The NFL Draft has come and gone and it was very interesting. Giving out a draft grade for the draft is just nuts because these guys have not played a down in the league. With that said, for each team we are going to look at the following: Best Pick, Worse Pick, Diamond in the Rough and Best UDFA Signing.
This is completely speculative and we won’t know how good these guys are for a few years but here we go anyway.
DENVER BRONCOS
Best Pick: WR Troy Franklin
After trading Jerry Jeudy prior to the draft, the Broncos drafted Franklin. He is a slightly shorter version of Marques Colston and a perfect fit for Sean Payton’s offense. To make things even better, he played two years with Bo Nix and was his #1 receiver. Size, speed and a excellent route runner, he was a great pick.
Worse Pick: QB Bo Nix
This pick was forecasted and he is a great fit for Payton’s office. The reason it is the worse pick is where he was chosen (12th overall). After the crazy run on quarterbacks, the Broncos had to pull the trigger as they did not have a 2nd round pick. Time will tell with this one.
Diamond in the Rough: CB Kris Abrams-Draine
This guy will compete for the slot corner spot immediatley. He is a ball-hawking dog on the field. He reads quarterbacks as good as anyone in the draft. Getting this guy in the 5th round was one of the biggest steals of the draft.
Best UDFA Signing: OT Frank Crum
This guy had a great combine and was one of the best overall athletes for the OT position. He has a real shot at being a swing tackle as he has played both positions in college.
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
Best Pick: WR Xavier Worthy
Here comes the fastest receiver to ever run at the combine. This guy was the perfect fit for the Chiefs offense. With Worthy and free agent signing Marquise Brown, the Chiefs now have two receivers that have 4.2 speed.
Worse Pick: OT Kingsley Suamataia
This pick was a round or so too early. He has great size and is a pretty good athlete but he has has only played 23 games over three years. He is an average pass protector at this point and is still raw. He is a boom or bust prospect.
Diamond in the Rough: OL Hunter Nourzad
This guy has played RT, LG and Center. That should tell you how versatile he is. He will push for playing time this year. He is very smart but he has some serious nasty to his game. Getting him in the 5th round is a real steal.
Best UDFA Signing: LB Curtis Jacobs
This guy is a pretty good athlete with decent production on a team with star players. He is a glue guy to any defense and the kind of guy that Steve Spagnuolo will get the most out of.
LAS VEGAS RAIDERS
Best Pick: TE Brock Bowers
This pick was a flat out steal. Was it a need, no, but he was the best player available. This guy should have been off the board but with the top six quarterbacks off the board, he was the guy. Bowers is a matchup nightmare and will be used all over the field. With OC Luke Getsy using 12 personnel (one back and two tight ends) only 23.5% of the time, expect that number to increase significantly.
Worse Pick: OT DJ Glaze
The Raiders had to address the offensive line and drafted JPJ in the second round to play guard. Glaze is a tackle that is great at pass blocking but average at best in the run game. He was drafted a bit too early. This guy will be a swing tackle but will have to develop quickly to make the team.
Diamond in the Rough: CB Decamerion Richardson
This guy was made to play in Patrick Graham’s defense. His size and speed has been the missing element for the defense to take the next step. The key with him will be how quickly he develops and learns the defensive scheme.
Best UDFA Signing: WR/KR Lideatrick Griffin
This guy will have a real shot at making the team as a returner. He is very elusive and has above average speed. In 2022 he was the all SEC Retuner. He is a decent slot receiver but retuning will be where he makes the team.
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS
Best Pick: OT Joe Alt
Alt was arguably the best tackle in the draft. He will be an instant upgrade to the offensive line and help keep Justin Herbert upright. The only issue with this pick is what tackle position he will be playing. If he was drafted to play Left Tackle, this is the perfect pick. If he was drafted to play Right Tackle, there were better options as he never played RT in college at all.
Worse Pick: LB Junior Colson
Colson was one of if not the best linebackers in this years draft. He has great leadership skills, fantastic against the run and has a good chance of being the starting Middle Linebacker. His biggest draw backs are his trigger, coverage skills, but more importantly his speed or should that be his lack thereof. In a division with Travis Kelce, Michael Mayer and Brock Bowers, those concerns could come back to haunt him.
Diamond in the Rough: WR Brendon Rice
This is CRAZY!!! How does this guy slip to the 7th round. He is a good route runner, field stretcher (17.58 YPR) but a TD machine (12 TDs in 12 games). The Chargers made HUGE changes to their Wide Receiver room but somehow getting this guy is going to be a big help.
Best UDFA Signing: DB Akeem Dent
Dent is a true jack of all trades, master of none. He can play anywhere in the secondary with decent size (5’11”, 191) with 4.38 speed. He is the kind of chess piece that Jim Harbaugh loves to have on his team.
Well…..we are few months away from training camp and it can’t get here fast enough. So many questions to be answered and so many changes to be made. With that said, stand by for the stand by.