NFC Team-By-Team Draft Grades
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NFC Team-By-Team Draft Grades

The NFL Draft has come and gone, and we are left waiting another calendar year until the spectacle takes over Las Vegas in 2022. There were certainly some big surprises in round one, some picks that seem perfect, a few head scratchers, and of course, the late-round steals. The Jaguars got their quarterback, so did the Jets, Niners, Bears and Patriots. The Falcons took a generational tight end and wide receivers were a hot commodity. Here are the grades for the teams in the NFC.

 

NFC South

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (B) – For a team with no immediate needs, the Bucs added depth and a potential Tom Brady successor in Florida QB Kyle Trask.  They got a steal in WR Jaelon Darden from North Texas in the fourth round.

Atlanta Falcons (B-) – Florida TE Kyle Pitts may very well be a Hall of Famer based on his freakish athletic ability and college career. They bypassed TCU S Trevon Moehrig for Richie Grant from UCF.  They didn’t get much outside of those two picks.

New Orleans Saints (C-) – The Saints reached in round one with better options on the board. I like the selection of Ohio State LB Peter Werner but was not impressed overall. Notre Dame QB Ian Book in the fourth round was a wasted pick.

Carolina Panthers (B+) – The Panthers were in a spot to draft Justin Fields but added secondary help instead with lockdown corner Jaycee Horn. They added some great offensive weapons such as LSU WR Terrace Marshall and Oklahoma State RB Chuba Hubbard.

 

NFC East

Dallas Cowboys (B) – Penn State LB Micah Parsons will be a stud and LSU LB Jabril Cox was a steal as the Cowboys needed LB help. Their first six picks were on defense and they did get two new cornerbacks.  However, neither of them happened to be named Surtain or Horn.

Philadelphia Eagles (B-) – For a team that can’t win on wide receiver transactions, the Eagles got lucky with Heisman winner Alabama WR Devonta Smith falling enough to trade up and get him. Alabama OL Landon Dickerson is a risk because of his injuries, but a solid lineman.

New York Giants (B+) – Trading back and getting one of the fastest guys in the draft in Florida WR Kadarius Toney was a win for New York. Georgie EDGE Azeez Ojulari could have been a first round pick as well. I liked this draft despite them having few picks to work with.

Washington Football Team (A) – Kentucky LB Jamin Davis, Texas OT Samuel Cosmi and North Carolina WR Dyami Brown were all great picks in areas of need. The Ron Rivera era in Washington hits another home run with this stacked draft class.

 

NFC Central

Green Bay Packers (B-) – Green Bay needed wide receivers and secondary. They went with secondary in round one and got crushed for it as most analysts had Georgia CB Eric Stokes as a third-round pick. They did pick Clemson WR Amari Rodgers in day two.

Chicago Bears (A) – You must trade up in this league when a quarterback worth changing your franchise is available and the Bears did that to get Ohio State QB Justin Fields. They added good line depth and took some offensive weapons as well.

Minnesota Vikings (B) – The Vikings had 11 picks and got a great haul. They get a massive tackle in round one pick Christian Darrisaw from Virginia Tech and one of the best developmental QBs in the draft in Texas A&M QB Kellen Mond in round two.

Detroit Lions (A) – Penei Sewell landed in the Lions lap with pick 7 and he could play 10 years in Detroit. They added a few pass rushers, but I do wish they had gone with a wide receiver earlier to replace free agent departure Kenny Golladay.

 

NFC West

Los Angeles Rams (C) – I liked the Rams draft headquarters more than their draft selections. They didn’t have a first round pick and probably reached on speedy Louisville WR Tutu Atwell who only weighed 149 pounds at the combine.

Seattle Seahawks (C-) – It’s hard to be flattering of a team with just three picks who didn’t add any along the way. Western Michigan WR D’Wayne Eskridge was their first pick and according to the PFF Big Board he was a massive reach.

Arizona Cardinals (B) – The Cards were high on Tulsa LB Zaven Collins who will learn from J.J. Watt, but my favorite pick is Florida CB Marco Wilson in round three to help replace Patrick Peterson. They also added Purdue WR Rondale Moore.

San Francisco 49ers (C-) – Trey Lance was the shocker pick at three and this grade really is incomplete until we see how soon he plays. They addressed some needs but certainly didn’t take the top players at their positions, although Ohio State RB Trey Sermon could be a steal.