After reviewing each division in the NFC, we finally move to the AFC side of things with more 2020 NFL Draft Grades. Kicking things off with the AFC East, it feels like a division up for grabs. Could it be any man’s game? How did the Patriots, Bills, Dolphins, and Jets do during the 2020 NFL Draft? Let’s hand out draft grades.
Buffalo Bills: Grade B+
- Round 2, Pick No. 54: A.J. Epenesa, DE, Iowa
- Round 3, Pick No. 86: Zack Moss, RB, Utah
- Round 4, Pick No. 128: Gabriel Davis, WR, UCF
- Round 5, Pick No. 167: Jake Fromm, QB, Georgia
- Round 6, Pick No. 188: Tyler Bass, K, Georgia Southern
- Round 6, Pick No. 207: Isaiah Hodgins, WR, Oregon State
- Round 7, Pick No. 239: Dane Jackson, CB, Pittsburgh
I think the Bills did a great job here. I wouldn’t have paid that big of a price for Stefon Diggs, but when you add him into this group, you like what you see. AJ Epenesa lacked athleticism and fell because of it. However, this is a good football player. I’m not sure I saw the big high end ceiling but he’s a former 5 star recruit with a lot of production. I’ll take that in round 2.
I thought Zack Moss was a good pick too. Adding him to the Devin Singletary group works. That’s a nice one-two punch right there. Moss gives Buffalo that Frank Gore they were missing.
Even the middle round picks were good value. Gabriel Davis is a bit of a one trick pony but he fits what they do. Deep ball specialist with size. Josh Allen is going to like him. Jake Fromm in the 5th round? I’ll take that. Tyler Bass was thought of as the top kicker. Works for me.
Miami Dolphins: Grade A+
- Round 1, Pick No. 5: Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Alabama
- Round 1, Pick No. 18: Austin Jackson, OT, USC
- Round 1, Pick No. 30: Noah Igbinoghene, CB, Auburn
- Round 2, Pick No. 39: Robert Hunt, G, Louisiana
- Round 2, Pick No. 56: Raekwon Davis, DT, Alabama
- Round 3, Pick No. 70: Brandon Jones, S, Texas
- Round 4, Pick No. 111: Solomon Kindley, G, Georgia
- Round 5, Pick No. 154: Jason Strowbridge, DE, North Carolina
- Round 5, Pick No. 164: Curtis Weaver, OLB, Boise State
- Round 6, Pick No. 185: Blake Ferguson, LS, LSU
- Round 7, Pick No. 246: Malcolm Perry, WR, Navy
The Miami Dolphins landed a Hall of Fame quarterback. Nothing else matters. Congrats, Miami, you just won the draft.
Okay, let’s go over everything else. Austin Jackson feels like a risky pick. I don’t think that’s the direction I would have gone in. Feels like a developmental tackle with a very low floor. I also don’t know a ton about Robert Hunt. I have zero notes on him. Not sure how that happened. The positive thing is that they’re trying to protect. I do love the Solomon Kindley pick. That’s my guy right there. Kindley and Andrew Thomas opened up big holes at Georgia. That’s a great 4th round pick.
Noah Igbinoghene I don’t feel 100 percent confident in but I like it better than some of the other corners taken ahead of him. Plus, Miami traded down a bunch to limit risk. Raekwon Davis was a pick I liked. Can’t go wrong with those Alabama defensive lineman.
What may have put this draft over the top were the two late round picks of Jason Strowbridge and Curtis Weaver. Strowbridge put on a show at the Senior Bowl. He’s got some real upside to him. Weaver is a bit on the other spectrum. He’s got great production but won’t test well. LOVE those picks.
New England Patriots: Grade F
- Round 2, Pick No. 37: Kyle Dugger, S, Lenoir-Rhyne
- Round 2, Pick No. 60: Josh Uche, LB, Michigan
- Round 3, Pick No. 87: Anfernee Jennings, LB, Alabama
- Round 3, Pick No. 91: Devin Asiasi, TE, UCLA
- Round 3, Pick No. 101: Dalton Keene, TE, Virginia Tech
- Round 5, Pick No. 159: Justin Rohrwasser, K, Marshall
- Round 6, Pick No. 182: Michael Onwenu, G, Michigan
- Round 6, Pick No. 195: Justin Herron, OT, Wake Forest
- Round 6, Pick No. 204: Cassh Maluia, LB, Wyoming
- Round 7, Pick No. 230: Dustin Woodard, C, Memphis
I’m not even going to guess on Kyle Dugger. I don’t watch D2 football. I think he looked like he belonged at the Senior Bowl but I’m concerned he might be a better linebacker. Don’t even know what Dugger is yet.
I like the Josh Uche and Anfernee Jennings picks. New England desperately needed to improve the pass rushing unit. They did that with these two. Uche is one of my sleepers heading into the draft. Jennings was a productive player at Bama but could still improve as a rusher. It’s hard to complain about these two picks.
After that, this draft went down the shitter. Bill Belichick really needs to hand the draft over to a personnel guy or fire the one he has because he keeps throwing away picks. Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keane? What are you doing? There were much better options available. Hunter Bryant didn’t get drafted. I’ll bet the two he drafted aren’t 4 rounds better.
I change my mind. This draft is an F. Jarrett Stidham is the starting quarterback next year and they didn’t draft one.
New York Jets: Grade F
- Round 1, Pick No. 11: Mekhi Becton, OT, Louisville
- Round 2, Pick No. 59: Denzel Mims, WR, Baylor
- Round 3, Pick No. 68: Ashtyn Davis, S, California
- Round 3, Pick No. 79: Jabari Zuniga, DE, Florida
- Round 4, Pick No. 120: Lamical Perine, RB, Florida
- Round 4, Pick No. 125: James Morgan, QB, Florida International
- Round 4, Pick No. 129: Cameron Clark, OT, Charlotte
- Round 5, Pick No. 158: Bryce Hall, CB, Virginia
- Round 6, Pick No. 191: Braden Mann, P, Texas A&M
Pray for Sam Darnold. This is a bad football team and they didn’t get much better. I should clarify. There’s a chance they got almost nothing out of this draft.
I worry about Mekhi Becton. Some of the pass rushing metrics on him aren’t great. He almost might be too big. He’s got some big splash blocks but I’m not sure he’s dominant snap to snap. You might get Bryant McKinnie. You might get a big bust. Becton just feels much more bust prone than the other 3 tackles.
I never got the Denzel Mims hype. Eric Stokes kicked his ass in the Sugar Bowl and he can’t catch. I thought he had some interesting height, weight, speed elements, but the idea this was a first round pick was silly. The Jets need reliable targets. This could be a flat out bust too.
Joe Douglas is clueless, man. The Jets whiffed on Jachai Polite last year. Joe Douglas sat there and did the same shit with Jabari Zuniga. What a clownshow franchise. Ashtyn Davis 24 year old rookie… pass. Safety version of Chad Hansen.
I can go on and on. Lamical Perine. You know, the more I think about it, the more I don’t like him. Related to Semaje Perine. That’s not great. I thought about it some more. What was Semaje Perine’s elite trait? Didn’t have one. What’s Lamical’s elite trait? Doesn’t have one. Average at everything. Guy you draft to fill out a roster and cut 3 years later.
James Morgan? What are we doing here? Was that necessary in the 4th round on a team that has the worst roster in the league? Somebody send a clown nose to Joe Douglas. He will never turn this team around.
The two best picks they had were Bryce Hall and Braden Mann. At least they will get good field position when they punt the whole game. Not because of Darnold. Because this team has zero talent around him.
