NFL Draft Grades - NFC South: Saints overpay to address top need
With the 2018 NFL Draft officially complete, theScore's NFL editors hand out their initial grades for how teams fared during all seven rounds.
NFC
EAST | NORTH | SOUTH | WEST
AFC
EAST | NORTH | SOUTH | WEST
Atlanta Falcons
| RD. | PLAYER |
|---|---|
| 1 | WR Calvin Ridley |
| 2 | CB Isaiah Oliver |
| 3 | DT Deadrin Senat |
| 4 | RB Ito Smith |
| 6 | WR Russell Gage |
| 6 | S Foyesade Oluokun |
In the first two rounds, the Falcons started off hot with Ridley, a perfect compliment to Julio Jones, before drafting Oliver, a good matchup against the larger receivers of the NFC South. While those two picks may pay off, Atlanta did little of impact in the following selections.
Grade: B
Carolina Panthers
| RD. | PLAYER |
|---|---|
| 1 | WR D.J. Moore |
| 2 | CB Donte Jackson |
| 3 | S Rashaan Gaulden |
| 4 | TE Ian Thomas |
| 4 | LB Marquis Haynes |
| 5 | LB Jermaine Carter |
| 7 | LB Andre Smith |
| 7 | DT Kendrick Norton |
The Panthers had an odd strategy in this class. Carolina did a good job of addressing needs with their first four picks, but then took flyers with their last four. Moore, Jackson, and Gaulden could all be starters in their first year, and if one or two of their later-round choices pan out, the Panthers will look back on 2018 fondly.
Grade: B-
New Orleans Saints
| RD. | PLAYER |
|---|---|
| 1 | DE Marcus Davenport |
| 3 | WR Tre'Quan Smith |
| 4 | OT Rick Leonard |
| 5 | S Natrell Jamerson |
| 6 | CB Kamrin Moore |
| 6 | RB Boston Scott |
| 7 | C Will Clapp |
Given the Saints' recent success in the draft over the past two years, they should be given some level of respect for their picks, but this class doesn't have nearly as many known names as the last pair. Although New Orleans addressed their biggest need with Davenport, they had to cough up a big price in next year's first-round pick.
Grade: D
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
| RD. | PLAYER |
|---|---|
| 1 | DT Vita Vea |
| 2 | RB Ronald Jones |
| 2 | CB M.J. Stewart |
| 2 | CB Carlton Davis |
| 3 | G Alex Cappa |
| 4 | S Jordan Whitehead |
| 5 | WR Justin Watson |
| 6 | LB Jack Cichy |
The Bucs did a great job of using trades to put themselves in an ideal spot. After giving up a third for Jason Pierre-Paul, the club received two more second-rounders from the Bills and made up the value by selecting a pair of cornerbacks to address their top need. Tampa Bay refrained from chasing need in the first round with Vea before checking the boxes at running back, corner, safety, and backup linebacker as the rounds went on.
Grade: A-