Some of us would have enjoyed high school math a whole lot more if the grades had been as gentle as the ones that typically summarize team performances during and immediately following the NFL draft.
A brief perusal of grade sheets on Sunday morning suggested nary a general manager will be wearing a Trubisky-sized dunce cap when this draft can be truly graded in early 2024.
One grade sheet handed out A's to 19 teams. Houston's C was the only grade lower than a B-minus.
ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr., the man who birthed the beast that is the mock draft, gave only three grades lower than B-minus. The Colts, Saints and Steelers got C-pluses from Mel.
No grades other than incomplete will be distributed here, but here are some still-too-early "likes" and "dislikes":
Likes
• Chicago having the guts (and desperation) to trade up for another blockbuster swing at QB. Justin Fields is worth it.
• Dave Gettleman trading down for the first two times as Giants GM and scoring picks in 2022's first, third and fourth rounds.
• Someone convincing Jerry Jones to sign off on the Cowboys using their first six picks and eight of 10 on defense.
• The need-everything Lions staying put at No. 7 and getting top tackle Penei Sewell to help protect lead-footed QB Jared Goff.
• The Packers going defense and taking Georgia's Eric Stokes, a corner with 4.29 speed and a 78-inch wingspan at No. 29.
• The Patriots getting Mac Jones without having to trade up, and then moving up for DT Christian Barmore, a second-round steal.
• The 49ers seeing Trey Lance's superstar ceiling and giving up on Jimmy Garoppolo, who has 30 starts in four years as a 49er.
• The Eagles trading out of the top 10, back into the top 10, picking up a 2022 first-rounder and still landing DeVonta Smith.
• The Falcons adding Kyle Pitts to Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley. That 26th-ranked red-zone offense got a lot better.
• The Browns trading up in the second round when Notre Dame linebacker and first-round talent Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah fell.
• The Vikings turning their trade with the Jets into a starting left tackle, a potential starting guard and a QB to develop.
Dislikes
• The Jets giving up on 23-year-old Sam Darnold. Pitts or Ja'Marr Chase could have joined the Jets' offensive windfall.
• Broncos GM George Paton trading for Teddy Bridgewater before the draft and then not taking Fields ninth overall.
• The Rams not having a first-round pick for a fifth straight year and then using a second-round pick on a 155-pound receiver.
• Carolina using the eighth overall pick on cornerback Jaycee Horn when it could have given Darnold a top tackle or receiver.
• Cincinnati taking Chase fifth overall instead of spending that pick on a tackle to keep Joe Burrow off IR.
• The Jaguars and Steelers for picking running backs in the first round. Especially the Jags, who had bigger needs there.
• Washington for letting the Bears jump them for Fields and then going defense at No. 20 when OTs were there.
• Seattle having three picks and no first-rounder. Slot receiver D'Wayne Eskridge had better pan out as a second-rounder.
• The Raiders doing what they normally do: Raising eyebrows by reaching on another first-rounder, tackle Alex Leatherwood.
• The Cardinals not taking a cornerback at 16 or trading down and grabbing either Caleb Farley or Greg Newsome II.
• The Colts going defensive end with their first two picks when left tackle was such a huge need. Poor Carson Wentz.
