We’ve made it to the half-way point. Point your face at more 2016 NFL Draft Grades.
Kansas City Chiefs
The haul: Chris Jones, DT, Mississippi State – Round two, Kelvarae Russell, CB, Notre Dame – Round three, Parker Ehinger, OG, Cincinnati – Round four, Eric Murray, CB, Minnesota – Round four, Kevin Hogan, QB, Stanford – Round five, Tyreek Hill, WR, West Alabama – Round five, D.J. White, CB, Georgia Tech – Round six, Dadi Nicolas, DE, Virginia Tech – Round six
The Chiefs traded out of the first round for some reason that, looking at what they ended up with in the draft, makes even less sense a few days later. Jones should be a solid defensive tackle, but he’s more famous for his junk blasting out of his shorts at the NFL combine than for his performance at Mississippi State.
Ehinger is a solid pick up in round four. The BearCats had one of the best offensive lines in college football last season and he was a standout member. Hogan should be a solid career back up and excellent replacement for Chase Daniel as well as a nice stopgap for when Alex Smith decides to call it a career. For team with what looks like a solid defensive backfield, the Chiefs picked plenty of corners in this draft. Which either means they aren’t so solid after all or they just went with the best players on their board.
Grade: C-
Los Angeles Rams
The haul: Jared Goff, QB, California – Round one. Tyler Higbee, TE, Western Kentuck – Round four, Pharoh Cooper, WR, South Carolina – Round four, Temarrick Hemingway, TE, South Carolina State – Round six, Josh Forrest, ILB, Kentucky – Round six, Mike Thomas, WR, Southern Miss – Round six
To completely make a turnaround on Jared Goff after the draft would be dishonest of me. I thought Wentz was the better pick at the time and made it clear in my mock draft. I was far from the only one who felt the North Dakota State QB was a better fit for the Rams. But what happened, happened. Do I feel better about Goff since the draft? I do. Mainly because of this ESPN Sport Science comparison. So while my eyeball test didn’t give Goff the arm strength or release advantage, the science doesn’t lie.
The story about Goff’s workout in the rain where he just got better as the conditions worsened. It’s enough to calm my fears a little and give me some hope. It’s not like I haven’t been wrong before.
The rest of this draft was actually outstanding, with Tyler Higbee, a second-round talent, falling to the Rams in the fourth. Cooper sliding to the fourth round shocked him and he’s vowed to make other teams regret it. Maybe he can, but he looks like a player-for-player replacement for Stedman Bailey to me. That’s not a bad thing.
Grade: B-
Miami Dolphins
The haul: Laremy Tunsil, OT, Ole Miss – Round one, Xavien Howard, CB, Baylor – Round two, Kenyan Drake, RB, Alabama – Round three, Leonte Carroo, WR, Rutgers – Round three, Jakeem Grant, WR, Texas Tech – Round six, Jordan Lucas, Safety, Penn State – Round six, Brandon Doughty, QB, Western Kentucky – Round seven, Thomas Duarte, TE, UCLA – Round seven
When the Dolphins saw Laremy Tunsil slide to right to them, they had to be crafting thank you notes to whover the sociopath was that hacked Tunsil’s social media accounts Thursday night. Tunsil may have been the best offensive player in the draft and the Dolphins should be able to count on him covering the left side of their line for the next decade or so.
Howard is a solid second-round choice, not a reach at all. Grabbing Drake in the third may turn out to be the steal of the draft for Miami. He’s a lightning-fast playmaker without a lot of miles on him. And for an Alabama running back, that’s saying a lot. Doughty should be a solid back up quarterback and enable the Dolphins to part ways with the more-expensive Matt Moore next season. Duarte is an interesting pick up in the seventh. He originally came to UCLA as a wide receiver and still has those skills. He’s also been coached up in the Pro Style if you don’t hold it against him that the coach in question was Jim Mora Jr.
Grade: B
