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 NFC Draft Grades by team.
The Best
Philadelphia Eagles: A+
The Philadelphia Bulldogs or maybe we should call them the Georgia Eagles, however you want to look at it is fine. All I’ll say is that if you draft three players on the defensive side of the ball to pair with a former teammate from a program that has won back-to-back National Championships which were built on their defense, you should be in really good hands for years to come.
New York Giants: B+
New York came into this draft knowing that their QB position is squared away and that they needed to build around that and the defense, so they hit a home run here. Deonte Banks was one of my favorite corners in this draft and Jalin Hyatt could be the next star Giants wide receiver.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: B+
General manager Jason Licht has had some major hits and major misses in previous drafts and while there was talk that the Bucs could be in on one of the quarterbacks, they held their ground and improved immensely in positions that needed attention. They got much better with their defensive rush and even improved the offensive line.
The Worst:
San Francisco 49ers: F
It didn’t help that San Fran didn’t have a pick until round three but taking a kicker with pick 99 is going to end up haunting them, just ask the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It feels like the Niners have struggled big time with injuries in years past and they missed the boat on opportunities to upgrade.
Arizona Cardinals: D
This organization is a total mess right now. I like Paris Johnson at offensive tackle, and they did a nice job to trade back in this draft, but after Johnson, it was miss after miss. Taking the 12th best edge rusher with the 41st overall pick was a head scratcher.
Minnesota Vikings: D+
I love Jordan Addison, especially since the Vikings lost Adam Thielen. Hopefully their selections of defensive backs in the third and fourth round will pan out for them, especially with how bad their defense has been in recent years.
The Rest
Atlanta Falcons (C): The Falcons stole the show on draft night by taking Bijan Robinson 8th overall as they now have the NFLs next great back. None of the other picks were as exciting, but they did focus on improving their defense and offensive line.
Carolina Panthers (B-): They weren’t going to go wrong with Bryce Young at number one and it’s clear that was who they wanted all along despite being coy about it right before the draft. Jonathan Mingo is a massive wide receiver and will fill the D.J. Moore hole.
Chicago Bears (C-): This was an incredibly important draft for Chicago after trading out of number one. Darnell Wright will provide much needed protection for QB Justin Fields, but trading up for CB Tyrique Stevenson didn’t make sense.
Dallas Cowboys (D): I hated all of Dallas’ draft picks outside of the Deuce Vaughn moment with his dad. The selection of tight end Luke Schoonmaker in the second round was way too high. The team is counting on first round pick Mavi Smith to bolster their interior defensive line.
Detroit Lions (C): With two first round picks, the Lions taking Gibbs at 12 shook a lot of heads, and very few mock drafts had Jack Campbell in the first round. But honestly, I trust Dan Campbell and what Detroit is currently doing.
Green Bay Packers (C-): Sticking with their tradition of refusing to take a wide receiver with their first pick, Lukas Van Ness didn’t really push the needle for me. They addressed the pass rush, but I’d have loved to see them move up for one of the top guys.
Los Angeles Rams (D+): It seemed like they picked a billion times, and they had some hits like Steve Avila in the second round, but some misses like Stetson Bennett inside the top 130.
New Orleans Saints (C+): I loved the pick of Jake Haener who is sort of Drew Brees Jr. but outside of that, nothing that truly impressed me. Although Bryan Bresee at DT could pan out for them.
Seattle Seahawks (B-): Devin Witherspoon at number five was one of my favorite guys in this draft and then they grabbed maybe the most talented receiver in round one as well in Jaxson Smith-Njigba.
Washington Commanders: (C-): I am surprised that Washington didn’t make more of a push for one of the top QBs, but I also think they are situating themselves to be in the Caleb Williams sweepstakes next year. Emmanuel Forbes could be a playmaker for them at cornerback.