2024 NFL Draft Report Card Report

The 2024 NFL draft was anticipated to be one of the most chaotic in recent memory. While we did not get the blockbuster trade-ups everyone was predicting, the draft still made history. A record 14 picks of straight offense. Six quarterbacks in the first 12 picks. A Michael Penix Jr. first-round selection. And that’s just the first round. 

Now that the dust has settled and we’ve all had a few days to digest all 257 selections made this past weekend, it is time for us to get to the fun part: wild speculation. We have consolidated draft grades from the most prominent sports sources and football minds all into one place. Today, we’ll break down the consensus best, worst, and most polarizing draft classes of 2024. This is … the 2024 Draft Report Card Report.

The grading class for this season is as robust as ever, with 25 report cards from all corners of the Internet. We’ve tapped the following football minds to create our composite GPAs:

Each year, we take these evaluations and convert each letter grade to a numeric scale, from 0.0 for an F to 4.3 for an A+, then calculate the grade point average for each team.

While the last 20 years of Report Card Reports have been lost to time, dedicated historians can still find them via the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine: (2023), (2022), (2021), (2020), (2019), (2018), (2017), (2016), (2015), (2014), (2013), (2012), (2011), (2010), (2009), (2008), (2007), (2006), (2005), (2004).

Highest Draft Grades

1. Pittsburgh Steelers

GPA: 3.988
Highest Grade: A+ (9 total)
Lowest Grade: B (Maske)

• Round 1: No. 20: Troy Fautanu, G, Washington
• Round 2: No. 51: Zach Frazier, C, West Virginia
• Round 3: No. 84: Roman Wilson, WR, Michigan
• Round 3: No. 98: Payton Wilson, LB, North Carolina State
• Round 4: No. 119: Mason McCormick, G, South Dakota State
• Round 6: No. 178: Logan Lee, DT, Iowa
• Round 6: No. 195: Ryan Watts, CB, Texas

Of all the draft hauls in 2024, none invigorated our graders quite like Pittsburgh’s. Six of our graders only gave out one A+ this season, and four of those went to the Steelers. In total, Pittsburgh finished the draft with 9 A+’s, nearly doubling the next-highest team. 

Is there anything more Steelers than loading up on the trenches? Offensive line was the name of the game for Pittsburgh on draft weekend, picking their second straight first-round offensive tackle in as many years and following that up with a guard pick in the second round. NBC’s Dvorchak lauded Pittsburgh for both the Troy Fautanu and Zach Frazier selections, completely reinvigorating their pass blocking with two new quarterbacks in tow. Reuter considered all three of Pittsburgh’s offensive linemen – Fautanu, Frazier, and fourth-round interior lineman Mason McCormick – to bemassive value plays. According to Next Gen Stats, Pittsburgh picked up the second-best draft value of any team in the league behind the Detroit Lions. 

The real magic for Pittsburgh was made in the third round, landing a pair of falling Wilsons. Michigan receiver Roman Wilson is an incredibly shifty receiver that can line up outside and in the slot, and he gets an automatic bump for entering the Steelers Wide Receiver Factory. While it may not be the powerhouse it used to be, Pittsburgh can still churn out legitimate wide receiver talent. The most polarizing pick of the draft has to go to North Carolina State linebacker Payton Wilson was one of the top linebackers in the class and the SBNation crew’s favorite pick from Pittsburgh. The troubling part: Wilson fell to the third round after medicals revealed he has no ACL in one of his knees. That, coupled with a long injury history, made the linebacker more of a high-upside flier than a home-run in some graders’ eyes. 

2. Philadelphia Eagles

GPA: 3.844
Highest Grade: A+ (4 total)
Lowest Grade: B- (Maske)

• Round 1: No. 22: Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Toledo 
• Round 2: No. 40: Cooper DeJean, CB, Iowa
• Round 3: No. 94: Jalyx Hunt, Edge, Houston Christian
• Round 4: No. 127: Will Shipley, RB, Clemson
• Round 5: No. 152: Ainias Smith, WR, Texas A&M
• Round 5: No. 155: Jeremiah Trotter Jr., LB, Clemson
• Round 5: No. 172: Trevor Keegan, G, Michigan 
• Round 6: No. 185: Johnny Wilson, WR, Florida State 
• Round 6: No. 190: Dylan McMahon, G, NC State

While falling short of their record-setting 4.17 composite GPA set in 2023, the Philadelphia Eagles once again find themselves near the top of the GPA ranks. Philadelphia kicked off the draft by addressing one of their biggest needs at cornerback. After finishing 29th in defensive passing DVOA last season, the Eagles selected back-to-back cornerbacks in Toledo’s Quinyon Mitchell and Iowa’s Cooper DeJean. PFF handed them an A+ for the move, listing both cornerbacks in the top 10 on their big board. Howie Roseman stayed busy in the middle rounds in what Nystrom described as “John Wick mode.” Philadelphia traded down multiple times, netting third-, fourth-, and fifth-round picks in the 2025 draft across a record eight separate trades. 

When they did actually make their pick, Philadelphia took high-upside swings at depth positions. Tanier highlighted Houston Christian edge rusher Jalyx Hunt as a “pre-draft superstar” who definitely needs some time to grow. Kelly considered the Day 3 receiver duo of Texas A&M’s Ainias Smith and Florida State’s Johnny Wilson as “very intriguing,” while Winks pegged Will Shipley as his “RB sleeper of the year.” 

Maske docked the team for not addressing the offensive line until Day 3, but that was the only major complaint among graders. 

3. Chicago Bears

GPA: 3.772
Highest Grade: A+ (5 total)
Lowest Grade: B- (Tanier)

• Round 1: No. 1: Caleb Williams, QB, USC
• Round 1: No. 9: Rome Odunze, WR, Washington
• Round 3: No. 75: Kiran Amegadjie, OT, Yale 
• Round 4: No. 122: Tory Taylor, P, Iowa 
• Round 5: No. 144: Austin Booker, Edge, Kansas

The Bears had the fewest picks of any team in this draft, but it didn’t matter because of the return. Caleb Williams? Check. Good job for not balking at the electric, high-upside quarterback prospect. The organization also learned from their mistakes with Justin Fields and actually provided some infrastructure around the rookie quarterback. Not only did they spend their 2024 fourth on a trade for former Chargers receiver Keenan Allen, the Bears also let one of the three blue-chip receiving talents in Rome Odunze fall right into their laps. Mellor said the Odunze selection solidified that the Bears have “everything [Williams] needs to reach his ceiling.” 

Even the supporting cast of this five-man draft class got some love. Maaddi and Kelly both linked the addition of Yale tackle Kiran Amegadjie, with Kelly highlighting his “excellent length and sky-high ceiling.” Silva liked the trade-up for “undersized if highly productive” Kansas edge rusher Austin Booker, even if it cost the Bears their 2025 fourth-rounder. 

Tanier flamed Chicago for their misuse of resources, burning the future fourth on the Booker trade and spending a current fourth on Iowa punter Tory Taylor. Even he couldn’t help but praise Taylor in a vacuum: “He had some miscues and often rugby punts, but few punters in the 21st century at any level have been asked to do as much as Taylor, and he consistently came through.” 

4. Washington Commanders

GPA: 3.700
Highest Grade: A+ (Verderame, Prisco)
Lowest Grade: B- (Maske, Winks)

• Round 1: No. 2: Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU 
• Round 2: No. 36: Jer’Zhan “Johnny” Newton, DT, Illinois 
• Round 2: No. 50: Mike Sainristil, CB, Michigan
• Round 2: No. 53: Ben Sinnott, TE, Kansas St. 
• Round 3: No. 67: Brandon Coleman, OL, TCU 
• Round 3: No. 100: Luke McCaffrey, WR, Rice
• Round 5: No. 139: Jordan Magee, LB, Temple 
• Round 5: No. 161: Dominique Hampton, S, Washington 
• Round 7: No. 222: Javontae Jean-Baptiste, Edge, Notre Dame 

Hats off to Adam Peters in his first year running the Commanders draft room. In the eyes of Verderame, Peters produced “a straight-up masterpiece.” Most draft graders loved the selection of Jayden Daniels over Drake Maye at No. 2 overall. Prisco, giving his lone A+ to Washington, went as far as to say he thinks Daniels “will be the best quarterback from this draft.” 

The praise didn’t stop at Daniels. Iyer handed out an A to Washington because he loved the perfect pair of defensive tackle Jer’Zhan Newton and cornerback Mike Sainristil in new head coach Dan Quinn’s defense. Even Winks, who gave Washington one of their lowest grades of the draft process, couldn’t help himself on the Michigan corner. “Mike Sainristil is such a dog.” While many considered Kansas State tight end Ben Sinnott to be a steal, the quarterback-turned-receiver Luke McCaffrey received a bit more of mixed praise. That being said, that was the only pick by Washington that didn’t receive universal praise. 

From Verderame: “Could Washington be this year’s Texans? I’m not ruling it out and you shouldn’t either.” 

5. Kansas City Chiefs

GPA: 3.532
Highest Grade: A (7 total)
Lowest Grade: C (Tanier)

• Round 1: No. 28: Xavier Worthy, WR, Texas
• Round 2: No. 63: Kingsley Suamataia, OT, BYU
• Round 4: No. 131: Jared Wiley, TE, TCU
• Round 4: No. 133: Jaden Hicks, S, Washington State
• Round 5: No. 159: Hunter Nourzad, G, Penn State
• Round 6: No. 211: Kamal Hadden, CB, Tennessee
• Round 7: No. 248: C.J. Hanson, G, Holy Cross

The rich get even richer, as Kansas City continues its retooling with another elite draft class. Everyone seemed to get excited about the idea of throwing the draft’s fastest receiver into the Mahomes-Reid offense, with Kelly calling it “one of the most fun team-player fits.” The rest of the draft was more about developmental talent, but our graders thought that would be the perfect option for the reigning Super Bowl champions. Winks called BYU tackle Kingsley Suamataia “a mess technically” but also “a lighter version of his cousin, Penei Sewell.” McDonald has already pegged 6-foot-6 tight end Jared Wiley “the starting tight end after Travis Kelce moves on.” Prisco loved the depth add with Washington State safety Jaden Hicks, projecting him as another eventual starter. 

Not everyone was as high on Kansas City’s draft. Tanier kicked off his summary by saying “it’s OK to not love a Chiefs draft.” The Worthy gave Tanier “the willies” because of his slender frame and he thought Suamataia was inconsistent in his tape. Most of Tanier’s dissent came from the mishandling of resources, trading up for Worthy and Suamataia.

Lowest Draft Grades

32. Atlanta Falcons

GPA: 1.472
Highest Grade: A (Verderame)
Lowest Grade: F (Tanier, Nystrom, Silva)

• Round 1: No. 8: Michael Penix Jr., QB, Washington 
• Round 2: No. 35: Ruke Orhorhoro, DT, Clemson 
• Round 3: No. 74: Bralen Trice, Edge, Washington 
• Round 4: No. 109: Brandon Dorlus, DT, Oregon 
• Round 5: No. 143: JD Bertrand, LB, Notre Dame 
• Round 6: No. 186: Jase McClellan, RB, Alabama 
• Round 6: No. 187: Casey Washington, WR, Illinois 
• Round 6: No. 197: Zion Logue, DT, Georgia

So the Penix pick was that bad, huh? Among our 25 graders, 20 of them gave Atlanta the lowest grade on their report card. The Falcons received three of the five F’s handed out and accounted for nine of the 29 D-range grades on the entire Report Card Report. Even the people wiith high evaluations of Penix couldn’t rationalize the pick. The logic just flies in the face of the four-year, $180-million contract given to Kirk Cousins. It’s a franchise going in two different directions.

If the selection of Penix at eighth overall was the only problem, maybe most graders would have been kinder. Most, however, took exception with Atlanta’s entire class. Davis considered Clemson defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro “highly talented but not all that productive” and noted better tackles were on the board. Others docked Atlanta for overpaying to even get to the pick they used on Orhorhoro. Bralen Trice, in Silva’s eyes, was a “one- or two-round reach,” while Brandon Dorlus likely ends up a rotational player. 

The only thing Nystrom put for his F-grade commentary? “I await the 30 for 30.”

31. Cleveland Browns

GPA: 2.124
Highest Grade: B+ (Maaddi, Winks)
Lowest Grade: D (Popejoy, Davis)

• Round 2: No. 54: Michael Hall Jr., DL, Ohio St.
• Round 3: No. 85: Zak Zinter, G, Michigan
• Round 5: No. 156: Jamari Thrash, WR, Louisville
• Round 6: No. 206: Nathaniel Watson, LB, Mississippi State
• Round 7: No. 227: Myles Harden, CB, South Dakota
• Round 7: No. 243: Jowon Briggs, DT, Auburn

Some years, teams just end up on the back end of the Report Card Report. Enter the Cleveland Browns, who finally completed the 2022 Deshaun Watson trade. Without their first- or fourth-round picks, the Browns did not make a pick until the middle of the second. While some certainly docked them for the lack of material, other graders simply just thought the picks were used poorly. With the limited material, Dunleavy chided Cleveland for electing to reach on Ohio State defensive linemen Michael Hall Jr. then punt on a quality talent that needs a medical redshirt in Michigan guard Zak Zinter. Nystrom thought they nailed the Hall pick but was frustrated with the Zinter pick as well as the flier on undersized Louisville wide receiver Jamari Thrash, citing a 11.3% drop rate and nearly 4-yard drop in aDOT. 

It wasn’t all hate. Winks loved the Hall and Zinter picks, while Maadi thought sixth-round linebacker Nathaniel Watson could excel in the Jim Schwartz defense. It just wasn’t enough of a haul to substantially move the needle for most graders. 

30. Carolina Panthers

GPA: 2.344
Highest Grade: B+ (Popejoy, Verderame, theScore)
Lowest Grade: F (Silva)

• Round 1: No. 32: Xavier Legette, WR, South Carolina 
• Round 2: No. 46: Jonathon Brooks, RB, Texas 
• Round 3: No. 72: Trevin Wallace, LB, Kentucky
• Round 4: No. 101: Ja’Tavion Sanders, TE, Texas
• Round 5: No. 157: Chau Smith-Wade, CB, Washington State
• Round 6: No. 200: Jaden Crumedy, DT, Mississippi State 
• Round 7: No. 240: Michael Barrett, LB, Michigan 

The Panthers are still paying off the Bryce Young trade (Chicago is extremely thankful for Caleb Williams), so assets were limited in this draft. It makes Carolina’s usage of those assets all the more confusing. The Panthers traded back into the first round to get Xavier Leggette, “who broke out in 2023 after several nondescript seasons,” according to PFF’s evaluation. They then spent a premium pick on a running back from Texas that got stuck behind Bijan Robinson and Rochon Johnson. They then spent another Day 2 pick on a non-premium position in  Kentucky linebacker Trevin Wallace. Most found that Wallace had the athletic potential to go this early, but he had nowhere near the collegiate production to see him come off the board this early. 

From Kelly: “I can’t help but feel very underwhelmed by this haul.”

29. Tennessee Titans

GPA: 2.408
Highest Grade: A- (Reuter)
Lowest Grade: D (Davis)

• Round 1: No. 7: JC Latham, OT, Alabama
• Round 2: No. 38: T’Vondre Sweat, DT, Texas
• Round 4: No. 106: Cedric Gray, LB, North Carolina
• Round 5: No. 146: Jarvis Brownlee Jr., CB, Louisville
• Round 6: No. 182: Jha’Quan Jackson, WR, Tulane
• Round 7: No. 242: James Williams, S, Miami
• Round 7: No. 252: Jaylen Harrell, EDGE, Michigan

Davis faulted the Titans for sticking at seventh overall and drafting Alabama tackle JC Latham instead of trading back. A tough criticism for a team that didn’t necessarily have the leverage to move back, but Dunleavy did posit the selection was a panic move after the Charger’s selection of Joe Alt. Silva pointed out that, despite this being a new regime, the Titans still haven’t learned lessons from the previous administration with Texas defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat. Just a few years removed from the Isaiah Wilson situation, Tennessee stopped the slide of a player who got popped with a DUI three weeks before the draft. Reuter was able to eschew the problem by citing a meeting between Sweat and Titans GM Ran Carthon, but most graders wished they avoided the situation altogether. 

Any of the non-Latham outside was held strictly to late-draft fliers. McDonald tagged North Carolina linebacker Cedric Gray as a “long-term steal,” while Knox liked Louisville cornerback Jarvis Brownlee Jr.’s chances at starting cornerabck. 

28. Denver Broncos

GPA: 2.564
Highest Grade: A- (PFF, Winks, Iyer)
Lowest Grade: D (McDonald, Nystrom)

• Round 1: No. 12: Bo Nix, QB, Oregon
• Round 3: No. 76: Jonah Elliss, EDGE, Utah
• Round 4: No. 102: Troy Franklin, WR, Oregon
• Round 5: No. 145: Kris Abrams-Draine, CB, Missouri
• Round 5: No. 147: Audric Estime, RB, Notre Dame
• Round 7: No. 235: Devaughn Vele, WR, Utah
• Round 7: No. 256: Nick Gargiulo, C, South Carolina

For once, let’s start with the positives. The Broncos cleaned up on Day 3, according to most of our graders. Oregon wide receiver Troy Franklin put up the third-best yards per route run mark in the draft class last year, and he fell into Denver’s lap. Kelly called Missouri cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine a potential starter in the fifth round. Iyer thought just as highly of Jonah Elliss in the third round, and he called Notre Dame running back Audric Estime the thunder to Javonte Williams’ lightning. 

The issue for most? Bo Nix. He’s ancient by NFL rookie standards, having played in college against Justin Herbert. He was the sixth quarterback off the board. Nystrom argued that Nix, who had a career resurgence transferring from Auburn to Oregon, was “flattered by Oregon’s gimmicky spread offense.” Denver is currently working with the worst quarterback room in the league, so it’s better than the Zach Wilson-Jarrett Stidham quarterback camp battle, but the Bo Nix pick really held back an otherwise great Day 3 by Denver. 

Most Polarizing Grades

1. New England Patriots

SD: 0.909
Highest Grade: A (Knox, Kelly)
Lowest Grade: F (Nystrom)

• Round 1: No. 3: Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina
• Round 2: No. 37: Ja’Lynn Polk, WR, Washington
• Round 3: No. 68: Caedan Wallace, OT, Penn State
• Round 4: No. 103: Layden Robinson, G, Texas A&M
• Round 4: No. 110: Javon Baker, WR, UCF
• Round 6: No. 180: Marcellas Dial, CB, South Carolina
• Round 6: No. 193: Joe Milton III, QB, Tennessee
• Round 7: No. 231: Jaheim Bell, TE, Florida State

The first year without Bill Belichick calling the shots is not without scrutiny. 

The New England Patriots’ game plan for the 2024 was obvious: completely revamp a lifeless offense. In some graders’ eyes, they did exactly that. Kelly had Maye as the second-ranked quarterback on his big board behind Caleb Williams. He later described Polk as “one of my favorite receivers in this class” and mentioned he “especially liked” the addition of “twitchy” vertical route runner Baker. Knox took it one step further, noting that Maye actually made it to the top of Bleacher Report’s final QB big board. 

Most scores hinged on the graders’ evaluation of Maye. Maaddi gave New England a C+ and said that May “isn’t a lock to become a franchise quarterback.” Silva and McCrystal were also hesitant on Maye’s potential development. Tanier and Nystrom took things a step further. Tanier handed the Patriots a D+, comparing Polk to “a younger, less-imposing DeVante Parker” and calling the sixth-round selection of Joe Milton III “pure stupid sauce.” 

Nystrom really went nuclear on New England. He called Polk as a mid-fourth-rounder and scolded New England for “forcing a pair of picks” after missing out on the early-draft runs on offensive linemen. He specifically described Wallace and Robinson as picks with “more risk in their evaluation than safer prospects at the same position who were still available.” Nystrom’s overall criticism was that even Maye’s most ardent supporters say he didn’t have a great supporting cast in 2023. “…One wonders if the Patriots brass did him justice with the decisions that followed his selection.” 

2. Atlanta Falcons

SD: 0.883
Highest Grade: A (Verderame)
Lowest Grade: F (Tanier, Nystrom, Silva)

Yes, there was one grader who loved the Penix pick. Verderame was not a particularly generous grader. He finished dead-middle 12th out of 25 graders in GPA. He only doled out seven A’s or A+’s. One just happened to go to to Atlanta. “The quarterback landscape could be great in two years. It could be barren. But if the Falcons are truly building toward the future, why not make the inevitable transition easy.” Beyond Verderame, McCrystal was the only other grader to give the Falcons anything above a C+. He had Penix Jr. as the second quarterbackon his board and thought the Cousins era in Atlanta would be “brief.” 

For most of the middle-of-the-pack graders, the Penix pick was balanced with some decent other picks. SBNation thought Dorlus would be “a perfect fit,” even if he is a bit of a tweener. Kiper liked the Trice fit at edge rusher. Kelly wanted to praise Atlanta for improving across-the-board on the defensive line, “but the short-term implications of taking Penix so early pulled down their overall grade.” 

3. Denver Broncos

SD: 0.821
Highest Grade: A- (PFF, Winks, Iyer)
Lowest Grade: D (McDonald, Nystrom)

Nix is the major tipping point for most in this one. PFF complemented Nix’s ability to get the ball out quickly and accurately. Nystrom thought it was a crutch. McDonald argued that Nix’s ceiling is limited. Winks mused “Power 5 QBs don’t walk into 97th percentile EPA per play by accident.” The comparison between current Bo Nix and late-stage Drew Brees in Sean Payton’s system is a plus and a knock. There’s no winning. 

The whole Nix situation is a potential eclipsing point for an otherwise solid late-round haul. How negotiable graders were to QB6 would dictate how much the rest of Denver’s solid draft would be able to affect the grade. 

4. New York Jets

SD: 0.793
Highest Grade: A (PFF)
Lowest Grade: D- (Nystrom)

• Round 1: No. 11: Olu Fashanu, OT, Penn State
• Round 3: No. 65: Malachi Corley, WR, Western Kentucky
• Round 4: No. 134: Braelon Allen, RB, Wisconsin
• Round 5: No. 171: Jordan Travis, QB, Florida St.
• Round 5: No. 173: Isaiah Davis, RB, South Dakota St.
• Round 5: No. 176: Qwan’tez Stiggers, CB, CFL
• Round 7: No. 257: Jaylen Key, S, Alabama

How important is it to prepare for the future? That’s the big point of contention in New York’s draft evaluation. While most people had Penn State tackle Olumuyiwa Fashanu as one of the top tackles in a class full of them, Fashanu doesn’t have an immediate path to starting at the moment. The Jets acquired Tyron Smith this offseason to start opposite Morgan Moses. Smith does have consistent health concerns – he has not started a complete season since 2015 – so Fashanu will provide much-needed depth while developing into a full-time starter. That wasn’t enough for some graders. Nystrom believed that the Jets should have made a more concerted effort to trade up for Rome Odunze, or at least picked up tight end Brock Bowers. 

Western Kentucky wide receiver Malachi Corley has drawn comparisons from everyone to diet Deebo Samuel (Farrar) to Wan’Dale Robinson (Tanier) to Amari Rodgers (Nystrom). Running back Braelon Allen and quarterback Jordan Travis didn’t move the needle much (McDonald actually called out the trade-up for Travis because of his “fringe NFL” status), but those who loved the Jets draft were enamored with the gamble on CFL cornerback Qwan’tez Stiggers. Kiper Jr. called Stiggers “one of the most fascinating picks in the draft,” and he thinks he can play at the next level despite his lack of college experience. 

5. Carolina Panthers

SD: 0.746
Highest Grade: B+ (Popejoy, Verderame, theScore)
Lowest Grade: F (Silva)

Carolina definitely got some credit for the picks they didn’t use. Silva, who gave them an F, sprinkled in a line about acquiring Diontae Johnson at a discount before the draft. Kelly, doling out a D+, gave them a pat on the back for the 2025 second-rounder from the Rams in exchange for a trade-back. Even in the dissenters, there are sprinkles of a decent process. That helped balance out some of the truly abhorrent grades. 

Others did just genuinely like the prospects. Popejoy’s write-up was “happy to see them really focus on getting [Bryce Young] some weapons.” Verderame concurred on the opinoon, saying that it followed up on the Panthers’ larger offseason plan to set up Young’s sophomore leap. theScore’s staff called Legette a “physical, athletic receiver” that could be a legitimate No. 1. They loved the upside of Wallace and thought Brooks was both the best weapon in the class and a major upgrade over the Miles Sanders/Chuba Hubbard combo in-house

Grading the Graders

We’ve seen how the teams shook out, but now it’s time to see how our graders fared. 

Over the last few years, the Report Card Report has shown that graders are getting kinder as time goes on. Perhaps they understand that there is weight placed not just on the prospect but on the situation they are drafted into. Maybe they’ve just been scared by the digital specter that is Old Takes Exposed. Regardless, this year’s draft hit a new height of optimism. The average GPA in 2024 was 2.992, a record-high GPA since at least 2010 and blasting past last year’s mark of 2.93. At this point, teams are averaging just a hair under a B. Grades are also beginning to consolidate with standard deviation falling to 0.74, the lowest mark since 2019. 

Graders aren’t afraid of handing out extremes either. There was a period of time where A+’s were a rare commodity. While some graders still refuse to hand out any (see Kiper, Reuter, McDonald, among others), we are maintaining our streak excessive praise. The 2024 report card report tied last year’s high of 27 A+ grades handed out to teams.

These high marks are a bit more diluted because of the Report Card Report’s concerted efforts to expand the total number of graders aggregated. More opinions provide for a more sound consensus, meaning the A+ grades average out to just above one per grader. The spread of these grades is the real surprise, though. Last year, those 27 A+’s were given to seven teams (each of whom finished in the top seven in GPA), with 13 going to Philadelphia’s record-setting report card. This year’s is much more spread out, with 10 different teams getting A+’s and the grades trickling as far down as New Orleans (15th) and the New York Jets (20th). If we expand our horizons to just A-range grades, all but two teams (Cleveland and Carolina) finished with at least some kind of A on their report card. F’s also remain constant year-to-year, although they are more consolidated than their A+ counterparts. Only three writers – Tanier, Silva, and Nystrom – were willing to actually fail a team this year, each of them giving an F to Atlanta. 

Chad Reuter of NFL.com is typically in the running for the most generous grader. It makes sense, working for The Shield and all. This year, though, he could barely crack the podium. He lost that title to the PFF Staff (3.397) and Pro Football Network’s Cam Mellor (3.372). While Reuter handed out A-range grades to 15 of 32 teams, PFF’s staff one-upped him by handing out four different A+ grades, highest among graders this year. 

Nystrom and Silva continued their age-old rivalry to see who came out the hardest grader, with Silva (2.325) barely edging out Nystrom (2.363) for the crown. Nystrom went on to have the widest standard deviation of any of our graders, being one of three graders to hand out an F grade and the only one of those three to also hand out an A+. McCrystal shows up as a bit of an outlier, handing out a Report Card Report high of eight total As but still finishing with the sixth-lowest GPA. The Sharp Football analyst was pretty polarized, handing out just seven B-range grades while mostly serving up As and Cs. 

Introduced in the 2023 Report Card Report by Vince Verhei, we have a new winner of the Correlation to Consensus category. With last year’s winner (Athlon Sports’ Luke Easterling) not participating in 2024, the crown goes to the staff over at theScore. They came in with a 0.896 correlation to consensus, matching the aligning with the consensus more closely than anyone else in the draft, beating out Maske (0.820) and Knox (0.818) by a massive margin. The FOX Sports crew came in at the back of the pack, mainly for showing love to a bunch of drafts late. They handed out As to the Minnesota Vikings and Cincinnati Bengals, giving the both their highest marks fo the draft. They also liked the Miami Dolphins (2.81), Houston Texans (2.77), and Jacksonville Jaguars (2.67) way more than the rest of the crowd, giving them all A-’s. Farrar’s lack of consensus mostly came from too much love across the board. There were some errant A-range grades thrown out to New Orlenans, Green Bay, and Buffalo, and he dinged Minnesota with a C+ and Tampa Bay with a B-. Mostly, though, Farrar’s incompatibility came from a place of radical kindness. He gave just five teams lower than a B, with only two falling at a C or lower. 

Despite all the fun we’ve had today, it’s important to know that these grades really don’t matter all that much. They seldom correlate to the actual Approximate Value these players produce on their rookie deals. Draft grades have a special place in the NFL draft content life cycle, but don’t take them to heart.

Check out the full report card below: