The dust has settled, and the NFL draft is complete. I am not a “draft grades” guy, and never will be. Draft grades exist to end up on “Freezing Cold Takes” in 5 years when a guy that was given an F becomes a Pro Bowler or a guy who was given an A becomes a bust. Truth be told, none of us knows how every single drafted player is going to perform in the NFL. What we can do, however, is look at the current state of every team’s roster and the draft board and determine what constitutes a good value for a draft pick. How good was the player in college? Is he a position of need? Was this player ranked lower or higher than where he was picked? These are all things that we will consider for evaluating every team’s best value pick:
Arizona Cardinals – Will Johnson, CB, Michigan, 2nd Round
Johnson is unquestionably a first-round talent. I had him mocked as Arizona’s first round selection, and they got him a day later in round two! Johnson is reportedly dealing with an injury, and if he heals back to 100% this could look like one of the steals of the draft.
Atlanta Falcons – Jalon Walker, LB, Georgia, 1st Round
I don’t recall any mock drafts having Jalon Walker fall all the way to the Falcons – I had him going 8th to Carolina. Atlanta needs help defending the pass, and Walker can come in on day one and either provide a pass rush boost or pass defense boost depending on how Atlanta decides to use the versatile player.
Baltimore Ravens – EDGE Mike Green, Marshall, 2nd Round
Baltimore continues their tried and true of tradition of taking the best player available, and hit a home run by taking a sliding Mike Green to solidify their pass rush
Buffalo Bills – Maxwell Hairston, CB, Kentucky, 1st Round
Hairston is the perfect fit for what Buffalo asks of their corners – his ability to read and react in zone coverage combined with his raw speed should make him an instant contributor.
Carolina Panthers – Nic Scourton, DE, Texas A&M, 2nd Round
Scourton was an absolute menace in both the pass game and run game at Texas A&M, and should instantly be an every down player on a team that had one of the league’s worst defenses last season.
Chicago Bears – Kyle Monangai, RB, Rutgers, 7th Round
We have enough of a sample size to know that D’Andre Swift is not cut out to carry a full workload at running back, and Monangai was a productive tackle-breaker at Rutgers who can happily shoulder the load on early downs.
Cincinnati Bengals – Tahj Brooks, RB, Texas Tech, 6th Round
Texas Tech’s all-time leading rusher was one of my favorite backs in this class – his ability to run behind a poor offensive line at Texas Tech should have his new life on the Cincinnati offense feeling like easy mode.
Cleveland Browns – Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado, 5th Round
I could write a whole novel about the fall of Shedeur Sanders – but I won’t. The simple fact of the matter is that the Cleveland Browns drafted a QB with first-round talent in the fifth round, and any of the concerns that caused him to fall can quickly be erased if he produces on the field.
Dallas Cowboys – Donovan Ezeiruaku, EDGE, Boston College, 2nd Round
In my final mock draft, I had Ezeiruaku as a late first-round pick to a pass-rush needy team. Well, I was right about half of that – the nation’s leading sack-artist in 2024 fell to a spot with Dallas where he can instantly start on the opposite side of Micah Parsons.
Denver Broncos – Jahdae Barron, CB, Texas, 1st Round
The 2024 Thorpe Award winner made plays all over the field for the Texas Longhorns, and will look to do the same in Denver. His position versatility and lack of fear in the run game will allow this Denver defense to get creative with where he aligns and operates.
Detroit Lions – Miles Frazier, OG, LSU
The Lions have become a franchise who buck trends on draft day – they often reach for players ahead of value and draft non-premium positions early in the draft. However, they usually turn into good players. They did the same again this year, and the best value that I could find was Frazier, one of the draft’s best guards who will hope to keep this offense rolling in the post-Ben Johnson era.
Green Bay Packers – Savion Williams, WR, TCU, 3rd Round
A versatile rushing/receiving weapon at TCU with crazy athleticism found a perfect landing spot with an offensive mind in Matt LaFleur who is great at scheming up designed touches, and is surely already in the lab seeing what he can do for Williams.
Houston Texans – Jaylin Noel, WR, Iowa State, 3rd Round
Jaylin Noel was one of my “ride or dies” in this draft class as an archetypal slot receiver who has the speed and strength to not be pigeon-holed into certain types of route concepts.
Indianapolis Colts – Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State, 1st Round
Arguably the best offensive weapon in the draft fell right in the Colts’ lap at 14 when many mock drafters, myself included, had him going in the top-10 picks
Jacksonville Jaguars – Wyatt Milum, OL, West Virginia, 3rd Round
The versatile Milum can line up at multiple positions along the offensive line, where he will be asked to provide protection for franchise QB Trevor Lawrence.
Kansas City Chiefs – Josh Simmons, OT, Ohio State, 1st Round
The Chiefs’ objective this draft was very obvious: add players in the trenches so that way they will not be bullied again like they were bullied in the Super Bowl by Philadelphia. Simmons helps that objective.
Los Angeles Chargers – Oronde Gadsden, TE, Syracuse, 5th Round
A pure mismatch at the TE position who will help give Justin Herbert another target in the offense who can actually separate from man coverage. Offensive Coordinator Greg Roman knows exactly how to use this type of player from his Baltimore days with Mark Andrews.
Los Angeles Rams – Chris Paul Jr., LB, Ole Miss, 5th Round
Linebacker was a clear need for the Rams, and they found one of the draft’s most-talented and well-rounded at the position in the 5th round.
Las Vegas Raiders – Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State, 1st Round
How can a guy taken 6th overall at a non-premium position possibly be considered a good value? When he’s a generational prospect at his position who should be a pro bowl player for the next decade, no matter the level of talent around him.
Miami Dolphins – Quinn Ewers, QB, Texas, 7th Round
The Dolphins’ seasons over the last 5 years have routinely been doomed by injuries to their starting QB. Without a steady backup, I like their pick of Ewers, who was a productive college QB with clear arm talent and pedigree as a former 5-star recruit.
Minnesota Vikings – Tai Felton, WR, Maryland, 3rd Round
The speed burner from Maryland could slide right in as the WR3 alongside Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison and could provide a vertical threat that could open up the rest of the offense.
New England Patriots- Jared Wilson, C, Georgia, 3rd Round
The draft’s best center fell all the way to the 3rd round, and he should start right away as New England looks to solidify the protection for new franchise QB Drake Maye.
New Orleans Saints – Kelvin Banks Jr., OT, Texas, 1st Round
The Saints were able to nab my top-rated offensive lineman in the draft at the 9th overall pick and he will look to do the same thing in New Orleans that he did at Texas – start on his first practice with team.
New York Giants – Cam Skattebo, RB, Arizona State, 4th Round
The Giants were able to take this human bowling ball in the 4th round, after many backs that he was more productive than during his collegiate career.
New York Jets – Azareye’h Thomas, CB, Florida State, 3rdRound
Honestly, the Jets had a great all-around draft, and a big reason why is nabbing this 1st-round talent in the middle of the 3rd round.
Philadelphia Eagles – Jihaad Campbell, LB, Alabama, 1st Round
A team with no true needs on the roster took the best player available with their first pick – who just so happens to be the best off-ball linebacker prospect in the last 5 years.
Pittsburgh Steelers – Kaleb Johnson, RB, Iowa, 3rd Round
Johnson is a picture-perfect fit in Pittsburgh’s offense, as the scheme at Iowa is very similar to Arthur Smith’s zone-based, heavy-personnel based, run-heavy approach, and he complements Jaylen Warren’s skill-set.
Seattle Seahawks – Nick Emmanwori, S, South Carolina, 2ndRound
Emmanwori looks the part of Derwin James, Jeremy Chinn, and Kyle Hamilton at the safety position, and his pure physicality is the prototype for the position in 2025.
San Francisco 49ers – Mykel Williams, EDGE, Georgia, 1st Round
This human highlight reel of a player could make an instant impact as the recipient of one-on-one blocks on the opposite side of double-team drawer Nick Bosa.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Benjamin Morrison, CB, Notre Dame, 2ndRound
Morrison would have definitively been a first round pick if not for a season-ending injury in 2024. He was the best man coverage cornerback in this class by a wide margin.