I'm not a fan of draft grades. Who likes to have a test graded when you haven't even taken the exam yet? With that said, I do believe that we can peek into how teams managed their drafts, and how they addressed some of their needs relative to the draft board.
Let's take a look at the draft hauls of the 32 teams in the league. In putting this list together, I looked at how teams addressed their needs, operated within the confines of their draft picks and sprinkled in my own assessments of some of their selections. Here are my rankings of each team's haul, from 1-32.
Note: Click through the tabs above to where each team is ranked.
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1. Philadelphia Eagles
Draft picks:Derek Barnett (No. 14 overall), Sidney Jones (No. 43 overall), Rasul Douglas (No. 99 overall), Mack Hollins (No. 118 overall), Donnel Pumphrey (No. 132 overall), Shelton Gibson (No. 166 overall), Nathan Gerry (No. 184 overall), Elijah Qualls (No. 214 overall)
Some will look at the Eagles picks and say "yeah, but" to many of the selections, but I see a good draft. Derek Barnett isn't flashy, but he's productive and tough. If cornerback Sidney Jones comes back healthy, the Eagles stole a first-round talent in the second. CB Rasul Douglas isn't fast, but he's an absolute ballhawk. WR Mack Hollings is an electric deep threat and outstanding special-teams talent.
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2. New Orleans Saints
Draft picks:Marshon Lattimore (No. 11 overall), Ryan Ramczyk (No. 32 overall), Marcus Williams (No. 42 overall), Alvin Kamara (No. 67 overall), Alex Anzalone (No. 76 overall), Trey Hendrickson (No. 103 overall), Al-Quadin Muhammad (No. 196 overall)
This was a really good draft for the Saints. They added my No. 1 cornerback and top tackle in the first round. They nabbed a ballhawking free safety in Marcus Williams in the second round. Third-round selections Alvin Kamara and Alex Anzalone have more talent and ability than their draft slot would suggest and both could become prominent factors within the first couple of years.
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3. New England Patriots
Draft picks:Derek Rivers (No. 83 overall), Antonio Garcia (No. 85 overall), Deatrich Wise (No. 130 overall), Conor McDermott (No. 211 overall)
The Patriots used their draft picks to get "now" players like Brandin Cooks and Kony Ealy, so that should be factored in here. With just four picks, the Patriots didn't pull any shockers and instead opted for tough guys in the trenches in OT Antonio Garcia and DEs Derek Rivers and Deatrich Wise. I must have said "Wise is a Patriot" about four times while watching his tape.
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4. San Francisco 49ers
Draft picks:Solomon Thomas (No. 3 overall), Reuben Foster (No. 31 overall), Ahkello Witherspoon (No. 66 overall), C.J. Beathard (No. 104 overall), Joe Williams (No. 121 overall), George Kittle (No. 146 overall), Trent Taylor (No. 177 overall), D.J. Jones (No. 198 overall), Pita Taumoepenu (No. 202 overall), Adrian Colbert (No. 229 overall)
I don't know how the 49ers were able to get the Bears to give up those draft picks in the Trubisky trade, but bravo. Solomon Thomas and Reuben Foster are high-impact talents, while Ahkello Witherspoon and Joe Williams have reasonably high ceilings but lower floors. The addition of C.J. Beathard was a head-scratcher for me, but Kyle Shanahan likely sees some Matt Schaub-type qualities in the Iowa quarterback that he believes he can develop.
Follow Lance Zierlein on Twitter @LanceZierlein.
