NFL Draft: Grading the Cleveland Browns and 31 other team’s first round
By Chad Porto
AFC North
Cleveland – OT Jedrick Wills (Alabama)
Jedrick Wills is projected to move to left tackle but anything’s possible at this point. Taken as a right tackle, Wills was still the blindside protector for former Crimson Tide quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Hopefully, he’s able to adapt to a different side of the line. Either way, he or Jack Conklin could slide over to left if needed. The pick was a position of need, though the Browns could’ve been a bit more exciting in the draft. The receivers didn’t go as early, so maybe that killed stock in their draft pick. That and the Browns barely waited a minute before their pick was submitted. So it was clear that Wills was their guy from the start if they didn’t get the deal they wanted.
Grade: A- (They got their guy, hopefully)
Cincinnati – QB Joe Burrow (LSU)
It’s hard to argue with getting a franchise quarterback and it not being the right pick. Joe Burrow returns to southern Ohio (eh, northern Kentucky) to lead another team of Bengals to the promised land. Will Burrow live up to the lofty expectations? We’ll see. It was telling when Suzy Kolber asked him about how he went from a possible sixth-round selection, not two years prior to a number one overall pick. When he said he wouldn’t have believed it was possible, that really landed with many. Was Burrow the byproduct of a system or did he really figure out how to be a great player?
Grade: A- (We’ll see if he was a one-hit-wonder or not.)
Baltimore – LB Patrick Queen (LSU)
The Ravens continue to make teams pay by getting highly talented players late in the draft. Marlon Humphrey, Lamar Jackson, Marquise Brown, and now LSU’s Patrick Queen. Great. Good thing the Browns went o-line early.
Grade: A (Baltimore continues to sneak away with great picks.)
Pittsburgh – None
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha. Good. Yeah, the Steelers made a trade and got Minkah Fitzpatrick. Don’t care. You don’t get credit for acquiring veterans on an NFL Draft evaluation. That’s like saying “I got an A in Math!” Good for you, Jimmy, this is gym class and you can’t dodge the dang ball! So you fail.
Grade: F (minus…..squared!)