The NFC South produced its first Super Bowl winner in over a decade last season. The Bucs are the early favourites for Super Bowl LVI too and look set to run it back with Tom Brady entering his 22nd season. The rest of the division looks to be some distance behind but it will be interesting to see if any of them can challenge the Bucs in 2021. Here are my grades for each team’s draft class.
Atlanta Falcons
1.4 – TE Kyle Pitts, Florida
2.40 – S Richie Grant, UCF
3.68 – OT Jalen Mayfield, Michigan
4.108 – CB Darren Hall, San Diego State
4.114 – IOL Drew Dalman, Stanford
5.148 – IDL Ta’Quon Graham, Texas
5.182 – EDGE Adetokunbo Ogundeji, Notre Dame
5.183 – CB Avery Williams, Boise State
6.187 – WR Frank Darby, Arizona State
With the restructure of Matt Ryan’s contract in March, the Falcons’ new regime committed to one last run with their veteran quarterback. They gave him another weapon with Florida’s Kyle Pitts at No. 4 overall. He has the potential to develop into one of the best tight ends in the NFL and adding him to a receiving corps of Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley is incredibly exciting. Pitts is the definition of a mismatch weapon, with the size to dominate corners and the speed to beat safeties and linebackers with ease. He also boasts some of the most reliable hands in the class, with no drops on his 43 catchable targets in 2020.
The rest of their draft focused mainly on fixing a defense that ranked 26th in EPA allowed per dropback last season. Richie Grant looks like a quality option at safety and should come in and start from day one. Darren Hall seemed a little rich in the fourth round but gives them some much needed depth at corner. Their trio of fifth rounders also add some nice developmental options on defense. One pick I really liked was Stanford’s Drew Dalman in the fourth round. He looks like the ideal fit for the outside zone scheme that Arthur Smith is bringing to Atlanta.
Grade: B
Carolina Panthers
1.8 – CB Jaycee Horn, South Carolina
2.59 – WR Terrace Marshall Jr., LSU
3.70 – OT Brady Christensen, BYU
3.83 – TE Tommy Tremble, Notre Dame
4.126 – RB Chuba Hubbard, Oklahoma State
5.158 – IDL Daviyon Nixon, Iowa
5.166 – CB Keith Taylor, Washington
6.193 – IOL Deonte Brown, Alabama
6.204 – WR Shi Smith, South Carolina
6.222 – LS Thomas Fletcher, Alabama
7.232 – IDL Phil Hoskins, Kentucky
The Panthers surprised many with the direction they took in the first round and this pick inevitably coloured how their draft class is viewed. With Justin Fields still on the board at No. 8 overall they chose to pass up on the Ohio State quarterback and instead went for Jaycee Horn. I was lower on Horn than most and don’t see him being close to a top ten player, let alone the best corner in the class. It also looks like an odd move from a schematic standpoint. Horn is a press man corner and the Panthers played press coverage at the lowest rate in the league last season. They also played zone coverage at one of the highest rates in the NFL.
The Panthers’ new general manager, Scott Fitterer, made a point of trading down and accumulating draft capital on day two. The plan worked and they came away with 11 players, tied for the most of any team in this year’s draft. Terrace Marshall at No. 59 overall looks like tremendous value and gives Sam Darnold plenty of talent to work with on that offense. Brady Christensen is another interesting name who could be a solid NFL starter at tackle. They also managed to address their glaring need at tight end with Tommy Tremble in the third. The rest of their class felt pretty average, but the selection of Daviyon Nixon in the fifth round looks like another smart value pickup.
Grade: A
New Orleans Saints
1.28 – EDGE Payton Turner, Houston
2.60 – LB Pete Werner, Ohio State
3.76 – CB Paulson Adebo, Stanford
4.133 – QB Ian Book, Notre Dame
6.206 – OT Landon Young, Kentucky
7.255 – WR Kawaan Baker, South Alabama
The Raiders’ selection of Alex Leatherwood was the biggest shock of the first round, but the Saints came a close second when they took Payton Turner at No. 28 overall. I like Turner but that felt incredibly high for a player with limited production. His 2020 tape was impressive and he has the tools you want in a prospect, but we’ve not seen anywhere near the talent you want in a first round edge. He only switched to the edge full-time in 2020 and played just 201 snaps all season. He is a developmental option, and those aren’t the kind of players you take in the first round.
The rest of their draft also felt like it was full of reaches. Pete Werner looks solid enough but nowhere near a second round talent. Paulson Adebo offers elite ball production, but his time at Stanford was marred by inconsistencies in coverage. Ian Book in the fourth round may have been the strangest pick in the entire draft. He lacks both arm talent and accuracy and was one of the slowest processors in college football last season. Mickey Loomis has made a name for himself as a great drafting GM, but right now this looks like one of the weakest classes in the 2021 Draft.
Grade: D
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
1.32 – EDGE Joe Tryon, Washington
2.64 – QB Kyle Trask, Florida
3.95 – IOL Robert Hainsey, Notre Dame
4.129 – WR Jaelon Darden, North Texas
5.176 – LB K.J. Britt, Auburn
7.251 – CB Chris Wilcox, BYU
7.259 – LB Grant Stuard, Houston
The Bucs are returning the most well-rounded roster in the entire NFL and look like sure-fire favourites for the Super Bowl in 2022. They don’t need any of their 2021 picks to start right away, but that didn’t make me feel much better about the Joe Tryon pick in the first round. Tryon has an intriguing combination of tools, but never dominated consistently in college. We didn’t see him at all in 2020 and almost half of his pressures the year prior were unblocked or clean-ups. By my board this was the biggest reach in the first round by some margin.
The rest of their class was fairly uneventful. Kyle Trask in the second round was a smart pickup though and could develop nicely behind Brady. He lacks the accuracy you want from a quarterback prospect, but his deep ball prowess is a perfect fit for Bruce Arians’ offense. The other pick I liked was North Texas’ Jaelon Darden in the fourth round. This adds to an already exceptional receiving corps and gives Brady yet more weapons to work with. He should add an extra dimension with his ability on screens and underneath passes. Their other picks were less exciting and with the exception of Hainsey I don’t see any of them developing into starters at the next level.
Grade: C
