The PML draft has come and gone, but there were a lot of teams that excelled with their selections. Majority of the teams that drafted in the first round had a very successful overall draft despite reaching for a few players. We are going to analyze the most surprising pick of the draft, the steal of the draft, and the bust of the draft.
| Team | 1st Round Selection | 1st Round Grade | Overall Draft Grade |
| Kansas City Chiefs | FS James Williams | A+ | A |
| Carolina Panthers | WR Marvin Harrison Jr | A+ | B |
| New England Patriots | QB Caleb Williams | A+ | B- |
| San Francisco 49ers | WR Jalin Hyatt | A+ | B |
| San Francisco 49ers | LE Korey Foreman | A+ | B |
| Indianapolis Colts | TE Brock Bowers | A+ | A+ |
| Los Angeles Chargers | LE J.T. Tuimoloau | A | B |
| Washington Commanders | RT Joe Alt | A | B+ |
| Kansas City Chiefs | WR Emika Egbuka | A | A |
| Green Bay Packers | RT Amarius Mims | A | B+ |
| Chicago Bears | TE Gee Scott Jr. | D | B+ |
| Chicago Bears | DT Damon Payne Jr. | A | B+ |
| Tennesee Titans | CB Kool-Ade McKinstry | A+ | B+ |
| Philadelphia Eagles | QB Drake Maye | A | A |
| Denver Broncos | ROLB Saivion Jones | D | B |
| Dallas Cowboys | ROLB Keanu Koht | C | B |
| Baltimore Ravens | WR Xavier Worthy | A+ | B |
| Kansas City Chiefs | LOLB Dallas Turner | A+ | A |
| Seattle Seahawks | DT Shemar Turner | B | A |
| Baltimore Ravens | HB Braelon Allen | A | B |
| New York Jets | RE Jack Sawyer | B | B- |
| Detroit Lions | DT Jared HarrisonHunte | B | A |
| Indianapolis Colts | RG Donovan Jackson | B+ | A+ |
| New York Giants | TE Michael Trigg | B+ | B- |
| Indianapolis Colts | QB Quinn Ewers | A+ | A+ |
| Tennesee Titans | WR Johnny Wilson | B- | B+ |
| Las Vegas Raiders | QB Jayden Daniels | B | B |
| Dallas Cowboys | HB TreVeyon Henderson | A+ | B |
| Miami Dolphins | WR Mario Williams | B+ | A |
| Chicago Bears | MLB Smael Mondon Jr. | C | B+ |
| Los Angeles Rams | LE Elliot Donald | B | B+ |
| Buffalo Bills | N/A | N/A | C+ |
| Cleveland Browns | N/A | N/A | B |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | N/A | N/A | C+ |
| Minnesota Vikings | N/A | N/A | B+ |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | N/A | N/A | C+ |
| Houston Texans | N/A | N/A | D+ |
| Atlanta Falcons | N/A | N/A | C+ |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | N/A | N/A | D |
| New Orleans Saints | N/A | N/A | B+ |
| Arizona Cardinals | N/A | N/A | A |
Most Surprising Pick –
Baltimore Ravens, Pick 2.25, SS Bryan Addison (58 overall) –
The Baltimore Ravens had two very strong selections in the first round, but drafting Addison feels like a reach, especially when SS Alton Julian was still available at this point in the draft. Julian also fits the sub linebacker requirements for the league and is faster, can jump higher, and is an all around better prospect. Addison is 6’5” with 89 speed, but there isn’t very much else that’s desirable about him. This selection was a bit of a head scratcher for me, but despite the pick, the Baltimore Ravens had one helluva draft.
Steal of the Draft –
New Orleans Saints, Pick 5.7, LOLB Scooby Williams (75 Overall) –
The New Orleans Saints came into the draft with 5 picks and the made the most of them picking up three 70+ players with their first three selections, but being able to get one of the highest rated linebackers in the draft in the fifth round was a steal. Williams only has 83 speed, which is why he fell, but he is a solid pass rushing linebacker in a 4-3 scheme. He isn’t very strong, but on a defensive line composed of Joey Bosa, Cameron Jordan, and Marcus Davenport, you can expect Scooby to get some one on one matchups that he can absolutely exploit.
Bust of the Draft –
Chicago Bears, Pick 1.11, TE Gee Scott Jr. (59 Overall)
The Chicago Bears came into the draft with more picks in the first 100 than any other team. I don’t think that Scott Jr. is going to be a bust on this team, but for this article’s sake, drafting him in the top half of the draft feels odd. He has amazing physical traits and his change of direction and agility are top notch, in fact, Scott Jr. has the second highest change of direction rating (86) in the league. However, most of his attributes are in the 50s, but if SP can put some content points into him, then this selection can be saved after all.
