The 2025 NFL Draft is officially in the books. Now that all 257 players have been selected, the NFL media will now start handing out grades to each team. One NFL draft analyst handed out some low grades to a few teams after the conclusion of Day 3.ESPN’s Mel Kiper handed out draft grades in an article published on Sunday morning. Kiper was especially critical of both the Atlanta Falcons and Cincinnati Bengals.Kiper gave the Falcons and Bengals “C” grades for their draft hauls, the worst grades he handed out this year.
Starting with the Falcons, Kiper criticized the team for their aggressive trade up to acquire James Pearce Jr. in the first round. They already selected Jalon Walker before making the trade, a pick that Kiper actually liked.
“Atlanta wasn’t satisfied and added another edge rusher 11 picks later. It had to trade up to get James Pearce Jr., and while his traits are undeniable, the value was suspect,” Kiper said.
Kiper believes that giving up a future first-round pick was too high of a price to pay for Pearce. He also pointed out that Donovan Ezeiruaku, who was higher on his board, ended up being available at Atlanta’s second-round pick anyways
