2017 NFL Draft: Round 1 Recap & Grades

Round 1

1)     Cleveland Browns – Myles Garrett, Edge, Texas A&M – Grade: A

Anything else would have been overthinking it in my opinion.

Trade:

Chicago – 2 – Grade: D+

San Francisco – 3, 67, 111, & ’18 3^rd – Grade: A+

Great job by the Niners on this trade.

2)     Chicago Bears from San Francisco – Mitchel Trubisky, QB, North Carolina – Grade: LOL (D)

Yeah, my grade says it all. I couldn’t stop laughing after the pick.

3)     San Francisco from Chicago – Solomon Thomas, Edge, Stanford – Grade: A

Great job by Mr. Lynch, traded down and got the player they wanted all along.

4)     Jacksonville Jaguars – Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU – Grade: C+

As someone on Twitter said, that’s what you get when you let a 85 year old run your draft.

5)     Tennessee Titans from Los Angeles – Corey Davis, WR, Western Michigan – Grade: B+

Instantly becomes the best WR in Tennessee and their second best pass catcher. A little early, but I’m a big Davis fan.

6)     New York Jets – Jamal Adams, SS, LSU – Grade: C+

I get the pick, but a SS this high instantly becomes one of the highest paid SS in the game instantaneously. That said big fan of Adams upside and high floor.

7)     Los Angeles Chargers – Mike Williams, WR, Clemson – Grade: C+

A theme in the first round. Good player, meh draft slot, and I don’t see the upside.

8)     Carolina Panthers – Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford – Grade: A

It turns out Dave Gettleman doesn’t completely hate Cam Newton. Good news, now some o-line help as the draft goes along would go a long way.

9)     Cincinnati Bengals – John Ross, WR, Washington – Grade: A-

If he stays healthy this is an A+ on a re-grade in three season. I hope he does, because he’ll be of great use across from Green and with Eifert on the inside.

Trade:

Kansas City – 10 – Grade: F

Buffalo – 27, 91, & ’18 1st – Grade: A+

I applaud KC for being bold and getting their guy, but they gave up a good amount in the traditional trade value chart and gave up almost double the value in the model based on approximate value of the picks.

10)  Kansas City Chiefs from Buffalo Bills – Patrick Mahomes II, QB, Texas Tech – Grade: B+

That said I love me some Mahomes and think both he and Watson at 12 are worth the risk. The price to move up is very steep, but based on pick alone, I get it.

11)  New Orleans Saints – Marshon Lattimore, CB, Ohio State – Grade: A+

Love this value. Lattimore makes them better. They got a top 3-5 player in this draft outside the top ten.

Trade:

Houston – 12 – Grade: D

Cleveland – 25 & ’18 1^st – Grade: A

Cleveland takes advantage of Rick Smith again. Cleveland adds another 1^st next year. They don’t get the value Buffalo got, but they got a bunch.

12)  Houston Texans – from Cleveland from Philadelphia – DeShaun Watson, QB, Clemson – Grade: A-

DaShaun was my highest rated QB, and Houston got him at 12.  I echo my comments about the price to move up from the Mahomes pick, but here’s another guy going to a good coaching situation.

13)  Arizona Cardinals – Haason Reddick, OBLB, Temple – Grade: A+

My number two player and a difference maker in the front seven for a Cardinals team that lost a lot on defense this off-season.

14)  Philadelphia Eagles – Derek Barnett, Edge, Tennessee – Grade: C+

Barnett isn’t a bad pick. He’s a good player and should be able to play for a long time. That said I think there’s a handful of guys that I’d rather have as an edge rusher still on the board.

15)  Indianapolis Colts – Malik Hooker, FS, Ohio State – Grade: A

Purely and simply, the Colts got more talented on defense. Hooker is a good pick and a nice start for a new F.O.

16)  Baltimore Ravens – Marlon Humphries, CB, Alabama – Grade:  B+

Solid, and not flashy, but Ozzie gets a good one and a nice piece to add to a defense that’s in need of a face lift, talent-wise.

17)  Washington Redskins – Jonathan Allen, DL, Alabama – Grade: A+

Bruce Allen can go fuck himself, because he’s going to take credit for something a child would have been able to do. And, if the rumors that he’s still using McCloughan’s draft board are true, that man’s ass with balls of steel.

18)  Tennessee Titans – Adoree Jackson, CB, USC – Grade: C+

Jackson is athletic and as a second pick in the first round I can live with it, but there were better players available.

19)  Tampa Bay Buccaneers – O.J. Howard, TE, Alabama – Grade: A+

Mr. Licht… Jameis says thank you.

20)  Denver Broncos – Garrett Bolles, OT, Utah – Grade: A

Best tackle on my board, goes to a good home. Who’s he going to be protecting?

21)  Detroit Lions – Jarrad Davis, OBLB, Florida – Grade: B+

Really like Davis here. Good player fills a major need for the Lions. Reuben Foster’s shoulder must really be a mess.

22)  Miami Dolphins – Charles Harris, Edge, Missouri - Grade: C+

Harris grades out like Barnett for me here. I don’t think it’s a bad pick, but I also think there were players I liked more at the same position.

23)  New York Giants – Evan Engram, TE, Ole Miss – Grade: C+

With Lamp still out there and the turnstiles they have starting on that offensive line I just don’t get passing on a guy I think starts for the next decade at worst at guard. Engram is good and that passing game should be insane to game plan against.

24)  Oakland Raiders – Gareon Conley, CB, Ohio State – Grade: C

I wasn’t going to grade the pick, but we’ll bridge the gap here. The rape allegations from midweek make this messy. It’s an A on talent. It’s an F on aesthetics. So it’s a C.

25)  Cleveland Browns from Houston – Jabrill Peppers, S, Michigan – Grade: C

Trade:

Atlanta Falcons: 26 – Grade: B-

Seattle Seahawks: 31, 96, 249 – Grade: B+

Falcons payed a bit of premium to move back up here, but overall they didn’t give up a bunch more than necessary the way earlier trades had gone.

26)  Atlanta Falcons from Seattle – Takkarist McKinley, Edge, UCLA – Grade: B+

Love me some Takk. Poor athletic testing led me to tamp down his grade, but this is a guy I really like. Should be a fun addition opposite of Beasley.

27)  Buffalo Bills from Kansas City – Tre’Davious White, CB, LSU – Grade: A

All I have to say about White are clichés, but I think he’s a wonderful addition for a team that turned a strength into a weakness in the off-season.

28)  Dallas Cowboys – Taco Charlton, Edge, Michigan – Grade: D+

I may be wrong on Taco. I think he has a place in the NFL, I just don’t think he’s a first round draft pick. That said, I would never doubt Rod Marinelli. So, I’ll change this to a D+.

Trade:

Cleveland: 29 – Grade: B

Green Bay Packers: 33 & 108 - Grade: B+

Much like the trade three picks earlier Cleveland didn’t give up a whole lot to move up, and was involved in a very sensible trade. Green Bay drops four spots and still has a shot at players that fit the Ted mold.

29)  Cleveland Browns from Green Bay – David Njoku, TE, Miami (FL)  – Grade: A

I like it. I don’t know what else to say. Barnidge was a fun story, but Njoku can split the difference in the middle of the field between the Barnidge and Pryor roles.

30)  Pittsburgh Steelers – T.J. Watt, OLB, Wisconsin – Grade: B-

Color me intrigued, and thankful that he didn’t land in Green Bay.

Trade:

San Francisco: 31 – Grade: C+

Seattle Seahawks: 34 & 111 – Grade: B+

Not too bad of value here, but San Fran paid a bit of a premium. Now considering whom they moved up for I like it, but this is based on value of the assets moved not what player it netted. That’s for the pick grade.

31)  San Francisco 49ers from Seattle from Atlanta – Reuben Foster, OBLB, Alabama – Grade: A+

I was, and still am, hesitant about John Lynch as the 49ers GM, but he had a very good first day of the 2017 NFL draft. He made his team better and got two exceptional players.

32)  New Orleans from New England – Ryan Ramczyk, OT, Wisconsin – Grade: A-

Good player, but he hip concerns drop this from an A to A-. Nothing flashy about this pick. New Orleans gets a good ball player.

So there we are, my round 1 recap in the books. I’ll throw together a mock for tomorrow in the morning. And I look forward to another intriguing day of the 2017 NFL Draft.