NFL Draft Grades 2021: Top Experts' Scores for Every Team's Final Results
May 2, 2021NFL Draft Grades 2021: Top Experts' Scores for Every Team's Final Results
Smart NFL fans know that draft grades aren't nearly as important as how players actually perform in the coming years. An "A" on paper can become an "F" on the field and vice versa. This doesn't mean, however, that draft grades don't have a place in the football world.
Grades can provide a sound early indication of how teams addressed their needs in the draft—though it'll still be up to the teams and the players to deliver. They provide talking points and, perhaps above all else, are fun.
The draft has become an annual entertainment event, and draft grades are an extension of that. We'll take them with a proverbial grain of salt, but we'll take them all the same.
How did your favorite team grade out for the 2021 draft? We'll dig into some of the experts' opinions here.
ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr.
ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. has become a draft mainstay and one of the biggest voices in the draft-grading community. He recently graded all 32 draft classes and assigned letter grades to each team.
Arizona Cardinals: B-
Atlanta Falcons: B-
Baltimore Ravens: B+
Buffalo Bills: B+
Carolina Panthers: B
Chicago Bears: B+
Cincinnati Bengals: B
Cleveland Browns: B
Dallas Cowboys: B
Denver Broncos: B
Detroit Lions: B
Green Bay Packers: B-
Houston Texans: B-
Indianapolis Colts: C+
Jacksonville Jaguars: B
Kansas City Chiefs: B
Las Vegas Raiders: B-
Los Angeles Chargers: A
Los Angeles Rams: B+
Miami Dolphins: A
Minnesota Vikings: B+
New England Patriots: B
New Orleans Saints: C+
New York Giants: B+
New York Jets: A-
Philadelphia Eagles: B+
Pittsburgh Steelers: C+
San Francisco 49ers: B-
Seattle Seahawks: B-
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: B
Tennessee Titans: B-
Washington Football Team: B
On the Pittsburgh Steelers
Kiper seems to feel that every team drafted relatively well, with no franchise receiving lower than a "C+" grade. The Pittsburgh Steelers and Indianapolis Colts are the only two teams to be graded that low.
Kiper's biggest criticism for Pittsburgh appears to be the drafting of Alabama running back Najee Harris in Round 1:
"This one is tough for me because I'm a big fan of Najee Harris (24) but am almost always against taking a running back in the first round. Round 1 is too valuable, and we've seen over the past decade that good running backs can be found in any round—or even as undrafted free agents. And when I look at this Pittsburgh roster, I see bigger holes."
As Kiper pointed out, running backs can be found later in the draft. The Steelers found James Conner in the third round back in 2017, and he had a Pro Bowl season in his second year. With Harris, though, it's more about the draft positioning than the player. He should be a good one for Pittsburgh, and that's all that will matter a few years from now.
Nick Goss of NBC Sports
Nick Goss of NBC Sports Sports was also high on most teams' draft classes. Few received "C" grades from him as well, with only the Steelers receiving anything lower.
Goss' grades are as follows:
Arizona Cardinals: B
Atlanta Falcons: B+
Baltimore Ravens: B-
Buffalo Bills: B
Carolina Panthers: B-
Chicago Bears: A
Cincinnati Bengals: C+
Cleveland Browns: A-
Dallas Cowboys: A-
Denver Broncos: A
Detroit Lions: B+
Green Bay Packers: B+
Houston Texans: B+
Indianapolis Colts: B
Jacksonville Jaguars: A-
Kansas City Chiefs: A-
Las Vegas Raiders: B
Los Angeles Chargers: A-
Los Angeles Rams: C+
Miami Dolphins: A+
Minnesota Vikings: B
New England Patriots: A
New Orleans Saints: B-
New York Giants: B
New York Jets: A+
Philadelphia Eagles: B+
Pittsburgh Steelers: C-
San Francisco 49ers: B
Seattle Seahawks: B-
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: B
Tennessee Titans: B
Washington Football Team: A-
On the Cincinnati Bengals
While Goss didn't grade the Steelers particularly well, the Cincinnati Bengals getting a "C+" comes across as a bigger surprise. Many analysts, including Kiper, seem to believe that Cincinnati did fairly well. Goss, however, criticized the Bengals' approach to addressing the offensive line:
"Reuniting LSU wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase with his college quarterback Joe Burrow was a good pick at No. 5 overall, but the primary need for the Bengals was finding a franchise left tackle. The Bengals missed their second opportunity when they traded the No. 38 pick in Round 2 to the Patriots with Teven Jenkins, Dillon Radunz and other good offensive linemen still on the board."
Addressing the line was a priority for Cincinnati, as quarterback Joe Burrow was sacked 32 times in 10 games before suffering a season-ending knee injury. Passing on Penei Sewell to grab Chase could prove to be a major mistake.
Cincinnati did eventually grab a tackle in Round 2 with Clemson's Jackson Carman. However, as Goss pointed out, that pick seemed to be a bit of a reach. Carman was the 90th-ranked prospect on Bleacher Report's final big board.
NFL Media's Chad Reuter
NFL Media draft analyst Chad Reuter delivered quick-snap grades for all 32 teams. Reuter seemed to grade on a high curve with multiple franchises receiving scores in the "A" range.
Reuter's grades are as follows:
Arizona Cardinals: B+
Atlanta Falcons: A+
Baltimore Ravens: A
Buffalo Bills: A-
Carolina Panthers: A
Chicago Bears: A
Cincinnati Bengals: B+
Cleveland Browns: A
Dallas Cowboys: A
Denver Broncos: B+
Detroit Lions: B+
Green Bay Packers: A
Houston Texans: C
Indianapolis Colts: B+
Jacksonville Jaguars: A-
Kansas City Chiefs: A-
Las Vegas Raiders: B
Los Angeles Chargers: A
Los Angeles Rams: A
Miami Dolphins: A
Minnesota Vikings: A
New England Patriots: A-
New Orleans Saints: B-
New York Giants: A
New York Jets: B
Philadelphia Eagles: A
Pittsburgh Steelers: A
San Francisco 49ers: B+
Seattle Seahawks: B
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: A-
Tennessee Titans: B+
Washington Football Team: B+
On the Atlanta Falcons
While Reuter awarded several "A" grades, he gave an "A+" to the Atlanta Falcons. Reuter lauded the selection of tight end Kyle Pitts and of Atlanta's Day 2 picks—safety Richie Grant and guard Jalen Mayfield:
"Adding pass-catcher extraordinaire Pitts with the fourth overall pick gives a boost to the Falcons' offense, especially in the red zone, where the team struggled at times in 2020. Atlanta made two excellent picks on Friday night, with Grant likely stepping into a starting role at safety and Mayfield a solid projection to guard, an area in which the Falcons needed more depth."
The selection of Pitts was a common-sense one, as he was arguably the best non-quarterback prospect in the draft. However, one player does not make a draft class, and Atlanta did a sound job of adding talent on Day 2 and beyond.
Pitts should be an immediate playmaker for the Falcons, but Grant and Mayfield are likely future starters as well.