The NFL Draft is a conversational event because everyone has an opinion on what was executed properly or improperly and how it will impact a team. The results will not come to light for at least two years. With that being said, after turning 10 fanbases against me on Tuesday, I leaned in to provide my opinion on the most questionable selection made by each of the league's 32 teams.
AFC East
Bills: Carlos Basham Jr., EDGE, Wake Forest
Selected: Round 2, Pick 61
Most will look at this as good value but I simply was not as high on Basham. After drafting Gregory Rousseau in the first round, it would have benefitted them more for the upcoming season to take a position capable of providing a more immediate impact.
Dolphins: Liam Eichenberg, OT, Notre Dame
Selected: Round 2, Pick 42
I have questions about Eichenberg's future at offensive tackle. Although Notre Dame has a history of producing quality NFL offensive linemen, I thought Eichenberg was inconsistent at times dipping his head and not marrying his feet to his hands. His lack of length could be an issue.
Jets: Jason Pinnock, CB, Pittsburgh
Selected:
Round 5, Pick 175
I loved what the Jets accomplished so this was really the only outlier to me. Pinnock was lower on my board but, if a fifth-round pick is the most questionable of your draft class, then you did pretty well.
Patriots: Tre Nixon, WR, UCF
Selected: Round 7, Pick 242
Nixon has good speed and can be used in a variety of roles but I did not have a draftable grade on him. Going through New England's draft, I realized that I liked their draft as a whole. If the seventh round pick is the biggest reach, then the event was a success.
AFC North
Bengals: Jackson Carman, OG, Clemson
Selected: Round 2, Pick 46
Carman was one of the more complicated evaluations for me during the process. In some moments, I did not necessarily see him as having transferrable skills to play tackle or guard in the NFL. In other moments, he looked like he could hold up at tackle but that was probably a stretch. I still believe that the decision to take Ja'Marr Chase over Penei Sewell was fundamentally wrong. The Bengals are acting like a team that had to fill holes to compete in the upcoming season and that is not reality. They are still a few years away and the idea that the presence of Jonah Williams and Riley Reiff deterred them from taking a player like Sewell is absurd.
Browns: Anthony Schwartz, WR, Auburn
Selected: Round 3, Pick 91
Schwartz is a speed merchant with questionable skills as a football player. He will have a role on this roster whether that is clearing out underneath coverage or special teams. Does he have the soft hands and crisp route-running to be a long-term contributor?
Ravens: Ben Cleveland, OG, Georgia
Selected: Round 3, Pick 94
Cleveland's pro day testing was off the charts but his film showed a relatively stiff player to me. He has great strength and should be an improvement as a run blocker.
Steelers - Najee Harris, RB, Alabama
Selected: Round 1, Pick 24
I have no qualms with Harris as a player. My issue with the pick is simply philosophical. I believe that the offensive line has to be in place before you can drop in a running back. Saquon Barkley is one of the best running back talents to be drafted in recent years and, even when healthy, he was not able to uplift that roster. The offensive tackles are still an issue.
AFC South
Colts: Dayo Odeyingbo, EDGE, Vanderbilt
Selected: Round 2, Pick 54
It is risky to draft a player coming off a torn Achilles. With that being said, I did not see the explosiveness and polished edge rush potential to warrant early consideration.
Jaguars: Andre Cisco, S, Syracuse
Selected: Round 1, Pick 65
Cisco has been a productive safety dating back to his freshman season with the Orange. However, he is coming off a torn ACL. The recovery is not quite the hurdle that had been seen years prior but it still has to factor into value.
Texans: Davis Mills, QB, Stanford
Selected: Round 3, Pick 67
Did the Texans draft Mills to start in the absence of Deshaun Watson? If so, he is going to fail with that roster in its current state. Did they draft him to be the future at the quarterback position? If so, do they like him more than next year's potential group of quarterbacks? There is a really good chance that they are picking early and could have been in a position to take one of the draft's best. The timing just did not make sense to me.
Titans: Dez Fitzpatrick, WR, Louisville
Selected: Round 4, Pick 109
Fitzpatrick really impressed at the Reese's Senior Bowl and maybe that led to his ascension. The Louisville offense may have held him back a little but I had him rated a little lower.
AFC West
Broncos: None
Selected: N/A
I liked the value and talent that Denver was able to compile over the course of three days.
Chargers: Tre' McKitty, TE, Georgia
Selected: Round 3, Pick 97
McKitty did not receive a lot of exposure at Florida State or Georgia. In fact, those programs might have hidden his strengths a bit and then led to a surprising standout performance at the Reese's Senior Bowl. Will McKitty continue building on that momentum? His selection was a little higher than I had him rated.
Chiefs: Noah Gray, TE, Duke
Selected: Pick 5, Pick 162
Gray is not much of a blocker but that actually translates fine to Kansas City's offense. The fit is actually not bad but I had him rated a little lower. He has good hands with limited range and can line up almost anywhere in the formation.
Raiders: Divine Deablo, S/LB, Virginia Tech
Selected: Round 3, Pick 80
Deablo had his supporters during the pre-draft process. Many believe that he will transition to a weak-side linebacker in the NFL but I did not see a top-100 player on film. Las Vegas took a similar tweener last year in the form of Tanner Muse.
NFC East
Cowboys: Nahshon Wright, CB, Oregon State
Selected: Round 3, Pick 99
The Wright selection is almost unanimously questioned. He is a long player that was rated much lower on my board. He is the older brother of Netflix's Last Chance U star Rejzohn Wright, which has absolutely nothing to do with this explanation. It is just a fun fact.
Eagles: Zech McPhearson, CB, Texas Tech
Selected: Round 4, Pick 123
I liked the Eagles' draft and I did not have a big problem with McPhearson's selection. He was a small outlier on my board and, for that reason, he is my choice for Philadelphia. I do believe that he is still improving as a player.
Football Team: John Bates, TE, Boise State
Selected: Round 4, Pick 124
Bates is an average blocker with average athleticism. He was lightly used in the pass game and should line up primarily in-line. I had a lower grade on him.
Giants: Elerson Smith, EDGE, Northern Iowa
Selected: Round 4, Pick 116
Smith was another Reese's Senior Bowl standout. The film did not match that week of practice in my opinion. He did not have a 2020 season so it could have just been his natural development. We certainly saw that from other players but that is what made the COVID-19 impacted draft process so much more complicated.
NFC North
Bears: None
Selected: N/A
From trading up for Justin Fields and Teven Jenkins to selecting Khalil Herbert and Dazz Newsome in the sixth round, I like all that Chicago was able to accomplish.
Lions: Derrick Barnes, LB, Purdue
Selected: Round 4, Pick 113
Barnes is another player that had his share of vocal supporters in the draft community but he was not my cup of tea. I had him rated lower in what was otherwise a solid draft class by Detroit.
Packers: Eric Stokes, CB, Georgia
Selected: Round 1, Pick 29
Stokes was well-liked by those that I spoke with but he was more scheme-specific. His selection was a bit outside of where I had him projected but it was honestly not substantial.
Vikings: Kellen Mond, QB, Texas A&M
Selected: Round 2, Pick 66
Several have fallen in love with the athleticism and potential but, historically speaking, a second-round selection at the quarterback position is fool's gold. I just wonder if Minnesota took a chance on a DeShone Kizer-type.
NFC South
Buccaneers: Robert Hainsey, OG, Notre Dame
Selected: Round 3, Pick 95
Hainsey is making the transition from offensive tackle to guard. Tampa Bay witnessed what it was like to battle injuries along the interior offensive line last season and elected to bring in some insurance. I had him rated a little lower on my personal board.
Falcons: Richie Grant, S, UCF
Selected: Round 2, Pick 40
Grant gained steam throughout the process and I liked the player more and more as I watched him. I still would have preferred a Trevon Moehrig to Grant.
Panthers: Brady Christensen, OT, BYU
Selected: Round 2, Pick 70
I recognized Christensen as a likely draft prospect in 2019 but thought he played flat-footed. I think his 2020 season looked a bit more natural but if Carolina is going to ask him to play left tackle, then I will have some concerns about that projection.
Saints: Ian Book, QB, Notre Dame
Selected:
Round 4, Pick 133
I do not buy the Taysom Hill comparisons simply because Hill was such an intriguing athlete aside from the quarterback position. I do not see Book as a starter in this league and it felt too early to take him.
NFC West
49ers: Aaron Banks, OG, Notre Dame
Selected: Round 2, Pick 48
Banks is a large man walking into a zone blocking scheme. I have concerns about the scheme fit and thought it was a little early to take the player. With that being said, it has not been wise to doubt Notre Dame offensive linemen in the NFL in recent years.
Cardinals: Zaven Collins, LB, Tulsa
Selected: Round 1, Pick 16
Arizona clearly has a vision for Collins but I thought the selection was a little rich. I would have been more inclined to take a chance on Jamin Davis.
Rams: Ernest Jones, LB, South Carolina
Selected: Round 3, Pick 103
Jones was nearly a top-100 player. I heard some praise for him toward the end of the draft process but I was not as high on him. I was surprised that Los Angeles did not address the offensive line more.
Seahawks: Tre Brown, CB, Oklahoma
Selected: Round 4, Pick 137
The value matched the selection range of each prospect with the exception of Brown, who was a small outlier. I was a fan of his play style and that Oklahoma secondary as a whole but I had him graded about 50 spots lower. It will be interesting to see what the Seahawks ask of him because they did not take another cornerback after losing Shaquill Griffin in free agency.
