2020 Draft Class Grades
Jun 20, 2020 11:44:38 GMT -5
Colts GM (Darryl), Rams GM (Frank), and 5 more like this
Post by Panthers GM (Jesse) on Jun 20, 2020 11:44:38 GMT -5
Hey fellas, with all the extra time on my hands while working from home during this bizarre spring/summer, I invested quite a bit of time reading and watching film on this draft class. I decided for my own personal enjoyment and hopefully the enjoyment of the league I could do some draft grades by division.
NFC East
Washington Redskins: A
1.04 Taylor, Jonathan IND RB
1.13 Young, Chase WAS DE
1.18 Mims, Denzel NYJ WR
2.03 Winfield, Antoine TBB S
2.04 Chaisson, K'Lavon JAC LB
3.03 Davidson, Marlon ATL DT
5.05 Holmes, Darney NYG CB
Blaine had a tremendous draft . A lot of capital was invested into getting 5 of the top 36 picks and the Redskins nailed every one in my opinion. Sure busts occur, but this draft is full of guys ranked near the top in their class. My one gripe would be perhaps another pick could have been used on a RB to bring some depth to the position, but you only need to start one anyway and Blaine has 2 that will produce.
Philadelphia Eagles: D
4.23 Sloman, Sam LAR PK
5.23 Timer Expired
Sloman in the 4th is a fine pick, but the Eagles missed half their picks. I drafted 3 players I really like after 5.23, the Eagles could have had any of them if they checked in. Philadelphia had no glaring holes going in other than Kicker, which was addressed.
New York Giants: NA
The Giants found other uses for their draft capital this year.
Dallas Cowboys: B+
1.19 Murray, Kenneth LAC LB
1.26 Chinn, Jeremy CAR S
3.18 Dye, Troy MIN LB
3.28 Moss, Thaddeus WAS TE
5.16 Martin, Kamal GBP LB
For me personally, Chinn and Moss were headteachers when they were picked both quite a bit earlier than I felt they would go. That said this draft appears to have been all about a shot in the arm to the talent of the Cowboys LBs, and that was absolutely accomplished. Murray should be a stud, Dye is a fantastic value in the mid 3rd and Martin is a great little upside piece in the 5th. The Coyboys have a solid roster and I like the additions made through the draft. Also literally what do I know, Chinn and Randy Moss' son could be excellent contributors.
NFC West
Seattle Seahawks: A+
2.26 McFarland, Anthony PIT RB
4.20 Hopkins, Brycen LAR TE
I genuinely believe the Seahawks picked the best offensive player available with each of their picks. The plus comes from the fact that RB and TE happened to be the shallowest positions on the Seahawks going in.
Los Angeles Rams: A-
1.02 Edwards-Helaire, Clyde KCC RB
1.25 Jefferson, Van LAR WR
1.31 Shenault, Laviska JAC WR
5.15 Hudson, Khaleke WAS LB
5.42 Pierce, Artavis CHI RB
The job done by Frank over the draft is an obvious A+. If you wanna stress yourself out, check out the Rams bounty of 2021 picks. 3 1sts, 2 2nds and the entire 3rd round are the cliff notes. 2020 alone, they reloaded one of the best rosters in our league with the consensus RB1 in the draft and two high upside (arguably low floor) WRs.
San Francisco 49ers: A
1.03 Tagovailoa, Tua MIA QB
1.10 Swift, D'Andre DET RB
1.12 Pittman, Michael IND WR
2.01 Claypool, Chase PIT WR
2.02 Kmet, Cole CHI TE
2.10 Wilson, Logan CIN LB
2.11 Epenesa, A.J. BUF DE
2.13 Kinlaw, Javon SFO DT
3.10 Taylor, Davion PHI LB
3.12 Coulter, Isaiah HOU WR
3.25 Davis, Ashtyn NYJ S
3.32 Elliott, Jordan CLE DT
4.10 Terrell, A.J. ATL CB
4.35 Deguara, Josiah GBP TE
5.10 Hall, Bryce NYJ CB
5.35 Robinson, Kenny CAR S
I mean what can you really say about this class? New GM Derek had a golden ticket to recreate his roster in his image. How'd he do? According to my big board he knocked it out of the park. A lot of good quality picks here that took solid advantage of players sliding past where they could have been taken. It's a very quality list of rookies heading to SF
Arizona Cardinals B
2.07 Gross-Matos, Yetur CAR DE
3.15 Keene, Dalton NEP TE
3.29 Blacklock, Ross HOU DT
4.19 Taylor, J.J. NEP RB
4.29 Huntley, Tyler BAL QB
Don't get the Huntley pick and not personally very interested in Taylor, but YGM, Keene and Blacklock especially were great picks where they were selected. Opinions on Keene varied a lot, from a practice squad washout to the new (on field) Aaron Hernandez. Who knows? 3.15 is a great spot to take that kind of upside.
NFC North
Minnesota Vikings: C
4.30 Gipson, Trevis CHI DE
I mean it's a solid pick! could develop into a nice little DE.
Green Bay Packers: F
4.07 Jennings, Jauan SFO WR
5.43 Timer Expired
With hindsight maybe Jennings could make this team with 49ers receivers going down like flies. I think there were a lot of good options still on the board at 4.07 and missing the Mr. Irrelevant was anticlimactic.
Detroit Lions: B+
2.28 Gandy-Golden, Antonio WAS WR
3.05 Bowden, Lynn LVR RB
Two players who a fair person can consider high risk, but they both have very high ceilings and were both drafted in a spot where they were well worth the risk/reward
Chicago Bears: C
5.18 Osborn, K.J. MIN WR
Perfectly acceptable 5th round flier. the NFC North did not bring in much new blood this draft.
NFC South
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: A-
1.14 Reagor, Jalen PHI WR
4.01 Arnette, Damon LVR CB
4.05 Gladney, Jeff MIN CB
5.26 Robinson, Alton SEA DE
5.41 Stone, Geno BAL S
Greg got his blue chip prospect in Reagor then patiently waited until the late rounds to scoop up some CBs who should overproduce most picks in the 4th round, then some talented dart throws in the late 5th. The Bucs lack that true WR1 you can count on week to week. Maybe Reagor is he.
New Orleans Saints: B+
1.06 Herbert, Justin LAC QB
2.05 Hamler, KJ DEN WR
2.17 Brown, Derrick CAR DT
3.16 Burgess, Terrell LAR S
3.21 Rohrwasser, Justin NEP PK
5.03 Huntley, Jason DET RB
5.04 Bradley, Shaun PHI LB (R)
5.06 Ojemudia, Michael DEN CB
5.08 Weaver, Evan ARI LB
5.12 Calais, Raymond TBB RB
5.14 Swain, Freddie SEA WR
5.25 Strowbridge, Jason MIA DE
5.28 Jackson, Trishton LAR WR
5.30 Johnston, Clay LAR LB
Through this draft and a couple of draft day trades, the Saints likely (hopefully) solved the QB position long tern. The same can likely be said for DT and K, plus a nice high upside guy in Hamler. The rest will be a case study on the term "lottery ticket" I like to use to hype my back of roster, practice squad guys with good tape. 9 5th round picks who im sure Jereme is excited to look back on in a few years and see how he did. I think Strowbridge was a great steal.
Carolina Panthers: ?
1.23 Higgins, Tee CIN WR
1.27 Gibson, Antonio WAS RB
2.25 Trautman, Adam NOS TE
2.30 Davis-Gaither, Akeem CIN LB
4.09 Proche, James BAL WR
4.11 Davis, Raekwon MIA DT
4.13 Greenard, Jonathan HOU LB
4.15 Jones, Brandon MIA S
5.24 Mooney, Darnell CHI WR
5.32 Bryant, Hunter DET TE
5.40 Lynch, James MIN DT
I don't want to grade my own class, but I think I did quite well. I wanted to prioritize NFL draft capital and opportunity on defense, and swing for the fences on upside with my offensive picks.
Atlanta Falcons: C+
1.09 Akers, Cam LAR RB
1.32 Love, Jordan GBP QB
3.09 Dallas, DeeJay SEA RB
Love the Akers pick, hate the Love pick, love the Dallas pick because 3.09 seems low for him.
AFC North
Pittsburgh Steelers: B
1.21 Vaughn, Ke'Shawn TBB RB
2.21 Dugger, Kyle NEP S
2.23 Okudah, Jeff DET CB
3.01 Uche, Josh NEP LB
3.26 Diggs, Trevon DAL CB
4.21 Hamilton, Davon JAC DT
5.01 Bayless, Omar CAR WR
5.19 Mack, Austin NYG WR
5.21 Fuller, Jordan LAR S
Mostly a defensive draft for a team with mostly defensive players. Unfortunately for ranking purposes, im unfamiliar with a lot of the players who were drafted here. Vaughn was a great selection to an RB group mostly consisting of JAGs without defined roles going into 2020.Frank filled in the holes and probably stole Okudah in the late 2nd. My one gripe would be perhaps Eason should have been a selection in the 2nd.
Cleveland Browns: B-
2.15 Lewis, Terrell LAR LB
3.02 Walker, Mykal ATL LB
3.13 Strnad, Justin DEN LB
3.27 Jennings, Anfernee NEP LB
3.33 Bryant, Harrison CLE TE
4.02 Hasty, JaMycal SFO RB
4.06 Muse, Tanner LVR S
4.33 Thomas, Jeff NEP WR
5.27 Morgan, James NYJ QB
5.33 Fotu, Leki ARI DT
Mostly a personal bias on this grade, as frankly the 2nd half of this draft is full of guys I dont like very much. That said, the first half is just a list of very good LB picks. Especialy Jennings that late, what a steal. Bryant is a good talent, just buried in Cleveland. Muse could also be good.
Cincinnati Bengals: A
2.09 Henderson, CJ JAC CB
3.06 Phillips, Jacob CLE LB
3.08 Eason, Jacob IND QB
3.34 Highsmith, Alex PIT LB
4.08 Hightower, John PHI WR
4.34 Johnson, Collin JAC WR
5.07 Murchison, Larrell TEN DE
5.34 Garvin, Jonathan GBP LB
Stellar draft class. Top to bottom, I love this group. Bengals inherited a frankly weird roster and I believe this draft gave them some potential stability with guys like Henderson and Phillips, Eason could be the QB of the future when Stafford's contract is over, then Highsmith, Hightower, and Johnson are all extremely intriguing upside plays in my opinion. Johnson that late could be one if the biggest steals in the draft. Why no A+? No RBs taken to a roster that is really hurting for RBs. perhaps a dart throw or two could have been spent there.
Baltimore Ravens: B+
1.17 Ruggs, Henry LVR WR
2.32 Perine, Lamical NYJ RB
3.04 Anae, Bradlee DAL DE
4.24 Gallimore, Neville DAL DT
5.11 Scarlett, Cameron TEN RB
Ruggs at 17. Perine to a team hurting at RB at 32. Neville Gallimore at 4.24. Some really nice value in this class. I believe S and TE really should have gotten some love, but its a solid job filling in bald spots.
AFC South
Tennessee Titans: C
5.09 Johnson, Juwan NOS WR
Standard unspectacular late round dart throw grade! I dont know much about Johnson, but any WR who finds their head above water with New Orleans is a good get. Perhaps Johnson will.
Jacksonville Jaguars: B+
1.28 Brooks, Jordyn SEA LB
2.06 Delpit, Grant CLE S
2.16 Baun, Zack NOS LB
3.17 Fulton, Kristian TEN CB
5.31 Davis, Khalil TBB DT
This to me looks like the draft of a man with a big board he stuck to. The Jaguars have a good roster with no glaringly obvious holes to fill, so they likely took the BPA in their eyes. Brooks and Baun are guys that LB needy teams should have been excited to get, but they'll further bolster a very good LB unit for Jacksonville. I think Davis was a great pick at 5.31, dude is a serious athlete for his size.
Indianapolis Colts: B+
2.31 Hurts, Jalen PHI QB
3.07 Cephus, Quintez DET WR
3.14 Blackmon, Julian IND S
3.30 Hodgins, Isaiah BUF WR
4.27 Davis, Carlos PIT DT
5.38 Patmon, Dezmon IND WR
Great draft here. Colts came in to the draft with basically nothing at WR and came away with Cephus and Hodgins, plus a "deep sleeper" type in Patmon. Hurts is a great value pick at 2.31 if you like him (I do). Blackmon was somebody I was dead set on wanting in the early 4th as i'd seen him go around there in other drafts. I think hes a steal even at 3.14..BUT, Colts have 0 goose eggs at RB and didnt take any stabs there.
Houston Texans: A+
1.11 Jefferson, Justin MIN WR
1.30 3 Aiyuk, Brandon SFO WR
Jefferson was taken right where he should have been at 11, he has star potential. I bet if the draft were redone today Aiyuk would go closer to 11. This is a team with a lot of holes offensively, but WR was a bad one and Laura brought in some serious talent. Can't fault someone on draft grades for only having 2 picks when both were A+ selections.
AFC West
Denver Broncos: A+
1.20 Dillon, AJ GBP RB
1.24 Edwards, Bryan LVR WR
2.14 Duvernay, Devin BAL WR
3.23 Peoples-Jones, Donovan CLE WR
3.24 Okwuegbunam, Albert DEN TE
4.31 Quarterman, Shaquille JAC LB
This is even graded on the fact that I think Dillon is a pretty poor prospect who I, the Aaron Jones owner, would not have selected with a late 2nd. Aside from Dillon this was phenominallt done. Peoples-Jones and Albert O at 3.23 and 3.24 I bet had Kevin jumping up and down, The Quarterman selection made me laugh too because Kevin loves rookie drafts and I know for a fact he loves those big thumping ILB types. When I was looking at Quarterman I just knew Kevin would like him so I definitely liked seeing him go to the Broncos. This class is loaded with upside.
Las Vegas Raiders: A
2.08 Gay, Willie KCC LB
2.27 Taylor, Darrell SEA DE
2.29 Okwara, Julian DET DE
3.19 Davis, Gabriel BUF WR
4.03 Johnson, Jaylon CHI CB
4.37 Warren, Michael PHI RB
5.20 Kareem, Khalid CIN DE
5.37 Pride, Troy CAR CB
In a draft light on edge rushers, the Raiders sure added some serious talent to that spot. Aside from Young, I believe Okwara ad Taylor were the best DE eligible players in this draft and Raiders scooped both of them up under my nose. Aside from them, they took good prospects up and down the draft. Michael Warren is the exact kind of RB that RB needy teams should have been looking at. This is an intelligent, intentionally chosen draft class.
Kansas City Chiefs: B+
1.05 Jeudy, Jerry DEN WR
1.07 Lamb, CeeDee DAL WR
4.18 Igbinoghene, Noah MIA CB
This may seem like a harsh grade for two consensus top WRs and a 1st round CB in the 4th but man to not snag one of those RBs at 7 hurt to watch, especially as a guy who's not a big Lamb fan. Frankly I dont think Igbinoghene is very good either, but hes a great value in the mid 4th.
Los Angeles Chargers: B
2.12 Harrison, Malik BAL LB
2.18 Johnson, Tyler TBB WR
3.11 Wallace, K'Von PHI S
4.04 Fromm, Jake BUF QB
5.13 Brown, Cam NYG LB
Nice looking bunch of players all picked before I would have felt comfortable taking them. Now frankly, that doesnt matter at all and clearly Chargers were comfortable with picking them when they did. This was a roster that is pretty well rounded, and they appear to have drafted to get depth at positions where it was needed. Solid job.
AFC East
Miami Dolphins: B
1.01 Burrow, Joe CIN QB
4.25 Blankenship, Rodrigo IND PK
4.28 Bass, Tyler BUF PK
5.29 Dantzler, Cameron MIN CB
One of the deeper teams in the league, the Dolphins threw out some smokescreens before the draft before taking one of the greatest QB prospects i've ever seen at #1. They also closed the draft out by taking Dantzler, a super physical corner that plays like a linebacker. I love that value. Im sure the kickers will be used to shake some poor fool upside down while Dolphins collects their lunch money after their kicker pulls a hamstring celebrating.
New York Jets: A
1.08 Dobbins, J.K. BAL RB
1.15 Simmons, Isaiah ARI LB
1.29 McKinney, Xavier NYG S
2.19 Kelley, Joshua LAC RB
2.20 Asiasi, Devin NEP TE
3.20 Benjamin, Eno ARI RB
4.12 Watkins, Quez PHI WR
4.17 Agim, McTelvin DEN DT
4.26 Bailey, Markus CIN LB
5.39 Davis, Quartney MIN WR
I love this draft. Dobbins, Simmons, McKinney should all be year 1 contributors, and everyone up until Bailey and Davis who im unfamiliar with are all talented players capable of way overshooting their draft spots. On a side note, cutdown day for the Jets will be intense currently with 68 players on the roster.
New England Patriots: B-
1.22 Moss, Zack BUF RB
2.22 Evans, Darrynton TEN RB
2.24 Reed, Joe LAC WR
3.22 Parkinson, Colby SEA TE
4.22 Wonnum, D.J. MIN DE
5.17 Victor, Binjimen NYG WR
5.22 Leake, Javon NYG RB
I love Evans and Reed, the scare from this draft class though is that nobody drafted here has an obvious or easy path to full time starter snaps. The Patriots havw a good roster built though, and can afford to wait on the snaps to come if they love the talents they acquired.
Buffalo Bills: B
1.16 Queen, Patrick BAL LB
3.31 Madubuike, Justin BAL DT
4.14 Zuniga, Jabari NYJ LB
4.16 Hill, K.J. LAC WR
4.32 Robinson, James JAC RB
4.36 Brooks, Antoine PIT S
5.02 Weaver, Curtis MIA DE
5.36 Willekes, Kenny MIN DE
The interesting thing about this class is it's full of players who were drafted into direct copetitions, often with other rookies. Madubuike, Hill, Weaver and Willekes were all drafted alongside rookie competition for minutes, everyone else (but Queen) was drafted into a muddy situation where they may or may not earn a bunch of minutes. This could be a great or an awful draft. Either way, should be fun!
NFC East
Washington Redskins: A
1.04 Taylor, Jonathan IND RB
1.13 Young, Chase WAS DE
1.18 Mims, Denzel NYJ WR
2.03 Winfield, Antoine TBB S
2.04 Chaisson, K'Lavon JAC LB
3.03 Davidson, Marlon ATL DT
5.05 Holmes, Darney NYG CB
Blaine had a tremendous draft . A lot of capital was invested into getting 5 of the top 36 picks and the Redskins nailed every one in my opinion. Sure busts occur, but this draft is full of guys ranked near the top in their class. My one gripe would be perhaps another pick could have been used on a RB to bring some depth to the position, but you only need to start one anyway and Blaine has 2 that will produce.
Philadelphia Eagles: D
4.23 Sloman, Sam LAR PK
5.23 Timer Expired
Sloman in the 4th is a fine pick, but the Eagles missed half their picks. I drafted 3 players I really like after 5.23, the Eagles could have had any of them if they checked in. Philadelphia had no glaring holes going in other than Kicker, which was addressed.
New York Giants: NA
The Giants found other uses for their draft capital this year.
Dallas Cowboys: B+
1.19 Murray, Kenneth LAC LB
1.26 Chinn, Jeremy CAR S
3.18 Dye, Troy MIN LB
3.28 Moss, Thaddeus WAS TE
5.16 Martin, Kamal GBP LB
For me personally, Chinn and Moss were headteachers when they were picked both quite a bit earlier than I felt they would go. That said this draft appears to have been all about a shot in the arm to the talent of the Cowboys LBs, and that was absolutely accomplished. Murray should be a stud, Dye is a fantastic value in the mid 3rd and Martin is a great little upside piece in the 5th. The Coyboys have a solid roster and I like the additions made through the draft. Also literally what do I know, Chinn and Randy Moss' son could be excellent contributors.
NFC West
Seattle Seahawks: A+
2.26 McFarland, Anthony PIT RB
4.20 Hopkins, Brycen LAR TE
I genuinely believe the Seahawks picked the best offensive player available with each of their picks. The plus comes from the fact that RB and TE happened to be the shallowest positions on the Seahawks going in.
Los Angeles Rams: A-
1.02 Edwards-Helaire, Clyde KCC RB
1.25 Jefferson, Van LAR WR
1.31 Shenault, Laviska JAC WR
5.15 Hudson, Khaleke WAS LB
5.42 Pierce, Artavis CHI RB
The job done by Frank over the draft is an obvious A+. If you wanna stress yourself out, check out the Rams bounty of 2021 picks. 3 1sts, 2 2nds and the entire 3rd round are the cliff notes. 2020 alone, they reloaded one of the best rosters in our league with the consensus RB1 in the draft and two high upside (arguably low floor) WRs.
San Francisco 49ers: A
1.03 Tagovailoa, Tua MIA QB
1.10 Swift, D'Andre DET RB
1.12 Pittman, Michael IND WR
2.01 Claypool, Chase PIT WR
2.02 Kmet, Cole CHI TE
2.10 Wilson, Logan CIN LB
2.11 Epenesa, A.J. BUF DE
2.13 Kinlaw, Javon SFO DT
3.10 Taylor, Davion PHI LB
3.12 Coulter, Isaiah HOU WR
3.25 Davis, Ashtyn NYJ S
3.32 Elliott, Jordan CLE DT
4.10 Terrell, A.J. ATL CB
4.35 Deguara, Josiah GBP TE
5.10 Hall, Bryce NYJ CB
5.35 Robinson, Kenny CAR S
I mean what can you really say about this class? New GM Derek had a golden ticket to recreate his roster in his image. How'd he do? According to my big board he knocked it out of the park. A lot of good quality picks here that took solid advantage of players sliding past where they could have been taken. It's a very quality list of rookies heading to SF
Arizona Cardinals B
2.07 Gross-Matos, Yetur CAR DE
3.15 Keene, Dalton NEP TE
3.29 Blacklock, Ross HOU DT
4.19 Taylor, J.J. NEP RB
4.29 Huntley, Tyler BAL QB
Don't get the Huntley pick and not personally very interested in Taylor, but YGM, Keene and Blacklock especially were great picks where they were selected. Opinions on Keene varied a lot, from a practice squad washout to the new (on field) Aaron Hernandez. Who knows? 3.15 is a great spot to take that kind of upside.
NFC North
Minnesota Vikings: C
4.30 Gipson, Trevis CHI DE
I mean it's a solid pick! could develop into a nice little DE.
Green Bay Packers: F
4.07 Jennings, Jauan SFO WR
5.43 Timer Expired
With hindsight maybe Jennings could make this team with 49ers receivers going down like flies. I think there were a lot of good options still on the board at 4.07 and missing the Mr. Irrelevant was anticlimactic.
Detroit Lions: B+
2.28 Gandy-Golden, Antonio WAS WR
3.05 Bowden, Lynn LVR RB
Two players who a fair person can consider high risk, but they both have very high ceilings and were both drafted in a spot where they were well worth the risk/reward
Chicago Bears: C
5.18 Osborn, K.J. MIN WR
Perfectly acceptable 5th round flier. the NFC North did not bring in much new blood this draft.
NFC South
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: A-
1.14 Reagor, Jalen PHI WR
4.01 Arnette, Damon LVR CB
4.05 Gladney, Jeff MIN CB
5.26 Robinson, Alton SEA DE
5.41 Stone, Geno BAL S
Greg got his blue chip prospect in Reagor then patiently waited until the late rounds to scoop up some CBs who should overproduce most picks in the 4th round, then some talented dart throws in the late 5th. The Bucs lack that true WR1 you can count on week to week. Maybe Reagor is he.
New Orleans Saints: B+
1.06 Herbert, Justin LAC QB
2.05 Hamler, KJ DEN WR
2.17 Brown, Derrick CAR DT
3.16 Burgess, Terrell LAR S
3.21 Rohrwasser, Justin NEP PK
5.03 Huntley, Jason DET RB
5.04 Bradley, Shaun PHI LB (R)
5.06 Ojemudia, Michael DEN CB
5.08 Weaver, Evan ARI LB
5.12 Calais, Raymond TBB RB
5.14 Swain, Freddie SEA WR
5.25 Strowbridge, Jason MIA DE
5.28 Jackson, Trishton LAR WR
5.30 Johnston, Clay LAR LB
Through this draft and a couple of draft day trades, the Saints likely (hopefully) solved the QB position long tern. The same can likely be said for DT and K, plus a nice high upside guy in Hamler. The rest will be a case study on the term "lottery ticket" I like to use to hype my back of roster, practice squad guys with good tape. 9 5th round picks who im sure Jereme is excited to look back on in a few years and see how he did. I think Strowbridge was a great steal.
Carolina Panthers: ?
1.23 Higgins, Tee CIN WR
1.27 Gibson, Antonio WAS RB
2.25 Trautman, Adam NOS TE
2.30 Davis-Gaither, Akeem CIN LB
4.09 Proche, James BAL WR
4.11 Davis, Raekwon MIA DT
4.13 Greenard, Jonathan HOU LB
4.15 Jones, Brandon MIA S
5.24 Mooney, Darnell CHI WR
5.32 Bryant, Hunter DET TE
5.40 Lynch, James MIN DT
I don't want to grade my own class, but I think I did quite well. I wanted to prioritize NFL draft capital and opportunity on defense, and swing for the fences on upside with my offensive picks.
Atlanta Falcons: C+
1.09 Akers, Cam LAR RB
1.32 Love, Jordan GBP QB
3.09 Dallas, DeeJay SEA RB
Love the Akers pick, hate the Love pick, love the Dallas pick because 3.09 seems low for him.
AFC North
Pittsburgh Steelers: B
1.21 Vaughn, Ke'Shawn TBB RB
2.21 Dugger, Kyle NEP S
2.23 Okudah, Jeff DET CB
3.01 Uche, Josh NEP LB
3.26 Diggs, Trevon DAL CB
4.21 Hamilton, Davon JAC DT
5.01 Bayless, Omar CAR WR
5.19 Mack, Austin NYG WR
5.21 Fuller, Jordan LAR S
Mostly a defensive draft for a team with mostly defensive players. Unfortunately for ranking purposes, im unfamiliar with a lot of the players who were drafted here. Vaughn was a great selection to an RB group mostly consisting of JAGs without defined roles going into 2020.Frank filled in the holes and probably stole Okudah in the late 2nd. My one gripe would be perhaps Eason should have been a selection in the 2nd.
Cleveland Browns: B-
2.15 Lewis, Terrell LAR LB
3.02 Walker, Mykal ATL LB
3.13 Strnad, Justin DEN LB
3.27 Jennings, Anfernee NEP LB
3.33 Bryant, Harrison CLE TE
4.02 Hasty, JaMycal SFO RB
4.06 Muse, Tanner LVR S
4.33 Thomas, Jeff NEP WR
5.27 Morgan, James NYJ QB
5.33 Fotu, Leki ARI DT
Mostly a personal bias on this grade, as frankly the 2nd half of this draft is full of guys I dont like very much. That said, the first half is just a list of very good LB picks. Especialy Jennings that late, what a steal. Bryant is a good talent, just buried in Cleveland. Muse could also be good.
Cincinnati Bengals: A
2.09 Henderson, CJ JAC CB
3.06 Phillips, Jacob CLE LB
3.08 Eason, Jacob IND QB
3.34 Highsmith, Alex PIT LB
4.08 Hightower, John PHI WR
4.34 Johnson, Collin JAC WR
5.07 Murchison, Larrell TEN DE
5.34 Garvin, Jonathan GBP LB
Stellar draft class. Top to bottom, I love this group. Bengals inherited a frankly weird roster and I believe this draft gave them some potential stability with guys like Henderson and Phillips, Eason could be the QB of the future when Stafford's contract is over, then Highsmith, Hightower, and Johnson are all extremely intriguing upside plays in my opinion. Johnson that late could be one if the biggest steals in the draft. Why no A+? No RBs taken to a roster that is really hurting for RBs. perhaps a dart throw or two could have been spent there.
Baltimore Ravens: B+
1.17 Ruggs, Henry LVR WR
2.32 Perine, Lamical NYJ RB
3.04 Anae, Bradlee DAL DE
4.24 Gallimore, Neville DAL DT
5.11 Scarlett, Cameron TEN RB
Ruggs at 17. Perine to a team hurting at RB at 32. Neville Gallimore at 4.24. Some really nice value in this class. I believe S and TE really should have gotten some love, but its a solid job filling in bald spots.
AFC South
Tennessee Titans: C
5.09 Johnson, Juwan NOS WR
Standard unspectacular late round dart throw grade! I dont know much about Johnson, but any WR who finds their head above water with New Orleans is a good get. Perhaps Johnson will.
Jacksonville Jaguars: B+
1.28 Brooks, Jordyn SEA LB
2.06 Delpit, Grant CLE S
2.16 Baun, Zack NOS LB
3.17 Fulton, Kristian TEN CB
5.31 Davis, Khalil TBB DT
This to me looks like the draft of a man with a big board he stuck to. The Jaguars have a good roster with no glaringly obvious holes to fill, so they likely took the BPA in their eyes. Brooks and Baun are guys that LB needy teams should have been excited to get, but they'll further bolster a very good LB unit for Jacksonville. I think Davis was a great pick at 5.31, dude is a serious athlete for his size.
Indianapolis Colts: B+
2.31 Hurts, Jalen PHI QB
3.07 Cephus, Quintez DET WR
3.14 Blackmon, Julian IND S
3.30 Hodgins, Isaiah BUF WR
4.27 Davis, Carlos PIT DT
5.38 Patmon, Dezmon IND WR
Great draft here. Colts came in to the draft with basically nothing at WR and came away with Cephus and Hodgins, plus a "deep sleeper" type in Patmon. Hurts is a great value pick at 2.31 if you like him (I do). Blackmon was somebody I was dead set on wanting in the early 4th as i'd seen him go around there in other drafts. I think hes a steal even at 3.14..BUT, Colts have 0 goose eggs at RB and didnt take any stabs there.
Houston Texans: A+
1.11 Jefferson, Justin MIN WR
1.30 3 Aiyuk, Brandon SFO WR
Jefferson was taken right where he should have been at 11, he has star potential. I bet if the draft were redone today Aiyuk would go closer to 11. This is a team with a lot of holes offensively, but WR was a bad one and Laura brought in some serious talent. Can't fault someone on draft grades for only having 2 picks when both were A+ selections.
AFC West
Denver Broncos: A+
1.20 Dillon, AJ GBP RB
1.24 Edwards, Bryan LVR WR
2.14 Duvernay, Devin BAL WR
3.23 Peoples-Jones, Donovan CLE WR
3.24 Okwuegbunam, Albert DEN TE
4.31 Quarterman, Shaquille JAC LB
This is even graded on the fact that I think Dillon is a pretty poor prospect who I, the Aaron Jones owner, would not have selected with a late 2nd. Aside from Dillon this was phenominallt done. Peoples-Jones and Albert O at 3.23 and 3.24 I bet had Kevin jumping up and down, The Quarterman selection made me laugh too because Kevin loves rookie drafts and I know for a fact he loves those big thumping ILB types. When I was looking at Quarterman I just knew Kevin would like him so I definitely liked seeing him go to the Broncos. This class is loaded with upside.
Las Vegas Raiders: A
2.08 Gay, Willie KCC LB
2.27 Taylor, Darrell SEA DE
2.29 Okwara, Julian DET DE
3.19 Davis, Gabriel BUF WR
4.03 Johnson, Jaylon CHI CB
4.37 Warren, Michael PHI RB
5.20 Kareem, Khalid CIN DE
5.37 Pride, Troy CAR CB
In a draft light on edge rushers, the Raiders sure added some serious talent to that spot. Aside from Young, I believe Okwara ad Taylor were the best DE eligible players in this draft and Raiders scooped both of them up under my nose. Aside from them, they took good prospects up and down the draft. Michael Warren is the exact kind of RB that RB needy teams should have been looking at. This is an intelligent, intentionally chosen draft class.
Kansas City Chiefs: B+
1.05 Jeudy, Jerry DEN WR
1.07 Lamb, CeeDee DAL WR
4.18 Igbinoghene, Noah MIA CB
This may seem like a harsh grade for two consensus top WRs and a 1st round CB in the 4th but man to not snag one of those RBs at 7 hurt to watch, especially as a guy who's not a big Lamb fan. Frankly I dont think Igbinoghene is very good either, but hes a great value in the mid 4th.
Los Angeles Chargers: B
2.12 Harrison, Malik BAL LB
2.18 Johnson, Tyler TBB WR
3.11 Wallace, K'Von PHI S
4.04 Fromm, Jake BUF QB
5.13 Brown, Cam NYG LB
Nice looking bunch of players all picked before I would have felt comfortable taking them. Now frankly, that doesnt matter at all and clearly Chargers were comfortable with picking them when they did. This was a roster that is pretty well rounded, and they appear to have drafted to get depth at positions where it was needed. Solid job.
AFC East
Miami Dolphins: B
1.01 Burrow, Joe CIN QB
4.25 Blankenship, Rodrigo IND PK
4.28 Bass, Tyler BUF PK
5.29 Dantzler, Cameron MIN CB
One of the deeper teams in the league, the Dolphins threw out some smokescreens before the draft before taking one of the greatest QB prospects i've ever seen at #1. They also closed the draft out by taking Dantzler, a super physical corner that plays like a linebacker. I love that value. Im sure the kickers will be used to shake some poor fool upside down while Dolphins collects their lunch money after their kicker pulls a hamstring celebrating.
New York Jets: A
1.08 Dobbins, J.K. BAL RB
1.15 Simmons, Isaiah ARI LB
1.29 McKinney, Xavier NYG S
2.19 Kelley, Joshua LAC RB
2.20 Asiasi, Devin NEP TE
3.20 Benjamin, Eno ARI RB
4.12 Watkins, Quez PHI WR
4.17 Agim, McTelvin DEN DT
4.26 Bailey, Markus CIN LB
5.39 Davis, Quartney MIN WR
I love this draft. Dobbins, Simmons, McKinney should all be year 1 contributors, and everyone up until Bailey and Davis who im unfamiliar with are all talented players capable of way overshooting their draft spots. On a side note, cutdown day for the Jets will be intense currently with 68 players on the roster.
New England Patriots: B-
1.22 Moss, Zack BUF RB
2.22 Evans, Darrynton TEN RB
2.24 Reed, Joe LAC WR
3.22 Parkinson, Colby SEA TE
4.22 Wonnum, D.J. MIN DE
5.17 Victor, Binjimen NYG WR
5.22 Leake, Javon NYG RB
I love Evans and Reed, the scare from this draft class though is that nobody drafted here has an obvious or easy path to full time starter snaps. The Patriots havw a good roster built though, and can afford to wait on the snaps to come if they love the talents they acquired.
Buffalo Bills: B
1.16 Queen, Patrick BAL LB
3.31 Madubuike, Justin BAL DT
4.14 Zuniga, Jabari NYJ LB
4.16 Hill, K.J. LAC WR
4.32 Robinson, James JAC RB
4.36 Brooks, Antoine PIT S
5.02 Weaver, Curtis MIA DE
5.36 Willekes, Kenny MIN DE
The interesting thing about this class is it's full of players who were drafted into direct copetitions, often with other rookies. Madubuike, Hill, Weaver and Willekes were all drafted alongside rookie competition for minutes, everyone else (but Queen) was drafted into a muddy situation where they may or may not earn a bunch of minutes. This could be a great or an awful draft. Either way, should be fun!
