NFL DRAFT GRADES 💯

From surprise picks to blockbuster trades, the 2023 NFL Draft was a rollercoaster ride of emotions. With picks that confounded experts and blockbuster trades that shook the league, this year's draft had it all. In this comprehensive recap, we'll delve into the details of each team's overall draft grade, as well as highlight some of the biggest moments and storylines from the event. Whether you're a die-hard football fan or simply curious about the buzz surrounding this year's draft, this newsletter will give you an in-depth look at everything you need to know.

View the full NFL Draft Team Grades & Rankings article from Frank Ammirante.

NFL Draft Grades: A+

1. Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles stole one of the best players in the draft in defensive tackle Jalen Carter at nine, then one-upped themselves with edge rusher Nolan Smith at 30. I was also a big fan of their Kelee Ringo pick, as he’s a corner with excellent size and athleticism.

The Eagles did a great job prioritizing their defense, using five of their seven picks on that side of the ball.

NFL Draft Grades: A

2. Indianapolis Colts

The Colts smartly focused on athleticism in this draft, nabbing their new franchise quarterback in Anthony Richardson and pairing him with wideout Josh Downs.

They got an absolute steal with defensive tackle Adetomiwa Adebawore in the fourth round, a player who was projected as high as Round 2. The Colts definitely made the most of their 12 picks.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers addressed their offensive line with tackle Broderick Jones while getting two gifts in cornerback Joey Porter Jr. (second round) and tight end Darnell Washington (fourth round).

Each of those two players were thought of as potential first-rounders coming into the draft. Pittsburgh now looks like a potential dark horse in the AFC North.

NFL Draft Grades: A-

4. Buffalo Bills

The Bills got a new weapon for Josh Allen in tight end Dalton Kincaid, who can win downfield and be a major red-zone threat.

You also have to love their second-round selection of guard O’Cyrus Torrence to bolster the offensive line, as he was another potential Top-32 pick. Don’t sleep on wideout Justin Shorter, who has tremendous size and wingspan.

NFL Draft Grades: B+

5. New York Giants

The Giants took a highly athletic corner in Deonte Banks, along with a stud center in John Michael Schmitz and a speedy wideout Jalin Hyatt, who can take the top off opposing defenses.

This is a nice trio of rookies to start out the class, setting the tone for a B+ overall grade.

6. Los Angeles Chargers

The Chargers made a great pick in wideout Quentin Johnston, who has great size with the ability to win downfield or generate yards after the catch.

I was a big fan of their second-round pick, Tuli Tuipulotu, a 20-year-old edge rusher with a high upside. Los Angeles did a good job addressing their needs, especially with these two selections.

7. Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks got off to a great start with their first-round selections of cornerback Devon Witherspoon and wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

The only reason they’re at a B+ is because I didn’t like how they used a second-rounder on running back Zach Charbonnet, since this is not a position of need.

8. Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals smartly traded down from three to get quite the haul from the Texans, including a 2024 first round pick. Arizona was still able to get their guy in offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr.

Drafting edge rusher B.J. Ojulari (second round) was another prudent move, as many projected him as a first-rounder.

9. Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals got great value with edge rusher Myles Murphy at 28, while also making smart choices like wideout Charlie Jones and running back Chase Brown (fifth round). It wouldn’t surprise me to see Brown carve out a role right away.

This was just a solid draft from top to bottom, filled with players who can make immediate contributions.

NFL Draft Grades: B

10. Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens added another weapon for Lamar Jackson in slot receiver Zay Flowers. They also stole linebacker Trenton Simpson in the third round, a player who could have gone a round or two earlier.

Baltimore always seems to find value in the draft and this year was no different. However, I would have liked to see them draft a corner earlier.

11. Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings added a sidekick for Justin Jefferson in Jordan Addison, a polished receiver who can make an impact from Day 1.

They also did a good job prioritizing their secondary with corner Mekhi Blackmon and safety Jay Ward. Minnesota’s defense is going to look much better under new defensive coordinator Brian Flores.

NFL Draft Grades: B-

12. Carolina Panthers

The Panthers made the right selection in quarterback Bryce Young, but we have to bake in the fact that they gave up a treasure trove of draft capital to select him.

I really like the Jonathan Mingo pick in Round 2, as he’s a receiver with great size with the ability to win downfield. However, they only had five picks, which is why their grade is a bit lower.

13. Cleveland Browns

The Browns didn’t make their first pick until the third round, but they did a solid job considering their limited draft capital.

Look out for Siaki Ika, who can eat up blocks as a nose tackle. Wideout Cedric Tillman gives them another intriguing weapon for Deshaun Watson. The Browns look like playoff contenders this season.

14. Tennessee Titans

The Titans addressed their offensive line with Peter Skoronski in the first round, while getting a free-falling Will Levis in the second to be their quarterback of the future.

I wasn’t a fan of the Tyjae Spears pick in the third round, since running back is definitely not a need on this team and they took Hassan Haskins in the fourth last year.

15. Chicago Bears

The Bears started off the draft with mauling right tackle Darnell Wright, which fills a need, but they probably should have went with defensive tackle Jalen Carter, so that slightly lowers their overall grade.

Chicago made a terrific pick with running back Roschon Johnson, who was overshadowed by Bijan Robinson at Texas. The former Longhorn is arguably the most complete back on this roster.

16. Las Vegas Raiders

The Raiders smartly ended Tyree Wilson’s fall at seven, while also getting one of the steals of the draft in tight end Michael Mayer.

The former Notre Dame star was widely projected to be a first round pick, but Las Vegas got him in the second. While these two picks were good, the rest of the draft was a bit underwhelming.

NFL Draft Grades: C+

17. New York Jets

The Jets made a few solid picks, shoring up their offensive line with center Joe Tippman (2nd round) and tackle Carter Warren (fourth round). I also liked their Israel Abanikanda pick, as he’s a running back with terrific size and speed.

However, their grade falls to a C+ because they reached on edge rusher Will McDonald IV in the first round, taking him over Nolan Smith and Myles Murphy.

18. Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys didn’t necessarily have a bad draft, but I’m giving them a C+ grade because nothing stands out to me. They should have taken tight end Michael Mayer over defensive tackle Mazi Smith.

When they did address tight end, they took Luke Schoonmaker over Darnell Washington, who was often projected as a sneaky first-rounder but ended up falling to the third.

19. Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars smartly traded down twice in the first round, while still addressing a major need with offensive tackle Anton Harrison.

However, I wasn’t a fan of their second-round pick of tight end Brenton Strange over Darnell Washington. They didn’t need to use a third on a running back in Tank Bigsby, since that’s a lot of draft capital tied into the position, with Travis Etienne as a former first-rounder.

20. Los Angeles Rams

The Rams didn’t have a bad draft, but their first pick wasn’t until the second round, so their class is a bit less impactful, resulting in the lower grade.

They didn’t need to use a fourth-rounder on quarterback Stetson Bennett, a player many believed would fall further in the draft. However, I’m a huge fan of their sixth-round pick in running back Zach Evans, who fell too far.

21. Green Bay Packers

The Packers made a rock-solid pick in the first with edge rusher Lukas Van Ness. They also addressed a need with tight end Luke Musgrave.

However, wideout Jayden Reed was a reach in the second round. They probably should have went with Jalin Hyatt if they wanted a big-play threat at that spot. Also, there was no need to take a quarterback in Sean Clifford.

22. Houston Texans

The Texans walked away with two blue-chippers in the first round in quarterback C.J. Stroud and edge rusher Will Anderson. However, they gave up a lot of draft capital to get Anderson, including a 2024 first-rounder.

That’s a risky move for a team that is likely to remain bottom-feeders in 2023. Their second-round pick of center Juice Scruggs felt like a major reach.

23. New Orleans Saints

The Saints made a solid pick with defensive lineman Brian Bresee at the end of the first round. I was also a big fan of their fourth-round selection of interior offensive lineman Nick Saldiveri, who was projected to go in the third.

However, taking a running back in Kendre Miller in the third round felt unnecessary, even with Alvin Kamara’s looming suspension.

24. Denver Broncos

The Broncos didn’t make their first of five picks until the end of the second round, which immediately lowered their overall grade. They didn’t need to take a wideout in Marvin Mims, so that felt like an unnecessary selection.

However, I love their third-round pick of linebacker Jerome Simpson, who was projected to go in the second round.

25. New England Patriots

The Patriots absolutely stole cornerback Christian Gonzalez at 17, as he’s a highly athletic corner who many thought would go in the top 10 picks.

However, they used two of their three fourth-rounders on interior offensive lineman. They took a kicker with their other pick. It’s worth noting that I did really like their pick of wideout Kayshon Boutte pick in the sixth.

NFL Draft Grades: C

26. Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons took running back Bijan Robinson eighth overall despite having an efficient rushing attack last season. Robinson is a generational prospect, but this team has much greater needs and only six picks to address them.

Atlanta partly made up for this move by getting some nice value on tackle Matthew Bergeron. However, I don’t like how they’ve put too much trust in Desmond Ridder at quarterback – they should have taken one in this draft.

27. Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs had an underwhelming draft, reaching on edge rusher Felix Anundike-Uzomah in the first and wideout Rashee Rice in the second.

Kansas City should have been more aggressive in the first round for a wideout, perhaps trading up for players like Quentin Johnston or Jordan Addison. This team’s group of receivers looks pretty thin right now.

28. Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins only had four picks in this draft, so their grade is automatically lower. I loved their third-round selection of running back Devon Achane, who has 4.32 speed and could fit in like a glove in this Mike McDaniel offense.

However, Miami probably should have looked elsewhere in the second round instead of cornerback Cam Smith, as they already have Jalen Ramsey and Xavien Howard here.

29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Bucs get a lower grade because they didn’t take a quarterback, instead rolling with the underwhelming duo of Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask. They should have drafted Will Levis, who fell all the way to the second round.

While defensive tackle Calijah Kancey was a solid selection, edge rusher YaYa Diaby felt like a bit of a reach in the third round, as he’s thought of as more of a project.

30. Detroit Lions

The Lions used both their first rounders on devalued positions of running back and off-ball linebacker. While Jahmyr Gibbs is a stud, this was not an area of need. Jack Campbell was considered the top linebacker in the draft, but they could have waited on this position.

However, I absolutely loved the pick of defensive back Brian Branch in the second round and quarterback Hendon Hooker in the third. These two players could have gone in the first. Having said that, I have to give Detroit a C for what they did with their two first-rounders.

NFL Draft Grades: D

31. San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers didn’t make their first pick until the third round. They proceeded to use their second third-rounder on a kicker in Jake Moody. Any time you use premium draft capital on a kicker, you automatically get a low grade from me.

Their third pick in the third round was tight end Cameron Latu, a converted edge rusher with limited upside. Not to mention the fact that they already have George Kittle at the position. This was not a good draft for San Francisco.

32. Washington Commanders

The Commanders had the worst draft in the NFL. Their first-round pick of cornerback Emmanuel Forbes prioritized scheme fit over talent, as they passed on a superior prospect in Christian Gonzalez here.

They went on to take another defensive back in the second round in Jartavius Martin. This team had several holes and put too much priority into the secondary. It also hurts that they passed on Will Levis, instead going with Sam Howell and Jacoby Brissett at quarterback.