NFL Draft Grades - NFC South
With the 2019 NFL Draft officially complete, theScore's NFL editors hand out their initial grades for how teams fared over the course of the three-day event.
NFC
EAST | NORTH | SOUTH | WEST
AFC
EAST | NORTH | SOUTH | WEST
Atlanta Falcons
| Round | Pick | Player |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 | G Chris Lindstrom |
| 1 | 31 | OT Kaleb McGary |
| 4 | 111 | CB Kendall Sheffield |
| 4 | 135 | DE John Cominsky |
| 5 | 152 | RB Quadree Ollison |
| 5 | 172 | CB Jordan Miller |
| 6 | 203 | WR Marcus Green |
The Falcons prioritized offensive linemen early - and if you watched Atlanta last year, you'd understand why - but both of their first-round picks were reaches. Competent guards are typically easy to find in the middle rounds, yet general manager Thomas Dimitroff took one 14th overall. The veteran then traded back into the first round for McGary, a projected Day 2 pick. The rest of the class is unlikely to produce more than a few replacement-level rotation players.
Grade: C-
Carolina Panthers
| Round | Pick | Player |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 | EDGE Brian Burns |
| 2 | 37 | OT Greg Little |
| 3 | 100 | QB Will Grier |
| 4 | 115 | EDGE Christian Miller |
| 5 | 154 | RB Jordan Scarlett |
| 6 | 212 | OT Dennis Daley |
| 7 | 237 | WR Terry Godwin |
Burns and Little address the two greatest needs Carolina carried into the draft, but both are considered boom-or-bust prospects. Grier should have a better chance of keeping the Panthers alive if Cam Newton misses time for an injury over Taylor Heinicke, but the third round is a little premature to start seeking out backups. The rest of the group contains a nice mix of players who could carve out small - but meaningful - roles as rookies. This class certainly has potential, but the Panthers need it to produce stars to halt their descent in the NFC South.
Grade: B-
New Orleans Saints
| Round | Pick | Player |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 48 | OL Erik McCoy |
| 4 | 105 | S Chauncey Gardner-Johnson |
| 6 | 177 | S Saquan Hampton |
| 7 | 231 | TE Alize Mack |
| 7 | 244 | LB Kaden Elliss |
It's hard to grade such a small class, but that's what happens when an organization trades numerous picks the year before. New Orleans dipped into its 2020 pool of selections to sneak into the second round for McCoy, a nice prospect but also an unnecessary one given the depth of the Saints' offensive line. Gardner-Johnson was a solid fourth-round value pick, but their three other draftees are probably destined for special teams or the practice squad in a year New Orleans is all-in.
Grade: C
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
| Round | Pick | Player |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | LB Devin White |
| 2 | 39 | CB Sean Bunting |
| 3 | 94 | CB Jamel Dean |
| 3 | 99 | S Mike Edwards |
| 4 | 107 | DE Anthony Nelson |
| 5 | 145 | K Matt Gay |
| 6 | 208 | WR Scott Miller |
| 7 | 215 | DT Terry Beckner Jr. |
It's hard to fault the White pick, but none of the other selections inspire much confidence. The premature selections of Bunting and Dean look to be indictments on the other corners Tampa picked early in the last few drafts. Fifth-rounder Gay represented another reach, as the former Utah kicker said he expected to go undrafted. The Buccaneers need more playmakers on both sides of the ball and are unlikely to find them from this class.