Day 2 of the draft is over, and I have always viewed the first three rounds as guys that could start. Rounds 4-7 are going to be depth and long shots, although the Bengals have had some success in 4 and 5. The official BengalsGM grades are out:
Arizona Cardinals – Trey McBride (TE), Cameron Thomas (DE), Myjai Sanders (DE) – Not having a first pick in a weak class is not the worst thing. Stealing Trey McBride from the Bengals should be treated with respect at 55 is a great spot for him. UC fans were excited to see Sanders go to round out a nice showing for UC players but overall, the lack of firepower to help a struggling team does not resonate well. Grade: B-
Atlanta Falcons – Drake London (WR), Arnold Ebeketie (DE), Troy Anderson (ILB), Desmond Ridder (QB), DeAngelo Malone (OLB) – The Falcons did good….real good. Scoring a top WR, strong DE and a potential starting QB in two days is a nice showing. Is Desmond Ridder going to start right away, probably not. Having London there will certainly help him develop though. Grade: A
Baltimore Ravens – Kyle Hamilton (S), Tyler Linderbaum (C), David Ojabo (OLB), Travis Jones (DT) Typical Ravens, crushing the draft. Hamilton just fell from the sky to them and then Linderbaum was just waiting there. Two great picks, but it just didn’t end there. Ojabo would be a serious first rounder if not for the injury, and he is likely to sit his rookie year to heal. Travis Jones was another excellent score and just rounds out a perfect draft for the dirty birds. Grade: A+
Buffalo Bills – Kaiir Elam (CB), James Cook (RB), Terrel Bernard (ILB) It is hard to upgrade an already great team but getting Elam as an instant starter was a nice grab. Adding some flexibility with Cook will take immediate pressure off of Allen. Too bad Elam wasn’t there for Cincinnati as expected. Grade: B
Carolina Panthers – Ikem Ekwonu (OT), Matt Coral (QB) – The Panthers are in full rebuild and adding a top 2 tackle and a QB project is a nice way to start. Do I think Coral is going to be great, no. Is it better than investing in Baker Mayfield…probably. I liked Ekwonu a lot. Grade: B
Chicago Bears – Kyler Gordon (CB), Jaquan Brisker (S), Velus Jones Jr. (WR) The Bears are also in a bit of a rebuild and no one is really solid on their future at QB. Kyler Gordon is a nice addition but there were bigger needs for them. I didn’t love their picks but without a first rounder they made best of where their pick landed. Grade: C
Cleveland Browns – Martin Emerson (CB), Alex Wright (DE), David Bell (WR) WTF are the letter grade I would use. Emerson and Wright are underwhelming to me. The Browns should be contenders this year…like last year but these picks have me scratching my head. They are depth players at best, but I am sure Cleveland was hoping to score a starter in this draft; they did not. Good news for the Bengals. Grade: D-
Dallas Cowboys – Tyler Smith (OT), Sam Williams (OLB), Jalen Tolbert (WR) The Cowboys needed to add to their offensive line and protect Dak a little better. Smith is serviceable but I was not in love with him. Williams and Tolbert are just meh also. Grade: D
Denver Broncos – Nik Bonitto (OLB), Greg Dulcich (TE) The Broncos also slept in the first day and took two players on day two. Bonitto could flex to DE and add to their pass rush and Dulcich was mocked to the Bengals if McBride was taken. Now the Bengals got double dirtied at TE. Grade: B-
Detroit Lions – Aidan Hutchinson (DE), Jameson Williams (WR), Josh Paschal (DE), Kerby Joseph (S), How can you argue taking a talent like Hutchinson. The Lions are building for the future and that is what Jameson Williams is given his injury. It is likely the Lions pick high again next year and find a QB in the draft, but these are good building blocks to make the rebuild quicker and easier. Grade: A
Green Bay Packers – Quay Walker (ILB), Devonte Wyatt (DT), Christian Watson (WR), Sean Rhyan (OG) Losing Adams and replacing him with Christian Watson is a kick in the junk. Aaron Rodgers has to be upset and if he is looking at what else was taken I do not blame him. Grade: D-
Houston Texans – Derek Stingley Jr. (CB), Kenyon Green (OG), Jalen Pitre (S), John Metchie III (WR), Christian Harris (ILB) The dumpster fire that is the Texans had a solid draft so far. Stingley was highly rated but taken a tad early and Kenyon Green is a top guard. Jalen Pitre will start on this team, but I love Metchie III a lot here; a guy who didn’t get as much love at Alabama living in Williams shadow. Who throws it to him? Mills? Grade: A
Indianapolis Colts – Alec Pierce (WR), Jelani Woods (TE), Bernhard Raimann (OT), Nick Cross (S) The Colts are getting a jet engine in Pierce and UC fans were excited to see him go as early as he did. Raimann also dropped farther than I thought he would and is a nice addition to protect Matt Ryan. Nick Cross will also be a nice little playmaker. This was not a flashy draft for the Colts but with all of these parts I really liked it. Grade: A-
Jacksonville Jaguars – Travon Walker (DE), Devin Lloyd (ILB), Luke Fortner (C), Chad Muma (ILB) Another franchise wrot with turmoil. I think they nailed their first pick in Walker. He will be great, better than Hutchinson? Not sure. Devin Lloyd is also a nice pickup but the latter two picks I kind of question. Grade: B+
Kansas City Chiefs – Trent McDuffie (CB), George Karlaftis (DE), Skyy Moore (WR), Bryan Cook (S), Leo Chenal (ILB) THis is a team we did not want to get better, but McDuffie could start on this team and Karlaftis was the best defensive player on the board. I would have also liked Karlaftis in stripes. Skyy Moore will not make up for losing Hill but he is a nice start to diversify with. Bryan Cook will be a nice backup for an already good OL. Grade: B+
LA Chargers – Zion Johnson (OG), JT Woods (S) Of course life just got easier for a rising star in Herbert. Zion Johnson is a great pickup and makes that offense better. Woods needs to contribute to help against studs like Burrow and Wilson attacking their backfield in the playoffs. Grade: B
LA Rams – Logan Bruss (OG) The Rams have mortgaged their future to go all in so having picks is not in their cards. Who is Logan Bruss? Got me. Grade: F
Las Vegas Raiders – Dylan Parham (OG) Also a team with limited picks they did get a nice addition to help that OL. Parham was a great value where he was taken and the kid from Memphis was a little underrated in my opinion. Grade: C+
Miami Dolphins – Channing Tindall (ILB) All in….no value in picks. I didn’t love Tindall, I hope their offseason moves result in similar Browns investments Grade: F
Minnesota Vikings – Lewis Cine (S), Andrew Booth Jr. (CB), Ed Ingram (OG), Brian Asamoah (ILB) Cine and Booth are nice additions, but everyone is curious as to why Booth fell so far. Sure, injuries but the kid can ball when healthy. Brian Asamoah was the hottest name to drop in all of the mock draft websites, so it was fun to see where he actually went. Earlier than the algorithms were predicting. The Vikes defense definitely got better, and it needed to. Grade: B
New England Patriots – Cole Stange (OG), Tyquan Thornton (WR), Marcus Jones (CB) Umm what? Cole Strange is a strange pick and Marcus Jones might have been their best pick in the two days. My head is scratched on this draft class. Grade: F
New Orlean Saints – Chris Olave (WR), Trevor Penning (OT), Alontae Taylor (CB) Two great picks to start off. Olave is a stud and Penning was a top 3 OT talent. The Saints got value and let the draft come to them and take PBA. Are they rebuilding or trying to stay relevant in a weak NFC? Grade: A
New York Giants – Kayvon Thibodeaux (DE), Evan Neal (OT), Wan’Dale Robinson (WR), Joshua Ezeudu (OG), Cordale Flott (CB) Oh wow! I thought the Giants had one of if not the best draft of the year. Thibodeaux falling was great to see and then they back that up with the best LT in the draft. Ezeudu will also start day 1 and Flott will be a nice rotational DB. Well done G-Men, well done. Grade: A+
New York Jets – Sauce Garnder (CB), Garrett Wilson (WR), Jermaine Johnson II (DE), Breece Hall (RB), Jeremy Ruckert (TE) There is something in the water up there in New York. The Jets also scored big and got arguably the best CB and a stud WR in Wilson. Johnson fell down the board fast and everyone from Kiper to Jimmy Johnson was losing their minds on a stud kid. Grade: A+
Philadelphia Eagles – Jordan Davis (DT), Cameron Jurgens (C), Nakobe Dean (ILB) A nice little draft for the Eagles and I really liked Davis where he was taken. Jurgens could start and Dean fell far with no explanation. They may have taken a risk, but the payoff could be really nice. Grade: A
Pittsburgh Steelers – Kenny Pickett (QB), George Pickens (WR), DeMarvin Leal (DE) What a shame….a bad draft class for the Steelers. Pickett is a good story and a good fit for them but he isn’t going to be a hall of famer. Pickens is not exciting and Leal is average. Enjoy the basement of the AFC North this year Shittsburgh! Grade: D-
Seattle Seahawks – Charles Cross (OT), Boye Mafe (OLB), Ken Walker II (RB), Abraham Lucas (OT) A sneaky good draft helped their OL, something Wilson would have appreciated. They still have no real answer at QB, but they did not reach and take from this weak class. Mafe is a nice addition, and the Seahawks are seemingly in rebuild mode. Grade: A-
San Francisco 49ers – Drake Jackson (OLB), Tyrion Davis-Price (RB), Danny Gray (WR) Things just didn’t go their way, and this was a weak class for the Niners. They asked too much for Samuel and no day 1 picks were exchanged. A step back for the Niners, which I am happy to see. Grade: F
Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Logan Hall (DE), Luke Goedeke (OT), Rachaad White (RB) Hall and Goedeke are good but not great additions. The Bucs needed help on the OL with losing Alex Cappa to our Bengals. Hall will be a nice rotational player for them and who knows if White will be any good. Grade: B
Tennessee Titans – Treylon Burks (WR), Roger McCreary (CB), Nicholas Petit-Frere (OT), Malik Willis (QB) Taking McCreary was a nice grab for the Titans, but Burks is not replacement for losing AJ Brown. Taking Malik Willis puts Tannehill on notice and at 34 it is probably a good investment down the road. The Titans should be in a win now mode but all of their actions to not say that to me. Grade: C+
Washington Commanders – Jahan Dotson (WR), Phidarian Mathis (DT), Brian Robinson Jr. (RB) Another series of picks I just do not understand….until I realized it was the Washington team with a terrible name. Dotson could help take pressure off of McLaurin but he likely leaves next season. Mathis and Robinson are just meh. Grade: F
Cincinnati Bengals – Dax Hill (S), Cam Tyler-Britt (CB), Zachary Carter (DT) Non-Bengal fans do not understand our draft, but it is pretty simple to me. Dax Hill will come in and immediately play. He will be a slot corner back up, cover TE’s, blitz as a third safety and play in the three-man safety zone. He will be a nice utility player. If he develops, he could replace Bell or Bates next year and save us some dough. Tyler-Britt will be a true corner and likely compete with Apple by Week 8. This was a nice hedge against injury or poor play at the boundary. The Bengals said they wanted to address CB and they certainly did. I did not dislike this pick and given who was left on the board made all of the sense in the world. Carter also makes sense to me. If you watched the Super Bowl (like every Bengal fan) you saw us get NO pressure up the middle. Carter should help that and will probably focus on his pass rushing abilities as a hybrid DE. He will likely slowly be added over the year and adds some nice depth to an area that we need to get better at. Grade: A