NFL DRAFT REPORT CARDS
The 2020 NFL Draft has come and gone. It was quite the event as it was done under much different circumstances due to Covid-19. Ironically the consensus seems to be that this virtual version of the draft was actually better and more enjoyable to watch than the normal iterations. I for one definitely found it more entertaining. Watching Goodell slowly slump lower and lower into his chair as he was obviously up way past his bedtime. Seeing Kliff Kingsbury flex on everyone with his MTV Cribs worthy setup. Someone allegedly dropping a deuce on camera at Mike Vrabels’ house. Bill Belichick allowing his dog to make draft picks for him. Bill O’Brien screamed because he couldn’t get his phones to work so he could trade DeShaun Watson for a 3rd round pick and some Yu-Gi-Oh cards. And who doesn’t enjoy a good Aaron Rodgers meme am I right?
All jokes aside there is plenty to dissect from the actual draft itself. I am going to do just that and give grades to each franchise to give perspective on how well they performed in the draft. Before we get to the good stuff a few things I want you guys to keep in mind as you are reading this. First and foremost, these grades are based on MY evaluations of these players and MY philosophies on drafting. For example I’m not a big believer in drafting running backs before round 3. Now there are obviously situations where players are too talented or a specific situation makes for a perfect fit. But in general I don’t see much value in that approach. Another note, these grades will be primarily based on the first 4 rounds of the draft. Once you get into rounds 5-7 the talent gap between players is almost non-existent so it’s hard to classify any of those selections as “bad” picks. If I feel a team got a complete steal in one of those rounds that will boost their grade. But picking a player I wasn’t very high on won’t necessarily hurt their grade. Let’s see how your team did shall we.
ARIZONA CARDINALS
BEST PICK: Josh Jones, OT (3rd RD/72nd Overall)
WORST PICK: N/A
GRADE: A+
It’d be hard to find a team that got more value out of their draft picks than the Cardinals. Isaiah Simmons, arguably the drafts’ most talented player, fell to them at pick 8. They somehow manage to get Josh Jones in the 3rd round, whom I had as my 4th ranked OT with a 1st round grade. Drafting RB Eno Benjamin in the 7th round was a sneaky good get as well. Oh and to top it off they traded their 2nd round pick for one of the best receivers in football!
ATLANTA FALCONS
BEST PICK: AJ Terrell, CB (1st RD/16th Overall)
WORST PICK: Marlon Davidson, DL (2nd RD/47th Overall)
GRADE: B-
The Falcons draft was solid, nothing more nothing less. They got good players with their first three picks which is ultimately the objective of the draft. The issue is they clearly drafted for need and left too much value on the board with all of those picks. There were better CBs on the board when they took Terrell, not to mention CeeDee Lamb sitting right there! There were better players available at each pick, both overall and at the positions they drafted. Again, they got good players. But they could have had better ones.
BALTIMORE RAVENS
BEST PICK: Patrick Queen, LB (1st RD/28th Overall)
WORST PICK: JK Dobbins, RB (2nd RD/55th Overall)
GRADE: A+
The Ravens absolutely crushed this draft. Not only were they able to address their roster needs, but they did so while getting top value at just about every pick. My only gripe is taking a RB in the 2nd round as I previously explained why. But if there is one team I will give a smidge of leeway to it’s the Ravens as they run the ball more than anyone. Every time they announced a pick I just kept saying “damn that’s a good pick”. Getting James Proche in the 6th and Geno Stone in the 7th were absolute steals!! This is what a draft looks like when an entire organization is on the same page from top to bottom.
BUFFALO BILLS
BEST PICK: AJ Epenesa, Edge (2nd RD/54th Overall)
WORST PICK: Zack Moss, RB (3rd RD/86th Overall)
GRADE: B
I thought the Bills had a very solid draft. For the most part it looks like Brandon Beane stuck to his board and took BPA regardless of position, which is what you should do. Getting Epenesa in round 2 was a home run. I thought Jake Fromm in the 5th and Dane Jackson in the 7th were really good values as well. While I like Moss and think he will be a good back I thought there were some really good players on the board that could have helped us out more than a RB (Jordan Elliott, Cameron Dantzler) But overall another good draft class for Beane.
CAROLINA PANTHERS
BEST PICK: Troy Pride, CB (4th RD/113th Overall)
WORST PICK: Jeremy Chinn, S (2nd RD/64th Overall)
GRADE: B-
The Panthers clearly had a plan going into this draft to add young talent to their defense. They did not take a single offensive player, but left a lot of value on the board in doing so. I was not a fan of Derrick Brown as a top 10 pick. They had their choice of Isaiah Simmons, a top WR, or one of the top OT prospects which all would have been better uses of that pick. Yetur Gross-Matos and Troy Pride were good gets in the 2nd and 4th rounds respectively. Jeremy Chinn is an uber talented project they took in the 2nd. Overall a solid group of defenders was added to this team.
CHICAGO BEARS
BEST PICK: Jaylon Johnson, CB (2nd RD/50th Overall)
WORST PICK: Cole Kmet, TE (2nd RD/43rd Overall)
GRADE: B-
The Bears had seven picks in this draft, but only two in the first four rounds. This made hitting on their two 2nd round picks very important. They did that grabbing Jaylon Johnson whom I had a 1st round grade on. But using their other 2nd rounder on a TE from a very weak class instead of dipping into the historically deep WR class seems like a mistake. I loved them taking Trevis Gipson in the 5th. He is a very raw prospect with 2nd round talent. Overall a decent group considering the limited draft capital they had.
CINCINNATI BENGALS
BEST PICK: Tee Higgins, WR (2nd RD/33rd Overall)
WORST PICK: Logan Wilson, LB (3rd RD/65th Overall)
GRADE: A
The Bengals got their franchise QB with the first pick of the draft. Then followed it up by getting him a #1 target to grow with, in Tee Higgins who easily could have gone in the first round. Getting Akeem Davis-Gaither in round 4 was a steal! I also liked that they threw multiple picks at the LB position which was probably their weakest unit on the roster. An uncharacteristically aggressive free agent approach and a very good draft could have the Bengals competing sooner than many expected.
CLEVELAND BROWNS
BEST PICK: Nick Harris, OL (5th RD/160th Overall)
WORST PICK: Jacob Phillips, LB (3rd RD/97th Overall)
GRADE: A+
Cleveland quietly had an excellent draft, extracting a ton of value at almost every pick. They got my top rated OT at pick 10. They took one of the drafts’ best talents, Grant Delpit in round 2. Grabbed 2nd round graded Jordan Elliott in round 3. Picked Nick Harris in the 5th whom I also had a 2nd round grade on. They also managed to pick up a couple more weapons for Baker in TE Harrison Bryant and WR Donovan Peoples-Jones.
DALLAS COWBOYS
BEST PICK: CeeDee Lamb, WR (1st RD/17th Overall)
WORST PICK: N/A
GRADE: A
Good job Jerruh! It was reported that Jerry Jones told his entire scouting staff to basically leave him the hell alone and let him do what he do! Well bravo Jerry! You were the one GM/Coach able to one up Kingsbury’s drip drafting from your mega yacht. Oh and he did pretty well in the whole draft thingy. Getting star WR Lamb at pick 17 was maybe the pick of the draft. Followed up with Trevon Diggs in the 2nd. Throw in Tyler Biadasz and Bradlee Anae on day three and you have yourself a pretty darn good draft. Finally getting rid of Jason Garrett and then nailing the draft. Are the Cowboys finally gonna get out of their own way???
DENVER BRONCOS
BEST PICK: Jerry Jeudy, WR (1st RD/15th Overall)
WORST PICK: Michael Ojemudia, CB (3rd RD/77th Overall)
GRADE: A-
The Broncos obviously had a plan and that plan was to give QB Drew Locke everything he needs to succeed. Similar to Jerry Jones, Elway had to be jumping out of his boots as he was able to land Jeudy without having to trade up. He followed up that steal with really solid picks throughout the rest of the draft. If guard Netani Muti can get past his injury history he is an absolute steal in the 6th! They added potentially two starting wide receivers and two starting offensive linemen. Can’t ask for much more support for your young QB.
DETROIT LIONS
BEST PICK: Jonah Jackson, OL (3rd RD/75th Overall)
WORST PICK: D’Andre Swift, RB (3rd RD/35th Overall)
GRADE: B+
The Lions came out with a very solid draft. Okudah was the obvious choice in the first round. Getting three potential starters in the 3rd and 4th rounds (Okwara, Jackson, Stenberg) rounded out a really good haul for a GM/Head Coach combo that is firmly on the hot seat. Getting Swift was a good pick in a vacuum, as he was arguably the best RB in the class. But at the top of the 2nd round they could have addressed much bigger needs with a very talented player.
GREEN BAY PACKERS
BEST PICK: Jon Runyan, OL (6th RD/192nd Overall)
WORST PICK: AJ Dillon, RB (2nd RD/62nd Overall)
GRADE: F
Ask just about anyone in the football universe about what the Packers should do in the draft, and the most common answer you’d get was getting QB Aaron Rodgers some more weapons to work with. Green Bay was one game away from the Super Bowl and its biggest flaw seemed to obviously be not having enough weapons outside of Davante Adams. Well the Packers’ braintrust idea of “help” was a backup QB, a backup RB, a TE/H-Back and a couple of offensive linemen picked in the 6th round. Yikes!!!!!! They had a chance to set themselves up for one final run at a championship with Rodgers at the helm but decided to spend those resources on a project at QB that may never be half as good as Rodgers.
HOUSTON TEXANS
BEST PICK: John Reid, CB (4th RD/141st Overall)
WORST PICK: N/A
GRADE: B
I will be the first to tell you how awful of a GM job Bill O’Brien has done. Why Texans’ ownership has continued to give him free reign over the team is beyond me. But I will also admit that I thought they had a very good draft despite not having much draft capital. I thought they got appropriate value at every pick. I have no faith in any type of roster construction under O’Brien, but this was a good draft under the circumstances.
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
BEST PICK: Michael Pittman, WR (2nd RD/34th Overall)
WORST PICK: Julian Blackmon, S (3rd RD/85th Overall)
GRADE: B
The Colts had a solid overall draft. They had some good picks (Pittman, Eason) and some some reaches (Blackmon, Taylor). But they ended up with a good group of players who should be contributors to a team looking to jump into the championship picture. If they are able to get Jacob Eason to become a better decision maker they could have a future starter at QB which would be a steal in the 4th round.
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
BEST PICK: CJ Henderson, CB (1st RD/9th Overall)
WORST PICK: N/A
GRADE: B+
The Jags are in rebuild mode. Which means the next few drafts will be about adding high end talent at premium positions. So far they are off to a good start. While I thought all of their first 3 picks were a bit of a reach at those draft slots, they grabbed elite athletes with loads of upside. With some good coaching and some work on their technique all three players (Henderson, Chaisson, Schenault) can turn into foundational pieces for this franchise.
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
BEST PICK: Willie Gay, LB (2nd RD/63rd Overall)
WORST PICK: Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB (1st RD/32nd Overall)
GRADE: C
Will Edwards-Helaire be a good RB? Probably. Will he put up good numbers in that Chiefs offense? Probably. The problem is they could have found a RB on day 3 that could have given them similar production and used their first round pick on an impact defender. If the Chiefs fall short of repeating as champions chances are it wouldn’t have been because of lack of a first round talent at RB. Waiting to address a leaky secondary until day 3 however, could be a huge difference in them repeating or not.
LAS VEGAS RAIDERS
BEST PICK: John Simpson, G (4th RD/109th Overall)
WORST PICK: Damon Arnette, CB (1st RD/19th Overall)
GRADE: C-
This draft class from Mayock and Gruden is puzzling at best. WR was an obvious need going into the draft and they definitely spent resources accordingly. While Henry Ruggs’ speed is enticing, passing up both Jeudy and Lamb feels like a mistake. Lynn Bowden is more gadget player then WR or RB at this point. WR Bryan Edwards and OL John Simpson were good value picks. But picking CB Damon Arnette, whom I had 3rd round grade on in the first just doesn’t make much sense. He profiles as a physical slot player who is definitely good enough to help a team. But he doesn’t have any of the physical tools you’d want in a first round CB.
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS
BEST PICK: KJ Hill, WR (7th RD/220th Overall)
WORST PICK: Kenneth Murray, LB (1st RD/23rd Overall)
GRADE: C-
The biggest element of my grade is my evaluation of QB Justin Herbert, as he was almost my “worst pick”. Yes he comes with plenty of size and athletic ability. But after watching his film, he just isn’t that good of a QB. His film left a lot to be desired as there was nothing that stood out to signal a potential franchise QB. Betting the immediate future of your franchise on a talented QB can at least be defended. Giving up 2nd and 3rd round picks to go get an off ball LB, with a better player at the same position still on the board cannot. Murray should be a good three down LB. But by no means was he worth giving up two more potential starters.
LOS ANGELES RAMS
BEST PICK: Terrell Burgess, S (3rd RD/104th Overall)
WORST PICK: Cam Akers, RB (2nd RD/52nd Overall)
GRADE: C+
This was one of my harder draft classes to grade as it left me with a feeling of “meh”. I thought the values of their picks were up and down. Their two 2nd round picks were drafted a round early at least, while their two third rounders were very good value picks. Overall they ended up with solid players from the first 4 rounds. But I don’t know how they managed to ignore the O-line until round 7 as they were in desperate need of help. Jared Goff showed last season that without a healthy Gurley and a subpar offensive line in front of him he is a mediocre QB at best. Yet they did nothing to sure up his protection in the draft.
MIAMI DOLPHINS
BEST PICK: Tua Tagovailoa, QB (1st RD/5th Overall)
WORST PICK: Noah Igbinoghene, CB (1st RD/30th Overall)
GRADE: B-
With 11 total picks Miami had a chance to completely change the direction of their franchise and accelerate their rebuild with a strong draft class. Whether they did that or not will play itself out over time. But I thought they left a ton a value on the board considering the draft capital they had. Getting Tua without having to give up any picks is what kept this from a C+ grade. Curtis Weaver in the 5th was a steal. Besides those picks Miami did a lot of reaching and overdrafting. CB Noah Igbinoghene is a great athlete, but that’s all he is at this point. He is the type of project you take maybe in the 3rd round. Both Robert Hunt and Raekwon Davis were drafted a round early. Austin Jackson is very talented but a raw player in his own right. The Dolphins had a chance to knock this draft out of the park. In my opinion they fell well short of that opportunity.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS
BEST PICK: Cameron Dantzler, CB (3rd RD/89th Overall)
WORST PICK: N/A
GRADE: A
While I thought the Vikings first 2 picks were slight reaches, I couldn’t find a “bad” pick in this class. This team was cap strapped and absolutely needed to hit in this draft as the roster was left with many holes after free agency. They accomplished just that as I can see at least 6 players who should become regular contributors as rookies. Unfortunately some of these rookies will be tasked with bigger roles than they probably should which could limit how far this team is able to go next season.
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
BEST PICK: Josh Uche, Edge (2nd RD/60th Overall)
WORST PICK: Kyle Dugger, S (2nd RD/37th Overall)
GRADE: C
The Pats “got cute” with this draft. Yes I understand that they are more than comfortable taking players with clear flaws as this coaching staff is probably the best at playing players to their strengths and hiding their weaknesses. But that’s not an excuse to take a player like Dugger, when Antoine Winfield and Grant Delpit are both still on the board. At some point passing up on better players will come back to haunt them. Especially with Tom Brady no longer in the fold and a huge question mark at QB.
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
BEST PICK: Zack Baun, LB (3rd RD/74th Overall)
WORST PICK: N/A
GRADE: B
The Saints only had 4 total selections in the draft. And they sacrificed even more future draft capital by moving up to take LB Zack Baun and TE Adam Trautman. But most importantly they came away with good players that fit both their “win now” and post Drew Brees timelines. They possess one of the most complete rosters in the NFL. They did well to supplement it with the minimal picks they had.
NEW YORK GIANTS
BEST PICK: Xavier McKinney, S (2nd RD/36th Overall)
WORST PICK: N/A
GRADE: B+
The Giants had the definition of a solid draft. They didn’t make any flashy or sexy picks but they came away with some good players and got value with all of their first 5 selections. Would have liked to see them dip into this deep class of weapons for QB Daniel Jones but I’m sure he will appreciate the reinforcements along the O-line.
NEW YORK JETS
BEST PICK: Denzel Mims, WR (2nd RD/59th Overall)
WORST PICK: Mekhi Becton, OT (1st RD/11th Overall)
GRADE: B
Inevitably some team was going to fall in love with the freak athlete that Becton showed he was at the combine. That team was fittingly the Jets. I had a 2nd round grade on Becton as he was solely reliant on that athleticism to win in college. He will need plenty of coaching and refinement to his technique before QB Sam Darnold can trust him as his blindside protector. Having two elite prospects on the board at WR made this pick look even worse. The rest of their draft went well as they added a strong group with WR Denzel Mims, S Ashtyn Davis, Edge Jabari Zuniga and CB Bryce Hall. The overall success of this class hinges on whether or not Becton realizes all of that potential.
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
BEST PICK: K’Von Wallace, S (4th RD/127th Overall)
WORST PICK: Jalen Hurts, QB (2nd RD/53rd Overall)
GRADE: B+
Overall the Eagles had a very good class. WR Jalen Reagor, S K’Von Wallace, OT Jack Driscoll, WR John Hightower, and OT Prince Tega Wanogho were all great picks at their respective draft slots. What keeps the grade from being higher were reaches in the 2nd and 3rd rounds. I thought the pick of LB Davion Taylor was a need pick as their LB corp is very weak on paper. Then there’s the Jalen Hurts pick that confused many. They already have their franchise QB who admittedly has an injury history. But Hurts has a ways to go before he is ready to fill in for a team with legitimate super bowl aspirations. Even if they intend on having packages in the playbook for him, are a few gadget plays per game worth a 2nd round pick? The Lamar Jackson comparisons are unwarranted as Hurts is not close to the athlete, nor the QB that Jackson was coming out of college.
PITTSBURGH STEELERS
BEST PICK: Alex Highsmith, Edge (3rd RD/102nd Overall)
WORST PICK: Chase Claypool, WR/TE (2nd RD/49th Overall)
GRADE: B-
There was nothing particularly exciting about this class. But there wasn’t much to complain about either. I thought Claypool was a bit of a reach as he is a tweener between positions with a limited route tree. But playing with QB Ben Roethlisberger will allow him to play to his strengths as he grows his game. Alex Highsmith and Kevin Dotson were good values in the 3rd and 4th round respectively.
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
BEST PICK: Jauan Jennings, WR (7th RD/217th Overall)
WORST PICK: Javon Kinlaw, DL (1st RD/14th Overall)
GRADE: B
Giving the “worst pick” to the Kinlaw selection isn’t about the player himself. I thought he was one of the best defensive talents in this draft and he will need to be to replace DeForest Buckner, whom the Niners traded to get that pick. That D-Line was gonna be pretty good with or without Kinlaw however. Getting Jerry Jeudy would have transformed this offense completely and I don’t know how they passed him up. They did get Brandon Aiyuk who is a great fit for what they do on offense. And getting Jennings in the 7th was an absolute steal!
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
BEST PICK: Damien Lewis, OL (3rd RD/69th Overall)
WORST PICK: Jordyn Brooks, LB (1st RD/27th Overall)
GRADE: D
The Hawks have provided many head scratching picks in recent years. Their first two picks of last years draft were almost non-existent. They tried to one up themselves with their first two picks in this years draft. They took Brooks who I had a 3rd round grade on one pick ahead of Patrick Queen. Darrell Taylor was also a 3rd rounder who has the physical tools but is as much a project as LJ Collier who they took last year. Oh and the team hasn’t been able to bring back free agent Jadeveon Clowney leaving an even bigger hole at pass rusher. QB Russell Wilson’s greatness makes up for the flaws on this roster. But even an MVP candidate can only take a team so far. These sub par draft classes will catch up to them, maybe as soon as this season.
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
BEST PICK: Tyler Johnson, WR (5th RD/161st Overall)
WORST PICK: N/A
GRADE: A
The Bucs had a few needs on offense headed into the first draft of the Tom Brady era. They got him some much needed protection with OT Tristan Wirfs. They added some juice to the backfield with RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn. Getting Tyler Johnson in the 5th was a great pick. He will be perfect in the slot for Brady as he specializes in getting open. They also added a QB for the back end of their defense in S Antoine Winfield. The Bucs have put themselves in position to be a serious threat in the NFC.
TENNESSEE TITANS
BEST PICK: Kristian Fulton, CB (2nd RD/61st Overall)
WORST PICK: Isaiah Wilson, OT (1st RD/29th Overall)
GRADE: C+
The Titans started their draft with a big reach in Wilson. He is a less athletic version of Mekhi Becton. A really big guy with lots of potential, but a project nonetheless. They somewhat made up for it grabbing a 1st round talent in Fulton late in the second. Darrynton Evans was a nice change of pace back to pair with Derrick Henry. All in all an ok draft for Tennessee.
WASHINGTON REDSKINS
BEST PICK: Antonio Gandy-Golden, WR (4th RD/142nd Overall)
WORST PICK: N/A
GRADE: B+
Washington quietly had a solid draft considering the draft capital they had. Chase Young was the obvious choice in the 1st round. They grabbed QB some new weapons in Gibson and Gandy-Golden. Plus an upside OT in Saahdiq Charles. They were able to grab players of value at positions of need. Solid all around draft.