NFL Draft Results 2015: Assigning Final Grades to Every Franchise

Ideally, each NFL draft class should be graded twice—once following the draft, based on prospects' college production and how well they fit each scheme, and once three years out from the draft when they've built a body of NFL work.

We can tackle the former now. While none of the 2015 rookies have played a snap, certain teams emerged from draft weekend clearly having improved their rosters from last season, as long as their prospects develop. Other teams, however, failed to address key needs or reached for players.

Let's recap the final results for each team's draft and grade them. 

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 Grades

Best in Class: Jacksonville Jaguars 

Round	Pick	Selection
1	3	Dante Fowler Jr., DE/OLB, Florida
2	36	T.J. Yeldon, RB, Alabama
3	67	A.J. Cann, G, South Carolina
4	104	James Sample, S, Louisville
5	139	Rashad Greene, WR, Florida State
6	180	Michael Bennett, DT, Ohio Stata
7	220	Neal Sterling, WR, Monmouth
7	229	Ben Koyack, TE, Notre Dame

General manager David Caldwell knocked this draft out of the park for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Not only did the Jaguars make savvy selections with their first three picks—pass-rusher Dante Fowler Jr., running back T.J. Yeldon and guard A.J. Cann could all be starters in 2015—but they were also able to continue adding impact players at incredible value through Round 7. 

Jacksonville entered the draft with multiple needs, including edge-rusher, safety, running back and slot receiver, among others. Caldwell was able to find help at almost every need. 

In head coach Gus Bradley's scheme, Fowler will be a "Leo" edge-rusher, rather than an outside linebacker, per Ryan O'Halloran of The Florida Times-Union.

One of the most surprising slides in the draft was defensive tackle Michael Bennett, who Jacksonville stole in Round 6. He'll upgrade the Jaguars' interior pass rush. Bennett was graded as a Round 2 or 3 talent prior to the draft by CBSSports.com. 

Tight end Ben Koyack was another savvy value pick in Round 7. He was projected to go in Round 4 or 5, and the Jaguars got a starting-caliber, versatile player in him. Koyack can line up as an H-back or inline and brings true lead-blocking ability and soft hands. 

Rashad Greene, 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 quarterback Blake Bortles. 

Caldwell's success in finding bona fide starters, value picks and satisfying the team's biggest needs earn the Jaguars an A-plus. 

Deserves Extra Credit: Pittsburgh Steelers

Round	Pick	Selection
1	22	Bud Dupree, DE/OLB, Kentucky
2	56	Senquez Golson, CB, Mississippi
3	87	Sammie Coates, WR, Auburn
4	121	Doran Grant, CB, Ohio State
5	160	Jesse James, TE, Penn State
6	199	Leterrius Walton, DT, Central Michigan
6	212	Anthony Chickillo, DE, Miami
7	239	Gerod Holliman, S, Louisville

The Pittsburgh Steelers had an overall nice draft, but it fell short of being great. However, they still deserve credit for addressing their needs and making a couple savvy selections. 

Edge-rusher Bud Dupree fell into Pittsburgh's lap at No. 22 overall, and the team snatched him up. However, it meant that general manager Kevin Colbert wasn't able to draft an impact cornerback, one of the team's biggest needs heading into the draft, in Round 1, and he felt that Mississippi's Senquez Golson was the best option available at No. 56 overall. 

Golson was a bit of a reach, as he was projected to come off the board in Round 3 or 4 prior to the draft. Depending on what other teams that were also targeting cornerbacks would have done, there's a distinct possibility Pittsburgh may have been able to land him at No. 87 overall.

The Steelers needed an outside corner from this draft, and Golson, at 5'9", 176 pounds with 29 3/4" arms, will have to capitalize on his ball skills and his motor to keep up on the outside. There's no question he could have an impact as a nickel corner. 

Colbert further improved the secondary, however, by doubling down on Ohio State cornerback Doran Grant in Round 4. 

The third round was a nice place to land wide receiver Sammie Coates, but his playing style is very similar to Martavis Bryant's. Penn State tight end Jesse James could develop into a dangerous red-zone threat for Pittsburgh, and he fits everything the Steelers do at the position. 

In Danger of Flunking: Indianapolis Colts 

Round	Pick	Selection
1	29	Phillip Dorsett, WR, Miami
3	65	D'Joun Smith, CB, Florida Atlantic
3	93	Henry Anderson, DE, Stanford
4	109	Clayton Geathers, S, Central Florida
5	151	David Parry, DT, Stanford
6	205	Josh Robinson, RB, Mississippi State
6	207	Amarlo Herrera, ILB, Georga
7	255	Denzel Goode, OT, Mars Hill

The Indianapolis Colts started the 2015 NFL draft on a questionable note and weren't able to do enough with the rest of their selections to form an overall successful-looking class. 

There was nothing wrong with Phillip Dorsett's draft position at No. 29 overall. The end of the first round was a good fit for him value-wise. It's harder to see, however, his fit on the Colts, as they essentially already have him on the roster in the form of T.Y. Hilton. 

It's hard to knock a team for sticking to its board, and clearly Dorsett was at the top of the Colts' when their number was called on Day 1. But the decision to skip over need for what essentially amounts to a luxury pick could prove to hurt the team. 

General manager Ryan Grigson and head coach Chuck Pagano struck gold with Stanford defensive end Henry Anderson in Round 3. In fact, it was probably their best selection of the draft. 

Grigson whiffed on adding a right tackle to compete for the starting job. The Colts' backfield got less inept toward the end of the 2014 season, but it was nice to see Indianapolis address the position with running back Josh Robinson in Round 6. 

Inside linebacker was a position in which not having a second-round pick hurt Indianapolis. However, the Colts didn't seem to like the available talent at the position, choosing to instead address it in Round 6 with Amarlo Herrera.

All in all, the Colts prioritized best available player over need, and that's usually a smart strategy when it comes to the draft. However, for a team that came so close to the Super Bowl in 2014, nailing those needs could have pushed Indianapolis over the edge in 2015.