GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Mel Kiper Jr. gave the Green Bay Packers' eight-player draft class a "B" grade in his annual post-draft evaluation.
But that's not as good as it might sound.
Nine teams received higher marks and seven others received the same grade as the Packers. That means only 15 teams' drafts were graded lower than the Packers.
Kiper's team-by-team draft grades can be found in this ESPN Insider piece.
As far as the Packers were concerned, Kiper believes general manager Ted Thompson added "a lot of versatility."
He noted that first-round draft pick Damarious Randall can play either safety or cornerback depending on the specific defensive package they're using at any given time. He called second-round pick Quinten Rollins a "potential Pro Bowl talent" based on the one year of cornerback he played at Miami (Ohio) after switching from basketball. He said third-round pick Ty Montgomery can be used as a receiver, kick returner and perhaps even has a running back. He noted how much he gushed about fourth-round pick Jake Ryan during the ESPN draft broadcast and called him a "future starter at inside linebacker."
It's worth noting how Kiper graded recent drafts as soon as they concluded.
Last year, he gave the Packers' draft a "B." With a year to watch it, it probably should have been graded higher given the impact made by Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Davante Adams, Richard Rodgers and Corey Linsley.
In 2013, he gave the Packers a "B-plus." After two seasons, however, first-round pick Datone Jones has been only average, but Eddie Lacy, David Bakhtiari, Micah Hyde, Josh Boyd and Sam Barrington all have become major contributors.
Kiper's 2011 and 2012 evaluations appear to be way off.
In 2012, he gave the Packers a "B." Already gone from that draft are second-round pick Jerel Worthy, plus fourth-round pick Jerron McMillian and fifth-rounder Terrell Manning. First-round pick Nick Perry hasn't made a major impact while the only two likely starters from that class are second-rounder Casey Hayward and fourth-rounder Mike Daniels.
In 2011, he gave the Packers a "B-plus." Heading into this season, the only one remaining on the Packers' roster from that 10-player draft class is receiver Randall Cobb, a second-round pick.