Biggest Winners: Baltimore Ravens
Eric DeCosta hasn't been able to put together a signature draft class like his predecessor Ozzie Newsome did on the regular between 2002 and 2018. 2022 could very well change that. Every pick they made in rounds 1-3 netted them a potential high-impact player (Kyle Hamilton, Tyler Linderbaum, David Ojabo, Travis Jones) at a position of need, rounds 4-7 brought them a string of calculated dice rolls (Jayln Armour-Davis, Daniel Faalele, Isaiah Likely, Damarion Williams) with solid, if not significant upside as well a potential stud punter in Jordan Stout and they were somehow able to acquire a 1st round pick from the Cardinals-which was used to select Linderbaum-for the consistently inconsistent Hollywood Brown. If DeCosta goes out and swings a trade for Deebo Samuel, Terry McLaurin or another disgruntled young WR before the season starts, the Ravens will have to be taken seriously as top contenders in the AFC again.
Honorable Mentions: Kansas City Chiefs, New York Jets, Atlanta Falcons
Biggest Losers: New England Patriots
Considering all of the potentially game-changing additions most of the other teams in the AFC have made this offseason, the Patriots needed to have strong draft to keep up with the pack. That didn't happen. What Bill Belichick, Matt Groh and Matt Patricia pulled off from Thursday to Saturday was an unintentional tutorial in how not to approach the draft. By repeatedly reaching for prospects (Cole Strange, Tyquan Thornton, Bailey Zappe), adding to positions that didn't need to be prioritized (running back, quarterback), failing to address positions that needed improvement/insurance (inside linebacker, edge rusher, tackle), selecting guys that don't fit their scheme (Marcus Jones as a non-special teams player, Thornton) and passing on guys that absolutely did (Trent McDuffie, Devin Lloyd, Skyy Moore), the Patriots brass assembled a draft class that showed no regard for the development of Mac Jones, their largely aging defense's ability to slow down the increasingly large number of fast, explosive offenses that are in the league or their overall standing within the NFL hierarchy.
Dishonorable Mentions: Dallas Cowboys, Cincinnati Bengals, New Orleans Saints
Best Value Pick: Nakobe Dean, inside linebacker (Selected 83rd overall by the Philadelphia Eagles)
Even if the pec injury that caused him to plummet down the board eventually requires surgery that keeps him sidelined for at least some of the upcoming season, spending a 3rd round pick on Dean is unbelievable value. Dean reads offenses and covers ground from sideline-to-sideline better than any other linebacker prospect in this draft class and landing with a team that boasts reliably stout defensive line play should give him the opportunity to be fully unleashed right away.
Honorable Mentions: Kyle Hamilton, safety (Selected 14th overall by the Baltimore Ravens), Devin Lloyd, inside linebacker (Selected 27th overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars), Skyy Moore, wide receiver (Selected 54th overall by the Kansas City Chiefs)
Worst Value Pick: Travon Walker, edge rusher (Selected 1st overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars)
Passing on a polished, high floor/ceiling prospect in Aidin Hutchinson to select Walker is a head-scratching decision that could come back to permanently haunt the Jaguars organization. Walker's athleticism is special and it's not completely out of the realm of possibility that he turns into a decent pro player but spending the 1st overall pick on what effectively amounts to an intriguing developmental prospect is nuts. The combination of his unrefined pass-rushing skills and lack of a defined role in college is likely going to set up a redshirt-type scenario and that's not something that the embattled Jaguars should be doing in the immediate aftermath of the Urban Meyer debacle that derailed Trevor Lawrence's rookie season.
Dishonorable Mentions: Tyquan Thornton, wide receiver (Selected 50th overall by the New England Patriots), Wan'Dale Robinson, wide receiver (Selected 43rd overall by the New York Giants), Sam Williams, edge rusher (Selected 56th overall by the Dallas Cowboys)
Top Undrafted Free Agent: Carson Strong, quarterback (Signed by the Philadelphia Eagles)
While it's not quite comparable to the unexpected falls Malik Willis, Desmond Ridder and Sam Howell experienced over the weekend, Carson Strong falling into the undrafted free agent pool is still pretty surprising. The University of Nevada product is an old school pocket passer with a lively arm and knack for tight window throws who was consistently productive in a high-volume passing offense, which makes him a nice counter to Jalen Hurts and should give him a pretty decent chance of sticking around the Eagles QB room come September.
Honorable Mentions: Kellen Diesch, tackle (Signed by the Philadelphia Eagles), Donhovan West, center (Signed by the San Francisco 49ers), Justyn Ross, wide receiver (Signed by the Kansas City Chiefs)
Overall Draft Grades for Each Team (Full Draft Classes Can Be Viewed Here: 2022 NFL Draft: Final quick-snap grades for all 32 teams)
Arizona Cardinals: B-
Atlanta Falcons: A
Baltimore Ravens: A+
Buffalo Bills: B
Carolina Panthers: B+
Chicago Bears: B-
Cincinnati Bengals: C
Cleveland Browns: B-
Dallas Cowboys: C-
Denver Broncos: B
Detroit Lions: A-
Green Bay Packers: B+
Houston Texans: B
Indianapolis Colts: B
Jacksonville Jaguars: B
Kansas City Chiefs: A
Las Vegas Raiders: B
Los Angeles Chargers: B
Los Angeles Rams: B-
Miami Dolphins: C+
Minnesota Vikings: B+
New England Patriots: D
New Orleans Saints: C
New York Giants: B
New York Jets: A
Philadelphia Eagles: A-
Pittsburgh Steelers: B+
San Francisco 49ers: B-
Seattle Seahawks: A-
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: B
Tennessee Titans: B
Washington Commanders: B+
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