The NFL Draft is one of my favorite nights of the year! I’ll be here all night long to give live reactions and grades to every first-round pick.
Coming soon……
1. Jacksonville Jaguars: Trevor Lawrence- Grade: A+: Lawrence is the consensus #1 overall player. A completely revamped front office and coaching staff for the Jaguars. This is the start of a new era of Jaguar football.
2. New York Jets: Zach Wilson- Grade A-: I am not sure I see Wilson as the clear-cut second QB. Regardless, this is the correct pick for the Jets! They were able to get some valuable picks back for Sam and now they have their QB of the future with brand new coaching staff. I hope that they continue to invest in their offensive line and WRs around him. Joe Douglas is a sharp guy, so I trust their process. Resetting the clock on a rookie QB deal is so valuable for a franchise that has as much cap space as they do.
3. San Fransisco 49ers: Trey Lance- Grade A-: The Niners take the high upside QB out of North Dakota State! The instant reaction is that Lance is going to be very successful at the NFL with Kyle Shanahan. The Niners are a good QB away from being legit super bowl contenders, they were just there two seasons ago. Will Shanahan get creative with Lance as he did with RG3 his rookie year. I am excited about this fit and I think Lance has an extremely successful NFL career with the Niners. S/O to the superior prediction specialist Justin Bales, stood his ground on the Niners taking a dual-threat QB with upside.
4. Atlanta Falcons: Kyle Pitts- Grade A: I legit think Pitts is a generational talent. The Falcons are going to try to squeeze what’s left of Matt Ryan out of him, or they’re setting up their QB of the future to have an exciting and explosive offensive weapon. Pitts is going to be a scary fantasy asset and I plan on being heavily invested.
5. Cinncinati Bengals: Ja’Marr Chase- Grade A-: This is a deep offensive line draft. It makes sense for the Bengals to get the best WR prospect in the draft. This is a draft littered with smaller slot-type WRs. The Bengals need to address the offensive line with their R2/R3 picks.
6. Miami Dolphins: Jaylen Waddle- Grade A-: The Dolphins get the next best WR. They have been linked to Waddle for a while now, it was just determining whether they would find a trade partner and move back. Incredible speed and quickness, this is a no-brainer for a team that has no WR depth heading into 2022. All in on Tua.
7. Detroit Lions: Penei Sewell- Grade A-: Difficult to complain about this Lions pick. They improve the trenches, something we know Dan Campbell is excited about. Sewell is an elite tackle prospect and could be a pro-bowl-level talent for the next decade at the position! They have a lot of holes to fill, but this is a great pick.
8. Carolina Panthers: Jaycee Horn- Grade A-: It’s difficult not to love this selection for the Panthers. Horn was the consensus #2 corner on most draft boards. I like this landing spot, would have liked to see the Panthers invest in their offensive line. Donte Jackson is a free agent for 2022 so CB was a priority.
9. Denver Broncos: Patrick Surtain- Grade B-: Love the player, hate the pick. I mean Surtain is a stud, don’t get me wrong. Unless the Broncos are landing Aaron Rodgers, this is a bad pick. They needed to invest in their offensive line or get a QB of the future. How much better can this Broncos defense get? Are they committed to Teddy??? So many questions.
10. Philadelphia Eagles (via DAL): DeVonta Smith- Grade C-: Not only do you take an inferior WR prospect but you trade up for him??? I understand that the Eagles and Eagles fans wanted a WR after their failure to draft a productive one, but this isn’t it. Taking a WR with Smith’s athletic profile and breakout age makes no sense. Smith will be serviceable but he’s not a superstar, despite the Heisman trophy. This is a better pick for the Giants than the Eagles.
11. Chicago Bears (via Giants): Justin Fields- Grade A: Justin Fields was the best available QB in the draft!!! Absolutely massive W for the Bears. Nagy with a good dual-threat QB???? This is incredible, as a Bears fan, I am very excited. Lets gooooooo!!!!!!
12. Dallas Cowboys (via Eagles): Micah Parsons- Grade B: The Cowboys had a lot of other needs besides Parsons, they got absolutely robbed of the top two corners. Really tough scenes for the Cowboys. Parsons fits in any defensive system, but I think they should have considered Slater here and played him at guard.
13. Los Angeles Chargers: Rashawn Slater- Grade A+: I said in my mock that if Slater fell to the Chargers they should sprint to the podium. They get the second-best tackle in the class. Investing in their offensive line while Justin Herbert is on his rookie deal is a no-brainer. Really just a dream fit for the Chargers.
14. New York Jets (via Vikings): Alijah Vera-Tucker- Grade B: Obvious need, they need to invest in their line OL. I wouldn’t have moved up for Vera-Tucker. They needed to move up if this was their guy, but I am still not overly thrilled with the pick.
15. New England Patriots: Mac Jones- Grade B+: Bill just doesn’t miss…..sits tight and gets the 5th Qb on the board who falls into their lap. Having Cam Newton will allow Jones to sit and develop. Love the landing spot for Jones, I expect him to perform in NE.
16. Arizona Cardinals: Zaven Collins- Grade B: Good fit, Cardinals needed to go defense, they need secondary help but Collins is an athletic freak that can complement Simmons. Its as average of a pick as it gets.
17. Las Vegas Raiders: Alex Leatherwood- Grade D: Drafting a second-round offensive talent that will play guard for them. This is a pathetic pick. They wanted Vera-Tucker and were shocked he wasn’t there for them, they had no backup plan. They needed to go OL ….But, chief THIS AINT IT!!!!
18. Miami Dolphins: Jaelan Phillips- Grade A: Dolphins smash the draft, incredible upside pick. Phillips is the best pass rusher in this draft. If Phillips can stay healthy, they just got a top ten talent. Medically cleared, worth the risk….SMASH pick.
19. Washington Football Team: Jamin Davis- Grade B: This is a good pick for the Football Team, their front 7 just got even better?! They’re all in on this defense and I like their chances of potentially winning the NFC East!
20. New York Giants(via Chicago): Kadarius Toney- Grade D+: PATHETIC!!!! GETTLEMAN STRIKES AGAIN. What else is going to have to happen??? Seriously ?! How many more drafts are they going to let Uncle Dave mess things up, They just took the 4th or 5th best available wideout about a full round ahead of projected value. GET A CLUE DAVE!!!! #RuebForGM
21. Indianapolis Colts: Kwity Paye- Grade B-: I like Paye, but look at the tackles on the board?! Why are you not going offensive line here to help Wentz!!! You have a massive hole to fill and this was the perfect opportunity to get it done. Paye will be fine, but this is the wrong pick.
22. Tennesse Titans: Caleb Farley- Grade A-: STEAL!!! The only reason that this isn’t an A is the medical concerns. Farley is a top 10-15 talent that slipped due to back surgeries. This is a fantastic pick for a team that needed secondary help BADLY!!! Great job Titans, high upside pick.
23. Minnesota Vikings (via Jets)- Christian Darrisaw- Grade A: Insane value here. Wanted Darrisaw to the Colts, tackle was a need for the Vikings. This improves their OL and offense in general immensely. Hate to say it, but don’t sleep on the Vikings this season, they’re pulling all of the right levers.
24. Pittsburgh Steelers- Najee Harris- Grade F: This is an F, how the hell can it not be?! YOU DONT FIX THE OL WITH A RB. This is so ass-backward. Pathetic pick from a once-proud franchise, I used to talk about the Steelers being a sharp team. Today is the beginning of the end of the Steelers. They have so many holes on their OL, good luck Ben…you’ll need it.
25. Jacksonville Jaguars- Travis Etienne- Grade F: Back to back F grade picks. We are making draft grade history tonight. Explain to me how Etienne makes sense for the Jaguars??? How do you not improve your defense? You’re nowhere close to winning. STOP TAKING RUNNING BACKS ROUND 1!!!! This is so sad. There are bout 20 picks the Jags should have made before Etienne.
26. Cleveland Browns- Greg Newsome II- Grade A-: What a damn steal! The Browns have some question marks in their secondary after being riddled with injuries in 2020. This gives them some depth in their secondary while making an improvement right away. Not surprising that an extremely smart front office makes a SMASH pick.
27. Baltimore Ravens- Rashod Bateman- Grade A+: Maybe the steal of the draft so far. I have Bateman rated ahead of Devonta Smith. Bateman is the exact type of slot profile who can win outside that I like to invest in. Poor landing spot for fantasy, but man is this good for real-life football. Bateman will be the #1 in Baltimore rather quickly. The new Diggs. Love this guy.
28. New Orleans Saints- Payton Turner- Grade F: I mean what are we doing here? This isn’t the pick Saints. You just had to cut Jenkins to get under the cap, you aren’t going to address your secondary need? What is your plan? The Bucs are so far ahead of every team in this division. When your best trait is that you “work hard” its probably not a great first-round pick.
29. Green Bay Packers- Eric Stokes- Grade B: Hey, Packers ……Aaron Rodgers isn’t happy, please get this man some help. I don’t hate this pick. Stokes is extremely fast, he will be a great man coverage corner across from Jaire. I am a fan of the pick, just please address some skill positions and interior OL needs.
30. Buffalo Bills- Greg Rousseau- Grade B+: Rousseau is extremely talented. Opt-out in 2020. I think that Rousseau has a great motor and really helps this Bills defense. The recipe for beating the Chiefs is out, get 3 and 4 man pressure. Rousseau helps them out there.
31. Baltimore Ravens- Jayson Oweh- Grade B+: Baltimore was desperate for an EDGE rusher. Oweh has been their target in the back half of the first all along. Fantastic pick. I mean there isn’t much to say here. So much upside.
32. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Joe Tryon- Grade B: Tryon is a physical DE that can replace JPP with Pierre-Paul getting up there in age. Thought he would go earlier than this. Tampa won a Super Bowl because of their pass rush, they continue to invest in value positions.
