Tag: 2023 NFL draft

Grading every rookie’s season from the Browns’ 2023 NFL draft class

How did the 2023 class fair in their rookie seasons?

Offensive tackle Dawand Jones led all rookies of the Cleveland Browns from the 2023 NFL draft. How did the class as a whole grade out?

Leading up to the 2023 NFL draft, general manager Andrew Berry traded the second-round pick of the Browns as part of a package to get Elijah Moore from the New York Jets. Berry would double down to fix the wide receiver room, taking Cedric Tillman with the team’s first selection in the third round.

It wasn’t a great start for Tillman as a rookie though the position overall was improved from 2022. The team got significant production out of multiple day three picks as well as an undrafted free agent that helped the team make the playoff push this season.

There were also a few players that didn’t play enough to show if they can be NFL players long term though not seeing the field could point in one direction after all the injuries the team had this year. Here is how I grade this past year’s draft classes rookie seasons in Cleveland.

Texans QB C.J. Stroud implies Bryce Young didn’t have enough help in rookie season

C.J. Stroud on Bryce Young’s rookie season: “You can’t make a play if somebody don’t block. You can’t make a play if somebody don’t catch a ball.”

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud just said what a lot of Carolina Panthers fans have been thinking.

The 2023 No. 2 overall pick spoke about the 2023 No. 1 overall pick in the latest episode of “The Pivot” podcast. Stroud told hosts and former NFLers Ryan Clark and Channing Crowder that Young was in an unfortunate situation during his rough rookie year.

“In his shoes, I feel like a lot of stuff didn’t go his way, that was out of his control,” Stroud said. “You can’t make a play if somebody don’t block. You can’t make a play if somebody don’t catch a ball. And when you watch the tape, Bryce did a lot great things. He’s gonna be a great player. But it takes time.”

Young, who lost his head coach after 11 games and experienced multiple changes with his offensive coordinator, tossed for just 11 touchdowns to 10 interceptions while averaging 179.8 passing yards per game. He also had to deal with one of the worst, if not the worst receiving corps in the NFL while being sacked 62 times.

His good pal, on the other hand, thrived in Houston. Stroud averaged a league-high 273.9 passing yards a contest, made the Pro Bowl and is a favorite for the Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.

Oh, and his Texans captured the AFC South crown and won a playoff game. Young’s Panthers, on the other hand, finished at a league-worst 2-15.

Stroud expanded on those points.

“I think I came into a situation where we were strugglin’, but we still had a lot of good pieces,” he added. “And Nick Caserio, our GM, brought in a lot of good vets. DeMeco [Ryans] was the perfect coach for our type of team.

“Like I said earlier, everybody’s path is different. Maybe I had a good rookie year, and Bryce is gonna have a great second year. And hopefully I do, too. But I know everything’s gonna be fine for him. And I told him, like, ‘You the one, bruh. You the one for a reason.'”

Hey, at least one of Young’s two wins came against Stroud. That’s worth something, right?

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Eagles’ report cards: Grading Philadelphia’s rookie class entering the 2024 offseason

We’re handing out grades and reviewing our rookie report card for the Philadelphia Eagles seven player 2023 NFL draft class

The Eagles entered training camp last summer with 17 rookies they believed could provide a bridge to the future and instant impact at crucial positions.

The 2023 class included seven talented players after the 2023 NFL draft, in which the team received glowing grades from experts and analysts.

Philadelphia landed five total defenders and four real players in the trenches, landing Tyler Steen from Alabama in the third round.

The Eagles also added plenty of undrafted talent.

Howie Roseman has raved about previous UDFA classes, with several big-named stars holding second-day draft grades.

Philadelphia had nine undrafted rookies that offered the potential to become critical contributors for years.

Mekhi Garner, Ben VanSumeren, and Eli Ricks saw key snaps as rookies, while Kelee Ringo will likely enter 2024 as a starter after some early learning curves.

With the young guys fully entrenched and the team looking towards April’s NFL draft, we’re handing out grades for 2023.

Grading the Minnesota Vikings’ 2023 rookie draft class

With their rookie seasons under their belt, let’s revisit the Minnesota Vikings’ 2023 NFL draft and hand out some rookie grades.

The 2023 season for the Minnesota Vikings was the ultimate rollercoaster ride. Not even just week-to-week, but seemingly quarter-by-quarter and even series-to-series. You never knew what you were going to get from this iteration of the Vikings on any given day, and it made for some wild moments.

The season may not have ended the way the team, or the fans, wanted, but that disappointment shouldn’t overshadow the many good things that happened this year, least of all the many great contributions from the team’s rookie class.

There are a number of different ways to build a successful franchise in the NFL, but still the prevailing thought process is that it’s best to utilize the draft to build your base, and to supplement that base through free agency, trades, and the like.

Over the past few years, the Vikings have used the draft well to build up their base, including nabbing arguably the best wide receiver in football just a few short years ago when taking Justin Jefferson.

That success in the NFL draft continued in 2023, with the Vikings getting some major contributions from a number of their selections. Perhaps even more impressive, arguably their best rookie this season came in the form of someone who wasn’t drafted at all – instead being a true diamond-in-the-rough as an undrafted free agent.

With that as our backdrop, let’s revisit the 2023 Minnesota Vikings NFL draft class and hand out some grades now that their first season is officially behind them.

Saints pass on Bryan Bresee in this 2023 re-draft

The New Orleans Saints passed on Bryan Bresee for Tuli Tuipulotu in this 2023 re-draft, which would solve one problem but create another:

With NFL draft season in full swing comes more people going back to old drafts and considering how things could have been different. That’s what Bleacher Report’s David Kenyon did in his redraft of the 2023 event. In this alternate reality, he has the New Orleans Saints passing on Bryan Bresee and instead going with USC defensive end Tuli Tuipulotu. So they still take a defensive lineman, but go after an edge rusher instead of an interior player.

Here is Kenyon’s reasoning behind the decision:

The reality is New Orleans would face a Catch-22 here. If the Saints don’t select Bresee, their need at defensive tackle rises. But, whew, did this defense lack pass-rushing danger. A second-round pick of the Chargers, Tuli Tuipulotu generated 22 pressures, which would’ve only trailed Carl Granderson in New Orleans.

I think that given a second go at things, the Saints still take Bresee. He was not drafted for his year-one success, instead for having a very high athletic ceiling they can coach him up to reach over his career. Even then, Bresee still broke the franchise record for sacks by a rookie defensive tackle. Switching out Bresee for Tuipulotu doesn’t fix the Saints’ pass-rush issues, as it would have left the interior even weaker.

And it’s not like they reached on Bresee. In this re-draft, Kenyon has Bresee going to the Philadelphia Eagles immediately after the Saints picked Tuipulotu. New Orleans got a good one. Let’s see where his career goes next.

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Bengals avoid Myles Murphy in 2023 NFL re-draft

The Bengals go a different direction in a new re-draft.

The Cincinnati Bengals used a first-round pick on defensive end Myles Murphy last year, an attempt to boost the pass-rush right away and especially over the long-term.

So how does that decision hold up now? With it being the offseason for all but two teams, re-drafts have started to become a thing.

And in a 2023 re-draft from Bleacher Report’s David Kenyon, the Bengals go away from Murphy and instead draft offensive lineman Steve Avila:

Yet again, the Bengals dealt with a disappointing blocking unit. Cincinnati has devoted many resources to the O-line, but it is still trying to find a reliable group in front of Joe Burrow, who toiled through an injury-plagued year anyway. Steve Avila wouldn’t have completely solved the issues, but he quickly impressed as the Rams’ left guard.

That pick would have created serious competition for Cordell Volson at left guard, which in hindsight, probably would have been a good idea.

Still, Murphy was never projected as a guy who would command a ton of snaps as a rookie. He steadily improved, though, flashing some hints he’s got a chance to be a very good every-down player, potentially starting next season.

In the 2024 draft, though, it wouldn’t be a shock to see the team attack the offensive line as early as the first round.

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Grading each rookie from the Commanders’ 2023 draft class

We grade Washington’s 2023 NFL draft after one season. The early returns, well, they aren’t good.

The Washington Commanders finished the 2023 season with a 4-13 record. Head coach Ron Rivera was fired after four consecutive non-winning seasons.

The 2023 was a disaster from start to finish. Sure, there were some cool moments in September, but Washington’s flaws were evident beginning in Week 1.

The 2023 NFL draft class’s lack of production was a big reason for Washington’s struggles. First-round pick Emmanuel Forbes’ performance reflected the team’s season.

How did each of the Commanders’ seven picks grade out?

We grade Washington’s 2023 NFL draft class.

Eagles: 11 takeaways from Howie Roseman, Nick Sirianni’s end-of-season press conference

We’re looking at 11 key takeaways from the Eagles end of the season press conference with Howie Roseman and Nick Sirianni

The Eagles held their annual season-ending press conferences.

Unlike the 2023 version, we’ll head into the offseason with uncertainty about the team’s identity, coaching staff, and direction on both sides of the football.

Brian Johnson and Sean Desai are out, while there are 20 pending free agents, but other than that, Philadelphia will enter the 2024 offseason with front-office continuity, draft assets, and a clear plan for improving around Jalen Hurts.

Here are 11 takeaways and notes from the presser.

Pair of Chargers named to PFWA’s 2023 All-Rookie team

Two Chargers rookies were recognized for their efforts this past season.

The Chargers got quite a bit of production from a pair of rookies this past season.

Those two were edge defender Tuli Tuipulotu and wide receiver Derius Davis, who were named to the 2023 All-Rookie team, voted by the Professional Football Writers of America (PFWA).

Tuipulotu, the former second-round pick, was a monster off the edge, finishing with the second-most quarterback pressures among rookies (51) and an 88.4 run defense grade that only trailed greats Maxx Crosby, DeMarcus Lawrence and Khalil Mack.

Davis was drafted in the fourth round for his special teams skills, and it materialized in his first year as a pro, finishing with 24 returned punts for 385 total yards, second-most in the NFL.

Davis’ punt return average of 16.0 ranked first in the league, and he was one of eight players to return a punt for a touchdown, which came in Week 9 against the Jets on Monday Night Football.

Grading every rookie from the Saints 2023 draft class

Grading every rookie from the New Orleans Saints 2023 NFL draft class: How did Bryan Bresee, Kendre Miller, Blake Grupe stack up?

The New Orleans Saints are going to be relying on their young players heavily as other parts of the roster begin to show their age, but how did each of their rookies from the 2023 NFL draft class grade out? Who is off to a good start, and who needs to make up for lost time?

Here’s how we evaluated each Saints rookie now that the 2023 season is behind them: