Greg Cosell's draft review: Three teams whose drafts I really liked

I don't really do draft grades, because I don't know what teams' draft boards look like.

Everyone argues that this team should have drafted that position, but we don't know what their board were like when they were on the clock. All I can do is go back through my evaluations and see which teams ended up with players who I had positive evaluations for. It doesn't mean I'm right, but it's based on what I've seen on film.

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With that, three teams ended up with a lot of players who I liked going into the draft:

New Orleans Saints

Based on my evaluations, I think the Saints had a very good draft. With just about every pick, they chose a prospect I was high on.

The first pick was offensive tackle Andrus Peat, who I thought was the best left tackle prospect in the draft right now. With proper development Florida's D.J. Humphries could be the best left tackle in this class, but today the best prospect is Peat.

I really like their second first-round pick, Clemson linebacker Stephone Anthony. I think he could be a terrific NFL player. He's very athletic. In college he played fast and was decisive in his movements. He trusted what he saw and turned it loose. He showed the ability to blitz and cover as well. He could be a really good linebacker.

In the second round they got Washington pass rusher Hau'oli Kikaha, who I really like. The third-round pick of quarterback Garrett Grayson (my No. 3 quarterback in the class) made sense. From the minute I started watching Grayson I thought he was a Sean Payton player. That's a great fit for him.

I liked Florida State cornerback P.J. Williams, a good pick as a press-cover corner who struggles with inconsistency, but that's why he was a third-rounder. I also really liked outside lineabacker Davis Tull of Tennessee-Chattanooga on film. I also liked Georgia cornerback Damian Swann, their other fifth-round pick.

I don't know what the Saints' draft board looked like or if their draft went according to plan. All I know is they ended up with a lot of players who I really liked in my pre-draft film study.

Jacksonville Jaguars

I wrote extensively here before the draft how I thought Florida outside linebacker Dante Fowler was the best defensive prospect in the draft. So of course I liked their first-round pick.

As it turns out, I had positive evaluations on each of their first six picks.

They took running back T.J. Yeldon in the second round, and I think his running style and mentality are well suited to the NFL, with his intuitive feel to attack downhill with conviction and his ability to work effectively between the tackles. I think he's a laterally quicker and more explosive inside runner than Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon.

I really like A.J. Cann, a guard from South Carolina and Jacksonville's third-round pick. They got Louisville safety James Sample in the fourth, and I was surprised that Florida State receiver Rashad Greene and Ohio State defensive tackle Michael Bennett fell to them in the fifth and sixth rounds, respectively. I thought there was lot to like about Bennett as a rotational defensive tackle in a four-man defensive line, and that's a good find in the sixth round. Those are great value picks.

St. Louis Rams

I liked the Rams draft more because they have a clear plan and stuck to it in the draft. 

The Rams drafted with a specific purpose in mind. They want to be a power-running football team and play great defense behind that. Their entire draft followed that plan.

They drafted running back Todd Gurley (I thought he was a top-three prospect in the draft) and match him with Tre Mason, who I thought was the best back in last year's class. So they're set there. The selection of Gurley was clearly a pick where their plan and their draft board matched up. Their pick of quarterback Sean Mannion in the third round fits their plan; I think Mannion can only play in a system where the run game is the foundation relying heavily on play action. Then four of their first seven picks were offensive linemen who were all similar.

Rob Haverstein of Wisconsin might not have been a second-round pick on every team's board, but he fits what the Rams want to do. He is a a road-grading right tackle in the run game. If that’s the style you’re going to play, then he’s your guy.

Jamon Brown, at 323 pounds, was a tackle at Louisville but he'll play guard in the NFL. Iowa tackle Andrew Donnal, a 313-pound fourth-round pick, can play guard too. In the sixth round the Rams took Fresno State guard Cody Wichmann, who is not an athlete but a 315-pound mauler. He fits what they want to do.

The Rams told you in their draft how they want to play football. That's why I don't get into the criticisms like, "There were better players on the board!" Not to the Rams there weren't; their picks fit the exact style they want to play.

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NFL analyst and NFL Films senior producer Greg Cosell watches as much NFL game film as anyone. Throughout the season, Cosell will join Shutdown Corner to share his observations on the teams, schemes and personnel from around the league.