NFL Draft 2020: Final Analysis of Overall Team-By-Team Grades

Every NFL draft ends up with winners and losers. While draft classes can't reasonably be judged until several years have passed, providing instant grades has become an annual tradition. Providing grades is exactly what we're going to do here.

Why? Because, quite simply, it's fun.

However, we're not going to grade draft classes based on the prospects themselves—it's not exactly fair to judge a player who has yet to see an NFL field. Instead, we'll grade teams on how well they addressed needs, maximized value and approached the selection process as a whole.

Did a team reach for a quarterback when it didn't need one? That's going to cost it—and yes, we're talking about the Green Bay Packers.

Here, you'll find all 32 teams broken down into letter-grade tiers from A to D—no team outright failed this year—with special attention given to some of the best and worst selections.

First, though, let's take a look at how everything went down.

2020 NFL Draft

A Grades

Gerald Herbert/Associated Press

Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Chargers, Los Angeles Rams, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints

Nearly half the league nailed this year's draft on paper. Given the unusual amount of talent and depth available, this shouldn't come as a surprise.

Teams picking at the top of Round 1 generally nailed their picks. The Cincinnati Bengals didn't overthink the selection of LSU quarterback Joe Burrow at No. 1—and then added a first-round talent in wideout Tee Higgins in Round 2 to support him. The Cleveland Browns snagged a potential franchise left tackle in Jedrick Wills, and the Arizona Cardinals scooped up defensive phenom Isaiah Simmons.

The Denver Broncos had two promising receivers, Jerry Jeudy and K.J. Hamler, fall to them in the first and second rounds.

The Baltimore Ravens had to work a little harder, but they added starting-caliber talent throughout the draft. Players like Patrick Queen, J.K. Dobbins and Justin Madubuike should contribute immediately.

The Miami Dolphins had three first-round picks, but they didn't have a successful draft based on volume alone. Adding players like Raekwon Davis on Day 2 and Curtis Weaver on Day 3 should pay huge dividends both in the short-term and over time.

The Minnesota Vikings deserve a ton of credit for navigating the predraft process and the draft itself. Trading away wideout Stefon Diggs helped free up cap space, as did parting with cornerback Xavier Rhodes. The Vikings grabbed replacements for both in Round 1, taking wideout Justin Jefferson and cornerback Jeff Gladney.

B Grades

Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis Colts, Kansas City Chiefs, New York Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tennessee Titans

Many teams that didn't absolutely nail the draft still did very well. The Buffalo Bills, for example, traded away their first-round pick for Diggs and still landed a potential instant-impact defender in A.J. Epenesa.

The Carolina Panthers had a defense-only draft, highlighted by prospects like Derrick Brown and Yetur Gross-Matos. It would have been nice to see them add a little help for new quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, but it's hard not to like the turnaround the Carolina defense is likely to make this season.

The Dallas Cowboys had a stellar draft, though grabbing wideout CeeDee Lamb didn't fill an immediate need. Likewise, running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire was a luxury pick for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Kansas City, however, set itself up to be even more dangerous in 2020 than it was this past season.

C Grades

Atlanta Falcons, Chicago Bears, Houston Texans, Las Vegas Raiders, New England Patriots, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, Seattle Seahawks, Washington Redskins

There's nothing wrong with having a nice, solid draft—which is basically what every remaining team did. Some great prospects were selected in this group, but there were some reaches as well.

The Las Vegas Raiders, for example, addressed a need by taking cornerback Damon Arnette with the 19th overall pick. However, they likely could have gotten him later, which prompted general manager Mike Mayock to quickly defend the selection.

"The reason he's not a reach is because of his grade in our system," Mayock said, per Ed Graney of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "Did I think we could have moved down maybe and still get him? Maybe, but we didn't want to lose him."

The Houston Texans traded their first-round pick for offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil and then traded away star wideout DeAndre Hopkins for a second-round pick. Adding defensive tackle Ross Blacklock will immediately help the defense, but with trades included, Houston's haul is good, not great.

Folks may criticize the Chicago Bears for drafting Cole Kmet after adding Jimmy Graham in free agency. However, Kmet is the future at the position for Chicago. Graham is a short-term answer at best.

D Grades

Green Bay Packers

The cheese stands alone. Green Bay is the only team that really seemed to botch what was a draft full of both talent and options. Again, though, we're talking about how the Packers addressed needs and maximized value. In short, they didn't.

Three years from now, this draft class could look spectacular as the core of a new era. The decision to seemingly draft for the future, however, was disappointing.

Green Bay has a perennial Pro Bowler in Aaron Rodgers and a roster that reached the NFC title game in 2020. The goal should have been to accentuate Rodgers' remaining Super Bowl window. Instead, the Packers traded up to draft his replacement.

The Packers used their second-round pick on Boston College running back A.J. Dillon, a curious choice given the presence of Jamaal Williams and Aaron Jones. They didn't address their 23rd-ranked run defense until taking Minnesota linebacker Kamal Martin with the 175th pick, and they didn't draft a wide receiver at all.

This was not the draft of a team looking to win a title in 2020.