We’ve got a long way to go. No reason to waste any time. Your draft grades await.
Denver Broncos
The haul: Paxton Lynch, QB, Memphis – Round one, Adam Gotsis, DT, Georgia Tech – Round two, Justin Simmons, Safety, Boston College – Round three, Devantae Booker, RB, Utah – Round four, Connor McGover, OG, Missouri – Round five, Andy Janovich, FB, Nebraska – Round six, Will Parks, Safety, Arizona – Round six, Riley Dixon, Punter, Syracuse – Round seven
The Broncos toyed with every quarterback possibility before the draft an finally before their pick was on the horizon before grabbing Paxton Lynch. Lynch was the consensus best quarterback in this draft after the college football season ended so it doesn’t look as if they Broncos got any consolation prize here. What they did get is a player more read to start than any pundit thinks. It wouldn’t surprise me at all to see Lynch taking the field against the Carolina Panthers in the season opener.
Picking so late in each round, it’s always going to be tougher to have a fantastic draft. That’s the way the NFL system works and it’s a good one. I don’t feel like the Broncos reached at any point here, even if I would have taken a different player in these positions. The one pick I love is Devantae Booker, who many felt was the No. 2 or No. 3 running back in this group, so adding him in the fourth round should count as a steal. Especially if he turns into a quality starter. Gary Kubiak has that Mike Shanahan knack for turning guys like Booker into All-Pros.
Grade: C+
Detroit Lions
The haul: Taylor Decker, OT, Ohio State – Round one, A’Shawn Robinson, DT, Alabama – Round two, Graham Glasgow, Center, Michigan – Round three, Miles Killebrew, Safety, Southern Utah – Round four, Joe Dahl, OG, Washington State – Round five, Antwione Williams, LB, Georgia Southern – Round five, Jake Rudock, QB, Michigan – Round six, Anthony Zettel, DT, Penn State – Round six, Jimmy Landes, Long Snapper, Baylor – Round six, Dwayne Washington ,RB, Washington – Round seven
The NFC North got a whole lot better in this draft. The Chicago Bears had a sneaky-good amateur selection meeting as we’ve already learned and the Lions didn’t hurt themselves at all either. Decker was an easy call in the first round in a deep, good offensive tackle group. The steal came in the second round when Detroit nabbed A’Shawn Robinson who everyone on planet Earth had rated as a first round pick.
The Lions got good value in every round. Glasgow in the third could have easily been a second-round pick. There was a time when Killebrew was considered a second round pick. Dahl and Zette should both turn into starters in a couple of years. The really interesting pick is Jake Rudock. He gets to stay in Michigan and develop as a solid, life-long back up similar to a Frank Reich.
Grade: A-
Green Bay Packers
The haul: Kenny Clark, DT, UCLA – Round one, Jason Spriggs, OT, Indiana – Round two, Kyler Fackrell, LB, Utah State – Round three, Blake Martinez, LB, Stanford – Round four, Dean Lowry, DE, Northwestern – Round four, Trevor Davis, WR, California – Round five, Kyle Murphy, OT, Stanford – Round six
Here’s what’s funny about the Packers’ draft. According to my grading, they should have flipped their first and second-round pick. I had Spriggs going in the first in nearly every draft I did. Clark was a potential second-rounder and if the Pack had picked these guys like that, I would have already loved this draft. But to pull this off in reverse? Crazy.
The Pack knew what they were missing on defense and round three on they made sure to get their highest-rated linebackers on the board. Fackrell has been climbing up scouting reports all spring. I think Martinez, in the fourth, is a steal and could end up a day-one starter. If you want to bolster your offensive line, and the Packers needed to, there’s nothing wrong with taking a Stanford offensive tackle in the sixth round.
Grade: B+
Next: Texans, Colts and Jaguars
