The Sports Xchange

The 2015 NFL Draft is complete and now is the time to dissect each team’s haul from the three-day extravaganza. Let’s be honest, it’s unfair to accurately grade each class until at least a few years down the road, but several teams stood out for what they added to their rosters.

Five teams who I think did really well:

1. Jacksonville Jaguars

My favorite draft class of the weekend. It started with the first pick as the Jaguars stayed in-state to get their pass rusher, Florida’s Dante Fowler at No. 3 overall. In the second round, Jacksonville selected the third running back off the board with Alabama’s T.J. Yeldon, who is an ideal addition to their backfield. The Jaguars went back to the ACC in the third round with South Carolina offensive guard A.J. Cann No. 67 overall and then came away with a steal in the fourth round, drafting safety James Sample at No. 104. And then in the later rounds, Jacksonville came away with steals when Florida State wide receiver Rashad Greene and Ohio State defensive tackle Michael Bennett fell to them.

2. Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings went defensive heavy in the first three rounds and got the best defender on the board at each pick. In the first round, it was Michigan State cornerback Trae Waynes, the first cornerback drafted. In the second round, UCLA middle linebacker Eric Kendricks fell to Minnesota, a plug-and-play linebacker who can play middle or outside. LSU pass rusher Danielle Hunter is young and raw, but good value in the third round to groom. And then in the fourth round, the Vikings pounced on Pittsburgh offensive tackle T.J. Clemmings, a first round talent who slipped due to a foot injury. Southern Illinois tight end MyCole Pruitt and Maryland wide receiver Stefon Diggs were terrific values in the fifth round.

3. Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons had several holes to fill entering draft weekend and they responded with an impact pass rusher at No. 8, Clemson’s Vic Beasley. Although LSU cornerback Jalen Collins is very raw, he gives Atlanta good value at pick No. 42 in the second round. The Falcons also added Indiana running back Tevin Coleman in the third round and East Carolina wide receiver Justin Hardy in the fourth round. But one of the steals of the draft might be Atlanta’s fifth rounder: Clemson defensive tackle Grady Jarrett, who the Falcons scooped up at pick No. 137.

4. Cleveland Browns

For a team with a lot of needs, the Browns added a lot of pieces to their roster with 12 draft picks. After temptation to possibly package picks for Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota, Cleveland hoarded picks and ended up with 12 selections, including two “safe” players in the first round with nose tackle Danny Shelton and offensive lineman Cameron Erving. The Browns were very active with Pac-12 players (58 percent of their draft class) with Shelton, Utah pass rusher Nate Orchard, Washington State defensive tackle Xavier Cooper, Washington State wide receiver Vince Mayle, USC tight end Randall Telfer, USC linebacker Hayes Pullard and Oregon cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu. That final pick is tremendous value for a first round player who is coming off a knee injury and likely needs a redshirt season as an NFL rookie. The Browns wound up with eight players who were on my final top 100 draft board.

5. Kansas City Chiefs

I might be alone listing the Chiefs here as one of my “winners” from draft weekend, but I love what they did, adding two impact cornerbacks who will help right away with Washington’s Marcus Peters and Oregon State’s Steven Nelson. Kansas City also added an underrated offensive lineman out of Missouri, Mitch Morse, who can play any spot on the offensive line. The Chiefs drafted a pair of Bulldogs with wide receiver Chris Conley and linebacker Ramik Wilson – Conley tested off the charts while Wilson had excellent production in the SEC. And then in the later rounds, Kansas City was able to snag Southern Miss defensive tackle Rakeem Nunez-Roches in the sixth round, which is an absolute steal. General manager John Dorsey and his crew had a great weekend.

Three teams who had me scratching my head:

1. Carolina Panthers

Washington linebacker Shaq Thompson was a solid pick in the first round at No. 25, but the big gamble for Carolina was giving up its third round pick to trade up in the second round for Michigan’s Devin Funchess. He could be a mismatch nightmare, but doesn’t consistently play up to his measureables and the Panthers paid a big price to trade up and get him, losing a third round pick (No. 57) and a sixth rounder (No. 201).

2. New Orleans Saints

Both of the Saints’ first rounders, Stanford offensive tackle Andrus Peat and Clemson linebacker Stephone Anthony, are solid players, but I thought better prospects were available with both picks. New Orleans saw enough in Colorado State quarterback Garrett Grayson to draft him in the third round at No. 75 overall, making him the third quarterback off the board. Overall, the Saints addressed some needs and came away with a few talented players, but Grayson as the future quarterback of the franchise is an interesting direction.

3. St. Louis Rams

There aren’t many bigger fans of Todd Gurley than me, so I’m okay with the Rams bypassing need for the talented player who was just too good to pass up. But I didn’t love the value of St. Louis’ picks on day two with Wisconsin offensive tackle Rob Havenstein at No. 57 overall in the second round and Louisville offensive lineman Jamon Brown at pick No. 72 in the third round. And then the Rams plucked the fourth quarterback off the board, a passer who could conceivably be their signal-caller of the future: Oregon State’s Sean Mannion. Hopefully he proves me wrong, but I thought he was the most overdrafted player this year.

–Dane Brugler is a Senior Analyst for www.NFLDraftScout.com, a property of The Sports Xchange distributed in partnership with CBSSports.com.