Initial Draft Grades 2017 - NFC North

1 (2). North Carolina QB Mitchell Trubisky
2 (45). Ashland TE Adam Shaheen
4 (112). Alabama S Eddie Jackson
4 (119). North Carolina A&T RB Tarik Cohen
5 (147). Kutztown OG Jordan Morgan


Good Move - Moving the draft from Chicago to Philly. It possibly saved the Bears Front Office getting lynched by their fans in their hometown. For me, the Bears made too many questionable trade moves and suspect selections in this class which was surprising after a few solid drafts.
Bargain Pick - Eddie Jackson was the only selection I liked, falling out of the top 100 due to a season ending injury in college. Jackson could fill my Good Move, Bargain Pick and Risk/Reward gamble category as a result. The Bears urgently need secondary help in this division and Jackson should contribute.
Risk / Reward Gamble - Adam Shaheen from small Division II Ashland was a surprise as high as #45. At 6'6 and 280 lbs he's a Frankenstein-like target at TE and shown good athleticism and speed at the combine. I'd be concerned at both the step up in competition and question why his blocking should be so poor for a man of his size.
Tell Me Why Again - No-one appeared sold on a sure-fire franchise QB in this years class, yet the Bears, despite seemingly having secured a starting QB in free agency, surrendered picks #67, #111 and a 2018 3rd rounder for a move up just one place in the draft to take a QB with only 13 career starts in college. If Trubisky proves to be their franchise QB, good for the Bears. However, the picks lost to move up just that one place when the 49ers were pretty obviously not going to take a QB left me puzzled.

1 (21). Florida LB Jarrad Davis
2 (53). Florida CB Teez Tabor
3 (96). Northern Illinois WR Kenny Golladay
4 (124). Tennessee OLB Jalen Reeves-Maybin
4 (127). Toledo TE Michael Roberts
5 (165). San Diego CB Jamal Agnew
6 (205). Arkansas DE Jeremiah Ledbetter
6 (215). Miami (FL) QB Brad Kaaya
7 (250). Eastern Michigan DT Pat O’Connor

Good Move - The Lions has arguably the worst linebacking unit in the NFL in 2016. They've made free agency moves for depth and landed an instant starter upgrade in Jarrad Davis in the 1st round. Reeves-Maybin was added in the 4th but carries injury concerns. He's a project but again good on the Lions for addressing the need at linebacker.
Bargain Pick - Michael Roberts caught 16 TD's in his final year at Toledo. I'm not going to kid anyone here and pretend he can replicate that in the pro's. What Roberts' will provide is a big bodied TE2/TE3 who can run block and has good hands if called upon in the pass game.
Risk / Reward Gamble - Teez Tabor was mooted as a possible 1st round pick until running a 4.62 at the combine and a 4.75 at his pro-day. For some this confirmed the whispers that his lack of top-end speed leaves him afraid of the deep ball. Add into the mix criticisms of weak tackling and suspensions over drug tests and an altercation with a team-mate and you've got some pretty big questions marks to off-set his 28 passes defensed and 9 picks during his college career.
Tell Me Why Again - I was really surprised the Lions didn't address the pass-rush in the 1st round with McKinley, Harris and Charlton still on the board. I'm not knocking the selection of Davis, LB was a need and there was plenty of depth in this class of edge rushers for Detroit to defer an obviously urgent need. However, it became a total head-scratcher when they then waited until the 6th round to attempt to address the pass rush.

2 (33). Washington CB Kevin King
2 (61). North Carolina State SS Josh Jones
3 (93). Auburn DL Montravius Adams
4 (108). Wisconsin OLB Vince Biegel
4 (134). Brigham Young RB Jamaal Williams
5 (175). Purdue WR DeAngelo Yancey
5 (182). Texas El-Paso RB Aaron Jones
6 (212). South Florida G/C Kofi Amichia
7 (238). Utah State RB Devante Mays
7 (247). LSU WR Malachi Dupre

Good Move - The Packers went defense early, maybe pre-occupied with nightmares of Julio Jones running all over them and clearly drafted for size and athleticism in the selections of King and Jones. Both players should hopefully be pushing for starting roles by the start of week one.
Bargain Pick - Jamaal Williams has a bruising, aggressive style which could prove to be a great foil for WR turned RB Ty Montgomery. The Packers don't know how Montgomery will handle a full season in the backfield, so whilst Williams will likely spell Montgomery he's demonstrated at BYU that he can handle a full workload.
Risk / Reward Gamble - Originally a top 5 high school defensive recruit, Montravius Adams never really hit his potential at Auburn and carries a bit of the underachiever tag. Can the Packers get the best out of him consistently? His combine numbers were just ok and together with his college production I think Adams was picked too high
Tell Me Why Again - Did the defensive co-ordinator and offensive co-ordinator take shifts at turning in the picks? Initially four defensive players picked, then the draft rounded off with six successive offensive players. And three RB's selected.... really? OK there's a need for depth at the position in Green Bay so I'll give them a little leeway on that.

2 (41). Florida State RB Dalvin Cook
3 (70). Ohio State G/C Pat Elflein
4 (109). Iowa DT Jaleel Johnson
4 (120). Michigan LB Ben Gedeon
5 (170). South Florida WR Rodney Adams
5 (180). Miami (FL) OG Danny Isidora
6 (201). Virginia Tech TE Bucky Hodges
7 (219). Miami (FL) WR Stacy Coley
7 (220). Northwestern DE Ifeadi Odenigbo
7 (232). Kansas State LB Elijah Lee
7 (245). North Carolina State CB Jack Tocho

Good Move - I'm struggling to find a problem with this class. Sensible trades up to secure Cook and Elflein, understandable trades down to acquire additional picks later on to add competition for roster spots. Dalvin Cook was a top 10 1st round talent who unexpectedly fell into the 2nd round after posting less than stellar combine numbers. Elflein is a likely day one starter. Add-in the first round pick sent to the Eagles for Sam Bradford and this class looks better still.
Bargain Pick - Like Cook, Jaleel Johnson was another player who didn't light up the combine but was a consistently solid performer at Iowa. A high motor and excellent hands, working with a coach in Mike Zimmer who knows how to get the best out of defenders will benefit him enormously.
Risk / Reward Gamble - The risk is mitigated here with this being the 201st pick, but Bucky Hodges brings off-field baggage as part of this pick but had a really strong combine and has the size and all the athletic traits to succeed in the NFL. Pat Shurmer likes to utilise TE's in his offense and Hodges is one of the new breed of WR/TE hybrids but with the additional capacity to block in-line too.
Tell Me Why Again - Why can't the Vikes better their 8-8 record from last year? A solid draft class and key moves in free agency have only strengthened this roster. It will be vital that 2016 1st rounder Laquon Treadwell takes a huge leap (1 catch for 15 yards as a rookie) otherwise the passing offense will continue to suffer through lack a playmakers.

Initial Draft Grades 2017 - NFC East

1 (28). Michigan DE Taco Charlton
2 (60). Colorado CB Chidobe Awuzie
3 (92). Michigan CB Jourdan Lewis
4 (133). North Carolina WR Ryan Switzer
6 (191). Louisiana Tech S Xavier Woods
6 (216). Florida State CB Marquez White
7 (228). Florida DT Joey Ivie
7 (239). Ohio State WR Noah Brown
7 (246). Colorado DT Jordan Carrell

Good Move - The Cowboys needed help in their secondary and threw 4 of their first 6 picks at defensive backs. I usually criticise such moves but all 4 guys offer positional versatility at an area of need. For the class to be a success, they'll need contributions in the secondary from at least some of this class of defensive backs and all 4 guys do have the potential to succeed on this roster.

Bargain Pick - Xavier Woods was a Cowboy favourite so the pick wasn't a surprise. What he lacks in size/speed he makes up for with positional versatility and on-field production. It will be interesting to see how Rod Marinelli chooses to use him as a chess piece in the secondary.

Risk / Reward Gamble - Jourdan Lewis was a possible 1st round talent but his draft stock fell due to a potential domestic violence charge that hangs over him. 

Tell Me Why Again - The Cowboys had a need for an edge rusher but with VP Stephen Jones admitting Charlton didn't carry a first round grade on their board, the pick feels like a positional reach. Despite Charlton being only a 1-year starter he's got talent and could make this a good pick. I'm more bothered by the VP openly admitting the reach.

1 (23). Ole Miss TE Evan Engram
2 (55). Alabama DT Dalvin Tomlinson
3 (87). California QB Davis Webb
4 (140). Clemson RB Wayne Gallman
5 (167). Youngstown State DE Avery Moss
6 (200). Pittsburgh OT Adam Bisnowaty

Good Move - I wasn't overly impressed with the draft class but with questions over Eli Manning's 2016 down season and/or decline, at least the Giants provided some weapons in Engram and Gallman and shown a nod to the future with the Webb pick.

Bargain Pick - Wayne Gallman was the leading rusher on the successful Clemson programme for 3 years and with the Giants operating a similar spread system he will hope to transfer his college production into the pro's. His game has lots of question marks to it, but the Giants was a good fit.

Risk / Reward Gamble - Taking Evan Engram at #23 was a surprise with David Njoku (who I thought to be the better blocker and more dynamic receiver) still on the board. Engram wasn't asked to block at Ole Miss and lined up mainly in the slot. He's more of an oversized receiver at this point but could still provide Manning with a viable situational target.

Tell Me Why Again - Too many questions remain after this draft. Why was the first o-line selection at #200 when the Giants have arguably one of the worst o-lines in the NFL? Is Davis Webb really a candidate to be the eventual replacement for Eli Manning? 

 

1 (14). Tennessee DE Derek Barnett
2 (43). Washington CB Sidney Jones
3 (99). West Virginia CB Rasul Douglas
4 (118). North Carolina WR Mack Hollins
4 (132). San Diego State RB Donnel Pumphrey
5 (166). West Virginia WR Shelton Gibson
5 (184). Nebraska S Nate Gerry
6 (214). Washington DT Elijah Qualls

Good Move - Edge rusher was a positional need and it felt fitting that Derek Barnett who broke Reggie White's sack record at Tennessee should end up in Philly. I'm not putting the hex on Barnett with a foolish player comparison to the all-time great but it was a sensible pick and understandable with McCaffrey and Lattimore off the board. Jonathan Allen was still available at #14 but the Front Office must have seen Barnett as a better system fit. Let's not forget the pre-draft, obtaining Timmy Jernigan in return for the Eagles #74 pick.

Bargain Pick - Nate Gerry lacks top end speed and agility but is a tough hombre. The Eagles have space at safety but are likely to look at him as a hybrid LB type if he can bulk up. His special teams play should ensure he makes the 53 man roster and I'll be intrigued to see if/how Jim Schwartz utilises him on gameday.

Risk / Reward Gamble - Sidney Jones was a potential top half of first round pick before his torn achilles. He'll be a popular 'steal' pick by experts but with the injury in mind, it feels a gamble to take him as high as #43. Jones may not play in 2017 and there's certainly no guarantee he'll be the player he was. It's a great pick if he fully returns but there's no guarantee. The Eagles subsequent selection of Rasul Douglas reflected their understanding of the inherent risk of the Jones pick.

Tell Me Why Again - This Eagles team is crying out for a 3-down back to help alleviate the pressure on the development of Carson Wentz. They failed to address this during the draft. Pumphrey was very productive in college but realistically is a Sproles-lite option and his possible eventual successor. The Eagles missed out on McCaffrey in round 1 but when Dalvin Cook surprisingly slid into round 2 I'd expected a move up by the Eagles but it was not to be.

1 (17). Alabama DL Jonathan Allen
2 (49). Alabama OLB Ryan Anderson
3 (81). UCLA CB Fabian Moreau
4 (114). Oklahoma RB Samaje Perine
4 (123). Michigan State S Montae Nicholson
5 (154). Arkansas TE Jeremy Sprinkle
6 (199). Wyoming G/C Chase Roullier
6 (209). Georgia State WR Robert Davis
7 (230). Louisville S Josh Harvey-Clemons
7 (235). Auburn CB Joshua Holsey

Good Move - Jonathan Allen carried a top 5 grade but injury concerns saw him fall into the middle of the 1st round. The Skins wouldn't have expected him to be available here and will believe they've got themselves a day one steal. Allen will immediately have an opportunity to bolster one of the weaker D-lines in the NFC. They stayed with the Crimson Tide on the 2nd day also and Allen's team-mate Ryan Anderson is an aggressive edge rusher who also fits a need in the capital.

Bargain Pick - A solid pick of Jeremy Sprinkle in the 5th round. He'll back-up oft-injured Jordan Reed and the aging Vernon Davis who saw a renaissance in 2016. Sprinkle could become one of the best blocking tight ends available from this draft class and has decent hands too. He may not excel in any one department but is a well rounded prospect who should have a chance to contribute. 

Risk / Reward Gamble - Fabian Moreau is a classic boom or bust pick. He posted great numbers at the combine, was a 3-yr starter at UCLA and has the size, fluidity and tackling skills that could have seen him become a 1st round pick. The knock on Moreau however is on his coverage limitations where he predominantly played cover-3, reflected with only 3 interceptions in his 37 career starts. If the coaches can harness the tools and improve his awareness they'll have a steal.

Tell Me Why Again - Despite a solid overall draft class, I was surprised that the Redskins failed to address inside linebacker or add some QB depth. The Skins have some potential challenges coming up in free agency next year at both these positions but they weren't addressed at any point.

Initial Draft Grades 2017 - NFC South

1 (26). UCLA DE Takkarist McKinley
3 (75). LSU LB Duke Riley
4 (136). Oregon State T/G Sean Harlow
5 (149). San Diego State CB Damontae Kazee
5 (156). Wyoming RB Brian Hill
5 (174). Drake TE Eric Saubert

Good Move - A balanced draft in terms of offense and defensive mix which addressed positions of need on both sides of the ball. The Falcons remained consistent with their template of fast, aggressive defensive players and looked to add depth on offense. Their best move was arguably the first round trade up to ensure they obtained one of the remaining edge rushers with first round grades once pass rushers began to fall from the board. Takk McKinley is raw but improved each year. He potentially forms a fearsome pass rush tandem on the edge opposite Vic Beasley.
Bargain Pick - Demontae Kazee has ball skills far higher than the 5th round, with 43 passes defensed and 16 interceptions during his last 3 years in college. He probably lacks the size or top end speed to play outside so has been muted as a possible nickel corner by scouts. I think he could also be viewed as a potential free safety in Atlanta's system. Under Quinn's guidance he could prove a steal.
Risk / Reward Gamble - Duke Riley is a one year starter in college who replaced Deion Jones (Atlanta's 2016 second round pick) at LSU. Riley's inexperienced and seems more suited as an inside fit like Jones, but he fits the Atlanta template of fast and aggressive at LB.
Tell Me Why Again - Why didn't the Falcons run the ball more in the second half of Superbowl? Hard to question the picks as they all addressed specific areas of need and after smashing the last few drafts who are we to argue? From a personal perspective I felt that the O-line could have been addressed earlier. Riley will likely play a rotational role in 2017 whereas Atlanta needs a full time starter at guard to replace the retired Chris Chester.

1 (8). Stanford RB Christian McCaffrey
2 (40). Ohio State WR/RB Curtis Samuel
2 (64). Western Michigan OT Taylor Moton
3 (77). Texas A&M DE Daeshon Hall
5 (152). Miami (FL) CB Corn Elder
6 (192). West Georgia FB Alexander Armah
7 (233). Georgia Tech K Harrison Butker

Good Move - Prioritising the top end of the draft to help out Cam Newton. McCaffrey is the most versatile back in the draft and Curtis Samuel should provide a nice foil and insurance option. As well as the skill positions they also added Taylor Moton to help protect Newton and the Panthers will hope he works his way into the starting o-line at either Right Tackle or Guard by opening day.
Bargain Pick - Corn Elder is undersized corner but has the skills and smarts to make the teams nickel packages and should be a valuable contributor on special teams. Good value in the 5th.
Risk / Reward Gamble - Myles Garrett's college sidekick Daeshon Hall is very raw with limited experience on the D-line but plenty of potential. The D-line is a position of strength in Carolina, so this could either give Hall valuable time to develop or worst case stunt his development by limiting his opportunities for valuable game time.
Tell Me Why Again - Why do the Panthers keep double dipping? Last years draft class saw them take 3 corners, this year both their top 40 picks were spent on running backs. I get it that not all draftees are going to make it, so is this clever insurance or lack of confidence in the scouting dept?

1 (11). Ohio State CB Marshon Lattimore
1 (32). Wisconsin OT Ryan Ramczyk
2 (42). Utah FS Marcus Williams
3 (67). Tennessee RB Alvin Kamara
3 (76). Florida LB Alex Anzalone
3 (103). Florida Atlantic DE Trey Hendrickson
6 (196). Miami (FL) DE Al-Quadin Muhammad

Good Move - Despite only one year as a starter, Marshon Lattimore was arguably the best cornerback in the draft. I doubt the Saints expected him to be available outside of the top 10 but the run on QB's fell favourably for New Orleans. There's some injury concerns over Lattimore's hamstring but he has the tools to be a potential lock-down corner in a pass heavy division. 

Bargain Pick - Trey Hendrickson was ultra productive in college and whilst we hear the "short arms / average height" comments from the scouting community, if you prefer game tape to measurables you'd say he has a real chance to contribute 

Risk / Reward Gamble  - Alex Anzalone is a gifted athlete with potential to become an every down linebacker in New Orleans. This has to be weighed up against repeated shoulder/arm injuries at Florida which raise long-term durability questions.

Tell Me Why Again - Why didn't the Saints address the pass-rush as an earlier priority? I also question the move for Alvin Kamara but Sean Payton loved him. The Saints sacrificed their 2018 second rounder in addition to the 67th pick used to take Kamara. Now I like him as a back and he'll provide some versatility but there seemed to be more pressing needs on a consistently poor defense than adding to a backfield already consisting of Mark Ingram and now Adrian Peterson.

1 (19). Alabama TE O.J. Howard
2 (50). Texas A&M S Justin Evans
3 (84). Penn State WR Chris Godwin
3 (107). LSU ILB Kendell Beckwith
5 (162). Boise State RB Jeremy McNichols
7 (223). USC DT Stevie Tu’ikolovatu

Good Move - NFC South take note of the targets GM Jason Licht is providing Jameis Winston. Desean Jackson was added in free agency, O.J Howard, Chris Godwin and Jeremy McNicols added in the draft class. All should contribute to the passing game in 2017.

Bargain Pick - It's a reach to suggest O.J Howard is a bargain at #19 maybe - but did anyone expect him to fall to Tampa? He can block, he can catch and he has speed to stretch defensive seams. Day one starter at a position of need. Was a great win for Tampa early in the draft.

Risk / Reward Gamble - Beckwith is solely an inside linebacker but was a good one on a strong LSU defense. Likely restricted to a 2-down LB role, he tore his ACL at the back-end of his final season on campus which affected his draft stock. 

Tell Me Why Again - I expected O-line depth to be addressed but this was completely ignored. I figured RB to also be a priority due to off-field issues surrounding Doug Martin. Instead McNichols was taken at #162 who is a decent receiver but similar to back-up Jacquizz Rodgers, and not the bell-cow inside rusher that would appear to be needed as insurance. Tampa has to be confident that Doug Martin is good to go in 2017.