NFL Draft 2018: Atlanta Falcons day three draft grades

The Atlanta Falcons topped off a solid draft with solid draft picks on day three. Those are facts. Obviously we won’t know for a year or two how valuable these new additions really are, because they have yet to play a single down for the Falcons. But I’m optimistic, and you should be too. Let’s take a look at some day three draft grades.

NFL.com (Chad Reuter)

Day 3 grade: B Overall grade: B+

Smith was picked a bit higher than expected in the fourth round but is a good back with all-around skills, and has very good size. Gage will be a special-teams ace for the Falcons.

Sports Illustrated (Andy Benoit)

Grade: C+

[Isaiah Oliver] was a luxury pick. So was running back Ito Smith, who was taken one round behind defensive tackle Deadrin Senat. Quinn employs a litany of defensive line rotations, and the Falcons may regret not finding more forces inside.

Pro Football Focus (Sam Monson, Steve Palazzolo)

Overall grade: Good

Day 3: Ito Smith is an all-around back that excels as a receiver, with 37 broken tackles on receptions over his career and another 188 on the ground. With two sixth-round picks, the Falcons drafted a linebacker from Yale in Foye Oluokun and LSU’s WR Russell Gage. Gage saw just 48 targets over his LSU career, catching 26 of them for 347 yards while also forcing 12 missed tackles on just 27 carries for the Tigers in 2017.

USA Today (Nate Davis)

Atlanta Falcons: A

Looks like another masterful job by GM Thomas Dimitroff. He didn’t overthink it when WR Calvin Ridley was sitting there at No. 26 or when CB Isaiah Oliver was there at No. 58. Neither addressed a need, yet both provide significant upgrades to an already stacked roster. DL Deadrin Senat did fill a crack in Round 3.

Washington Post (Mark Maske)

Atlanta Falcons: B

Analysis: Getting WR Calvin Ridley at No. 26 overall falls into the better-lucky-than-good category. He could be very productive as a receiving complement to fellow Alabama alum Julio Jones. The rest of the Falcons’ draft wasn’t all that exciting but they did address some areas of need on defense.

Obviously outsiders look at this draft with a more objective, neutral point of view. That said, I do think at least one of these writers is missing the big picture. (Ahem, Benoit. Ahem.)

Your thoughts, Falcoholics?