Tuesday's Thought: My True First-Round Grades

There will be 31 total selections in round one of the upcoming NFL Draft, but not all those players will have an actual first-round grade.

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NASHVILLE - According to the experts, there are believed to be 14 players who will have actual first-round grades when the NFL Draft kicks off in nine days. Still, there will be 31 players who will hear their names called and forever hold the title of a first-round selection. 

Like many others among you, I'm a bit of a draftnik and spend time watching live games and breaking down films of individual players. I've been blessed over my media career to have met, talked with, and spent time bending the ear of NFL coaches, GMs, and scouts, and the first question I always ask them is, what do you look for in a prospect?       

While the answers vary, especially when talking about different positions, there's almost universally one common trait for all of them, heart!

A player can have all the physical talent in the world, but if their heart isn't in the game, they will never reach their full potential. 

Granted, it's difficult to measure the heart on a human scale. You can't take it out and examine it. You can only get so much from the tape to evaluate a player's heart.  

That's why teams want to sit and talk with players to understand their knowledge, passion, and heart.   

Being the amateur scout I am, I've spent time watching what is widely considered the top 50 players in this class to evaluate how well I stack up with those who will make the final decisions on April 27.

Based on my feelings, there are 16 players I give a first-round grade to in this class.   

1) Christian Gonzalez

2) Will Anderson

3) Bryce Young

4) Bijan Robinson

5) Jalen Carter

6) Tyree Wilson 

7) Myles Murphy

8) CJ Stroud

9) Paris Johnson Jr. 

10) Peter Skoronski

11) Devon Witherspoon

12) Jaxon Smith-Njigba

13) Joey Porter Jr.

14) Broderick Jones

 15) Luke Van Ness

16) Quentin Johnston 

I could spend time and waste space giving a reason for each of these players, all of which would be a repeat of things that have already been said and written about each of them.   

That said, the missing part of my evaluation is the heart. Having only ever met one of these 16 young men and not having talked to him as if I were a scout evaluating him, I'm working off the film, like most of the others writing about players leading up to the draft.  

Considering all that, if your favorite team selects a player you're not overly excited about, at least give that player a chance to show himself before being extremely critical. He might be one of those guys with a heart who surprise you. 

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