How good are all the NFL teams at finding value? What are the best value positions? Which colleges are strongest? Four years after the 2016 NFL Draft, how did it really all shake out?
NFL Draft: Who Did The Best Job In 2016?
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So why is the 2016 NFL Draft such a big deal? That was four years ago, and now all of those draft picks who survived and advances are free agents.
It’s everything to an NFL team to find the best value possible – rookie contracts can change a franchise. It’s not all that expensive anymore to sign a first round talent, but come up with real, live players in the later rounds and the success usually follows.
Four years later – and with several of the top players dealing with the free agent market – which teams did the best job of finding value, and which ones struggled?
We go by the CFN NFL Draft Value Score, explained in way too much detail here.
Basically, the later the good draft pick, the better the score.
First round picks are going to be scored low mainly because it’s not all that hard to find a good player up top – at least it’s not supposed to be – and the value isn’t there like it is to get a good player at the same position in, say, the fourth round.
So which NFL teams did the best job of finding the value picks in 2016? The draft four years ago is supposed to be the foundation. How did it all go?
Not like you’d think it would have.
Value is about finding a steady starter late in the draft, and punters are usually the safest late picks possible. That’s fine, but you need the stars, too.
Rankings from the teams that came up with the best value, to the ones that got the least.
The overall draft pick is the first number, and the CFN Draft Value Score is the last one. The players are ranked from top value to the least.
1. Denver Broncos 157.50
219 S Will Parks Arizona 263.48
228 P Riley Dixon Syracuse 228.00
176 FB Andy Janovich Nebraska 189.75
144 OG Connor McGovern Missouri 186.75
98 S Justin Simmons Boston College 162.31
136 RB Devontae Booker Utah 142.38
63 DT Adam Gotsis Georgia Tech 83.67
26 QB Paxton Lynch Memphis 3.66
2. New York Jets 149
235 P Lac Edwards Sam Houston St 470.00
158 OT Brandon Shell South Carolina 219.72
83 OLB Jordan Jenkins Georgia 142.66
241 WR Charone Peake Clemson 120.50
118 CB Juston Burris NC State 66.38
20 OLB Darron Lee Ohio State 23.75
51 QB Christian Hackenberg Penn State 0.00
3. Cincinnati Bengals 118.99
245 S Clayton Fejedelem Illinois 267.97
122 DT Andrew Billings Baylor 160.13
199 WR Cody Core Ole Miss 130.59
87 ILB Nick Vigil Utah State 123.70
55 WR Tyler Boyd Pitt 75.63
161 OG Christian Westerman Arizona State 45.28
24 CB William Jackson Houston 29.63
4. Philadelphia Eagles 112.30
233 S Jalen Mills LSU 298.53
164 OT Halapoulivaati Vaitai TCU 192.19
196 CB Blake Countess Auburn 125.56
153 RB Wendell Smallwood West Virginia 117.14
79 OG Isaac Seumalo Oregon State 102.45
251 ILB Joe Walker Oregon 58.83
2 QB Carson Wentz NDSU 3.70
240 DE Alex McCalister Florida 0.00
5. Atlanta Falcons 112.23
195 OG Wes Schweitzer San Jose State 249.84
115 OLB De’Vondre Campbell Minnesota 203.05
81 TE Austin Hooper Stanford 114.74
52 OLB Deion Jones LSU 85.99
17 S Keanu Neal Florida 19.76
238 WR Devin Fuller UCLA 0.00
6. Dallas Cowboys 105.31
135 QB Dak Prescott Mississippi State 277.71
189 CB Anthony Brown Purdue 265.78
212 S Kavon Frazier Central Michigan 152.38
67 DT Maliek Collins Nebraska 121.44
217 TE Rico Gathers Baylor 64.42
34 OLB Jaylon Smith Notre Dame 46.66
4 RB Ezekiel Elliott Ohio State 9.53
216 RB Darius Jackson Eastern Michigan 6.75
101 DE Charles Tapper Oklahoma 3.16
7. Green Bay Packers 105.12
131 LB Blake Martinez Stanford 241.53
137 DE Dean Lowry Northwestern 209.78
88 OLB Kyler Fackrell Utah State 96.25
163 WR Trevor Davis Cal 78.95
27 DT Kenny Clark UCLA 47.42
48 OT Jason Spriggs Indiana 33.75
200 OT Kyle Murphy Stanford 28.13
8. Minnesota Vikings 101.79
244 S Jayron Kearse Clemson 255.44
227 OLB Stephen Weatherly Vanderbilt 198.63
188 TE David Morgan UTSA 146.88
160 OLB Kentrell Brothers Missouri 130.00
54 CB Mackensie Alexander Clemson 54.84
23 WR Laquon Treadwell Ole Miss 24.80
121 OT Willie Beavers Western Michigan 3.78
180 WR Moritz Boehringer Germany (No College) 0.00
9. Kansas City Chiefs 93.77
165 WR Tyreek Hill West Alabama 389.25
126 WR Demarcus Robinson Florida 171.28
106 CB Eric Murray Minnesota 92.75
37 DT Chris Jones Mississippi State 60.03
203 DE Dadi Nicolas Virginia Tech 34.89
178 CB D.J. White Georgia Tech 30.59
74 CB KeiVarae Russell Notre Dame 24.28
162 QB Kevin Hogan Stanford 22.78
105 OG Parker Ehinger Cincinnati 18.05
10. Chicago Bears 92.05
150 RB Jordan Howard Indiana 213.28
113 ILB Nick Kwiatkowski West Virginia 139.48
185 S DeAndre Houston-Carson William & Mary 138.75
124 S Deon Bush Miami 120.13
56 OG Cody Whitehair Kansas State 113.60
72 DT Jonathan Bullard Florida 57.38
127 CB Deiondre Hall Northern Iowa 19.84
9 OLB Leonard Floyd Georgia 15.19
230 WR Daniel Braverman Western Michigan 10.78
NEXT: 2016 NFL Draft Value: Teams 11-20
11. San Diego Chargers (before the move to LA) 91.52
198 FB Derek Watt Wisconsin 238.22
175 OLB Jatavis Brown Akron 216.02
179 P Drew Kaser Texas A&M 201.38
35 TE Hunter Henry Arkansas 41.56
102 ILB Joshua Perry Ohio State 28.69
3 DE Joey Bosa Ohio State 5.29
66 C Max Tuerk USC 1.03
224 OG Donavon Clark Michigan State 0.00
12. New England Patriots 91.11
214 ILB Elandon Roberts Houston 310.97
221 OG Ted Karras Illinois 276.25
78 OG Joe Thuney NC State 156.00
112 WR Malcolm Mitchell Georgia 35.00
96 DT Vincent Valentine Nebraska 22.50
60 CB Cyrus Jones Alabama 12.19
91 QB Jacoby Brissett NC State 7.11
208 OLB Kamu Grugier-Hill Eastern Illinois 0.00
225 WR Devin Lucien Arizona State 0.00
13. New Orleans Saints 88.42
120 DT David Onyemata Manitoba 165.00
47 WR Michael Thomas Ohio State 123.49
61 S Vonn Bell Ohio State 101.03
237 RB Daniel Lasco Cal 37.03
12 DT Sheldon Rankins Louisville 15.56
14. Houston Texans 81.83
166 DT D.J. Reader Clemson 293.09
50 G Nick Martin Notre Dame 71.88
119 RB Tyler Ervin San Jose State 46.48
85 WR Braxton Miller Ohio State 39.84
21 WR Will Fuller Notre Dame 27.23
159 S K.J. Dillon West Virginia 12.42
15. Oakland Raiders 80.18
143 RB DeAndre Washington Texas Tech 243.55
194 OLB Cory James Colorado State 121.25
234 G Vadal Alexander LSU 120.66
75 DE Shilique Calhoun Michigan State 30.47
44 DE Jihad Ward Illinois 24.06
14 S Karl Joseph West Virginia 19.69
100 QB Connor Cook Michigan State 1.56
16. Detroit Lions 77.87
95 C Graham Glasgow Michigan 178.13
202 DT Anthony Zettel Penn State 142.03
151 OG Joe Dahl Washington State 122.69
111 S Miles Killebrew Southern Utah 116.20
236 RB Dwayne Washington Washington 70.06
46 DT A’Shawn Robinson Alabama 68.28
169 LB Antwoine Williams Georgia Southern 44.89
16 OT Taylor Decker Ohio State 27.50
191 QB Jake Rudock Michigan 8.95
210 LS Jimmy Landes Baylor 0.00
17. Pittsburgh Steelers 77.71
246 OLB Tyler Matakevich Temple 246.00
89 DT Javon Hargrave South Carolina St 159.92
58 CB Sean Davis Maryland 80.66
25 CB Artie Burns Miami 35.16
123 OT Jerald Hawkins LSU 11.53
229 WR Demarcus Ayers Houston 10.73
220 OLB Travis Feeney Washington 0.00
18. Indianapolis Colts 73.56
155 OT Joe Haeg NDSU 217.97
125 ILB Antonio Morrson Florida 97.66
116 DT Hassan Ridgeway Texas 72.50
82 OT Le’Raven Clark Texas Tech 60.22
57 S T.J. Green Clemson 37.41
239 LB Trevor Bates Maine 37.34
248 C Austin Blythe Iowa 34.88
18 C Ryan Kelly Alabama 30.49
19. Los Angeles Rams 72.14
110 TE Tyler Higbee WKU 201.09
206 WR Mike Thomas Southern Miss 131.97
117 WR Pharoh Cooper South Carolina 106.33
190 ILB Josh Forrest Kentucky 41.56
177 TE Temarrick Hemingway South Carolina St 22.13
1 QB Jared Goff Cal 1.89
167 S Marqui Christian Midwestern State 0.00
20. Cleveland Browns 72.02
99 OLB Joe Schobert Wisconsin 172.98
172 WR Rashard Higgins Colorado State 161.25
168 OG Spencer Drango Baylor 133.88
129 S Derrick Kindred TCU 118.92
138 TE Seth Devalve Princeton 109.97
114 WR Ricardo Louis Auburn 78.38
250 ILB Scooby Wright Arizona 50.78
76 OT Shon Coleman Auburn 46.31
65 DE Carl Nassib Penn State 45.70
32 DE Emmanuel Ogbah Oklahoma State 40.00
93 QB Cody Kessler USC 29.06
154 WR Jordan Payton UCLA 9.63
15 WR Corey Coleman Baylor 8.67
173 CB Trey Caldwell ULM 2.70
NEXT: 2016 NFL Draft Value: Teams 21-32
21. Tennessee Titans 68.96
140 WR Tajae Sharpe UMass 166.25
157 CB LeShaun Sims Southern Utah 164.36
64 S Kevin Byard Middle Tenn. 142.16
45 RB Derrick Henry Alabama 66.68
43 DT Austin Johnson Penn State 47.70
222 OLB Aaron Wallace UCLA 45.09
253 CB Kalan Reed Southern Miss 27.67
8 OT Jack Conklin Michigan State 16.92
33 DE Kevin Dodd Clemson 9.80
193 OG Sebastian Tretola Arkansas 3.02
22. Baltimore Ravens 65.38
146 DE Matt Judon Grand Valley State 227.73
107 WR Chris Moore Cincinnati 105.33
209 CB Maurice Canady Virginia 84.91
104 CB Tavon Young Temple 78.00
130 OT Alex Lewis Nebraska 77.19
42 DE Kamalei Correa Boise State 43.97
132 DT Willie Henry Michigan 41.25
134 RB Kenneth Dixon Louisiana Tech 37.69
6 OT Ronnie Stanley Notre Dame 13.10
182 RB Keenan Reynolds Navy 5.69
70 DE Bronson Kaufusi BYU 4.38
23. Seattle Seahawks 62.29
215 C Joey Hunt TCU 151.17
147 DT Quinton Jefferson Maryland 144.70
94 TE Nick Vannett Ohio State 85.19
49 DE Jarran Reed Alabama 78.86
90 RB C.J. Prosise Notre Dame 37.97
97 OG Rees Odhiambo Boise State 33.34
171 RB Alex Collins Arkansas 29.39
243 WR Kenny Lawler Cal 0.00
247 RB Zac Brooks Clemson 0.00
24. New York Giants 61.94
109 OLB B.J. Goodson Clemson 97.08
184 TE Jerell Adams South Carolina 92.00
149 RB Paul Perkins UCLA 69.84
40 WR Sterling Shepard Oklahonma 65.63
71 S Darian Thompson Boise State 38.83
10 CB Eli Apple Ohio State 8.28
25. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 59.21
148 OT Caleb Benenoch UCLA 131.81
108 CB Ryan Smith NC Central 123.19
183 OLB Devante Bond Oklahoma 108.66
39 DE Noah Spence Eastern Kentucky 24.38
59 PK Roberto Aguayo Florida State 14.75
11 CB Vernon Hargreaves Florida 11.69
197 FB Dan Vitale Northwestern 0.00
26. Miami Dolphins 53.29
186 WR Jakeem Grant Texas Tech 162.75
73 RB Kenyan Drake Alabama 79.84
204 S Jordan Lucas Penn State 60.56
86 WR Leontee Carroo Rutgers 52.41
38 CB Xavien Howard Baylor 47.99
13 OT Laremy Tunsil Ole Miss 19.18
231 TE Thomas Duarte UCLA 3.61
223 QB Brandon Doughty WKU 0.00
27. Washington Redskins 44.10
152 DT Matthew Ioannidis Temple 209.00
84 CB Kendall Fuller Virginia Tech 59.06
22 WR Josh Doctson TCU 20.28
53 OLB Su’a Cravens USC 11.59
187 QB Nate Sudfeld Indiana 8.77
232 ILB Steven Daniels Boston College 0.00
242 RB Keith Marshall Georgia 0.00
28. Jacksonville Jaguars 41.24
69 DE Yannick Ngakoue Maryland 136.74
36 OLB Myles Jack UCLA 63.00
181 OLB Tyrone Holmes Montana 42.42
103 DT Sheldon Day Notre Dame 35.41
5 CB Jalen Ramsey Florida State 11.14
201 QB Brandon Allen Arkansas 0.00
226 DE Jonathan Woodard Central Arkansas 0.00
29. Carolina Panthers 45.09
62 CB James Bradberry Samford 116.25
77 CB Daryl Worley West Virginia 67.38
30 DT Vernon Butler Louisiana Tech 28.59
141 CB Zack Sanchez Oklahoma 13.22
252 TE Beau Sandland Montana State 0.00
30. Arizona Cardinals 39.62
128 C Evan Boehm Missouri 80.00
92 CB Brandon Williams Texas A&M 69.00
205 CB Harlan Miller SE Louisiana 28.83
29 DT Robert Nkemdiche Ole Miss 14.95
170 OT Cole Toner Harvard 5.31
31. San Francisco 49ers 30.80
142 DE Ronald Blair Appalachian State 108.72
133 CB Rashard Robinson LSU 72.73
213 WR Aaron Burbridge Michigan State 63.23
31 OG Germain Ifedi Texas A&M 58.13
68 CB Will Redmond Mississippi State 23.38
28 OG Josh Garnett Stanford 14.44
7 DE DeForest Buckner Oregon 13.78
145 OT John Theus Georgia 11.33
249 CB Prince Charles Iworah WKU 3.89
174 OT Fahn Cooper OLM 0.00
207 QB Jeff Driskel Louisiana Tech 0.00
211 RB Kelvin Taylor Florida 0.00
32. Buffalo Bills 17.73
80 DT Adolphus Washington Ohio State 65.00
156 RB Jonathan Williams Arkansas 26.81
19 DE Shaq Lawson Clemson 19.89
218 CB Kevon Seymour USC 10.22
139 QB Cardale Jones Ohio State 2.17
41 ILB Reggie Ragland Alabama 0.00
192 WR Kolby Listenbee TCU 0.00
