Category: NFL Draft

  • NFL Scouting Report: Michael Penix Jr.

    NFL Scouting Report: Michael Penix Jr.

    Photo: Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire

    Michael Penix Jr., QB Atlanta Falcons

    6-2, 216

    Overall Grade: 6.4

    Scouting Report by Jeremy Percy

    Summary

    Michael Penix Jr. is an older, more experienced prospect with good leadership ability and an extensive injury history who excels at pushing the ball down the field, but his inconsistent accuracy to the short and intermediate areas will limit him to being a top backup and circumstantial starter.

    Penix is a sixth-year, left-handed quarterback prospect who ran a spread-based offense for the majority of his collegiate career. He spent his first four seasons at Indiana where he suffered season-ending injuries all four years, two to his right ACL and one to each of his shoulders. He transferred to Washington prior to the 2022 season and responded by setting the school passing yards record and finished second in Heisman voting in 2023. Penix has great playing experience and played in 48 games, starting 45 of them. He played almost exclusively in shotgun, but has shown he can take snaps from under center, though he did not pass often out of those looks. He is a good leader and stepped up massively in clutch situations his final year in college. He is a tough player overall but has a merely sufficient body composition for an NFL quarterback, especially for someone with his injury history.

    Pass Game

    Penix has shown great improvement as a passer during his time in college. He is at his best throwing down the field due to his high-level arm talent and consistently hits his mark on deep back-shoulder throws. Despite his improvements, he still shows merely sufficient spot-on accuracy and can be inconsistent with short and intermediate accuracy. His deep accuracy is better. He throws a gorgeous deep ball. He can put the ball on a rope deep down the field to the outside shoulder from the opposite hash or loft it up with plenty of air to let his receiver run underneath it. Overall, Penix is a good decision maker who takes care of the ball and is mature enough to realize when he needs to hit his checkdown or throw the ball away, though he can be prone to chucking it into coverage when needing to make a play while trailing. He has good footwork, and it helps him greatly in the pocket. He shows plus ability to manipulate the pocket and slip away from defenders. He is above average under pressure and is not afraid to stare down the barrel and take a hit when releasing the ball. His release is sufficient overall; it is quick but unorthodox with a lower release point. He has a slight tendency to extend the ball low and behind his body in his motion which could lead to some fumbles at the next level. Penix can throw the ball from a variety of arm angles and bases which will directly translate to the NFL game. He also has good eye discipline and is capable of manipulating defenders while going through his reads before snapping back to his target.

    Run Game

    Penix was much more explosive as a runner and used in this capacity more early in his career, but that usage waned at Washington due to his injury history. Still, when he was called on as a runner, he was effective, and he has above-average mobility for an NFL quarterback.

    Last Word

    Penix projects as a top backup or circumstantial starting quarterback at the next level. He can function in most systems but fits best into an offense that utilizes his quick release in the RPO game and also allows him to take shots down the field off play action. Penix has had a ton of time to develop while in college but has spent a good amount of that time rehabbing from injuries, so he may not yet be at his full ceiling. He has above-average mobility and can make throws from awkward arm angles/bases. He also will be able to throw the ball deep at a high level. His short and intermediate accuracy can be spotty and inconsistent, but when he is on, he can make any throw on the field.

    Critical Factors

    Graded on 1-9 scale

    Accuracy 5
    Decision Making/Mental 6
    Clutch Performance 6

     

    Positional Factors

    Short Accuracy 5
    Deep Accuracy 6
    Pocket Awareness 6
    Footwork 6
    Under Pressure 5
    Mobility 5
    Arm Strength 6
    Release 5
    Awkward Throw 6
    Eye Discipline 6
    Leadership 6
    Body Comp 5

     Strengths

    Beautiful deep ball
    Excels at throwing back shoulder
    Slippery in the pocket

     Weaknesses

    Inconsistent short-to-medium accuracy
    Can get rattled
    Injury risk

     

  • NFL Scouting Report: Bo Nix

    NFL Scouting Report: Bo Nix

    Photo: Brian Murphy/Icon Sportswire

    Bo Nix

    6-2, 214, Denver Broncos QB

    Overall Grade: 6.3

    Scouting Report by Bryce Rossler

    Summary

    Nix is an athletic, gun-shy backup with sufficient accuracy, whose comfort in the quick game is offset by his apprehension to consistently challenge the second-and third-levels of the defense.

    Bo Nix is a two-year starting quarterback at Oregon after playing his first 3 seasons, including the 2020 COVID year, at Auburn. In all, Nix played in and started 61 career games. The Ducks were primarily an 11 personnel spread team with a gap-heavy run game and a passing game that emphasized low and high horizontal stretch concepts, with lots of screen and RPO elements. He missed the final 3 games of the 2021 season with a broken ankle. Nix is a good athlete who has the speed and elusiveness to threaten a defense when needed. He has a sufficient build for the position. He is visibly emotional on the field and is a tough competitor, with players rallying behind him at Auburn and Oregon.

    Pass Game

    Nix displays sufficient footwork and a compact release. He is a good, efficient processor in quick-game concepts, particularly against zone coverages. He demonstrates mediocre anticipation against man coverage and has to see the break to trigger. He is generally avoidant of challenging “NFL open” windows downfield and tends towards checking it down. He works with good eye discipline to hold safeties, and he maintains downfield vision while climbing the pocket or breaking contain. Nix displays sufficient accuracy to the first and third levels of the field, but did not  target the intermediate MOF. His ability to make layered throws to that area is a question mark. He has good body control and flexibility to access different arm slots and throw off-platform. Nix looks uncomfortable working from tighter pockets and has a tendency to spray the ball with pressure in his lap. He has sufficient arm strength, but might struggle to consistently make some of the more difficult throws in the NFL (e.g. field outs/comebacks, seams, layered throws into dig windows, fades vs. Cover 2).

    Run Game

    Nix is a good athlete with the requisite speed to be deployed in QB run game, and he successfully executed zone and gap schemes at Oregon. He has a good burst to get to the corner and is generally more of a one-cut runner than an elusive open-field threat. Nix protects himself and does not typically lower the shoulder to challenge in space. He is unlikely to be consistently effective at sneaks at the NFL level due to his build and lack of power.

    Last Word
    Nix projects as a quality backup at the next level who has enough ability to be an effective quarterback in standard down-and-distance situations, but will struggle in obvious dropback situations when teams tend to play tighter coverage and/or dial up pressure. He is proficient in the quick game, but his accuracy will not help optimize YAC, which is not ideal for West Coast offenses that would otherwise suit his skillset.

    Critical Factors

    On 1-9 scale

    Accuracy 5
    Decision Making/Mental 5
    Clutch Performance 5

     Positional Factors

    Short Accuracy 5
    Deep Accuracy 5
    Pocket Awareness 5
    Footwork 5
    Under Pressure 4
    Mobility 6
    Arm Strength 5
    Release 5
    Awkward Throw 6
    Eye Discipline 6
    Leadership 5
    Body Comp 5

     

    Strengths

    Mobility
    Eye discipline
    Awkward throw

     

    Weaknesses

    Anticipation vs Man
    Accuracy under pressure
    Willingness to work 2nd and 3rd levels

     

  • NFL Scouting Report: Caleb Williams

    NFL Scouting Report: Caleb Williams

    Caleb Williams

    6-1, 214, Chicago Bears QB

    Overall Grade: 7.0

    Scouting Report by Michael Morgan

    Summary

    Caleb Williams is the accurate, off-script playmaking franchise quarterback who can dictate a team’s success in today’s NFL, with the belief that he can solidify his mechanics in a timing-based offense.

    Williams is an off-script, big-play waiting to happen quarterback who played in Lincoln Riley’s shotgun-based RPO/one-read offense. At USC, Williams started all 26 games he played. Before USC, he spent his first year under Lincoln Riley at Oklahoma, playing in 11 games and starting the final seven games of 2021. During his career, Williams has a relatively clean injury history other than a 2022 PAC-12 title game hamstring injury and a finger injury he dealt with through 2023. Although slightly undersized, he withstands hits with a toughness, which his teammates rally around. This leads to a hero-ball mentality that, with his accuracy, often leads to big plays.

    Pass Game

    Williams operates at a high level, whether in the rhythm of his offense or in broken plays. Operating exclusively from shotgun, Williams does not show traditionally clean footwork or lower-body mechanics. However, this has not affected his accuracy on short or deep throws. His accuracy is pinpoint to all three levels, and he doesn’t show any signs of aiming or straining to make any throws. Pressure and hits do not seem to bother him either, as he seems to naturally avoid rushers in the pocket. If forced, Williams excels outside of the pocket, keeping his eyes downfield and has the accuracy and arm strength to make special plays. At times, he will try to keep plays alive too long when the checkdowns are available for easy completions and yards. As a decision maker, Williams seems to make the right reads at the right time, but questions of the simplicity of Lincoln Riley’s RPO/one-read system will follow Williams into the NFL. 

    Run Game

    Whether with designed runs or scrambles, Williams has the mobility to be a threat. While not possessing game-changing speed, Williams has the pocket awareness and feel for pressure to take advantage of edge rushers that get out of their rush lanes. Once he breaks the pocket, he knows how to run and take advantage of bad angles by second-level defenders, making tackling him easier said than done. He shows the ability to make the right read on option plays, as well as RPOs, which adds to the vice he puts defenders in when running.

    Last Word

    Williams projects as a ”win because of” franchise quarterback who can thrive in an offense that blends RPOs with traditional dropbacks and will utilize his athleticism. His dynamic playmaking ability and 3-level accuracy will dictate his early success, or struggles, as he develops NFL-level footwork and mechanics. His offensive line forced him to be special at USC, and a better one in the NFL should limit the amount of special plays he has to make. He will not throw many interceptions due to his ball placement and decision making, but if he starts big play hunting, he could be susceptible to throwing more.

    Critical Factors

    (All grades on 1-9 scale)

    Accuracy 8
    Decision Making/Mental 7
    Clutch Performance 6

     

    Positional Factors

    Short Accuracy 8
    Deep Accuracy 8
    Pocket Awareness 7
    Footwork 5
    Under Pressure 7
    Mobility 6
    Arm Strength 7
    Release 6
    Awkward Throw 8
    Eye Discipline 6
    Leadership 7
    Body Comp 6

     Strengths

    Accuracy to all 3 levels
    Off-script playmaking ability
    Consistency

     Weaknesses

    Inconsistent mechanics
    Big-play hunter
    Non-traditional college offense

     

  • NFL Scouting Report: J.J. McCarthy

    NFL Scouting Report: J.J. McCarthy

    Photo: Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire

    J.J. McCarthy

    6-3, 219, Minnesota Vikings quarterback

    Overall grade: 6.4

    Scouting Report by Jordan Edwards.

    Summary

    J.J. McCarthy is an athletic quarterback who displays toughness and a winning mentality, but must continue to develop his anticipation and decision-making as he moves to the NFL.

    McCarthy was the quarterback for the Michigan Wolverines and led them to a National Championship in 2023. He was the point guard in an offense that relied heavily on its power-run game and play-action passing. Michigan utilized a good amount of pre-snap motion to scheme up receivers downfield as well. McCarthy played in 40 games during a three-year span and was a starter for 28 consecutive games in the past two seasons. He suffered an ankle injury in the middle of the 2023 season but did not miss any game time. McCarthy is a well-rounded athlete who can extend plays out of structure and shows some twitch and speed in his movements. He has sufficient height for the position, but dons a slimmer frame than desired.

    McCarthy is a leader through and through. Even though he was not eligible to be a captain for his team, he was a clear leader of a national championship winning team.

     Pass Game

     When McCarthy is working in structure, he can manage an offense quickly and efficiently. He shows good short accuracy and can zip the ball out quickly to his receivers to let them create after the catch. That accuracy and zip can also reach the intermediate parts and occasionally the opposite side of the field, too. He can correctly decipher half-field reads and put the ball on the spot quickly in these situations. His mental processing is still a work in progress (working full-field reads and throwing with anticipation). He sparingly throws his receivers open and waits for them to present themselves open downfield. His point-and-shoot throwing style can lead to inaccurate throws downfield. While his arm strength is good, there is clearly a cap on the velocity in which he throws the ball. He has sufficient arm talent but when his base underneath him isn’t set, his velocity and accuracy dip. He can rifle the ball into windows, but all of his throws are at one speed. He struggles to throw with touch when layering throws across the field is required.

    McCarthy can deliver the ball on time over the middle of the field. However, he is hesitant to put the ball in between the hashes consistently. He doesn’t have a natural feel for maneuvering the pocket, but his athleticism shows this is an area that has promise with development. His toughness stands out in the pocket, as he will stand in and take a jarring hit when delivering the ball. Out of structure, his athleticism is on display. He can extend plays with his legs and deliver the ball with good zip on the run. While his willingness to extend plays is admirable, it can be a detriment to him at times. He will exhaust every second and blade of grass on the field to try and throw the ball downfield. This will lead to some questionable decision making, as he is willing to put the ball in harm’s way on occasion.

    Run Game

    McCarthy can add some value to an offense using his legs when necessary. His athleticism can be used on designed runs and scrambles when a play breaks down. While he shouldn’t be asked to be a pivotal part of a run scheme at the next level, his ability to threaten the defense with his legs must be noted.

    Last Word

    McCarthy projects to be a circumstantial starting quarterback with the potential of developing into a “win-with” level quarterback. He will be best served to play in an offensive scheme that utilizes motions and play action to a high degree.

    While the flashes of playmaking ability stand out, the level of consistency in which McCarthy plays with must improve. He won’t be the most talented quarterback at the next level, but if he can improve his decision making and ability to play with anticipation, he can raise his floor.

    Critical Factors 

    Accuracy 5
    Decision Making/Mental 5
    Clutch Performance 5

    Positional Factors

    Short Accuracy 6
    Deep Accuracy 5
    Pocket Awareness 5
    Footwork 5
    Under Pressure 5
    Mobility 6
    Arm Strength 6
    Release 5
    Awkward Throw 4
    Eye Discipline 4
    Leadership 7
    Body Comp 5

    Strengths

    Athleticism to extend plays
    Leadership and toughness
    Short accuracy

    Weaknesses

    One-speed thrower
    Throwing with anticipation
    Stares down receivers

     

  • NFL Scouting Report: Drake Maye

    NFL Scouting Report: Drake Maye

    Drake Maye

    6-4, 223, New England Patriots QB

    Overall Grade 6.8

    Scouting Report by Matt Manocherian 

    Summary

    Drake Maye is a young prospect with a tantalizing combination of size, athleticism, arm strength and accuracy to become a top NFL quarterback if and when the game slows down for him.

    Maye is a right-handed quarterback in North Carolina’s no huddle, spread offense, where he is primarily utilized in short drops, RPOs and read options. UNC operates exclusively out of shotgun except in short-yardage situations. He played in 30 games in 3 seasons at UNC, including starting all 14 games in 2022 and each of their 12 regular season games in 2023 before declaring for the Draft. He is a young prospect who is still growing into his body, but he already shows  good size, arm strength and athletic ability for the position. He is a tough player who was the clear leader of the offense, even as a redshirt freshman. He commands the no huddle well and can have the snap within 10 seconds at his fastest pace, including in the two minute drill against Duke to get the game to overtime. However, his inexperience shows up at times, including calling for the snap in an obviously illegal formation on the goal line in the same game.

    Pass Game

    Maye is a talented passer who is capable of flashes of brilliance. He has a clean, over-the-top release with a consistent, repeatable motion. He tends to pat the ball before he releases it, which complicates the fact that he is already not a quick processor. He needs to see things come open before he lets it rip, and it helps to present him with simplified half-field high/low reads. That said, he has enough arm that he can overcome his lack of anticipation with velocity. If he could get the ball out a hair sooner, several balls he completed out of bounds would likely be catches.

    He is a very good deep ball thrower. He shows very good touch on deep fades and go balls that stress the defense in both Cover 1 and Cover 2. He can drive the ball downfield on a line without needing to put much air under it. He shows good ball placement on quick throws, and he is very good at making level-two throws down the seam. He shows great feel with the ability to take something off of his throws when he needs to. He can also ramp up his velocity with a clean pocket. Most of his misses come when the pocket is messy, and he can’t step into his throws. He also tends to miss when he has to work through his progressions and reset his feet.

    Maye is very effective when he extends plays and gets into scramble drill situations. He keeps his eyes downfield against pressure and does a good job getting the ball out of his hands before the rush gets home. He usually throws well on the move, especially when running to his right and throwing to that side of the field, but he has also had some troubling turnovers in these situations, including a pick-six against Clemson in the 2022 ACC Championship. He can make outrageous jump-passes (touchdowns vs South Carolina and Clemson in 2023), but he also has some bad misses on plays where he tries to make these throws with no platform. He loves to give his receivers a chance to make plays down the field, but they let him down a lot in 2023.

     Run Game

    In the run game, Maye shows very good mobility. He has enough speed to be a legitimate run threat on the NFL level, but he won’t be faster than most defenders like he is in the ACC. They run a fair bit of option and read-option, but he’s a bit slow to make decisions in the read-option game. He is very dangerous on draws and can force the defense out of 2-man. He has the size to be effective on sneaks, but he isn’t a powerful runner. He is at his best on the second play when he can break contain, keep his eyes downfield, and when needed, scramble for first downs.

     Last Word

    Overall, Maye projects to become a strong starting quarterback with “win with” ability. At this time, he is best suited for and can be effective in a spread scheme with lots of deep shots, simplified half-field reads, and opportunities for improvisation. If he develops the ability to anticipate and progress through reads, the sky is the limit for him, with an upside comparable to Justin Herbert.

     Critical Factors

    Accuracy 6
    Decision Making/Mental 5
    Clutch Performance 6

     

    Positional Factors

    Short Accuracy 6
    Deep Accuracy 7
    Pocket Awareness 6
    Footwork 6
    Under Pressure 6
    Mobility 7
    Arm Strength 7
    Release 6
    Awkward Throw 6
    Eye Discipline 7
    Leadership 7
    Body Comp 7

    Strengths

    Prototypical size and athleticism
    Arm strength
    Accuracy downfield

     Weaknesses

    Working through progressions
    Anticipation
    Negative plays

     

  • NFL Scouting Report: Jayden Daniels

    NFL Scouting Report: Jayden Daniels

    Photo: Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire

    Jayden Daniels, QB

    6-3, 210, Washington Commanders

    Overall Grade: 6.7

    Scouting Report by Alec Mallon

    Overall

    Jayden Daniels is an elite athlete with a unique set of skills that will enable him to make game-changing plays with his arm and legs.

    Daniels is a Heisman trophy winning quarterback for LSU’s high-octane, shotgun, spread offense. Daniels is a five-year collegiate player, starting all 55 games he appeared in, beginning his first three years at Arizona State then transferring to LSU where he played these past two seasons. Daniels has the desired height for the position, but is rail thin and could serve to add a little mass to his frame. He is a fantastic athlete that has twitchy movements and the breakaway speed to match. His competitiveness and toughness is evident as he can play through physical contact as runner and in the pocket.

    Pass Game

    Daniels has a lot to like. He is calm and poised with his drops and is always under control. He does a good job of keeping his feet under him and staying square to wherever he is looking. Daniels can move defenders with his eyes, but didn’t have to often with how the offense operated. He shows good ability to go through his progressions, often not getting to option three or four, but always makes sure to reset his feet and have a strong base before throwing. Daniels has a quick and compact release which helps him get the ball out to all areas of the field. His quick release helps him when under duress and can get the ball out quickly. When given a clean pocket initially, Daniels will stand strong and routinely deliver big-time throws if given the ability to step into it. When there is quick pressure and he isn’t given the chance to be in rhythm, he is easily sped up. His feet become a little choppy, and his weight transfer isn’t as fluid, leading for some passes to sail high over his intended receivers. Daniels does have good awareness while in the pocket and feels pressure from all sides well. He does a good job staying on his toes, giving him the ability to shuffle and move quickly while also staying in phase to deliver the ball down the field. As a passer, Daniels is accurate to all fields. He does struggle with touch throws to layer the ball when he has to take some zip off. When his footwork becomes sloppy, it can lead to inaccurate passes.

    Daniels is good when delivering the ball with pace and can reach all areas of the field. He also has good ball placement and does a great job of protecting his receivers from oncoming defenders and even stopping their routes to help them change directions after the catch. An area he can improve is throwing with more anticipation. He can hold the ball a beat longer than needed as he is confirming that his targets are coming open downfield.

    Run Game

    Daniels is dangerous as a passer, but can truly change the game with his legs. On designed runs, Daniels has enough strength and physicality to run between the tackles and get tough yards when needed. When given space, he has excellent short burst and change-of-direction skills to get around edges and make defenders miss in the open field. Daniels may be at his best when designed pass plays break down. Daniels has the short burst and quick acceleration needed to escape the pocket but also has true long speed to beat defensive backs and linebackers to spots in the open field. Daniels takes on contact at the end of runs too often and makes some poor decisions. Due to his skinnier frame, he will need to take better care of himself by sliding and dodging big hits at the next level. He’s been knocked out of multiple college games due to big hits.

    Last Word

    Daniels projects as a “win-with” starting quarterback at the next level with real flashes of “win because of” traits. Daniels best fits a spread offense that will allow him to use his strong arm to drive the ball down field, while also allowing him to take off and use his legs when needed. Daniels is an accurate passer with a strong arm, but does need to clean up some of his mechanics with pressure around him and throw with better anticipation.

    Critical Factors

    Graded on 1-9 scale

     

    Accuracy 6
    Decision Making/Mental 5
    Clutch Performance 6

     

    Positional Factors

    Short Accuracy 6
    Deep Accuracy 6
    Pocket Awareness 6
    Footwork 6
    Under Pressure 5
    Mobility 8
    Arm Strength 6
    Release 7
    Awkward Throw 6
    Eye Discipline 6
    Leadership 6
    Body Comp 5

    Strengths

    Compact release
    Playmaking ability
    Ball placement

     Weaknesses

    Mechanics under pressure
    Touch throws
    Self protection

     

     

  • Reviewing Our Grades for the 2021 NFL Draft Class

    Reviewing Our Grades for the 2021 NFL Draft Class

    Introduction

    While many crave all the NFL Draft Team Grades that publications put out the day after the draft, including us on both accounts, there are a lot of unknowns at that point. Of course, we all have our own NFL Draft prospect rankings heading into that weekend, but those players have yet to play a snap in the NFL. So, how can we really grade a team’s draft class if those players haven’t yet stepped onto an NFL field?

    It usually takes at least three years to see how well a draft class turned out. While said publications, including us, don’t want to wait three years before putting out their grades on a draft class, we do both. This is the time that teams must decide on 5th-year options for their 1st Round picks. Additionally, this gives these players a rookie season and two full years after that to get settled in and playing time under their belt.

    Three years ago, Sports Info Solutions published the 3rd edition of The SIS Football Rookie Handbook. After the 2021 NFL Draft, we, just as many others, posted our NFL Draft Team Grades, which can be seen here. It’s worth noting we don’t give out letter grades like most. We rank the teams from 1 to 32 in terms of how much talent they got as an entire class.

    Just as I did last year, in the article you can see here, I’ve developed a system to evaluate the draft classes using Total Points relative to position as the foundation. Three seasons have now gone by since the 2021 NFL Draft. So, let’s use that to truly see how each team did with getting value from its selections and draft class as a whole.

    Our TLDR Top Things To Know

    1. We ranked the Lions No. 1 in our 2021 post-draft ranking. Three years later the Chiefs rank No. 1 according to our stat for assessing it, Total Points Score (TP Score), followed by the Lions, Jaguars, Dolphins, and Bears.
    2.  The Rams ranked last both in our original rankings in 2021 and in TP Score three years later.
    3. The Jaguars, Broncos, and Jets accrued the most Total Points from their draft classes

    How much value did teams get?

    Let’s take a look at how we ranked teams after the 2021 NFL Draft and then who got the most and least value. See the Appendix below to see how all 32 teams ranked in our 2021 rankings and in TP Score.

    Here are the teams we ranked at the top immediately following the draft back in 2021. To see our scouting grading scale, check out our NFL Draft site.

    Top 5 Teams in 2021 Post-Draft Rankings
    Team Book Rank Grade
    Lions 1 6.60
    Dolphins 2 6.46
    Browns 3 6.44
    Jaguars 4 6.40
    Falcons 5 6.38

    TP Score will be defined below, but here are the top 5 teams based on how much value they received from their draft class.

    Top 5 Teams in TP Score
    Team TP Rank TP Score
    Chiefs 1 83.33
    Lions 2 80.82
    Jaguars 3 80.72
    Dolphins 4 66.22
    Bears 5 65.39

    In our post-draft rankings in 2021, we tabbed the Lions as the No. 1 draft class, and they just got edged out by the Chiefs for No. 1 three years later. In Brad Holmes’ first draft with the Lions, he was able to draft two of the top 10 players in Total Points over the last three years: Penei Sewell and Amon-Ra St. Brown, with both signing contract extensions just before the Draft.

    We also had the Jaguars and Dolphins in our top 5 who also ended up there after three seasons. Trevor Lawrence has been a mixed bag, but when he’s looked good, he’s been really good, amassing the most Total Points in the draft class. Additionally, Tyson Campbell’s 116 Total Points is the 6th-most. The Dolphins nailed their first four picks in Jaylen Waddle (59 Total Points), Jaelan Phillips (80), Jevon Holland (91), and Liam Eichenberg (61).

    As for the Chiefs, we were high on Nick Bolton, Creed Humphrey, and Trey Smith, grading them as 6.6 or 6.7 players, but they even surpassed those expectations, as we ranked them 21st post-draft. Between the three of them, they totaled 263 Total Points and would’ve ranked 10th among full teams themselves. While Joshua Kaindoh and Cornell Powell didn’t contribute much, they still hit on four of their six picks, which is a great percentage.

    The Bears round out the top 5 of TP Score, and we originally ranked them 16th immediately following the 2021 Draft. Justin Fields finally started to turn the corner, though he was traded to Pittsburgh this offseason. We were also high on Teven Jenkins, but the other five members of their class graded out between a 5.9 and 6.3 for us. We felt they would all contribute, but most, especially Larry Borom and Khalil Herbert, exceeded our expectations.

    Conversely, here are the bottom 5 teams from our 2021 rankings.

    Bottom 5 Teams in 2021 Post-Draft Rankings
    Team Book Rank Grade
    Bills 28 6.14
    Saints 29 6.12
    Cowboys 30 6.11
    Colts 31 6.07
    Rams 32 5.82

    Based on TP Score, here are the worst teams in terms of getting value from their 2021 draft picks.

    Bottom 5 Teams in TP Score
    Team TP Rank TP Score
    Giants 28 20.22
    Panthers 29 20.02
    Seahawks 30 20.00
    Vikings 31 17.08
    Rams 32 15.48

    The big bullseye here was the Rams. We were very low on their draft class initially, and they haven’t done anything to disprove that. While we admit omitting Ernest Jones from the book was a big miss on our part, he garnered 75 of their 114 Total Points from the entire class. He and Ben Skowronek were the only picks to play above average relative to their position among the draft class.

    While we ranked the Seahawks (26th) and Vikings (23rd) low initially, we missed on the Giants (12th) and Panthers (9th).

    Kadarius Toney and Azeez Ojulari have been above-average players, but Aaron Robinson and Rodarius Williams (SIS No. 5 CB) have been disappointing in New York. As for Carolina, aside from their three above-average players (Jaycee Horn, Brady Christensen, and Tommy Tremble), six of their eight other picks we felt were 6.4s or better, but they’ve only combined for a total of 26 Total Points.

    Determining Total Points Score

    In case you missed last year’s article, let’s explain the process of creating each team’s TP Score. When looking back to see how good or bad a specific draft class was, there are two main points to detect:

    1. How productive were the draft picks on the field?
    2. How much talent did the team draft relative to the amount of picks they made? 

    As in: Did they hit on one player or did they hit on multiple players?

    To determine the value of the draft classes, I used Total Points, our flagship player value stat, from across the last three seasons. However, for those of you who are familiar with Total Points, it gives a lot of extra weight to quarterbacks. With that said, Trevor Lawrence alone would have had the 14th best draft class with his 232 Total Points if we just used raw Total Points.

    While there is a reason we weigh quarterbacks so much more compared to other positions (they are pretty important), using that raw number in this sense isn’t going to make for a perfect match. While getting your franchise quarterback is a huge win, it doesn’t automatically give you a top class. This year, Jacksonville ended up with the 3rd-highest TP Score, and I think most would agree they had a good class, but not the best.

    Now, answering question 2 takes into account how well a team drafted throughout the entirety of the draft class. I found the average Total Points per player from the 2021 class at each position, including UDFAs who have taken at least one offensive or defensive snap, since they were also available to be selected.

    The positional averages are shown in the table below.

    Pos TP per Player
    QB 56.7
    RB 8.5
    WR 12.6
    TE 15.2
    OL 30.1
    DE 17.2
    DT 12.4
    LB 23.2
    CB 34.3
    S 30.1

     

    The TP Score, as referenced earlier, is what’s used to rank the teams. It is calculated as follows:

    1. Add up the Total Points from the entire team’s draft class
    2. Divide that number by the number of selections the team had
    3. Multiply that number by the percentage of draft picks that were above the average Total Points for their given position
    4. Add that to the original Total Points per draft pick

    In these 4 steps, we are essentially answering how productive the draft class was and how many picks were “hits”. Let’s run through an example using our No. 1 team, the Kansas City Chiefs.

    Here is their draft class:

    Pos Player Total Points
    LB Nick Bolton 75
    OL Creed Humphrey 103
    DE Joshua Kaindoh 0
    TE Noah Gray 37
    WR Cornell Powell 0
    OL Trey Smith 85

     

    Add up the Total Points from the entire team’s draft class

    300

    Divide that number by the number of selections the team had

    300 Total Points divided by 6 selections equals 50.00

    Multiply that number by the percentage of draft picks that were above the average Total Points for their given position

    Bolton, Humphrey, Gray, and Smith all accumulated a Total Points number that was above average compared to their position groups

    50.00 times 66.7% (4 out of 6) equals 33.33

    Add that to the original Total Points per draft pick

    50.00 plus 33.33 equals 83.33, which is their TP Score

    So, to summarize, we took the team’s Total Points gained from these players, dispersed it throughout the entire class and then gave a bump based on how many above-average players they drafted.

    Now that we know how the teams ranked and how the TP Score is calculated, let’s dive into some of the other details.

    Other Key Takeaways

    – No teams hit on at least 75% of their picks that year. At least two teams did that in each of the past two seasons, but none did with this class. However, the Bears and Lions went 5-of-7 (71%), the Chiefs went 4-of-6 (67%), and the Jets went 6-of-10 (60%). Levi Onwuzurike of the Lions came less than a half-point short of the DT average or he would’ve given Detroit a sixth hit and the No. 1 class.

    – The Jets’ six hits were the most of any team. They ranked 7th in TP Score. They hit on six of their first seven picks, getting at least 30 Total Points from each of them, though three of them have played significant snaps for other teams. Zach Wilson has been traded to Denver and hasn’t been anything like what Jets fans hoped, but he did sneak into being an above-average player in what was a brutal quarterback class.

    – Every team drafted at least one player who has played above the positional average compared to the rest of the draft class. However, the Saints (Payton Turner), Raiders (Alex Leatherwood), 49ers (Trey Lance), Titans (Caleb Farley), Seahawks (Dee Eskridge), Rams (Tutu Atwell), and Texans (Davis Mills) were the only teams whose first draft selection wasn’t an above-average player. This is the second year in a row that’s been the case for Las Vegas, Tennessee, Los Angeles, and Houston.

    – The three teams with the most raw Total Points are the Jaguars (467), Broncos (388), and Jets (360). Jacksonville leading the way isn’t a surprise given how valuable Trevor Lawrence has been. Denver and New York ranked No. 6 and No. 7 in TP Score, as well. We detailed the Jets already, so for the Broncos, they hit a massive home run with Patrick Surtain II, who has accumulated 161 Total Points, 2nd-most in the class behind Lawrence.

    – The Seahawks (45), Giants (91), and Rams (114) totaled the least amount of Total Points from their 2021 draft class. Seattle didn’t have a pick in Round 1 and had only three picks total. They missed with their first selection Dee Eskridge in Round 2. Their only hit was Tre Brown in the 4th Round, as he’s accumulated 35 of their 45 Total Points.

    – Of the three first-rounders who weren’t above-average players (not including Alex Leatherwood), it’s no surprise none of them got their 5th-year Option picked up. Of the 16 players whose options were picked up, minus those who received extensions, the only one who didn’t rank in the top 8 of their position group among the class was Alijah Vera-Tucker. His 48 Total Points placed him 16th among the offensive linemen.

    – Now that we’re three years into this, we can begin to take a broader look across seasons. 

    The Chiefs have the highest average TP Score across the last three seasons with 65.48, nearly 10 points higher than the Jaguars in 2nd. Check out the entire list in the Appendix.

    – Conversely, the Rams are the only team with an average ranking in the bottom 8, and they also rank dead last with an average TP Score of just 23.58. As a whole, this does make some sense. They haven’t made a 1st-Round pick in any of these seasons, so it’s likely they aren’t going to get a high-end impact player, but it’s telling that they’ve struggled to find much value in the later rounds of drafts.

    – Now the real question is how do our initial rankings compare to those numbers? 

    The Chiefs have had the highest average TP Score in three years, but we’ve given them the 2nd-worst cumulative ranking post-draft. Omitting L’Jarius Snead in 2020 played into that, but that’s clearly the biggest miss on our part. However, it’s worth noting that they’ve been able to take players who fit their scheme perfectly and make them work when they may not elsewhere.

    Additionally, our average top 10 post-draft teams who also have an average TP Score rank in the top 10 include the Bengals, Dolphins, Jaguars, and Broncos. Conversely, matches in the bottom 10 include the Colts, Seahawks, and Vikings. Teams we match in the middle 12 include the Titans, Cowboys, and Jets.

    While we’ve been way too low on the Chiefs post-draft each year, conversely, we’ve been way too high on the Ravens. We’ve averaged giving them the 5th-best (tied) class across the three seasons immediately after the draft, but they have just the 25th-best TP Score.

    How do our Initial Grades Compare?

    44% (14/32) of our initial ranks were in the correct half, meaning a team we ranked between 1 and 16 or 17 and 32 was ultimately in that tier, which is a dip from the last two seasons. However, we hit 3 of the top 5 and the last-ranked Rams. Additionally, 17 of the teams were only a single-digit difference from post-draft to now.

    The biggest differences in our initial grades and these final rankings were the Chiefs (20 spots), Saints (20 spots), and the Panthers (20 spots). We had Kansas City and New Orleans fairly low post-draft and we were high on Carolina. The Saints and Panthers flip-flopped, as we ranked the Saints 29th initially and they ended up 9th, whereas the Panthers were initially ranked 9th and ended up 29th. The 20-spot difference as the biggest difference is an improvement over previous years.

    For New Orleans, even with Payton Turner, who we felt was a versatile backup with a 6.2 grade, not working out, Pete Werner and Paulson Adebo have been outstanding and exceeded our initial grades. We graded them as a 6.2 and 6.4, respectively.

    Some players we unfortunately omitted from the Handbook were Brandon Stephens, Ernest Jones, and Dan Moore Jr. Stephens’ 94 Total Points is 4th-most among CBs in the class and just outside the top 10 overall. Jones and Moore each have accumulated 75 and 68 Total Points, respectively.

    What were some of our biggest misses elsewhere? All three players selected in Round 3 that we didn’t feature in the book have been big contributors. That includes Stephens, Jones, and Milton Williams. Additionally, while we felt Tyson Campbell (6.5 grade, SIS No. 12 CB) and Paulson Adebo (6.4 grade, SIS No. 15 CB) would be No. 3 CBs by Year 2, which is a strong role given today’s NFL, they’ve outperformed those grades, ranking No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, among CBs in the class and were top 6 in Total Points overall.

    Let’s take a look at some of our biggest wins. 

    Excluding Dan Moore Jr., the other five players selected in Round 4 that we didn’t feature in the book (Kene Nwangwu, Zech McPhearson, Janarius Robinson, Buddy Johnson, and Jacob Harris), have combined for -1 Total Point.

    Anthony Schwartz was our 36th-ranked WR and was drafted in the 3rd Round, but has -5 Total Points in 25 games, worst among all WRs in the class. Three other players drafted in the 4th Round ranked low on our boards and have struggled. Josh Ball (SIS No. 20 OT) has -1 Total Point (worst among OL). Jordan Smith (SIS No. 26 ED) has -1 Total Point (worst among DE/EDGE). Joshua Kaindoh was our last-ranked EDGE (No. 31) and has 0 Total Points, only played in three games, and is no longer on the team.

    The table below shows the top Total Points earners across the past three seasons from the draft class and how we graded and ranked them in the Handbook pre-draft.

    Rank Position Player Total Points SIS Grade SIS Pos Rank
    1 QB Trevor Lawrence 232 7.2 1
    2 CB Patrick Surtain II 161 7.0 1
    3 LB Micah Parsons 148 6.7 4
    4 CB Paulson Adebo 132 6.4 15
    5 QB Justin Fields 132 6.9 2
    6 CB Tyson Campbell 116 6.5 12
    7 OG Landon Dickerson 113 6.7 3 (OC)
    8 WR Amon-Ra St. Brown 111 6.4 11
    9 QB Mac Jones 111 6.6 5
    10 OT Penei Sewell 106 7.2 1

    As mentioned before, we were a bit low on Adebo and Campbell. We graded Parsons as a Will linebacker with some pass-rush upside, but had no idea the impact he’d eventually make in the NFL. It’s easy to see why Detroit and Jacksonville ranked in our top 3 in TP Score, and top 4 post-draft, as each have two players on this list.

    Conclusion

    Nobody really knows how a draft class is going to turn out immediately after the draft, yet it still makes sense to grade and rank the teams based on player grades for an initial reaction. 

    Post-draft grades are great in a sense, but they should be taken with a grain of salt. Once three years go by and we’ve seen what these players have done in the NFL, we can get a better sense of how good the team drafted.

    These rankings are all about finding which teams drafted the best draft class as a whole, not just who got the best player. While there are some players who didn’t play for the team that drafted them for the entirety of the past three seasons, that wasn’t taken into account since those decisions came after the initial drafting of these players, which is what this is based on. 

    An example of that from this class is Jason Pinnock, who was drafted by the Jets and has 54 Total Points, but played only 12 games and about 200 snaps for them in 2021 before playing 30 games and nearly 1,500 snaps across the past two seasons for the Giants.

    It’s not a perfect science, but it does a good job at pulling player value and seeing how well teams drafted as a whole class relative to the amount of selections they were afforded.

    Three years later, the comparison between our initial rankings and these rankings aren’t terrible for Year 3 (in both our grading and our scouting process). We made some improvements from Year 2 to Year 3, like adding 34 more players to the Handbook and featuring 19 (6%) more who were drafted. Though, we hope this article next year takes a large positive swing as we went into Year 4 in the 2022 draft cycle and the first year with our new website. As with everything we do here, we hope this improves year over year and can look back and say we kept getting better every day.

    Appendix

    2021 SIS Post-Draft Rankings based on the SIS Football Rookie Handbook

    Team Book Rank Grade
    Lions 1 6.60
    Dolphins 2 6.46
    Browns 3 6.44
    Jaguars 4 6.40
    Falcons 5 6.38
    Packers 6 6.37
    Chargers 7 6.37
    Broncos 8 6.36
    Panthers 9 6.35
    Patriots 10 6.35
    Bengals 11 6.34
    Giants 12 6.32
    49ers 13 6.30
    Titans 14 6.30
    Raiders 15 6.30
    Bears 16 6.30
    Texans 17 6.30
    Ravens 18 6.28
    Eagles 19 6.26
    Steelers 20 6.23
    Chiefs 21 6.23
    Jets 22 6.22
    Vikings 23 6.20
    Cardinals 24 6.20
    Buccaneers 25 6.20
    Seahawks 26 6.20
    Washington 27 6.14
    Bills 28 6.14
    Saints 29 6.12
    Cowboys 30 6.11
    Colts 31 6.07
    Rams 32 5.82

     

    TP Rank based on TP Score and how much value each team got from their draft picks over the last three seasons

     

    Team TP Rank TP Score
    Chiefs 1 83.33
    Lions 2 80.82
    Jaguars 3 80.72
    Dolphins 4 66.22
    Bears 5 65.39
    Broncos 6 58.20
    Jets 7 57.60
    Commanders 8 47.55
    Saints 9 46.89
    Texans 10 45.12
    Bills 11 41.42
    49ers 12 39.75
    Eagles 13 39.32
    Falcons 14 36.89
    Steelers 15 36.00
    Cowboys 16 35.83
    Patriots 17 35.23
    Colts 18 35.02
    Raiders 19 34.29
    Chargers 20 33.04
    Ravens 21 32.31
    Browns 22 31.88
    Packers 23 29.37
    Cardinals 24 28.98
    Titans 25 24.00
    Bengals 26 22.75
    Buccaneers 27 22.59
    Giants 28 20.22
    Panthers 29 20.02
    Seahawks 30 20.00
    Vikings 31 17.08
    Rams 32 15.48

     

    Average TP Score and ranking across all three seasons (the 2019-2021 draft classes after their first three seasons in 2022-2024)

     

    Team Avg TP Rank Avg TP Score
    Chiefs 1 65.48
    Jaguars 2 55.50
    Broncos 3 54.52
    Dolphins 4 54.34
    Chargers 5 51.53
    49ers 6 49.63
    Bears 7 48.78
    Bengals 8 46.69
    Lions 9 46.10
    Saints 10 46.06
    Buccaneers 11 44.48
    Commanders 12 43.97
    Titans 13 42.82
    Raiders 14 42.29
    Bills 15 40.02
    Cardinals 16 39.92
    Browns 17 39.65
    Falcons 18 37.77
    Cowboys 19 36.77
    Steelers 20 35.94
    Jets 21 35.14
    Texans 22 33.77
    Packers 23 32.98
    Colts 24 32.60
    Ravens 25 31.15
    Panthers 26 31.05
    Giants 27 30.84
    Eagles 28 30.14
    Patriots 29 29.14
    Seahawks 30 28.85
    Vikings 31 26.75
    Rams 32 23.58

     

  • 2024 SIS NFL Draft Team Grades

    2024 SIS NFL Draft Team Grades

    If you want our full thoughts on the players your team has added plus any UDFA, you can check out our Big Board for tons of great information. And if you’d like to contribute to next year’s draft cycle, consider applying to our Football Data Scout position.

    Welcome to our annual NFL Draft Report Card, in which we grade both the teams and ourselves on how well they fared in this NFL Draft.

    First off, we grade ourselves on how many players were drafted that we had featured on our NFL Draft website. After having 69% (174 of 254) of drafted players in the book in 2019, 78% (199 of 255) in 2020, 84% (218 of 259) in 2021, 86% (226 of 262) in 2022 (Year 1 online), and 92% (238 of 259) in 2023, we finished the 2024 draft cycle with 94% (241 of 257).

    When taking out specialists and international players, which we currently don’t write up, there were only 10 players drafted who weren’t on the site and only 2 of which we didn’t formally watch. That’s over 99% of the NFL Draft covered! Plus, many players we had on the site who didn’t get drafted have already signed free agent deals with teams.

    Using our grades, we attempted to rank each team’s draft class. Just like in our article from last season, we assigned all players who were drafted but not on the site a 5.4, which is the equivalent to a training camp body. We took those grades for each player and divided that by the number of selections the team had.

    These rankings do not account for positional value, the value of where players were drafted, or trades teams made; it is literally based on the grades we gave the players who were drafted and how much talent we feel teams got from their selections compared to the number of picks they made.

    And with that, the 2024 Best Draft Class, with an average grade of 6.46, goes to the Chicago Bears. They may have only had five draft picks, but they made the most of them. Even with drafting a punter in the 4th Round, they still managed to obtain good talent with their selections.

    The Bears draft class is in the table below.

    Chicago Bears 2024 Draft Class
    Pick Position Player College Grade
    1 QB Caleb Williams USC 7.0
    9 WR Rome Odunze Washington 6.9
    75 OT Kiran Amegadjie Yale 6.5
    122 P Tory Taylor Iowa 5.4
    144 ED Austin Booker Kansas 6.5

    After trading away the No. 1 pick in 2023 to give the Panthers Bryce Young and our top Draft Class, the Bears took their quarterback of the future in USC’s Caleb Williams. Williams was our top-ranked QB and our No. 2 player overall.

    With their second selection of Round 1, Chicago grabbed wide receiver Rome Odunze out of Washington. Odunze was our No. 3 WR, but No. 5 player overall. In almost any other draft, he’s likely the top WR on the board, but he’s behind Marvin Harrison Jr. and Malik Nabers in this class. However, that shouldn’t impact his play at the next level. He’ll partner up with DJ Moore and recently-acquired Keenan Allen to form a legit three-headed monster at receiver.

    With no picks in the 2nd Round, the Bears next selection came at No. 75 when they selected tackle Kiran Amegadjie (SIS No. 10 OT, No. 56 Overall) out of Yale. Unfortunately, Amegadjie missed all but four games in 2023 due to injury. With that injury, he hasn’t played a ton of football and is very raw, but the measurables and what he’s shown while he has been on the field suggests he has a lot of upside.

    Their final two picks were Tory Taylor, punter out of Iowa, and edge rusher Austin Booker (SIS No. 6 ED, No. 50 Overall), out of Kansas. Taylor may be turning 27-years-old soon, but he’s one of the better punter prospects to come out in recent years. Booker was a great value in the 5th Round, as the Bears traded back in to take him since he was still on the board.

    SIS Top Draft Classes
    Year Team Previous Season Following Season 2nd Season
    2019 Tennessee Titans 9-7 (No Playoffs) 9-7 (L, AFC Champ) 11-5 (L, Wild Card)
    2020 Cleveland Browns 6-10 (No Playoffs) 11-5 (L, Divisional) 8-9
    2021 Detroit Lions 5-11 (No Playoffs) 3-13-1 9-8
    2022 New York Jets 4-13 (No Playoffs) 7-10 7-10
    2023 Carolina Panthers 7-10 (No Playoffs) 2-15 ?
    2024 Chicago Bears 7-10 (No Playoffs) ? ?

    Since we grade players based on what they will be at the beginning of Year 2, let’s widen the table of our recent Draft Class winners.

    After winning as top class in 2019, the Titans made consecutive playoff appearances. While the Browns made the playoffs the next year, the turmoil in that locker room in 2021 forced a fall to 8-9. The Lions did take a dip in 2021 in the first year of a new regime, but they took a huge step forward in 2022, nearly making the playoffs, and then going all the way to the NFC Championship this past season.

    As for the Jets, they improved their record in 2022 and had both the Offensive and Defensive Rookies of the Year (Garret Wilson and Sauce Gardner), but expectations fell in 2023 when Aaron Rodgers went down in Week 1. The Panthers were tough to watch last season, and Bryce Young really struggled, but he wasn’t helped much with a coaching change midseason and a rough roster around him.

    What does that mean for the Bears? They decided to move on from Justin Fields and will now have this year’s No. 1 overall pick lining up at quarterback to go with a ton of weapons on the offensive side. The team likely isn’t in a position to compete for a Super Bowl just yet, but they have a lot of the core pieces to make a run sooner rather than later. Don’t be shocked if the NFC North is one of the toughest divisions in football in 2024.

    Now, let’s check out how the rest of the teams fared in our rankings. Here are the draft classes ranked in order of their grade:

    2024 Final Rankings
    Rank Team # of Picks Draft Grade
    1 Bears 5 6.46
    2 Giants 6 6.42
    3 Lions 6 6.38
    4 Titans 7 6.31
    5 Steelers 7 6.29
    6 Chiefs 7 6.27
    7 Broncos 7 6.26
    8 Patriots 8 6.24
    9 Panthers 7 6.23
    10 Cardinals 12 6.21
    11 Chargers 9 6.20
    12 Raiders 8 6.20
    13 Buccaneers 7 6.19
    14 Rams 10 6.18
    15 Ravens 9 6.17
    16 Texans 9 6.17
    17 49ers 8 6.16
    18 Saints 7 6.16
    19 Commanders 9 6.13
    20 Jets 7 6.11
    21 Bengals 10 6.10
    22 Vikings 7 6.10
    23 Seahawks 8 6.09
    24 Falcons 8 6.09
    25 Bills 10 6.08
    26 Cowboys 8 6.08
    27 Packers 11 6.07
    28 Colts 9 6.07
    29 Dolphins 7 6.06
    30 Eagles 9 6.04
    31 Browns 6 5.95
    32 Jaguars 9 5.93

    Some thought the Giants could draft a quarterback, but they decided not to, taking our No. 4 overall player, Malik Nabers, instead. The Lions, Titans, and Steelers rounded out the top 5. Detroit was able to grab four players from our top 100 in their six selections. They’ve had Top-8 classes all four years of the Brad Holmes/Dan Campbell era. Additionally, the Panthers put together the No. 9 class after last year’s No. 1, as they look to get back on track.

    The bottom three teams for 2023, listed 30 to 32, were the Eagles, Browns, and Jaguars

    We’ll preface this by saying the Eagles knocked their first two picks out of the park, grabbing two of our top 6 cornerbacks in Quinyon Mitchell (SIS No. 3 CB, No. 18 Overall) and Cooper DeJean (SIS No. 6 CB, No. 34 Overall). They also added running back Will Shipley (SIS No. 5 RB) in the 4th Round, who we feel could be a difference maker on 3rd downs. However, the rest of their picks, while most have a lot of upside with high ceilings, we feel they are backups early on in their careers. Their Top-2 draft classes from the past two years have set them up in a good spot moving forward regardless how most of this year’s class shakes out.

    The Browns only had six picks this year with their first one not coming until Round 2 and only three in the top 200 picks, but they only took one player we felt was going to be a starter by his second season: guard Zak Zinter (SIS No. 8 OG). Understandably, we were a bit lower on defensive tackle Michael Hall Jr. (SIS DT No. 12) than consensus, as we feel he’s a top backup early in his career. The rest of their picks should prove as strong depth, but it may be a few years until they become solid starters.

    This year’s worst class goes to the Jaguars. This comes a year after they ranked No. 31. They traded back and selected Brian Thomas Jr. (SIS No. 5 WR, No. 23 Overall), who should become a strong target and deep threat for Trevor Lawrence, but aside from him, only Javon Foster (SIS No. 15 OT) graded out as better than a top backup. While Maason Smith (SIS No. 13 DT) has the measurables and a high ceiling, we thought a mid-2nd Round pick was a bit of a reach.

    The 49ers took home our worst class in 2023 and still made the Super Bowl, so there is still hope for Jacksonville moving forward.

    Key Facts

    * With only 16 players drafted this year who weren’t featured on the site, many teams added a lot of talent in this year’s draft. Only two teams drafted more than one player who wasn’t featured on the site: the Colts and Vikings, though one of Minnesota’s picks was a kicker.

    * All four teams in the AFC West ranked in our top 12 this year, further suggesting that the division could get back on track as being one of the toughest in the NFL.

    * Typically teams with a lot of picks rank near the bottom just due to sheer volume and only a limited number of quality players, but the Cardinals need a shoutout this year. Even with drafting 12 players, they came in with the No. 10 ranking for us. Getting Marvin Harrison Jr., our No. 1 overall player, at No. 4 helped set them up for success throughout, but they also drafted four other players who we graded a 6.5 as starting-level players.

    * The Panthers have the best average SIS Draft Class rank over our six seasons doing this. However, the Panthers and Lions are tied with the best grade average based on our player grades over that same span. The Titans, Raiders, and Ravens round out the top 5 draft class ranks. Compared to last year, Baltimore dropped a spot to fifth, Tennessee and Las Vegas entered the top 5, and Philadelphia dropped out. The Colts continue to bring up the rear. Last year’s No. 11 ranking is the only time they’ve ever ranked in our top 25, so it may be a while before they climb up the rankings.

    * Only four players from our top 100 went undrafted this year, but each quickly signed UDFA deals with teams soon after the draft concluded. Leonard Taylor III (SIS No. 5 DT, No. 46 Overall) has signed with the Jets. Gabriel Murphy (SIS No. 9 ED, No. 61 Overall) has signed with the Vikings. Jalen Sundell (SIS No. 6 OG, No. 72 Overall) has signed with the Browns. Tight end Dallin Holker (SIS No. 6 TE, No. 75 Overall) has signed with the Saints.

    Ivan Pace Jr. went undrafted last year after being labeled our No. 51 overall player, and he played his way into Minnesota’s starting lineup and onto our All-Rookie Team.

    How the NFL Draft Site Compared to the Draft

    Let’s take a look at how the website stacks up to the NFL’s thinking of where players were selected. 

    On offense, the first player drafted at every position except RB was the No. 1 player on our board. Jonathon Brooks was the first running back off the board, but was our No. 2 ranked RB.

    On defense, the top player at each position matched the first player drafted for nose tackle, middle linebacker, and safety. At defensive tackle, edge rusher, Will linebacker, and cornerback, the top player drafted at the position was either our No. 2 or No. 3 player.

    The top 5 quarterbacks that went off the board matched our top 5, but in a slightly different order. The positions that had four of the top 5 going off the board that matched our rankings were wide receiver, tackle (matched the top 4), center, nose tackle, edge, and cornerback. The only two players we graded within the top 5 of their position group who were not drafted were DT Leonard Taylor III (previously mentioned) and Nathan Pickering (SIS No. 5 NT), though Pickering was ranked No. 376 on our board.

    Overdrafted?

    Bo Nix (SIS No. 6 QB) was our only player graded as a 6.3 or lower to be drafted in Round 1 and was actually ranked outside our top 100. Denver looks to be a perfect fit for him, but he’s got some things to prove before showing he can potentially be a win-with quarterback, which is why we graded him as a circumstantial starter/quality backup.

    The only offensive player we graded a 5.9 who went off the board before Round 3 was Ben Sinnott (SIS No. 7 TE) who was drafted at No. 53. His athletic testing numbers suggest he’s got high upside, but the athleticism didn’t translate to the field enough to warrant a starting grade early in his career.

    As mentioned before, Maason Smith and Michael Hall Jr. were both off the board in Round 2, but we had a 5.9 top backup grade on both of them. Both are young and have high ceilings, but we feel it may take a couple years of development before they can become impact starters.

    Staying on the defensive side of the ball, Edgerrin Cooper (SIS No. 3 WLB) was taken with pick No. 45. He may have been our No. 3 WLB, but we also only had a 5.9 grade on him. He’s a ridiculous athlete with a ton of upside, but it’ll be a couple years before he reaches a starting level. Additionally, Marshawn Kneeland (SIS No. 14 ED) was taken No. 56 overall. He has some potential versatility, but we also graded him as a 5.9 top backup.

    Some other players we believe were taken too early for the roles we project them to are Tip Reiman, Marist Liufau, and Jalyx Hunt, three players who were Top-100 selections and received grades a notch below a top backup.

    The first eligible player (non-specialist or international player) taken who we did not give a strong enough grade to reach the threshold we set for the website was Falcons WR Casey Washington, taken in the 6th round, No. 187 overall. Additionally, the first player who went off the board that we didn’t get a formal look or report on was Texans LB Jamal Hill who went one pick later at No. 188. The only other player we didn’t get a look at was Michael Jurgens who was selected by the Vikings in the 7th Round at No. 230.

    Underdrafted?

    Tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders (SIS No. 2 TE, No. 25 Overall) was the only 6.7 not selected inside the top 100, and he went to the Panthers with the first pick of Round 4 at No. 101.

    The Lions scooped up Mekhi Wingo (SIS No. 3 DT, No. 39 Overall) and Christian Mahogany (SIS No. 5 OG, No. 51 Overall) in the 6th Round, which we feel is great value.

    The only other 6.5 or above players selected in the final two rounds was Walter Rouse (SIS No. 12 OT, No. 70 Overall) by the Vikings at pick No. 177 and Beaux Limmer (SIS No. 3 OC, No. 49 Overall) who went to the Rams at pick No. 217. We like all of these players’ chances to come in and outperform their draft positions.

    Conclusion

    Every year the SIS scouting department looks to make improvements, and this year was no different. With the SIS Football Operation growing the way it is, our time is somewhat limited when it comes to scouting. However, we got a huge help from some of our Live Data scouts in January and February to knock out many of the final first looks we needed to get on players.

    Our six-man scouting team, consisting of Nathan Cooper, Jordan Edwards, Jeff Dean, Ben Hrkach, Chad Tedder, and Jeremy Percy, put in the hard work to finalize over 670 reports, of which 388 were featured on our NFL Draft site. This is the first time in three years we put less than 400 players on the site, but that’s due to a limited number of draftable players because of the COVID year and us tightening up our grading.

    Even with having less players on the site, the number of drafted non-specialist/fullback/international players not featured on our site went down again, as did the number of players drafted on whom we didn’t have eyes on at all (only 2 out of 257!). As we noted, our Top-100 evaluations were a big success with 72 of our top 100 drafted in the first 100 picks and only four not selected at all.

    That the first player not featured on the website, outside of the specialists/international players, was drafted in the 6th round is also a huge success. With Qwan’tez Stiggers and Travis Clayton being drafted out of the CFL and as an English rugby player, respectively, we may just have to start expanding our reach moving forward.

    We want to thank The 33rd Team for allowing us to house our draft content on their site this year, as we really feel like it helped expand the reach of our scouting reports and showed everyone the type of quality reports and data we produce.

    Please continue to check out our NFL Draft website as the offseason continues. If you’d like to be involved in our scouting and charting processes next year, consider applying to our Football Data Scout position. We’re taking applications and interviewing for next year’s class now.

  • Nathan Cooper’s First & Final 2024 7-Round Mock Draft

    Nathan Cooper’s First & Final 2024 7-Round Mock Draft

     

    Every year since before I can remember, I do my own Mock Draft. I only do one, and it’s done within a day or two prior to Draft Day.

    Not only do I try to tackle the first round, but I predict the entire draft, all 257 picks.

    What order do the QBs go in at the top? How many offensive tackles and wide receivers land in Round 1? Who will be Mr. Irrelevant?

    Without projecting trades and, instead, trying to match players to teams, I attempt to answer those questions and more now.

    Round 1
    Pick Team Player College
    1 Bears QB Caleb Williams USC
    2 Commanders QB Jayden Daniels LSU
    3 Patriots QB Drake Maye North Carolina
    4 Cardinals WR Marvin Harrison Jr. Ohio State
    5 Chargers WR Malik Nabers LSU
    6 Giants WR Rome Odunze Washington
    7 Titans OL Joe Alt Notre Dame
    8 Falcons ED Dallas Turner Alabama
    9 Bears DT Byron Murphy II Texas
    10 Jets TE Brock Bowers Georgia
    11 Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy Michigan
    12 Broncos ED Jared Verse Florida State
    13 Raiders OL JC Latham Alabama
    14 Saints OL Olu Fashanu Penn State
    15 Colts CB Quinyon Mitchell Toledo
    16 Seahawks OL Troy Fautanu Washington
    17 Jaguars CB Terrion Arnold Alabama
    18 Bengals DT Jer’Zhan Newton Illinois
    19 Rams ED Laiatu Latu UCLA
    20 Steelers OL Taliese Fuaga Oregon State
    21 Dolphins OL Amarius Mims Georgia
    22 Eagles OL Tyler Guyton Oklahoma
    23 Vikings OL Graham Barton Duke
    24 Cowboys OL Jackson Powers-Johnson Oregon
    25 Packers CB Cooper DeJean Iowa
    26 Buccaneers ED Chop Robinson Penn State
    27 Cardinals CB Kool-Aid McKinstry Alabama
    28 Bills WR Brian Thomas Jr. LSU
    29 Lions DT Darius Robinson Missouri
    30 Ravens OL Jordan Morgan Arizona
    31 49ers CB Nate Wiggins Clemson
    32 Chiefs WR Adonai Mitchell Texas
    Round 2
    Pick Team Player College
    33 Panthers CB Ennis Rakestraw Jr. Missouri
    34 Patriots WR Xavier Worthy Texas
    35 Cardinals OL Zach Frazier West Virginia
    36 Commanders OL Kingsley Suamataia BYU
    37 Chargers CB Mike Sainristil Michigan
    38 Titans ED Chris Braswell Alabama
    39 Panthers WR Troy Franklin Oregon
    40 Commanders ED Marshawn Kneeland Western Michigan
    41 Packers LB Edgerrin Cooper Texas A&M
    42 Texans CB Kamari Lassiter Georgia
    43 Falcons S Tyler Nubin Minnesota
    44 Raiders QB Michael Penix Jr. Washington
    45 Saints WR Xavier Legette South Carolina
    46 Colts WR Keon Coleman Florida State
    47 Giants S Jaden Hicks Washington State
    48 Jaguars WR Ladd McConkey Georgia
    49 Bengals OL Roger Rosengarten Washington
    50 Eagles CB T.J. Tampa Iowa State
    51 Steelers WR Ja’Lynn Polk Washington
    52 Rams QB Bo Nix Oregon
    53 Eagles OL Cooper Beebe Kansas State
    54 Browns DL Michael Hall Jr. Ohio State
    55 Dolphins ED Austin Booker Kansas
    56 Cowboys RB Jonathon Brooks Texas
    57 Buccaneers CB Max Melton Rutgers
    58 Packers OL Kiran Amegadjie Yale
    59 Texans LB Trevin Wallace Kentucky
    60 Bills S Kamren Kinchens Miami FL
    61 Lions CB Caelen Carson Wake Forest
    62 Ravens OL Christian Haynes UConn
    63 49ers OL Patrick Paul Houston
    64 Chiefs OL Christian Mahogany Boston College
    Round 3
    Pick Team Player College
    65 Panthers TE Ben Sinnott Kansas State
    66 Cardinals RB Trey Benson Florida State
    67 Commanders CB Jarvis Brownlee Jr. Louisville
    68 Patriots DT Kris Jenkins Michigan
    69 Chargers OL Dominick Puni Kansas
    70 Giants RB MarShawn Lloyd USC
    71 Cardinals ED Adisa Isaac Penn State
    72 Jets OL Blake Fisher Notre Dame
    73 Lions S Javon Bullard Georgia
    74 Falcons DT Ruke Orhorhoro Clemson
    75 Bears ED Bralen Trice Washington
    76 Broncos CB Kris Abrams-Draine Missouri
    77 Raiders WR Ricky Pearsall Florida
    78 Commanders S Cole Bishop Utah
    79 Falcons WR Malachi Corley Western Kentucky
    80 Bengals WR Roman Wilson Michigan
    81 Seahawks QB Spencer Rattler South Carolina
    82 Colts S Calen Bullock USC
    83 Rams DT T’Vondre Sweat Texas
    84 Steelers OL Beaux Limmer Arkansas
    85 Browns LB Payton Wilson NC State
    86 Texans TE Ja’Tavion Sanders Texas
    87 Cowboys DT Braden Fiske Florida State
    88 Packers DT Leonard Taylor III Miami FL
    89 Buccaneers LB Junior Colson Michigan
    90 Cardinals ED Gabriel Murphy UCLA
    91 Packers OL Zak Zinter Michigan
    92 Buccaneers S Dadrion Taylor-Demerson Texas Tech
    93 Ravens WR Jalen McMillan Washington
    94 49ers LB Cedric Gray North Carolina
    95 Chiefs CB Andru Phillips Kentucky
    96 Jaguars DT Brandon Dorlus Oregon
    97 Bengals TE Theo Johnson Penn State
    98 Steelers CB Khyree Jackson Oregon
    99 Rams WR Devontez Walker North Carolina
    100 Commanders WR Javon Baker UCF
    Round 4
    Pick Team Player College
    101 Panthers DT Maason Smith LSU
    102 Seahawks LB Jeremiah Trotter Jr. Clemson
    103 Patriots CB D.J. James Auburn
    104 Cardinals LB Jaylan Ford Texas
    105 Chargers RB Blake Corum Michigan
    106 Titans DT Mekhi Wingo LSU
    107 Giants CB Josh Newton TCU
    108 Vikings ED Jonah Elliss Utah
    109 Falcons OL Matt Goncalves Pittsburgh
    110 Chargers DT DeWayne Carter Duke
    111 Jets WR Johnny Wilson Florida State
    112 Raiders OL Tanor Bortolini Wisconsin
    113 Ravens S Malik Mustapha Wake Forest
    114 Jaguars OL Brandon Coleman TCU
    115 Bengals LB Edefuan Ulofoshio Washington
    116 Jaguars ED Brennan Jackson Washington State
    117 Colts RB Audric Estime Notre Dame
    118 Seahawks TE Jared Wiley TCU
    119 Steelers DT Gabe Hall Baylor
    120 Eagles WR Jermaine Burton Alabama
    121 Broncos QB Michael Pratt Tulane
    122 Bears OL Travis Glover Georgia State
    123 Texans RB Jaylen Wright Tennessee
    124 49ers WR Brenden Rice USC
    125 Buccaneers OL Hunter Nourzad Penn State
    126 Packers S Tykee Smith Georgia
    127 Texans DT Justin Eboigbe Alabama
    128 Bills RB Braelon Allen Wisconsin
    129 Vikings WR Malik Washington Virginia
    130 Ravens ED Mohamed Kamara Colorado State
    131 Chiefs RB Bucky Irving Oregon
    132 49ers S Kitan Oladapo Oregon State
    133 Bills CB Renardo Green Florida State
    134 Jets S Jaylin Simpson Auburn
    135 49ers OL Sedrick Van Pran Georgia
    Round 5
    Pick Team Player College
    136 Broncos ED Jalyx Hunt Houston Christian
    137 Patriots S Dominique Hampton Washington
    138 Cardinals OL Javion Cohen Miami FL
    139 Commanders WR Jamari Thrash Louisville
    140 Chargers QB Joe Milton III Tennessee
    141 Panthers ED Xavier Thomas Clemson
    142 Panthers CB Chau Smith-Wade Washington State
    143 Falcons QB Austin Reed Western Kentucky
    144 Bills ED Cedric Johnson Ole Miss
    145 Broncos OL Walter Rouse Oklahoma
    146 Titans LB James Williams Miami FL
    147 Broncos LB Tommy Eichenberg Ohio State
    148 Raiders ED Myles Cole Texas Tech
    149 Bengals CB Jarrian Jones Florida State
    150 Saints OL Mason McCormick South Dakota State
    151 Colts CB Cam Hart Notre Dame
    152 Commanders P Austin McNamara Texas Tech
    153 Jaguars OL Javon Foster Missouri
    154 Rams RB Will Shipley Clemson
    155 Rams OL Delmar Glaze Maryland
    156 Browns WR Jacob Cowing Arizona
    157 Vikings LB Ty’Ron Hopper Missouri
    158 Dolphins TE Tanner McLachlan Arizona
    159 Chiefs LB Marist Liufau Notre Dame
    160 Bills OL Layden Robinson Texas A&M
    161 Eagles ED Javon Solomon Troy
    162 Cardinals CB Nehemiah Pritchett Auburn
    163 Bills DT McKinnley Jackson Texas A&M
    164 Lions OT Christian Jones Texas
    165 Ravens LB Jackson Sirmon California
    166 Giants LB Tyrice Knight UTEP
    167 Vikings S Sione Vaki Utah
    168 Saints DT Jordan Jefferson LSU
    169 Packers DT Khristian Boyd Northern Iowa
    170 Saints CB Kalen King Penn State
    171 Eagles S Josh Proctor Ohio State
    172 Eagles CB Decamerion Richardson Mississippi State
    173 Chiefs OL Caedan Wallace Penn State
    174 Cowboys OL Garret Greenfield South Dakota State
    175 Saints S Jaylen Key Alabama
    176 49ers OL Sataoa Laumea Utah
    Round 6
    Pick Team Player College
    177 Vikings DT Tyler Davis Clemson
    178 Steelers LB Curtis Jacobs Penn State
    179 Seahawks CB Qwan’tez Stiggers CFL
    180 Patriots OL Tylan Grable UCF
    181 Chargers S Beau Brade Maryland
    182 Titans WR Luke McCaffrey Rice
    183 Giants QB Sam Hartman Notre Dame
    184 Dolphins OL Andrew Raym Oklahoma
    185 Jets QB Jordan Travis Florida State
    186 Cardinals S Evan Williams Oregon
    187 Falcons LB Aaron Casey Indiana
    188 Texans OL Charles Turner III LSU
    189 Texans CB Johnny Dixon Penn State
    190 Saints TE Tip Reiman Illinois
    191 Colts OL Jalen Sundell North Dakota State
    192 Seahawks ED Jaylen Harrell Michigan
    193 Patriots TE Jaheim Bell Florida State
    194 Bengals DT Justin Rogers Auburn
    195 Steelers OL LaDarius Henderson Michigan
    196 Rams OL Kingsley Eguakun Florida
    197 Falcons CB Elijah Jones Boston College
    198 Dolphins DL Keith Randolph Jr. Illinois
    199 Saints LB Kalen DeLoach Florida State
    200 Bills WR Jordan Whittington Texas
    201 Lions OL Trevor Keegan Michigan
    202 Packers RB Ray Davis Kentucky
    203 Jets LB Jordan Magee Temple
    204 Bills OL Isaiah Adams Illinois
    205 Lions WR Bub Means Pittsburgh
    206 Browns TE Cade Stover Ohio State
    207 Broncos RB Blake Watson Memphis
    208 Raiders CB Dwight McGlothern Arkansas
    209 Rams K Joshua Karty Stanford
    210 Eagles TE Brevyn Spann-Ford Minnesota
    211 49ers RB Isaac Guerendo Louisville
    212 Jaguars S Evan Williams Oregon
    213 Rams CB Marcellas Dial South Carolina
    214 Bengals WR Joshua Cephus UTSA
    215 49ers CB Carlton Johnson Fresno State
    216 Cowboys LB Nathaniel Watson Mississippi State
    217 Rams DT Marcus Harris Auburn
    218 Ravens TE AJ Barner Michigan
    219 Packers OL Dylan McMahon NC State
    220 Buccaneers QB Carter Bradley South Alabama
    Round 7
    Pick Team Player College
    221 Chiefs OL Nick Gargiulo South Carolina
    222 Commanders TE Dallin Holker Colorado State
    223 Raiders S Trey Taylor Air Force
    224 Bengals OL Giovanni Manu British Columbia
    225 Chargers WR Cornelius Johnson Michigan
    226 Cardinals WR Jalen Coker Holy Cross
    227 Browns CB M.J. Devonshire Pittsburgh
    228 Ravens RB Tyrone Tracy Jr. Purdue
    229 Raiders WR Jha’Quan Jackson Tulane
    230 Vikings CB Jarius Monroe Tulane
    231 Patriots OL Donovan Jennings USF
    232 Vikings LB Tatum Bethune Florida State
    233 Cowboys CB Daequan Hardy Penn State
    234 Colts ED Braiden McGregor Michigan
    235 Seahawks DT Jowon Briggs Cincinnati
    236 Jaguars CB Deantre Prince Ole Miss
    237 Bengals RB Dylan Laube New Hampshire
    238 Texans OL Nathan Thomas Louisiana
    239 Saints S Tyler Owens Texas Tech
    240 Panthers WR Ainias Smith Texas A&M
    241 Dolphins CB Josh Wallace Michigan
    242 Titans S Isaiah Johnson Syracuse
    243 Browns OL Andrew Coker TCU
    244 Cowboys LB JD Bertrand Notre Dame
    245 Packers S Jaylon Carlies Missouri
    246 Buccaneers TE Erick All Iowa
    247 Texans S Mark Perry TCU
    248 Bills RB Frank Gore Jr. Southern Miss
    249 Lions ED Javontae Jean-Baptiste Notre Dame
    250 Ravens OL Karsen Barnhart Michigan
    251 49ers DT Logan Lee Iowa
    252 Titans OL Matt Lee Miami FL
    253 Chargers DT Levi Drake Rodriguez Texas A&M-Commerce
    254 Rams S Millard Bradford TCU
    255 Packers WR Ryan Flournoy Southeast Missouri State
    256 Broncos CB Chigozie Anusiem Colorado State
    257 Jets CB Micah Abraham Marshall

    Be sure to check my pre-Draft content on Twitter @ncoopdraft, the SIS Football account @football_sis, and check out all of our content on this year’s class on the NFL Draft site.

  • 2024 SIS Ops Staff NFL Mock Draft

    2024 SIS Ops Staff NFL Mock Draft

    In an NFL Draft that possesses a lot of talent at the top with really good depth in a handful of positions, what are teams going to do come Draft night?

    What order do the top 4 QBs go in? When does the first RB come off the board? How many OTs and CBs will we see in the first round?

    Using traditional scouting and analytics in conjunction with the NFL Draft site, the Sports Info Solutions Operations department tried its hand at attempting to answer all the burning questions and more in a full 7-Round Mock Draft.

    Where are your favorite players going to land?

    Who is your favorite team going to select?

    Those questions and more are about to be answered. Find out now!

    Round 1
    Pick Team Scout Player College
    1 Bears JD QB Caleb Williams USC
    The Bears look to finally land their franchise QB with the uber-talented Caleb Williams.
    2 Commanders Ben QB Jayden Daniels LSU
    A dynamic runner that can beat a defense from inside the pocket, Washington has a chance to find a true franchise QB in Daniels at the second pick.
    3 Patriots Stephen QB Drake Maye North Carolina
    After recent inconsistent play at the quarterback position, the Patriots start fresh with the athletic, strong-armed, NFL ready Drake Maye.
    4 Cardinals Ben WR Marvin Harrison Jr. Ohio State
    With size, speed, production, and pedigree, Harrison is as close to flawless as a prospect can be.
    5 Chargers Nathan WR Malik Nabers LSU
    The Chargers lost both Keenan Allen and Mike Williams this offseason, so they need to replenish the wide receiver room, and Nabers is one of the most high-upside, dynamic receivers to come out in recent years.
    6 Giants Jared QB J.J. McCarthy Michigan
    The Giants look to the future and bring in the athleticism and leadership of McCarthy to become their new franchise quarterback.
    7 Titans Dan OT Joe Alt Notre Dame
    The Titans need to protect their franchise QB and what better way than drafting an athletic monster at LT.
    8 Falcons Jordan EDGE Dallas Turner Alabama
    The Falcons have been in pursuit of an elite edge rusher for years, and Turner is a high-upside player with excellent athleticism at a young age.
    9 Bears JD EDGE Jared Verse Florida State
    The Bears land a foundational centerpiece on offense and defense with their top-2 picks as Verse feels like a perfect scheme fit forming a great 1-2 duo off the edge with recently-acquired Montez Sweat.
    10 Jets Kyle TE Brock Bowers Georgia
    The Jets continue to go all-in on the Aaron Rodgers experiment by nabbing the best TE prospect in recent memory.
    11 Vikings Jeff WR Rome Odunze Washington
    With the top four QBs off the board, the Vikings look to set up their future franchise QB with another game-changing weapon who can thrive in an offense full of playmakers.
    12 Broncos Nathan EDGE Laiatu Latu UCLA
    Denver needs more help getting to the quarterback, and Latu is arguably the best pure pass rusher in this year’s class.
    13 Raiders Theo OT Olumuyiwa Fashanu Penn State
    The run on quarterbacks and skill players in the Top 11 gives the Raiders a perfect opportunity to take the best player available while also filling a big void at right tackle.
    14 Saints Chad OT JC Latham Alabama
    With question marks at both Tackle slots (either due to injury or performance), the Saints take the massive tackle from Alabama to bolster their offensive line.
    15 Colts Jeremy CB Quinyon Mitchell Toledo
    The Colts’ cornerback room is amongst the worst in the league, and Mitchell is a top-tier talent who can help bring stability to Indy’s lowly secondary.
    16 Seahawks Jeff OG Troy Fautanu Washington
    The Seahawks need some help on the interior and they grab one of the most versatile offensive linemen in the draft who could potentially play any position.
    17 Jaguars Jeremy CB Terrion Arnold Alabama
    The Jaguars need an influx of talent in their secondary, and Terrion Arnold has the press-man skills coveted by new DC Ryan Neilsen.
    18 Bengals Michael DT Byron Murphy II Texas
    Playing in the loaded AFC North, the Bengals add depth and disruption to their defensive line by bringing in Murphy who also brings a high-end motor to the physical division.
    19 Rams Justin EDGE Chop Robinson Penn State
    The Rams lack depth at the edge with Robinson’s natural pass-rush ability and elite first step are a perfect fit for a defense that needs to improve its ability to get to the QB.
    20 Steelers Max OT Taliese Fuaga Oregon State
    The Steelers go offensive tackle in back-to-back years grabbing Fuaga, who is a mauler in the run game, and will help impose the physical running style and play action pass game that Mike Tomlin and new OC Arthur Smith like to utilize
    21 Dolphins Conner OG Graham Barton Duke
    With needs across the OL after an injury-plagued 2023, Miami looks to add a versatile OL that has true five-position flexibility.
    22 Eagles Ben OT Tyler Guyton Oklahoma
    As Lane Johnson reaches the end of his illustrious career, the Eagles jump on another athletic Sooner that can develop under OL coach Jeff Stoutland and reach his full potential.
    23 Vikings Jeff DT Jer’Zhan Newton Illinois
    The Vikings desperately need some pass rushing from the interior and they are able to nab one of the best in the draft with their second pick of the 1st round.
    24 Cowboys Chad OC Jackson Powers-Johnson Oregon
    The Cowboys need to retool their offensive line, and they nail down the middle of the line with the athletic center out of Oregon.
    25 Packers Jeff OT Amarius Mims Georgia
    The Packers have been looking for their next franchise tackle, and Mims has one of the highest upsides in the entire draft class.
    26 Buccaneers Conner CB Nate Wiggins Clemson
    After trading Carlton Davis, Tampa looks to add another weapon to the secondary with the selection of Wiggins.
    27 Cardinals Ben CB Kool-Aid McKinstry Alabama
    McKinstry is a ready-made NFL corner that proved his speed through the draft process and while some will be skeptical of his injury issues, he projects to make an immediate impact when on the field.
    28 Bills Evan WR Brian Thomas Jr. LSU
    The Bills will look to restock their WR room after offseason departures and it begins with Thomas Jr., who will bring a vertical threat with his good size and speed to Josh Allen’s attack.
    29 Lions Nathan DT Darius Robinson Missouri
    Robinson brings the grit and personality the Detroit staff is looking for, along with the versatility to line up all over the line, rush the passer, and stop the run.
    30 Ravens Segev CB Ennis Rakestraw Jr. Missouri
    The Ravens lost a lot of talent and depth in free agency and start replenishing that by taking a corner who can really cover and could start immediately.
    31 49ers Jordan OT Kingsley Suamataia BYU
    The 49ers still have Trent Williams at LT, but adding Kingsley provides an eventual succession plan while allowing him to develop behind one of the league’s best players.
    32 Chiefs Nathan WR Xavier Worthy Texas
    Given the question marks Rashee Rice raised this offseason, Worthy combines elite speed and receiver skills to give Mahomes and the Chiefs another big-time weapon.
    Round 2
    Pick Team Scout Player College
    33 Panthers Jordan CB Cooper DeJean Iowa
    34 Patriots Stephen WR Adonai Mitchell Texas
    35 Cardinals Ben EDGE Chris Braswell Alabama
    36 Commanders Ben OG Dominick Puni Kansas
    37 Chargers Nathan OT Patrick Paul Houston
    38 Titans Dan EDGE Bralen Trice Washington
    39 Panthers Jordan WR Xavier Legette South Carolina
    40 Commanders Ben EDGE Adisa Isaac Penn State
    41 Packers Jeff LB Payton Wilson NC State
    42 Texans Ryan CB Kamari Lassiter Georgia
    43 Falcons Jordan QB Michael Penix Jr. Washington
    44 Raiders Theo NT T’Vondre Sweat Texas
    45 Saints Chad DT Braden Fiske Florida State
    46 Colts Jeremy WR Keon Coleman Florida State
    47 Giants Jared WR Ladd McConkey Georgia
    48 Jaguars Jeremy WR Ja’Lynn Polk Washington
    49 Bengals Michael WR Troy Franklin Oregon
    50 Eagles Ben CB Jarvis Brownlee Jr. Louisville
    51 Steelers Max OC Zach Frazier West Virginia
    52 Rams Justin DT Mekhi Wingo LSU
    53 Eagles Ben TE Theo Johnson Penn State
    54 Browns Michael OT Kiran Amegadjie Yale
    55 Dolphins Conner DT Maason Smith LSU
    56 Cowboys Chad RB Jonathon Brooks Texas
    57 Buccaneers Conner OG Christian Haynes UConn
    58 Packers Jeff CB Mike Sainristil Michigan
    59 Texans Ryan S Tyler Nubin Minnesota
    60 Bills Evan EDGE Austin Booker Kansas
    61 Lions Nathan OC Beaux Limmer Arkansas
    62 Ravens Segev OT Jordan Morgan Arizona
    63 49ers Jordan CB Max Melton Rutgers
    64 Chiefs Nathan CB T.J. Tampa Iowa State
    Round 3
    Pick Team Scout Player College
    65 Panthers Jordan RB Trey Benson Florida State
    66 Cardinals Ben NT McKinnley Jackson Texas A&M
    67 Commanders Ben S Kamren Kinchens Miami FL
    68 Patriots Stephen OT Walter Rouse Oklahoma
    69 Chargers Nathan RB Blake Corum Michigan
    70 Giants Jared CB Andru Phillips Kentucky
    71 Cardinals Ben WR Devontez Walker North Carolina
    72 Jets Kyle OT Blake Fisher Notre Dame
    73 Lions Nathan S Jaden Hicks Washington State
    74 Falcons Jordan CB Kris Abrams-Draine Missouri
    75 Bears JD DT Kris Jenkins Michigan
    76 Broncos Nathan QB Bo Nix Oregon
    77 Raiders Theo QB Spencer Rattler South Carolina
    78 Commanders Ben CB Khyree Jackson Oregon
    79 Falcons Jordan LB Junior Colson Michigan
    80 Bengals Michael OG Cooper Beebe Kansas State
    81 Seahawks Jeff LB Edgerrin Cooper Texas A&M
    82 Colts Jeremy S Cole Bishop Utah
    83 Rams Justin OG Christian Mahogany Boston College
    84 Steelers Max DT Ruke Orhorhoro Clemson
    85 Browns Michael DT Brandon Dorlus Oregon
    86 Texans Ryan OT Roger Rosengarten Washington
    87 Cowboys Chad WR Ricky Pearsall Florida
    88 Packers Jeff OG Zak Zinter Michigan
    89 Buccaneers Conner WR Malachi Corley Western Kentucky
    90 Cardinals Ben DT Leonard Taylor III Miami FL
    91 Packers Jeff OC Sedrick Van Pran Georgia
    92 Buccaneers Conner LB Trevin Wallace Kentucky
    93 Ravens Segev EDGE Jonah Elliss Utah
    94 49ers Jordan EDGE Marshawn Kneeland Western Michigan
    95 Chiefs Nathan OT Matt Goncalves Pittsburgh
    96 Jaguars Jeremy S Javon Bullard Georgia
    97 Bengals Michael OT Javon Foster Missouri
    98 Steelers Max WR Brenden Rice USC
    99 Rams Justin EDGE Gabriel Murphy UCLA
    100 Commanders Ben TE Ja’Tavion Sanders Texas
    Round 4
    Pick Team Scout Player College
    101 Panthers Jordan LB Cedric Gray North Carolina
    102 Seahawks Jeff TE Jared Wiley TCU
    103 Patriots Stephen TE Cade Stover Ohio State
    104 Cardinals Ben OC Hunter Nourzad Penn State
    105 Chargers Nathan TE Ben Sinnott Kansas State
    106 Titans Dan WR Roman Wilson Michigan
    107 Giants Jared RB Audric Estime Notre Dame
    108 Vikings Jeff QB Joe Milton III Tennessee
    109 Falcons Jordan S Calen Bullock USC
    110 Chargers Nathan CB D.J. James Auburn
    111 Jets Kyle S Kitan Oladapo Oregon State
    112 Raiders Theo EDGE Xavier Thomas Clemson
    113 Ravens Segev WR Jalen McMillan Washington
    114 Jaguars Jeremy EDGE Mohamed Kamara Colorado State
    115 Bengals Michael CB Caelen Carson Wake Forest
    116 Jaguars Jeremy OT Travis Glover Georgia State
    117 Colts Jeremy LB Edefuan Ulofoshio Washington
    118 Seahawks Jeff DT Michael Hall Jr. Ohio State
    119 Steelers Max S Tykee Smith Georgia
    120 Eagles Ben LB Jaylan Ford Texas
    121 Broncos Nathan LB Jeremiah Trotter Jr. Clemson
    122 Bears JD WR Javon Baker UCF
    123 Texans Ryan DT Justin Eboigbe Alabama
    124 49ers Jordan OT Caedan Wallace Penn State
    125 Buccaneers Conner RB Marshawn Lloyd USC
    126 Packers Jeff WR Jacob Cowing Arizona
    127 Texans Ryan CB Chau Smith-Wade Washington State
    128 Bills Evan S Dadrion Taylor-Demerson Texas Tech
    129 Vikings Jeff CB Josh Newton TCU
    130 Ravens Segev OG Jalen Sundell North Dakota State
    131 Chiefs Nathan OC Tanor Bortolini Wisconsin
    132 49ers Jordan S Malik Mustapha Wake Forest
    133 Bills Evan RB Bucky Irving Oregon
    134 Jets Kyle DT DeWayne Carter Duke
    135 49ers Jordan RB Braelon Allen Wisconsin
    Round 5
    Pick Team Scout Player College
    136 Broncos Nathan DT Tyler Davis Clemson
    137 Patriots Stephen LB Tommy Eichenberg Ohio State
    138 Cardinals Ben CB Kalen King Penn State
    139 Commanders Ben OT Delmar Glaze Maryland
    140 Chargers Nathan OG Brandon Coleman TCU
    141 Panthers Jordan TE Dallin Holker Colorado State
    142 Panthers Jordan EDGE Cedric Johnson Ole Miss
    143 Falcons Jordan TE Tip Reiman Illinois
    144 Bills Evan CB Renardo Green Florida State
    145 Broncos Nathan OT Tylan Grable UCF
    146 Titans Dan LB James Williams Miami FL
    147 Broncos Nathan CB Cam Hart Notre Dame
    148 Raiders Theo LB Jackson Sirmon California
    149 Bengals Michael TE Tanner McLachlan Arizona
    150 Saints Chad EDGE Brennan Jackson Washington State
    151 Colts Jeremy OG Mason McCormick South Dakota State
    152 Commanders Ben DT Gabe Hall Baylor
    153 Jaguars Jeremy LB Curtis Jacobs Penn State
    154 Rams Justin S Jaylin Simpson Auburn
    155 Rams Justin CB Johnny Dixon Penn State
    156 Browns Michael WR Malik Washington Virginia
    157 Vikings Jeff RB Will Shipley Clemson
    158 Dolphins Conner WR Luke McCaffrey Rice
    159 Chiefs Nathan LB Ty’Ron Hopper Missouri
    160 Bills Evan OG Donovan Jennings USF
    161 Eagles Ben EDGE Javon Solomon Troy
    162 Cardinals Ben CB Myles Harden South Dakota
    163 Bills Evan OC Andrew Raym Oklahoma
    164 Lions Nathan CB Nehemiah Pritchett Auburn
    165 Ravens Segev RB Ray Davis Kentucky
    166 Giants Jared OG Javion Cohen Miami FL
    167 Vikings Jeff OG Layden Robinson Texas A&M
    168 Saints Chad WR Jamari Thrash Louisville
    169 Packers Jeff EDGE Richard Jibunor Troy
    170 Saints Chad TE Jaheim Bell Florida State
    171 Eagles Ben WR Johnny Wilson Florida State
    172 Eagles Ben CB Jarrian Jones Florida State
    173 Chiefs Nathan RB Jaylen Wright Tennessee
    174 Cowboys Chad OT Christian Jones Texas
    175 Saints Chad CB M.J. Devonshire Pittsburgh
    176 49ers Jordan TE Erick All Iowa
    Round 6
    Pick Team Scout Player College
    177 Vikings Jeff OT Garret Greenfield South Dakota State
    178 Steelers Max CB Elijah Jones Boston College
    179 Seahawks Jeff K Joshua Karty Stanford
    180 Patriots Stephen EDGE Trajan Jeffcoat Arkansas
    181 Chargers Nathan NT Jordan Jefferson LSU
    182 Titans Dan S Evan Williams Oregon
    183 Giants Jared DT Keith Randolph Jr. Illinois
    184 Dolphins Conner OC Kingsley Eguakun Florida
    185 Jets Kyle QB Michael Pratt Tulane
    186 Cardinals Ben S Sione Vaki Utah
    187 Falcons Jordan WR Jermaine Burton Alabama
    188 Texans Ryan OG LaDarius Henderson Michigan
    189 Texans Ryan LB Jordan Magee Temple
    190 Saints Chad S Beau Brade Maryland
    191 Colts Jeremy EDGE Myles Cole Texas Tech
    192 Seahawks Jeff QB Austin Reed Western Kentucky
    193 Patriots Stephen WR Joshua Cephus UTSA
    194 Bengals Michael DT Marcus Harris Auburn
    195 Steelers Max QB Jordan Travis Florida State
    196 Rams Justin DT Logan Lee Iowa
    197 Falcons Jordan CB Decamerion Richardson Mississippi State
    198 Dolphins Conner CB Chigozie Anusiem Colorado State
    199 Saints Chad P Tory Taylor Iowa
    200 Bills Evan LB Tatum Bethune Florida State
    201 Lions Nathan EDGE Jaylen Harrell Michigan
    202 Packers Jeff RB Dylan Laube New Hampshire
    203 Jets Kyle WR Ainias Smith Texas A&M
    204 Bills Evan DT Jowon Briggs Cincinnati
    205 Lions Nathan WR Jordan Whittington Texas
    206 Browns Michael LB Marist Liufau Notre Dame
    207 Broncos Nathan OC Charles Turner III LSU
    208 Raiders Theo CB Carlton Johnson Fresno State
    209 Rams Justin TE Brevyn Spann-Ford Minnesota
    210 Eagles Ben WR Jalen Coker Holy Cross
    211 49ers Jordan WR Bub Means Pittsburgh
    212 Jaguars Jeremy CB Marcellas Dial South Carolina
    213 Rams Justin OT Ethan Driskell Marshall
    214 Bengals Michael WR Lideatrick Griffin Mississippi State
    215 49ers Jordan OG Isaiah Adams Illinois
    216 Cowboys Chad EDGE Jalyx Hunt Houston Christian
    217 Rams Justin QB Kedon Slovis BYU
    218 Ravens Segev S Jaylen Key Alabama
    219 Packers Jeff NT Justin Rogers Auburn
    220 Buccaneers Conner OC Matt Lee Miami FL
    Round 7
    Pick Team Scout Player College
    221 Chiefs Nathan OG Nick Gargiulo South Carolina
    222 Commanders Ben NT Khristian Boyd Northern Iowa
    223 Raiders Theo WR Cornelius Johnson Michigan
    224 Bengals Michael QB Devin Leary Kentucky
    225 Chargers Nathan WR Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint Georgia
    226 Cardinals Ben LB Aaron Casey Indiana
    227 Browns Michael S Josh Proctor Ohio State
    228 Ravens Segev TE AJ Barner Michigan
    229 Raiders Theo OG Sataoa Laumea Utah
    230 Vikings Jeff OG Kyle Hergel Boston College
    231 Patriots Stephen RB Dillon Johnson Washington
    232 Vikings Jeff WR Tahj Washington USC
    233 Cowboys Chad LB Tyrice Knight UTEP
    234 Colts Jeremy S Trey Taylor Air Force
    235 Seahawks Jeff RB Blake Watson Memphis
    236 Jaguars Jeremy EDGE Braiden McGregor Michigan
    237 Bengals Michael P Ryan Rehkow BYU
    238 Texans Ryan TE Mason Fairchild Kansas
    239 Saints Chad RB Tyrone Tracy Jr. Purdue
    240 Panthers Jordan CB Deantre Prince Ole Miss
    241 Dolphins Conner EDGE Javontae Jean-Baptiste Notre Dame
    242 Titans Dan OL Trevor Keegan Michigan
    243 Browns Michael RB Cody Schrader Missouri
    244 Cowboys Chad S Dominique Hampton Washington
    245 Packers Jeff CB Dwight McGlothern Arkansas
    246 Buccaneers Conner WR Jha’Quan Jackson Tulane
    247 Texans Ryan WR Ryan Flournoy Southeast Missouri State
    248 Bills Evan CB Josh Wallace Michigan
    249 Lions Nathan OT Giovanni Manu British Columbia (Canada)
    250 Ravens Segev LB Nathaniel Watson Mississippi State
    251 49ers Jordan LB Tarique Barnes Illinois
    252 Titans Dan CB Daequan Hardy Penn State
    253 Chargers Nathan S Tyler Owens Texas Tech
    254 Rams Justin K Harrison Mevis Missouri
    255 Packers Jeff TE Jack Westover Washington
    256 Broncos Nathan RB Isaac Guerendo Louisville
    257 Jets Kyle LB Steele Chambers Ohio State

    The members of the SIS Operations staff who took part in this Mock Draft are: Nathan Cooper, Jordan Edwards, Jeff Dean, Ben Hrkach, Chad Tedder, Jeremy Percy, Conner Hrabal, Theo Fornaciari, Max Nuscher, Michael Morgan, Ryan Rubinstein, Jared Maslin, JD Allen, Kyle Shatto, Dan Foehrenbach, Segev Goldberg, Stephen Marciello, Evan Butler, and Justin Stine.