Season 62 Draft Lookback - AFC East
by adelfish | 4 years ago | 0 Comments
The Season 62 Draft Lookback - Part 1 - AFC EAST
Looking back at a draft can be really fun.
It can be a blueprint to how a team got to where it is today, it can show failures and successes, and really separate the good general managers in our league from the poor ones. It really isn't fair to judge a draft immediately, but to give that team some time with it's players and show how they can develop.
With Season 65 nearing it's close, it is time to look back at the first draft this cycle. These rookies and created players have been in the league for 3 full years now, what have they done to impact the league?
Here are some rules as to how this will work for each division....
-Best Pick
-Only grading players STILL ON THE ROSTER (if I am able to locate players you drafted and released, I will grade those as well)
-UDFAs COUNT towards your grade
There are some limitations into how 100% accurate we can be with who was drafted, but I figured taking the approach of 'what players from 3 years ago are still on this roster?' would work the best.
Now...let's go!
BUFFALO BILLS (JP)
GRADE - C
Best Player - Will McDonald (81 OVR)
Record Since S62 Draft - (21-27)
Playoff Appearences - 1 (S63, WC Loss to Broncos)
Notable Awards - None
The Bills had limited opportunity in the S62 draft, moving a lot of their picks around in the season prior to acquire players (Derek Barnett) that did ultimately work out for them. But how did they improve in the draft?
Well, the first pick was excellent, as the Bills selected Will McDonald out of California with the 17th overall pick in the draft, McDonald has developed into a very impactful power rusher (90 PMV, 90 STR), and has helped Buffalo elevate into a really consistent run defense. McDonald has played every snap since joining the Bills, with a career high of 8 sacks his rookie season.
As you can see above the picks really fall off after, as the next pick to remain on the roster comes in the 6th round with cornerback Cardale Bryson. Bryson hasn't made much of an impact, but has developed into a solid depth corner (80 ZCV, 92 SPD, 71 PRC). He has 0 career interceptions, but has found his way in on dime packages and special teams.
After we get past the players Buffalo selected, we get into a somewhat interesting UDFA pool. Safety Ramone Whitfield (66 OVR) has actually been a special teamer and fill-in for Buffalo at the safety spot, and has performed well when relied upon. Daryl Dotson (FB, 67 OVR) has been the team's fullback since he was drafted, and I actually like backup offensive tackle Brian Whitaker (87 STR, 75 PBK, 70 RBK). He has put some time into developing this class of UDFAs.
Overall, I give this class a C, and the real saving grace is McDonald. Without him, the Bills are getting virtually no snaps from this draft class. Any players selected outside of McDonald and Bryson are now gone, but factoring in the trade for Derek Barnett certainly helps an argument.
MIAMI DOLPHINS (BM)
GRADE - B+
Best Player - Zach Breaston (86 OVR)
Record Since S62 Draft - (25-25)
Playoff Appearences - 1 (S63, AFC Championship Game loss to Jaguars)
Notable Awards - None
The Dolphins has two 1st round picks originally in this draft, moving one to the Denver Broncos for Von Miller, and then they traded more picks to the Giants to secure the 2nd overall pick, and select safety Zach Breaston.
Breaston was easily the top safety prospect coming into the draft, and the Dolphins loved him so much they traded the farm to get him. Breaston has accounted for 17 interceptions in 3 years, and helped the Dolphins with a deep playoff run in Season 63, but outside of that there has been up and down team success.
There is no doubt Breaston has helped improve Miami's defense, as despite their average record, they've consistently had a top half pass defense. Still at the age of 24, and already developed into an OVR of 86, Breaston has a long, bright future in Miami.
Alex McMillian has been with the Dolphins since he was drafted, and has developed into their goal-line guy in their running back by committee approach. He is clearly the best back on their roster with Ito Smith and Matt Breida, and has totaled 27 touchdowns in 3 seasons with the Dolphins. He has really outperformed his 4th round selection, and should be around for awhile.
The Dolphins had great value late in the 4th round with defensive end Jonathan Howard out of South Carolina, who has been a rotational lineman for his career, totaling 4 sacks in 3 years. 5th round wideout Frank Jeffrey has seen very limited action, but has consistently earned a spot on the final 53 each year of his career.
The Dolphins secured 1 very good player, 1 solid starter, and some contributors from this class. It didn't blow anyone away, but the selections of Breaston and McMillian are two good pieces to add to this puzzle. If they could go back in time, I bet they keep both those 1st rounders....
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (GLENN)
GRADE - B
Best Player - Rashuan McGee (79 OVR)
Record Since S62 Draft - (10-33)
Playoff Appearences - 0
Notable Awards - None
Following a season that saw the Patriots finish 6-10, they actually exceeded expectations for some. They had acquired two strong defensive linemen throughout the season (Jonathan Allen & Solomon Thomas), and added a third in the 1st round with defensive end Rashuan McGee out of Oklahoma State. McGee tested off the charts at the combine, especially at the the 40 (88 SPD), and was seen initially as a rotational guy for the Pats.
McGee has improved each year of his career, totaling 9 sacks in his first two years, now finishing his third full season with a career high 8 sacks, and 1 defensive touchdown. McGee is trending towards becoming a double digit sack guy, and at 24 years old he still has room to grow.
In the 5th round the Patriots selected wide receiver Matt Gabriel, an Alabama product who fell in the draft due to poor straight line speed (88 SPD), but was exceptional at catching the football. The Patriots kept him around for three years, and are starting to see a payoff. Gabriel has improved every single year, setting career numbers in Season 64 with 728 yards and 4 touchdowns after carving out a bigger role for himself, and has another 528 yards this season. Gabriel clearly is not a number one threat, but has become a chains-mover type of player for the Patriots.
3rd rounder Russ Darby out of Florida is a rotational linebacker for the Pats, and has contributed 20+ tackles per season, along with an average of 2 turnovers forced. For a backup linebacker and primarily special teamer, that is great value in the 3rd round.
7th round guard Caleb Walton is currently the starting left guard for the Patriots, which can be viewed as good or bad. The Patriots offense is currently ranked in the bottom half of the league, and Walton is still a massive project, but once again getting valuable snaps from your 7th round players is great value.
Overall, this draft has been interesting to watch. Glenn has stuck with his picks, and focused on development, and in the cases of McGee and Gabriel, it is really starting to pay off. This hasn't lead to a ton of on-field success, but there is no doubt Glenn has been better than advertised, and these players have helped with that.
NEW YORK JETS (MOJI)
GRADE - A-
Best Player - Will Turner (90 OVR)
Record Since S62 Draft - 37-12
Playoff Appearences - 3 (S63, WC Loss to Jaguars - S64, WC Loss to Colts, S65 TBD)
Notable Awards - AFC East Champion 3x
Closing out the AFC East is the team that has seen the most success, under head coach Mike Mojica. In the first draft, the Jets were fresh off an AFC Championship Game appearence, and saw an opportunity to make the roster better immediately and make a run again.
The Jets traded both of their 1sts in this draft (theirs and Seattle's) along with two 2nds and a 3rd to move around the draft, acquire tight end Zach Ertz, and wide receiver Allen Robinson (their Season 63 1st). They essentially gave up two years of 1's, 2's, and 3's to acquire Ertz, Robinson and Turner. Did it pay off?
Turner is an absolute monster, as we all knew coming into the draft. He was up there with Stephen Silvers as the 'safest' players in the draft, and this pass rusher out of Washington has certainly lived up to expectations.
Still 23 years old, Turner has accounted for 34 sacks, 6 forced fumbles, and 2 interceptions in his short 3 year career, among the best in terms of getting after the quarterback. Since his arrival, the Jets have become a top ten to top five defense every single year, and he has lead the way in terms of tackles for loss and sacks.
The scariest part of all this is Turner is only 23, he has so much room for growth, and his Superstar development will accelerate that. When all is said and done, Turner will easily be a top 2-3 player from this class. Right now he is currently the 3rd best 'Overall', behind Stephen Silvers (94) and Terrelle Kendricks (91). This guy is a bonafide superstar.
The rest of the class was depth, as Moji traded the remainder of his picks to secure a second 4th round pick, taking wide receiver Marcus Harvin, and fullback Bernie Rush. Harvin had a 21 reception season in his rookie year, and has fallen behind on the depth chart since. Bernie Rush has been the team's fullback since he was drafted, but his on-field production is very limited. It is worth mentioning that he is the lead blocker for the league's 4th best rushing attack in Season 65.
Overall, this draft is centered around Will Turner, which is a fantastic piece to have. Despite the limited assets, the Jets acquired the best rookie in the division, and have seen the best production from any rookie. I do have to knock them for only adding one real contributor outside of him, but this is still a successful draft day.