It takes three years to review a draft class, you say?
With that (perhaps) being the case, we thought we’d look back — as we have in the past — at how our instant 2019 NFL draft grades have held up over time.
Some, not bad at all! Others? Well, let’s just say we’ve provided you ample Edholm roasting material should you ever need it.
Part of this is for accountability’s sake. People love to rip instant draft grades, and we get it. Some look ridiculous years later. Others hold up relatively well. But if I can’t share my old takes and wince a bit while doing it, perhaps I shouldn’t feel so emboldened to do it in the first place.
That’s why we’re here.
Our first crack at this, reviewing our 2016 NFL draft grades three year ago, was an utterly miserable experience. The kind where you assume it would never be repeated intentionally.
But here we are, back at it. The good news is that we did slightly better this time around … if you’re grading on a friendly scale, that is.
AFC East
Buffalo Bills
Grade we gave then: B+
Funniest line in retrospect: “The Bills wanted to trade up even higher to take (Cody) Ford, but they were lucky to get what we feel was first-round value early in Round 2.”
Scratch that. Ford is essentially the sixth man on their line now and is entering a contract year. Had he been a first-rounder, the Bills almost certainly would have declined his fifth-year option. Welp.
Best evaluation in retrospect: For the most part, I had a decent feel for this class — not too overboard on any of the players, with Ford being the exception. Devin Singletary has been fine, maybe better than I thought. Dawson Knox breaking out last year helped me look a little better.
How we did: Fine. Not terrible. I didn’t get too flirtatious with the Ed Oliver pick, as some of my draft brethren did, and I was way too excited about Ford. Had I flipped Knox and Ford in my “Best Pick” selection, I’d have looked a lot better.
Miami Dolphins
Grade we gave then: B+
Funniest line in retrospect: “But their most fascinating move might have come in trading a second-rounder for QB Josh Rosen … That’s exceptional work right there.”
You tell yourself, I need to be held accountable for my grades and the people deserve this transparency … and then you start writing. It’s like getting thrown into boot camp after skipping the gym for a decade. Sheer, utter pain. All over.
Best evaluation in retrospect: I was bullish on the Christian Wilkins pick and bearish on Michael Dieter. Kinda nailed that. Dieter is perhaps a bit better than I projected him to be, but I was right about Erik McCoy being the better option.
How we did: Great on the first two picks. Surprisingly light on the final four, which included two good value picks in Andrew Van Ginkel and Myles Gaskin. All in all, not terrible.
New England Patriots
Grade we gave then: A-
Funniest line in retrospect: “That’s how good their haul was.”
Narrator: There was not much good about their “haul.” You know what else is hauled? Trash. Trash is hauled.
Best evaluation in retrospect: Eh, not much. I disliked the Jarrett Stidham pick, but somehow not enough to make it my least favorite. For a draft class I claimed to like. Make it make sense.
How we did: Not great, Bob!
New York Jets
Grade we gave then: C+
Funniest line in retrospect: “Gregg Williams needs these types of instigators on his defense.”
Yahoo Legal insists I not say another word on the matter.
Best evaluation in retrospect: I picked Quinnen Williams as my favorite and Chuma Edoga as my least favorite. The former is exactly right, and the latter wasn’t wrong, per se.
How we did: Biggest regret here was almost picking Jachai Polite, whose whereabouts are unknown. He was last seen playing special teams for the Rams a few years ago. But otherwise I had the gist here: That class was basically Williams and a lot of flotsam and jetsam.
AFC North
Baltimore Ravens
Grade we gave then: B
Funniest line in retrospect: “If (Lamar) Jackson is the lead singer in the band, then (Hollywood) Brown is the wah-wah guitar player who might steal the show.”
The overrated guitarist just got traded. Look, the draft is an exhausting affair that makes us do and think strange things. This right here is all part of the aversion therapy.
Best evaluation in retrospect: I disliked the Iman Marshall pick, and I was right. He played four defensive snaps for the team and was never heard from again.
How we did: Not great. Too much faith in a 166-pound receiver, too little criticism for the class as a whole. Our regrade would be something on the D spectrum.
Cincinnati Bengals
Grade we gave then: B+
Just handing out sweet grades like candy out of the back of a VW bus.
Funniest line in retrospect: “(Ryan) Finley might be Andy Dalton 2.0.”
It’s even funnier when you realize I meant it as a negative?
Best evaluation in retrospect: I had Jonah Williams as my favorite pick and Drew Sample as my least fave. I mean, that part was not terrible.
How we did: Fine. We got too enthusiastic about their Day 3 picks and not enough about Germaine Pratt, a respectable defender. Sample isn’t a bad player, either, mind you; he was then, as he is now, a reach at No. 52. Again, just too rosy an outlook for a solid but hardly newsworthy lot.
Cleveland Browns
Grade we gave then: A-
Funniest line in retrospect: “… this draft class really boils down to one player: Odell Beckham Jr.”
Well, that’s fairly true. But we meant it in a positive way. In the end, Beckham just didn’t work out in Cleveland. That still surprises us.
Best evaluation in retrospect: We were right about Beckham being a big part of the draft class — just too high on his impact. Don’t think we were the only ones in that camp.
How we did: Meh. We were a bit too harsh on Sione Takitaki and a shade too kind on Greedy Williams. Nothing offensive there. But that grade, my goodness! Like the other way-too-high marks up to this point, it must have signaled a desire not to argue with Twitter goofs.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Grade we gave then: C+
Funniest line in retrospect: “This is exactly the type of move the Steelers should have made …”
… and it’s the one Steelers fans now love to bemoan: trading up for Devin Bush. Ugh.
Best evaluation in retrospect: Not a whole lot, honestly. We like Bush more than others do, but even we can’t put a bow on that trade now.
How we did: Slightly above awful. We said trading Antonio Brown was bad (wrong, it turned out) and that replacing him one for one with Dionte Johnson was a bad idea. That part is debatable, but he’s arguably been the most productive member of this class, drops notwithstanding.
AFC South
Houston Texans
Grade we gave then: C-
Funniest line in retrospect: “His raw, projectable upside might make him a 60-catch, eight-TD receiver in time.”
This was about Kahale Warring. LOL, you realize we meant career totals, right?! (Warring currently has as many NFL teams — three — as he does NFL receptions. Woof.)
Best evaluation in retrospect: We hated the Tytus Howard pick, which we and a million other draft dorks knew was a massive reach then. It still is now, although to his credit the guy is still starting.
How we did: Our first truly low grade so far came with a class that was slightly better than advertised. Huh. Howard and Max Scharping aren’t great, but they’ve been passable. Lonnie Johnson Jr. made a few plays last year and could be a surprise contributor for the Chiefs. Warring is in Jacksonville last we heard. It’s by no means a banner crop, but there were worse ones in 2019 for sure.
Indianapolis Colts
Grade we gave then: A-
Funniest line in retrospect: “When you step back and look at the big picture, everything makes sense.”
Look, it’s just not the class that puts Chris Ballard in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, OK? It’s also not the draft analysis that gets us to Canton either. We can admit both freely now.
Best evaluation in retrospect: Panning the Ben Banogu selection. He was never a top-50 prospect in our eyes. We wrote that we didn’t see him ever becoming “a 600-snap, eight-sack player,” and boy, that’s turned out to be right. In three years (439 defensive snaps), Banogu has 2.5 sacks total. We had no idea how right we’d be.
How we did: Half good, half bad. We lustily praised the Rock Ya-Sin and Parris Campbell picks. Ya-Sin was traded to the Raiders (although, for a decent return in Yannick Ngakoue) this offseason, and Campbell enters camp on the hot seat, so to speak. So, yeah.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Grade we gave then: C+
Funniest line in retrospect: “I mean, they couldn’t have grabbed Will Grier there? Hakeem Butler? Julian Love?”
The context isn’t even important. The fact is that I wrote this sentence and remain gainfully employed. A stunning development, now three full calendar years from its inception. Lester Holt needs to get to the bottom of this cold-case mystery.
Best evaluation in retrospect: Well, I said I liked the Josh Allen and Jawaan Taylor picks as my two favorites. Just do us a favor and don’t ask which one I ultimately settled on. Whew.
How we did: When we said that the class dropped off precipitously after the first two picks, we were right. The grade truthfully isn’t even that bad. But reading the words now still burns the eyes.
Tennessee Titans
Grade we gave then: A
Funniest line in retrospect: “This has the makings of an excellent class.”
It’s only funny because I actually got a team right here. Go, team!
Best evaluation in retrospect: Loving the pick of Jeffery Simmons (and strongly liking the A.J. Brown pick). Both were grand slams where they drafted them. Never mind that the Titans didn’t want to pay Brown and traded him this offseason, something they’ll almost certainly regret at some point. What matters is they made two killer picks to start the draft, and that’s what you’re supposed to do in the draft.
How we did: I was a tad harsh on Nate Davis, who has been a steady starter for three years, but otherwise it was pretty spot on. Plus, our Amani Hooker infatuation finally paid off last year, so we’re pretty proud of this one amid a sea of blech. It’s like golf: You might have three snowmen on the scorecard, but dammit, they can’t take away from you that sweet birdie on the 11th.
AFC West
Denver Broncos
Grade we gave then: B+
Funniest line in retrospect: “Elway might have gotten this right.”
Spoiler: He didn’t. This was in reference to Drew Lock, but … you probably already knew that.
Best evaluation in retrospect: Ripping them for trading two picks to take Juwann Winfree in Round 6. Wow, smoking-hot take right there! That one needed oven mitts. But damn straight, we got it right.
How we did: Other than liking the Lock pick? Not horrible! But, yeah, not great either. This was a pretty acceptable writeup, all in all, but we barely mentioned their first two picks, Noah Fant and Dalton Risner, the latter of whom is really good. Guess you can’t be wrong if you don’t say much about a player, eh?
Kansas City Chiefs
Grade we gave then: C+
Funniest line in retrospect: “But Hardman in Andy Reid’s hands – with Patrick Mahomes getting him the ball – feels somewhat unfair.”
Maybe it does take more than three years to evaluate a draft class! After all, there’s at least a chance that or our other prognostication (“Hardman is our Tyreek Hill replacement, or at least he should be …”) comes true this season. Slightly late, but who is counting?
Best evaluation in retrospect: Nothing really stands out. No use in forcing it for the sake of our fragile ego.
How we did: Check back a year from now. If Hardman finally comes through, we’ll look a lot better. Otherwise … nah.
Los Angeles Chargers
Grade we gave then: B
Funniest line in retrospect: “(Easton) Stick can give the offense a Taysom Hill-like contributor while he develops as a QB.”
Cool story, bro.
Best evaluation in retrospect: We liked Nasir Adderley over Jerry Tillery. A win in our book. A small win, a very Chargers-y win, but a win nonetheless.
How we did: Actually not bad at all. Tillery and Adderley have been just OK so far, but our suspicion about Trey Pipkins has been pretty spot on to date. We called it an imperfect class, and that’s about what it’s been.
Oakland Raiders
Grade we gave then: B-
Funniest line in retrospect: “Take all the best qualities of Charlie Garner and Cadillac Williams (a good player who was crushed by injuries) and you get something close to what Jacobs will provide – assuming he can handle a much bigger workload.”
The Raiders don’t believe Josh Jacobs can handle a big load, declined Jacobs’ fifth-year option and drafted his potential replacement in Zamir White. So there you have it.
Best evaluation in retrospect: I said Clelin Ferrell wasn’t worth the fourth overall pick. That’s the goods right there. Sure, a gaggle of other draftniks said similar things. But I’m also happy for their career success as well. Drinks up, y’all. We did a thing.
How we did: Look, Jacobs can play. He might not be special, but he’s better than the Twitter mob will have you believe. It’s just that we went in a little too strong on him. But we got Ferrell right, even adding that Josh Allen had better sack potential. That’s like 1.5 right out of two, so as long as you ignore my relative ambivalence for Maxx Crosby (who?!), Trayvon Mullen and Foster Moreau, we’ll take that as a big, fat W (with just a tiny asterisk).
NFC East
Dallas Cowboys
Grade we gave then: C+
Funniest line in retrospect: “(Trysten Hill) gives us the willies, and this is the type of player the Cowboys have missed on from time to time.”
Ha, yep. Anytime you require your top draft pick to sign a “work-ethic contract,” no matter what excuses the Cowboys offered up after that story leaked, it’s probably a pick you’ll later regret.
Best evaluation in retrospect: Tony Pollard as our favorite pick and Hill as our least-favorite is about as close to hitting for the cycle as a draft analyst can achieve.
How we did: Overall, pretty well. We gave them a C+ then and, factoring in the Amari Cooper trade to it, that’s about what we’d give them now. Maybe a C or C-. I also casually referred to fifth-rounders Michael Jackson and Joe Jackson (no relation, despite both attending Miami) as “both Jacksons” like they were in a 60s pop group together.
New York Giants
Grade we gave then: C
Funniest line in retrospect: “(Deandre) Baker is potentially Gettleman’s newest headache to deal with.”
Nailed. It.
Also:
“The bright lights of New York might not crush Jones, and he has time to develop – maybe as much as (suppressed laughter) three years, if you ask GM Dave Gettleman!”
Gettleman’s no longer allowed. But yeah, we’re still laughing.
Best evaluation in retrospect: I was skeptical of Daniel Jones, of course, but that’s akin to being skeptical of being served a Cyanide Colada. But we were not wrong, either — gotta make those layups. This was no time to get all cute and contrarian and whatnot.
How we did: This Giants writeup is chock full of goodies. I basically anointed Julian Love as the second coming of Jim Thorpe, so that was rich. No mention of Darius Slayton — other than just listing his name. And I compared Dexter Lawrence to Snacks Harrison, which is … interesting. But they got a C then, and maybe we were too soft on Gettleman at the time.
Philadelphia Eagles
Grade we gave then: B
Funniest line in retrospect: “Here’s your Nelson Agholor replacement.”
Once again, the context is basically irrelevant. That’s just funny in and of itself.
Best evaluation in retrospect: Uh, we’re still looking. Hang on a bit.
How we did: We praised the J.J. Arcega-Whiteside pick and looked down our noses at Miles Sanders. Look, folks, it took us a bit to arrive here, but THIS is exactly the windfall you were seeking in this story. Not much else to say here — we boffed it hard.
Washington Redskins
Grade we gave then: A-
Funniest line in retrospect: “Picking your favorite 2019 Redskins draft choice is like picking your favorite child.”
This is painful on two levels.
For one, we now can call maybe three of their 10 picks that year as good ones. Two, we’ve used this line since then, almost certainly future fodder for another draft-grade review piece. We’ve taught ourselves an important lesson.
Best evaluation in retrospect: It was a win within a loss. We liked the Dwayne Haskins pick (rest in peace) but made sure to mention how much we liked the selections of Montez Sweat and Terry McLaurin. We also came down hard on Bryce Love, who never suited up for a regular-season game, being picked in Round 4. We’ll take that as a pretty soundly collective win, even though we sadly won’t ever find out if Haskins had what it took to make it eventually.
How we did: Way too gushy, but we did have a sense that Washington did well — not only when measured vs. other teams but also against its own shaky track record. McLaurin is a verifiable star, Sweat is a strong contributor and we had a gut feeling on Love having a tough road to success.
NFC North
Chicago Bears
Grade we gave then: A-
Funniest line in retrospect: “The Bears are confident in their scouting to make such a move, and they’re gearing up for another playoff run with this addition.”
Oh, we are laughing now.
Best evaluation in retrospect: Funny enough, the above came from praising the David Montgomery pick, which deserved the praise. If you read it simply as that — and not as the kind of player who keeps the Bears in contention — it holds up pretty well. It’s a big ask, but please hook a brother up here.
How we did: Eh, not great but not terrible. Montgomery was a hit, but we liked the Riley Ridley pick way, way too much and disliked the selection of Duke Shelley — not a bad player for a a sixth-rounder, y’all — more than we should have. The A- grade just looks outrageous now, even though it was weighted to include landing Khalil Mack and Anthony Miller the year prior. That doesn’t make it a lot better.
Detroit Lions
Grade we gave then: C
Funniest line in retrospect: “A solid class, top to bottom.”
And yet we gave them a C. We were pretty spot on with the grade! But that line must have come out of some strange, unidentified endorphin rush from the draft being over.
Best evaluation in retrospect: Our best (T.J. Hockenson) and worst (Jahlani Tavai) picks really couldn’t have been better.
How we did: The whole thing was relatively spot on. Has Hockenson been Travis Kelce? No. But he’s had back-to-back solid seasons and still isn’t even 25 years old yet. And it just warms our soul that Tavai and Matt Patricia have been reunited in New England. They were always meant for each other.
Green Bay Packers
Grade we gave then: C+
Funniest line in retrospect: “…”
We recently appeared on a radio show and mentioned how we “really” liked Elgton Jenkins coming out. Yeah — so much so that the above quote is evidence of just how many words we spilled on Jenkins in our Packers draft-grade writeup: zero.
Best evaluation in retrospect: We were not wrong, per se, in praising the Darnell Savage pick. It’s just that of their first three selections, it might have been the least amazing.
How we did: Not that well. We seriously hedged hard in both our favorite and least-favorite picks, saying that we kind of liked them but kind of didn’t, and this is the kind of wishy-washy journalism that needs to be thrown in an acid bath. This is seriously disappointing, and we don’t really know who we are (or were) anymore.
Minnesota Vikings
Grade we gave then: C+
Funniest line in retrospect: “This fit was apparent a mile away. Bradbury instantly upgrades the offensive line as one of the best true centers featured in the past few drafts.”
Vikings fans have a bizarre, seething hatred of this pick now. Perhaps the fit wasn’t so apparent, eh, Edholm?!
Best evaluation in retrospect: We liked Alexander Mattison, and he’s been … not bad at all! That’s the one saving grace, we believe. Rereading these things is getting tougher and tougher by the team, admittedly.
How we did: Even with the Bisi Johnson steal in Round 7, the Vikings didn’t do a whole lot with this 12-man class, so a C+ looks like a mightily favorable grade now. (Marcus Epps has been solid, too, but the Vikings dropped him like a bad habit midway through his rookie year.) Bradberry can still rebound, but many Vikings fans are convinced his real name is Beelzebub. Even if we dispute that, our analysis has aged about as well as a fine milk.
NFC South
Atlanta Falcons
Grade we gave then: C-
Funniest line in retrospect: “He’s got the fiber to make it on this thin depth chart.”
We’re guessing chickpeas and chia seeds are the real reason John Cominsky has lasted this long in Atlanta. Prophetic indeed.
Best evaluation in retrospect: Well, we offered mild praise for Chris Lindstrom and hated the Kaleb McGary pick. The Falcons just picked up Lindstrom’s fifth-year option and declined McGary’s. Victory lap time.
How we did: Overall, we had this one pegged. It was a challenging draft then, and we knew it. The passage of time hasn’t altered that much. C- was tied for the lowest grade we dished out, but our only regret was not going in a bit harder, even with the solid Lindstrom pick.
Carolina Panthers
Grade we gave then: A-
Funniest line in retrospect: “Grier was such a smart choice to back up Cam Newton.”
I completely forgot that Will Grier started two games as a rookie. Neither went well. He had a 0-4 TD-INT ratio, took six sacks and lost a fumble.
Dare you (without peeking) to name what team he’s on now.
Best evaluation in retrospect: I loved Brian Burns then, and I love him even more now. Great pick. I also said that Dennis Daley was a good pick in Round 6, which it was. Look, Daley might not be starter quality, but what are you expecting that late. I also top-roped the Jordan Scarlett selection, which feels a bit like piling on. That doesn’t make it incorrect, but we had ample other options that would have been better.
How we did: I mean, fine, as long as you ignore the grade. Landing Burns prevents the Panthers from earning anything less than a B- quite honestly, but giving them much more than that is just too kind. The picks of Greg Little, Grier and Christian Miller (remember him?!) are just a serious boat anchor for this hodge podge of post-Burns also-rans.
New Orleans Saints
Grade we gave then: C
Funniest line in retrospect: “… if they’re not careful they’ll be caught in a draft hamster wheel that could hurt the long-term health of the roster.”
And:
“The window is closing, and the Saints are trying to keep it open as long as possible.”
For all we know, we’ve just cut and pasted those lines from the last several seasons’ worth of post-draft grades.
Best evaluation in retrospect: Liking Erik McCoy. We knew it was at the very least a solid pick, and that holds up very well, we believe.
How we did: Wish they were all this solid. Liked McCoy and Chauncy Gardner-Johnson and disliked Saquan Hampton and Alizé Mack. Four for four. The C grade was a bit harsh, but not unfair.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Grade we gave then: C-
Funniest line in retrospect: “And my goodness, a second drafted kicker in four years?”
GM Jason Licht does have some cojones, eh?
Best evaluation in retrospect: Saying that Devin White was our favorite pick while simultaneously questioning the positional value of a linebacker at No. 5 overall. Bucs fans are a bit too tough on White, we believe, but he hasn’t been great on coverage, to their credit.
How we did: It was all very well-intentioned and not inaccurate, even though we were way too bearish on what became a group of defenders that helped the Bucs win a Super Bowl. Oh, and where did this tough grading suddenly come from? It was as if we realized while writing it we had been Charmin soft up to a certain point.
NFC West
Arizona Cardinals
Grade we gave then: B+
Funniest line in retrospect: “This likely is a terrific landing spot for Isabella …”
Even funnier: It came right before we said we disliked the pick. Phew.
Also:
“(Hakeem) Butler was a Round 4 steal.”
No, he most certainly was not.
Best evaluation in retrospect: Dumping on Isabella made up for the fact we chose Byron Murphy over Kyler Murray for the favorite pick because, well, “enough ink spilled on his virtues.” Good lord, what idiocy. I mean, who thinks like that? Self-loathing factor rising by the minute here.
How we did: We did about as well as you can imagine — a mixed bag with a few cringe-worthy lines that we pray the internet can quietly wormhole for us one day soon.
Los Angeles Rams
Grade we gave then: A-
Funniest line in retrospect: “Darrell Henderson in the hands of Sean McVay feels like a cheat code admittedly …”
It’s like a cheat code that delivers you a small side of curly fries. Not the coolest thing ever, certainly, but hardly the worst.
Best evaluation in retrospect: We hit on the right notes but with an admitted volume problem — too loud in our support of Taylor Rapp and our disapproval of Henderson, and too whispery in our praise of David Edwards, a very solid starter at guard.
How we did: Relatively speaking? Pretty well. Just a bit off-key here and there. Fun fact: The Rams picked eight players in this class — all of them after the 60th overall pick and half at No. 134 and later. All of them have played at least 23 NFL games to date, and six of the eight have appeared in 40 or more games. That’s damned good GMing right there by Les Snead.
San Francisco 49ers
Grade we gave then: C+
Funniest line in retrospect: “Drafting punters isn’t the worst football affront, but it’s not far off. (That would be drafting kickers.)”
We also took a shot at Adam Wishnowsky’s advanced age — he’s now 30, by the way. But the pick was a pretty good one. Our bad, John Lynch.
Best evaluation in retrospect: Liking Nick Bosa and Deebo Samuel. Doesn’t get much better than that for a 1-2 draft punch.
How we did: If you can look past our uncomfortably predictable label of “intriguing” for Jalen Hurts, which was practically mandated for the Draft Industrial Complex at the time, the biggest issue here is the grade. If you told a team before a given draft they could land Bosa- and Samuel-caliber talents with their first two picks and be guaranteed zilch otherwise, they’d sell their souls for that deal. The kicker is that I dished a C+ for a team that landed two Pro Bowlers plus a very good linebacker (Dre Greenlaw), a roster-worthy lineman (Justin Skule) and a quality punter. Anything less than an A- here on a regrade is criminal.
Seattle Seahawks
Grade we gave then: C+
Funniest line in retrospect: “Some evaluators are concerned that he could be the next Kevin White.”
That was for DK Metcalf. We need to scour through our notes and figure out which “evaluators” fed us this line. Whoever it was, we felt it fit to print at the time.
Best evaluation in retrospect: Metcalf was our no-brainer choice for best pick, the above quote notwithstanding. That’s held up.
How we did: Between loving Metcalf and not really feeling their first two picks — L.J. Collier and Marquise Blair — we can’t really be ashamed with this call. Picking Collier here actually ended up a personal blessing, allowing us this moment of draft hysteria one year later when we were losing our mind in lockstep with the rest of the world in the early throes of COVID:
Also, a side note: Looking through old Seahawks draft classes is like dusting off your high-school yearbook. Remember THAT GUY, my lord!
It happens every time. And it’s a lot of fun if you’re into that sort of nostalgia. That must be our hidden excuse for writing this piece.
