NFL Draft 2015: List of Grades for Each Franchise Following Final Results

As the 2015 NFL draft wound down Saturday evening, multiple franchises emerged as skilled drafters, having added impact players at positions of need. Given some surprising slides by projected top prospects, many teams also got solid players in the middle rounds at great value. 

A draft class can't truly be graded until the prospects actually play and preferably after they've played for three NFL seasons. But what we can do now is analyze, based on team needs and prospect values, which teams appeared to improve their standings the most heading into the offseason.

Training camp, preseason and, then, finally, the regular season will only give us a better picture of how accurate these instant-reaction grades may or may not be. 

Let's take a look at the final results of every pick in the 2015 NFL draft and break down which teams had the most successful draft. 

In evaluating each team's draft class, value of the pick as well as need at the position were taken into account in deciding each franchise's "best selection." Otherwise, the first-round selection would most often be the "best" selection! 

Notice how many wide receivers turned out to be any given franchise's best selection, once again proving that wide receiver is one of the best positions in which teams can invest in the draft. 

Team	Best Selection	Final Grade
Arizona Cardinals	D.J. Humphries, T	B-
Atlanta Falcons	Tevin Coleman, RB	A
Baltimore Ravens	Maxx Williams, TE	A-
Buffalo Bills	John Miller, G	C
Carolina Panthers	Daryl Williams, T	C+
Chicago Bears	Eddie Goldman, DT	B+
Cincinnati Bengals	Paul Dawson, ILB	B-
Cleveland Browns	Danny Shelton, DT	B
Dallas Cowboys	Randy Gregory, OLB	B-
Denver Broncos	Max Garcia, C	B-
Detroit Lions	Ameer Abdullah, RB	B
Green Bay Packers	Quinten Rollins, CB	B
Houston Texans	Jaelen Strong, WR	B+
Indianapolis Colts	Henry Anderson, DE	C-
Jacksonville Jaguars	A.J. Cann, G	A+
Kansas City Chiefs	Marcus Peters, CB	B
Miami Dolphins	DeVante Parker, WR	A-
Minnesota Vikings	Eric Kendricks, ILB	B+
New England Patriots	Malcom Brown, DT	B-
New Orleans Saints	P.J. Williams, CB	B-
New York Giants	Landon Collins, S	B
New York Jets	Bryce Petty, QB	B
Oakland Raiders	Amari Cooper, WR	B
Philadelphia Eagles	Nelson Agholor, WR	B-
Pittsburgh Steelers	Bud Dupree, DE/OLB	A-
San Diego Chargers	Melvin Gordon, RB	B
San Francisco 49ers	Eli Harold, DE/OLB	C+
Seattle Seahawks	Tyler Lockett, WR	C+
St. Louis Rams	Todd Gurley, RB	B-
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Jameis Winston, QB	B+
Tennessee Titans	Marcus Mariota, QB	B
Washington Redskins	Preston Smith, DE/OLB	B-

Breaking Down the Best Grades

Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons got back to basics in the 2015 NFL draft, selecting players who are good fits for their scheme and could be day one starters. 

Atlanta finished the 2014 season with the league's worst overall defense, allowing an average of 398.3 yards per game. Their passing defense ranked No. 32, and their rushing defense came in at No. 21. 

With their first two selections, the Falcons found impact players who will go a long way toward turning that defense around in 2015. Clemson's Vic Beasley was the pass-rusher they needed, while big 6'1" cornerback Jalen Collins may be a character risk, but if he pays off, it will be in a big way. 

Defensive tackle Grady Jarrett was a steal in Round 5. He worked out for Atlanta twice, per ESPN.com's Vaughn McClure, so they likely had a higher grade on him than where they were able to take him. 

But it wasn't all about defense for the Falcons. Atlanta also added running back Tevin Coleman in Round 3, whom they felt was a second-round prospect, per Matt Winkeljohn of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Thus, they were elated to nab him at No. 73.

Wide receiver Justin Hardy was also a nice value in Round 4, and with Harry Douglas' departure, Hardy will be able to contribute for Atlanta right away. 

Baltimore Ravens

For the second straight year, the Baltimore Ravens had an excellent draft, adding players at key positions (including two dynamic pass-catchers) at great value to boot. 

The additions of wide receiver Breshad Perriman and tight end Maxx Williams surely made quarterback Joe Flacco smile. Flacco's stable of weapons, which included Steve Smith, Marlon Brown and Kamar Aiken, now includes a player in Perriman who can really exercise Flacco's big arm and take the top off defenses. 

Per BaltimoreRavens.com, head coach John Harbaugh told WBAL that the Ravens had Perriman rated as the 14th- or 15th-best player in the draft. Getting him at No. 26, then, was a feat, and moving up to No. 55 to take Williams was an "A+" move. 

Getting Iowa defensive tackle Carl Davis in Round 3 was a steal, as well. There was talk of him going in the late first round, as noted by Scott Dochterman of The Gazette, in the weeks before the draft. 

Baltimore also needed to supplement its secondary, which it accomplished in Round 4 with the selection of sleeper Tray Walker, a cornerback out of Texas Southern who was not invited to the NFL Scouting Combine but who had seven interceptions over the past three seasons. He's a project, and the Ravens maybe should have addressed corner earlier. 

But there's no denying that Baltimore's first three picks couldn't have been more on the nose. 

Miami Dolphins

Even though they traded away their third-round pick and linebacker Dannell Ellerbe to the New Orleans Saints for wide receiver Kenny Stills prior to the draft, Miami still amassed a high-impact group of prospects, especially in Round 5. 

And if you imagine that the Dolphins simply drafted Stills in Round 3, that's not a bad value at all. 

In addition to Stills, the Dolphins added wideout DeVante Parker at No. 14 overall. Ryan Tannehill now has a an arsenal of weapons that includes Stills, Parker, Greg Jennings via free agency, tight end Cameron Jordan via free agency and Michigan State Tony Lippett in Round 5. 

Miami also gave Tannehill support on the line, drafting guard Jamil Douglas to compete with Dallas Thomas for the starting left guard spot. Per Omar Kelly of the Sun Sentinel, Billy Turner is locked in at right guard. 

The Dolphins stopped running back Jay Ajayi's surprising slide at No. 149 in Round 5. Ajayi was projected to come off the board in Rounds 2-3 by CBSSports.com and was their No. 6 available running back. That was a value pickup for Miami. Ajayi fell because of his knee, but if he can stay healthy, he's a day-one contributor for the Dolphins. 

Even though the Dolphins only had seven overall selections and finished picking in Round 5, most agreed that their picks were extremely astute, including Draft Breakdown's Joe Marino: 

Jacksonville Jaguars

If all goes well, the Jaguars will have a disproportionately high percentage of their rookies start in 2015. Their first three selections—pass-rusher Dante Fowler, running back T.J. Yeldon and guard A.J. Cann—could all be starters in 2015. 

The Jaguars came into the draft with multiple needs, including edge-rusher, safety, running back and slot receiver, among others. They were able to add contributors at nearly every need. 

Fowler will help Jacksonville bring pressure as a "Leo" edge-rusher, rather than an outside linebacker (OLB), in Gus Bradley's scheme, per Ryan O'Halloran of the Florida Times-Union.

Defensive tackle Michael Bennett, who slid all the way to the sixth round before the Jaguars grabbed him, will bring the pass rush from the interior. That was a great pickup by Jacksonville, as Bennett was graded as a Round 2-3 talent, per CBSSports.com. 

Rashad Greene, who was Jameis Winston's go-to receiver at Florida State, is the slot receiver Jacksonville needed. He also played on the outside, making him a versatile weapon for young Blake Bortles. 

CBSSports.com's Dane Brugler was so impressed with the Jaguars' draft, he said it was his favorite: 

General manager Dave Caldwell really could not have done more in his first two years at the helm to help turn the state of the Jaguars around.