Howdy, y’all, Chris Pinto here Lead Fantasy Football Analyst and Writer for Belly Up Sports with my series on division NFL draft grades. The historic 2020 NFL Draft had its share of head-turning trades and selections along with the commissioner’s own sense of humor, which in my mind made him a little more likable. The draft went on without a hitch to our knowledge. The organizations had wants and needs and we watched as it all unfolded. The selections are in the books and we can move forward.

Listed below I have broken down the selections per team and given my overall draft grade for each team’s draft selections. The fifth installment in my series is the NFC South, home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, and the Atlanta Falcons.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFC South)

Rd. 1 (#13) – Tristan Wirfs, OL, Iowa
Rd. 2 (#45) – Antoine Winfield Jr., S, Minnesota
Rd. 3 (#76) – Ke’Shawn Vaughn, RB, Vanderbilt
Rd. 5 (#161) – Tyler Johnson, WR, Minnesota
Rd. 6 (#194) – Khalil Davis, DL, Nebraska
Rd. 7 (#241) – Chappelle Russell, LB, Temple
Rd. 7 (#245) – Raymond Calais, RB, Louisiana

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers organization has been the talk of the NFL, assembling a roster that will make them an instant contender for the playoffs. The club added a huge blocker for QB Tom Brady and a pair of young running backs. My overall NFL Draft Grade for the Bucs is a great job in adding players that fit into their win-now mentality. From a fantasy aspect, RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn has value in both dynasty and redraft leagues. He should be a top 30 RB by the start of the season.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Draft Grade – A+ (97)

NFL Draft Grades: Carolina Panthers (NFC South)

Rd. 1 (#7) – Derrick Brown, DL, Auburn
Rd. 2 (#38) – Yetur Gross-Matos, EDGE, Penn State
Rd. 2 (#64) – Jeremy Chinn, S, SIU
Rd. 4 (#113) – Troy Pride Jr., CB, Notre Dame
Rd. 5 (#152) – Kenny Robinson, S, WVU
Rd. 6 (#184) – Bravvion Roy, DL, Baylor
Rd. 7 (#221) – Stantley Thomas-Oliver, CB, FIU

The Carolina Panthers organization had an above-average draft class. They added solely to their defense. The club had holes all over their defense and they succeeded in addressing them. My overall NFL Draft Grade is great if you only wanted to fill your defense. In a league that is shifting to higher point games, it is a good sign for the team overall. The class adds no depth to the offense as well, so they have no fantasy relevance.

Carolina Panthers Draft Grade – B (84)

New Orleans Saints ( NFC South)

Rd. 1 (#24) – Cesar Ruiz, OL, Michigan
Rd. 3 (#74) – Zack Baun, LB, Wisconsin
Rd. 3 (#105) – Adam Trautman, TE, Dayton
Rd. 7 (#240) – Tommy Stevens, QB, Mississippi State

The New Orleans Saints organization had four selections in the NFL Draft. They blew it. Yes LB Zack Baun is great, he was the only prospect that stood out to me. My overall grade is very low, it’s bad when I have to Google the name of a first-round player to get his stats. The Saints almost failed, but Baun saved the day. From a fantasy aspect, TE Adam Trautman is barely on my radar.

New Orleans Saints Draft Grade – C- (72)

NFL Draft Grades: Atlanta Falcons (NFC South)

Rd. 1 (#16) – A.J. Terrell, CB, Clemson
Rd. 2 (#47) – Marlon Davidson, DL, Auburn
Rd. 3 (#78) – Matt Hennessey, C, Temple
Rd. 4 (#119) – Mykal Walker, LB, Fresno State
Rd. 4 (#134) – Jaylinn Hawkins, S, Cal
Rd. 7 (#228) – Sterling Hofrichter, P, Syracuse

The Atlanta Falcons organization had a solid draft class. They addressed a glaring hole at corner and selected A.J. Terrell out of Clemson. Some say he was the best NFL ready CB in the class. The club also added a huge piece of the offensive line that needed to be filled, C Matt Hennessey from Temple. Alex Mack has been the anchor of the line in the center since coming to the team from Cleveland, but he is 34 and approaching the end of his career. Overall, my grade for the club is that they added a strong class that has the potential to improve the team this season. In a division that has a win-now mentality, they did a fantastic job of filling their most desperate needs, but didn’t add any offensive weapons. The class has no fantasy relevance.

Atlanta Falcons Draft Grade – B- (81)

Conclusion:

I hope you enjoyed my draft grades for each of the organizations in the AFC West. Make sure to be on the lookout for my analysis of other divisions, like the AFC South, AFC East, AFC West, and watch Belly Up Fantasy Live every Tuesday at 8:30 P.M. EST on TwitterLive! Share your thoughts with me in the comment section below or by tweeting me @AggieKappaSig. See Belly Up Fantasy Sports and Belly Up Sports for other great articles. If you liked my analysis of these teams go check out my pre-draft rankings for QB, RB, WR, K, and D/ST. Thanks and Gig ‘Em!