It’s the most ridiculous, yet consumable content the week after the NFL draft.
Draft grades.
Before a selected player takes the field for his first NFL snap, scouts and so-called experts are busy scrutinizing the value of said player. It’s completely absurd…yet I can’t get enough.
Did you know that in 2018, one scout blasted the Packers for selecting cornerback Jaire Alexander over fellow cornerback Josh Jackson? Alexander is among the best cornerbacks in the NFL, while Jackson (who went to the Packers in the second round) may not see a second contract in Green Bay.
In 2019, the Packers selection of offensive lineman Elgton Jenkins in the second-round received a “C” grade by many so-called experts. Third-round tight end Jace Sternberger was viewed as an “A” selection.
Jenkins was named a pro-bowl player in just his second season.
Sternberger has 12 receptions in two seasons.
To me, it makes more sense to wait two to three years before assigning a letter grade to an individual and draft class. But, for those keeping score at home, the Packers 2021 draft grades range from A- to F.
One analyst believes the Packers quietly put together a solid class. Another criticizes General Manager Brian Gutekunst for “rotten board management”.
So go ahead…soak it up…read at your leisure. But understand this: No one, from analyst to front office staffer, has any idea what the crop of players will amount to.
What grade to I give the Packers? Ask me in two years.