Raiders, Browns top draft analysts early grades … We generally prefer to chew on the draft for a couple of days before posting grades, but waiting apparently doesn’t sell a lot of tickets so most major outlets weigh in right away. And while there was a lot of variation in reviewing the grades from sources such as ESPN, CBS Sports, USA Today, and the NFL Network, the two teams that did consistently show up at or near the top of the list were Las Vegas and Cleveland. The Raiders, of course, got QB Fernando Mendoza with the first pick overall, then added a rising secondary in Treydan Stukes in the 2nd, before crushing the 4th round by getting top-15 quality CB Jermod McCoy, who dropped because of injury concerns, along with thumping RB Mike Washington, who’ll pair nicely with 2025 first founder Ashton Jeanty. Meanwhile, the Browns did okay with their two first round picks in OT Spencer Fano and WR KC Concepcion, but then aced their next two picks getting a couple more first-round quality players in WR Denzel Boston and S Emanual McNeil-Warren with their next two selections. Meanwhile, other teams that their fair share of top grades included both New York teams, as well as Buffalo, Arizona, and Dallas, while teams that consistently showed up near the bottom included Atlanta, Minnesota, Jacksonville, Houston, Tennessee, Cincinnati and the LA Rams. It is important to remember, though, that those grades usually only include the players that teams actually drafted and in many cases where and how often they picked reflected earlier trades involving veterans and what they gained or lost in those trades was generally added into the analysis.
