Hershey’s NFL Draft Grade
NFL Draft Grades/Sporting News
Opinion
San Antonio- (RYM) The NFL Draft has come and gone and it was all we ever thought about and then some, now lets grade each team overall Draft.
Arizona Cardinals
Grade: B
Overall the Cardinals selected players that will make an impact on the field, Zack Collins their first-round pick is a dynamic day one player and a huge help to the defense, they have a great CB in Moore if he can stay healthy and even without a 3rd and 4th round pick (Deandre Hopkins and C Rodney Hudson), they still found a way to help themselves in the long run.
Atlanta Falcons
Grade: B+
The Falcons marked the draft by taking the best player in Kyle Pitts out of Florida (making him the highest TE to be drafted in Draft History). But they still need help in other areas, Grant and Hall were ball hogs in college and should be the same at the next level and of course, getting C Drew Dalman was a smart choice and a steal at the 114 pick. I thought he would have gone a lot sooner.
Baltimore Ravens
Grade: B
GM Eric DeCosta is a musician of the draft, he drafts as Motzar composed, and although overall I was not a fan of most of the picks Bateman and Wallace are good WR that will elevate the offense just like they want, I did not like Shaun Wade CB out of Ohio State he played hurt and just overall looked very disappointing and to me, if he played hurt he won't be back to his 2019 form but overall good draft.
Buffalo Bills
Grade: A
Last year the Bills were at the cusp of the Super Bowl, but the defense let them down so what did the Bills do in the draft they went out and got playmakers. As we so the way to beat the Chiefs is by pressuring the heck out of Mahomes so they drafter Rousseau out Miami (FL.) and as long as he is healthy he is going to make a day one impact 100%, also who doesn't love the name Wildgoose and his a CB he played in a zone-heavy system at Wisconsin so with a little more freedom in Buffalo he will drive and become a well Wildgoose.
Carolina Panthers
Grade: A
The Panthers needed help on Defense and that is what they focused on specially by taking Jaycee Horn with the 8th overall pick. He is a strong, press corner that can get on the WR he does lack in press coverage but that is nothing he can improve on, they needed to replace Mike Davis who left in Free Agency and so they went and got a 2k yard rusher from OK State Chubba Hubbard between him and McCaffrey they will have one heck of backfield.
Chicago Bears
Grade: B
The Bears need to win now because of that they became aggressive and traded with the G-Man to get Justin Fields, then went out and got protection for him with the next two picks in Jenkins and Borom, they also got him help in Herbet RB out of Virginia Tech and WE out of North Carolina Dazz Newsome, so overall they are ready to win and if Rodgers does leave the division we can see the bears taking a huge leap in 2021.
Cincinnati Bengals
Grade: B-
Yes, the Bengals drafted two OL in later rounds of the draft but come on how do you pass on two of the best OL in the draft, I just don't get it. But even with that they still got a playmaker in LSU WR Ja’Marr Chase which will have a huge impact on the offense since he and Joe Burrow have a connection already, they did pick up 4 players for the defense but overall a good draft for the defense.
Cleveland Browns
Grade: A
The Browns got a steal in the second round with LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and did not give up much for him so a great move, they did take James Hudson with 110 pick but his lack of consistency so that worries me in the long run but if he can fix it he can be another huge steal in the draft. S Richard LeCounte and RB Demetric Felton are not elite players but from the film, they are solid players that will make plays which is what The Browns want and need.
Dallas Cowboys
Grade: A-
The Cowboys needed to upgrade the Defense so they went and use the first 6 picks on defense and put the defensive players on notice that they need to step up or step out, first-round pick Micah Parsons was a great pick at 12 he can fly to the ball and get to the QB, of course, the steal of the draft was Jabril Cox who is someone that loves to be a ball hog and get to the QB. I also like Kelvin Joseph CB in the second round. He fits Dan Quinn's defense to the T. He is long and tall which is going to make it hard for QBs to put the ball in tight windows.
Denver Broncos
Grade: A+
I mean they took one of the best CB in the draft with Surtain, what more can I say? Then took a steal in the fifth round in S Jamar Johnson. What I like the most about Jamar is that he can play in the slot and be a cover safety so he can be utilized all over the field.
Detroit Lions
Grade: B-
They took Penei Sewell in the first round and that was a heck of a pick after that they did not do much to help themselves. They have Michael Brockers so why take a CB in the earlier rounds? Just does not make sense to me the only way this will make sense is if the players become monsters if not then sorry you lost. I did though, like the St. Brown pick, he is a reliable receiver that Goff will love as long as they use him right, and the only reason I did not give the Lions a C.
Green Bay Packers
Grade: C
The Packers needed help on the defense and offense so the first-round pick Eric Stokes CB out of Georgia was a great pick but I would have WR to help the relationship with QB Aaron Rodgers. Tackle Newman was a huge win. He can move defenders and pass protect as well, they did pick a lot of D-Line players but the fact that they did not take a skilled player in the first round for Rodgers dropped their grade even with a huge increase on the defensive side.
Houston Texans
Grade: F
No draft capital, no real knowledge about the future of QB Watson, I gave them an F because they gave up everything for two subpar players in Laremy Tunsil and Kenny Stills yes they are good but not losing your first-round pick or even multiple second or third-round picks for them, now it was not all bad TE Brevin Jordan has talent but needs work and QB Davis Mills went way higher than he should have plus with no weapons or OL to speak on Mills is going to end up on the ground a lot.
Indianapolis Colts
Grade: C
The Colts are almost there, they needed help on the defensive side of the ball so DE Kwity Payne and Dayo Odeyingbo were great picks, but after that, I just don’t get it. SMU TE Kyle Granson and is small and inconsistent if he can maybe transition to an H-Back he could be the winner of the fourth round. What dropped their grade was taking QB out of Texas Ehlinger. They have Carson Wentz and Jacob Eason in the room. Why do they need another QB? Just does not make sense. They also did not draft a CB or LB which they needed to do.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Grade: A+
Taking Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne with the first two picks in the draft is a huge win, and the only reason I gave them A+, all other picks are a little questionable like Cisco or Little both have ACL injuries and per what the tape shows are not back to 100% but if they can get healthy they would be a steal. Also, the draft was more about Trevor than anyone else so even if.
Kansas City Chiefs
Grade: A+
The way to beat the Chiefs is by putting pressure on the QB so what did they do they went out and got Pro Browler Orlando Brown Jr. then draft Creed Humphrey who was a leader on the OU Line since his Freshman year and Trey Smith who outside of his health history has all the upside anyone wants in an OL. Simply taking both these players in the draft so low was a steal and deserves A+.
Las Vegas Raiders
Grade: D
Leatherwood is a great player but not a first-round pick second/third okay I see that but not first, then 2 safeties within in the first 5 picks do not make sense, I mean if they are going straight for debt then okay that makes sense but they have more need in other areas that they should have drafted like OL I don't see them doing well in 2021 and Gruden need to get better at drafting to help The Raiders win.
Los Angeles Chargers
Grade: A
Would have love to see Sewell reunite with Hebert in LA but Slater is a great fit here as well, the CB Samuel Jr. and WR Palmer are first day starters, I also love TE Tre’ McKitty they did get Jared Cook in FA but he can sit back give debt and learn so that when Cook is done playing they have someone to replace him. They also added Brenden Jaimes who can help the OL and from what I am hearing give the Bolts a Justin Jackson-type value.
Los Angeles Rams
Grade: A
The Rams had no first-round pick but made the best of it with WR Tutu Atwell he is small and fast he will be a great slot receiver that can get past defenders and score some TD and of course they take in the fourth round my boy Bobby Brown III out of A&M his a big, strong fast DL and will learn a lot from Aaron Donald, so overall a great draft but still not happy about giving up multiple first-round picks but I can get over it because they did an excellent job in the later rounds.
Miami Dolphins
Grade: A-
Miami picked two great players in the first round so that easily gets them the win in the draft but taking Jevon Holland over Trevon Moehrig in the second round does not make sense to me Moehrig would fit so much better in Miami than Holland but I can get over it since they picked OT Liam Eichenberg in the 3rd round and that has a huge find.
Minnesota Vikings
Grade: A
The Vikings needed OL help and they did that by taking Darrisaw to fill the LT position then taking my QB out of A&M Kellen Mond adds not only debt but as he grows he will add a sense of competition to the QB Room. I also love Zach Davidson TE out of Central Missouri. He has great feet and can beat any defender down the seam but needs a little work but overall one heck of a pick in the later rounds.
New England Patriots
Grade: B+
The Patriots have had some really bad drafts as of late and with TB12 winning the divorce here they need a win in the draft and I believe they did that here, Mac Jones is a development project but will learn from Cam Newton and develop. Barmore on the other hand will help from day 1 which is what we want. Also taking Ronnie Perkins with the 96 pick was a steal considering he was a top 50 pick. I did not like taking Stevenson when they have 3 great RB and they needed help in CB and WR but overall a good hall of Bill and the Pats.
New Orleans Saints
Grade: C
The Saints were reaching on some of the picks especially Peter Werner out of Ohio State in the second round he is more of a special teams guy so he was a 4th round pick gone too early especially that they have needs in other areas. The only draft I like was the Athletic Baker in with the last pick but that will not fix the Saints, I believe the Saint will be picking in the top 15 for the next few years.
New York Giants
Grade: B-
Gettleman did some great work by trading down and getting picks but lost that by taking Kadarius Toney with the 20th pick, they need OL help and DL help and so many guys could have been here, they did make it up with Ojulari and CB Robinson but not enough to get them a higher grade we shall see how good the rest of the picks turn out.
New York Jets
Grade: B
The draft for the Jets was all about answering one question, How can we help Zack Wilson our QB1 win? And they did well on that with the pick of Alijah Vera-Tucker and Elijah Moore they gave him a weapon and protection then they added RB Micheal Carter who can learn from the ageless wonder Frank Gore and take the pressure from Wilson they could have earned an A had they done a better job on day three they put picking a secondary help when they needed a pass rusher and this will come back to hunt them in the future.
Philadelphia Eagles
Grade B-
They win with DeVonta Smith who played with Jallen Hurts in Alabama so chemistry is there but taking DE late in the draft will hurt them, Giant/Cowboys/WTF are all creating weapon filled offenses and two of them have a heavy star RB so by not picking a DE early to help stop the run will hurt them. But it was not all bad Dickerson was a solid pick up in the second round and so was Zech McPhearson since he will be the Nickel CB. I also love the dual-threat talent of fifth-round pick Gainwell. So overall B- fits here.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Grade: A
First The Steelers get an a simply by taking two A&M guys OT Dan Moore and LB Buddy Johnson both were high value picks and can help in major needed spots but what wins here is drafting Najee Harris last time they took an RB in the first round he helped turn the tide and win them 3 SB and yes I am talking about HOF Franco Harris so we can see something like that in the works, now Najee is no Franco but I can see how I can work. They also got a top 50 talent in the 87 pick with C Kendrick Green I mean what a steal. Truly a huge win in Pittsburgh.
San Francisco 49ers
Grade: C+
Like the Jets, the 49ers draft was all about Trey Lance, now I love Lance his upside is huge, and does not have to start right away but if he does not pan out then all that they gave up for him is basically worthless, but if he wins then everything else is a huge victory. They did good with drafting Moore who can play both tackle and guard, they also traded two picks to get Thomas but as long as they stay healthy he can win the backfield.
Seattle Seahawks
Grade: B+
Despite only have 3 picks in the draft the Seahawks did very well they got another target for Wilson in Eskridge his explosive at the line and a great target, I did wish they went OL here but they did take OT Stone Forsythe which gives them the high grade he can play and start, which is important here, at left or right tackle so best pick 100%.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Grade: C+
Tampa Bay brought back all 22 starters from their Super Bowl run, so the draft was really about depth than anything else, Joe Tryon is a versatile player that can play both the five-technique and stand up as an LB so great pick. But taking Kyle Trask was a mistake I get they need to find the apparent hair to Tom Brady but there were better choices at that pick such as WR Jaelon Darden or OT Robert Hainsey which yes they ended taking them but Kyle went way too early. Overall Tampa had some very solid selections but I dropped their grade simply for the Kyle Trask pick and the fact that they were not really in any major need more so nothing to grade.
Tennessee Titans
Grade: C+
I do not think Jon Robinson did a very good job drafting Caleb Farley has great upside but if he does not stay healthy it was a waste of a pick, I would not have taken him in the first round maybe second and that is a big maybe. Dillon Radunz has talent but is a project and got picked 2 rounds too high but can fit at right tackle, Dez Fitzpatrick was the best pick for the Titans in the 4th round they needed help at this spot so I would have taken a WR with the first-round pick but still Dez was a good pick here, overall not a huge win for the Titans.
Washington Football Team
Grade: B+
LB James Davis, OT Samuel Cosmi, CB Benjamin St-Juste were all amazing picks by Washington Davis alone will be a star for them and help stop a run-heavy division. Plus they also helped themselves at WR with Dyam Brown which they needed help in. The real win to me was TE John Bates he had a fourth-round selection grade and he went in the fourth round, not the highest-graded TE in the draft but with a little help can be a real weapon in Washington. Truly Washington sees what the rest of the division is doing and loaded up on Defense and helped themselves in the offense as well. Now if they can figure out the QB position they will give the rest of the NFC some trouble.