage to retain Hubbard I imagine it will be on a pretty friendly deal, then we have edge depth for the next 4 years.  Love that they didn't hesitate to take what they saw as BPA.

4b. Tyler Shelvin, NT, LSU - B - I really liked the Shelvin pick.  After Reader went down last year the run defense fell apart, and Reader is talented enough that I think the two of them can be on the field at the same time in base packages and goal line situations with Shelvin at the nose and Reader playing wider.  The Bengals have a couple other big bodies in Josh Tupou and Renell Wren, but neither of them are really pure NT's like Shelvin is.

4c. D'Ante Smith, OT, East Carolina - D+ - Yeah, I get taking a project with upside with his good athletic testing and 35" arms, but he needs to add significant strength and probably some more bulk as well.  If he's forced into action this year, I think he is going to get bullied.  He is likely a healthy scratch the entire season unless they bring back the "Marvin Lewis injuries where a rookie goes on IR for the year" tactic.  In round 4 I think there was still real talent on the board they could have gone after.  This is where I would have taken a flier on an upside guy like Shaun Wade.

5. Evan McPherson, K, Florida - B - I have no issues whatsoever taking a kicker in rd 5.  The Bengals may have just gotten a 15 year starter in rd 5, which is going to be better than what all the other teams except for maybe 1 or 2 are going to get.  Randy Bullock alone cost the Bengals 3-4 games over the last two years missing very makeable game tying/winning kicks.  Very possible he didn't last until 190, and they got their pick of all the college kickers.

6a. Trey Hill, C, Georgia - C- - Hill has a decent injury history already, and I can't help but see centers coming out early before they should reminding me of Russell Bodine and taking injured guys and betting on upside reminds me of Cedric Ogbughie. I really hope he pans out, but i'm dubious.

6b. Chris Evans, RB, Michigan - B- - I have no issues taking a swing this late at RB on a guy who tested as nearly as explosive as Chase did this year, and is one of the few backs in the draft to be noted for his pass blocking.  Showed excellent hands at the senior bowl too. I think he has a real shot of stepping right into the Giovanni Bernard role, but at 1/8 the cost.

7. Wyatt Hubert, Edge, Kansas State - C - I don't mind dipping into edge as much as possible until the position is set, but nothing about Hubert screams steal or breakout player to me.  Only way he makes the team is if he shows something real on special teams.

Overall draft grade: B/B+ - Would have been an A had we taken Tevin Jenkins at 38, and yes, give me Chase/Jenkins/Ossai over Chase/Carman/Ossai/Shelvin/Smith, but I still like what they did, and do think that Carman can become an above average G, maybe even a pro bowl level RG if Pollack can help him develop right.

[minutemancl]

Grades are based on 3 points: position of need addressed, value, and I like the player personally. Trades will be factored in to the pick grade.

A= position of need, I like the player personally, and it was great value (picked considerably behind his consensus board value and/or a trade gained value).

B= 2/3 points met. Value will be considered average if picked within the same general range of the consensus ranking.

C= 1/3 points met. Value will be considered bad if picked well before consensus ranking.

F= 0/3 points met.

+/- grades assigned if there are extra factors that somewhat tip the scales in a direction for those points, but don't satisfy or fail entirely.

20. Kadarius Toney, WR- A

Would be a B if the Giants just had pick 20 and picked Toney (31 on the consensus board), but the pick is elevated due to the value gained in the trade down with the Bears. Trade down resulted in 2021 1st, used here, and 5th round picks and 2022 1st and 4th round picks.

50. Azeez Ojulari, EDGE- A+

Traded down, grabbed my favorite and most scheme appropriate edge rusher in the draft, and did it at pick 50 when Ojulari was ranked 20 on the consensus board. Trade down resulted in 2021 2nd round pick, used here, and 2022 3rd round pick.

71. Aaron Robinson, CB- B-

Traded up to acquire him, but the value was more than appropriate (not a steal like Ojulari, but by no means a reach. 63 on the consensus, drafted at 71). 5th round pick received in the Chicago trade was used in this trade up. I did not personally watch Robinson before the draft, so I can't say I liked him before. I do like his tape that I watched after the selection and see where he fits in in this defense. The trade up and personal opinion give this a B-.

116. Elerson Smith, EDGE- B-/C+

Love Elerson Smith as a prospect. However, I, and the consensus, had him ranked as later than an early 4th round pick (143 consensus) due to his level of competition and slight build. But, he did show out at the senior bowl at did so at a jacked up 260 pounds, so those are both great signs. Only a 'lower' grade B-/C+ due to being a consensus reach. 

196. Gary Brightwell, RB- F

Not a consensus 300 player and I knew nothing about him. We do need RB depth, but there were better RBs available. Giants FO admitted to wanting to use the 6th round picks to find potential special teams studs. I'm totally fine with that, and Brightwell has that potential, but that doesn't make it a good pick. Nothing wrong with making what is immediately graded an F pick in the later rounds IMO.

201. Rodarius Williams, CB- B

Greedy Williams's older brother who, like ARob, played a lot of man coverage. Older guy. Ranked 172 on consensus board, so very good value here.

[Ajayii]

Dolphins

Round 1: No. 6 (from PHI) – Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama: A - Love the pick. He starts in the slot immediately and opens up the offense, allowing everyone to eat. 

Round 1: No. 18 – Jaelan Phillips, DE, Miami: A+ - Miami possibly got the best defensive player in the draft at 18 plus he's a Cane. Adding him to an already top 10 defense will hopefully improve the run defense and allow them to get to the QB faster.

Round 2: No. 36 (from HOU) – Jevon Holland, S, Oregon: A - If you want to know what kind of DB Brian Flores likes, look no further. Holland was tailor made for their defense having played CB and S. His playmaking ability is what really intrigues me.

Round 2: No. 42 (from NYG) – Liam Eichenberg, OT, Notre Dame: A - They're killing it so far. Just a mean individual that who isn't overly athletic but gets the job done. That toughness is what was needed along Miami's OL.

Round 3: No. 81 – Hunter Long, TE, Boston College: B - I like the pick, I don't love the player. Long will most likely battle it out for the #2 or #3 TE spot and he is a good player, but if they were going to go TE I would've preferred Tommy Tremble. He's an already advanced blocker and has a lot of upside being one of the youngest players in the draft. 

*Longest wait until next pick in draft history* : F 

Round 7: No. 231 – Larnel Coleman, OT, UMass : B - Didn't know much about him prior to the pick. 36 inch arms!!  He's developmental depth. 

Round 7: No. 244  – Gerrid Doaks, RB, Cincinnati: B - Another developmental pick. The coaches may not like RBs as much as the fans do because they will not take one on day 1 or 2 hahaha. It's either that or they haven't identified the right player yet. 

 

I'd give it an A overall. They absolutely killed their first four picks selecting  players that can see the field immediately. 

[SBLIII]

Mac Jones A+ - well considering I think they got one of the 2 QBs that will be hit and they didn't need to trade up, great pick

Christian Barmore A- The trade up was expensive but Barmore can be a dominant defensive tackle

Ronnie Perkins A - an absolute steal at 96 and gives the Patriots serious juice off the edge along with Judon, van Noy, Uche and Winovich.

Rhamondre Stevenson B - a solid bruiser with light feet. The value was fine and NE loses White and Michel next season.

Cameron McGrone A+ - a steal. Likely a redshirt in 2021 but in the 5th round getting a potential quality starter is great value.

 

The rest is impossible to grade for me although Bledosoe might be a quality special teamer.

 

Overall an A.

 

[Mr Raider]

On 5/5/2021 at 4:42 PM, minutemancl said:

Grades are based on 3 points: position of need addressed, value, and I like the player personally. Trades will be factored in to the pick grade.

A= position of need, I like the player personally, and it was great value (picked considerably behind his consensus board value and/or a trade gained value).

B= 2/3 points met. Value will be considered average if picked within the same general range of the consensus ranking.

C= 1/3 points met. Value will be considered bad if picked well before consensus ranking.

F= 0/3 points met.

+/- grades assigned if there are extra factors that somewhat tip the scales in a direction for those points, but don't satisfy or fail entirely.

20. Kadarius Toney, WR- A

Would be a B if the Giants just had pick 20 and picked Toney (31 on the consensus board), but the pick is elevated due to the value gained in the trade down with the Bears. Trade down resulted in 2021 1st, used here, and 5th round picks and 2022 1st and 4th round picks.

50. Azeez Ojulari, EDGE- A+

Traded down, grabbed my favorite and most scheme appropriate edge rusher in the draft, and did it at pick 50 when Ojulari was ranked 20 on the consensus board. Trade down resulted in 2021 2nd round pick, used here, and 2022 3rd round pick.

71. Aaron Robinson, CB- B-

Traded up to acquire him, but the value was more than appropriate (not a steal like Ojulari, but by no means a reach. 63 on the consensus, drafted at 71). 5th round pick received in the Chicago trade was used in this trade up. I did not personally watch Robinson before the draft, so I can't say I liked him before. I do like his tape that I watched after the selection and see where he fits in in this defense. The trade up and personal opinion give this a B-.

116. Elerson Smith, EDGE- B-/C+

Love Elerson Smith as a prospect. However, I, and the consensus, had him ranked as later than an early 4th round pick (143 consensus) due to his level of competition and slight build. But, he did show out at the senior bowl at did so at a jacked up 260 pounds, so those are both great signs. Only a 'lower' grade B-/C+ due to being a consensus reach. 

196. Gary Brightwell, RB- F

Not a consensus 300 player and I knew nothing about him. We do need RB depth, but there were better RBs available. Giants FO admitted to wanting to use the 6th round picks to find potential special teams studs. I'm totally fine with that, and Brightwell has that potential, but that doesn't make it a good pick. Nothing wrong with making what is immediately graded an F pick in the later rounds IMO.

201. Rodarius Williams, CB- B

Greedy Williams's older brother who, like ARob, played a lot of man coverage. Older guy. Ranked 172 on consensus board, so very good value here.

The Giants are definitely in my top 3-5 favorite drafts just in terms of the prospects themselves, but when you factor in all the extra ammo they acquired moving down and still landing these players it quite easily could be my favorite draft in the entire NFL. 

It's certainly helped a lot in my eyes because I was as high (or higher) on Ojulari than just about anyone else in the draft community. I had him as the top edge rusher in the draft and a top 10 talent on my overall big board. You have to be creative with him. You can't just plug him in as a 4-3 DE full time and expect to get everything out of him. But in todays era he can put his hand in the dirt in nickel, I think can be a very good SAM LB in a 4-3 as even a non rusher, or can play the 3-4 OLB spot. Regardless the guy just makes a ton of plays. He's explosive. Has a lot of experience against top competition. Is versatile. Shows good discipline. Good strength for not being the biggest edge rusher. Good hand usage. Has a spin move that can be deadly that I would actually like to see him use more of. The word is he fell so far because of medical stuff. I obviously don't have access to that information. Nor do I have the knowledge to have an opinion I can be confident in if I did have the medicals so I'm not going to speculate on that. I'll just say that I think they got a guy in the second round, after trading down, that can easily be the best EDGE in the class, and one of the best players overall. That's a home run. I think the Giants defense could be one of the best in the league this year honestly. Obviously without knowing any of the medical stuff and just going off of evaluation of the player and the value of maneuvering through the draft and still landing the prospect, this pick is absolutely an A+ for me. Top tier, first round talent, proven production, a high ceiling, not a terribly low floor, versatility, premier position and gaining extra capital in the process? That's an A+ home run pick.

Robinson is a prospect I did do a decent amount of research and "scouting" on. And he was a prospect I liked a decent amount in that mid to late 3rd round range. A fair amount of scouting reports on him have him pegged as a slot CB in the NFL. And while I can see him having a lot of success at the NFL level there, potential to be one of the better slot corners in the NFL. My evaluation doesnt pigeonhole him to that exclusively. I think depending on the scheme he can be a quality perimeter CB. He has good but not great size and length, he's a very good athlete, very fluid hips, has shown the ability to play press and off coverage. The worries are a decent amount of injuries early in his college career, his lack of elite height and length, a tendency to be a little over aggressive opening up his hips and biting on double moves and such, and can be a little grabby. In fairness almost all college corners struggle with a lot of those same issues. I think he can offer a defense a lot with the ability to play inside or on the perimeter, I think he can really hit his potential in a scheme that likes to mix up zone and man coverage. I wouldn't have necessarily had him as a guy I had to trade up for that early in the 3rd to land, but I like the prospect. The trading up to take him slightly higher than where I had him valued makes the pick more of a C+ or B-. 

After that you have Elerson Smith who I also loved, although obviously in a different way than Ojulari. He was one of my sleepers that I thought could go higher than a lot expected. As high as very bottom of the second or in the early-mid 3rd. He obviously will have to make the transition to a much tougher level of competition, and he will need some time in the weight room. But I said before the draft he reminds me a lot of Maxx Crosby, and when you get those types of guys in the 3rd or any time after that's a phenomenal pick. I think he could have an instant impact as a rookie as a designated pass rusher and with time and coaching maybe he becomes even more. This pick is a very solid B+ to me. You may have been able to get him a little later, but I agree with my protection on him making sure you land him. It'll pay dividends in a year or two. Some may consider him a reach but I think the selection is a B. 

I can't say that I studied a lot on the top WR prospects in this draft because I didn't see the Raiders taking one before the 4th round. But it's never a bad idea for a team like the Giants who have a guy like Barkley that has OPOY type ability, and a QB they invested a lot in, going into a make or break year to make adding a talented, versatile weapon a top priority. When you factor in the fact they were able to move down and get significant assets for next season on top? It's hard to not at least like the pick. What I have seen I believe Toney at the very least is a very productive slot WR. I do worry about his injury history and I don't necessarily see him becoming a premier outside #1 WR. But it's not impossible. He has good size, is very fast, ridiculously quick, offers a lot of versatility with some designed runs, end arounds, gadget plays. He could be a guy that meshes really well with Jones. Being a guy you can get the ball to quickly in space and let him do the work. This pick is probably my least favorite of their first 4 rounds if we're talking just the prospect, but when factoring in everything I would give a B+. 

Overall I am always a sucker for drafts that make the defensive line, particularly your pass rush, a focus. In todays NFL having a deep, talented, versatile defensive line that can terrorize QBs is the most valuable thing you can have on defense. You make that a priority and then add some talent to go on the back end, combined with what was already there on defense and you have a draft I love and that the Giants front office deployed an approach I would have tried to employ myself. I really like the haul just on the players talents themselves, but factoring in how great they were at moving down the board, adding more assets for the future, and still landing that talent it puts this draft over a lot of the rest of the league. I don't know enough about the rest of the guys, but if they hit it'll be gravy. I think you guys added a potential all pro type edge in Ojulari, at worst a very explosive and effective #2 WR that dominates in the slot (and that is good enough to win with in the NFL at WR), a rock solid starting caliber CB that can play man, zone, press or off, and can play on the perimeter or inside, and another edge rusher that has starter potential, and could be one of the better secondary edge rushers teams have in the NFL. Plus added extra capital for the following season. I loved it.

Overall its a rock solid B or B+ for me. But I am the type of grader that doesn't give out A's or especially A+ unless I feel your team landed a franchise altering type draft. A draft with one elite talent, another foundational piece that you can build around for the next 5+ years (preferably at a premiere position) and another starting caliber quality player. I don't think in most years any team has a truly A+ draft. Most years the best drafts will fall in that B- to B+ range. 

[onejayhawk]

Chiefs

58. Nick Bolton, LB Missouri - B+
63. Creed Humphrey, C Oklahoma - A-
144. Joshua Kaindoh, DE Florida State - B
162. Noah Gray, TE Duke - A-
181. Cornell Powell, WR Clemson - A
226. Trey Smith, G Tennessee -  A+

• Bolton - He may or may not be a top-5 off-ball LB. Part of that depends on position definitions. However, he appears to be generally regarded as #50-ish. So he's a solid value and fills a need. It will be nice having a card carrying tough guy in the front seven. 
• Humprey - I like him a lot. He's a C, so we will not ask for a lot of mobility and he's strong in his area. He's also very football smart and, like Bolton, brings an attitude and physicality upgrade. 
• Kaindoh - I know him almost exclusively after the draft. I'll go with the general consensus. It does seem clear he would not have lasted another round. 
• Gray - This is a bit of luck. I hate drafting for need and we needed a second receiving TE, which was clearly not Seals-Jones. Fortunately, the value was good enough. I would not be surprised if Gray was the de facto FB this year. 
• Powell - I like a lot more now than I did before the draft. People blow him off saying that he couldn't manage to excel in college, how can he excel in the NFL? That line of thinking is off base. It took Powell a while to figure out how to excel in the deep talent pool that is Clemson, but now he knows. Powell figured out how to refine his game to fit his skills and attributes. As one scout put it, the lights came on. He will be an impact rookie and may pick up a lot of Sammie's role.
• Smith - What to say about a steal that everyone acknowledges is a steal? What will be interesting is how well he learns from Kyle Long, who is the same basic body type and tool set. 

Last year's draft grade is incomplete, because a major piece opted out. Even without him, the team had two rookie starters, two DL rotation pieces, and a near Pro-Bowl punter. When you get the NFL's biggest impact CB in the 4th round, it's a tough act to top, but this draft has a shot. 

J

Edited May 8, 2021 by onejayhawk

[Soko]

B+ at worst for everyone...

[MagicMT]

40 minutes ago, Yin-Yang said:

B+ at worst for everyone...

Every late round pick is a steal this year don't you know?

But seriously you've seen the Seahawks draft? I love Eskridge and Forsythe but man, making just 3 picks in total automatically makes it a C graded draft

[onejayhawk]

3 hours ago, MagicMT said:

Every late round pick is a steal this year don't you know?

But seriously you've seen the Seahawks draft? I love Eskridge and Forsythe but man, making just 3 picks in total automatically makes it a C graded draft

No one gets worse through the draft, so getting only a little better is bad.

J

[minutemancl]

On 5/8/2021 at 3:15 PM, Mr Raider said:

The Giants are definitely in my top 3-5 favorite drafts just in terms of the prospects themselves, but when you factor in all the extra ammo they acquired moving down and still landing these players it quite easily could be my favorite draft in the entire NFL. 

It's certainly helped a lot in my eyes because I was as high (or higher) on Ojulari than just about anyone else in the draft community. I had him as the top edge rusher in the draft and a top 10 talent on my overall big board. You have to be creative with him. You can't just plug him in as a 4-3 DE full time and expect to get everything out of him. But in todays era he can put his hand in the dirt in nickel, I think can be a very good SAM LB in a 4-3 as even a non rusher, or can play the 3-4 OLB spot. Regardless the guy just makes a ton of plays. He's explosive. Has a lot of experience against top competition. Is versatile. Shows good discipline. Good strength for not being the biggest edge rusher. Good hand usage. Has a spin move that can be deadly that I would actually like to see him use more of. The word is he fell so far because of medical stuff. I obviously don't have access to that information. Nor do I have the knowledge to have an opinion I can be confident in if I did have the medicals so I'm not going to speculate on that. I'll just say that I think they got a guy in the second round, after trading down, that can easily be the best EDGE in the class, and one of the best players overall. That's a home run. I think the Giants defense could be one of the best in the league this year honestly. Obviously without knowing any of the medical stuff and just going off of evaluation of the player and the value of maneuvering through the draft and still landing the prospect, this pick is absolutely an A+ for me. Top tier, first round talent, proven production, a high ceiling, not a terribly low floor, versatility, premier position and gaining extra capital in the process? That's an A+ home run pick.

Robinson is a prospect I did do a decent amount of research and "scouting" on. And he was a prospect I liked a decent amount in that mid to late 3rd round range. A fair amount of scouting reports on him have him pegged as a slot CB in the NFL. And while I can see him having a lot of success at the NFL level there, potential to be one of the better slot corners in the NFL. My evaluation doesnt pigeonhole him to that exclusively. I think depending on the scheme he can be a quality perimeter CB. He has good but not great size and length, he's a very good athlete, very fluid hips, has shown the ability to play press and off coverage. The worries are a decent amount of injuries early in his college career, his lack of elite height and length, a tendency to be a little over aggressive opening up his hips and biting on double moves and such, and can be a little grabby. In fairness almost all college corners struggle with a lot of those same issues. I think he can offer a defense a lot with the ability to play inside or on the perimeter, I think he can really hit his potential in a scheme that likes to mix up zone and man coverage. I wouldn't have necessarily had him as a guy I had to trade up for that early in the 3rd to land, but I like the prospect. The trading up to take him slightly higher than where I had him valued makes the pick more of a C+ or B-. 

After that you have Elerson Smith who I also loved, although obviously in a different way than Ojulari. He was one of my sleepers that I thought could go higher than a lot expected. As high as very bottom of the second or in the early-mid 3rd. He obviously will have to make the transition to a much tougher level of competition, and he will need some time in the weight room. But I said before the draft he reminds me a lot of Maxx Crosby, and when you get those types of guys in the 3rd or any time after that's a phenomenal pick. I think he could have an instant impact as a rookie as a designated pass rusher and with time and coaching maybe he becomes even more. This pick is a very solid B+ to me. You may have been able to get him a little later, but I agree with my protection on him making sure you land him. It'll pay dividends in a year or two. Some may consider him a reach but I think the selection is a B. 

I can't say that I studied a lot on the top WR prospects in this draft because I didn't see the Raiders taking one before the 4th round. But it's never a bad idea for a team like the Giants who have a guy like Barkley that has OPOY type ability, and a QB they invested a lot in, going into a make or break year to make adding a talented, versatile weapon a top priority. When you factor in the fact they were able to move down and get significant assets for next season on top? It's hard to not at least like the pick. What I have seen I believe Toney at the very least is a very productive slot WR. I do worry about his injury history and I don't necessarily see him becoming a premier outside #1 WR. But it's not impossible. He has good size, is very fast, ridiculously quick, offers a lot of versatility with some designed runs, end arounds, gadget plays. He could be a guy that meshes really well with Jones. Being a guy you can get the ball to quickly in space and let him do the work. This pick is probably my least favorite of their first 4 rounds if we're talking just the prospect, but when factoring in everything I would give a B+. 

Overall I am always a sucker for drafts that make the defensive line, particularly your pass rush, a focus. In todays NFL having a deep, talented, versatile defensive line that can terrorize QBs is the most valuable thing you can have on defense. You make that a priority and then add some talent to go on the back end, combined with what was already there on defense and you have a draft I love and that the Giants front office deployed an approach I would have tried to employ myself. I really like the haul just on the players talents themselves, but factoring in how great they were at moving down the board, adding more assets for the future, and still landing that talent it puts this draft over a lot of the rest of the league. I don't know enough about the rest of the guys, but if they hit it'll be gravy. I think you guys added a potential all pro type edge in Ojulari, at worst a very explosive and effective #2 WR that dominates in the slot (and that is good enough to win with in the NFL at WR), a rock solid starting caliber CB that can play man, zone, press or off, and can play on the perimeter or inside, and another edge rusher that has starter potential, and could be one of the better secondary edge rushers teams have in the NFL. Plus added extra capital for the following season. I loved it.

Overall its a rock solid B or B+ for me. But I am the type of grader that doesn't give out A's or especially A+ unless I feel your team landed a franchise altering type draft. A draft with one elite talent, another foundational piece that you can build around for the next 5+ years (preferably at a premiere position) and another starting caliber quality player. I don't think in most years any team has a truly A+ draft. Most years the best drafts will fall in that B- to B+ range. 

If I could give this more than 1 football, I would. 

[Mr Raider]

39 minutes ago, minutemancl said:

If I could give this more than 1 football, I would. 

I appreciate that good sir. 

[pwny]

1.1 - Trevor Lawrence - A++ - There isn’t really anything to say that hasn’t already been said. This is a franchise defining player that not only makes the team better, but the community of Jacksonville better  

1.25 - Travis Etienne - B/B+ - There’s a lot of questions about the value of taking a RB at 25 and they’re mostly founded. But ETN isn’t going to be *just* a running back. He’s effectively the piece that Urban Meyer needed to be able to install the entirety of his playbook around Trevor. Urban Meyer made a name for himself off of innovative play calling using fast and versatile players; making sure you get the best of the bunch in this draft class is vital towards him being able to be him. 

2.1 - Tyson Campbell - C - C is an average grade, and that’s really where I’d put this. Campbell has traits that you can build upon that could lead him to being an elite cover corner in this league. He also has some traits that very obviously need addressing before he can be sure to find success at the next level. He’s likely to start in the slot, which should give him some leeway in the time it takes him to develop, but he also might not ever be more than a slot guy. 

2.13 - Walker Little - C+ - The risks are obvious; ACL tear, almost two full years away from the sport, limited film to review. But the upside is incredible. If he had come back from the injury and played at the level he did prior to injury, he’s probably selected closer to 1.13 than 2.13. He showed all the tools to be an elite franchise LT in his short time, but the time away leaves this risky. 

3.1 - Andre Cisco - C- - Cisco was on my short list of Safeties that the Jags should target, so it does feel weird not completely praising this pick. He’s a ball hawking Safety who was a turnover machine, and he can lay the wood when a receiver comes over the middle. If he hadn’t gotten the ACL injury, I think he would have been in the pre-draft discussion about which S deserved to go off the board first. But the injuries are definitely the issue. A good number of heavy hitting Safeties have injury issues at the next level, and Cisco already having two different lower body injuries over the last two years that required him to miss time is a red flag; not to mention one of them was an ACL injury. 

4.1 - Jay Tufele - C+ - Tufele seems like a guy they penciled in to take immediately after Alualu decided to re-sign in Pittsburgh. So much about him is almost completely analogous to Alualu’s game. Tufele should be a decent run stuffer and should be able to play across the 3-4 DL alignments, but his lack of defined pass rush skills may limit the number of snaps he can get on a regular basis and the number of situations that the team feels comfortable using him. 

4.16 - Jordan Smith - D - This one is just a complete crap shoot that I don’t know how to grade it. The hope is that his testing numbers and what he did at the Senior Bowl were off for some reason. He claims to have added 35lbs for his pro day, which is typically unheard of, so maybe he dirty bulked and he wasn’t carrying enough muscle with all the weight to get him where he should be athletically. If that’s the case and a proper NFL weight, conditioning and diet program can get him to where he has the ability to generate burst and quickness at the next level, he might find success. But there’s just such an obvious path towards him washing out of the league in a year o two that I can’t in good faith give this a grade any higher. 

5.1 - Luke Farrell - C- - Farrell is a blocking tight end first, a blocking tight end second, and a receiver third. The Jaguars needed a pass catching Tight End in the worst way and completely whiffed to that end, but Farrell should be a decent player for them to use as the H-Back. It’s not the biggest need on the roster with Manhertz also being a blocking TE, but it doesn’t hurt to have depth.

6.25 - Jalen Camp - B - A project receiver with high end measurables. He probably won’t ever develop into a great receiver or even a rotational guy. However, he’s shown very good blocking skills and seems likely to lead towards him becoming a higher end special teams player. In the 6th round, that’s about all you typically can ask; a shot in the dark, with good special teams as the baseline.

 

 

EDIT: checked the rest of the thread. Realized I needed to be more of a homer to match the grading scale for the rest of these 

New grades: 

Lawrence - A+++++++++++++
Etienne - A
Campbell - B+
Little - A
Cisco - A-
Tufele - B+
Smith - C
Farrell - B
Camp - A

[mtmmike]

Cleveland browns fan plus 3 wins this year

Best off-season in the nfl

[Danger]

I love reading through these and seeing how much I disagree with a fair number of them, but who really knows?

1. WR DeVonta Smith - A+ (A if we're discounting the picking up the extra first)
2. IOL Landon Dickerson - A/C- (All depends on whether or not he can stay healthy, so I'm not comfortable giving one way or another)
3. DT Milton Williams - B+
4. CB Zech McPherson - B+
5. RB Kenneth Gainwell - B-
6. DT Marlon Tuipolotu - C- (probably gonna be the guy we look back at 5 years later and forget he existed)
6. DE Tarron Jackson - C+
6. ?S/LB? JaCoby Stevens - C+
7. DE Patrick Johnson - C

Honestly the late rounds can be a crapshoot so who really knows, but no one they took after Milton Williams was even on my radar. The first 5 picks I think have really good potential, which was clearly what they saw as a priority in this draft.