Grade Your Draft

[Spartacus]

7 minutes ago, TheEagle said:

I'm not so sure. He isn't quite as big, but he's a lot like Big Z coming out. He wins with power and hands. He also has really long arms. Big Z had a sub-4.00 RAS.

Z wasn't a Packers draft pick.im hoping your right though. Not my favorite prospect.

[Spartacus]

14 minutes ago, Fureys49ers said:

These two picks killed me as a niner fan. Instead of reaching for the RB and WR we took in the 3rd I would have been ecstatic with these two. Great picks, I’ll be following their careers to see how it turns out.

If there is one thing the Packers do better then any team in the league its drafting mid round OL and turning them into something at the NFL level. 

[Hunter2_1]

C

its weird and reachy, but we filled needs and finally got a lot faster 

[HerbertGOAT]

Chargers: B+

Round 1: Zion Johnson, IOL: A. Bolted on starter at guard to help protect Herbert. Smart enough to play all 5 positions. Great pick.

Round 3: JT Woods, DB: B. Hyper athletic coverage safety who can't tackle worth a lick. Staley wants to flood the field with DBs so I get his logic here, and his ball-hawking potential is worth it. I wanted Chenal or Faalele here, but I'm fine with Woods. Solid pick.

Round 4: Isaiah Spiller, RB: B+ to A-. Really like this. Our running backs are abysmal behind Ekeler, leading to overuse and loss of effectiveness. Now we finally have a bigger back who actually knows how to hit a hole at speed. Definitely a solid RB2, good pick.

Round 5: Otito Ogbonnia, IDL: B-. Don't know much about him. He's sturdy against the run, which was needed. Shouldn't be much more than a rotational type of guy. He can play 3-4 end and the 1-tech in a 4-front Nickel, so there's a bit of scheme flexibility there. Don't love it, don't dislike it.

Round 6: Jamaree Salyer, IOL: A. LOVE this. Started the whole season for the National Champs at Left Tackle, but projects more as a guard. Regardless, he has good tape against high level comp (put Aidan Hutchinson on his *ss in the playoffs), and is yet another piece to a great O-Line. If he can start day 1, and allow us to move Feiler to RT, this was the steal of the draft no doubt.

Round 6: Ja'Sir Taylor, CB: C+. Doesn't do anything for me. He's athletic, and played 62 games at Wake Forest. Should provide decent enough depth. It's okay I guess.

Round 7: Deann Leonard, DB: D. I don't get this one. His tape is meh, has bad stats, and wasn't even good enough to get picked in the 1st round of the CFL draft. Hope I'm wrong and he can force some bums like Trey Marshall off the roster, but I don't get this. Especially not with Speed at Receiver being a need, and Kevin Austin Jr. still available. The ONE time I legitimately wanted a Notre Dame player, and Telesco didn't draft one. Jeez.

Round 7: Zander Horvath: B-. I scratched my head at first, but it's an okay pick I suppose. Athletic FB/HB/TE hybrid who should be an upgrade over some bottom of the roster guys. What else do you want from a late 7th rounder? Got some nice highlights. Sure, why not.

[Daniel]

1 hour ago, Charles said:

Feel like you have to factor in trading away Brown.  Drops them at least one letter grade for the short-term imo.

I did. Swapping Brown for Burks and cap space is a bad move, but I had Burks as WR2 in my rankings and think he’s a fantastic fit.

But they’ll now also have the cash to lock up Simmons long term and make moves in free agency. That is worth something.

Really, getting Malik is what bumps this up to a B for me. I had him as QB1, and getting him as the fourth pick is just ridiculous.

But I think Titans’ grades will vary wildly depending on what you think of the AJ trade and Malik Willis. I could see them getting anything from a C- to an A-.

 Without homerism, I probably would bump it back down to a B-.

 

[FrantikRam]

The coaching staff seems REALLY jacked about Bruss. Tried to trade up to make sure they'd get him. So the fact that most in the media thought it was a reach is a little hard to reconcile.

Loved the focus on the secondary too. 

I think Bruss, Durant and Williams play significant roles next year. We had very few slot options last year and lacked depth at RB. We also have a few FA OL next year. Not having a pick until 104 but fixing all that was impressive.

B+

[Daniel]

1 minute ago, FrantikRam said:

The coaching staff seems REALLY jacked about Bruss. Tried to trade up to make sure they'd get him. So the fact that most in the media thought it was a reach is a little hard to reconcile.

Loved the focus on the secondary too. 

I think Bruss, Durant and Williams play significant roles next year. We had very few slot options last year and lacked depth at RB. We also have a few FA OL next year. Not having a pick until 104 but fixing all that was impressive.

B+

I thought Bruss was a great prospect. Third felt appropriate to me, media be damned.

[Wyld Stallyns]

1 hour ago, TheEagle said:

I'd give it better than a B-. I love those day 2 picks. I'm a big fan of Pierce and Cross. Raimann was good value. Woods might have been a slight reach for me (not others), but it wasn't as big of a reach as I thought some team would make. The tape didn't match the testing, but he certainly has big upside.

I was hovering around B or B-, my only concern with this draft is that we doubled up at TE and waited until the end of the draft to take a CB and he isn’t necessarily a true CB yet. Plus I could see a situation where Ogletree, Brooks and/or Thomas all end up on the practice squad or carried like dead weight on the 53 to avoid using waivers on them. 

[y*so*blu]

Upon the Giants, I bestow a B-.

1.5, Kayvon Thibodeaux, EDGE (Oregon). I am in the minority in that I never wanted this guy and wasn't thrilled with the pick. I think he's an overhyped prospect who is just as focused on building a "brand" as he is on football. He might grow into an outstanding pro, or he might bust spectacularly. I'm fine with that uncertainty if I'm already a winning program, but not if I'm a rebuilding franchise. My grade: C.

1.7, Evan Neal, OT (Alabama). This is one pick virtually all Giants fans can agree on. We needed a generational talent to bolster the line and Evan Neal is that talent. With him and Thomas manning the edges, we may be set at tackle for years to come. I would have gladly taken him at 5. My grade: A+.

2.43, Wan'Dale Robinson (WR, Kentucky). An aggressive reach, but one that I'm beginning to understand. It's hard to watch his tape and not be excited about him. He's an instinctive, spectacular playmaker who absorbs hits like a sponge despite his small size. But we sacrificed more immediate needs (like a new corner) to take him, and with Toney already there the pick feels like a luxury. Again, something you do if you're a winning team--not if you're coming off 4-13. My grade: C.

3.67, Joshua Ezeudu (OG, UNC). Not much to say. A groan would sum up this pick better than words. More appealing guards than him were still available even in the 5th and 6th rounds (Lecitus Smith, Justin Shaffer). My grade: D-.

3.81, Cordale Flott (CB, LSU). A pretty good corner, best used in the slot. I'm not sure why the Giants were so attached to him when Tariq Woolen's elite wingspan and Marcus Jones' incredible motor were still available. Hopefully we'll find out in the future, but for now it's not the most exciting choice. My grade: C+.

4.112, Daniel Bellinger (TE, San Diego State). Notice a theme here? Bellinger is a competent blocker and passable receiver, but I don't see what distinguishes him in this class. I would have been much happier with the more productive Charlie Kolar or the more intriguing Jake Ferguson. My grade: C-.

4.114, Dane Belton (S, Iowa). Like Flott, another d-back we were attached to early. Maybe they thought his skill-set made him a good replacement for Logan Ryan. No strong feelings either way. My grade: B.

5.146, Micah McFadden (LB, Indiana). Now this is a good one. If we had to settle for a late-round LB, McFadden was near the top of my list. He's not very quick or dynamic in the open field, but man can he blitz. Quarterbacks and running backs beware. When this guy has a shot at you, he usually makes it count. My grade: B+.

5.147, D.J. Davidson (DT, Arizona State). Davidson is a rather average NT, long and strong with fair agility for his size. His problems with shedding blocks limited him to the later rounds. What we saw that warranted taking him over Butler, Henningsen or even Kalia Davis, I couldn't tell you. My grade: C.

5.173, Marcus McKethan (OG, UNC). Here we go again. Was Sam Howell's protection that good last year? If so I didn't notice. My grade: D.

6.182, Darrian Beavers (LB, Cincinnati). A scary, speedy linebacker who was somehow still available in R6. Great deal, great player. My grade: A.

Edited May 1, 2022 by y*so*blu

[Forge]

I'll do a more detailed write up later, but for now I feel this quote in the niner forum sums it up

21 hours ago, Ftn49 said:

Lots of "it's fine"

[Malfatron]

17 minutes ago, Forge said:

I'll do a more detailed write up later, but for now I feel this quote in the niner forum sums it up

Lots of "it's fine"

They didnt trade deebo so at least a B+ by default

[Charles]

3 hours ago, Daniel said:

I did. Swapping Brown for Burks and cap space is a bad move, but I had Burks as WR2 in my rankings and think he’s a fantastic fit.

But they’ll now also have the cash to lock up Simmons long term and make moves in free agency. That is worth something.

Really, getting Malik is what bumps this up to a B for me. I had him as QB1, and getting him as the fourth pick is just ridiculous.

But I think Titans’ grades will vary wildly depending on what you think of the AJ trade and Malik Willis. I could see them getting anything from a C- to an A-.

 Without homerism, I probably would bump it back down to a B-.

 

I might grade these things differently.   For me it's all about did you get better, stay about the same, or get worse, while also factoring in immediate impact vs future impact.  Titans got a little worse this offseason imo with the possibility that Malik turns into something in a year or two.  If Burks has a Jamar Chase like rookie season, I'll stand corrected. 

[Forge]

6 minutes ago, Malfatron said:

They didnt trade deebo so at least a B+ by default

Give it time

[Daniel]

20 minutes ago, Charles said:

I might grade these things differently.   For me it's all about did you get better, stay about the same, or get worse, while also factoring in immediate impact vs future impact.  Titans got a little worse this offseason imo with the possibility that Malik turns into something in a year or two.  If Burks has a Jamar Chase like rookie season, I'll stand corrected. 

Yeah, it’s hard to say. JRob tends to draft for a year later, not the upcoming season, so a lot of this year will depend on last year’s draft class showing more.

Farley, Radunz, and Weaver should all make strides. Not super confident about those two receivers, but they should contribute more than last year at least.

With the Willis pick, this draft is even more about 2023 than it would have been normally.

[NYJets4716]

Jets draft Grade A

1 (4)- Sauce Gardner CB-Draft Grade A. 

I love the pick personally. I just think if you are picking top 5, you need to take a elite prospect or blue chipper. Gardner was one of the few players in this draft I feel is a elite prospect. He is freaky with his length and fluidity. I think he changes the way we play coverage. Jets had ok CBs, but Gardner is that CB1 type who is going to lock down his side. 

1 (10) - Garrett Wilson WR Draft Grade A-

We needed a WR, got one. He fits the scheme extremely well and should be a playmaker here. Him and Elijah Moore are going to give the Jets an exciting young WR corps. 

1 (26) - Jermaine Johnson DE Draft Grade A. 

I loved the pick, he was a guy I was considering at #10.  He has super long arms, is athletic, and plays hard. I think he has a good set of pass rush moves to work with and plays the run well. Great fit with our scheme that will play him out and let him get after the QB. DE was a big area of concern for us and we added a player who is ready to come in and contribute day 1.  Great value. 

Round 2- Breece Hall RB Draft Grade A. 

I love the player, the Jets needed more playmakers on offense after spending the past couple years building up the OL. Hall rated as an elite athlete and was nasty in college. I think the value was too good to pass up, when you have a chance to add a impact player who will come in and make a difference right away in round 2 you get that. Hall and Carter are going to be a dynamic duo at RB. 

Round 3- Jeremy Ruckert TE Draft Grade B 

Wasn't a need, but I liked the value. I think Ruckert has good upside at TE, he is a good blocker and has untapped receiver potential. Jets have good depth and turned around the TE position after having a bunch of bums last season at the position. 

Round 4 - Max Mitchell OT Draft Grade B 

Good depth pick, he is versatile and can play multiple positions and gives them something to develop. Maybe can develop into an eventual starter, but for now could be the swing tackle. 

Round 4 - Michael Clemons DE Draft Grade B

Bit older and has off field concerns, but there is talent there and worth the gamble in round 4. He has real long arms and length, very strong and had a good amount of pressures in games. Adds more depth to a position we were weak at last season and a vital position for the defense that Saleh wants to run.

 

I am very happy with this draft class, should have 4 day 1 starters out of this class.