Expert grades Jaguars - Falcons Maason Smith, Ruke Orhorhoro trade

The Jacksonville Jaguars and the Atlanta Falcons swapped defensive tackles, with the Jaguars trading Maason Smith to the Falcons in exchange for Ruke Orhorhoro.

So what grade did each team receive?

Grading Jaguars and Falcons Maason Smith for Ruke Orhorhoro trade

ESPN's Seth Walder and Ben Solak have been grading each of the moves made by NFL teams since free agency began. Both the Jaguars and Falcons received solid grades for this trade, with Jacksonville having a slight edge, earning a B compared to Atlanta's B-.

"If I had to choose a slight winner in this trade, I would go with the Jaguars. Orhorhoro has earned more playing time and produced more sacks over the past two seasons. He's also a better run defender than Smith," wrote Walder.

As we mentioned previously, this is one of those 'change-of-scenery' trades, with neither player living up to their draft status as 2024 second-round picks, who are now playing under GMs that didn't draft them.

That said, as Walder notes, Orhorhoro has had more success than Smith getting after the quarterback. Last season, Orhorhoro, who primarily was on the field for passing downs, generated 30 pressures and four sacks. Among 121 defensive tackles, he ranked tied for 51st in PFF's pass rush productivity metric.

Smith, meanwhile, was inactive for the final three games of the season -- including the playoffs -- and ranked 97th in pass productivity with 11 pressures and no sacks over 191 pass rush snaps.