The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Vernon Hargreaves in the first round of the 2016 NFL draft after trading down. It seems that most analysts love what the Bucs did, and so do most Bucs fans. Of course, it's a little early to be grading picks: we won't know the true impact of this selection until probably three or four years down the road. But that never stopped anyone from pontificating anyway.
While Hargreaves wasn't the sexy pick, 35% of you gave him an A, while 38% gave him a B. It seems that the vast majority loved this pick, though a sizable minority of 14% fave it an F -- probably some grumblings from people who wanted Laremy Tunsil.
Personally, I think the Bucs did well to grab Vernon Hargreaves. He probably won't be a true shutdown cornerback, but he'll be a good starter and a ballhawk in the mold of Ronde Barber, which is worth a lot. That said, his athletic limitations mean he's not quite what you're looking for in a top ten pick. Had they picked him at number nine, I would have given this pick a C -- adequate, but not exactly a home run. Picking up the extra fourth rounder for peanuts makes this a B for me.
Dan Kadar was thinking the same thing, giving the Bucs an A- for getting the player they wanted while picking up an extra fourth-rounder in the process.
The Buccaneers could have stuck at No. 9 and taken Hargreaves and it would have been fine. They were able to drop down a couple picks and acquire an extra choice and get the guy they wanted. That's how a good general manager works the draft. If Hargreaves' on-field negatives can get fixed (he can get beat deep), the Buccaneers have the top-line corner they've need for several seasons.
That's basically what everyone else is thinking as well. Yahoo!'s Eric Edholm gave the Bucs an A- because he fills a huge need and they were able to trade down. Mark Maske of the Washington Post gave them a B+ and says the Bucs were one of the teams who "got it right." Chad Reuter of NFL.com gives the Bucs an A. Steven Ruiz of USA Today: A. Pete Prisco of CBS: B. Pro Football Focus: A-. Even the normally incredibly pessimistic Walter Football gave the Bucs an A.
Not one analyst graded the Bucs worse than a B, and this is the most unified I've seen the collective of NFL draft analysts on a Bucs first-round pick, ever. They certainly weren't nearly this optimistic about Jameis Winston, though Mike Evans could count on fairly universal approval. Initial impressions are that Jason Licht managed to get yet another quality first-round pick with the potential for an early impact.