Twitter: Kiper draft grades

[Sydla]

Smith and Dickerson will dominate. Williams could. I'd take either of their two late round pass rushers over the guy we took in the 3rd round and arguably their 6th round DT over our 3rd rounder too. Gainwell could be the next Tony Pollard. I probably exaggerated about Gainwell.

That was the best draft class in the division. Clearly.

Dickerson hasn't finished a football season in 4 years. I get the talent but taking a guy that literally can't stay healthy at the top of the 2nd is a real risky pick.

 

[USArmyVet]

2016
Ramsey
Henry
Simmons
Prescott

I mean I have been upset about that draft for awhile as well as 2017

It’s easy to play arm chair qb I think we have gotten better by health and by speed and by coordinator

Trevons back scared them I think. I’d be curious to know if he was there if they would have taken him

I am not looking back at 5 years ago but rather 2 days ago.

 

[CT Dal Fan]

A "B" sounds about right. Dallas took some chances but hit all of their need areas. Stealing Cox in the 4th raises the grade for me after the Wright pick at 99.

But I watched some Nahshon Wright highlights and I can see this kid eventually being a contributor. He knows how to use his height and attacks the ball in the air like a wide receiver.

 

[xwalker]

no help for the OL.

the Marshall kid is raw.

We passed on Slater.

The Cowboys had one of the worst defenses in history last season and Micah Parsons was regarded as the best defensive player in this draft by almost all draft analysts.

If there is any lamenting on not drafting an OL, it should be with regards to Teven Jenkins in the 2nd. He went 5 picks before the Cowboys and it would have been odd to trade up for an OL considering the needs on defense, but IMO, worst case Jenkins moves inside and makes multiple Pro Bowls.

OT Ball from Marshall is exactly the type of mid-late round pick that I like. One with all of the required athletic ability but available due to non-talent related issues.

 

[Playmaker3128]

I love draft grades.... how many times in the past have we gotten good draft grades and had nothing work out. I’m sure in the mo Claiborne and Bobby carpenter drafts we got excellent grades. Nobody knows.

it’s like when those fantasy football sites give my draft an A and then my team sucks.

 

[Jarntt]

I stopped reading at one of this teams top needs was TE

 

[Risen Star]

Dickerson hasn't finished a football season in 4 years. I get the talent but taking a guy that literally can't stay healthy at the top of the 2nd is a real risky pick.

And that's all you have? He's a lock first rounder if he doesn't have the injury history. That's why you take him in the 2nd round to minimize the risk.

 

[starfan1]

I am not looking back at 5 years ago but rather 2 days ago.

Think you missed the point but ok.I guess then waddle in your temporary misery we are better than we were 2 days ago

 

[xwalker]

We don't need any Oline help, other than at Tackle. I'm not sold on this Josh Ball kid at O-Tackle, much less with a costly 4th round pick, but I hope he can develop well enough and soon to come in and cover for either Tyron Smith or La'el Collins in case either one goes down with an injury once again. Our Guards positions already have decently good backups. The greater concern is at Center. I hope Looney agrees to come back at Center since he did well there last season but is currently an unsigned free agent.

By the way, I give the Cowboys draft grade a C+ which can improve depending on how some of these obviously overreached draft picks pan out.

OT Josh Ball has excellent physical ability. Pure physical ability is top 6 in this draft.

He was available in the 4th because of accusations by his girlfriend in 2017 of domestic violence.
- There have not been any DV issues since 2017.

 

[Maxmadden]

Well apparently I have to brush up on my squirrel knowledge.

At least your nut knowledge is solid.

 

[xwalker]

no help for the OL.

the Marshall kid is raw.

We passed on Slater.

You have to wonder about Kiper when he makes a statement like this. We have Martin, Williams and McGovern at guard. We could have improved the position, but there's not really a need. I also heard that we may be moving Brandon Knight inside. I think he has a chance to shine there, but even if he doesn't, we're covered at starter this year and next year. Slater absolutely would have been an upgrade, but if you are always just upgrading positions, you can't fix true needs.

Of course, I think it's fair to argue that Parsons wasn't a true need, either.

With regards to OL depth...

Many fans think 2020 showed that Brandon Knight and Terence Steele are horrible players.

That is not how I see it.

Up until Dak was injured, the Cowboys were leading the league in offense despite the majority of OT snaps being played by rookie UDFA Steele and 2nd year UDFA Knight.

The fact that Steele even played as a UDFA indicates that he has some ability.

The fact that Knight managed to play at LT despite being considered as limited to RT or interior OL bodes well for his chances on the interior.

 

[Sydla]

And that's all you have? He's a lock first rounder if he doesn't have the injury history. That's why you take him in the 2nd round to minimize the risk.

The Eagles have major needs at LB and CB and S and with a premium pick, they took a OL that in 5 college seasons, has been seriously injured in 4 of them (two ACLs, two ankle injuries, one that required surgery).

 

[Sydla]

OT Josh Ball has excellent physical ability. Pure physical ability is top 6 in this draft.

He was available in the 4th because of accusations by his girlfriend in 2017 of domestic violence.
- There have not been any DV issues since 2017.

Slight quibble but Ball's situation is more than just "accusations" as if one can try to convince oneself maybe they are false. He had a court ordered temporary restraining order on him and then eventually agreed to a 4 year restraining order with the girl that was court approved.

But yes, he's apparently stayed out of trouble since he entered into this agreement.

 

[xwalker]

Slight quibble but Ball's situation is more than just "accusations" as if one can try to convince oneself maybe they are false. He had a court ordered temporary restraining order on him and then eventually agreed to a 4 year restraining order with the girl that was court approved.

But yes, he's apparently stayed out of trouble since he entered into this agreement.

If it is not a trial by jury with a conviction then it not really "proven".

I'm not saying that he didn't do it, we've seen many instances in recent years where it eventually became obvious that the accusations were false or highly likely to have been false. Goodell hammered Zeke despite the female investigator reporting that the girl was likely lying.

The fact that it was in 2017 and he has stayed out of trouble since is more important than speculating about what might or might not have happened.

I would have to ask why a girlfriend would stay around if there were 11 incidents of DV as she reported.

It's one thing for a low income married woman with kids to stay in that type of situation but a college student's girlfriend...?

Regardless of the specifics, I prefer character risk players over medical risk players and over lack of talent players.

 

[Whyjerry]

For the rest of the league...

https://www.espn.com/nfl/draft2021/...s-sleepers-favorite-2021-classes-all-32-teams


Dallas Cowboys: B

Top needs: CB, DL, OL, TE

1/12 Micah Parsons ILB Penn State
2/44 Kelvin Joseph CB Kentucky
3/75 Osa Odighizuwa DT UCLA
3/84 Chauncey Golston DE Iowa
3/99 Nahshon Wright CB Oregon State
4/115 Jabril Cox ILB LSU
4/138 Josh Ball OT Marshall
5/179 Simi Fehoko WR Stanford
6/192 Quinton Bohanna DT Kentucky
6/227 Israel Mukuamu CB South Carolina
7/238 Matt Farniok G Nebraska

The Dallas defense was awful last season, even before Dak Prescott was lost for the year in Week 5. This couldn't be another CeeDee Lamb situation, where they went with an offensive playmaker even with massive holes on the other side of the ball. They had to get the best defender on the board with their pick, ideally a cornerback. Unfortunately for the Cowboys, though, the top two corners went in the two picks before them at No. 10, so give them credit for trading back two spots, adding an extra third-rounder and still getting the guy they say they wanted all along.

The questions now are ... where does Micah Parsons (12) fit, and what does it mean for 2018 first-round pick Leighton Vander Esch and 2016 second-rounder Jaylon Smith? I didn't peg off-ball linebacker as a need for Dallas, but the organization didn't draft Parsons to sit on the bench. So maybe it will move on from Vander Esch and plant Parsons at middle linebacker. He'll improve a porous run defense; the Cowboys allowed a woeful 1,758 rushing yards before first contact last season, by far the most in the league. With Rashawn Slater still available, I thought he would have filled a need at guard. (They added to the off-ball linebacker group on Day 3 with Jabril Cox (115), who has some coverage traits.)

The Cowboys continued their attempt to improve the defense on Day 2 and ended up using all five of their first picks on defenders. Cornerback Kelvin Joseph (44) has lock-down traits, and the team will hope that he can make the same sort of impact that second-rounder Trevon Diggs did a year ago. Defensive linemen Osa Odighizuwa (75) and Chauncey Golston (84) were lower on my board, but they'll help against the run.

I had a late-Day 3 grade on Nahshon Wright (99), but he's a big 6-foot-3 corner who fits the mold of what new coordinator Dan Quinn likes outside. He's quite confident in his skills, but I didn't see an NFL starter on tape. Israel Mukuamu (227) is another rangy corner, as Dallas showed its commitment to finding guys for Quinn. Simi Fehoko (179) has some speed for a 6-foot-4 wideout, though this team's receiver room is crowded.

In total, the Cowboys added eight defenders in this class, though they reached for a couple of them. If Quinn's corner picks work out, though, they could have a couple of steals.

-

Giants: B+
Eagles: B+
Commanders: B

Mel Kiper is a clown show.

 

[Typhus]

So are the threads here complaining about how the Cowboys screwed up the draft because someone's pet cats didn't get selected.

Of course they are, they have mocked over 5k times and deserve the right ...

 

[Typhus]

Not really. Kiper has softened up. He gave 22 of the 32 teams a grade of B or better. So, that hardly separates us from the pack. Yes we addressed our needs and added talent...............and so did most every other team.

Nobody wants to read a C grade.

 

[Sheepherder]

Let's admit with this draft Dak and the offense has more pressure than ever to keep the defense on the bench. Dak remains our best defensive player. No surprise there.

So, are you trying to say that this defense hasn't gotten any better with this draft?

 

[ESisback]

For the rest of the league...

https://www.espn.com/nfl/draft2021/...s-sleepers-favorite-2021-classes-all-32-teams


Dallas Cowboys: B

Top needs: CB, DL, OL, TE

1/12 Micah Parsons ILB Penn State
2/44 Kelvin Joseph CB Kentucky
3/75 Osa Odighizuwa DT UCLA
3/84 Chauncey Golston DE Iowa
3/99 Nahshon Wright CB Oregon State
4/115 Jabril Cox ILB LSU
4/138 Josh Ball OT Marshall
5/179 Simi Fehoko WR Stanford
6/192 Quinton Bohanna DT Kentucky
6/227 Israel Mukuamu CB South Carolina
7/238 Matt Farniok G Nebraska

The Dallas defense was awful last season, even before Dak Prescott was lost for the year in Week 5. This couldn't be another CeeDee Lamb situation, where they went with an offensive playmaker even with massive holes on the other side of the ball. They had to get the best defender on the board with their pick, ideally a cornerback. Unfortunately for the Cowboys, though, the top two corners went in the two picks before them at No. 10, so give them credit for trading back two spots, adding an extra third-rounder and still getting the guy they say they wanted all along.

The questions now are ... where does Micah Parsons (12) fit, and what does it mean for 2018 first-round pick Leighton Vander Esch and 2016 second-rounder Jaylon Smith? I didn't peg off-ball linebacker as a need for Dallas, but the organization didn't draft Parsons to sit on the bench. So maybe it will move on from Vander Esch and plant Parsons at middle linebacker. He'll improve a porous run defense; the Cowboys allowed a woeful 1,758 rushing yards before first contact last season, by far the most in the league. With Rashawn Slater still available, I thought he would have filled a need at guard. (They added to the off-ball linebacker group on Day 3 with Jabril Cox (115), who has some coverage traits.)

The Cowboys continued their attempt to improve the defense on Day 2 and ended up using all five of their first picks on defenders. Cornerback Kelvin Joseph (44) has lock-down traits, and the team will hope that he can make the same sort of impact that second-rounder Trevon Diggs did a year ago. Defensive linemen Osa Odighizuwa (75) and Chauncey Golston (84) were lower on my board, but they'll help against the run.

I had a late-Day 3 grade on Nahshon Wright (99), but he's a big 6-foot-3 corner who fits the mold of what new coordinator Dan Quinn likes outside. He's quite confident in his skills, but I didn't see an NFL starter on tape. Israel Mukuamu (227) is another rangy corner, as Dallas showed its commitment to finding guys for Quinn. Simi Fehoko (179) has some speed for a 6-foot-4 wideout, though this team's receiver room is crowded.

In total, the Cowboys added eight defenders in this class, though they reached for a couple of them. If Quinn's corner picks work out, though, they could have a couple of steals.

-

Giants: B+
Eagles: B+
Commanders: B

1)What Kiper thinks shouldn’t matter, because he’s wrong A LOT more often than he is right, which begs the question ‘why such a huge ego?’
2) Draft grades now are dumb. It’s just for click$!
3)The link only leads to BSPN, and I’m not gonna pay extra just to read Kiper’s opinion.

I’d rather read your thoughts than Kiper’s!

 

[Sheepherder]

So are the threads here complaining about how the Cowboys screwed up the draft because someone's pet cats didn't get selected.

It appears that way jake. All the Scouts
in here didnt hit on all their picks so it's a failed draft.