NFL Draft Results 2015: Full Grades for Event and Biggest Late-Round Steals

Although most fans had likely stopped paying attention to the 2015 NFL draft by the time Saturday rolled around, teams kept a keen eye on the proceedings to see which players were slipping down the board, thus providing a ton of value.

In recent years, Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor and Byron Maxwell—the backbone of the Seattle Seahawks' "Legion of Boom" secondary—were all drafted in the fifth round and beyond. Arizona Cardinals running back Andre Ellington was a sixth-rounder in 2013, likewise for Washington rusher Alfred Morris in 2012.

The talent is there for those who look hard enough.

Among the four players below might be the next guy who proves to a late-round gem.

Draft Results

Draft Grades

Team	Grade
Arizona Cardinals	B+
Atlanta Falcons	A
Baltimore Ravens	A-
Buffalo Bills	C+
Carolina Panthers	C
Chicago Bears	A-
Cincinnati Bengals	B-
Cleveland Browns	B-
Dallas Cowboys	A-
Denver Broncos	B
Detroit Lions	B
Green Bay Packers	C+
Houston Texans	B+
Indianapolis Colts	B+
Jacksonville Jaguars	A
Kansas City Chiefs	B
Miami Dolphins	A
Minnesota Vikings	B+
New England Patriots	B-
New Orleans Saints	B
New York Giants	B-
New York Jets	A
Oakland Raiders	B
Philadelphia Eagles	B+
Pittsburgh Steelers	B+
San Diego Chargers	B
San Francisco 49ers	B
Seattle Seahawks	C
St. Louis Rams	B-
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	B+
Tennessee Titans	B+
Washington Redskins	B

Biggest Late-Round Steals

Jake Ryan, OLB, Michigan (No. 129 to Green Bay Packers)

At some point in the draft, the Green Bay Packers needed to select an inside linebacker. There's no sense in continuing to play Clay Matthews out of position.

While Jake Ryan is technically considered an outside linebacker, he'll have no trouble moving to the inside, thus filling one of Green Bay's biggest holes on defense. Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette sees Ryan as a natural fit to slot into the Packers scheme:

The former Michigan Wolverine doesn't look to have a ton of upside, but he's the kind of player who should have a long, productive career. He has all of the physical tools to thrive at linebacker and the intelligence to be in the right place at the right time.

As long as Ryan emerges as a consistent starter for the Packers, then Green Bay will have done great work in the fourth round.

Grady Jarrett, DT, Clemson (No. 137 to Atlanta Falcons)

Maybe Grady Jarrett has some skeletons in the closet that nobody knows about. It's hard to think of any other reason why he slipped all the way to the fifth round. Jarrett could have easily been an early Day 2 guy.

The silver lining is that Jarrett, a native of Conyers, Georgia, will get to play close to home. He was certainly happy that he'll be a member of the Atlanta Falcons:

Last year, the Falcons tied for 30th in sacks. They had little to no consistent pass rushing, and it was something they needed to figure out this offseason. Jarrett, in addition to first-round pick Vic Beasley, should help turn that round in 2015.

Jarrett isn't a great interior pass-rusher like an Aaron Donald, but he's a multifaceted defensive tackle who is more than just a big body on the inside. He's light on his feet for a 300-pounder and has the technique necessary to shed blockers.

Michael Bennett, DT, Ohio State (No. 180 to Jacksonville Jaguars)

Much of what was said about Jarrett applies to Michael Bennett. He's a tad lighter than Jarrett, but Bennett is also a defensive tackle who does more than just stuff the run. He has impressive quickness off the snap, and his agility helps him get into the pocket rather frequently for his position.

Nathan Jahnke of Pro Football Focus highlighted just how good of a pass-rusher Bennett is compared to other interior defensive linemen in the 2015 class:

The concerns are that Bennett will get overpowered too often by NFL offensive linemen and that he disappeared for stretches as a member of the Ohio State Buckeyes. The former can be helped by adding a little muscle, while the latter might not be as big of a problem in the NFL, as less will be asked of him on a play-by-play basis with the Jacksonville Jaguars than was with the Buckeyes.

Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, CB, Oregon (No. 241 to Cleveland Browns)

Health is obviously a big concern with Ifo Ekpre-Olomu; he suffered a knee injury back in December that torpedoed his draft stock. There's no telling whether Ekpre-Olomu will make a full recovery or if the problem will continue to linger.

Should the former Oregon Ducks cornerback get back to 100 percent, the Cleveland Browns will have walked away with a capable starter and a potential Pro Bowl-level defensive back.

"We felt like we were getting the right kind of guy that we knew had talent," said Browns general manager Ray Farmer, per Kevin Jones of ClevelandBrowns.com. "He suffered an unfortunate injury. We are confident he will get healthy."

Ekpre-Olomu can be a bit too aggressive at times with his mind on making an interception rather than the best play on the ball. That aggression combined with his ability to read the field will serve to make him a serious ball hawk in the league, though.