So the idea of draft grades is utter nonsense. Without having seen these players play a single snap we pretend to be omniscient and project how their careers will pan out. Readers will scan different articles until they find one that warms their heart and reassures them that their team did the right thing.
With that out of the way, here’s my draft grades for the AFC East:
New England Patriots
The Patriots had a bizarre draft. They did not draft a wide reciever or quarterback despite having glaring needs at those positions. The departure of Tom Brady has left last year’s fourth round pick Jarrett Stidham and Bryan Hoyer with the keys to the Mercedes. The team was a defensive juggernaut and yet they spent their three first picks on defensive players. After trading down, their first pick was in the second round and they selected Safety Kyle Duggar but I like their second selection (Michigan Linebacker Josh Uche) most. Uche is versatile and will help fill the void left by Kyle Van Noy. The most surprising pick of the draft was in the fifth round when the Patriots used this round to draft a kicker Justin Rohrwasser. Racially charged tattoos notwithstanding, the pick is puzzling. Perhaps Bill Belichick is a genius, however this draft came off as somewhat indignant to me.
Draft Grade: D+
Miami Dolphins
As a Miami fan, I’m entirely biased. That said, it’s rare to have the teal and orange feel like the “hype” team heading into the draft. After completely failing to “Tank for Tua” by winning too many games to insure that they would earn the top pick in the draft, the Dolphins saw Tua Tagovailoa fall to them due to his injury. For years the Dolphins have always been conservative with their picks and it was cool to see them take a chance on someone who has the oportunity to be special. They invested a ton in offensive lineman to protect their investment as well.While the consensus is that they selected Ausitn Jackson and Robert Hunt a little high they got great value on Alabama DT Raekwon Davis.
Draft Grade: A-
Buffalo Bills
The Bills have done a very good job at taking a roster that didn’t have much talent and making them a competitive team in a short time. In recent years, much of this has been because of how well they’ve drafted. This year, they traded their first round pick for Stefon Diggs. General Manager Brandon Beane has been credited with saying that making that trade allowed for them to have the best receiver avilable in the first round. In the second round, they picked AJ Epenesa. This wasn’t a sexy pick but he is a solid defensive end that will be a strong piece in the right hand side of the line. They drafted QB Jake Fromm from Georgia in the fifth which is incredible value when you consider that he would have been a top 5 pick if he was eligible last season. Zach Moss from Utah addresses the teams biggest need as a compliment back to Devin Singeltary
Draft Grade: B
New York Jets
The first pick was devoted to protecting Sam Darnold which makes sense. However, I don’t know how Mekhi Becton can possibly protect Darnold from hooking up with some New Jersey strange and contracting mono. Still, watching the highlights of that 364 lb monster eating defensive lineman was probably the most impressive highlight reel we saw during the draft coverage. I like what the Jets did in their middle rounds as they drafted athletic freaks Ashtyn Davis from Cal and Jabari Zuniga from Florida. Quarterback James Morgan was also referred to as “the Tom Brady” of this draft by some. Morgan looked impressive in his time at FIU but was drafted late as he played for a low profile program. If Darnold isn’t the guy, hey may have gotten the steal of the draft with this project quarterback.
Draft Grade: A