April 26, 2019
I’ll be posting 2019 NFL Draft Grades for every pick. Why not grade all of the trades?
Dolphins acquire QB Josh Rosen from Dolphins for No. 62 (Andy Isabella) and 2020 fifth-rounder
I was worried that Josh Rosen wouldn’t be aware of this trade, as there might not have been good service in his safe space. Rosen, however, apparently was made alert of the news, per his Instagram post. That, or he thought he looked good in an aqua football jersey.
In all seriousness, this is not a good trade for the Dolphins. Rosen is a sunk cost as a pro prospect. He doesn’t like football, and he has a habit of alienating his teammates with his attitude. Quarterbacks need to have a passion for the game, which Rosen lacks, much like Blake Bortles. He’s talented, but won’t ever live up to his potential unless he develops a love for football. I imagine he’ll be partying hard in South Beach instead.
The Cardinals, meanwhile, didn’t get as much as they thought they would for Rosen. It’s an OK haul, but they could’ve waited. I proposed a plan for Arizona to be patient like the Eagles were with Sam Bradford. Philadelphia waited for a team to suffer an injury to its quarterback, and that’s exactly what happened when Teddy Bridgewater went down. The Cardinals should’ve exercised more patience, but I’m OK with what they did.
Grade for Dolphins – D
Grade for Cardinals – B-
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Rams acquire Nos. 97 (Bobby Evans) and 162 (5th) from Patriots for Nos. 101 (Yodny Cajuste) and 133 (4th)
It’s odd that this trade between the two Super Bowl participants involved a pair of tackles. If I’m the Rams, I’m concerned that I drafted the wrong blocker after watching the Patriots snatch Yodny Cajuste off the board. I have to give Bill Belichick the benefit of the doubt in this deal, along with the fact that I had Cajuste ranked ahead of Bobby Evans. However, the two hauls were equal per the trade value chart.
Grade for Rams – B-
Grade for Patriots – B+
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Bills acquire No. 96 (Dawson Knox) from Redskins for Nos. 112 (4th) and 131 (4th)
The Bills surrendered a pick at the end of the fourth round to move up for a tight end. They really wanted to upgrade the position and probably couldn’t have risked waiting for Dawson Knox with plenty of tight ends coming off the board (three in the third round prior to their pick.) This deal is equal according to the trade value chart, so it makes sense for Buffalo. Meanwhile, the Redskins had to trade down after moving up earlier for Montez Sweat in order to recoup lost resources. This is a solid swap for both teams.
Grade for Bills – B+
Grade for Redskins – B+
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Vikings make four trades with the Lions, Seahawks, Jets and Ravens
The Vikings were trading fiends in the second half of Round 3. They made a whopping four deals. They were as follows:
Lions acquire No. 81 (Will Harris) from Vikings for Nos. 88 (traded) and 204 (6th)
Seahawks acquire No. 88 (Cody Barton) from Vikings for Nos. 92 (traded) and 159 (5th)
Jets acquire No. 92 (Chuma Edoga) from Vikings for Nos. 93 (traded) and 217 (7th)
Ravens acquire No. 93 (Miles Boykin) from Vikings for Nos. 102 (Alexnader Mattison), 191 (6th) and 193 (6th)
To summarize, the Vikings turned the 81st pick in the draft into Nos. 102, 159, 191, 193, 204 and 217. All of those picks are worth 163.4 points on the trade value chart. THe 81st choice is worth 185 points. Thus, despite all the moves the Vikings made, they actually lost value in the process.
I have no idea what the Vikings plan on doing with all of their new sixth- and seventh-round choices, but they better turn some of them into 2020 picks. That’s the only way they can salvage their lost value.
Grade for Vikings – C
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Bears acquire Nos. 73 (David Montgomery), 205 (6th) from Patriots for Nos. 87 (Damien Harris), 162 (5th) and 2020 4th-round pick
This is another trade in which the team that moved up acquired a talented running back, yet gave up too many resources. As I’ve mentioned, the 2020 NFL Draft is packed with talent, so it’s hardly a surprise that Bill Belchick realized this, requesting a pick from that class in this deal. I don’t think Chicago should’ve surrendered a 2020 fourth-round choice just to move up for a running back, a position that was plentiful when it made the move. I don’t hate this trade for Chicago, but New England is the clear winner.
Grade for Bears – C
Grade for Patriots – A
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Rams acquire No. 70 (Darrell Henderson) from Buccaneers for Nos. 94 (Jamel Dean) and 99 (Mike Edwards)
I like Darrell Henderson as a prospect, but I don’t think the Rams should’ve surrendered so much in this trade. They gave up a third-round pick to move up for Henderson. Oddly enough, it’s equal on the trade value chart, but it doesn’t seem as though that should be the case. Maybe I’m crazy, but it feels like Nos. 94 and 99 should be worth more than No. 70. Jimmy Johnson, what were you thinking when you designed this thing!?
At any rate, the Rams could’ve obtained a solid running back while waiting. The Buccaneers, meanwhile, were able to obtain a couple of capable defensive backs to help their ailing secondary. I have to believe they won this trade.
Grade for Rams – B-
Grade for Buccaneers – A-
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Seahawks acquire No. 64 (D.K. Metcalf) from Patriots for Nos. 77 (Chase Winovich) and No. 118 (4th)
Many thought D.K. Metcalf “fell” in the 2019 NFL Draft, but he was regarded as a mid-second-round prospect because he can’t run routes and wasn’t productive in college. That said, I find it unlikely that Metcalf would’ve dropped much further, as some team would’ve chosen him atop Round 3. Metcalf’s upside is tremendous, so I don’t mind that the Seahawks gave up one of the many fourth-round picks they had at their disposal in the wake of other trades. Given the bad news about Doug Baldwin’s health, Metcalf could see lots of snaps this upcoming season.
That said, I think the Patriots won this trade. They acquired a fourth-round pick, yet obtained the better on-field player in the deal. Chase Winovich obviously doesn’t have as much upside as Metcalf, but he was highly productive in college. Bill Belichick will appreciate his non-stop motor, especially when he’ll know that he received appropriate value in the trade to get the Michigan product.
Grade for Seahawks – B
Grade for Patriots – A
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Chiefs acquire No. 56 (Mecole Hardman) from Rams for Nos. 61 (Taylor Rapp) and No. 167 (5th)
This seems like an awful trade for the Chiefs. There’s no reason they should’ve moved up for Mecole Hardman. The Georgia product was considered a fourth-round prospect at best, so no one was going to take him between Nos. 57 and 60. It could also be argued that the Rams obtained the better player in this trade despite picking up a fifth-round pick in the process, so they deserve a much higher grade than the Chiefs.
Grade for Chiefs – D-
Grade for Rams – A
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Saints acquire No. 48 (Erik McCoy) from Dolphins for Nos. 62 (Josh Rosen), No. 202 (6th) and 2020 2nd-round pick
I don’t think the Dolphins should’ve traded for Josh Rosen, but this deal is another matter. They picked up a second-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft to recoup the second-rounder they surrendered for Rosen, which is a huge deal. The 2020 class is going to be much better than this one, so the choice they get next year will be worth about 15 slots more than the corresponding selection in this draft.
Meanwhile, the Saints had to make a move for Erik McCoy. I doubt he would’ve made it all the way to No. 62, so the Saints did a good job of pulling the trigger and finding their replacement for the retired Max Unger. I love this trade for both teams.
Grade for Saints – A
Grade for Dolphins – A
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Browns acquire No. 46 (Greedy Williams) from Colts for Nos. 49 (Ben Banogu) and 144 (5th)
I don’t think the Browns needed to trade up for Greedy Williams. The two teams that they leapt were the Seahawks, who weren’t a good fit for Williams, and the Dolphins, who wanted to trade down. The Saints still likely would’ve moved up for Erik McCoy. That said, the Browns only gave up a fifth-round pick, which isn’t a huge deal to get a talented cornerback, and they didn’t lose out on the trade value chart. I think the Colts won this swap because they got a free fifth-round pick for nothing, but the Browns shouldn’t be penalized very much, if at all.
Grade for Browns – B-
Grade for Colts – B+
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Patriots acquire No. 45 (Joejuan Williams) from Rams for Nos. 56 (traded) and 101 (traded)
The Patriots prevailed per the trade value chart by a bit, which can’t be surprising, considering who was responsible for making that deal. Bill Belichick won’t get ripped off; on the contrary, he received nice value for the right to pick Joejuan Williams. I feel as though Belichick could’ve waited for Williams, but I assume he had intel that required him to make the trade. Meanwhile, the Rams did a nice job of moving down to require more needed assets. This is a solid deal for both teams.
Grade for Patriots – B+
Grade for Rams – B+
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Broncos acquire No. 42 (Drew Lock) from Bengals for Nos. 52 (Drew Sample), 125 (4th) and and 182 (6th)
The Broncos clearly won this deal. They obtained the best player in the swap and also won in the trade value chart by 35 points. It’s difficult to put a cost on a potential franchise quarterback anyway, so Denver could have prevailed in this swap even if the Bengals had obtained more value. Cincinnati, however, didn’t get much in return. Instead, it drafted a blocking tight end, while Denver may have found its future starting signal-caller.
Grade for Broncos – A
Grade for Bengals – C-
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Bills acquire No. 38 (Cody Ford) from Raiders for Nos. 40 (Trayvon Mullen) and 158
Now this is a fair trade for an offensive lineman. The Panthers recklessly surrendered a third-round by moving up 10 spots for a blocker, while the Bills smartly gave up just a fifth-rounder for hopping up two spaces. Even better, it could be argued that Buffalo obtained the superior prospect. Greg “Mr. Reliable” Little has more upside, but Cody Ford can start from Day 1, and he can also play more positions on the offensive line. This is a solid, equal deal for both teams.
Grade for Bills – B+
Grade for Raiders – B+
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Panthers acquire No. 37 (Greg “Mr. Reliable” Little) from Seahawks for Nos. 47 (Marquise Blair) and 77 (traded)
The Seahawks won this swap via the trade value chart by a large margin. The No. 37 pick is worth 530 points, while the 47th and 77th selections are worth a combined 635 points. I get that the Panthers were desperate for an offensive lineman to protect Cam Newton, but it’s not even like Greg “Mr. Reliable” Little is going to be ready to be an effective starter this year. Carolina surrendered way too much to get Mr. Reliable. Seattle won this by a wide margin.
Grade for Panthers – D
Grade for Seahawks – A
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Jaguars acquire Nos. 35 (Jawaan Taylor), 140 and 235 from Raiders for Nos. 38 (traded) and 109
This deal is equal on the trade value chart, so the question is if the Jaguars needed to effectively move down from 109 to 140 to conduct this deal. I don’t really think they needed to move up three spots for Jawaan Taylor, as he had knee and off-the-field concerns. Taylor fell because of those reasons, so he could have dropped three more slots. I wouldn’t have done this move if I were the Jaguars, but it’s not like they surrendered a lot.
Grade for Jaguars – C+
Grade for Raiders – B+
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Steelers acquire No. 10 overall pick (Devin Bush) from Broncos for Nos. 20 (Noah Fant), 52 (2nd) and 2020 third-rounder
I wrote this on the 2019 NFL Draft Day 2 Preview page, but I think this is an outstanding trade for both teams. The Steelers missed having a defensive leader at linebacker following Ryan Shazier’s horrible spinal injury. They had to obtain one of the Devins, and that required trading up. What’s key here is that the Steelers didn’t surrender a 2020 first-round pick, which is what Adam Schefter speculated they would have to give up to jump 10 spots.
The Broncos, meanwhile, wanted T.J. Hockenson. Incorrect reports pegged them as targeting Devin Bush, but Hockenson was their man all along. Once the Lions selected Hockenson, the Broncos wanted to move down. They did so, acquiring two key assets, and yet they still landed an Iowa tight end to give Joe Flacco a reliable, intermediate weapon.
Grade for Steelers – A+
Grade for Broncos – A
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Packers acquire No. 21 overall pick (Darnell Savage) from Seahawks for Nos. 30 (traded to NYG), 114 (4th) and 118 (4th)
It was odd to see the Packers trade up nine spots for a player they probably could’ve obtained at No. 30. If not, there would’ve been someone very comparable to Darnell Savage, a second-round prospect. There was no need for Green Bay to surrender resources like this for someone like Savage.
The Seahawks won this trade. They had just five selections in the entire 2019 NFL Draft, including only three in the top 120, so they had to move down in order to acquire more assets. Picking up a couple of fourth-rounders will allow them to find some key depth for their depleted roster. They didn’t get proper compensation per the NFL Draft Trade Value Chart, but I don’t think that’s much of an issue in a deal like this.
Grade for Packers – D
Grade for Seahawks – A-
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Eagles acquire No. 22 overall pick (Andre Dillard) from Ravens for Nos. 25 (Marquise Brown), 127 (4th) and 197 (4th)
The Eagles had to move ahead of the Texans to obtain Andre Dillard. That much is clear. Houston panicked with Dillard off the board, settling for Round 2-3 prospect Tytus Howard as a result of Philadelphia’s move. That said, Dillard didn’t seem like a necessary player to use a first-round pick on, given that Philadelphia already had a viable successor for Jason Peters in Jordan Mailata. I already discussed this in my 2019 NFL Draft Grades, but as far as the actual trade is concerned, it makes sense that the Eagles would leap ahead of Houston.
The Ravens, however, definitely won this trade. They easily could’ve chosen Marquise Brown at No. 22 overall, but moved down three spots to obtain him, picking up two extra selections in the process. The Ravens were missing a second-round pick, so getting extra choices was crucial for their draft plan.
Grade for Eagles – B
Grade for Ravens – A
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Redskins acquire No. 26 overall pick (Montez Sweat) from Colts for No. 46 (2nd) and 2020 2nd-round pick
You all know the Montez Sweat story by now. He was a top-10 prospect exiting his excellent Senior Bowl and combine performances, but his stock plummeted when doctors allegedly found that he had an enlarged heart at the medical checks. However, Ian Rapoport reported Thursday that this was a misdiagnosis, and that there shouldn’t be any concern with Sweat.
With that in mind, the Redskins obtained a steal with Sweat at the end of the opening round. I know they gave up a valuable 2020 second-round pick to get him, but if Sweat is as good as most people think he is, it won’t end up mattering. Sweat should be to approach double-digit sacks for the Redskins early in his career.
That said, I think the Colts won this trade. I love this deal for both teams, and Indianapolis is the winner because it acquired a pick in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. The Redskins shouldn’t be that good this upcoming season, so they could have an extra selection in the 36-44 range of what appears to be a legendary draft class.
Grade for Redskins – A
Grade for Colts – A+
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Giants acquire No. 30 overall pick (DeAndre Baker) from Seahawks for No. 37 (2nd), 132 (4th) and 142 (5th)
Greedy Williams. Rock Ya-Sin. Byron Murphy. Trayvon Mullen. Justin Layne. Sean Bunting. Jamel Dean. Joejuan Williams. Lonnie Johnson. Julian Love. Amani Oruwariye. All of these prospects are talented cornerbacks who are expected to be chosen on the second day of the draft. The first five are sure-fire second-round prospects, all of whom would’ve made sense at No. 37 overall. Why, then, would the Giants trade up for DeAndre Baker, who is no different than Williams, Ya-Sin, Murphy, Mullen or Layne? It made very little sense to do this, and there’s a good chance Baker would’ve dropped to No. 37 anyway!
With that in mind, the Seahawks were the clear winners of this trade. They acquired some much-needed draft equity to move down into the second round, where they’ll probably be able to obtain a prospect equal to or perhaps slightly better than Baker.
Grade for Giants – D
Grade for Seahawks – A
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Falcons acquire No. 31 overall pick (Kaleb McGary) and No. 203 (6th) from Rams for No. 45 (2nd) and 79 (3rd)
The Falcons were the losers of this trade, no matter how you dissect it. They surrendered a valuable third-round pick to move up for a player they could have chosen at No. 45. Had Kaleb McGary not been available in an unlikely scenario, Atlanta could have chosen a similar lineman. There are plenty of talented blockers still available, and at least one would have dropped into the middle of the second round.
Meanwhile, the trade value chart says the Falcons lost this deal by a five-percent margin. That’s not a huge deal, and it’s not like Atlanta got ripped off, or anything, but it’s usually the team that trades down that receives less value. It’s uncommon to see the team moving up surrender more than the other party in the trade.
With all that in mind, the Rams are the clear winners of this trade. They wanted to move down because they wouldn’t be picking again until the bottom of the third round, so they were able to acquire an important extra asset to help them replenish their roster.
Grade for Falcons – D-
Grade for Rams – A
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