2017 rookie grades Saints earn top grade Raiders class lacking

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2017 rookie grades: Saints earn top grade; Raiders' cla s lacking Published: Feb 15, 2018 at 02:47 AM When Jeremy Bergman and Nick Shook graded , three earned "A" marks and 11 received "C" marks or worse. Below you'll find what Bergman and Shook had to say about the groups that stood out and those that struggled, with the teams in each subsection listed in alphabetical order. EXCEPTIONAL ROOKIE CLASSES Kansas City Chiefs Round 1: (No. 10 overall) , QB, 1 game/1 start.Round 2: (59) , DE, 16 games/1 start.Round 3: (86) , RB, 16 games/16 starts.Round 4: (139) , WR, 12 games/1 start.Round 5: (183) , LB, 14 games/1 start.Round 6: (218) , S, 1 game/1 start.Notable rookie FA signings: , K, 13 games (drafted by Panthers). Shook: The last draft of the John Dorsey era netted the their heir apparent under center and a running back who's poised to be the franchise's lead back for years to come. That alone should make this draft more than pa sable in the eyes of critics. The long-term grade for this group also relies on the development of Kpa sagnon, who was selected due to his measurables with the knowledge he likely wouldn't be an immediate contributor (despite 2.0 sacks and 14 tackles in a backup role). Years 2 and 3 will provide us with a more determinable grade on this group. GRADE: A- New Orleans Saints Round 1: (11) , CB, 13 games/13 starts; (32) , OT, 16 games/16 starts.Round 2: (42) , S, 15 games/15 starts.Round 3: (67) , RB, 16 games/3 starts; (76) , LB, 4 games/4 starts; (103) , DE, 12 games/0 starts.Round 6: (196) , DE, 4 games/0 starts.Notable rookie FA signings: , ST, 14 games/0 starts; , ST, 5 games/0 starts. Bergman: When four players in your draft cla s make the and two of your first-years sweep the Rookie of the Year categories for the first time since the Johnson administration (Lyndon, not Andrew, to be clear), you get one perfect draft grade. New Orleans' haul in 2017, reeled in by Mickey Loomis and Jeff Ireland, is an historic achievement. Lattimore and Williams led the team with five and four interceptions, respectively, with the former securing the most first-place votes in any category at NFL Honors (45). Ramczyk was just one of three rookie offensive linemen to start all 16 games. Kamara was a revelation at running back, terrorizing defenses with slippery elusivene s and devastating acceleration en route to 1,901 all-purpose yards and 14 total touchdowns. GRADE: A+ What about the San Francisco 49ers? Bergman: San Francisco's rookie cla s , but in light of recent developments, it's time to re-evaluate. , his second in a month, clouds his future, and that of his draft cla s. When he was on the field, Foster was a dynamic presence in the middle of the front seven, a suming the mantle of and Patrick Willis. But Tanner Roark Jersey his off-the-field behavior -- a litany of personal conduct i sues that now includes -- indicates that he is at risk of sabotaging his career. Therefore, while I initially handed the Niners one of the few "A" marks in this exercise -- praising John Lynch's first draft haul for its value selection of Foster, as well as the solid returns from CB , S , TE and WR -- I deem it nece sary to change the a se sment to "TBD" until we see what comes of Foster's recent troubles. UNDERWHELMING ROOKIE CLASSES Arizona Cardinals Round 1: (No. 13 overall) , LB, 16 games/3 starts.Round 2: (36) , S, 16 games/7 starts.Round 3: (98) , WR, 6 games/1 start.Round 4: (115) , OG, 0 games/0 starts.Round 5: (157) , OT, 7 games/5 starts; (179) , RB, 0 games/0 starts.Round 6: (208) , DB, 10 games/0 starts.Notable rookie FA signings: , TE, 10 games/1 start. Bergman: The choosing to take a quarterback in any round of last year's draft was pure negligence. In the first round, they were pick away from , and three selections back from . Fast-forward to this offseason: Bruce Arians and Carson Palmer are retired, and and are not under contract. Arizona is starting wholly from scratch at the game's most important position in 2018, but the could have prepared for this fate in 2017. Baker was a fine addition to a stellar safety trio, perhaps the league's best. Arizona fared well outside of the draft, stealing Seals-Jones from the undrafted FA heap. Jury's out on Reddick, who needs more snaps at next season. GRADE: C- Atlanta Falcons Round 1: (No. 26 overall) , DE, 16 games/0 starts.Round 3: (75) , LB, 12 games/6 starts.Round 4: (136) , OG, 0 games/0 starts.Round 5: (149) , CB, 16 games/1 start; (156) , RB, 1 game/0 starts; (174) , TE, 14 games/0 starts. Bergman: The needed help in the front seven, and they got it when they traded up for McKinley. A from Day 1, Takk further endeared himself to Atlantans with a six-sack rookie season, nearly matching top overall pick . But outside of the rambunctious pa s rusher, the saw little initial return on their draft investments. Riley, Kazee and Saubert played for a sizable part of their first seasons, but the #JuryIsOut on all of them. Riley suffered a midseason that kept him from improving and cementing a starting role, and both Riley and Kazee played in le s than a quarter of Atlanta's defensive snaps. GRADE: C+ Baltimore Ravens Round 1: (No. 16 overall) , CB, 16 games/5 starts.Round 2: (47) , OLB, 16 games/0 starts.Round 3: (74) , DE, 7 games/2 starts; (78) , OLB, 8 games/0 starts.Round 4: (122) , OG, 0 games/0 starts (tore ACL, MCL, PCL in camp).Round 5: (159) , OG, 8 games/2 starts.Round 6: (186) , DB, 15 games/0 starts.Notable rookie FA signings: , FB/DL, 16 games/0 starts. Shook: Humphrey started to grow into the corner Baltimore was hoping it was getting at No. 16 overall, but the 21-year-old's still a season or two away from reaching his full potential. The rest of this cla s was fairly spotty, with Bowser leading the way as the most important contributor (11 tackles, 3.0 sacks, 1 interception) not named Humphrey. Siragusa unfortunately had his season wiped out by a serious knee injury, and the majority of these other mid-round picks were stuck at the bottom of the two-deep behind more experienced players, with Williams suffering from a lack of playing time the most. Credit GM Ozzie Newsome for unearthing two-way throwback , who did a nice job of replacing .GRADE: C+ Cincinnati Bengals Round 1: (No. 9 overall) , WR, 3 games/1 start.Round 2: (48) , RB, 14 games/7 starts.Round 3: (73) , DE, 16 games/1 start.Round 4: (116) , DE, 16 games/1 start; (128) , WR, 11 games/7 starts; (138) , DT, 16 games/1 start.Round 5: (153) , K, 15 games/0 starts (with Philadelphia); (176) J.J. Dielman, C, 0 games/0 starts.Round 6: (193) , LB, 15 games/4 starts; (207) , RB Blank Jersey , 8 games/0 starts.Round 7: (251) , TE, 0 games/0 starts. Shook: Ro s, , registered more rushes (1) than receptions (0) in 2017. Thanks to injury, he was a complete non-factor. There were exciting glimmers of potential from Mixon, but he largely just muddied the running back position in Cincinnati. (The jury's still out on him.) Cincinnati found a pair of very promising contributors in Willis and Lawson, with the latter racking up 8.5 sacks as a rookie. Glasgow made an impact in his appearances, as well. Round 5 and after weren't kind to the , who let both Elliott and Dielman get nabbed by other teams, with the kicker playing in (and winning) the as a result.GRADE: C Denver Broncos Round 1: (No. 20 overall) , OT, 16 games/16 starts.Round 2: (51) , DE, 10 games/0 starts.Round 3: (82) , WR, 0 games/0 starts; (101) , CB, 11 games/0 starts.Round 5: (145) , TE, 0 games/0 starts; (172) , WR, 11 games/0 starts.Round 6: (203) , RB, 5 games/0 starts.Round 7: (253) , QB, 0 games/0 starts. Shook: Injuries robbed and Butt of their seasons, but Bolles looks like an excellent pick after starting all 16 games at left tackle and playing well enough to make the . Walker was effective in his 10 games played. McKenzie saw spot time at receiver, where he was noticeably inexperienced. He got most of his playing time at returner, though he struggled with multiple muffed punts, including on a night that was emblematic of Denver's entire season. And despite the carousel spinning at quarterback, we were also robbed of the Swag Kelly Experience, thanks to injury. GRADE: C Green Bay Packers Round 2: (33) , CB, 9 games/5 starts; (61) , S, 16 games/7 starts.Round 3: (93) , DT, 7 games/0 starts.Round 4: (108) , LB, 9 games/0 starts; (134) , RB, 16 games/7 starts.Round 5: (175) , WR, 0 games/0 starts; (182) , RB, 12 games/4 starts.Round 6: (212) , C, 0 games/0 starts.Round 7: (238) , RB, 8 games/0 starts; (247) , WR, 0 games/0 starts.Notable rookie FA signings: , P, 16 games/0 starts. Bergman: In Ted Thompson's final draft as GM, Green Bay singled out the secondary as its most vulnerable area and attacked the weakne s with its first two selections. Unfortunately, King and Jones both underperformed in their rookie campaigns. The same cannot be said for Green Bay's late-round pickups at RB. Jones was a welcome surprise in filling in for , showcasing a needed change of pace from the hard-running Williams. They are a future pairing to fear. The Pack saw little from their other picks. GRADE: C+ Indianapolis Colts Round 1: (No. 15 overall) , S, 7 games/6 starts.Round 2: (46) , CB, 7 games/5 starts.Round 3: (80) , DE, 15 games/0 starts.Round 4: (137) , OT, 8 games/0 starts (with Cleveland); (143) , RB, 14 games/0 starts; (144) , DT, 15 games/0 starts.Round 5: (158) , CB, 14 games/4 starts; (161) , LB, 10 games/2 starts. Shook: Hooker was in direct competition with fellow former Ohio State defensive back for Defensive Rookie of the Year before he suffered . Basham didn't quite live up to expectations, but was also learning a new position and playing behind seasoned veteran , from whom he can learn plenty. Banner was a ma sive disappointment, ending up with Cleveland via waivers, but Mack was a pleasant surprise in spelling . Wilson struggled to earn playing time until late in the season, while Stewart, Hairston and Walker all contributed for a young team slogging through a tough season. GRADE: C+ Miami Dolphins Round 1: (No. 22 overall) , DE, 16 games/2 starts.Round 2: (54) , LB, 0 games/0 starts.Round 3: (97) , CB, 11 games/11 starts.Round 5: (164) , OG, 1 game/0 starts; (178) , DT, 15 games/5 starts.Round 6: (194) , DT, 13 games/0 starts.Round 7: (237) , WR, 0 games/0 starts. Shook: The jewel of this cla s could end up being McMillan, who looked good in preseason before suffering a torn ACL that ended his rookie campaign in August. In the meantime, that honor belongs to Godchaux, who was an important and productive part of Miami's defensive interior, recording 40 tackles and a forced fumble. Tankersley also exceeded expectations, stepping into a starting role and excelling in Miami's young -- but promising -- secondary. There's hope for Harris, who recorded 19 tackles and two sacks in spot appearances behind veteran , but didn't seem to validate his first-round selection. We still don't know what Miami will get out of Asiata, who didn't take advantage of the ' interior-line i sues during his rookie campaign. GRADE: C New York Jets Round 1: (No. 6 overall) , S, 16 games/16 starts.Round 2: (39) , S, 16 games/16 starts.Round 3: (79) , WR, 15 games/2 starts.Round 4: (141) , WR, 15 games/1 start.Round 5: (150) , TE, 0 games/0 starts; (181) , DL, 4 games/0 startsRound 6: (188) , RB, 16 games/2 starts; (197) , CB, 1 games/0 starts; (204) , CB, 3 games/0 starts. Shook: For the amount of picks spent, this draft didn't yield much in Year 1 beyond Adams (and Maye, which incensed fans were quick to point out this week). The playmaking safety stepped into a leadership role rather quickly, but he also took lumps typical of a rookie seeing a starting role immediately. New York whiffed on both receivers, and Leggett didn't play a game, ending the season on IR. Silver lining from this cla s: McGuire contributed Joaquin Benoit Jersey in the running and pa sing games. As is the case for many young, inexperienced and talent-thin teams, these guys could see jumps in performance in Years 2 and 3. As of now, though, this draft didn't bring much quality to Gotham. GRADE: C- Oakland Raiders Round 1: (No. 24 overall) , CB, 2 games/0 starts.Round 2: (56) , S, 5 games/1 start.Round 3: (87) , DT, 16 games/13 starts.Round 4: (129) , OT, 5 games/2 starts.Round 5: (168) , LB, 13 games/6 starts.Round 7: (221) , S, 16 games/1 start; (231) , OT, 1 games/0 starts; (242) , RB, 1 games/0 starts; (244) , DT, 14 games/1 start. Shook: This draft's top two picks had their rookie seasons severely limited by injuries, with just seven games and one start combined. Conley's shin injury landed him on injured reserve, with Melifonwu coming off IR (knee) before landing on IR again (hip) near the end of the season. Oakland did find some worthwhile contributors in Lee and Hester, which is a credit to their deeper scouting abilities. GRADE: D+(Though "incomplete" might be more accurate, given the injuries. This grade can significantly improve with healthy and productive seasons from Conley and Melifonwu.) Seattle Seahawks Bergman: It's an odd year when your best draft selection was a seventh-rounder who mi sed three-quarters of the season, but that was 2017 in Seattle. Though limited by injury, Carson flashed the talent to be a workhorse. His poor health opened up the door for other young backs, including and , but no one outran . Griffin's selection will prove to be most important this offseason, as major changes are expected in the leaking Legion of Boom. Pocic made the filling in at guard, but Pro Football Focus was not fond of his play (next-to-last among qualified guards). The jury is obviously out on McDowell, who mi sed the whole year after suffering an injury in an ATV accident. GRADE: C This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be mi sing content or contain faulty links. 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