Too early for grades, but here's what to like (and dislike) about the draft

Some of us would have enjoyed high school math a whole lot more if the grades had been as gentle as the ones that typically summarize team performances during and immediately following the NFL draft.

A brief perusal of grade sheets on Sunday morning suggested nary a general manager will be wearing a Trubisky-sized dunce cap when this draft can be truly graded in early 2024.

One grade sheet handed out A's to 19 teams. Houston's C was the only grade lower than a B-minus.

ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr., the man who birthed the beast that is the mock draft, gave only three grades lower than B-minus. The Colts, Saints and Steelers got C-pluses from Mel.

No grades other than incomplete will be distributed here, but here are some still-too-early "likes" and "dislikes":

Likes

• Chicago having the guts (and desperation) to trade up for another blockbuster swing at QB. Justin Fields is worth it.

• Someone convincing Jerry Jones to sign off on the Cowboys using their first six picks and eight of 10 on defense.

• The need-everything Lions staying put at No. 7 and getting top tackle Penei Sewell to help protect lead-footed QB Jared Goff.

• The Packers going defense and taking Georgia's Eric Stokes, a corner with 4.29 speed and a 78-inch wingspan at No. 29.

• The Patriots getting Mac Jones without having to trade up, and then moving up for DT Christian Barmore, a second-round steal.

• The 49ers seeing Trey Lance's superstar ceiling and giving up on Jimmy Garoppolo, who has 30 starts in four years as a 49er.

• The Falcons adding Kyle Pitts to Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley. That 26th-ranked red-zone offense got a lot better.

• The Browns trading up in the second round when Notre Dame linebacker and first-round talent Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah fell.

• The Vikings turning their trade with the Jets into a starting left tackle, a potential starting guard and a QB to develop.

Dislikes

• The Jets giving up on 23-year-old Sam Darnold. Pitts or Ja'Marr Chase could have joined the Jets' offensive windfall.

• The Rams not having a first-round pick for a fifth straight year and then using a second-round pick on a 155-pound receiver.

• Carolina using the eighth overall pick on cornerback Jaycee Horn when it could have given Darnold a top tackle or receiver.

• Cincinnati taking Chase fifth overall instead of spending that pick on a tackle to keep Joe Burrow off IR.

• The Jaguars and Steelers for picking running backs in the first round. Especially the Jags, who had bigger needs there.

• Washington for letting the Bears jump them for Fields and then going defense at No. 20 when OTs were there.

• The Raiders doing what they normally do: Raising eyebrows by reaching on another first-rounder, tackle Alex Leatherwood.

• The Cardinals not taking a cornerback at 16 or trading down and grabbing either Caleb Farley or Greg Newsome II.

• The Colts going defensive end with their first two picks when left tackle was such a huge need. Poor Carson Wentz.