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2021 NFL Draft grades for every team: Browns and Bears crush it, Cowboys flop

By Cody Williams

CLEVELAND, OHIO - APRIL 29: Mya Tomoto stands with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after announcing Greg Newsome II as the 26th pick by the Cleveland Browns during round one of the 2021 NFL Draft at the Great Lakes Science Center on April 29, 2021 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OHIO - APRIL 29: Mya Tomoto stands with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after announcing Greg Newsome II as the 26th pick by the Cleveland Browns during round one of the 2021 NFL Draft at the Great Lakes Science Center on April 29, 2021 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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2021 NFL Draft grades
Payton Turner, New Orleans Saints, 2021 NFL Draft. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

New Orleans Saints 2021 NFL Draft Grade: C+

  • Round 1, Pick 28: Payton Turner, EDGE, Houston
  • Round 2, Pick 60: Pete Werner, LB, Ohio State
  • Round 3, Pick 76: Paulson Adebo, CB, Stanford
  • Round 4, Pick 133: Ian Book, QB, Notre Dame
  • Round 6, Pick 206: Landon Young, OT, Kentucky
  • Round 7, Pick 255: Kawaan Baker, WR, South Alabama

So this doesn’t sound like I’m absolutely dogging the Saints and their draft class, we’re going to start with the positives. Being able to grab Paulson Adebo in the third round is tremendous for New Orleans and fills a big need in the secondary. Pete Werner can also be a nice player and was taken at the right spot. And Payton Turner could be a good NFL player as well.

Having said all of that, Turner was an even bigger reach than the Raiders taking Leatherwood, which needs to be mentioned more. Additionally, Ian Book was a waste of a book as he has no future as an NFL quarterback. Then the final two selections were fliers, so that’s fine, but it wasn’t inspiring.

New York Giants 2021 NFL Draft Grade: B+

  • Round 1, Pick 20: Kadarius Toney, WR, Florida
  • Round 2, Pick 50: Azeez Ojulari, EDGE, Georgia
  • Round 3, Pick 71: Aaron Robinson, CB, UCF
  • Round 4, Pick 116: Elerson Smith, EDGE, Northern Iowa
  • Round 6, Pick 196: Gary Brightwell, RB, Arizona
  • Round 6, Pick 201: Rodarius Williams, CB, Oklahoma State

Everyone made fun of Giants general manager Dave Gettleman for never trading down in the draft and he apparently took that to heart, trading back twice in the first two rounds. While I’m not huge on the Kadarius Toney pick, that was roughly the range many people expected him to go.

After that, though, New York got commendable value with both Azeez Ojulari — albeit with his injury red flags that emerged in the pre-draft process — and Aaron Robinson. But this draft does get knocked a grade because of the Day 3 picks, all three of which were a bit head-scratching. Due to the strength of the early selections, however, this still grades out well for me.

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