Draft Grades Compiled

[lockster]

These grades are patently stupid.

The Cowboys executed their plan. For that, it's an A.

Meanwhile, they might have just drafted Kavika Pittman, Kareem Larrimore, Dwayne Goodrich, Danny Coale, and Pat Watkins.

We don't know anything yet.

the differences with that list and this years draft is that the guys in this years draft, were far more productive in school and not based so heavy on projection like those guys.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

I don't know how his athleticism stacks up overall, but I do know that virtually everyone puts up better numbers on their pro day.

No they don't.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

I hope Taco turns out to be all that and a bag of chips but people who say his game is based on speed are fooling themselves.

It's based on quickness and power.

 

[Sarge]

Grading any draft the week after it's over is pointless.

 

[Deep_Freeze]

I have no problem with the way we made out in the draft, especially in view of the fact that we were drafting as late as we were. I think many other teams would have been seriously challenged to do as well as the Cowboys if they had all been making picks from that point. Considering also that we were in a position whereby we were under pressure to select players from such specific areas of desperate need, we did quite surprisingly well.

Yeah looking at that list, none of the teams that made the playofffs beat our brains out according to those ratings.

Might not mean anything, but at least its something new to talk about.

 

[willia451]

I give the Cowboys a solid D+.

Now I can collect a ton of clicks and views and comments on my blog and the companies that advertise in my space will be happy.

 

[Silver N Blue]

These grades are patently stupid.

The Cowboys executed their plan. For that, it's an A.

Meanwhile, they might have just drafted Kavika Pittman, Kareem Larrimore, Dwayne Goodrich, Danny Coale, and Pat Watkins.

We don't know anything yet.

Kavika Pitman! Now there is a name!

 

[waving monkey]

Who cares!! why do so many of you get all bent out of shape over these ridiculous post draft grades.....it doesn't matter, get back to me in three years, then we'll know!!

The off season draft is an obsession for everybody that is reading this thread. We have spent loads of time reading and watching video's about all the players.
Now the actual draft has happened we care ,why? We care because we have invested in the thing we have argued our points and opinions with everybody who would listen.
It's another competition of sorts. It's our hobby, we care.

 

[Verdict]

It's based on quickness and power.

He is powerful off of the snap. He doesn't really play all that fast. I like his size at DE because I think it is something we have been lacking. I'm not against him. I hope he succeeds. I don't see the speed element you believe he has.

Some will point to his combine testing. That's of course intended to equate to short area speed. I just don't believe in his case it is indicative. He doesn't look all that great in the speed category based on what I have seen so far.

 

[jterrell]

Ah, good point. C- in his grading actually puts us in a tie for 18th, so about the same spot we came out overall.

He gave one A+ (Patriots), no As, and two A- grades. So yeah, no grade inflation there. I like that better than the guys who give everyone As and Bs.

Giving only 1 A or better grade and doing so to a team that used it's picks to trade for veterans is about hating the draft.
And perhaps makes sense for someone working at a fantasy football site.

But I do agree not everyone can be A's.

 

[robbieruff]

So Evan Silva gave Dallas' lowest grade (C-) both last year and this year.
Bodes well for this year!

Evan Silva = Reverse Barometer

 

[jterrell]

A+ for the 4 guy the Pats took is BS. If you want to consider Cooks and Ealy part of their draft class maybe, but that's a stupid grade. Yet another reason these draft grades are totally useless...

Ealy and Cooks trades are what desperate teams do at the end of a franchise QBs career.
Cooks has a 1.5m cap hit this year but it balloons to over 8m next year and then he hits unrestricted free agency.
Ealy is on a cheap 900K deal this year but is an UFA next year.

So you paid a 1st and a 2nd to be better right now with only a large cash commitment keeping those players on your roster.
That's pretty much been the exact opposite of Patriots roster mgmt and is an F in drafting not A.

I know people hate to criticize the Patriots because they've so often come up Aces but this was terrible roster/cap management.

 

[Verdict]

I believe things have to be kept in perspective regarding the draft. I have heard over and over how fast Taco is supposed to be. For a guy his size he is ok in terms of short area speed. He wouldn't be remotely as fast as Cole Beasley, by way of example in a short area.

I don't see the top end speed nor his short area burst to be elite at all. It may well be good enough if he is elite in other areas such as power, leverage, technique, bend, hand use, intelligence or his ability to get off the ball quickly. A lot of different factors come into play in rushing the QB. Hopefully he has enough of them to be successful.

But to compare Taco with a guy like Watt is like comparing apples and oranges. Taco does not have the burst that guys who will project to OLB in the 3-4 would on average, and most of them won't have his size or power.

 

[Alexander]

We care because we have invested in the thing we have argued our points and opinions with everybody who would listen.
It's another competition of sorts. It's our hobby, we care.

 

[Toruk_Makto]

A+ for the 4 guy the Pats took is BS. If you want to consider Cooks and Ealy part of their draft class maybe, but that's a stupid grade. Yet another reason these draft grades are totally useless...

It also misses the point. The reason drafts are so important is the cheap source of labor. With first rounders you expect relatively cheap production for 5 years minimum. Trading a first for cooks gets you two years then unrestricted free agency. You can apply a similar analysis on Ealy.

If that isn't taken into consideration then it's a flawed analysis.

 

[_sturt_]

These grades are patently stupid.

The Cowboys executed their plan. For that, it's an A.

Meanwhile, they might have just drafted Kavika Pittman, Kareem Larrimore, Dwayne Goodrich, Danny Coale, and Pat Watkins.

We don't know anything yet.

It really is true, and I wish someone would start putting together draft grades based on 5 years after... eg, looking at 2012 draft right now, and handing out grades accordingly. Too much work for those of us who don't get paid to write sports columns, but the Todd Archer and David Moore and Charean Williams types should get on that.

 

[xwalker]

Every year, FO puts together a "Draft Report Card Report," summarizing draft grades from around the web. This year's is here:

http://www.footballoutsiders.com/nfl-draft/2017/2017-nfl-draft-report-card-report

In the aggregate, the Cowboys came in the middle of the pack: 18th in the NFL, with grades ranging from A- to C-. There are links to each of the report cards used in the compilation.

The best part of this is that it's an archive that lets you look back and see how right or wrong snap draft evaluations have been in the past. The article includes links for the previous reports, going back to 2004. So, for instance, last year the Cowboys' draft came in 25th on average. I think it's safe to say it will look a little better than that in the long run.

Ranks for some other teams:
1. 49ers
2. Browns
3. Commanders
9. Eagles
26. Giants
31. Rams
32. Bears

If you post that I'm great, I'll give your post and A+.

If you post that I'm not great, I'll give your post and F.

That is how media grades for the draft work.

If a team drafted exactly how the media draft analyst would have drafted, then that team gets and A+. The more the team varies from how the draft analyst would have done it, the lower the team's "grade".

 

[jterrell]

It also misses the point. The reason drafts are so important is the cheap source of labor. With first rounders you expect relatively cheap production for 5 years minimum. Trading a first for cooks gets you two years then unrestricted free agency. You can apply a similar analysis on Ealy.

If that isn't taken into consideration then it's a flawed analysis.

This is exactly what I was saying above.
Pats gave up r1, r2 and get 1 year of cheap service, Cooks costs over 8m in 2018 and Ealy is totally free.
If you are Ealy have made 4m in your career are you taking a discount or going to highest bidder?

 

[Alexander]

If a team drafted exactly how the media draft analyst would have drafted, then that team gets and A+. The more the team varies from how the draft analyst would have done it, the lower the team's "grade".

I don't think they are even that detailed. Most don't even examine a team to see what they need and how their roster looks to even get to the point of deciding fit and/or utility.

Most of the pundits have an idea if player X is a worthy of an X round pick and they think the team needed a player at their position and they took another player at the same position that was ranked "lower", bad pick.

They also grade drafts on what they thought the team needed and go with if they filled it.

Just take a look at some of the analysis to see it at work.

"Well, the team needed a QB and did not grab one. C-."

 

[TheHerd]

Ealy and Cooks trades are what desperate teams do at the end of a franchise QBs career.
Cooks has a 1.5m cap hit this year but it balloons to over 8m next year and then he hits unrestricted free agency.
Ealy is on a cheap 900K deal this year but is an UFA next year.

So you paid a 1st and a 2nd to be better right now with only a large cash commitment keeping those players on your roster.
That's pretty much been the exact opposite of Patriots roster mgmt and is an F in drafting not A.

I know people hate to criticize the Patriots because they've so often come up Aces but this was terrible roster/cap management.

Actually the Patriots drafting has not been good overall, and I think they cling to the assumption that all draft picks, even 1st and 2nd, are basically 50/50 crap shoots, so their preferred strategy has been to get as many draft picks as possible.

I sound like a broken record, but the Patriot model is Brady and Belichick, and the rest is largely window dressing to me. That model is not reproducible and cannot really be emulated.

Belichick can make almost any group of smart players fairly impressive on defense. Does anyone here have any doubt if we traded Dak and Red for Brady and Belichick that we'd be the favorites next year? I'm not claiming we should do that, and I get it's a short term plan, but based the fact that Brady seems to be getting better as he hits 40, I wouldn't be surprised to see 4 more years of elite performance out of him and 2 more Super Bowls. That would be 7 since we've won any, so not bad. Of course, I expect we'll win the other two during those 4 years, so it's all good.