Draft Report Cards 🅰️

05/01/2023 Draft Report Cards 🅰️

By: Jeff Yoder

2023 NFL Draft Grades: The 10 Teams Who Aced the 2023 NFL Draft 

After the dust settled on an incredible NFL Draft weekend, we have report cards for all 32 teams. Every selection from the first round (31 total) came from a major conference for the first time in draft history as teams have shifted from targeting those less visible prospects. Quarterbacks were the story, per usual, but there are a handful of teams who absolutely aced draft weekend. We’ll give you our top 10 with a breakdown of picks and moves that they made, plus grades for every team (11-32) who scored below an A-grade. And if you’re unhappy with how your team did, there are still three months before training camp and plenty of free agents left.

 

NFL Draft Grades

 

A+ — Eagles & Seahawks

We have ten teams who smashed draft weekend in more ways than one, but two stood out as the top dawgs, one literally. The Seahawks got the best prospect at both wide receiver (Jaxson Smith-Njigba) and cornerback (Devon Witherspoon) before addressing needs with ten total picks, including two running backs. The Eagles swiped three Georgia defenders with their first four picks (DL Jalen Carter, DE Nolan Smith & CB Kelee Ringo). They also made a draft-weekend trade to get Lions RB D’Andre Swift — another Georgia guy. If there are two teams who won the draft, it’s the birds from each coast.

 

A — Cardinals, Giants & Steelers

Arizona got the best offensive lineman with No. 6 (Paris Johnson Jr.) and nabbed LSU OLB B.J. Ojulari in the second round before nailing a number of late picks. The Giants landed three top-50 prospects with their 1st, 2nd, and 3rd-round picks, including CB Deonte Banks, C John Michael Schmitz, and WR Jalin Hyatt in a 3rd-round steal. And the Steelers — who we initially had as Day 1 draft losers — may have gotten the biggest steal of all with CB Joey Porter Jr. in Round 2. They took four defensive players on Saturday and Sunday while getting Georgia TE Darnell Washington in a late-round steal.

 

A- — Ravens, Patriots, Bears, Bengals & Bills

Baltimore gets an A-minus for securing QB Lamar Jackson’s extension and adding one of the most dynamic receivers in the 1st-round with Zay Flowers. The Patriots made back-trades and still swiped a lot of talent, including CB Christian Gonzales and DE Keion White. The Bears did the same with their usage of the No. 1 overall pick to trade back and earn more capital — seven defensive picks and WR D.J. Moore. The Bengals used their first three picks on defensive studs, and the Bills landed the best tight end (Dalton Kincaid) and guard (O’Cyrus Torrence) in the draft.

 

Other Grades

B+ — Packers, Texans, Titans & Panthers

B — Cowboys, Browns, Broncos & Colts

B- — Lions, Jaguars, Chiefs & Chargers

C+ — Jets, Rams, Dolphins & Vikings

C — Falcons, Raiders, Commanders & Buccaneers

C- — Saints & 49ers

 

The 2023 NFL Draft is in the books. Rookie mini-camp notes will be coming soon, but we’ll push pause on the NFL news with three months until training camps take over.

 

Full 2023 NFL Draft Tracker

 

Additional Storylines

B/R: Ranking the Biggest Surprises of the 2023 NFL Draft

ESPN: Cowboys Scout Emotional After Getting Chance to Draft Son

CBS Sports: Best & Worst Draft Picks for Every Team

Yahoo! Sports: Colts Owner Jim Irsay Says QB Anthony Richardson ‘Will Start This Season’

 

Photo: David Eulitt / Getty Images