It's hard enough trying to dish out grades for every NFL team's draft class – and most writers know those top prospects fairly well, following the NFL combine, tons of pre-draft research and countless mock drafts.
But if we're being totally honest here, you can't realistically judge an entire draft class until three or four seasons down the road. By then there's at least a body of work against NFL competition to base it on.
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Then again, everyone loves a solid hot take and snap judgments, so why not.
Bleacher Report writer Brent Sobleski was brave enough to hand out grades for every team's free agent haul following the NFL Draft. According to Sobleski, each team's grade is "based on the signing class' overall quality, which takes size, perceived value of the individual prospects and the possibility of contributors into account."
No one knows how most of these players will pan out; there's undoubtedly always going to be some tremendous finds every year – players who have slipped through the cracks for various reasons and end up having outstanding careers. Some of the great players who were never drafted include Warren Moon, Kurt Warner, Tony Romo (pictured below), John Randle, Adam Vinatieri, Emmitt Thomas, Priest Holmes, Rod Smith … and the list goes on.
"There will be some guys that we're signing right now as college free agents that are going to have an impact too," Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff said. "You'll see that. So, we're really excited."
Following the draft, the Falcons agreed to terms with 20 undrafted free agents.
| Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| Delrick Abrams | CB | Colorado |
| Hinwa Allieu | DT | Nebraska-Kearney |
| Hunter Atkinson | LT | Georgia State |
| Austin Capps | C | Arkansas |
| Mikey Daniel | FB | South Dakota State |
| Scottie Dill | RT | Memphis |
| Austin Edwards | DE | Ferris State |
| Rojesterman Farris | CB | Hawaii |
| Juwan Green | WR | Albany |
| Tyler Hall | CB | Wyoming |
| Evin Ksiezarczyk | OT | Buffalo |
| Sailosi Latu | DT | San Jose State |
| Jalen McCleskey | WR | Tulane |
| Jared Pinkney | TE | Vanderbilt |
| Caleb Repp | TE | Utah State |
| Chris Rowland | WR | Tennessee State |
| Ray Wilborn | LB | Ball State |
| Jordan Williams | LB | Baylor |
| Bryson Young | DE | Oregon |
| Justin Gooseberry | OG | Rice |
So, what was Sobleski's final grade for the Falcons? He gave them a C.
According to Sobleski, two of the Falcons undrafted free agents stand out most right now: Tight end Jared Pinkney of Vanderbilt and center Austin Capps out of Arkansas.
Sobleski notes that Pinkney "was once considered a top tight end prospect, but he didn't produce during his final year on campus and compounded problems with a poor 40-yard-dash time (4.96) at the NFL Scouting Combine. Even so, he's a capable H-back behind Hayden Hurst, whom the franchise acquired via a trade with the Baltimore Ravens in March."
As far as Capps goes, Soblesmi writes that even though the Falcons drafted Matt Hennessy in the third round, "Capps can compete with Hennessy at center, guard or interior utility blocker."
