The NFL Draft concluded Saturday with the Minnesota Vikings selecting a modern-era record 15 players. Luke Inman goes beyond the Vikings and grades the biggest winners and losers from the weekend’s proceedings.
Winners
Dallas Cowboys
Draft Grade: A+
17) Ceedee Lamb, WR, Oklahoma
51) Trevon Diggs, CB, Alabama
82) Neville Gallimore, DT, Oklahoma
123) Reggie Robinson, CB, Tulsa
146) Tyler Biadasz, IOL, Wisconsin
179) Bradlee Anae, DE, Utah
231) Ben DiNucci, QB, James Madison
Best Pick: CeeDee Lamb, WR, Oklahoma
Biggest Sleeper: Reggie Robinson, CB, Tulsa
Summary: Tough to top this one. Call it luck, but the Cowboys had a consensus top-10 player fall right into their lap as wide receiver CeeDee Lamb officially makes this starting offense one of the most intimidating in the entire NFL next to Amari Cooper, Zeke Elliot and Dak Prescott.
The Cowboys were rumored to want Trevon Diggs with their first pick, so the fact they were able to get him all the way down at pick 51 is downright bananas. Neville Gallimore was one of the biggest winners at the Senior Bowl with outstanding penetrating skills as an explosive 3-technique, reminding me of a similar playing style to Sharrif Floyd.
Day three is where you make your money, and the Cowboys stole the entire bank. Robinson, Biadasz and Anae were all tremendous value and offer instant upgrades and much needed depth at their most pressing positions of need. Top-to-bottom this haul for Jerry Jones makes him king of the 2020 NFL Draft castle.
Baltimore Ravens
Draft Grade: A
28) Patrick Queen, LB, LSU
55) J.K. Dobbins, RB, Ohio State
71) Justin Madubuike, DT, Texas A&M
98) Malik Harrison, LB, Ohio State
106) Tyree Phillips, OG, Mississippi State
143) Ben Bredeson, OG, Michigan
170) Broderick Washington, DT, Texas Tech
201) James Proche, WR, SMU
219) Geno Stone, S, Iowa
Best Pick: Justin Madubuike, DT, Texas A&M
Biggest Sleeper: James Proche, WR, SMU
Summary: There was a common theme for John Harbaugh’s draft class, and that was every pick fits the identity of what the Ravens want to do, forcing teams to adjust to their strengths.
Hard-nosed old school football is the hallmark of a Ravens defense, so grabbing two of the toughest linebackers in the draft came to no surprise. After hoisting the No. 1 offense in the league, three of their first four selections came on the defensive front-seven. Madubuike could end up being the steal of the draft as a consensus top-40 player that is highly disruptive and constantly in the backfield.
Adding J.K. Dobbins to the league’s best rushing offense is like putting in a cheat code for the whole world to see. Dobbins will give the backfield a pair of fresh legs with a physicality to exhaust defenses into the fourth quarter next to Lamar Jackson. James Proche went for over 2,000 receiving yards combined the last two years, and while he isn’t a speedster he does offer sure hands and knows how to find green grass, giving Jackson a plethora of options both on the ground and through the air.
New York Jets
Draft Grade: A-
11) Mekhi Becton, OT, Louisville
59) Denzel Mims, WR, Baylor
68) Ashtyn Davis, S, California
79) Jabari Zuniga, DE, Florida
120) Lamical Perine, RB, Florida
125) James Morgan, QB, FIU
129) Cameron Clarke, OG, Charlotte
158) Bryce Hall, CB, Virginia
191) Braden Mann, P, Texas A&M
Best Pick: Ashtyn Davis, S, California
Biggest Sleeper: Bryce Hall, CB, Virginia
Summary: Ultimately we’ll look back on this draft for the Jets and decipher if Becton lived up to the top-15 billing or not, as he will make or break this grade. However, the most important thing you can do when trying to develop what you think is a young superstar quarterback is surround him with the proper help and talent to grow.
The Jets did that in spades with a new bone crushing blind side protector and a wideout who has the makeup of a true No. 1 wide receiver with his size and speed. Ashtyn Davis was not only a great value but, thanks to his world class speed in center field, will allow Jamal Adams to do what he does best, which is live down in the box and continue his impressive streak of being one of the biggest bullies in today’s game.
I had Virginia cornerback Bryce Hall as a top-20 player heading into the 2019 season. So despite his recovering ACL injury, nabbing him all the way at pick 158 is a downright steal for a player who could become a lockdown cover man like he was in 2018.
Denver Broncos
Draft Grade: A-
15) Jerry Jeudy, WR, Alabama
46) K.J. Hamler, WR, Penn State
77) Michael Ojemudia, CB, Iowa
83) Lloyd Cushenberry, IOL, LSU
95) McTelvin Agim, DT, Arkansas
118) Albert Okwuegbunam, TE, Missouri
178) Justin Strnad, LB, Wake Forest
181) Netane Muti, OG, Fresno State
252) Tyrie Cleveland, WR, Florida
254) Derek Tzuska, DE, North Dakota State
Best Pick: Jerry Jeudy, WR, Alabama
Biggest Sleeper: McTelvin Agim, DT, Arkansas
Summary: John Elway wasn’t fooling around when he said he wanted to give his quarterback Drew Lock some help. Jeudy was my fifth ranked player in the country with the best route running skills and hands I’ve scouted since Amari Cooper. Meanwhile, K.J. Hamler was a human joystick at Penn State, running over defenders with his short and explosive stature like Percy Harvin used to. When you remember the Broncos already have budding stars in Courtland Sutton and Noah Fant you realize Elway is taking a page out of the division rival Kansas City Chiefs and preparing to outscore everyone in their way.
Two trench players stand out, starting with Agim, who was one of my favorite sleepers of the class as a former five-star high school recruit that fared very well against top notch SEC competition. Guard Netane Muti fell because of injuries but when healthy was legitimately the most powerful and dominating blocker in the nation, put on display by his combine-best 44 bench reps.
Minnesota Vikings
Draft Grade: B+
22) Justin Jefferson, WR, LSU
31) Jeff Gladney, CB, TCU
58) Ezra Cleveland, OT, Boise State
89) Cameron Dantzler, CB, Mississippi State
117) D.J. Wonnum, DE, South Carolina
130) James Lynch, DT, Baylor
132) Troy Dye, LB, Oregon
169) Harrison Hand, CB, Temple
176) K.J. Osborn, WR, Miami
203) Blake Brandel, T/G, Oregon State
205) Josh Metellus, S, Michigan
225) Kenny Willekes, DE, Michigan State
244) Nate Stanley, QB, Iowa
249) Brian Cole II, S, Mississippi State
253) Kyle Hinton, G/C, Washburn
Best Pick: Jeff Gladney, CB, TCU
Biggest Sleeper: D.J. Wonnum, DE, South Carolina
Summary: For a playoff caliber team nobody had more glaring holes to fill than the Vikings after an offseason that watched numerous starters leave in free agency, which makes the way Rick Spielman manipulated the board even more impactful as the front office wound up with a new NFL record 15 draft picks in the seven-round era. Not included are the three extra picks in 2021 already waiting for him.
After getting thrown in the mud in San Francisco to end their season, fans were clamoring for an offensive line overhaul, which puts a mountain of pressure on Ezra Cleveland to come in and make an impact his rookie season. Cleveland is a match made in heaven athletically for Gary Kubiak’s wide-zone scheme but will have a tall task playing in the NFL after four years of Mountain West competition.
If Cleveland can pan out, though, then Spielman has a slam dunk draft on his resume and proves again that he’s playing chess while everyone else is playing checkers. The Vikings immediately filled the shoes of Stefon Diggs and Trae Waynes in the first round after trading back and stockpiling multiple picks.
While the group looks like a bunch of day-three lotto picks, Dantzler (Round 3) and Wonnum (Round 4) stand out above the rest. Dantzler, who shut down Biletnikoff award winner Ja’marr Chase has the makings of another Xaiver Rhodes as a big-bodied long-armed defender. Working with Mike Zimmer may be exactly what Danztler needs to hone his skill set and become a top-50 player like many thought he was during the pre-draft process.
Wonnum is another high-end athlete that is similar in build to Danielle Hunter coming out of LSU. Defensive line coach Andre Patterson will look to do the same with Wonnum as he did with Hunter and harness some of those freaky traits into another late-round gem.
Between Lynch and Willekes, coaches Zimmer and Patterson also added former Big 12 and Big 10 defensive linemen of the year for their respective conferences. Those two, along with Wonnum, K.J. Osborn, Harrison Hand and Nate Stanley all wore the “C” on their chest and fit the common profile the Vikings look for in high character players and leaders on and off the field. With a shortened offseason and limited rookie camp, OTAs, training camp and preseason, it’s clear the front office wanted to add players who had a lot of playing time under their belt and a good head on their shoulders before getting thrown into a fire no rookies in the NFL have ever faced.
Losers
Green Bay Packers
Draft Grade: D+
26) Jordan Love, QB, Utah State
62) A.J. Dillon, RB, Boston College
94) Josiah Deguara, TE, Cincinnati
175) Kamal Martin, LB, Minnesota
192) Jon Runyan, G, Michigan
208) Jake Hanson, C, Oregon
209) Simon Stepaniak, G, Indiana
236) Vernon Scott, DB, TCU
242) Jonathan Garvin, EDGE, Miami
Worst Pick: A.J. Dillon, RB, Boston College
Worst Value: Josiah Deguara, TE, Cincinnati
Summary: It started with some pop but did not end with the sizzle. For a team one game away from the Super Bowl the plan was supposed to be to surround Aaron Rodgers with more help for one last push. Instead, the front office pulled the rug out from underneath him and gave him a mentoring position to tutor a new signal caller to take his job. I don’t mean to laugh, but it is kind of funny.
Of course, much like Aaron Rodgers being drafted with Brett Favre around, there’s a fighter’s chance we could look back on this pick and eat our own words like we once did not so long ago. The idea of Love and his raw, yet enticing, attributes sitting and quietly developing for two years under offensive mind Matt LaFleur doesn’t exactly make you sleep easily at night. After all, it is the most important position in sports, so I will never blame a team for taking a swing on what they think could be a starting caliber quarterback in the NFL.
The Packers could’ve salvaged the rest but instead took a running back with the very next pick, who projects to be nothing more than a backup in a pass-first league. And nothing after that offered much excitement, including a low consensus ranked tight end when there were players like Adam Trautman, Brycen Hopkins and Harrison Bryant still left on the board who offered higher upside.
The Packers, however, have always had a good track record with late round offensive linemen, and I get the feeling one of those three, perhaps Jon Runyan, could be seen in the starting lineup for a long time.
Atlanta Falcons
Draft Grade: C-
16) A.J. Terrell, CB, Clemson
47) Marlon Davidson, EDGE, Auburn
78) Matt Hennessy, IOL, Temple
119) Mykal Walker, LB, Fresno State
134) Jaylinn Hawkins, S, California
228) Sterling Hofrichter, P, Syracuse
Worst Pick: A.J. Terrell, CB, Clemson
Worst Value: Sterling Hofrichter, P, Syracuse
Summary: The Falcons and Vikings were in two similar situations, going through a major overhaul after losing key players to free agency. The difference was the Vikings moved down to attain extra picks time and again, while Thomas Dimitroff stayed complacent and ended up with just five total picks that weren’t specialists.
The cornerback class had a loaded second tier of talent, which gives the front office no excuse to pull the trigger on A.J. Terrell as early as 16. Terrell wasn’t even the best of the bunch and is coming off a championship game that saw him get toasted by Ja’marr Chase up and down the field, crushing his pre-draft stock and momentum. To use the Vikings as an example, they traded back from No. 25 to No. 31 and still landed Jeff Gladney, the third best cornerback in the class according to a bevy of experts.
Marlon Davidson and Matt Hennessy are fine, and when you add in the trade for tight end Hayden Hurst it makes the group slightly more bearable. But only slightly.
Two highly defensive-minded coaches in Dan Quinn and Mike Zimmer face a huge challenge in revamping their roster as quickly as possible. The difference is one coach got 15 lottery tickets to try and fill the cracks of the roster with much needed youth and depth. The other got five scratch offs and a punter. I know which team I’m betting on in 2020.
