Re-Grading the 2018 NFL Draft

Since the NFL season is in its driest part, I will be starting a new series where I will grade past drafts. In this edition, I will be grading the first round of the 2018 NFL draft. Like I mentioned before, content is a little dry right now so please give me some ideas of what to write in the comments section below!

Note: it is important to keep in mind that these grades are only representative of how these players have played thus far, many of them still have a vast majority of their careers left.

Cleveland Browns — QB Baker Mayfield = D-

During the pre-draft process, many scouts had Mayfield listed as the 3rd or 4th best QB in the class. However, former Browns general manager John Dorsey ignored all of the pre-draft projections and took Baker Mayfield. Mayfield’s career hasn’t been terrible by any stretch, but when you spend the number 1 overall pick in the draft on him, expectations are going to be high. Unfortunately for the Browns, Mayfield never panned out into the star franchise QB the Browns had hoped he would become. However, a fresh start in Tampa Bay with star receivers could help turn his career around.

New York Giants — RB Saquon Barkley = A-

When the Giants took Saquon Barkley, my knowledge of football was still in its earlier stages and I was ecstatic with the thought of taking a generational talent with the 2nd overall pick. However, as I have started to understand the draft more, the more I understand the major concern with taking a running back this high in the draft. We’ve all heard the saying a million times: running backs are replaceable. While this may be true, all it takes is a quick glance at the Giants offense last year to realize that Barkley was invaluable to the success the team had last year. That being said, there have been injury concerns which have probably played into the Giants organization’s hesitancy in giving him a massive contract. I still like the pick for the Giants though.

New York Jets (via Colts) — QB Sam Darnold = D

The Jets must have been thrilled to land Darnold who was probably their QB1 going into the draft. Finally, it seemed as if the Jets would fix their QB issues. However, Darnold’s career has never panned out to be a success and he has found himself bouncing around from team to team. Most recently, he signed with the San Francisco 49ers as a backup QB. This was a disastrous pick for the Jets.

Cleveland Brown (via Texans) — CB Denzel Ward = A-

Ward’s last season wasn’t great overall, but most of that can be attributed to the lack of success the Browns experienced in 2023: their defense as a whole wasn’t great. However, throughout the majority of his career, Ward has arguably been a top 10 corner in the league. Anytime you can find an elite corner in the draft, it will always be a win.

Denver Broncos — DE Bradley Chubb = B

When Chubb has been on the field he has been dominant at times. However, the issue throughout his career has been that he has frequently gotten injured forcing him to miss large chunks of time. While Chubb has been good, I don’t think he has been quite good enough to justify a top 5 selection in the 2018 draft.

Indianapolis Colts (via Jets) — OG Quenton Nelson = A+

Stellar pick for the Colts. Nelson has been an absolute stud ever since he entered the league in 2018. He was a huge part of Taylor’s 1.8k yard rushing season in 2021. The Colts have to be thrilled with the selection of a true franchise offensive guard.

Buffalo Bills — QB Josh Allen = A+

This was a great pick by the Bills who landed their franchise QB with the selection of Josh Allen. What makes this pick all the more impressive is the strength of the QB class, so choosing Allen reflects greatly on the entirety of the Bills organization, who found the right QB in the class for them.

Chicago Bears — LB Roquan Smith = A

Roquan Smith has been a stud linebacker ever since he entered the league in 2018. At one point in time, he was sitting in the middle of one of the NFL’s most ferocious defenses led by himself and Khalil Mack. Smith has transitioned into a complete linebacker and now plays for the Ravens who have reaped the benefits of trading for him. Great pick for the Bears.

San Francisco 49ers — OT Mike McGlinchey = A

In the NFL, McGlinchey has been a solid tackle ever since he entered the league. He has been a huge part of the 49ers’ in the past couple of years. Just recently, he signed a massive 5 year deal worth 87 million with the Broncos. McGlinchey played well for the Niners in his time in the Bay Area - good pick for the 49ers.

Arizona Cardinals — QB Josh Rosen = F

In the moment this was such a great pick for the Cardinals who were supposed to land their franchise QB, but the Cardinals did everything in their power to mess up the career of Josh Rosen. From bad coaching to bad roster building, Rosen never found his footing with the Cardinals and has become a backup QB in the league ever since. This was an absolute disaster of a pick for the Cardinals.

Miami Dolphins — S Minkah Fitzpatrick = A+

Fitzpatrick has turned into a top 3 safety in the league and has been a staple in the Steelers defense for the past couple of years. His ability to cover and also play in the box is a rare combination and is what has made him ultra successful in the NFL. Unfortunately for the Dolphins, they ended up trading Fitzpatrick very early on in his career. Regardless, this was a really good find for the Dolphins.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (via Bills) — DT Vita Vea = A

The Bucs took 350 pound nose tackle Vita Vea in the 2018 draft and it has turned out to be a phenomenal pick. Vea has been completely disruptive in his pro years and has not only shown that he can stop the run, but also rush the passer - a rare trait only found in stud defensive tackles. The only reason this pick is not an A+ is because of Vea’s injury history which has kept him sidelined for a decent amount of time throughout his young career.

Washington Commanders — DT Da’Ron Payne = B+

Payne has been decently disruptive throughout his career despite the sack numbers not being elite. However, last season he posted an incredible season logging 11.5 sacks. I think Payne is only scratching the surface of how disruptive he can be in a star studded Washington Commanders front 4.

New Orleans Saints — DE Marcus Davenport = C+

When the Saints took Davenport, they hoped to pair him up with Cam Jordon to form a ferocious front 4. However, ever since entering the league, Davenport has been solid but unspectacular. He has yet to put up double digit sacks in a season with his highest being 9 in 2021. In 2022, he played the most games in his career in a season however only put up 0.5 sacks. Overall, this has to be somewhat of a disappointment for the Saints organization.

Oakland Raiders — OT Kolton Miller = A-

Many people weren’t thrilled with the Raiders selection of Miller, but he has done enough to prove many of them wrong. Throughout the past 3 seasons, Pro Football Focus has given him a grade of 81 or higher for his pass-blocking ability and he has been ranked top 12 for run blocking as well. He definitely played a major role in Josh Jacob’s breakout season last year.

Buffalo Bills — LB Tremaine Edmunds = A

Edmunds has a unique blend of size and speed which allows him to possess sideline to sideline range. In all 5 of his years in the league, he has logged over 90 tackles in each season. This season he just got a massive contract with the Bears. Good pick for the Bills.

Los Angeles Chargers — S Derwin James = A+

James was the 2nd safety (taken after Fitzpatrick) and has played just as well in the NFL. He has been the backbone of the Chargers’ defense ever since he was a rookie and continues to excel in both coverage and especially in run support. Homerun pick for the Chargers.

Green Bay Packers — CB Jaire Alexander = A+

Anytime you can find a lockdown corner in the draft is gonna be an absolute steal. The saying goes: “you can never have too many good corners”. Jaire has turned into an absolute stud and has proved that he can lock down even the most elite receivers - flashback to when he trash talked Justin Jefferson and then locked him down. Great pick for the Packers.

Dallas Cowboys — LB Leighton Vander Esch = B-

Vander Esch has been decent since he was drafted. While he has had inconsistent play, the major concern with him is his health. It was reported that there was a major concern with Vander Esch’s neck which is “one hit away from retirement”. Vander Esch is typically better at defending the run and struggles in pass coverage. Just recently, he signed a 1 year deal to stay with the Cowboys.

Detroit Lions — C Frank Ragnow = A-

Ragnow has been an above average center ever since he entered the league as a rookie. He was an integral part of the Lions’ offensive line transformation which turned from one of the worst to one of the best units in the league.

Cincinnati Bengals (via Bills) — C Billy Price = C+

Price was drafted in order to upgrade a completely lackluster offensive line unit, which only just recently got revamped this past offseason. The Bengals got decent play from Price who was then shipped to the Giants for DT BJ Hill and a couple of late round draft picks. He was released by the Giants after 1 year and then played for the Cardinals. Currently he is a free agent. Overall, not a great pick for the Bengals who had hoped Price would’ve turned into a franchise center.

Tennessee Titans — LB Rashaan Evans = C+

Evans has been decent throughout his NFL career, but nothing spectacular. Currently he is a free agent and most recently he played with the Falcons in 2022 where he earned an overall PFF grade of 59.6.

New England Patriots (via Rams) — OT Isaiah Wynn = B

Throughout his time in New England, Isaiah Wynn has been a steady tackle, although nothing special. He has had his ups and downs and this year, signed with the Miami Dolphins. Hopefully a fresh start will allow him to take his game to the next level.

Carolina Panthers — WR D.J. Moore = A

Moore has been great ever since his rookie season and has compiled 3 over 1k receiving yard seasons. What’s more impressive is that he put up all these stats with inconsistent QB play in Carolina ever since he entered the league. I’m excited to see what he can do with young and upcoming QB Justin Fields.

Baltimore Ravens — TE Hayden Hurst = C+

Hurst hasn’t been anything special ever since he entered the league. I’m guessing the idea behind drafting him was to pair him up with Mark Andrews. However, throughout his NFL career, Hurst has yet to go over 600 yards receiving in a year and has played pretty average in general.

Atlanta Falcons — WR Calvin Ridley = A-

When he is on the field, Ridley has shown that he can be a legit receiver number 1. However, the issue has been that recently, he hasn’t been on the field. Not for injury concerns, but for suspensions for off the field activities. As a result, Ridley missed over a season’s worth of playing time, which didn’t bode well for the Falcons who had to trade him to the Jaguars.

Seattle Seahawks — RB Rashaad Penny = B

This is an interesting one. When Penny has been on the field, he has shown that he can be explosive and powerful with the ball in his hands. However, like with most running backs in recent years, injuries have derailed Penny’s career and have prevented him from becoming a consistent running back in the NFL. Last year, rookie Kenneth Walker took the lead back role in Seattle pushing Penny to RB2. However, a fresh start with the Eagles, who have an incredible offensive line, could really lead to a breakout season for Penny.

Pittsburgh Steelers — S Terrell Edmunds = B-

Some thought that the Steelers reached to draft Edmunds who was thought to have a round 2 draft grade. In the NFL, Edmunds has been an average safety and just last season earned an overall grade of 69.1 per Pro Football Focus which ranked him 38 out of 101 active safeties last year. Overall this was a decent selection for the Steelers who got a serviceable safety for a decent period of time. Edmunds just recently signed a 1 year deal with the Eagles to be the replacement for new Lions safety CJ Gardner Johnson.

Jacksonville Jaguars — DT Taven Bryan = D

The selection of Bryan was an exciting pick given the recent success the Jags just had in their 2017 playoff berth. Although the Jags had a stellar defensive line that year, many of their players were aging and the selection of Bryan would give them a young defensive linemen to develop in the coming years. However, that never ended up happening and throughout his 5 years in the league, Bryan has only managed to accumulate 8.5 sacks.

Minnesota Vikings — CB Mike Hughes = C+

Hughes thus far has never lived up to the pre-draft hype which made it seem as if the Vikings were getting another stud corner to pair with Xavier Rhodes. Throughout his career he has been a better run defender than he has been coverage corner. To put that in perspective, last year, Hughes earned a run defense grade of 81 compared to his coverage grade of 51.4. Hughes will have another chance to prove himself with the Falcons who signed him to a 2 year deal this past offseason.

New England Patriots — RB Sonny Michel = B-

Michel has been an average running back ever since he came into the league in 2018. His best season was arguably his rookie season where he logged 931 rushing yards and 6 touchdowns. Other than that however, his career hasn’t been anything spectacular and has bounced around from the Patriots to the Rams to the Dolphins to the Chargers. Decent pick for the Patriots considering it was at the backend of the first round.

Baltimore Ravens — QB Lamar Jackson = A++

Does this grade even need an explanation? Landing a future MVP at any pick is incredible but landing Lamar Jackson at pick 32 was definitely one of the best steals of the past decade. Despite playing with sub-par receivers for a majority of his career, Jackson has continued to bring sustained success to the Ravens. I’m incredibly excited to see what he can do this year with 2 stud receivers.