2023 NFL DRAFT GRADES: AFC EAST

BY ADAM GREENE

I don’t have to tell you what time it is. Yes, it’s the obligatory draft grades that must periodically halt our NFL Available Free Agent rankings. It’s something we, in sports punditry, all must do and you all must read.

Do they matter? Well, no. Not in the least. Plenty of these guys taken early that writers such as myself are head over heels in love with will bomb out in a few seasons. Other guys we handwave away or ignore will become some of the best players in the league. Still others, who didn’t even get drafted at all, will become superstars.

I do have a few ground rules that have not changed in my arbitrary draft grading. No team without a first round pick can get an “A” of any kind. It’s just not possible unless they have something like three second rounders, which, I cannot remember ever happening.

The real grades on these draft come years later when one of these teams hoists a Vince Lombardi thinks to one or more of the men selected over this past weekend. Still, we work with what we’ve got.

BUFFALO BILLS

Odds to win the Super Bowl: +950

The Haul: Round 1: Dalton Kincaid, TE, Utah, Round 2: O’Cyrus Torrence, OG, Florida, Round 3: Dorian Williams, LB, Tulane, Round 5: Justin Shorter, WR, Florida, Round 7: Nick Broeker, OG, Mississippi, Round 7: Alex Austin, CB, Oregon State

Did the Bills do enough to catch the Kansas City Chiefs or Cincinnati Bengals with this draft? In itself, I don’t think so. But they definitely got better on offense adding a guy most people thought was the best tight end in this draft in Kincaid in the first round. One of the commentators on NFL Network said when the pick was coming in, “If the NFL lets Josh Allen have Dalton Kincaid, they get what they deserve.” While Kincaid is a great pick, the steal came in the second round with O’Cyrus Torrence, who might turn out to be the best interior offensive lineman in this draft. For a team looking to improve its running game without putting Allen in harm’s way, getting a guy that can clear out the middle like Torrence can do a lot to make that happen.

Dorian Williams is undersized for an NFL linebacker, but that could just make him a safety for the Bills or a nickel linebacker. Or, as guys like London Fletcher proved before him, being “undersized” is counterbalanced with having tons of talent. Williams had 132 tackles, 8.5 for a loss, five sacks, two interceptions, seven passes defended and two forced fumbles for Tulane a season ago. As I usually say, when you’re an NFL talent at a smaller school in a smaller conference, you should look like a man among boys. And those are grown man numbers. And, hey, if you checked out my pre draft linebacker rankings, then you know I had him as my No. 6 overall guy at the position. The rest look like potential projects and depth, which is probably the best most teams can hope for in later rounds.

Grade: A-

MIAMI DOLPHINS

Odds to win the Super Bowl: +1600

The Haul: Round 2: Cam Smith, CB, South Carolina, Round 3: Devon Achane, RB, Texas A& M, Round 6: Elijah Higgins, WR, Stanford, Round 7: Ryan Hayes, OT, Michigan

Thanks to getting their first rounder stripped from them due to being busted tampering with Tom Brady, while he was under contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Sean Payton, while he was gainfully employed by the New Orleans Saints, the Dolphins were absent from the Day One draft festivities and the first round included just 31 selections. Luckily for them, they were still able to nab a first round talent with their second round pick in Cam Smith. Devon Achane is a smaller running back, but he put up big numbers for Texas A&M in the SEC West, averaging 5.6 yards per carry for 1,102 yards, and catching 36 passes for 196 yards to combine for 11 touchdowns in his 2022 campaign. And, again, if that name sounds familiar, it should. I had him ranked No. 2 on my running back list above everybody’s favorite RB Bijan Robinson. Mike McDaniel, as a Kyle Shanahan disciple, will probably never skip a chance to pick a talented running back and plop him in his RB room.

Elijah Higgins is an interesting late round project. He’s got good size at 6-3, 235 pounds and, since he played at Stanford, is a smart guy who can make himself useful quickly on the team. I can see him almost filling more of a tight end role. With the last of their four (that’s it, just four) picks, they took an offensive lineman from Michigan, coached and recruited by a former San Francisco 49ers head coach in Jim Harbaugh. If you have to take a flyer on a guy in the seventh, there are worse pedigrees.

Grade: C+

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

Odds to win the Super Bowl: +5000

The Haul: Round 1: Christian Gonzalez, CB, Oregon, Round 2: Keion White, Edge, Georgia Tech, Round 3: Marte Mapu, DB, Sacramento State, Round 4: Jake Andrews, Center, Troy, Round 4: Chad Ryland, Kicker, Maryland, Round 4: Sidy Sow, OG, Eastern Washington, Round 5: Atonio Mafi, OG, UCLA, Round 6: Kayshon Boutte, WR, LSU, Round 6: Bryce Baringer, Punter, Michigan State, Round 6: Demario Douglas, WR, Liberty, Round 6: Ameer Speed, DB, Michigan State, Round 7: Isaiah Bolden, CB, Jackson State

All the NFL needed was for the New England Patriots to have a good draft, I write with all the sarcasm this laptop can muster. Christian Gonzalez was a natural fit in the first round and one of the class’ top corners. Keion White in the second round should be a Day One starter as well, after posting 54 tackles, 14 for a loss, 7.5 sacks and a pass defense for the Yellowjackets in the ACC a year ago. If you checked out my Top 10 edge rushers, then you know I had White ranked No. 8 overall, so that’s not bad for a second rounder.

Marte Mapu was my sixth ranked safety in this class, and the Pats may end up moving him to inside linebacker. Grabbing Kayshon Boutte, a guy that looked like a potential first rounder a couple of months ago, in the sixth is downright larcenous. New England wasn’t desperate to add a wide receiver, but still bring in a guy that nearly cracked my own Top 10 list late on Day Three. They did spend a “way too early” pick on a kicker, Chad Ryland out of Maryland, but they had plenty to spare and it was a need.

Grade: A

NEW YORK JETS

Odds to win the Super Bowl: +1400

The Haul: Round 1: Will McDonald IV, Edge, Iowa State, Round 2: Joe Tippmann, Center, Wisconsin, Round 4: Carter Warren, OT, Pittsburgh, Round 5: Israel Abanikanda, RB, Pittsburgh, Round 6: Zaire Barnes, LB, Western Michigan, Round 6: Jarrick Bernard-Converse, CB, LSU, Round 7: Zack Kuntz, TE, Old Dominion

You can’t talk about the Jets’ draft here without adding future first ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer and Ivermectin spokesperson Aaron Rodgers to the pile, which is apparently a deal the Packers and Jets have on the books every 15 years or so. They last made the same trade with Brett Favre in 2008, much to Jenn Sterger’s dismay. Rodgers, I’d imagine, will be less share-y with his private photo collection and more share-y with his wackadoo conspiracy theories. So, good luck with that New York media.

The final details of the trade were that the two teams switched their first round picks in this draft (with the Jets moving down to No. 15 and the Pack getting No. 13). New York also tossed in their second round pick, a sixth round pick and a conditional second rounder next season that turns into a first if Rodgers plays 65 percent of the team’s snaps this upcoming season. So, as long as A-Rodge doesn’t decide to retire next offseason after his latest ayahuasca enema after a darkness retreat in a yurt, it could work out pretty well for everyone involved. I mean, I think we’re all looking forward to seeing Rodgers get knocked out of the playoffs in the AFC Divisional Round for once. Really shake things up.

As for their actual draft class, I wasn’t nearly as enamored with Will McDonald IV as the rest of punditry. Call me crazy, but if you’re drafting an edge rusher in the first round who managed just five sacks in 13 games, that doesn’t feel like a mid-round Day One guy to me. He did have better years in 2020 and 2021, with 13 tackles for a loss in each of those seasons and 10.5 and 11.5 sacks respectively, but this was a six year player, thanks to an injury redshirt and the COVID-19 year. He looked like a mid to low second rounder to me at best. But, you know, I pay no attention to the NFL combine exercise videos the guys put out. Tippman looks like a day one starter in the second round, which is what you’re aiming for there. Especially when you have to keep an older QB upright.

Grade: C (but I’d go B+ if you factor in Rodgers)

Follow Adam Greene on Twitter @TheFirstMan.

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