My NFL Draft Haul Rankings combine each organization’s returns from the NFL Draft and UDFA processes to determine who brought in the most talent, and who got the best return on investment. The final rankings below are a weighted ROI that also take into account overall talent acquired.

In this exercise, we’re trying to quantify who bought the most amount of overall talent with the least amount of draft equity. You can think of it like a Groupon guide to maximizing the NFL Draft process: Whose buck stretched the furthest?

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1. Kansas City Chiefs

• Draft Grade: A-
• Equity Spent Rank: 31
• Draft Talent Rank: 22
• UDFA Talent Rank: 1
• Draft/UDFA Talent Added Rank: 15

Draft: Upon trading up to 1.28, Kansas City picked speed-demon WR Xavier Worthy – he of the record-setting 4.21 forty at the NFL Combine – over OT Tyler Guyton. This was interesting because, by that point, the OT group had been picked clean. Worthy is a slippery burner with natural separation skills. Worthy needs to work on his ball skills – drops were an issue at Texas. But Worthy adds an electricity to KC’s WR room that has been absent since Tyreek Hill was shipped to Miami. The Chiefs took a chance in bypassing Guyton. but fortunate smiled upon them when BYU OT Kingsley Suamataia slipped to 2.63. Suamataia has Round 1 talent, but perhaps Round 4 tape from last year – cleaning up the consistency and the technique will be key. Suamataia, the cousin of Penei Sewell, is a former five-star recruit with a sterling analytical profile – strong splits and a best-in-class bench press despite above-average arm length.

UDFA: Very few organizations in the NFL scout as deeply and invest as aggressively on the margins as Kansas City. The Chiefs’ efforts in that area shone through with top billing in this year’s UDFA rankings. Every year, they have a small handful of priority targets that they’re willing to pony up for to win post-draft bidding wars – prospects they ardently believe should have been drafted. After that, Kansas City takes well-reasoned, calculated shots on physical traits or on-field skills. Kansas City’s two big prizes were FSU DL Fabien Lovett and Penn State LB Curtis Jacobs. Lovett was my No. 1 overall UDFA. LB Jacobs has experience and projectable traits in spades.

2. Philadelphia Eagles

• Draft Grade: A+
• Equity Spent Rank: 15
• Draft Talent Rank: 6
• UDFA Talent Rank: 7
• Draft/UDFA Talent Added Rank: 6

Draft: The Eagles got the draft’s best CB, Quinyon Mitchell, without having to trade up from No. 22. On Day 2, GM Howie Roseman kicked down the door and the transactions started flying fast and furious, the first a strike up the board to steal versatile CB Cooper DeJean. Only 40 picks into the event, and Roseman owned two of the class’ top-3 CBs. Conveniently his biggest need, with the aging duo of Darius Slay and James Bradberry nearing the end. Roseman collected third-, fourth- and fifth-round selections in next year’s draft across three separate deals. The Eagles’ eight draft trades tied the NFL’s record. The Eagles took a break from trading down to take EDGE Jalyx Hunt at No. 94. Hunt was my favorite EDGE sleeper. A former safety, he retained the athleticism while bulking up. He’s now a pass-rushing OLB. Fascinating ball of clay. I didn’t like the first pair of picks on Saturday – RB Will Shipley and WR Ainias Smith. But the Eagles finished strong by stopping the falls of LB Jeremiah Trotter Jr. and WR Johnny Wilson.

UDFA: DL Gabe Hall and RB Kendall Milton headlined another strong UDFA showing by the Eagles. DL Hall has eye-opening measurables, with 34 1/2-inch arms and an 84-inch wingspan at 6-foot-6. The former Feldman Freak-Lister has 93rd-percentile athleticism. But while Hall typically wins in the initial beats after the snap, he plays too high, and he can get bullied by power because of it. RB Milton has a higher floor than Hall, but that comes with a lower ceiling. There are two things I know Milton will be able to do in the NFL: Grind out short-yardage opportunities between the tackles, and pass protect.

3. Detroit Lions

• Draft Grade: A+
• Equity Spent Rank: 30
• Draft Talent Rank: 11
• UDFA Talent Rank: 22
• Draft/UDFA Talent Added Rank: 14

Draft: GM Brad Holmes stopped the fall of CB Terrion Arnold with a five-slot trade-up. Arnold lacks elite speed, but he’s smooth as silk and smart as a whip. He’s very natural with the ball in the air, whipping his head around and getting his hands up. Two other things that you love: Arnold flies downhill to help in the run game, and he has extensive experience on special teams. In Round 2, Holmes decided to double-tap at CB. CB Ennis Rakestraw Jr. is skinny and runs a modest 4.51. But he’s extremely difficult to shake, a shifty, feisty corner who stays in your face. Rakestraw Jr. is also a gleeful kamikaze of a run defender who flies down the alley looking to turn himself into a human projectile. This ethos perhaps comes from his – ala Arnold – extensive special teams experience. I adored the last three picks, a trio of objective steals with S Sione Vaki, DT Mekhi Wingo, and OG Christian Mahogany. Vaki has RB versatility. Wingo is undersized but jittery and difficult to keep out of the backfield.

UDFA: Detroit added four UDFA prospects to keep an eye on: LB Steele Chambers, WR Isaiah Williams, TE Isaac Rex, and C Kingsley Eguakun. LB Chambers – heady but limited – led the Buckeyes with 83 tackles in 2023. WR Williams went beserk for a 82-1057-5 line last fall as Illinois’ slot receiver. He’s small, and a mediocre athlete, but the leg drive that he has with the ball in his hands that led to 24 broken tackles forced last year – No. 3 among FBS prospects in this WR class – was on full display during his 38-inch vertical. TE Rex left BYU with a school-record 24 receiving TD but will have to make it on his blocking at the next level.

4. Pittsburgh Steelers

• Draft Grade: A
• Equity Spent Rank: 17
• Draft Talent Rank: 7
• UDFA Talent Rank: 16
• Draft/UDFA Talent Added Rank: 7

Draft: Heading in, the Steelers needed two starting offensive linemen, a starting WR, and a starting CB. They got a legitimate guy for all four spots. Troy Fautanu was a dominant LT on the Washington Huskies’ high-powered offense. Despite concerns about his height, it appears that the Steelers will keep him there – Fautanu projects as the Week 1 starter at LT. C Zach Frazier falling to 2.53 was a stroke of luck for a team with a craterous hole at the pivot following the release of Mason Cole. He’s a handful in the run game, with the leg drive and technique to win in a phone booth and the quickness and lateral agility to take out linebackers and be used as a puller. WR Roman Wilson was No. 1 in expected points added per route run and top-10 nationally in QB rating when targeted. LB Payton Wilson is a ridiculous athlete in a big package. When healthy, like he was last year, he’s a monster – winning the Butkus Award as the nation’s top LB. But durability is a huge concern.

UDFA: The Steelers didn’t sign anyone I had a draftable grade on, but they grabbed three prospects who fell just outside the cut line – CB Beanie Bishop Jr., RB Daijun Edwards, and QB John Rhys Plumlee. RB Edwards is undersized, but he plays like nobody has ever told him. He’s more than happy to scrap in pass-pro, and he runs with a sawed-off tenacity, generating more power than you’d figure out of his frame. QB Rhys Plumlee is undersized, but he has good arm strength for his size. A dual-sport start in college, Rhys Plumlee was also the centerfielder on UCF’s baseball team. He is a super athlete and a skilled scrambler who can throw on the run.

5. Minnesota Vikings

• Draft Grade: A
• Equity Spent Rank: 9
• Draft Talent Rank: 5
• UDFA Talent Rank: 3
• Draft/UDFA Talent Added Rank: 5

Draft: The Vikings not only have their quarterback, but they managed to do it while protecting their second first-rounder and 2025 first-rounder. QB JJ McCarthy is a superb athlete with a big arm. Importantly, these two things work in conjunction on the field. McCarthy had a 72.3% completion percentage in 2023. When scrambling, an absurd 71.4%. McCarthy is a tailor-made fit for HC Kevin O’Connell’s 12-personnel offense. Last season, of the top QB in this class, McCarthy had the most intermediate completions over the middle, posting a ludicrous 85.6% adjusted completion percentage on 97 such attempts. EDGE Dallas Turner is a ridiculous athlete – fast, explosive, and bendy, with very long arms – who needs to be polished. He’s a tremendous stylistic fit for DC Brian Flores’ system. The same could be said for Round 4 CB Khyree Jackson, of whom Oregon HC Dan Lanning has been vociferous in his conviction.

UDFA: The Vikings showed an increased emphasis on the UDFA process last year, and it paid off in a huge way with an immediate starter (LB Ivan Pace), a special-teams ace (NaJee Thompson), and an intriguing developmental pass-rusher (Andre Carter II). Minnesota’s 2023 UDFA haul is a worthy follow-up to that class. The Vikings signed two of my top-10 overall UDFA – EDGE Gabriel Murphy and CB Dwight McGlothern – amongst a group that included four prospects with draftable grades on my board. The last three seasons, Murphy posted PFF pass-rushing grades of 90.4, 87.0, and 87.6, respectively, over a combined 921 pass-rushing snaps, with 18 sacks. He’s a one-trick pony – UCLA only dropped him into coverage on 29 snaps the past two years – but that trick is pretty neat.

6. Seattle Seahawks

• Draft Grade: A-
• Equity Spent Rank: 21
• Draft Talent Rank: 14
• UDFA Talent Rank: 4
• Draft/UDFA Talent Added Rank: 11

Draft: DT Byron Murphy II a springy, low-man-wins three-technique with a delicious blend of condensed power and agility. The former Feldman Freak Lister took the leap in 2023, ranking No. 1 in the FBS pass-rush win rate. Because of his ethos of leverage, and because he has such a ludicrously powerful trunk – he’s mythical in the Texas weight room – Murphy is darn near impossible to move backwards when he decides he doesn’t want to be. On running plays, when his assignment is to hold his gap and occupy his man, that’s what’s happening – Murphy becomes the stump that cannot be removed from the ground. Seattle got tremendous value on OG Christian Haynes at 3.81. He had tremendous Senior Bowl week and a strong gamut of athletic testing the following month at the NFL Combine. TE AJ Barner‘s blocking cutup is a clinic. His initial pop, length, lower-body drive, and technique are devastating in combination. He was easily the best blocking TE in college football last year. He will also be a core special-teamer, just like he was at Michigan under new Seahawks special teams coordinator Jay Harbaugh.

UDFA: Last year, Seattle finished No. 1 in my post-draft UDFA rankings. That crop ended up producing three players who appeared in 15-or-more-games as rookies – WR Jake Bobo, LS Chris Stoll, and TE Brady Russell. This year, another top-5 showing. The Seahawks signed 13 players on my pre-draft 500 board, including four I had draftable grades on – EDGE Nelson Ceaser, OT Garret Greenfield, TE Jack Westover, and RB George Holani. Ceaser was a first-team All-Big 12 selection in 2023, Greenfield was a three-time first-team FCS All-American, Westover was Washington’s go-to paper-cut guy when coverage resources were tilted too heavily to account for the three star WRs, and Holani is No. 5 on Boise State’s all-time rushing yard list.

7. New Orleans Saints

• Draft Grade: B-
• Equity Spent Rank: 18
• Draft Talent Rank: 17
• UDFA Talent Rank: 9
• Draft/UDFA Talent Added Rank: 12

Draft: OT Taliese Fuaga was a beautiful selection in that he is a safe, ready-to-play, Day 1 starter at New Orleans’ area of biggest need, offensive tackle. Fuaga is a bully with high-octane power. He has hilarious reps wrecking LBs at the second level. The Saints just found a long-term, tone-setting RT solution. CB Kool-Aid McKinstry entered last season as a top-15 prospect, but he was overshadowed by Terrion Arnold‘s leap in 2023, and then his stock took another hit with subpar athletic testing. Even still, the fall to No. 41 was surprising. I loved GM Mickey Loomis’ pick of QB Spencer Rattler at 5.150. Following the 2020 season, Rattler would have been the highest-ranked quarterback in this draft class. As a redshirt freshman in 2020, Rattler ranked No. 4 in the FBS with a 92.5 PFF grade. He was a magician, leading the FBS in PFF big-time throws when under pressure and passing grade out of structure. He has enough pocket-passing skill to hang around the league as a backup quarterback for a long time. But if things click for him, he also has starter upside.

UDFA: TE Dallin Holker lacks speed (4.78), and he needs space to build up to that meager gear (24th-percentile 10-yard split). He’s also one of the classes’ oldest players. But Holker is a hands-catcher with real ball skills, a rarity amongst this class. Holker’s 10 contested catches last year were two more than any TE in this draft class. Holker was tied with the 6’7/260 Brevyn Spann-Ford for the longest arms of my top-15 TE. This gives Holker a deceivingly large catch radius that he uses to great effect, extending those long levers out to greet the rock at its earliest point every time. Holker posted a sublime 94th-percentile 3-cone and an 83rd-percentile short shuttle. One other signing to keep an eye on: Intriguing Yale WR Mason Tipton, a prospect with the game and athleticism to hang as a developmental project for future slot duties.

8. Miami Dolphins

• Draft Grade: B
• Equity Spent Rank: 28
• Draft Talent Rank: 21
• UDFA Talent Rank: 14
• Draft/UDFA Talent Added Rank: 22

Draft: EDGE Chop Robinson has the speed, quickness and bend to steal the outside shoulder. He also has an effective bull rush for those who compensate too far to try to account for his speed. While Robinson’s pressure rates were elite in college, he had trouble converting his myriad pressures into sacks. He also misses too many tackles and has short arms, which is why he was available outside the top-20. Robinson’ lack of girth hurts in the run game, where he is inconsistent setting the edge. Miami missed out on the epic OT run early, but they still managed to get solid value at 2.55 with Patrick Paul. Many raised eyebrows at the RB Jaylen Wright pick. But the Dolphins were all over Wright during the pre-draft process – in mid-April, I was told that Miami was Wright’s most intense suitor. Miami knows De’Von Achane isn’t a 250-touch bellcow, and yet they want Achane-caliber turbo-speed on the field every single down. That problem has now been solved.

UDFA: The Dolphins managed to finish in the top-half of the NFL in these rankings despite signing no prospects in my pre-draft top-225, and only one ranked higher than 300. They did so by going with a quantity-over-quality approach, nabbing 10 members of my pre-draft top-500. If you’re going to buy lottery tickets, mine as well buy a bundle of them. The top prospect was EDGE Grayson Murphy. Like his brother Gabriel, Murphy has pass-rushing prowess, but zero length in an undersized package. The next-three-highest ranked players on my board were all high-end athletes: S Mark Perry, CB Storm Duck, and WR Je’Quan Burton. Burton is a two-time Feldman Freak Lister. We all pray that Duck improves his instincts and technique – he’s got all the athleticism that he needs – because he’ll be one of the All-Name Team’s corners for as long as he’s active.

9. Dallas Cowboys

• Draft Grade: B+
• Equity Spent Rank: 22
• Draft Talent Rank: 18
• UDFA Talent Rank: 17
• Draft/UDFA Talent Added Rank: 19

Draft: The Cowboys cashed in No. 24 for No. 29 (OT Tyler Guyton) and No. 73 (OG Cooper Beebe). Guyton has the frame, length, smooth feet – seriously, watch him shuffle – and overall athletic profile to become a perennial Pro Bowler. But he has bizarre fits of struggles – with wavering technique, and wavering engagement. This is a high-variance prospect whose technique and focus needs fine-tuning. Beebe was a dominant collegiate player, a north-south hammer in the run game, along with a reliable pass protector. Beebe was dinged by the NFL because he had the second-shortest arms of the 161 OGs in my 2024 NFL Draft database. Between those picks, in Round 2, Dallas got tremendous value on another prospect who fell due to a question that ultimately may or may not matter – EDGE Marshawn Kneeland. Kneeland is probably the best run-defending EDGE in this class. He is a speed-to-power load with a relentless, hair-on-fire style.

UDFA: TE Brevyn Spann-Ford is a big, hulking inline tight end who is a true extension of the run game. He looks like a mini-OT both latching and driving in the run game, and sitting back and anchoring in pass-pro. Spann-Ford also looked like a mini-OT in the receiving game last year at Minnesota, with a 0th-percentile PFF receiving grade. He dropped nine balls while catching only 25 – for a stupefying 26.5% drop rate – with a mere two of those catches coming 10-or-more yards downfield. But Spann-Ford actually led the Gopher team with a 42-497-2 receiving line in 2022 – and only two drops (6.7% drop rate) – with 12 catches 10-plus yards downfield.

10. Washington Commanders

• Draft Grade: A
• Equity Spent Rank: 3
• Draft Talent Rank: 1
• UDFA Talent Rank: 6
• Draft/UDFA Talent Added Rank: 1

Draft: Big weekend for new GM Adam Peters, starting with the correct decision to take reigning Heisman winner Jayden Daniels. Daniels brings two superpowers to the pros: He will, from Day 1, be one of the most dangerous running threats the NFL has ever seen at the position. He also has a downfield cannon with a feathery touch. In 2023, everything came together during Daniels’ national coming out party. He finished No. 1 in the FBS in PFF deep-passing grade and No. 3 in big-time throw rate while finishing 98th-percentile in avoiding negative plays. I love Daniels’ snap-decision profit calculator. When he has the best of it, he pushes all his chips to the middle of the table. If it’s not, he will seamlessly revert to taking whatever profit is available to him. Washington got awesome value in stopping DT Jer’Zhan Newton‘s free-fall at No. 36. Newton is undersized, and he doesn’t always keep assignment integrity in the run game because of his swashbuckling style. But he’s a jittery, active, gap-shooting interior penetrator who can short-circuit plays quickly. Next, Peters took three of my favorites in quick succession with Football IQ-of-Doogie-Howser CB Mike Sainristil at No. 50, Sam LaPorta-lite TE Ben Sinnott at No. 53, and the “sleeper” WR I banged the drum for all spring, WR Luke McCaffrey, who Peters woke the masses up to at No. 100.

UDFA: The Commanders followed a smash draft with the No. 6 UDFA class. That crop included six prospects I had ranked in my pre-draft top-300. The Commanders won the CB Chigozie Anusiem bidding war with $350,000 in total guarantees. He’s an intriguing size/athleticism developmental flier who probably should have been drafted. S Tyler Owens is one of the fastest 210-plus-pound humans walking the earth, and he was one inch shy of the NFL Combine’s broad jump record. RB Michael Wiley holds some intrigue as a back around threshold size with proven receiving utility who can break tackles. Three sleepers to keep an eye on: FB Colson Yankoff, WR Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint, and S Ben Nikkel. The trio were all core special-team standouts on their college teams.

11. Las Vegas Raiders

• Draft Grade: B+
• Equity Spent Rank: 12
• Draft Talent Rank: 9
• UDFA Talent Rank: 18
• Draft/UDFA Talent Added Rank: 8

Draft: TE Brock Bowers was a smash pick. He and Michael Mayer play different positions. Mayer is a classic inline TE, Bowers is a yard-gainer you can line up anywhere. This is now a 12-personnel offense (simply because of the misleading “TE” designation you have to give Bowers). When Bowers arrived in Athens, Georgia’s WR room featured NFL players George Pickens, Adonai Mitchell, Ladd McConkey, Jermaine Burton, Kearis Jackson, and Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint. No matter. Bowers led Georgia in receiving all three years and was a first-team All-American each season – the Bulldogs went 42-2 during that span with two national titles. Bowers’ 4.4% drop rate in college is miniscule. Bowers is a tackle-breaking menace. In 2023, he led this class with 18, despite playing in only 10 games, multiple of those at less than 100-percent! Las Vegas hit the offensive line with their next two picks, getting sensational value on plug-and-play Oregon C/OG Jackson Powers-Johnson at 2.44. OT Delmar Glaze was my favorite sleeper at the position – I ranked him No. 111 overall compared to his consensus ranking of No. 154. The Raiders were even more bullish than me.

UDFA: The Raiders went with the spray-the-board UDFA strategy, with no draftable-grade signings on my board, but 10 prospects on my pre-draft top-500. WR Tulu Griffin is an outstanding kicker returner who led the FBS with 32.3 yard average in 2022. He’s been clocked at 22 mph on the GPS. OT Andrew Coker got $230,000 guaranteed. Due to that, and Las Vegas’ shortage of OT depth, he has a strong chance to make the roster. Coker’s chances to get drafted got detonated by an injury-plagued 2023. QB Carter Bradley is the son of former Raiders DC Gus Bradley. He’ll be pitted against Anthony Brown for the QB3 role in camp.

12. Baltimore Ravens

• Draft Grade: B-
• Equity Spent Rank: 26
• Draft Talent Rank: 20
• UDFA Talent Rank: 12
• Draft/UDFA Talent Added Rank: 20

Draft: With primary needs heading in at OT and CB, the Ravens brass made a wise call in choosing the latter at 1.30 after Tyler Guyton was taken one slot above, officially tapping dry that position’s R1 talent. Instead, Baltimore took skinny Clemson speedster CB Nate Wiggins, a strong value. That meant it was time for the OT pick one stanza later. The Ravens ended up deciding on Roger Rosengarten at No. 52 over Kingsley Suamataia, who went one pick later. EDGE Adisa Isaac is a tricky projection in that he’s an undersized, forward-attacking defender with good-but-not-great athleticism who is better against the run than he has any business being at his size. Isaac has a real knack for shedding and pursuing. Speaking of value, the Ravens got one of this year’s biggest steals when they pilfered CB T.J. Tampa at 4.130.

UDFA: The Ravens signed only one top-300 prospect on my pre-draft board. But that prospect – a local – has a very good chance to stick around. S Beau Brade attended Maryland after growing up in Clarksville. He’ll hope to continue plying his trade in the state of Crabcakes & Football. He’s a two-way safety who is a value-add to the run defense. Brade will struggle when isolated in man coverage – he’s better with the field in front of him than with his back to the quarterback – and his ceiling is capped by middling measurables. But he could turn into a core special-teamer if he proves to the Ravens in camp that he can be trusted with one of the backup safety jobs.

13. Los Angeles Chargers

• Draft Grade: A-
• Equity Spent Rank: 5
• Draft Talent Rank: 4
• UDFA Talent Rank: 31
• Draft/UDFA Talent Added Rank: 4

Draft: OT Joe Alt was a fitting first pick of the Jim Harbaugh era. Alt, the son of two-time Pro Bowler John Alt, allowed two sacks over 25 starts on the blind side at Notre Dame. Alt allowed two sacks over 25 starts on the blind side at Notre Dame. Ladd McConkey was a steal in R2. McConkey played on the outside in Georgia’s 12-personnel offense and is likely to do the same with the Chargers. He’s going to start immediately and remind you of Jordan Addison. In 2023, more than 80% of the balls that left the quarterback’s hands headed in McConkey’s direction became completions. That wasn’t courtesy of a diet of spoon-fed targets – McConkey’s 12.2 aDOT was the exact same as Malik Nabers‘. McConkey’s 3.26 YPRR ranked No. 4 among FBS prospects in this class. In Round 3, Harbaugh stole the second-level leader of his nasty title-winning Michigan defense, Junior Colson, who I ranked as the top LB in this class. RB Kimani Vidal has a battering-ram style, low to the ground and hard-charging. Vidal is bouncy in tight quarters and tough to square up. His combination of agility and power led to 92 broken tackles in 2023, second-most in the nation.

UDFA: HC Jim Harbaugh reunited with Michigan iOL Karsen Barnhart. For the Wolverines, Barnhart got plenty of experience at both guard and tackle. In 2022, he was the starting RT. But for last year’s title team, he was a full-timer with 831, but he ended up making 186 snaps at LT and 194 at RG, with the rest coming at RT. I projected him as an OG, but Barnhart chips in added value as a break-glass-in-case of emergency OT. FSU S Akeem Dent, at No. 353, was the highest-ranked prospect signed off my pre-draft board. Dent continues the Chargers’ Florida State West bent in the secondary – he’s joining up with former Seminole stars Derwin James and Asante Samuel Jr. If Dent is to make the Week 1 roster, it’s probably through special team work.

14. Chicago Bears

• Draft Grade: B+
• Equity Spent Rank: 1
• Draft Talent Rank: 2
• UDFA Talent Rank: 11
• Draft/UDFA Talent Added Rank: 2

Draft: QB Caleb Williams is an electric playmaker with a huge creative bent to his game. A good athlete with a live arm, Williams doesn’t need both feet under him to zing it on the money with effortless velocity to any sector of the field. Williams’ tape is littered with accuracy, touch and placement. Williams only threw 14 career interceptions over 1,099 attempts. Last season, Williams posted the highest pressure-to-sack ratio (23.2%) of my top-20 QB. That was up from a solid 16.0% the year before, when Williams won the Heisman while throwing for 4,537 yards with 52 total TDs. His play under pressure, elite in 2022 (85.1 PFF grade), devolved in 2023 (41.6). His 3.16-second average throw time was second-highest in this draft class. Williams actually improved in this area after averaging 3.44 seconds per attempt during his outstanding 2022 season. Further improvement is needed, and part of that will come from mastering the sort of timing concepts that were not a staple of USC’s playbook. That was true even before Chicago took WR Rome Odunze at 1.9, but even more so afterward. Odunze combines size, strength, physicality, speed, footwork, release package, agility, and route-running know-how to get to the most impressive aspect of his game: The ball skills are truly special. He’s a dog on the bone with the ball in the air. Last year, Odunze had a microscopic 3.2% drop rate on 140 targets (after posting a stellar 5.1% drop rate the year before).

UDFA: The Bears signed the top undrafted signal-caller in QB Austin Reed. Reed won the Division II national championship in 2019 at West Florida, and later transferred up to WKU – where he posted a 71/22 TD/INT ratio the last two years. A rhythm thrower who excels at timing concepts, Reed is comfortable in the pocket and has shown the ability to click through progressions. But while he has solid short-area accuracy, Reed’s middling arm strength decidedly caps his ceiling. EDGE Jamree Kromah is blessed with an NFL-ready frame and great length, along with a 9.67 RAS that included a sterling 10-foot broad jump.

15. San Francisco 49ers

• Draft Grade: C+
• Equity Spent Rank: 27
• Draft Talent Rank: 23
• UDFA Talent Rank: 15
• Draft/UDFA Talent Added Rank: 23

Draft: WR Ricky Pearsall has an advanced feel for route-running and coverage designs. He will modify his path to get into open grass against zone and flick unpredictable and unsettling tempo changes at defenders in man like a toddler in control of your car’s volume knob. Pearsall is blessed with truly exceptional hands (86.8 PFF hands grade in 2023). He spears balls outside his frame with regularity. Extremely reliable with anything inside his frame. Multiple one-handed highlight reel catches on campus. His catch against Charlotte is one of the greatest any of us have ever seen in college football. The other pick of San Francisco’s that I absolutely loved – buttressed by a pair of rock-solid selections to address the secondary – was the Round 3 selection of OL Dominick Puni. Puni had an eye-opening 2023 as Kansas’ left tackle after spending 2022 at LG. He did not skip a beat after coming up via transfer from the sub-division. Though Puni excelled on the blindside last year, my assumption is that he’s headed to guard at the next level. He’s going to be a good one.

UDFA: The prospect to watch is RB Cody Schrader, an athletically-limited never-say-die grinder with some skill. Schrader broke out in 2023 in a zone-heavy scheme that accentuated his strengths – vision, tempo, and one-cut oomph. Schrader is patient while blocks are developing, and urgent once the opportunity arises. He runs low to the ground and keeps his leg churning. Doesn’t have a ton of natural power and isn’t a bulldozer, but he breaks arm tackle attempts and bounces away from off-angle shots. Schrader could improve his odds of staying on the field if he brought the same junkyard dog attitude he does to running the ball into pass-pro. Schrader is not going to hit any home runs in the NFL, and his agility is mediocre overall outside of the one-cut path changes. But he is a good fit for San Francisco’s zone scheme.

16. Los Angeles Rams

• Draft Grade: B
• Equity Spent Rank: 14
• Draft Talent Rank: 10
• UDFA Talent Rank: 24
• Draft/UDFA Talent Added Rank: 10

Draft: Jared Verse was a smash value at No. 19. He’s a speed-to-power freight train with electric hands. Verse is hyper-explosive off the line. He gets tackles back on their heels and throws countless hand combinations and counter moves at them once engaged. The Rams added a nice depth piece at good value later on in EDGE Brennan Jackson. In Round 2, Los Angeles took Verse’s FSU teammate DL Braden Fiske. Fiske is the opposite sort of player as Donald. He lacks power, and he can be moved in the run game. But the Rams are bringing Fiske in for his pass-rushing prowess and athletic trump cards. In Round 3, the Rams picked RB Blake Corum. Corum is a very real threat to steal a chunk of Kyren Williams‘ early-down work. But Williams will remain on the field for all passing downs. Corum has a bowling ball build. And like the break of a spinning bowling ball, he has very good lateral agility. More skilled than physically gifted, Corum’s patience and vision almost always have him making the correct decision behind the line. I loved the value on C/G Beaux Limmer late – he’s a tremendous athlete with true three-position versatility that he proved against the best competition in the SEC.

UDFA: The Rams as we currently know them are an organization that has scoffed at the way the rest of the NFL does the draft process. There are many areas in which they conscientiously deviate from the herd. One of them, specific to their acquisition methodology, is to eschew traditional metrics for judging a player’s athleticism – ie the sort of testing that is done at the NFL Combine – in favor of on-field tracking data. They are said to love it when a player they like tests poorly – as it juices the odds he’ll fall to them at a discount. The seven UDFA that Los Angeles signed from my pre-draft 500 board are about as good a representation of this as you’re going to find. In short: Good college players whose measurables neutered their odds of getting picked.

17. New York Giants

• Draft Grade: C+
• Equity Spent Rank: 7
• Draft Talent Rank: 7
• UDFA Talent Rank: 28
• Draft/UDFA Talent Added Rank: 9

Draft: WR Malik Nabers is a break-neck route-runner who alters tempos and movement patterns unpredictably. Nabers wide-open separation rate compares favorably to any prospect in the past 10 classes. Hit him on the hands, and the defense is in a car chase with Mario Andretti. Nabers’ 30 missed tackles, 309 receiving yards after contact and 43 explosive plays all finished No. 2 last season. Nabers has extremely reliable hands. So reliable, in fact, that he posted the exact same stellar drop rate each of the last two seasons: 5.3%. I particularly appreciate the smoothness with which he’s able to spear off-target balls outside his frame and without wasting motion or losing momentum become a runner. Nabers’ game is tailor-made for where the NFL is going. On Day 2, New York flipped its attention to the secondary, taking the first safety off the board (Tyler Nubin) at No. 47, along with CB Andru Phillips at No. 70. The sleeper of this class is RB Tyrone Tracy. Tracy is a bouncy, juiced-up, wide-based slasher who absorbs off-angle shots without losing momentum. He has a knack for timing cutbacks to free himself into open grass, where his 4.48 wheels take over. These skills will play as a returner.

UDFA: Amid an NFL Draft with a record 43 trades, the Giants made zero. The passive approached carried over to UDFA. I did like the traits-based flier on DT Casey Rogers. But with the roster in the shape it is, the Giants should have been more aggressive in adding similar risk-free ceiling prospects.

18. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

• Draft Grade: C
• Equity Spent Rank: 24
• Draft Talent Rank: 24
• UDFA Talent Rank: 23
• Draft/UDFA Talent Added Rank: 25

Draft: Graham Barton was a stud LT the last three seasons in the ACC after starting five games at OC as a freshman for the Blue Devils. A lack of length – Barton’s arms would have tied for shortest among my top-30 OT prospects – is why the NFL worked him out on the interior during the pre-draft process, and why I project him thusly. Whether at OC or OG, Barton will be a standout starter in the NFL for a long time. He also provides OT versatility if needed. EDGE Chris Braswell is a downhill, attacking OLB. The proof of concept that you don’t want to drop him in coverage is that Nick Saban did not. Braswell is a little stiff, with the one-trick utility. But he’s clever, resourceful, and dogged, cycling through counters and shed maneuvers until the bitter end. He turns into a T-800 on the chase. The Bucs got a keeper in Round 3 with WR Jalen McMillan. McMillan may have gone a round higher had he not gotten injured in September – he was Washington’s clear WR2 ahead of Ja’Lynn Polk whenever both were healthy the past two years. McMillan’s 2022 tape shows a devilishly clever route-running slot. McMillan is going to catch a ton of balls in the NFL and keep the chains moving.

UDFA: LB Kalen DeLoach was a real pest to ACC opponents in 2023 – with seven sacks and 20 pressures. But will his game translate to the pros? He’s a tiny off-ball linebacker, under six feet and only 210 pounds. He’s going to need to prove he can be a value-add on Year 1 on special teams in order to convince the team he is worth developing as a situation-specific linebacker. DeLoach recorded 583 special team snaps at FSU. The Bucs signed QB Zach Annexstad and are bringing QB Michael Hiers in for a tryout. Of the two, I prefer Hiers. Hiers is a tiny pocket-passer who posted a 54/12 TD/INT rate the past two years at Samford on an 80.5% adjusted completion percentage.

19. Denver Broncos

• Draft Grade: D
• Equity Spent Rank: 20
• Draft Talent Rank: 27
• UDFA Talent Rank: 5
• Draft/UDFA Talent Added Rank: 24

Draft: QB Bo Nix was flattered by Oregon’s gimmicky spread offense that told him where the ball was going pre-snap based on defensive alignment and numbers. After the snap, Nix would often immediately shuttle the ball to that first read. Last year, only three FBS quarterbacks had an average release time quicker than Nix. His aDOT ranked No. 93 in the FBS. Oregon’s scheme not only juiced his accuracy numbers, but it also kept the ball out of harm’s way while inoculating Nix from pressure. All three of these things were issues at Auburn, and all were addressed not necessarily through Nix’s improvement, but by the offensive scheme itself. While I hated that pick, I loved Denver’s decision to add Nix’s favorite toy WR Troy Franklin after Franklin surprisingly dropped out of Day 2. Franklin was great value at an area of enormous need. To add further bizarro symmetry, Franklin’s closest size/athleticism comparison currently playing in the NFL is… Marvin Mims Jr.!

UDFA: Three names to keep an eye on: OT Frank Crum, RB Blake Watson, and S Omar Brown. Denver gave that trio – the three players from this UDFA crop I had a draftable grade on – identical $250,000 in guarantees. That guarantee number is higher than even sixth-round picks garner. But for a roster so light on talent, I appreciated both the aggression, and the specific draftable targets targeted. All three should be considered front-runners at present to make the Week 1 roster. Crum is a 6-foot-8 skyscraper with 98th-percentile RAS athleticism. Watson, a former WR who broke out after a shift to RB at Old Dominion, posted 1,632 all-purpose yards with 17 TD last fall at Memphis. S Brown has nickel/safety versatility.

20. Tennessee Titans

• Draft Grade: C+
• Equity Spent Rank: 10
• Draft Talent Rank: 12
• UDFA Talent Rank: 13
• Draft/UDFA Talent Added Rank: 13

Draft: In taking OT JC Latham and DL T’Vondre Sweat, the Titans had added over 700 pounds of beef before we had even reached pick No. 40. Latham, a former five-star recruit and a Second-Team All-American in 2023, has huge power along with great coordination and balance for his size. Only speed can frustrate him – lack of elite lateral agility can get him in trouble on inside counters. For this reason I saw him as a RT – a very, very good one – but the Titans said post-draft that they’re going to start him at LT. This makes sense from a perspective of their need – the situation is dire – but Latham will need to prove he has the foot speed to hang on the blind side in the NFL. Sweat is a planet-sized colossus on the other side of the line of scrimmage. Sweat won the Outland Trophy in 2023. He profiles as an elite run-stuffer, but will likely be an early-down defender in the NFL who is yanked off the field on obvious passing downs. Two of my favorite Day 3 defenders were LB Cedric Gray and CB Jarvis Brownlee Jr. – Tennessee popped them in Round 4 and Round 5, respectively.

UDFA: RB Dillon Johnson has a real chance to crack this roster, which doesn’t have much behind Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears. The NFL bypassed Johnson because he ran a 4.68 forty and had a poor broad jump. He’s not the best athlete you’ll find at the position. But he’s got NFL skills. Johnson began his career in Mike Leach’s Air Raid system. At Mississippi State, he caught 149 balls over three seasons. Not only is he a strong receiver, but Johnson is reliable in pass-pro as well. Johnson then turned 233 rushing attempts into 1,195 yards and 16 TD for a Washington team that made the national championship last year. He plays hurt, he can handle usage, and he’s good in the passing game. Johnson’s mission in camp is proving that his skill can overcome his lack of footspeed.

21. Cincinnati Bengals

• Draft Grade: C
• Equity Spent Rank: 11
• Draft Talent Rank: 16
• UDFA Talent Rank: 21
• Draft/UDFA Talent Added Rank: 16

Draft: I have a feeling that the Bengals will look back at this class in 10 years as either one of the best value exercises in franchise history, or as an utter disaster. Such is life when you are willing to accept elevated risk profiles in order to take the prospects with the highest ceiling in each slot. Cincy set the tone for the theme of their draft from the outset with OT Amarius Mims. It’s concerning that a 6-foot-8/340-pound prospect has suffered multiple lower-body injuries despite minimal collegiate playing time. Does that portend more issues to come or were both flukes? If the answer is the latter, Mims will be a standout starter for a long time. Next came Michigan DT Kris Jenkins, the one conventional “chalky” pick the Bengals made of their first five selections. It was back to shooting for the moon at 3.80 with WR Jermaine Burton. Two months ago in an early draft of my WR rankings, I had Burton as high as WR12 on my board. I’m extremely bullish on TE Erick All, whose evaluation was clouded by medical questions.

UDFA: The Bengals needed LB depth and addressed that by signing LBs Aaron Casey and Maema Njongmeta to deals with matching $15,000 signing bonuses. Cincinnati also signed a pair of Division III stars in WR Cole Burgess and EDGE Justin Blazek. Burgess is an intriguing developmental flier. He posted bazooka numbers last season and is blessed with 98th-percentile athleticism. He ran a 4.45 with a 41.5-inch vertical. RB Elijah Collins will have to beat out Trayveon Williams and/or Chris Evans to make the roster

22. Buffalo Bills

• Draft Grade: C-
• Equity Spent Rank: 25
• Draft Talent Rank: 26
• UDFA Talent Rank: 19
• Draft/UDFA Talent Added Rank: 28

Draft: Buffalo was aggressive in where it picked WR Keon Coleman, but I appreciated that they picked up draft equity in skipping down to the first pick of R2 to do it. As a 19-year-old sophomore at Michigan State – where he also briefly played for Tom Izzo’s basketball team – Coleman had more catches, more yards, and more TDs than second-rounder-to-be Jayden Reed. Last year, at FSU, when Coleman and QB Jordan Travis were both healthy, Coleman looked like a star, lighting up LSU (9-122-3) and Clemson (5-86-2). Things went south in November, firstly because of an injury to Coleman, then the season-ending injury to QB Jordan Travis. Of Coleman’s 87 targets in 2023, only 55 were charted as “catchable.” Coleman caught 50-of-55, with 11 going for a TD and 28 others turning into first downs. He’s a downfield my-ball rebounder who Josh Allen will love. The Bills two other picks on Friday weren’t as sexy – S Cole Bishop and DL DeWayne Carter – but each was very good value on prospects who will see the field early.

UDFA: Was there ever really any other possibility for OG Keaton Bills? The three-year starter – and former teammate of TE Dalton Kincaid – recorded 2,621 snaps at left guard for Utah. He is a strong run blocker, but his pass protection will need polishing if Bills hopes to remain on the Bille. RB Frank Gore Jr.‘s father ranks No. 3 on the NFL’s list of all-time leading rushers. Gore Jr. ran for over 4,000 yards in college while displaying receiving skill, but he’s small and doesn’t appear to have NFL-caliber athleticism.

23. Arizona Cardinals

• Draft Grade: C
• Equity Spent Rank: 2
• Draft Talent Rank: 3
• UDFA Talent Rank: 20
• Draft/UDFA Talent Added Rank: 3

Draft: WR Marvin Harrison Jr. was 100th-percentile in PFF receiving grade against single-man coverage over the past two seasons. Defensive coordinators started going to unprecedented lengths to address the Harrison Jr. problem, sending more double-teams his way than I can remember any collegiate WR receiving. They still couldn’t stop him. Harrison Jr. throttles speed at will – his most impressive attribute as a route-runner. It’s very difficult to get a bead on his intentions because of this. Harrison Jr. is the prototype physically and athletically, with genetics and pedigree in spades. For receiver prospects, it’s rare to see floor/ceiling combinations this high. Next, the Cardinals took EDGE Darius Robinson. Robinson’s length and strength made him a serious problem in the SEC. He’s slow off the line and lacks lateral quickness, but his ferocious power and rugged playstyle should make him a strong starting 3-4 DE in Arizona’s front immediately. I loved Arizona’s decision to take Trey Benson, my RB1. Benson is the premier size/speed combination in this RB class, with 4.39 wheels at 216 pounds. While I liked what Arizona did early, the Cardinals had some truly bizarre picks, like the reaches for OG Isaiah Adams and TE Tip Reiman on Day 2.

UDFA: The Cardinals were mostly spectators during the UDFA process. DT Myles Murphy has good size and three years starting experience in the ACC. But the disruption he showed in 2021 – nine TFL and 4 sacks – vaporized the past two years. He posted a meager 4.5 TFL and one sack in 2023. WR Xavier Weaver posted a 94-1,433-8 line across his last two seasons at USF before leading Colorado with 908 yards last fall. He has ball skills, but will need to overcome a rail-thin frame.

24. New York Jets

• Draft Grade: D-
• Equity Spent Rank: 19
• Draft Talent Rank: 29
• UDFA Talent Rank: 2
• Draft/UDFA Talent Added Rank: 27

Draft: It’s obvious that the Jets liked OT Olumuyiwa Fashanu more than I did. My bigger issue is… why is a win-now team using a premium pick on a prospect who may be OT3 in 2024? The Jets came into the draft with only two legitimate aerial weapons for Aaron Rodgers – WRs Garrett Wilson and Mike Williams. Why was there not a more legitimate push to trade up to beat the Bears to the punch for WR Rome Odunze? If bumbling Falcons GM Terry Fontenot could not be saved from himself, would Tennessee at least have considered it? Outside of that, I think the Jets will come to regret passing on TE Brock Bowers, who would have helped to address both the slot/TE needs… Bowers is not a TE, he’s a yard-gainer you can line up as either a slot or a TE (or basically anywhere else). I’m not a fan of WR Malachi Corley. I believe he’s a RB playing slot WR. Over the past two seasons, Corley had 89 catches behind the line of scrimmage – he led the nation in screen yards both times. Conversely, he caught just 15 balls 20-plus yards downfield. Corley had a troubling 23.5% contested catch rate last year on a 5.5 aDOT that ranked No. 495 in the FBS.

UDFA: I may not have been in love with the Jets’ decisions during the draft itself, but boy did they slaughter the UDFA process. New York signed three prospects inside my pre-draft top-153, and a fourth who I gave a draftable grade. They were edged out by the Chiefs for top UDFA class in my metrics by the slimmest of fractional margins. I am most bullish on EDGE Eric Watts, who started three-of-four active seasons at UConn (the Huskies canceled their 2020 season due to COVID). Watts is not a finished product – but he has measurables that portend to NFL success, and his tape is dotted with flash plays both as a defender and as a special-teamer.

25. Indianapolis Colts

• Draft Grade: C-
• Equity Spent Rank: 13
• Draft Talent Rank: 19
• UDFA Talent Rank: 25
• Draft/UDFA Talent Added Rank: 21

Draft: I’m a huge fan of Laiatu Latu‘s game. If his body doesn’t betray him, he will be a star. That is, of course, a big if. Latu was forced to briefly medically retire in 2021 as a member of the Washington Huskies due to a neck injury. But he played over 1,000 snaps the past two seasons and was a pass-rushing terror. Latu had 17 sacks in only 623 pass-rushes over that time. WR AD Mitchell is a size/speed super freak, with 4.34 wheels and a 98th-percentile broad jump in a big package. He’s a long-strider who needs a runway to build up to his speed. Mitchell’s 10-yard split on that 4.34 equaled Ja’Lynn Polk and Jalen Coker, who ran 4.52 and 4.57 forties, respectively. The reason his production profile in college was always hit-and-miss is because when he isn’t connecting on moon-shot dingers, he’s striking out. On a great passing offense last year, Mitchell finished with 35 or fewer receiving yards in half of Texas’ games (seven of 14). But he went over 140 yards twice and cracked 100 in a third. In those three games, he averaged 16.6 YPC. While I liked the first two picks, the rest of this class was a whiff for me.

UDFA: Back in 2019 as a freshman at USC, QB Kedon Slovis dropped 3,502 yards and 30 TD on 71.9 percent completions. An injury followed by consecutive regrettable transfer decisions gave his collegiate career a Benjamin Button feel. But Slovis is still a good athlete (9.34 RAS) in a sturdy frame who has short-area accuracy. And hey, if he doesn’t pan out as worth the longer developmental look, perhaps Kansas wild-child QB Jason Bean will. Bean is a former track star who has a bigger arm than you would think. Last year, when Bean got injured – this was following QB1 Jalon Daniels‘ season-ending injury – the Jayhawks were forced to go to a QB3 by the name of Cole Ballard. Cole is son of Colts GM Chris Ballard. Doesn’t get any more boots-on-the-ground than that, kids.

26. Green Bay Packers

• Draft Grade: C-
• Equity Spent Rank: 8
• Draft Talent Rank: 13
• UDFA Talent Rank: 27
• Draft/UDFA Talent Added Rank: 17

Draft: An awesome collegiate OT, Jordan Morgan may be headed inside at the next level due to vacillating pass-pro technique on the outside. Morgan has good strength, shocking defenders with his punch. He’s a skilled run-blocker who generates serious north-south force and consistently hits the play-side shoulder of his mark in zone concepts. In pass-pro, his lack of length and elite side-to-side movement skills get him in trouble against speed rushers. But kicked inside to guard, that relative issue disappears, while all of his strengths play up. On Day 2, the Packers bolstered the second-level of the defense in the form of LB Edgerrin Cooper (No. 45) and S Javon Bullard (No. 58). Cooper is a sideline-to-sideline menace who was utterly dominant last year in the SEC. RB MarShawn Lloyd a rather odd fit. Lloyd rarely played on passing downs in college. Can he steal early-down timeshare from Josh Jacobs and AJ Dillon? I thought the next three picks were reaches, but I did like the values on S Kitan Oladapo and QB Michael Pratt.

UDFA: The Packers kept the class’ best long-snapper home when they signed Wisconsin LS Peter Bowden. Green Bay’s other signing of note was Michigan OL Trente Jones. Jones would have started anywhere else, but at Michigan the past few years he was a luxurious insurance policy as the team’s top backup lineman. Jones ended up playing half-season snaps at RT each of the past two campaigns.

27. Cleveland Browns

• Draft Grade: D+
• Equity Spent Rank: 32
• Draft Talent Rank: 32
• UDFA Talent Rank: 29
• Draft/UDFA Talent Added Rank: 32

Draft: The Hall pick at 2.54 was so obvious I could have submitted the card – the local product who was clearly the top DL on the board at the time. Hall is a gap-shooting three-tech who turns up the heat on quarterbacks. I was surprised OG Zak Zinter went as early as he did after he broke his leg in November, forcing him to sit out the pre-draft process. It felt like Cleveland paid full-price – and maybe even a little more – without any injury discount baked into his price. WR Thrash was a boundary WR in college who projects for slot work in the NFL due to his size and lack of play strength. The best part of Thrash’s game is the shake he has with the ball in his hands. But the upside is capped here due to the lack of size and strength with mediocre speed. Cleveland is advised to manufacture his touches early so he can leverage that YAC ability.

UDFA: The Browns prioritized adding to the OL post-draft, with iOL Javion Cohen and Jalen Sundell and OT Lorenzo Thompson. WR Ahmarean Brown has 4.37 speed. RB Aidan Robbins showed a gift for breaking tackles earlier in his career at UNLV, but he strangely got buried during his NFL showcase season at BYU.

28. Carolina Panthers

• Draft Grade: D
• Equity Spent Rank: 23
• Draft Talent Rank: 30
• UDFA Talent Rank: 8
• Draft/UDFA Talent Added Rank: 30

Draft: Carolina GM Dan Morgan’s aw-shucks give-away of draft resources to another NFL franchise for no reason barely drew an eyebrow in the wake of the grenade division-mate GM Terry Fontenot threw into the top-10. Morgan traded the No. 141 pick (which turned into OL Sedrick Van Pran) to the Bills for the No. 200 pick (which turned into DT Jaden Crumedy) for the right to pay WR Xavier Legette slightly more money, flipping slots at 32 and 33. When the draft resumed, the Bills took the WR they were going to take at No. 32, Keon Coleman. Morgan being the fish at the table is no referendum on Legette as a prospect, of course. Legette is a muscled-up receiver with inside/outside versatility who broke out in 2023 with a 71-1,255-7 line. Last season, Legette dropped only two balls on 97 targets. He’s a springy athlete who has a knack for not losing momentum while turning upfield after a catch, which helps maximize YAC opportunities. I thought the Panthers reached on RB Jonathon Brooks, who tore his ACL against TCU on November 11. Brooks enters the NFL with a 10-game sample of strong tape and without a pre-draft process.

UDFA: I wasn’t high on GM Dan Morgan’s work in the draft, but I appreciated he and his scouting team’s work in the UDFA process. The top-three signings on my board were subdivision standouts that I thought had a real chance to get drafted – Holy Cross WR Jalen Coker, Virginia State CB Willie Drew, and Monmouth RB Jaden Shirden. WR Coker’s ball skills are sublime. He has late hands – preventing defensive backs from making plays on the ball – and he doesn’t drop anything. I love how natural he is spearing balls outside his frame. oker is bursty off the line and out of route breaks – at the NFL Combine, he posted the same 10-yard split as all-world burner AD Mitchell.

29. Jacksonville Jaguars

• Draft Grade: D+
• Equity Spent Rank: 16
• Draft Talent Rank: 28
• UDFA Talent Rank: 10
• Draft/UDFA Talent Added Rank: 29

Draft: I loved what the Jags did early and hate what they did late. That began with Jacksonville picking up a R4 (No. 157) along with R3 and R4 picks in 2025 from the Vikings to hop down from No. 17 to No. 23. The Jaguars took WR Brian Thomas Jr. in that slot, and paired him high-upside LSU teammates DT Maason Smith one round later. In 2023, Thomas Jr. was 82nd percentile against single coverage, 88th percentile in separation rate and 89th percentile in separation rate against single coverage. A gazelle of an athlete and a former star high school basketball player, Thomas is a special downfield playmaker. DT Smith is the true boom-or-bust player in this DT class. A former top-20 overall recruit, Smith is rangy with very long arms, and he posted elite agility scores at over 300 pounds. Still, he started only 17 games in college, missing some of 2021 with a shoulder injury, almost all of 2022 with a knee injury and the 2023 opener while suspended. Beyond that, however, I was confused by what Jacksonville was doing. I saw a procession of reaches.

UDFA: The Jaguars elected for a top-heavy approach. S Josh Proctor was beset by early struggles at OSU, followed by a season-ending injury in 2021, and a 2022 benching. But Proctor broke through in 2023, with third-team All-Big Ten honors. Proctor flashed ball skills last season, with eight breakups and a pick-six. Jacksonville also added a pair of Shrine Bowl standouts in WRs Joshua Cephus and David White Jr. WR Cephus has very good hands in a 6-foot-3 package – he’s UTSA’s all-time leading receiver. WR White Jr. offers special teams utility as a standout gunner. In camp, he needs to prove that his short-term special teams utility is sufficient to buy him a long-term developmental opportunity at the WR position.

30. Houston Texans

• Draft Grade: D-
• Equity Spent Rank: 29
• Draft Talent Rank: 31
• UDFA Talent Rank: 30
• Draft/UDFA Talent Added Rank: 31

Draft: Houston has done a strong job building up the offensive side of the ball. They had a shot in this draft to build up the trenches and the back-end of the defense. They clearly did not see this year’s prospects like I did. With their pair of second-rounders, Houston took a CB (Kamari Lassiter) who lacks foot speed and needs to play nickel and an OT (Blake Fisher) who arguably should have returned for one more year of school. The Texans got acceptable value on one prospect – Ohio State TE Cade Stover. I was lower on Stover than most, ranking him No. 125 against his No. 98 standing on the consensus big board. The Texans ended up taking him in the No. 123 slot. Stover is a springy athlete with a commendable fluidity to him along his route-path for someone so relatively new to the position full-time. He dropped zero balls in 2023. Not only that, but Stover is the only TE in this class who converted every single one of his charted catchable targets into targets – a perfect 45-for-45.

UDFA: The Texans added the Janke twins and basically decided they were good. Jaxon caught 244 balls for 3,677 yards and 29 TD at South Dakota State, while Jadon posted a 170-2,800-30 career line. The Janke’s teamed up to dominate the FCS – they may have been better off splitting up heading to the NFL. They’ll now be competing against one another for a job.

31. New England Patriots

• Draft Grade: F
• Equity Spent Rank: 4
• Draft Talent Rank: 15
• UDFA Talent Rank: 26
• Draft/UDFA Talent Added Rank: 18

Draft: Time will tell if New England’s new brass proves my initial assessment wrong. If Drake Maye becomes a superstar, it will be – none of the rest of it will matter. But by my numbers, the Patriots squandered the most draft equity in the NFL and ended up finishing No. 31 in ROI. Outside of the Javon Baker steal on Saturday – he could ascend to WR1 duties in New England very, very quickly – four of the next five picks after QB Drake Maye were egregious reaches. The first of those, WR Ja’Lynn Polk, may be fool’s gold – he was the clear and distant WR3 on Washington whenever Jalen McMillan was healthy the past few years. New England got caught on the wrong end of the epic early offensive line run. They multiplied that problem by forcing a pair of picks at No. 68 (OT Caedan Wallace) and No. 103 (OG Layden Robinson)

UDFA: LB Jontrey Hunter was a weird evaluation, but I’m happy he found a situation where he’ll have a shot. He’s a bad athlete who stinks in coverage and missed a metric ton of tackles the past few years (50!). But Hunter was a dangerous blitzing linebacker in the G5, and his skill in this area may cause New England to investigate the idea of developing him for a situational role.

32. Atlanta Falcons

• Draft Grade: F
• Equity Spent Rank: 6
• Draft Talent Rank: 25
• UDFA Talent Rank: 32
• Draft/UDFA Talent Added Rank: 26

Draft: The QB Michael Penix Jr. pick culminated one of the most bizarre exercises in asset torching we’ve ever seen in an offseason. It’s going to be a long time before we see a pick that shocking. The Falcons better hope he’s a star by Year 3. But if he is, it will make even less sense to have given all your cap space to Kirk Cousins. This organization came into this offseason believing it desperately needed to address the quarterback position. It leaves it having left no doubt that the change it actually needs is at the top of the front office.

UDFA: Atlanta’s baffling draft was followed by a non-serious effort in the UDFA process. Tiny FCS WR Isaiah Wooden Jr. is the one guy I’m intrigued by due to his high-octane athleticism. Wooden Jr. ranked No. 1 among all WRs in this class with a 1.38 10-split and a 44 1/2-inch vertical. He ran a 4.35 40-yard dash. He has the traits to play the slot in the NFL. TE Austin Stogner was a top-75 overall recruit coming out of high school, he has an ideal frame, and he looked like a future star in 2020 in Lincoln Riley’s offense. But Stogner came down with a serious staph infection that fall – he lost 35 pounds, required surgery, and nearly lost his leg. Since coming back, he has not been the same player – in his three active seasons since, he had between 166-210 receiving yards each campaign.

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