The 2021 NFL Draft ended on Saturday, May 1st. I will be grading the draft, starting with the NFC East. But before I start, I want to say three things. The first thing is that these people haven’t played a down in the NFL, so these grades might not age well. The second thing is the reason I’m starting with the NFC East is that my favorite team (the Eagles) plays in that division. The third thing is that I’m doing the NFC in this article, and the AFC in another one.
Philadelphia Eagles: B+
The Eagles had a great start to the draft by trading up to pick Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith, a wide receiver from Alabama . They also had a solid 2nd-round pick, getting Alabama center Landon Dickerson. But they didn’t have any other notable picks until the 5th round, when they got running back Kenneth Gainwell. They waited until round 4 to get a cornerback, which I thought was one of their biggest needs. It wasn’t bad, just it could’ve been better. All in all, I’m pleased with their draft.
New York Giants: B+
The Giants had a decent draft. WR Kadarius Toney was questionable, but in round 2 they got Georgia edge rusher Azeez Ojulari, who had 1st-round talent. 4th round pick Aaron Robinson, cornerback from UCF, was understandable, too.
Dallas Cowboys: B+
Dallas has a LOT of defensive rookies. Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons in the 1st round is a good pick. But the thing that kept it from being an A was Cornerback Nahshon Wright. They reached a bit with that one.
Washington Football Team: B
WR Dyami Brown was a good pick. So was Linebacker Jamin Davis. But Washington reached with tight end John Bates. He’s athletic, but doesn’t have the production.
Minnesota Vikings: A
The Vikings did a great job by trading their 14th pick to the Jets and still getting offensive tackle Christian Darrisaw. Quarterback Kellen Mond made some sense, because they’re probably getting rid of Kirk Cousins this offseason. They’ve also made 38 picks in the last 3 drafts.
Green Bay Packers: B+
I’m sure Packers fans couldn’t even focus on the draft with Aaron Rodgers potentially leaving the team. But their actual draft was pretty good. They chose Georgia cornerback Eric Stokes, who is pretty fast and only allowed one touchdown last year against some of the best receivers in college football. Guard/center Josh Meyers can protect Rodgers (or Jordan Love).
Detroit Lions: A
The Lions had a really good draft. Offensive tackle Penei Sewell falling right to them was a great scenario. Add that, defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike and USC Wide receiver Amon-Ra St.Brown and you have a top-notch draft.
Chicago Bears: B+
I really wanted to give the Bears an A for QB Justin Fields, but trading up for tackle Teven Jenkins was a move they didn’t need to make. Jenkins is a good player, but Chicago only had two picks in the top 150. All in all, they still had a solid draft.
San Francisco 49ers: B
North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance at No.3 was a great choice because he can sit and be mentored by Jimmy Garoppolo. San Francisco picked a pair of solid offensive linemen. But the Niners class will come down to whether Lance is good or not.
Seattle Seahawks: C+
This is hard to grade because the Seahawks only had three picks. D’Wayne Eskridge, a wide receiver from Western Michigan, ran a 4.39 40-yard dash, but he’s 24 years old and his college career high in catches was 38. CB Tre Brown and tackle Stone Forsythe are both OK picks. Seattle did pretty good- for a 3-selection draft.
Arizona Cardinals: B
Linebacker Zaven Collins has outstanding talent and lots of sacks. But the problem with WR Rondale Moore is he’s kind of injury-prone. Moore missed 11 out of 18 games over the past two years. However, he’s fast, physical, and can juke any defender who dares to cross his path.
Los Angeles Rams: C+
The Rams don’t pick in the 1st round until 2024. Assuming he doesn’t get hurt in the offseason, Louisville Wide Receiver Tutu Atwell would become the 3rd player in the past 20 seasons who weighs 155 pounds or less to catch an NFL pass, according to Pro Football Reference.
Atlanta Falcons: A-
The Falcons had an incredible draft, headlined by tight end Kyle Pitts. Many people thought they’d take a quarterback in the 1st round, but I knew Pitts had too much talent. With their new head coach, Atlanta might be scary this year.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: B-
The Bucs kept all 22 starters from their Super Bowl champion roster. 1st-round Edge Rusher Joe Tryon has some upside in his college days. But selecting quarterback Kyle Trask in round 2 was confusing to me. Is he going to be an above-average backup to Tom Brady right away? The best-case scenario for the Bucs is that the rookies aren’t going to need to play much of a role in 2021.
New Orleans Saints: C+
The Saints only had six picks overall, but they didn’t do much with them. They wanted to trade up and get a corner in the first round, but the price was too expensive, so they stayed at 28 and took Houston edge Payton Turner. Paulson Adebo should fit well in New Orleans’ secondary, but they offered way too much to trade up for him.
Carolina Panthers: B-
The Panthers had a good first round, getting South Carolina cornerback Jaycee Horn. The rest of the draft was pretty alright, but the Horn pick will define this draft for the Panthers. New quarterback Sam Darnold (acquired in a trade with the New York Jets) got his offensive linemen.
That’s all I have to say. Soon, the AFC draft grades will be out. Stay tuned.
