The NFL Draft is over, and the dozens of rookies drafted will now battle for roster spots and to continue their dreams of playing in the league. Here are our 2023 AFC Draft Grades by team.
The Best
Houston Texans: A+
Getting C.J. Stroud at number two was great. However, it was incredibly risky for the Texans to trade away their first-round pick in 2024 but they did it and then made a big splash by getting Will Anderson Jr. at number three. In doing so, they added two legit day one starters as they hope to compete immediately under new coach DeMeco Ryans.
Indianapolis Colts: A+
Another AFC South team that killed their draft. The Colts got their future QB at number four with Anthony Richardson. Julius Brents was one of my favorite corners in the draft and he will be an immediate starter in Indy. They got a handful of starters in this draft.
Pittsburgh Steelers: A+
The Steelers always draft well, and they did again this year. They went out and got a starting offensive tackle in the first round and then added to that by bringing Joey Porter Jr. home so he can now follow in his dad’s footsteps.
The Worst
Kansas City Chiefs: D
It’s not really like KC needs a major overhaul of their roster and it can be hard to have a great draft when you always pick at the bottom of the round, but I thought the Chiefs jumped at some players they shouldn’t have. Rashee Rice was a clear example of that in the second round.
New York Jets: D-
I thought the Jets nailed the Zach Kuntz selection at pick 220, but outside of that, they reached on some players and didn’t go with the best available in many cases. They’ve drafted well in the last year so maybe we should just trust this one.
Jacksonville Jaguars: C-
The Jags had an insane number of picks and ended up drafting 13 guys. Antonio Johnson out of Texas A&M was a great selection in the fifth round, but I am not sold on Brenton Stange who they took in round two and likely left some other talent on the board. Having 13 picks is a big number and I’m curious who they will hit on and who will flop.
The Rest
Baltimore Ravens (B+): The Ravens are excellent at drafting, and I loved their pick of Zay Flowers to add major speed to the receiving corp. They focused on defense and the offensive line with the rest of their picks.
Buffalo Bills (A): The elite get more elite after the Bills land tight end Dalton Kincaid and guard O’Cyrus Torrence, two top 40 guys that should contribute immediately to an already loaded team.
Cincinnati Bengals (B+): DE Myles Murphy was a solid first round pick and Jordan Battle was one of my favorite safeties coming into the draft and the Bengals got him with their third selection, that’s a good draft.
Cleveland Browns (A-): Two guys I loved coming into the draft: guard Siaki Ika and QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson are both now Browns. Without a first-round pick, because of the Deshaun Watson deal, the team drafted admirably.
Denver Broncos (B-): Without a first-round pick as well, because of the Russell Wilson deal, they still managed to get a great new wide receiver in Marvin Mims. They focused on defense primarily with the rest of their picks.
Las Vegas Raiders (B): Tyree Wilson should be a beast and I was impressed that Vegas didn’t bite at a QB after their big free agent signing of Jimmy Garoppolo. The pick of tight end Michael Mayer was stellar.
Los Angeles Chargers (C+): Injuries have plagued the Chargers wide receiver corps the last few years, so Quentin Johnston was a killer pick to get in the first round. They also took his TCU teammate and fellow receiver Derius Davis in the fourth.
Miami Dolphins (C+): They had just four picks but how can you not love the pick of Texas A&M speedster running back Devon Achane in a Mike McDaniel offense?
New England Patriots (B+): Christian Gonzalez and Keion White just made this defense scary, as New England gets to develop more top talent on that side of the ball.
Tennessee Titans (A): Getting Will Levis in the second round was huge in this draft. They got their QB of the future and they didn’t have to trade up in the first round to get him. Their first-round pick of OT Peter Skoronski will help protect Levis and open running lanes for Derrick Henry.