2017 NFL draft grades by a college fan who barely knows anything about the pros

If you’d like NFL draft grades by a professional, go here.

If you’d like NFL draft grades by a college professional who pretty much only pays attention to semi-amateur players and has little idea what pro scouts think, continue, I guess. (Last year, I had the Browns winning this thing after drafting a damn all-conference team.)

First, the 49ers, Browns, Chargers, Colts, Dolphins, Jets, Packers, Ravens, Vikings, and Washington stand out as having grabbed a lot of players who were exceptionally good at football in college. Let’s give them each a B+.

The top three (let’s slap an A on each), however, stand apart thanks to one position: QB.

Texans: Regular readers are tired of hearing about how this newsletter would follow Deshaun Watson into battle anywhere on earth. To the college fan, he’s a walking QB WINS stat whose INTANGIBLES are measured in parsecs.

“But what’s he good at?” the NFL fan asks. “What’s his one elite skill?”

One? Three.

And even an NFL simpleton like myself can realize he’s stepping into a near-perfect situation in Houston.

Elsewhere, the Texans added Vanderbilt LB Zach Cunningham (Bill Connelly’s choice for 2017’s most underrated prospect) and Carlos Watkins, another top member of Clemson’s elite defensive line. Texas’ D’Onta Foreman also ran for a lot of yards in the Big 12, a thing that excites many people.

Steelers: Before the draft, I named Tennessee QB Joshua Dobbs my choice for this year’s best sleeper QB. That was before Miami’s Brad Kaaya fell to the sixth round. Still, I’ll stand by Dobbs as being an excellent pick in the fourth.

Elsewhere: T.J. Watt? Yep. Juju? I mean, he once had to clarify whether he invited a defender to a mid-play stiffarm party, so YEP. James Conner? Oh hell yeah.

Lions: If Kaaya had gone at like No. 33, I would’ve said, “That’s a pretty good pick.” He went No. 215, this year’s totally baffling steal.

Elsewhere, the Lions added a bunch of solid defenders.