Thumbs up, thumbs down for each team’s 2016 NFL draft class

7:18 PM ET

Our NFL Nation reporters assess each team’s 2016 NFL draft class.

NFC EAST

Dallas Cowboys

Thumbs up. Giving this a thumbs up is solely about the future and Jaylon Smith. When you can get two players that are among the top five players – Ezekiel Elliott, Smith – on your draft board that has to be viewed successfully, but this carries a huge question. There is no guarantee Smith will regain the form he had at Notre Dame because of a serious knee injury. After the 2017 season, however, this draft might look transcendent if Elliott is among the best runners and Smith among the best linebackers. This is a great reminder that a draft isn’t only about present-year production, but the future. And that’s where Dak Prescott fits in as a potential developmental quarterback behind Tony Romo. The Cowboys, however, need present-day production from Maliek Collins and Charles Tapper to help a defensive line that will rely on depth if not top-end ability, especially in the first four games of the season. — Todd Archer

New York Giants

Thumbs up. They got caught flat-footed in the first round when Tennessee and Chicago jumped them to take the guys they wanted, but they did the best they could with that pick, and cornerback Eli Apple should develop into a starter. They got a pair of likely immediate contributors in the second and third rounds with WR Sterling Shepard and safety Darian Thompson. And they spent Saturday adding to depth at positions where they have question marks – linebacker, running back and tight end. In particular, fifth-round RB Paul Perkins looks like he offers something the rest of the guys at his position group don’t, and could come quickly. All in all, a Giants team that needs depth everywhere and needs to develop players better got a promising-looking crew. The only negative is that they didn’t find an offensive lineman. — Dan Graziano | Grading the Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

Thumbs up. Time will tell, of course, whether the Eagles got a Super Bowl-caliber quarterback in Carson Wentz, the North Dakota State product they traded up to draft. But we’re not about to evaluate this draft based on third-round pick Isaac Seumalo or anyone else. For now, all we can look at is what the Eagles did and why. They made three trades to move up from No. 13 to No. 8 and finally to No. 2. They identified and acquired a quarterback. It is the only way to compete for a Super Bowl, and the Eagles took their shot. — Phil Sheridan | Grading the Eagles

Washington Redskins

Thumbs up. The Redskins did not necessarily find any impact day one starters, but they did add players who will help right away in receiver Josh Doctson and linebacker/safety Su’a Cravens – and some who will help down the road such as linebacker Steven Daniels. The Redskins stuck by their board and even acquired three picks for next season. A solid three days. — John Keim

NFC NORTH

Chicago Bears

Thumbs up. Top pick Leonard Floyd is a roll of the dice. That makes me nervous. In general, the Bears played it safe but still created competition at left guard, defensive end, safety and running back. Not a bad haul. Floyd has to play. That’s a no-brainer. But there is a legitimate chance that Cody Whitehair, Jonathan Bullard, Jordan Howard and Deon Bush contribute in 2016. On top of that, defensive backs Deiondre’ Hall and DeAndre Houston-Carson are athletic prospects who have the potential to one day help the secondary. I don’t expect guys from Northern Iowa and William & Mary to make an immediate impact, but the secondary is fluid. Who knows? Overall, Chicago prioritized athleticism and character. That’s usually a pretty good recipe for success. — Jeff Dickerson

Detroit Lions

Thumbs up. It’s tough to grade Detroit too harshly despite some of its third-day questions – long-snapper? Really? But the majority of Detroit’s draft picks were sound and filled needs. The Lions had a phenomenal first two days, solidifying the offensive line with tackle Taylor Decker, center Graham Glasgow and defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson. Those are three potential immediate starters and can provide great value. Detroit was always going to take a backup quarterback and Jake Rudock understands how to run a pro-style system and can provide support to starter Matthew Stafford. Safety Miles Killebrew could be an early starter as well, so he could be a great value pick. The totality of that surpasses the bizarre decision to draft Jimmy Landes, the long-snapper from Baylor. — Michael Rothstein

Green Bay Packers

Thumbs up. Boring doesn’t always mean bad. General manager Ted Thompson didn’t draft a skill-position player until the fifth round (Cal receiver Trevor Davis) and he used four of his first five picks on defensive players – all in the front seven. The only offensive player he picked in that stretch was a tackle in the second round (Indiana’s Jason Spriggs). First-round pick Kenny Clark of UCLA has a chance to be a difference-maker on the defensive line, and it never hurts to add linebackers who can run (third-rounder Kyler Fackrell of Utah State and fourth-rounder Blake Martinez of Stanford). If Thompson truly picked the best player available at the position of greatest need, then he did his job. — Rob Demovsky | Grading the Packers

Minnesota Vikings

Thumbs up. As their trade out of the third round on Friday indicated, the Vikings know roster spots could be at a premium for them in 2016. And as they usually do, they took some players who will need some time to develop. Sixth-rounder Moritz Boehringer is one of the feel-good stories of the draft, but he’ll have plenty to learn going from Germany to the NFL. So will fourth-round offensive lineman Willie Beavers, seventh-round pass rusher Stephen Weatherly and seventh-round safety Jayron Kearse. But the Vikings addressed their biggest need in the first round with Mississippi receiver Laquon Treadwell, and they identified some players who could contribute in the future. It’s a good problem to have when you’re picking players you don’t necessarily need to take on major roles right away, and outside of Treadwell, the Vikings should have the luxury of time with many of their picks. They’ll once again trust their coaching staff to coax production out of an intriguing group. — Ben Goessling

NFC SOUTH

Atlanta Falcons

Thumbs up. No matter how you dissect the Falcons’ draft, the bottom line is they needed to find players with more speed and more physicality than what’s on the current roster. The Falcons accomplished that goal in the first two picks alone with hard-hitting safety Keanu Neal and speedy linebacker Deion Jones. The wild card could be fourth-round pick De’Vondre Campbell, a player who is versatile enough to play all three linebacker spots and fast and long enough to evolve into a pass rusher. Stanford tight end Austin Hooper should be a tremendous asset in the red zone, and it always helps to have more offensive line help in the highly intelligent Wes Schweitzer. Are the Falcons playoff contenders? Not sure. Did they get better with their draft picks? Absolutely. — Vaughn McClure

Carolina Panthers

Thumbs up. This class was all about filling the hole left by Pro Bowl cornerback Josh Norman. It began in the first round with a huge defensive tackle (Vernon Butler) to create havoc on quarterbacks and take pressure off the secondary. It continued with cornerbacks James Bradford, Daryl Worley and Zack Sanchez in the second, third and fifth rounds. The key here is Carolina has a philosophy and stuck with it. It filled needs. The formula got the Panthers …

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