NFL Draft 2018 Results: Team-by-Team Grades for Overall Picks and Trades
No one knows how much success any of the 256 players selected in the 2018 NFL draft will have one day after the selection process concluded.
As such, handing out grades to the 32 NFL franchises is mostly based on speculation.
The one part of the grading process that does make sense after the draft is how well each team filled its needs.
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Based off the potential of the players chosen and the holes plugged at different positions, we handed out grades to each franchise, some of which will change in the coming years as the newest NFL players produce on the gridiron.
NFL Draft Tracker
Team-by-Team Grades
Arizona Cardinals: A-
Atlanta Falcons: B-
Baltimore Ravens: A
Buffalo Bills: B
Carolina Panthers: B-
Chicago Bears: B
Cincinnati Bengals: B
Cleveland Browns: A
Dallas Cowboys: A
Denver Broncos: A-
Detroit Lions: B-
Green Bay Packers: A
Houston Texans: C
Indianapolis Colts: B+
Jacksonville Jaguars: B-
Kansas City Chiefs: C-
Los Angeles Chargers: B+
Los Angeles Rams: C+
Miami Dolphins: B+
Minnesota Vikings: C+
New England Patriots: A-
New Orleans Saints: C+
New York Giants: B+
New York Jets: A
Oakland Raiders: C-
Philadelphia Eagles: B-
Pittsburgh Steelers: B
Seattle Seahawks: C+
San Francisco 49ers: B+
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: B
Tennessee Titans: B
Washington Redskins: B-
Analysis
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys had one of the best drafts inside their home stadium.
Linebacker Leighton Vander Esch gives the Cowboys reinforcements for a position occupied by Sean Lee.
If Vander Esch lives up to his potential, he should follow in Lee's footsteps as the leader of the group in the middle of defense.
Connor Williams was a steal in the second round, as the offensive lineman was one of a few first-round talents that fell to Friday. The Texas product was announced as a guard but can play tackle as well.
Dallas picked up some incredible value selections in the third through seventh rounds, especially at the offensive skill positions.
Wide receivers Michael Gallup and Cedrick Wilson have a chance to compete right away, with the Cowboys looking to replace Dez Bryant's production through a number of candidates, including Allen Hurns, Terrance Williams and Cole Beasley.
Dalton Schultz was a quality fourth-round pick at tight end, a position the Cowboys waited to fill instead of pressing the panic button after news of Jason Witten's impending retirement broke.
The Cowboys even got value with their seventh-round selection, running back Bo Scarbrough, who could be a nice backup option to Ezekiel Elliott as a powerful short-yardage back.
Head coach Jason Garrett has major holes to fill with Bryant and possibly Witten not on the roster for the 2018 season. But the Cowboys staff did a nice job filling the depth chart with impressive young skill players.
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers addressed their secondary need with their first two picks. By doing so, they brought in two of the best corners in the talent pool in Jaire Alexander and Josh Jackson.
In addition to picking up two stars at a position of need, the Packers received New Orleans' 2019 first-round selection when the Saints traded up to No. 14 to pick defensive end Marcus Davenport.
The final day of the draft produced three wide receivers for quarterback Aaron Rodgers to develop chemistry with.
With Jordy Nelson now an Oakland Raider, Davante Adams and Randall Cobb are the only established wideouts on the depth chart.
Tight end Jimmy Graham's addition in free agency is expected to help, but the door is wide open for one of J'Mon Moore, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Equanimeous St. Brown to earn playing time beneath Adams, Cobb and Geronimo Allison.
General manager Brian Gutekunst deserves praise for the players he brought in at the top of the draft, but picking a punter and a long snapper on Day 3 prevents the Packers from garnering an A+.
New Orleans Saints
There's going to be a lot of pressure on Davenport to succeed right away in New Orleans based off what the Saints gave up to select the defensive end from UTSA.
New Orleans sent its 2019 first-round pick to Green Bay to move up to No. 14 in a deal that is going to be closely watched on both sides over the next few years.
Davenport is an impressive talent who could help the pass rush immediately, but there are few teams that would sacrifice that much to jump up to take a defensive end.
Entering the draft, there was some thought the Saints would go after a quarterback to be the replacement for the 39-year-old Drew Brees, but they didn't select one, even in the later rounds, which leaves Tom Savage and Taysom Hill as next in line on the depth chart.
Instead of taking a young signal-caller to develop under Brees on Day 3, the Saints took a running back with local ties in Boston Scott, who might not make an impact behind Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram.
Tre'Quan Smith's selection didn't address a need at wide receiver, either. Smith is going to be stuck behind Michael Thomas, Ted Ginn and free-agent signing Cameron Meredith on the depth chart as the fourth receiver at best.
Although time will tell whether this was a good draft for the Saints, it doesn't look like they improved their roster a ton with the seven picks they made.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
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