Grade RIVALS draft picks

[Danger]

By all means be more depth than I am being. I just thought this would also be fun to get perspective from those we disagree with. Don't be trolls though.

New York Giants

CB Deonte Banks - B+
C John Michael Schmitz - B+ 
WR Jalin Hyatt - A-
RB Eric Gray - B-
CB Tre Hawkins - ???
DT Jordan Riley - ???
S Gerravius Owns - B-

Washington Commanders

CB Emmanuel Forbes - D- (Would've been a D+ but it gets bumped down for passing on Christian Gonzalez)
S Jartavis Martin - C-
C Ricky Stromberg - A-
G Braeden Daniels - B-
DE KJ Henry - B
RB Chris Rodriguez - B
OLB Andre Jones - ???

Dallas Cowboys

DT Mazi Smith - B-
TE Luke Schoonmaker - D
LB Demarvion Overshown - B
DE Viliami Fehoko - C+
OT Asim Richards - ???
CB Eric Scott - ???
RB Deuce Vaughn - B+
WR Jalen Brooks - C

[Daniel]

Oof.  Well, unfortunately, I think the Titans' rivals did really well.  I'll just grade the ones I know enough about to actually grade.

Houston Texans: A, added two top level players and had great picks throughout the draft.  Either them or the Cards are the top overall draft IMO.

CJ Stroud, QB, Ohio St: A
Will Anderson, Edge, Bama: A-
Juice Scruggs, C, Penn St: C-
Nathaniel Dell, WR, Houston: C
Dylan Horton, Edge, TCU: B
Henry To'oto'o, ILB, Bama: A
Jarrett Patterson, C, Notre Dame: A
Xavier Hutchinson, WR, Iowa St: B+
Brandon Hill, S, Penn St: B+

Indianapolis Colts: A-, just solid picks from top to bottom and a boom or bust QB.  One of my favorite draft classes.

Anthony Richardson, QB, Florida: B
Julius Brents, CB, Kansas St: B+
Josh Downs, WR, North Carolina: B+
Blake Freeland, OT, BYU: A
Ade Adebawore, DL, Northwestern: A
Darius Rush, CB, South Carolina: B+
Will Mallory, TE, Miami: B+
Evan Hull, RB, Northwestern: B
Jaylon Jones, DB, TAMU: B+

Jacksonville Jaguars: B, not as good as the other two, but nailed the first pick, and Johnson was a huge steal.

Anton Harrison, OT, Oklahoma: A
Brenton Strange, TE, Penn St: C
Tank Bigsby, RB, Auburn: C-
Ventrell Miller, ILB, Florida: C
Tyler Lacy, DT, Oklahoma St: C+
Yasir Abdullah, LB, Louisville: B-
Antonio Johnson, S, TAMU: A
Parker Washington, WR, Penn St: A-

[incognito_man]

Detroit - F. I don't care what they did after the first round. They can't make up for that disastrous use of draft capital. All off-season up to the draft I was nervous about Detroit. I thought they were in position to do something meaningful. They could have moved up for AR15, which would have made me REALLY nervous. They could have added two stud premium position defenders. But they whiffed mightily. 

Vikings - F. Only team in the NFCN not to take an elite athlete. At any point. In the entire draft (as measure by RAS). They just don't get it. Anytime you end up with the 4th guy in a row in the first round at the same position, you probably panicked and reached. I didn't like Addison at all, either. 

Bears - A/B. I loved Wright heading into the draft. They targeted premium positions early and the trenches. They got some good value picks late and they leveraged the top pick into future picks. I'd be really pleased as a Bears fans with what they did.

[Spartacus]

Detroit C+: I like the players but an exercise I like to do is see what a team starts with and then just look at the players at the end and with their draft capital I was left a little unimpressed.

Gibbs is good but not start top 15 first round good, I also like Campbell but in a better draft class I don't think he is special enough for first round ILB. IMO Branch went exactly where he should have. He may have been mocked first round but I dont see a 1st round safety upside with him and in a better safety class he is probably the 3rd or 4th safety off the board. 

LaPorta was my TE 5 taken 2nd with Mayer and Musgrave still on the board. Washington I'll give all teams a pass for since the injury concerns pushed him down. 

Liked the rest of their late round picks well enough. 

Chicago A: Liked almost every player they took. This is the type of boring but solid drafts that will get talked about 4 or 5 years from now on being a team changer. 

Vikings F: I've been extremely outspoken about hating this draft. Addison is good but in most draft classes I see him more as a 2nd round pick I also think there were a ton of good defenders left with that being a much bigger need. I hated their secondary picks. There is just so little upside with these players IMO. 

[Ozzy]

2 hours ago, Spartacus said:

Detroit C+: I like the players but an exercise I like to do is see what a team starts with and then just look at the players at the end and with their draft capital I was left a little unimpressed.

Gibbs is good but not start top 15 first round good, I also like Campbell but in a better draft class I don't think he is special enough for first round ILB. IMO Branch went exactly where he should have. He may have been mocked first round but I dont see a 1st round safety upside with him and in a better safety class he is probably the 3rd or 4th safety off the board. 

LaPorta was my TE 5 taken 2nd with Mayer and Musgrave still on the board. Washington I'll give all teams a pass for since the injury concerns pushed him down. 

Liked the rest of their late round picks well enough. 

Chicago A: Liked almost every player they took. This is the type of boring but solid drafts that will get talked about 4 or 5 years from now on being a team changer. 

Vikings F: I've been extremely outspoken about hating this draft. Addison is good but in most draft classes I see him more as a 2nd round pick I also think there were a ton of good defenders left with that being a much bigger need. I hated their secondary picks. There is just so little upside with these players IMO. 

Stevenson has versatility but was a big time reach in the 2nd round, no way he played like a 2nd round pick on Miami.  Dexter was good last year but he also was pretty disappointing last year on Florida and only flashed at times.  In terms of RB, I was never super impressed with Johnson and with Herbert and Foreman most likely he does not play much anyway, they could have waited a bit on him.  Wright was a great pickup for them no question.

 

Vikings sure Blackmon I would have wanted another CB but I think they were smart to get Addison 1st round and wait on a CB till later. Blackmon has versatility and good feet, can play the slot if need be also and the Vikings need that big time.  Jay Ward not a huge fan of his but he does have coverage versatility and the safety/corner ability will help a team in bad need of slot coverage guys as a safety or as a corner.

McBride is a steal in the 7th, that dude is a tank and is super explosive with the football.  Only reason he dropped was "character" but honestly it was because he was hurt and did not workout at the combine or his pro day.  If he did he would have showed how elite he is as an athlete, just watch the kid run he runs with get explosive ability and power.  Was a great pickup especially if they end up trading Cook, and McBride proves toughness no other RB really gives them combined with home run ability.  As for Hall, one could argue that is the best most talented QB they have drafted not in the 1st round in the last 20 years.  Dude can sling the football and has a great head on his shoulders, great developmental QB who should have been taken ahead of a lot of other QBs I feel.

 

Honestly though best part about their draft was the UDFA guys, Ivan Pace Jr could start for them at ILB potentially, that dude was a beast and is a great run and hit LB who can really play downhill.  They needed that badly since they never drafted a ILB, and Andre Carter II has out of this world upside and potential, arguably the most talented UDFA picked in the NFL.  Got him and he will help greatly especially if Z. Smith is traded, then they also got Knowles who has great athletic ability, return potential and YAC ability.  Sure he underachieved in college but he is super talented and athletic for a taller WR.

 

The Packers hit on basically every pick they had but they did have a ton of picks which allowed them to just pick who fell.  They got a ton of depth and quality and multiple players at positions so if one guy does not workout they have another one behind him.  They did decent with UDFA players, did not get high end guys like the Vikings but quality in Cox who should have been drafted but is apparently a dirt bag human being, Telfort I like his size, kid is huge, Sapp has potential at DB and Watts is solid at WR.  Overall in the division Packers did have the best draft overall, did have 13 picks though and they will have to cut a few guys possibly.

[Hunter2_1]

Bills: B-

I hated that they got Kincaid, which means it was a very good pick. Can see him being a problem. Mocked Torrence to them in the 1st, so to get him 2nd round is great. I don't care much for their other picks, but I don't see any clangers or reaches either. It's not a particularly big class.

Jets: C+

McDonald was a reach and they probably were looking to pick a T. Tippmann seems a slight reach, they addressed the lines with first 3 picks, which is good. Can't really see any of their rounds 5 and beyond panning out, but I don't mind a flier on Kuntz that late

Dolphins: C

Just not enough, really. Too few. But they still get faster with Achane

[THE DUKE]

Steelers: A-, loved most of their draft, only thing that kept it from being an A is that i'm not as high on Jones.

• Broderick Jones - B- - I think this was a little high for Jones who has potential, but I think is going to struggle early
• Joey Porter Jr - A - Got value and is the long type of CB you need to guard Tee Higgins
• Keeanu Benton - A - Good fit in their scheme, not as good as Heyward, but is going to be a good player for them for a long time.
• Darnell Washington - A- - I have serious doubts about him as a receiver, but at the end of rd 3 getting his blocking and athleticism is a nice pick.  We'll see if the injury concerns are well founded or not.  Even if they are, worth a swing here.
• Nick Herbig - A - Perfect fit for their defense as a pass rushing OLB.  Wouldn't shock me if he has 7-8 sacks this year.
• Cory Trice - A- - Another big CB with athleticism, I thought he'd go a lot higher than this.
• Spencer Anderson - B - Don't know much about him but has played all over the line in college so a versatile backup

 

Browns: C+, did well enough with the draft capital they had, but lack of premium picks is going to hurt any draft

• Cedric Tillman - C+ - Poor man's Donovan Peoples-Jones to me, but won't hurt for depth behind DPJ
• Siaka Ika - D - Big fat guy for the inside, but I don't think he gets much push at the NFL level
• Dawand Jones - A- - Red flags galore around Jones leading up to the draft, but in rd 4 I like that gamble after a productive year at Ohio State
• Isaiah McGuire - B - Solid pick, I think he'll just be a solid depth piece, but one that won't hurt the defense when he's on the field. A little pass rushing juice, but not a guy I ever see racking up a large number of sacks
• Dorian Thompson-Robinson - B - Good scheme fit backup behind The Predator
• Cameron Mitchell - B- - Poor mans Ward, but a decent swing in rd 5
• Luke Wypler - A - Probably not ready right away, but a good developmental pick who has starter upside.  Won't provide positional versatility, is pretty much a C only.

 

Ravens: C, i'm not as high on Zay Flowers as most, no 2nd rd pick, and no real home run picks for me

• Zay Flowers - C+ - Not as high on Flowers, I think you could have got a fairly similar slot WR a rd or two later
• Trenton Simpson - C- - Came into the year with rd 1 hype and I think played his way down to a 3rd rd pick, film didn't match the hype.
• Tavius Robinson - C - Just a guy
• Kyu Blu Kelly - B - Has starter upside, which is good value in rd 5, one of my favorite day 3 CBs heading into the draft.
• Malaesala Aumavau-Laulu - C - Good frame/athleticism, but pretty much needs his technique rebuilt from the ground up
• Andrew Vorhees - B - Going with upside coming off the injury, essentially going to have to take a redshirt year, but a rd 3-4 talent in rd 7

[Spartacus]

12 hours ago, Ozzy said:

Vikings sure Blackmon I would have wanted another CB but I think they were smart to get Addison 1st round and wait on a CB till later. Blackmon has versatility and good feet, can play the slot if need be also and the Vikings need that big time.  Jay Ward not a huge fan of his but he does have coverage versatility and the safety/corner ability will help a team in bad need of slot coverage guys as a safety or as a corner.

Blackmon is entirely too grabby for the NFL style of football. Without being able to grab he is way too tight hipped to turn and run with WRs. Versatility means little to nothing to me when it comes to Blackmon since I don't see him having the skills to play slot or outside corner.  Jay Ward i'm a little higher on especially at safety. I think he also gets abused at corner if they play him there. 

I like Addison. I'm a big sucker for fluid route runners and he should be a perfect #2 to Jefferson. I still think he has too many flaws to be a 1st round receiver and I don't think he really changes much with that offense. Its already a good offense and I expect it to hover right around top 5 most of the year with or without Addison. There defense on the other hand is a dumpster fire especially that secondary. Banks went one pick after with JPJ & Branch still there as well as some really great high upside pass rush and DL. I think they panicked when the 3 WRs were taken back to back to back and took what they thought was the last premium WR. Easier said than done but if they could have somehow gotten a trade down I think they could have walked away with JPJ, Branch, & still possibly a WR with upside later in the draft. Dell, Hyatt, Tillman, & Downs were all still there in the 3rd. 

12 hours ago, Ozzy said:

McBride is a steal in the 7th

I didn't do much work on RBs and the ones I did were much earlier so I will take your word for it. I still think Mattison gets the majority of the snaps if Cook does end up gone. 

 

12 hours ago, Ozzy said:

Honestly though best part about their draft was the UDFA guys

 That's all well in good but how many UDFAs even become average NFL players? You can count on one hand the number of pro bowlers come out of UDFA. 

[incognito_man]

3 minutes ago, Spartacus said:

hover right around top 5

que?

What is making them jump from being the 20th ranked DVOA offense in 2022 to top 5 this year?

[CWood21]

14 hours ago, Ozzy said:

Overall in the division Packers did have the best draft overall, did have 13 picks though and they will have to cut a few guys possibly.

Historically speaking, I think they've only cut one guy that was drafted in the 5th or before going back to Ted Thompson.  Sean Clifford is probably the only 5th round pick that might have to worry about a roster spot, but odds are the Packers will carry 3 QBs in the regular season this year.  Wicks and Brooks are likely roster locks given the numbers' situation.  Anders Carlson will compete with Parker White for the starting kicker position as of now.  The top of the Packers' CB depth chart is pretty strong, but the backend isn't so Carrington Valentine has a strong shot to be one of the top 6 CBs.  Lew Nichols is probably one of the first guys in jeopardy of not making the roster, but he will compete with Tyler Goodson and Patrick Taylor for RB3.  Safety room is pretty bad, so Anthony Johnson should make the roster.  Grant DuBose is probably competing Samouri Toure for the final WR spot.  Overall, the Packers generally favor former draft picks over UDFA when it comes down to cutdowns.

[Ozzy]

5 hours ago, CWood21 said:

Historically speaking, I think they've only cut one guy that was drafted in the 5th or before going back to Ted Thompson.  Sean Clifford is probably the only 5th round pick that might have to worry about a roster spot, but odds are the Packers will carry 3 QBs in the regular season this year.  Wicks and Brooks are likely roster locks given the numbers' situation.  Anders Carlson will compete with Parker White for the starting kicker position as of now.  The top of the Packers' CB depth chart is pretty strong, but the backend isn't so Carrington Valentine has a strong shot to be one of the top 6 CBs.  Lew Nichols is probably one of the first guys in jeopardy of not making the roster, but he will compete with Tyler Goodson and Patrick Taylor for RB3.  Safety room is pretty bad, so Anthony Johnson should make the roster.  Grant DuBose is probably competing Samouri Toure for the final WR spot.  Overall, the Packers generally favor former draft picks over UDFA when it comes down to cutdowns.

I just assumed with so many draft picks guys would be cut because of it.  Only guys like Watts, Dubose, Caleb Jones, Chris Slayton ,K. Thomas will be cut possibly but not as big of a loss.  I just assumed it would be more with that many draft picks coming in but clearly they have holes to fill.  Still that safety group is kind of suspect especially without Amos but other than that pretty solid, the TE additions and the DE additions are really big and important.

 

QB Love / Clifford
RB Jones / Dillon / Taylor / Nicholas
WR Watson / Wicks
WR Doubs / Toure
WR Reed / Melton
TE Musgrave / Kraft / Deguara
OT Bakhtiari / Walker
OG Jenkins / Rhyan
C Myers / Hanson
OG Runyan / Newman
OT Nijman / Tom

DE Clark / Brooks
NT Slaton / Ford
DE Wyatt / Wooden
OLB P. Smith / Van Ness 
ILB Campbell / E. Wilson / Cox
ILB Walker / McDuffie
OLB Gary / Enagbare / Hollins
CB Alexander / Valentine
CB Stokes / Douglas / A. Johnson
SS Savage / Gaines
FS T. Moore / Ford

K A. Carlson
LS Orzech
P O'Donnell

 

 

[43M]

Unfortunately, I think the entire AFC North did well...on paper.

Bengals:  B...ish

Myles Murphy should contribute immediately and could see him having a Carlos Dunlap like career for them.  I really like their secondary pickups, especially Jordan Battle.  My biggest issue with their draft is no TE or OL....at all.

Ravens:  B

Zay Flowers isnt bad and could be a nice weapon, but Im not his biggest fan for the Ravens as a pure WR, but as a gadget player in that offense could be very effective.   Trenton Simpson was excellent value and COULD be a steal.  Andrew Voorhees in rd 7 makes me mad.   Not sure how he fell that far.  

Browns: A- or B+

Considering they didnt have a 1st, Im impressed with this haul.   Tillman should at least become a decent no. 2 option for them.   Ika and Jones both easily could have went a round earlier.   DTR could be a nice backup behind Watson.  McGuire could become a solid rotational pass rusher.  Like Voorhees, Im annoyed they got Wypler so late.

Edited May 5, 2023 by 43M

[BetterCallSaul]

@THE DUKE, I stole your format.

 

Steelers: A, They did nothing below average here & were able to get high upside players at every selection. Probably the 2nd best draft, behind only Philly for me.

• Broderick Jones - A-  Love Broderick Jones' potential. He needs to get stronger for sure, but Pitt has had slow-footed bums manning that LT spot for years.
• Joey Porter Jr - B - He was seen as some crazy steal here. I think the value was about where he should've gone. Has some tools, but also plenty of warts.
• Keeanu Benton - A - Great pick. Benton has some technical flaws, but he's going to be a very good NT for them that can move around the DL if needed.
• Darnell Washington - A- - Washington falling this far is criminal, but I also don't think he's an amazing blocker as people think. Limited as a receiver. Good pick.
• Nick Herbig - A+ - Herbig needed to go to a team that ran a pure 3-4 scheme as a base. Pitt is about the only one that does. This pick is fantastic for them.
• Cory Trice - B- - For where he was taken, it's great value. However, I don't think it was some unbelievable steal either. Not much belief in him long-term.
• Spencer Anderson - ? - No opinion. Can't possibly factor it into a grade, as I know nothing about this cat.

 

Bengals: C, Had some crazy head-scratching picks, but also added much-needed speed to their defense & found Battle late.

• Myles Murphy - B - He was a big-time athlete and has elite potential For where he was taken, it's great value. He's been an average player at best in college.
• DJ Turner - D - Not a DJ Turner fan at all. Sub par tape and for his speed, he sure does allow a lot of separation. Again, high potential though.
• Jordan Battle - B+ - Really like Jordan Battle. Smacks people in the run game and is in the right spot all the time. Will start for them IMO.
• Charlie Jones - D+ - Kind of shocked he went this high. Simply put, I don't think he has the talent level to make an impact in the NFL.
• Chase Brown - B- - Solid pick. I liked Brown, but I didn't love him. He's average in all areas, but above average in terms of being a scumbag, which is what they need.
• Andre Iosivas - C- - I just don't think he's good. He was a late round pick, so that's fine. But he's just crazy raw and doesn't know how to be a WR.
• Brad Robbins - ? - Don't know anything about him. He's a P, so whatever. Good, I guess. I can't judge this one.
• DJ Ivey - F - As a Hurricanes fan, I'm shocked he was drafted. Just not really good at anything & was constantly torched. He does play hard, but he's untalented.

 

Ravens: A-, I think they got three awesome players in the class, including the #1 steal (IMO). That said, I think they also whiffed on Simpson & Robinson. Still a good draft.

• Zay Flowers - A - I think Flowers is an amazing WR prospect. I think he's not a great fit within that offense, but still a great pick.
• Trenton Simpson - C -Excellent athlete, but simply not a very good player. He's not good, but the potential makes this an average selection for me.
• Tavius Robinson - F - Nope. I think this dude sucks & will be out of the league relatively quickly. Legitimately shocked he went this early--I had a UDFA grade on him.
• Kyu Blu Kelly - A+ - Had a 1st round grade on him. This was the #1 steal of the draft IMO.
• Malaesala Aumavau-Laulu - ? - Don't know the first thing about him. Can't grade him.
• Andrew Vorhees - A - This pick was fantatsic. They don't need him this year anyways & he will almost assuredly be an NFL starter down the line, IMO.

[minutemancl]

The Eagles obviously had a great, great draft.

The Cowboys did ok. Smith is going to make a big impact year 1 just because what he allows them to do on defense. Schoonmaker was a reach though in the 2nd. I like the Overshown pick, but he needs some work to be a productive NFL player. None of their later round selections excite me.

I thought the Commanders did ok as well, but for different reasons than the Cowboys. Forbes was a huge reach and a prospect I was super down on. I thought their day 2 picks were much better- I really like both Quan Martin and Stromberg. Again, no exciting later round picks.

If I had to rank the drafts in the NFC East, it'd go 1. Eagles, 2. Giants, 3. Cowboys, 4. Commanders. It takes 3 years to evaluate a draft entirely, but I think the Giants improved the most in the short term from their draft (2 immediate, quality starters) while the Eagles have the most long term potential.

[Jeezla]

New York Giants

CB Deonte Banks - A-
C John Michael Schmitz - B (He's certainly solid, but I think JMS was a tad overrated) 
WR Jalin Hyatt - B+ (But he has potential to make this an A if he can learn to beat NFL press)
RB Eric Gray - C+
CB Tre Hawkins - ???
DT Jordan Riley - ???
S Gerravius Owns - ???

Washington Commanders

CB Emmanuel Forbes - B+ 
S Jartavis Martin - C+
C Ricky Stromberg - A (I think he's just as good a prospect as JMS, even if JMS is better right now)
G Braeden Daniels - ???
DE KJ Henry - ???
RB Chris Rodriguez - F (Way too common of a name for him to be good)
OLB Andre Jones - ???

Dallas Cowboys

DT Mazi Smith - C+
TE Luke Schoonmaker - C 
LB Demarvion Overshown - B (But he's probably 2 years away from justifying that B)
DE Viliami Fehoko - B
OT Asim Richards - C+
CB Eric Scott - B
RB Deuce Vaughn - ??? (Am I the only one who never watched him?)
WR Jalen Brooks - ???