2022 NFL Draft Grades for Every Team | Bleacher Report

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Noah K. Murray/Associated Press

A true evaluation of how a team did in the NFL draft can’t start to happen until about two years from the event. But where’s the fun in that?

Draft grades have a bad reputation. There are certainly examples of highly rated players who wind up being busts. There are also unheralded picks who become All-Pros.

So it’s important to keep in mind what’s being evaluated in the practice of grading each team’s performance. Here were the criteria for these marks:

• Perceived Value: How likely is it that the players selected will live up to their draft status? The Bleacher Report Scouting Department’s final big board was strongly considered for this component. 
• Roster Building: Taking the “best player available” seems great in a vacuum. However, team needs have to be a factor. Teams should be looking to find players who address needs that appear in a two-year window. 
• Asset Optimization: Trades that occurred before the draft are not being graded. These are about what the team did with what they had when the draft started. Earlier picks are weighted more heavily. That Day 3 prospect you love is more likely to be fighting for a roster spot come camp time than fighting for a Pro Bowl spot. 

With that framework established, here’s a look at how each team did. 

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Butch Dill/Associated Press

The Cardinals made eight picks, but it was a draft-day trade that will define their weekend. 

The Marquise Brown trade is obviously going to be their defining move of this draft. It’s a win for the Cardinals in that Brown is a slight upgrade over Christian Kirk, and the club probably improved its relationship with Kyler Murray by getting his college teammate. 

However, giving up a first-rounder for a player on the fourth year of his rookie contract downgrades the move. 

Once the Cardinals actually got on the clock, they continued to help Murray by snagging one of the best all-around tight ends in Trey McBride. 

Rebuilding the defensive front with Cameron Thomas and Myjai Sanders after losing Chandler Jones this offseason made a lot of sense. 

Grade: B-

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John Locher/Associated Press

The Falcons should be applauded for not forcing a quarterback in the first round. Going into the season with Marcus Mariota isn’t all that exciting, but adding a jumbo receiver in Drake London will make his life easier. London was the top receiver among a talented class on the B/R big board. 

The Falcons’ patience at quarterback paid off in a big way by getting Desmond Ridder. He was the only quarterback to get a first-round grade from the B/R Scouting Department, and the Falcons got him in the third round. 

In addition to helping out their post-Matt Ryan passing attack, the Falcons got a lot more athletic on defense. Arnold Ebiketie is a bit undersized but has a great first step, and Troy Andersen has the second-highest relative athletic score since 1987, per Kent Lee Platte of Pro Football Network.  

Tyler Allgeier has an opportunity to be a Day 3 pick that brings back value. He’s the kind of tough between-the-tackles runner the Falcons need to pair with Cordarrelle Patterson in the backfield. 

Grade: A

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Gail Burton/Associated Press

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