Post by Seattle Seahawks on Feb 8, 2021 2:28:20 GMT -5
Arizona Cardinals- Arizona went with WR in 3 of their first 4 picks, grabbing Tyreek Hill, CeeDee Lamb, and Mike Evans, and they have potential to be one of the best WR trios in the league. A key factor to Arizona’s success will be James Robinson. If Robinson manages to perform on close to the same level as he did this past year, they have a great lineup at the key skill positions. However, with Jacksonville having so little invested in Robinson, it is very possible they bring in another rookie from the draft to compete. In the 5th round, Arizona selected Baker Mayfield, who will have a very pricey 5th year option almost certainly picked up by the Cleveland Browns this offseason. Baker will need to continue to take steps forward in his progression next year, or Arizona may have no choice but to decline his option and look for QB help elsewhere. The only knock on Arizona is a lack of startable depth throughout their roster, but they do have a ton of cap room left to address that however they choose. GRADE: B
Atlanta Falcons- I love what Atlanta did in this draft. They started out with back to back top of the line RBs by grabbing Dalvin Cook and Aaron Jones. They followed that up with Keenan Allen, Tyler Lockett, and Laviska Shenault. They could end up in the same boat as Arizona with Baker Mayfield, but they made sure to grab point getters at almost every position, including the sometimes underestimated IDP positions. The only reason I’m tacking on a “minus” to their grade is they opted out of the draft a little early, and are lacking depth. GRADE: A-
Baltimore Ravens- Baltimore had the unfortunate luck of being pick number 32 in this draft, but they sure nailed 1.32 and 2.1, selecting Nick Chubb and Stefon Diggs. However, Baltimore invested a lot of draft capital into their defense, selecting defenders in the 5th, 6th, and 7th rounds, and I’m not sure that was the best decision, as I don’t see IDPs winning many games in this league. The most important factor for Baltimore will be what they decide to do with the number 1 pick in this year's rookie draft. Do they select Trevor Lawrence having so much money invested in Matt Ryan? Do they select another skill position player? Do they trade the pick for a haul? Time will tell. GRADE: C
Buffalo Bills- Buffalo started out on fire, selecting DK Metcalf and Davante Adams. They are in the same situation I mentioned with Arizona in regards to James Robinson, but if he performs as well as he did this year, the group of those 2 WRs, J-Rob, and Russel Wilson could help makeup for a serious lack of depth/star-power elsewhere.They almost certainly need to find a star at number 10 in this year's rookie draft. GRADE: C-
Carolina Panthers- Carolina took Travis Kelce with the 5th overall pick in what many people considered a reach. However, I like how their team turned out overall, so I will not punish them for that. They will be looking for Cam Akers to pick up where he left off the last few weeks of this season. DJ Chark with Trevor Lawrence and Terry McLaurin with a new QB, along with Travis Kelce, could be scary good in this PPR format. Assuming the Jets address their QB situation, Denzel Mims could be a sneaky good pick. All eyes will be on the QB fiasco in Philadelphia, as Carolina drafted both Jalen Hurts and Carson Wentz. It was an all around solid draft for Carolina, the only knock is the lack of a true star QB, and they don’t have an ideal starting option for their WR3 or Flex spot. GRADE: B
Chicago Bears- Chicago contemplated trading out of the first round, but ultimately these two co-owners ended up selecting the last of top tier young QBs in Lamar Jackson. They will be hoping that Lamar doesn’t regress further in 2021 after dropping from 35 to 28 FPts per game from 2019 to 2020. Chicago also was not afraid to draft some aging veterans in Derrick Henry, Julio Jones, and Antonio Brown, but complimented them nicely with young talent in Antonio Gibson and Brandon Aiyuk. Chicago has the 8th overall pick in the rookie draft as well, and is certain to add another young piece to their starting lineup from that spot. GRADE: B-
Cincinnati Bengals- Cincy will also be hoping Lamar does not continue to regress in 2021. However, they have solid options at almost every offensive position. They will be counting on Hayden Hurst and Hollywood Brown to take steps forward and live up to their potential, as well as looking for Kareem Hunt to maintain his role as the 1B in the Cleveland backfield. They will also be hoping that Robby Anderson and Brandin Cooks can repeat their 2020 performances going forward, regardless of who their respective QBs end up being. They do have quite a few depth spots to fill in the draft or free agency. GRADE: B+
Cleveland Browns- I love what Cleveland did at the skill positions, drafting arguably the best player in fantasy football in CMC, following it up at WR, drafting Calvin Ridley, Keenan Allen, and Allen Robinson. However, they left a big question mark at the most important position, drafting only the 43 year old Tom Brady at QB. They will almost definitely need to hope they can get one of the young QBs in this year's rookie draft, which they could potentially do at 21. Cleveland also did a good job of drafting WR depth, but their RB depth is a serious problem if CMC were to be injured again and Mike Davis goes elsewhere this offseason. GRADE: B
Dallas Cowboys- The commish didn’t do himself any favors drawing spot number 30 in the draft for his own team. He went with Nick Chubb with his first pick after being sniped a few times, and then followed it up with Calvin Ridley. After the rest of his division took Mahomes, Kyler Murray, and Joe Burrow, he felt the need to grab a QB and took one of the best on the board at the time in Russel Wilson in round 3. He will be looking for Diontae Johnson to have more catches then drops next year, as he has a weakness at WR. However, I do love the Curtis Samuel pick, as he can be an absolute star in the right offense. Dallas will definitely need to take whoever he feels is the best WR in this draft with his #3 overall rookie pick, because Marvin Jones isn’t going to get it done for him as his WR3. GRADE: B-
Denver Broncos- The AFC West had 3 of the top 4 picks, with Denver having the 4th overall pick, where they selected the second copy of Josh Allen, matching their divisional opponent LA Chargers who had just taken the first copy of Allen the pick before. Their next three picks of Mike Evans, George Kittle, and Austin Ekeler all have some injury history, but all three can be matchup winners. I love Denver's strategy, as they kept going with offense and took three more WRs in rounds 5-7, and solidified their RB depth in round 8 and 9, before switching to defense. They also drafted all 28 rounds to have a complete roster. Overall, a great draft by Denver, and they will get my highest grade so far. GRADE: A
Detroit Lions- It looks like Detroit wanted to stay young for the most part in this draft. The biggest question for me was why Miles Sanders at 2.7 after going with Swift in the first round? In my eyes, there were many better options available at both the WR and RB position at that time. Detroit has some good pieces, but their WR room is seriously lacking star power, and I think Detroit has some serious work to do to contend, and that starts with getting an impact player at number 7 in this year's rookie draft. GRADE: D
Green Bay Packers- Green Bay was on point with their first four picks, going Barkley-AJB-Mixon-Godwin. They have the number 5 pick in this year’s rookie draft, and I’m guessing they will add another WR to compete with Gallup and Gabe Davis for the third WR spot. They grabbed Ryan Tannehill to complete the QB-WR duo with AJ Brown, getting great value by grabbing a top 10 QB in the 7th round. On the defensive side, they didn’t hesitate to take star players who had ACL injuries in 2020, grabbing Nick Bosa and Devin Bush. Green Bay also drafted all 28 rounds for depth. GRADE: A+
Houston Texans- Houston was not afraid to spend money during this draft, but they spent the majority of their money on the defensive side of the ball, which may hurt them. They selected the cornerstone of their franchise in Justin Herbert at number 8 overall, followed by two solid RBs in Mixon and Dobbins, but their WR group is lacking a true WR1, which could be big in the PPR format. GRADE: C+
Indianapolis Colts- Indy was not afraid to spend money, and did so early. It should pay off, as they have matchup winning quality players at QB, RB, and WR. All eyes will be on the Deshaun Watson situation, as he is no doubt the cornerstone of this Indy team. Indy opted out of this draft early on, and will need to add some defensive depth during the offseason. If all goes well with Deshaun Watson, and he is able to find a productive WR3, Indy could be dangerous week in and week out. GRADE: B
Jacksonville Jaguars- Through the first four rounds, it looked like a full on spending war between AFC South foes Indy and Jacksonville. Indy took Watson with number 20 overall, and followed it up with two perennial top 5 WRs in DeAndre Hopkins and Michael Thomas. Then they added Ezekiel Eliott in the 4th, rounding out a very scary Big 4. They drafted a bunch of RB depth, but there is definitely room for improvement at their WR3 and FLEX spots. GRADE: B
Kansas City Chiefs- Kansas City was the one AFC West team who did not have a top 4 pick, so they had little room for error with one copy of Mahomes and both copies of Josh Allen already in their division. With the young QBs off the board at 27, they went with the young stud from LSU, Justin Jefferson. They then grabbed DeAndre Hopkins in the second, before finding their answer at QB in Joe Burrow late in round 3. It will be interesting to see what KC does with the number 6 pick in the rookie draft, as there is a need both at WR and RB. GRADE: C+
Las Vegas Raiders- Las Vegas had the number one pick in this draft, and I love their strategy throughout. They have depth everywhere, a fairly loaded WR group, and of course, Patrick Mahomes. Las Vegas was also very active on the trade front, and it clearly paid off. GRADE: A+
Los Angeles Chargers- LAC did a great job in this draft. After taking Josh Allen at 3, they grabbed a great young RB in Josh Jacobs before selecting 4 straight impact WRs. They have a pretty big weakness at TE, as neither of the two tight ends on their roster are likely to be starters on their teams in 2021. They also lack depth at the RB position. However, there is no lack of starpower throughout the majority of their starting lineup. GRADE: B+
Los Angeles Rams- The Rams will have fun every week setting their starting lineup on offense. They have four startable WRs in Landry, Hill, Pittman, and Beasley, and two startable RBs in Barkley and CEH. They went with the veteran Aaron Rodgers at QB, and they have one of the better fantasy tight ends in the game in Mark Andrews. LAR appears to be in win now mode, and they have a roster that could do it. GRADE: A
Miami Dolphins- Miami killed it with their top 5 picks, but I believe they seriously hurt their chances at contending for a title by drafting mediocre depth pieces in rounds 6 and 7 instead of getting a quality TE. If Miami can address the TE position, they will have a great starting lineup.However, they are lacking in quality depth across the board. GRADE: B-
Minnesota Vikings- Minnesota solidified their RB room for years to come with their first two picks by selecting CMC and JK Dobbins. Their WR room is led by perennial top 12 WR Adam Thielen and Laviska Shenault, who I expect to be great with Trevor Lawrence under center. Unfortunately, the rest of their WRs are far from great. Tre’Quan Smith could be a sleeper, but they have a serious need to address the WR position. They also have a serious lack of depth on the defensive side of the ball. GRADE: C-
New England Patriots- New England was rumored to be looking at Dalvin Cook with their number 6 overall pick, but called an audible after seeing the young QBs fly off the board ahead of them, and picked Justin Herbert. In my opinion, they made the right decision. Their decision looked even better when they were able to grab CEH at 2.27. They followed that up by grabbing Kittle in the third, and three straight WRs after that. Just like that, New England had one of the better offensive lineups in the league. Unfortunately, the positives end there. This team has absolutely no depth, and will have some serious work to do when it comes to free agency and the rookie draft. GRADE: C+
New Orleans Saints- New Orleans loaded up at the skill positions early on by grabbing Kamara, Diggs, and Tee Higgins. They had no fear about waiting to grab a QB, as they nabbed Mike Gesicki in the 4th, Kareem Hunt in the 5th, and then traded out of the 6th round altogether. In the 7th round, they finally pulled the trigger on QBs with 2 of their 3 picks, with Jarvis Landry sandwiched in between. Grabbing Leonard Fournette in the 9th round as their third RB could end up being a very valuable pick. New Orleans opted out of this draft pretty early, and therefore lacks quality depth at WR, and essentially no depth on the defensive side. This combined with the lack of a star QB could be the downfall of this team and their title hopes. GRADE: B-
New York Giants- The G-Men went with young, high upside players pretty much all the way through this draft, and that is never a bad strategy in a dynasty startup. Their WR trio of DJ Moore, Chase Claypool, and Deebo Samuel is especially interesting. They will be relying on Cam Akers to pick back up where he left off this year, and Kyler Murray to help him matchup with the other QBs in his division. They do have a lack of depth at the RB position. GRADE: B
New York Jets- The Jets took an interesting path in this draft. They spent more than $45,000,000 a year at the QB spot, but will need Kirk Cousins to keep up his 2020 numbers to be worth the money. Jared Goff has been traded to Detroit since the Jets drafted him, which I doubt they are happy about. They went with two of the 2020 rookie RBs in JT and Gibson, and will probably be hoping Gibson keeps his WR eligibility for lineup flexibility, although that is unlikely. They made sure to grab a top tight end in Daren Waller as well. The QB spot may hold them back, both in fantasy points and financially, but it was overall a decent draft by NYJ. GRADE: B-
Philadelphia Eagles: The Eagles selected Patrick Mahomes with the number 2 pick. They’ll be looking for David Montgomery to perform more consistently like he did in the 2020 season, because if they get 2019 Montgomery, it may be a wasted second round pick. In the next 5 rounds they were able to pick up 4 solid young WRs along with a good young TE in Dallas Goedert. Selecting a kicker in the 8th round was an interesting move, but overall they did enough to compliment Mahomes and compete for a wild card spot. GRADE: B-
Pittsburgh Steelers- Pittsburgh has one of, if not the best group of WRs and RBs in the league. However, they will have serious question marks at QB and TE. If Taysom Hill is indeed the starter in New Orleans in 2021, this could be a scary team in the AFC. GRADE: B+
San Francisco 49ers- San Fran started out on the right path by drafting D’Andre Swift and Daren Waller, but it went downhill in a hurry. They went with 3 questionable WR picks in a row, and then a LB in round 6. San Fran will have the number 2 pick in this years rookie draft, but this team is more than one draft away from contending. GRADE: F
Seattle Seahawks- Seattle was one of the most active owners during this draft. They used all 3 of their draft pick trades, and even agreed to a post draft player trade during the draft itself. They were not afraid to pay up to get the guy they wanted. Seattle had a clear plan coming in, and they executed it to perfection: draft cheap, highly talented players with high upside, with selectively high spending at key spots. Their core of Dak, JT, AJB, Will Fuller, Chase Claypool, and CeeDee Lamb (acquired in the post draft deal that was struck during the draft) could be a force to be reckoned with in the NFC for years to come. They won’t even have to sweat out the Dak Prescott contract situation after selecting both Matthew Stafford and Taysom Hill as a security blanket. Seattle drafted all 28 rounds, and did a great job of getting depth at all spots. GRADE: A+
Tampa Bay Buccaneers- I love what Tampa did in this draft. They are 100% in win now mode, but are young enough to compete for the next few years at least. They’ll need to add some defensive depth, and will most likely want to grab a WR in the 12th spot of this years rookie draft, as Devante Parker is probably not an ideal every week starter. However, they have studs across the board, and should be a contender in the NFC. GRADE: A
Tennessee Titans- It may be too early to truly grade Tennessee. They drafted DK Metcalf in the first round and CeeDee Lamb in the second, but they’ve since traded Lamb for Deebo Samuel and and 4 picks, including 2 first rounders. Tennessee will have 2 top 15 picks in this years rookie draft, and I look for them to improve their WR and RB rooms with those picks. GRADE: B
Washington Football Team- Washington may have drafted the best WR trio in the league if Julio Jones returns to form in 2021. In addition they have Joe Burrow at QB, Zeke Elliott at RB, and TJ Hockenson at TE. There may be a lack of quality depth players at RB and WR, but if that lineup stays healthy, they’re the clear favorites in the NFC East. Oh, and did I mention they have the number 4 pick in this year's rookie draft? Yikes! GRADE: A+
Atlanta Falcons- I love what Atlanta did in this draft. They started out with back to back top of the line RBs by grabbing Dalvin Cook and Aaron Jones. They followed that up with Keenan Allen, Tyler Lockett, and Laviska Shenault. They could end up in the same boat as Arizona with Baker Mayfield, but they made sure to grab point getters at almost every position, including the sometimes underestimated IDP positions. The only reason I’m tacking on a “minus” to their grade is they opted out of the draft a little early, and are lacking depth. GRADE: A-
Baltimore Ravens- Baltimore had the unfortunate luck of being pick number 32 in this draft, but they sure nailed 1.32 and 2.1, selecting Nick Chubb and Stefon Diggs. However, Baltimore invested a lot of draft capital into their defense, selecting defenders in the 5th, 6th, and 7th rounds, and I’m not sure that was the best decision, as I don’t see IDPs winning many games in this league. The most important factor for Baltimore will be what they decide to do with the number 1 pick in this year's rookie draft. Do they select Trevor Lawrence having so much money invested in Matt Ryan? Do they select another skill position player? Do they trade the pick for a haul? Time will tell. GRADE: C
Buffalo Bills- Buffalo started out on fire, selecting DK Metcalf and Davante Adams. They are in the same situation I mentioned with Arizona in regards to James Robinson, but if he performs as well as he did this year, the group of those 2 WRs, J-Rob, and Russel Wilson could help makeup for a serious lack of depth/star-power elsewhere.They almost certainly need to find a star at number 10 in this year's rookie draft. GRADE: C-
Carolina Panthers- Carolina took Travis Kelce with the 5th overall pick in what many people considered a reach. However, I like how their team turned out overall, so I will not punish them for that. They will be looking for Cam Akers to pick up where he left off the last few weeks of this season. DJ Chark with Trevor Lawrence and Terry McLaurin with a new QB, along with Travis Kelce, could be scary good in this PPR format. Assuming the Jets address their QB situation, Denzel Mims could be a sneaky good pick. All eyes will be on the QB fiasco in Philadelphia, as Carolina drafted both Jalen Hurts and Carson Wentz. It was an all around solid draft for Carolina, the only knock is the lack of a true star QB, and they don’t have an ideal starting option for their WR3 or Flex spot. GRADE: B
Chicago Bears- Chicago contemplated trading out of the first round, but ultimately these two co-owners ended up selecting the last of top tier young QBs in Lamar Jackson. They will be hoping that Lamar doesn’t regress further in 2021 after dropping from 35 to 28 FPts per game from 2019 to 2020. Chicago also was not afraid to draft some aging veterans in Derrick Henry, Julio Jones, and Antonio Brown, but complimented them nicely with young talent in Antonio Gibson and Brandon Aiyuk. Chicago has the 8th overall pick in the rookie draft as well, and is certain to add another young piece to their starting lineup from that spot. GRADE: B-
Cincinnati Bengals- Cincy will also be hoping Lamar does not continue to regress in 2021. However, they have solid options at almost every offensive position. They will be counting on Hayden Hurst and Hollywood Brown to take steps forward and live up to their potential, as well as looking for Kareem Hunt to maintain his role as the 1B in the Cleveland backfield. They will also be hoping that Robby Anderson and Brandin Cooks can repeat their 2020 performances going forward, regardless of who their respective QBs end up being. They do have quite a few depth spots to fill in the draft or free agency. GRADE: B+
Cleveland Browns- I love what Cleveland did at the skill positions, drafting arguably the best player in fantasy football in CMC, following it up at WR, drafting Calvin Ridley, Keenan Allen, and Allen Robinson. However, they left a big question mark at the most important position, drafting only the 43 year old Tom Brady at QB. They will almost definitely need to hope they can get one of the young QBs in this year's rookie draft, which they could potentially do at 21. Cleveland also did a good job of drafting WR depth, but their RB depth is a serious problem if CMC were to be injured again and Mike Davis goes elsewhere this offseason. GRADE: B
Dallas Cowboys- The commish didn’t do himself any favors drawing spot number 30 in the draft for his own team. He went with Nick Chubb with his first pick after being sniped a few times, and then followed it up with Calvin Ridley. After the rest of his division took Mahomes, Kyler Murray, and Joe Burrow, he felt the need to grab a QB and took one of the best on the board at the time in Russel Wilson in round 3. He will be looking for Diontae Johnson to have more catches then drops next year, as he has a weakness at WR. However, I do love the Curtis Samuel pick, as he can be an absolute star in the right offense. Dallas will definitely need to take whoever he feels is the best WR in this draft with his #3 overall rookie pick, because Marvin Jones isn’t going to get it done for him as his WR3. GRADE: B-
Denver Broncos- The AFC West had 3 of the top 4 picks, with Denver having the 4th overall pick, where they selected the second copy of Josh Allen, matching their divisional opponent LA Chargers who had just taken the first copy of Allen the pick before. Their next three picks of Mike Evans, George Kittle, and Austin Ekeler all have some injury history, but all three can be matchup winners. I love Denver's strategy, as they kept going with offense and took three more WRs in rounds 5-7, and solidified their RB depth in round 8 and 9, before switching to defense. They also drafted all 28 rounds to have a complete roster. Overall, a great draft by Denver, and they will get my highest grade so far. GRADE: A
Detroit Lions- It looks like Detroit wanted to stay young for the most part in this draft. The biggest question for me was why Miles Sanders at 2.7 after going with Swift in the first round? In my eyes, there were many better options available at both the WR and RB position at that time. Detroit has some good pieces, but their WR room is seriously lacking star power, and I think Detroit has some serious work to do to contend, and that starts with getting an impact player at number 7 in this year's rookie draft. GRADE: D
Green Bay Packers- Green Bay was on point with their first four picks, going Barkley-AJB-Mixon-Godwin. They have the number 5 pick in this year’s rookie draft, and I’m guessing they will add another WR to compete with Gallup and Gabe Davis for the third WR spot. They grabbed Ryan Tannehill to complete the QB-WR duo with AJ Brown, getting great value by grabbing a top 10 QB in the 7th round. On the defensive side, they didn’t hesitate to take star players who had ACL injuries in 2020, grabbing Nick Bosa and Devin Bush. Green Bay also drafted all 28 rounds for depth. GRADE: A+
Houston Texans- Houston was not afraid to spend money during this draft, but they spent the majority of their money on the defensive side of the ball, which may hurt them. They selected the cornerstone of their franchise in Justin Herbert at number 8 overall, followed by two solid RBs in Mixon and Dobbins, but their WR group is lacking a true WR1, which could be big in the PPR format. GRADE: C+
Indianapolis Colts- Indy was not afraid to spend money, and did so early. It should pay off, as they have matchup winning quality players at QB, RB, and WR. All eyes will be on the Deshaun Watson situation, as he is no doubt the cornerstone of this Indy team. Indy opted out of this draft early on, and will need to add some defensive depth during the offseason. If all goes well with Deshaun Watson, and he is able to find a productive WR3, Indy could be dangerous week in and week out. GRADE: B
Jacksonville Jaguars- Through the first four rounds, it looked like a full on spending war between AFC South foes Indy and Jacksonville. Indy took Watson with number 20 overall, and followed it up with two perennial top 5 WRs in DeAndre Hopkins and Michael Thomas. Then they added Ezekiel Eliott in the 4th, rounding out a very scary Big 4. They drafted a bunch of RB depth, but there is definitely room for improvement at their WR3 and FLEX spots. GRADE: B
Kansas City Chiefs- Kansas City was the one AFC West team who did not have a top 4 pick, so they had little room for error with one copy of Mahomes and both copies of Josh Allen already in their division. With the young QBs off the board at 27, they went with the young stud from LSU, Justin Jefferson. They then grabbed DeAndre Hopkins in the second, before finding their answer at QB in Joe Burrow late in round 3. It will be interesting to see what KC does with the number 6 pick in the rookie draft, as there is a need both at WR and RB. GRADE: C+
Las Vegas Raiders- Las Vegas had the number one pick in this draft, and I love their strategy throughout. They have depth everywhere, a fairly loaded WR group, and of course, Patrick Mahomes. Las Vegas was also very active on the trade front, and it clearly paid off. GRADE: A+
Los Angeles Chargers- LAC did a great job in this draft. After taking Josh Allen at 3, they grabbed a great young RB in Josh Jacobs before selecting 4 straight impact WRs. They have a pretty big weakness at TE, as neither of the two tight ends on their roster are likely to be starters on their teams in 2021. They also lack depth at the RB position. However, there is no lack of starpower throughout the majority of their starting lineup. GRADE: B+
Los Angeles Rams- The Rams will have fun every week setting their starting lineup on offense. They have four startable WRs in Landry, Hill, Pittman, and Beasley, and two startable RBs in Barkley and CEH. They went with the veteran Aaron Rodgers at QB, and they have one of the better fantasy tight ends in the game in Mark Andrews. LAR appears to be in win now mode, and they have a roster that could do it. GRADE: A
Miami Dolphins- Miami killed it with their top 5 picks, but I believe they seriously hurt their chances at contending for a title by drafting mediocre depth pieces in rounds 6 and 7 instead of getting a quality TE. If Miami can address the TE position, they will have a great starting lineup.However, they are lacking in quality depth across the board. GRADE: B-
Minnesota Vikings- Minnesota solidified their RB room for years to come with their first two picks by selecting CMC and JK Dobbins. Their WR room is led by perennial top 12 WR Adam Thielen and Laviska Shenault, who I expect to be great with Trevor Lawrence under center. Unfortunately, the rest of their WRs are far from great. Tre’Quan Smith could be a sleeper, but they have a serious need to address the WR position. They also have a serious lack of depth on the defensive side of the ball. GRADE: C-
New England Patriots- New England was rumored to be looking at Dalvin Cook with their number 6 overall pick, but called an audible after seeing the young QBs fly off the board ahead of them, and picked Justin Herbert. In my opinion, they made the right decision. Their decision looked even better when they were able to grab CEH at 2.27. They followed that up by grabbing Kittle in the third, and three straight WRs after that. Just like that, New England had one of the better offensive lineups in the league. Unfortunately, the positives end there. This team has absolutely no depth, and will have some serious work to do when it comes to free agency and the rookie draft. GRADE: C+
New Orleans Saints- New Orleans loaded up at the skill positions early on by grabbing Kamara, Diggs, and Tee Higgins. They had no fear about waiting to grab a QB, as they nabbed Mike Gesicki in the 4th, Kareem Hunt in the 5th, and then traded out of the 6th round altogether. In the 7th round, they finally pulled the trigger on QBs with 2 of their 3 picks, with Jarvis Landry sandwiched in between. Grabbing Leonard Fournette in the 9th round as their third RB could end up being a very valuable pick. New Orleans opted out of this draft pretty early, and therefore lacks quality depth at WR, and essentially no depth on the defensive side. This combined with the lack of a star QB could be the downfall of this team and their title hopes. GRADE: B-
New York Giants- The G-Men went with young, high upside players pretty much all the way through this draft, and that is never a bad strategy in a dynasty startup. Their WR trio of DJ Moore, Chase Claypool, and Deebo Samuel is especially interesting. They will be relying on Cam Akers to pick back up where he left off this year, and Kyler Murray to help him matchup with the other QBs in his division. They do have a lack of depth at the RB position. GRADE: B
New York Jets- The Jets took an interesting path in this draft. They spent more than $45,000,000 a year at the QB spot, but will need Kirk Cousins to keep up his 2020 numbers to be worth the money. Jared Goff has been traded to Detroit since the Jets drafted him, which I doubt they are happy about. They went with two of the 2020 rookie RBs in JT and Gibson, and will probably be hoping Gibson keeps his WR eligibility for lineup flexibility, although that is unlikely. They made sure to grab a top tight end in Daren Waller as well. The QB spot may hold them back, both in fantasy points and financially, but it was overall a decent draft by NYJ. GRADE: B-
Philadelphia Eagles: The Eagles selected Patrick Mahomes with the number 2 pick. They’ll be looking for David Montgomery to perform more consistently like he did in the 2020 season, because if they get 2019 Montgomery, it may be a wasted second round pick. In the next 5 rounds they were able to pick up 4 solid young WRs along with a good young TE in Dallas Goedert. Selecting a kicker in the 8th round was an interesting move, but overall they did enough to compliment Mahomes and compete for a wild card spot. GRADE: B-
Pittsburgh Steelers- Pittsburgh has one of, if not the best group of WRs and RBs in the league. However, they will have serious question marks at QB and TE. If Taysom Hill is indeed the starter in New Orleans in 2021, this could be a scary team in the AFC. GRADE: B+
San Francisco 49ers- San Fran started out on the right path by drafting D’Andre Swift and Daren Waller, but it went downhill in a hurry. They went with 3 questionable WR picks in a row, and then a LB in round 6. San Fran will have the number 2 pick in this years rookie draft, but this team is more than one draft away from contending. GRADE: F
Seattle Seahawks- Seattle was one of the most active owners during this draft. They used all 3 of their draft pick trades, and even agreed to a post draft player trade during the draft itself. They were not afraid to pay up to get the guy they wanted. Seattle had a clear plan coming in, and they executed it to perfection: draft cheap, highly talented players with high upside, with selectively high spending at key spots. Their core of Dak, JT, AJB, Will Fuller, Chase Claypool, and CeeDee Lamb (acquired in the post draft deal that was struck during the draft) could be a force to be reckoned with in the NFC for years to come. They won’t even have to sweat out the Dak Prescott contract situation after selecting both Matthew Stafford and Taysom Hill as a security blanket. Seattle drafted all 28 rounds, and did a great job of getting depth at all spots. GRADE: A+
Tampa Bay Buccaneers- I love what Tampa did in this draft. They are 100% in win now mode, but are young enough to compete for the next few years at least. They’ll need to add some defensive depth, and will most likely want to grab a WR in the 12th spot of this years rookie draft, as Devante Parker is probably not an ideal every week starter. However, they have studs across the board, and should be a contender in the NFC. GRADE: A
Tennessee Titans- It may be too early to truly grade Tennessee. They drafted DK Metcalf in the first round and CeeDee Lamb in the second, but they’ve since traded Lamb for Deebo Samuel and and 4 picks, including 2 first rounders. Tennessee will have 2 top 15 picks in this years rookie draft, and I look for them to improve their WR and RB rooms with those picks. GRADE: B
Washington Football Team- Washington may have drafted the best WR trio in the league if Julio Jones returns to form in 2021. In addition they have Joe Burrow at QB, Zeke Elliott at RB, and TJ Hockenson at TE. There may be a lack of quality depth players at RB and WR, but if that lineup stays healthy, they’re the clear favorites in the NFC East. Oh, and did I mention they have the number 4 pick in this year's rookie draft? Yikes! GRADE: A+