Mel Kiper’s NFL Draft Grades Have Eagles, Bucs At Top

The most recognizable draftnik has handed out his grades for the 2012 NFL Draft. ESPN's Mel Kiper graded out every team in the NFL Draft last weekend and his final analysis has the Philadelphia Eagles and Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the highest grades in the class, both A's, which he defines as exceptional.

The Eagles moved up in Round 1 to select Mississippi State DT Fletcher Cox, saw Cal LB Mychal Kendricks drop to them in Round 2 and then used another second round pick on Marshall DE Vinny Curry, who was rising up draft boards. QB Nick Foles was a nice value in Round 3, and I really like the Brandon Boykin pick in Round 4.

The Bucs' big move was trading down in Round 1 and still picking up Alabama safety Mark Barron. That's an interesting pick because it wasn't really until a couple of days before the draft before the top 10 buzz on Barron started. The Bucs moved back into Round 1 to select Doug Martin, the second best running back in the draft. They also picked up Nebraska linebacker Lavonte David in Round 2.

The Cincinnati Bengals, who I think had the best draft, received an A- from Kiper, which is fair. It's obviously up for debate, but I still believe the Bengals came away with the best class.