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- Noah K. Murray / Associated Press
The true assessment of how a team performed in the NFL Draft could not begin until about two years after the event. But where is the fun in that?
Project evaluations have a bad reputation. There are certainly examples of highly rated players who are eventually eliminated. There are also unforeseen chosen ones who become all professionals.
Therefore, it is important to keep in mind what is evaluated in the practice of evaluating the performance of each team. Here are the criteria for these assessments:
- Perceived value: How likely are the selected players to withstand the status of their project? The latest Bleacher Report scouting board has been heavily considered for this component.
- Making a list: Getting the “best player available” looks great in a vacuum. However, the team must be a factor. Teams must look for players who meet the needs that appear in the biennial window.
- Asset Optimization: Transactions made before the draft are not valued. These are about what the team did with what they had when the draft started. Earlier elections carried more weight. This Day 3 prospect you love is more likely to fight for a place on the camp list than to fight for a place in the Pro Bowl.
With the established framework, this is how each team coped.
1 of 32
- Butch Deal / Associated Press
The Cardinals made eight choices, but it was the draft on the day of the draft that will determine their weekend.
The Marquise Brown’s trade will obviously be their defining move for this project. This is a victory for the Cardinals, as Brown is a slight upgrade over Christian Kirk and the club probably improved its relationship with Kyler Murray by getting his teammate from college.
However, giving up a player in the first round for a player in the fourth year of his rookie contract lowers the assessment of this move.
After the Cardinals actually entered the clock, they continued to help Murray by capturing one of Trey McBride’s best all-encompassing secret points.
Restoring the defensive front with Cameron Thomas and Mijay Sanders after the loss of Chandler Jones this offseason made a lot of sense.
Rating: B-
2 of 32
- John Locher / Associated Press
The Falcons should be applauded for not forcing a quarterback in the first round. Entering the season with Marcus Mariota is not that exciting, but adding a jumbo receiver to Drake London will make his life easier. London was the best receiver among the talented class of B / R big board.
The Falcons’ patience with the quarterback paid off handsomely with Desmond Reeder. He was the only quarterback to receive a first-round rating from the B / R Scouting Department, and the Falcons received him in the third round.
In addition to supporting their attack after a pass from Matt Ryan, the Falcons became much more athletic in defense. Arnold Ebiquette is a little lower, but has a great first step, and Troy Andersen has the second highest relative athletic score since 1987, according to Kent Lee Platt of the Pro Football Network.
Tyler Algayer has the opportunity to be selected for Day 3, which returns value. He is the type of hard hitter that the Falcons must combine with Cordarrelle Patterson at backfield.
Rating: A
3 of 32
- Gail Burton / Associated Press
- Round 1 (14) – S Kyle Hamilton, Notre Dame
- Round 1 (25) – IOL Tyler Linderbaum, Iowa
- Round 2 (45) – Edge David Ojabo, Michigan
- Round 3 (76) – DI Travis Jones, Connecticut
- Round 4 (110) – OT Daniel Faalele, Minnesota
- Round 4 (119) – CB Jalyn Armor-Davis, Alabama
- Round 4 (128) – TE Charlie Collar, Iowa
- Round 4 (130) – P Jordan Stout, Penn State
- Round 4 (139) – TE Isaiah Likely, Coastal Carolina
- Round 4 (141) – CB Damarion Williams, Houston
- Round 6 (196) – RB Tyler Buddy, Missouri
The Ravens had one of the best first rounds in terms of value. They started by taking one of the best players overall (seventh overall in the B / R big board) to Kyle Hamilton at 14. They then traded Marquise Brown for another year on his rookie contract to get a player. No. 12 on the B / R big board with the 25th peak (originally the 23rd peak and exchanged for the 25th).
The good news kept coming for Ravens fans. David Ojabo could have been selected in the top 15 before tearing up his Achilles tendon, and Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network said he could be ready by October.
Ravens shouldn’t mind waiting. They grabbed another prospect of immediate impact in Travis Jones in the third round. Jones carries a huge frame with athleticism to be a pass-richer factor.
All in all, the Ravens probably withdrew from this draft with four solid starters over the next two years. That doesn’t even include several High Day 3 picks, including massive offensive lineman Daniel Faalele and a pair of secret ends in Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar.
Rating: A +
4 of 32
- Joshua Bessex / Associated Press
Buffalo Bills are in challenger mode, which means that if there is someone who can make a difference in the playoffs, it makes sense to become aggressive. This is exactly what they did in Kaiir Elam’s exchange. With all the talented AFC pitchers, Elam can be a crucial addition to the minor.
James Cook adds another dynamic option to catch passes in the backfield to compete with Devin Singletary. This is an important step towards lifting some of the burden on Josh Allen.
Overall, the Day 2 election was not as inspiring, but it was strengthened by taking Khalil Shakir in the fifth round. He was the 43rd player overall in the B / R Big Board and added another young successor to Josh Allen’s arsenal.
Shakir can easily show a great return on investment as a successor to the newly acquired Jamison Crowder slot.
Rating: B
5 of 32
- John Locher / Associated Press
The deals for Sam Darnold and CJ Henderson left the Carolina Panthers with light stocks of picks. However, we are not here to evaluate these deals, so the focus is on the sixth choice here. What they did there was to add an absolute left-handed strike to the offensive line, which was 31st in the PFF’s final standings for offensive lines.
It’s not quite the same as finding a quarterback franchise, but it certainly makes it a more attractive landing site. Ekwonu was the third player on the B / R big board, so the value of number 6 was as good as it could be.
Matt Coral’s exchange must be seen as a victory. Ole Miss received a rating for the 3rd round from the B / R Scouting Department and Panthers did not reach it. Not a bad investment for a potential start.
Brandon Smith is the most notable of the additions to Day 3. He has to compete to enter the midfielder’s rotation.
Overall, the Panthers made two great choices for them with their two best choices. Since we only appreciate what happened over the weekend and forgive them for trading with Sam Darnold, this is a good extraction.
Rating: A-
6 of 32
- Ted S. Warren / Associated Press
- Round 2 (39) – CB Kyler Gordon, Washington
- Round 2 (48) – S Jaquan Brisker, Penn State
- Round 3 (71) – WR Velus Jones Jr., Tennessee
- Round 5 (168) – You Braxton Jones, South Utah
- Round 5 (174) – Edge Dominic Robinson, Miami (Ohio)
- Round 6 (186) – OT Zack Thomas, San Diego
- Round 6 (203) – RB Trestan Ebner, Baylor
- Round 6 (207) – Doug Kramer, Illinois
- Round 7 (226) – OT Ja’Tyre Carter, Southern University
- Round 7 (254) – S Elijah Hicks, California
- Round 7 (255) – P Trenton Gill, North Carolina
Chicago bears obviously take their reputation as a franchise that has great defenses very seriously. After hiring a head coach set up for defense at Matt Eberflus, they spent every choice in the second round defending the ball.
Kyler Gordon and Jacuan Brisker are of good value and are able to support the secondary. However, it is difficult to overcome the fact that the Bears have done nothing to help Justin Fields with his best choices.
The first attempt to help Fields was curious. Velus Jones Jr. has excellent speed, but that’s all. He will turn 25 before the start of the season and has a lot to develop before he is considered a well-rounded receiver.
Even in the best case scenario, this project only serves as a major upgrade to the secondary Bears. That doesn’t do much enough to help the Fields, which should be a top priority for the team right now.
Rating: C-
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- Jeff Dean / Associated Press
The Cincinnati Bengals did not use a choice in the first round in defense of Williams Jackson III in 2016. So it makes some sense that the Bengals turned to Duxton Hill.
Its value will ultimately be that Defense Coordinator Lou Anarumo will figure out how to use it. He plays mostly in the Michigan slot, but has the athleticism to play deep as well.
The defense investment continued on Day 2, but the value was questionable. Both Cam Taylor-Brit and Zach Carter were more than 60 seats ahead of the B / R big board.
After investing heavily in the offensive line in the free agency, the idea of using the draft to build defenses is good. But it’s hard to get too excited about what the Bengalis did in terms of value.
Rating: B-
8 of 32
- Michael Woods / Associated Press
General Manager Andrew Berry directed his inner Kevin Costner here to make his way up and down the board. The Fitzgerald-Spielberger trading chart that Over the Cap used to analyze drafts liked Berry to return to the second round to take two choices from the fourth round.
The Cleveland Browns did well to find Martin Emerson – a long and physically angled back – in the back half second. It meets what you are looking for in a cornerback and can contribute to a first-class position.
Alex Wright and David Bell have opposite perspectives. Wright’s athletic profile projects the ability to be better in the NFL than in college, while Bell will have to overcome a general lack of athleticism to succeed in the league.
This class would always be short of players with immediate impact. This is the trade price for …
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