Crazy how the dominoes fall. If the Browns take Chubb then the Broncos trade with the Bills and they can't get Edmunds. Tampa probably then trades with Arizona for Rosen.
The time we will really find out the draft grades is when it is time to resign the rookies to a second contract.
I'm going to say this before it's posted. I expect the NY Giants to be #1. Together with FA I think they have had one of the better offseasons I have ever seen.
One good thing that Joe did on the Falcons review that most major media reviews fail to do is take the bigger picture into consideration rather than assuming the draft is the immediate answer for a team's every need. The draft isn't the only way to fill a void, and in most cases it's not the best way to fill an immediate, pressing need - especially after the second round. Calvin Ridley instead of a DT certainly was a surprise, and a few of the "instant grade" writers ripped the Falcons for not drafting an instant starter at defensive tackle. I'll note Sports Illustrated writer Andy Benoit in particular. According to Benoit, only three teams in the league grade lower than Atlanta. His reasoning was that they didn't NEED to take Calvin Ridley in the first or Isaiah Oliver in the second and that they might regret not drafting more interior defensive linemen. Gosh, an NFL team with a defense-oriented head coach would NEVER realize that you need defensive linemen and certainly wouldn't have any kind of plan for filling out that position group. Taking the best players available in the first two rounds was utter stupidity. Landing the top ranked receiver in the draft class at #26 was a terrible move. Atlanta just HAD to take a defensive tackle, ANY defenisve tackle, and they failed to do so. What a horrible draft. Andy Benoit is brilliant! Shortly afterwards, the team signed free agent Terrell McClain. Head coach Dan Quinn also confirmed that Jack Crawford will play inside at DT rather than his listed DE spot. (Big clue: he played DT last year before he got hurt.) Third rounder Deadrin Senat is now the #4 man in the group, and they have no less than five other prospects (one returning practice squad player, two free agents and two undrafted rookies) competing to land a fifth spot on the roster. Presto... Andy Benoit is a f***ing idiot.
I agree with, Dan. I expect the Giants to be #1, but to be different, Dallas could sneak in there also. This draft seemed to be you either nailed it or you completely screwed it up... few teams screwed up, but most did fairly well... I think that leads to close competition when it comes to rankings. It must be difficult, in my opinion. EDIT - Could be the Broncos after further review, lol.
And if you want letter grades it translates to this: Giants A+ Broncos A+ Packers A+ Cowboys A+ Cardinals A Panthers A- Falcons A- Dolphins A- Eagles A- Bills A- Colts B+ Redskins B+ Bears B+ Ravens B+ Buccaneers B Raiders B Titans B Texans B Vikings B- Jaguars B- Seahawks B- Bengals C+ Chargers C+ Steelers C+ Jets C+ 49ers C+ Browns C Rams C- Patriots D+ Lions D Chiefs F Saints F
Nicely done @LAOJoe. The only thing I found a bit odd (besides the low Steelers ranking but whatever) is the looooonnnng write-up on Philly even tho they did very little (few draft picks) but Oakland had only 2 or 3 sentences and their score was fairly high considering their write-up. How did they get there? Not looking for a more lengthy Oakland shpiel, just an observation.
He's an Eagles fan so he has more insight into how he feels it went. Not necessarily a bias, but his thoughts end up more nuanced.
I’m aware of his fan-hood and it wasn’t a complaint, just an observation. I like his evals and appreciate the total effort he put into this project.
If you look at the Philly one, outside the RB thing I didn't really say anything more. A lot of space was used saying nothing like elaborating on what was wanted on a trade back or that thing about Dallas. I didn't necessarily say extra but Tim is right that it was easier to talk about.
As for the shorter ones it was either because it was tougher to write, or like Oakland I didn't feel I needed to write more to get my point across. That being said I could have singled out another play or two with Oakland, like saying Hurst was excellent value despite the flag but that probably also had to do with it being the first review I did after a long break. I just wanted to get back into it quickly.
So Hurst was excellent value despite the flag, but Cleveland was penalized for taking a first round talent in the fourth round because of a flag? But, no bias going on. {note to self} "shut up Irish, it really isn't worth the time and no one really cares"
As I mentioned, I appreciate the work and effort you put into it. The whole thing was fun and the dramatic climb (getting to it in stages) was fun too. Nicely done.
I've said it before. I never considered Callaway a 1st rounder without the flags. Some scouts may have and Mel Kiper said it live so everyone and their mother is quoting it. I thought he went around where he should have gone without the flag. And Hurst was an injury flag, Callaway was a character flag that you'd think a team like the Browns would avoid. I get value but my rankings and Callaway without the flag is around #100 anyways.
Or you could just admit you really didn't scout Callaway because of the red flag and call it a day...He certainly is higher than #100 based in talent alone. But, I will absolutely agree that because of the red flags talent only gets you so far. The point is, Hurst was taken in the 5th round BECAUSE no one knows how much, or if he will even be able to play in the NFL...yet, you give his drafting team a boost for taking that chance. Callaway WILL play in the NFL if he doesn't fail a drug test...It isn't like there is a question of a physical nature, and that team gets a MAJOR ding...not a minor one. Take Callaway out of the equation and the Browns draft is very good...
