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Mel Kiper Jr. hands out only two A’s in his annual draft grades

Originally posted on ClutchPoints | By Sonny Giuliano | Last updated 4/29/24

The 2024 NFL Draft is officially in the books, and that means it’s time for ESPN’s Draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. to assign his draft grades for every team in the league. The work that Kiper and many others who handle draft coverage year-round put into this process is extensive and exhaustive, and even if you’re someone who feels as though the practice of handing out draft grades is one that would be more accurate once we’ve seen these draft classes take the field, this is still a useful exercise to determine which teams properly addressed their needs and were able to find value throughout the draft.

This year, Mel Kiper Jr. handed out just two A grades among the 32 teams in the NFL, proving one of two things: A) Nailing the NFL Draft is very, very difficult, or B) Mel Kiper Jr. is an impossibly stingy grader who would be despised by his students if he were a college professor.

So who were the two teams that received A grades? And what were some of the other notable grades Kiper handed out?

Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals entered the 2024 NFL Draft with no shortage of needs and draft capital, which isn’t necessarily the worst position to find yourself in if you’re Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort. After three quarterbacks went back-to-back-to-back with the top three selections in the Draft, it left the Cardinals in position to pick Marvin Harrison Jr., who many draft experts believed was arguably the top all-around player in the class.

But the success of the Cardinals draft didn’t stop with the selection of Harrison. Mel Kiper Jr. was also a fan of the selection of Darius Robinson, a Senior Bowl riser, with 27th pick in the draft, as well as the selection of Florida State running back Trey Benson, the #2 running back on Kiper’s big board. He also commended Ossenfort for making an effort to find immediate contributors in the secondary.

“All in all, Ossenfort used 12 picks and hit all of the Cardinals’ top needs, including throwing four defensive backs at a porous pass D. This is a well-rounded and super-talented class,” Kiper wrote in his Draft Grades piece for ESPN.com.

Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles ended the 2023 regular season on a remarkable skid, in large part due to a defense that was 30th in points allowed per game last season. Eagles GM Howie Roseman was quick to address this need, using Philadelphia’s first three selections on impact defenders that Mel Kiper Jr. loved going into the NFL Draft.

“Roseman landed both of my top-ranked corners in Cooper DeJean (40) and Quinyon Mitchell (22), though DeJean has the versatility to play safety too. As I wrote Friday night, the Eagles crushed Day 2, also getting my favorite outside linebacker in the class in Jalyx Hunt (94),” Kiper wrote.

Kiper also noted that Howie Roseman was able to set the Eagles up for success in next year’s draft, having acquired 3rd, 4th and 5th round picks in 2025 as part of the eight trades he made over the weekend. Those eight trades set an league record for most in a single NFL Draft.

Other Notable Grades

While most other media outlets, including this one, couldn’t wait to give the Chicago Bears an A grade for the 2024 Draft, Mel Kiper Jr. was a little tougher on the Monsters of the Midway, giving Ryan Poles’ potentially transformational draft class a B. Kiper noted that he didn’t love that the Bears, who only had four draft picks heading into the weekend, used one of their five picks on Iowa punter Tory Taylor. But when you come away with Caleb Williams AND Rome Odunze in the same draft, I think the floor is a B grade.

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Washington Commanders were the only two teams that Kiper awarded with an A-. Kiper loved Pittsburgh’s effort to bolster their offensive line with the selections of Troy Fautanu, Zach Frazier, and Mason McCormick. As for Washington, Kiper noted that if 2nd overall pick Jayden Daniels becomes a star and if 67th pick Brandon Coleman develops into a reliable starter at tackle, the Commanders draft class could “go from great to amazing.”

The defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs were given a B+, with Kiper noting specifically that the trade up for Xavier Worthy, coupled with the signing of Hollywood Brown, puts the Chiefs wide receiver room in a much better position than it was last season. Meanwhile, their Super Bowl opponent, the San Francisco 49ers, were given a B- by Kiper, who thought that John Lynch reached on each of the Niners first two picks, wide receiver Ricky Pearsall and cornerback Renardo Green.

At the very bottom of the list was a C grade for Atlanta Falcons, who have been in damage control mode ever since selecting Michael Penix Jr. with the 8th overall pick in the draft.

This article first appeared on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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