NFL Draft Live: Grades for each first-round pick; high school lookbacks
Not long ago, Mike Farrell and Adam Gorney and the rest of the Rivals team were grading Joe Burrow, Jeff Okudah, Tua Tagovailia and Jedrick Wills as high school prospects competing in the Rivals Camp Series and other events.
Tonight, they grade their selections, as well as 28 others taken in the NFL Draft's first round.
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MORE NFL DRAFT: Farrell's mock draft | Why did we miss on Joe Burrow? |
Comparing top QBs with current recruits | RB | WR | TE | OL | DT | DE | LB | CB | S
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1. Cincinnati Bengals: Joe Burrow, LSU QB
Farrell's Grade: A+. Based on his last year in college he’s just hitting his peak now and the Bengals have their leader.
Gorney's Grade: A. Burrow is the only choice here for the Bengals, who get their quarterback of the future. One huge season gives me the slightest bit of pause but he will only build from here and lead an offense with some skilled playmakers.
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2. Washington: Chase Young, Ohio State DE
Farrell's Grade: A+. A cyborg at defensive end who can’t be stopped barring injury. Easy choice.
Gorney's Grade: A+. Young is the best player in the draft. He was unstoppable at Ohio State with 30.5 sacks. He's an amazing talent and should be a superstar.
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3. Detroit Lions: Jeff Okudah, Ohio State DB
Farrell's Grade: A. An elite cover corner who reminds me of Stephon Gilmore, a special talent and no-brainer pick for the Lions.
Gorney's Grade: A. Okudah is the highest-drafted corner since Shawn Springs in 1997. That's high but he's super talented. Great pick by the Lions.
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4. New York Giants: Andrew Thomas, Georgia OT
Farrell's Grade: B. Thomas is a bit of a reach this high as others are better.
Gorney's Grade: B–. It's not that I don't like Thomas but I would easily take Jedrick Wills, Mekhi Becton and Tristan Wirfs ahead of him. This is a risky pick.
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5. Miami Dolphins: Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama QB
Farrell's Grade: C. I am not a fan of this pick for many reasons but especially the injury concerns. Too risky this high.
Gorney's Grade: A–. The injury concern is there. I get it. But he's so talented, he's such a dynamic playmaker and he was coached by the best in Nick Saban. Miami needs a jolt and it just got one.
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6. Los Angeles Chargers: Justin Herbert, Oregon QB
Farrell's Grade: B. A high-risk, high-reward guy who has smarts, size and arm talent. But is he a leader? That’s the question.
Gorney's Grade: B+. Herbert can make every single throw, he can deliver the ball anywhere it needs to go but will he take ownership of the locker room? He's really talented, though.
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7. Carolina Panthers: Derrick Brown, Auburn DT
Farrell's Grade: A+. He’s one of the most can’t-miss picks in this draft. He’s a home run.
Gorney's Grade: A–. I love Brown. He's the best defensive tackle in the draft by far. But Isaiah Simmons was available and he could be used all over the field. Brown will push the pocket but not live in the backfield.
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8. Arizona Cardinals: Isaiah Simmons, Clemson LB
Farrell's Grade: A. Simmons can play so many positions and the Cards didn’t think he’d be here at this pick. Great addition to defense.
Gorney's Grade: A+. Arizona coach Kliff Kingsbury and the entire organization just landed the third-best prospect in this draft after Burrow and Young. He can play anywhere on the field and he's productive everywhere.
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9. Jacksonville Jaguars: CJ Henderson, Florida DB
Farrell's Grade: A. I love Henderson as an elite corner who can be left on an island and a player with amazing instincts.
Gorney's Grade: A–. In many other drafts, Henderson would have been the first cornerback taken. If Okudah wasn't here, he might have gone higher. Florida continues to make a statement as DBU.
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10. Cleveland Browns: Jedrick Wills, Alabama OT
Farrell's Grade: A+. The best OL in the draft, the Browns are thrilled he fell this far.
Gorney's Grade: A+. Great pick and Wills should have been the first offensive tackle off the board. He's tough, nasty and perfect to protect Baker Mayfield.
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11. New York Jets: Mekhi Becton, Louisville OT
Farrell's Grade: B+. Becton is a massive OL who is a rare athlete and has great feet. He’s a mountain.
Gorney's Grade: A. He's huge, he's athletic and the Jets need to protect Sam Darnold. He's 6-foot-7 and 364. The only offensive tackle I liked more was Wills and he was off the board. Strong pick.
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12. Las Vegas Raiders: Henry Ruggs, Alabama WR
Farrell's Grade: B. Ruggs is a speed guy and dynamic downfield. But ahead of CeeDee Lamb and Jerry Jeudy? That’s interesting.
Gorney's Grade: C+. Ruggs is a fantastic receiver with great speed. But 40 times are overrated sometimes; just ask John Ross. I can't believe a team would prefer him over teammate Jerry Jeudy, or CeeDee Lamb.
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13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Tristan Wirfs, Iowa OT
Farrell's Grade: B+. A good athlete, Wirfs is the last of the big four OTs in this draft. The Bucs need to protect Tom Brady and this will help.
Gorney's Grade: A–. I can't complain about this pick. The Bucs just got the best quarterback ever to play and they want to protect him. Wirfs was my third-best OT in the draft behind Wills and Becton and perhaps the most athletic. They're going to protect Brady and Wirfs is a solid pick.
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14. San Francisco 49ers: Javon Kinlaw, South Carolina DT
Farrell's Grade: B. Kinlaw is an exceptional athlete and will boost a great defensive line in San Fran.
Gorney's Grade: B+. It feels like every high pick San Francisco has made in recent years has been a defensive lineman. Most have worked out so far. I like Kinlaw a lot. He's active and huge, and would be the top DT in the draft if not for Brown being so great.
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15. Denver Broncos: Jerry Jeudy, Alabama WR
Farrell's Grade: A+. The best route-runner in years. He’s going to be a dominant receiver and the Broncos needed an offensive weapon.
Gorney's Grade: A–. There is absolutely no problem with Denver taking Jeudy, who was dominant in Alabama's offense. I just prefer Lamb at wide receiver. Denver needs receivers and he's a special one.
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16. Atlanta Falcons: AJ Terrell, Clemson DB
Farrell's Grade: B–. He’s a high-risk, high-reward guy with good size and speed. But he’s been exposed at times.
Gorney's Grade: B. He could have been the second overall cornerback taken in the draft but his stumble in the national title game dropped him a little bit. He's still a first-round talent and a long, athletic corner.
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17. Dallas Cowboys: CeeDee Lamb, Oklahoma WR
Farrell's Grade: A. Lamb is an outstanding value at this pick in the draft and could be the next DeAndre Hopkins.
Gorney's Grade: A+. I like CeeDee Lamb a touch more than Jeudy and the Cowboys got a superstar receiver who is such a phenomenal playmaker. Everyone knew he was getting the ball and nobody could stop him.
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18. Miami Dolphins: Austin Jackson, USC OT
Farrell's Grade: B. Jackson has a ton of talent but he is up and down. Boom-or-bust player here but that goes with the Tua pick.
Gorney's Grade: B. He played left tackle at USC but with a lefty quarterback with injury concerns, right tackle might be more important. He's an athletic kid and has shown a physical side so it's not a bad pick by any means.
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19. Las Vegas Raiders: Damon Arnette, Ohio State DB
Farrell's Grade: C. This is a first-round reach for sure by the Raiders, who must know something we don’t. He’s a good player but a second rounder.
Gorney's Grade: B+. I'm not betting against an Ohio State cornerback and I'm not betting against Arnette even if many picked him as a second-round pick. Ohio State is maybe the new DBU and Arnette won't disappoint.
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20. Jacksonville Jaguars: K'Lavon Chaisson, LSU LB
Farrell's Grade: B. He’s a good pass rusher and a hybrid guy but not sure how he’ll hold up against the run.
Gorney's Grade: C+. He has quickness, he's a good edge rusher but injuries have me worried with him going this high. He needs to be explosive and play in space, so we'll see if he can hold up.
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21. Philadelphia Eagles: Jalen Reagor, TCU WR
Farrell's Grade: A. I like this pick a lot. Reagor is one of the more underrated players in the draft and will be a great pro.
Gorney's Grade: C. It's not that I don't like Reagor, because he's a playmaker, but he did have diminishing returns this past season. And if you need a smaller receiver for the slot then Justin Jefferson or Brandon Aiyuk would have been better picks.
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22. Minnesota Vikings: Justin Jefferson, LSU WR
Farrell's Grade: B+. A very good slot receiver with good speed and a guy who can replace Stefon Diggs.
Gorney's Grade: A. When you talk about production there's not many better and he should have been picked even higher. A former two-star prospect has made it big and he's going to be a huge target in that offense.
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23. Los Angeles Chargers: Kenneth Murray, Oklahoma LB
Farrell's Grade: B+. He’s a good linebacker who covers a ton of ground and can make plays in the backfield.
Gorney's Grade: A–. Murray is a tackling machine who can cover space and make plays anywhere. If we've learned one thing that matters to NFL teams when it comes to linebackers, they're looking for guys who can fly around and make plays in space.
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24. New Orleans Saints: Cesar Ruiz, Michigan C
Farrell's Grade: B. Center is a key position for anyone and Ruiz is a good one. I could see the Saints going defensive back here but Ruiz was too good to pass up.
Gorney's Grade: B. He was mean in high school, he was tough in college and if the Saints needed interior offensive line help, they just got it.
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25. San Francisco 49ers: Brandon Aiyuk, Arizona State WR
Farrell's Grade: B. Aiyuk is explosive and fast – a guy who many teams feel was undervalued. This is a solid pick for the 49ers.
Gorney's Grade: A–. I love his explosiveness, his playmaking ability and his physical side as a wide receiver. He should have been picked in the Reagor spot and he's going to be a lot of fun in San Francisco.
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26. Green Bay Packers: Jordan Love, Utah State QB
Farrell's Grade: B. Love has a lot of upside. The Packers need a quarterback of the future and he’s worth the risk.
Gorney's Grade: C+. If we're relying on Love's sophomore season, then he might be the second-best QB in this class. But last year worries me so much. He will learn under Aaron Rodgers, which is good, but I don't get the Patrick Mahomes comparisons at all.
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27. Seattle Seahawks: Jordyn Brooks, Texas Tech LB
Farrell's Grade: A+. He’s the steal of the first round; an absolute beast who can rush the passer, tackle and cover.
Gorney's Grade: A. There are still a lot of higher-value linebackers on the board but when we're talking about production, Brooks could be the steal of the draft. He had 360 tackles over four years. At linebacker, that's almost all that matters.
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28. Baltimore Ravens: Patrick Queen, LSU LB
Farrell's Grade: B. Queen has developed late in his career and can cover a ton of ground.
Gorney's Grade: B–. I'm not going to criticize this pick because Patrick Queen had a great season, but he really only had one excellent season at LSU, so there isn't a big book to study on him. I still like Zach Baun a little more but not a bad pick at all.
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29. Tennessee Titans: Isaiah Wilson, Georgia OT
Farrell's Grade: B–. Wilson is huge and can dominate people but struggles at times with speed rushers.
Gorney's Grade: C. Will Wilson be able to deal with NFL-level edge rushers? Yeah, he's big but that is going to be the question mark. With Josh Jones and Ezra Cleveland still available, I would have preferred either of them.
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30. Miami Dolphins: Noah Igbinoghene, Auburn CB
Farrell's Grade: B–. This is a bit of a reach in round one. He’s a fast kid with. All skills but he’s not very big.
Gorney's Grade: C. Igbinoghene is a talented player but passing on Kristian Fulton, Trevon Diggs and Jaylon Johnson for him? I don't know. There are just players I like a little bit more at the position late in Round 1.
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31. Minnesota Vikings: Jeff Gladney, TCU DB
Farrell's Grade: B+. A fast corner who will fill a position of need for the Vikings. He’s a very aggressive defender.
Gorney's Grade: C. I have to give Gladney the same grade I gave the Auburn cornerback. Not that I don't like Gladney's abilities, but there are just many other top corners available that are being passed over.
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32. Kansas City Chiefs: Clyde Edwards-Helaire, LSU RB
Farrell's Grade: A–. Kansas City has so many offensive weapons and just added another one. Yes, there are other running backs that would have fit well here – D'Andre Swift comes to mind – but I like the LSU running back a lot and he's going to thrive there.
Gorney's Grade: C. This is a reach at this stage in the draft and can’t believe he went over D’Andre Swift and JK Dobbins.