Grades for all 32 NFL teams based on 2nd- and 3rd-round 2023 draft selections
Second and third helpings
Detroit Free Press
The second and third rounds of the NFL draft took place on Friday. The Will Levis drama and non-stop discussion of where the Kentucky quarterback would land are over. Where did Levis wind up and who else was chosen in Kansas City, Mo.? We’re taking an overall look at all the selections and handing out grades for each team.
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The Cardinals moved down in the second round and used this pick at No. 41 to collect BJ Ojulari, a linebacker/EDGE rusher from LSU. He had 5.5 sacks last year in Brian Kelly’s first season in Baton Rouge. The 72nd pick was Garrett Williams, a DB from Syracuse who is coming off an ACL injury. Did Arizona reach here or could this be another example of value? The last pick in the third round for Az was Michael Wilson of Stanford, who has been inconsistent due to injury, at 94. Grade: C-
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The Falcons traded up with the Colts to get to No. 38. They took Syracuse offensive lineman Matthew Bergeron. He’s 6-foot-5, 318 pounds. This could turn out to be a move up that won’t be worth the cost. The Falcons went to Ohio State in the third round and grabbed Zach Harrison. He improved in 2022. Will it continue in the NFL? Grade: C-
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It took until pick 86 in the third round for the Ravens to make a sound. They have done plenty in the offseason already, so no one is going to scoff at them. Trenton Simpson of Clemson was the choice. The linebacker joins Roquan Smith. The Ravens have had their share of greats at the position. No one should doubt that. Grade: A-
Buffalo Bills
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The Bills have done quite well in the draft. They get Dalton Kincaid in the first and here they corral O’Cyrus Torrance, a guard from Florida. He’s another player who can block for the running game and help protect Josh Allen. The pick at 91 was Dorian Williams, a linebacker at Tulane. Grade: B
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The Panthers used their second-round pick at No. 39 to grab an SEC WR for Bryce Young. Jonathan Mingo of Ole Miss is a 222-pound wideout. He played four years for Ole Miss and had 51 of his 112 catches in 2022. Will he be a DK Metcalf or an Elijah Moore? The Panthers traded up to get the 80th pick. In that slot, Carolina reached into the Pac-12 for D.J. Johnson, an EDGE from Oregon, who ran a 4.49 at the combine. Grade: C+
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The Bears went big on Thursday with Tennessee’s Darnell Wright to protect Justin Fields. Pick 53 came via Baltimore in the Roquan Smith trade and it turned into Gervon Dexter Sr., a defensive lineman. Needs to develop more consistency. He goes here when he was rated ahead of Jalen Carter coming out of high school. The Bears made Devin Hester happy when he announced the 56th pick. Chicago grabbed Tyrique Stevenson, who comes out of Miami after a transfer from Georgia. The Bears were busy on Day 2 and they opened the third round, Zacch Pickens, a DT out of South Carolina. The Gamecock saw a lot of action but only had 7.5 sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss in 43 total collegiate games. Grade: C-
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The Bengals went defense in the second round, grabbing speedster CB DJ Turner II out of Michigan. They went DB again at 95, selecting Jordan Battle of Alabama. He played in 54 games for Nick Saban with the Tide. Remember, the Bengals lost two DBs in free agency, so these players fill needs. Grade: B-
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The Browns had to wait until pick 74. They made it back-to-back Tennessee wideouts after the Giants grabbed Jalin Hyatt. Cedric Tillman had a 1,000-yard season in 2021, Was injured in 2022 so draw line through the season. The Browns get their QB a WR. At 98, the Browns finished their second day and first picks in the draft by selecting Siaki Ika of Baylor. He’s 6-foot-4, 350 pounds and started college ball at LSU before transferring. Huge. Grade: C+
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The Cowboys didn’t get a tight end in Round 1. They saw Dalton Kincaid plucked before their turn. So, they went to fill the position in the second round, choosing Michigan TE Luke Schoonmaker. He had 35 catches in 2022. Schoonmaker only played 23 games in college despite starting in 2019. At 90, they went with DeMarvion Overshown of Texas. He had 4 of his 9 sacks in 5 seasons in 2022. Should be able to learn from Micah Parsons but don’t expect the same production. Not close. Grade: C-
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Sean Payton traded into the end of the second round for his first pick as a Broncos coach. Marvin Mims of Oklahoma was the choice. He had a 20.1 ypc average on 54 receptions in 2022. Payton went defense in the third round. He didn’t do great at Alabama, moved to Arkansas and there was instant improvement. He had 9.5 sacks in 2022 and 103 tackles, including 13.5 for loss. A nice get at 6-foot-5, 230 pounds. Another Hawkeye went in the third round at 83, Riley Moss, a CB. He’s solid and will be an interesting fit in Denver. Tough guy like most Iowa defenders. Grade: C+
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Iowa produces NFL tight ends so it was no surprise the Detroit Lions tapped into the rich Hawkeye program at the position to grab Sam LaPorta. They can only hope he is nearly as good as someone like … George Kittle. Detroit must have coveted someone at 45 as it worked an inter-division deal with Green Bay to move up. Who did Dan Campbell want? Brian Branch, a defensive back from Alabama. Branch was the final player on-site for the draft. The deal enabled the Lions to beat the Patriots to Branch, who Bill O’Brien had to be quite familiar with from his time with the Tide. The Lions moved up in the third round and used the pick at 68 to grab Tennessee QB Hendon Hooker. He tore his ACL tore the end of last season and this is definitely a choice with an eye to the future. Potentially stunning value. The Lions traded three picks on the third day to make the 96th pick. Dan Campbell must love 330-pound DT Brodric Martin of Western Kentucky. Grade: A
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The Packers picked up a tight end in the second round, Luke Musgrave out of Oregon State. Departed Aaron Rodgers has to be amused by Green Bay grabbing someone who catches passes at 42, you know, with a pick that came from the Jets in the trade for the QB. He played two games in 2022 due to injury and only had 47 catches in four seasons as a Beaver. A second-round pick also went to a pass-catcher, Jayden Reed, a wideout from Michigan State. The Packers want to feed Jordan Love some talent, it seems. This is beyond humorous as Green Bay chooses Tucker Kraft, a TE out of South Dakota State. If the idea was to get under someone’s skin it might be working. Grade: C+
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The Texans added a center for CJ Stroud in the second round. It was back-to-back Penn Staters at 61 and 62. Juice Scruggs overcame a scary car accident to find his way into playing again for the Nittany Lions and is now a second-round NFL selection. Houston stayed in Houston at 69, selecting speedy Nathaniel Dell, who played for the Cougars. All he had in 2022 was 109 receptions for 1,398 yards and 17 touchdowns. Stroud will love that. Grade: B
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The Colts traded back twice before they made a selection in the second round. Julius Brents is a physical specimen with all sorts of great traits for the secondary. He’s 6-foot-3, 198, and the big concerns are injuries, a pair of PCLs, and wrist surgery. The screws won’t come out of his arm until the summer. In the third round, Indy went for WR Josh Downs out of North Carolina. He’s 5-foot-9 and 175 pounds. A target for Anthony Richardson? The Colts have to hope that is what he becomes. Grade: C
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A team on the rise is the Jaguars. They are picking way later in practically every round then they have for years. That’s what happens when you win a division rather than finish in the cellar or next to last. At 61, Doug Pederson and his staff decided to help out Trevor Lawrence with a tight end. Brenton Strange had a good 2022 at Penn State. He might be of more use in blocking than receiving. Running backs started going late in the third and the Jaguars joined the parade with Tank Bigsby from Auburn. He had 2,903 yards on the ground for War Eagle. Grade: B
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The Super Bowl champs traded up and made the hometown draft faithful happy when they selected Rashee Rice, a WR from SMU. Just what Patrick Mahomes needs a guy with great hands who can make acrobatic catches. He had 233 catches and 3,111 yards in college. A good replacement for JuJu Smith-Schuster. The Chiefs traded up with the Bengals to pick at 92 and chose Wanya Morris, a tackle from Oklahoma. They had Orlando Brown Jr. from Oklahoma, They have Creed Humphrey a Sooner, must be something in the water in Norman and KC. Grade: B+
Las Vegas Raiders
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The Raiders wanted a tight end — Darren Waller was dealt to the New York Giants in the offseason. They traded up to the 35th spot and grabbed Michael Mayer of Notre Dame. Mayer was the focus of the Fighting Irish passing offense in 2022. He had 67 of his 180 catches overall at Notre Dame last season. Mayer also had 9 touchdown grabs, equaling his output in his first two seasons in South Bend. A nice get, quite possibly better than Sam LaPorta, who went a pick before him. Another Alabama player goes and it is Byron Young, a defensive tackle, who had 7.5 sacks in his career with the Tide. Guess Alex Leatherwood choice didn’t scare the Raiders out of Tuscaloosa. The 100th overall pick was Tre Tucker, a speedy WR out of Cincinnati. The Raiders liking speed? No one can be surprised. Grade: B-
Los Angeles Chargers
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The Bolts used their first pick to take TCU WR Quentin Johnson. At 54, they selected a USC EDGE rusher, Tuli Tuipulotu, who won’t have to go far to get to SoFi. He had 22 tackles for loss in 202 and 13.5 sacks on a defense that was, um, challenged. The pick in the third round was Washington State LB Daiyan Henley, who is a wonderful blitzer and special-teams player. Grade: B-
Los Angeles Rams
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The Rams are a year removed from winning the Super Bowl. They were also thousands of miles from that result with an awful 2022. They did not have a first-round pick because of the Matthew Stafford trade. LA grabbed Steve Avila, a 332-pound offensive lineman from TCU. Big, strong, and fills a need somewhere on a porous offensive line. What happens when the Lions take Hendon Hooker at 68 and you have the 69th pick? Well, the Rams were in the spot and traded back out of the 69th choice. Hooker could have been their guy if he was there. But he wasn’t. After trading back a number of times, the Rams grabbed Tennessee’s Byron Young, who went from assistant manager in a Dollar Store to an NFL draft pick. He has to keep learning and growing on a team that isn’t good. Kobie Turner, a non-combine player out of Wake Forest, went at 89. Grade: C-
Miami Dolphins
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The Dolphins, who lost their first pick because of owner Stephen Ross’ antics, finally got involved at 51 and looked to add to their secondary with Cam Smith of South Carolina. The Fish hooked a speedster in the third round at 84 with Texas A&M RB Devon Achane. Add that kind of speed to Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle and Mike McDaniel has a fast troupe. Achane averaged 6.4 yards per carry in the Aggies’ offense. Grade: B-
Minnesota Vikings
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The Vikings waited all day — and night — to make the first pick on the second day, which happened to be the last pick at 102 on Friday. The anticipation was palpable when Robert Smith revealed USC DB Mekhi Blackmon was the pick. Blackmon will be a teammate of Jordan Addison, who he covered at Trojan practices. Grade: C+
New England Patriots
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Were the Patriots burned when the Lions moved up for Brian Branch? Wouldn’t seem it as their pick at 46 was in quickly after Detroit took the Alabama DB. Keion White went to the Patriots and the former TE from Old Dominion looks like he could be a steal here. There was talk White could go in the first round. He didn’t and the 285-pounder winds up with Bill Belichick. A Bill Belichick special in the third round, Marte Mapu of Sacramento State. Daniel Jeremiah said Mapu was his favorite player. And look who finds him in the third round. A brilliant coach with a smart, selection. Grade: A
New Orleans Saints
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Isaiah Foskey of Notre Dame will be something the Saints need. They had a rough season in 2022. Dennis Allen is a defensive mind and he has to love the 20.5 sacks Foskey had in 2021 and 2022. He plays stronger than his 6-foot-4, 257-pound frame. TCU provided a running back for the Saints in Round 3. He had injury troubles toward the end of the year. Still, there were 1,399 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns. A nice cushion if Alvin Kamara isn’t available for a while. Grade: B
New York Giants
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The Giants picked one slot ahead of the Dallas Cowboys and selected John Michael Schmitz, a center from Minnesota. The six-year college player was an elite blocker on a team that ran the ball … a lot. The Giants need offensive linemen and Schmitz fills the bill. The Giants moved up in the third round via a trade with the Rams. Big Blue went wide receiver, Jalin Hyatt of Tennessee. He was spectacular in 2022. He had 15 TD receptions, including 5 in one game. Per catch? How about 18.9 yards? A strong choice here. Grade: A
New York Jets
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Gang Green used its pick 43rd overall, Joe Tippmann, a center from Wisconsin. He’ll get to know Aaron Rodgers quite well. So the QB goes from Green Bay to possibly taking snaps from a Badger center. Grade: B
Philadelphia Eagles
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The Eagles took their sweet time at 65 and 66 because they could. They passed at 65 and made the third-round selections together. Nice work if you can get it. Wow, the Eagles used the 65th pick on an SEC player not from Georgia. Tyler Steen is an OT from Alabama. They already have Landon Dickerson from the Tide. That means Philly had its homework done. Next up was Sydney Brown, a DB from Illinois. Brown was the player who led the Illini, a tough player, a hard-hitter who started 50 games in college. That is it for the Eagles until the sixth round barring a trade. Grade: B+
Pittsburgh Steelers
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The Steelers used pick 32 overall, which came from the Bears in the Chase Claypool deal, to select Joey Porter Jr., a Penn State DB. A great choice with family connections as his dad played for the Steelers. The Watts, the Heywards, and now the Porters. The Steelers stay true to their own. Pittsburgh stayed on the defensive side of the ball at 49, choosing Wisconsin’s Keeanu Benton. NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah said the Steelers had 3 of his top 40 players, a nice haul for a playoff team. There was a fascinating pick at 93. He was ranked 33rd by Daniel Jeremiah. The Georgia TE lasted a lot longer than anyone expected. He’s huge and is also a pass target. Grade: A+
San Francisco 49ers
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The 49ers finally got into the process. They grabbed the Vikings’ choice at 87 and reached into the Big Ten for Ji’Ayir Brown of Penn State. He’s a player Daniel Jeremiah loved at safety. That’s a high compliment. The Niners had the 99th pick and 101st pick. They chose a kicker at 99, the clutch Jake Moody of Michigan. Moody connected on all 148 PATs for the Wolverines — yes, college is different than the NFL — and hit on 82% of his field-goal attempts. A strong pick to replace Robbie Gould. The Niners had the next-to-last pick in the third round and went for an Alabama TE, Cameron Latu, who was derailed by injury. Grade: B+
Seattle Seahawks
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The last pick the Seahawks had from the Russell Wilson trade became Auburn EDGE rusher Derick Hall. Talk about growing up. He was born at 23 weeks and 2 pounds at birth and now is an NFL player. He had 16 sacks in his last two seasons with War Eagle. The next pick for Seattle was Zach Charbonnet, a running back from UCLA. Putting him together with Kenneth Walker IV is a strong move for the Seahawks. Charbonnet is a tough runner, who had almost ,2,500 yards rushing in two seasons in Westwood after transferring from Michigan. Grade: B
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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The Buccaneers got a big guy with a big personality in North Dakota State Cody Mauch. He won’t be protecting Tom Brady, who is gone, but it likely will be Baker Mayfield. Maybe the best name in the draft went at 82, YaYa Diaby, a DE from Louisville. After two seasons that produced 1.5sacks, Diaby had 10.5 in 2022 and 14 tackles for loss. Grade: C-
Tennessee Titans
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The Titans were in a quarterback quandary. Ryan Tannehill was injured last season and is getting long in the tooth. Malik Willis did not look NFL-ready. It was time to make a move and Mike Vrabel & Co. did, trading up with Arizona to the 33rd overall pick. They used it to grab Kentucky’s Will Levis. Either a lot of teams were wrong on Night 1 or the Titans rolled the dice here big time. After an epic speech by Jason McCourty, the Titans’ choice of Tyjae Spears was announced. The running back from Tulane had 1,581 yards last year and 19 touchdowns. If Derrick Henry slows — or goes — this is a nice choice. NFL Network reported Spears had two ACL tears and now has no ACL. His career length could be questionable. Grade: C
Washington Commanders
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Washington went with Jartavius Martin, a CB from Illinois at 47. The Commanders wasted little time grabbing Martin, who played 5 years in Champaign. The 97th pick was Ricky Stromberg, a center from Arkansas. Grade: C
