Once again, the NFL Draft has come and gone with plenty of expected picks and a lot of surprises! Time will tell to see how these prospects will pan out in the league, but some will have long and productive NFL careers, while others might not be as fortunate. Let's see how each NFL team did this year and assess if they are going to be better or worse than the year before!
Embedded Files
ARIZONA CARDINALS
There were a lot of rumors that the Arizona Cardinals were going to trade out of that fourth overall spot to get future draft assets, but thankfully that did not happen whatsoever. Instead, they took the best player available that will immediately boost up their offense, wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. out of Ohio State. Ever since DeAndre Hopkins got released, the Cardinals have not had a number one receiver that could open the entire offense. Hollywood Brown could not live up to the mantle, Michael Wilson was not ready for that type of pressure this early in his career, and Greg Dortch had a shocking drop-off after a surprisingly productive 2022 season. Now that Harrison is in Arizona, Kyler Murray will have a go-to guy that he can rely upon in any given situation, and this offense will have a lot more firepower than it did the year before now that everybody is healthy.
Arizona also had another first round pick in their hands and decided to pick edge rusher Darius Robinson out of Missouri, a pretty interesting choice but a smart one nonetheless. I am skeptical about this pick for two reasons. Number one, I thought that they should have gone with a defensive back since there were plenty of candidates like Nate Wiggins and Cooper DeJean that were available for them and the Cardinals desparetely needed one. Number two, I feel like the Cardinals would have still gotten Robinson or another quality edge rusher in the second round, but then again I am not a general manager or scout so maybe I am wrong. Either way, the reason why it is a smart choice is because the Cardinals definitely needed edge help and Robinson is supposed to be the guy that is going to help turn that around.
The Cardinals had a total of twelve draft picks in 2024 and made sure that they used those to address several depth issues. They ended up taking three cornerbacks, another edge rusher in the fifth round, and a couple of offensive tackles. They also picked a high-quality running back in Trey Benson in the third round, a potential successor to James Conner since he is entering the final year of his contract. This organization addressed a lot of big needs that were considered huge liabilities over the past couple of seasons. It is too early to crown them as a surprise playoff contender, but now that Kyler Murray is healthy, they will at least be on a higher trajectory.
ATLANTA FALCONS
The Atlanta Falcons made the first jaw-dropping draft selection in 2024 when they took quarterback Michael Penix Jr. with their eighth overall pick. They had several issues on their defensive front, especially when it came to their edge rusher depth, but instead general manager Terry Fontenot look towards the future and decided to take the young stud out of Washington. Don’t get me wrong, I think that he is an incredibly talented player that can give any team upside. This was not the team that should have drafted him. What was the point of giving Kirk Cousins a $45 million per year contract for four years, with $100 million guaranteed, if they were just going to draft his replacement with the eighth pick in the draft? I know that Cousins is coming off a torn Achilles, but Penix is twenty-four years old right now and has an injury history of his own, so this is the definition of a high-risk move for the Atlanta Falcons. What makes this even more shameful is that there were pundits on television not only defending the organization for this pick, but some were criticizing Kirk Cousins for being surprised that Atlanta did not even let him know what they were doing. If I was given $100 million guaranteed as the “missing piece” for a potential playoff contender and the team ends up drafting my replacement in the first round, why the hell wouldn’t I be a little ticked off? They should be ashamed of themselves, seriously.
As far as it comes to their other draft picks, they were pretty decent at best. They ended up taking a couple of underrated fits with their next two selections: defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro in the second round and Bralen Trice in the third, and Raheem Morris knows how to develop young defensive talent into quality starters. But Atlanta could have also drafted Dallas Turner, Laitu Latu, Byron Murphy II, or really any other defensive player that could have vaulted them into top ten status. If the Falcons did not give Kirk Cousins all of that money or sign him in the first place, then they would have absolutely been given a higher grade. But that was just not the case at all. Morris and Fontenot better make sure that this team is a consistent playoff contender over the next few seasons or this will be the last opportunity that either of them will be a head coach and general manager in the NFL.
BALTIMORE RAVENS
Since the Ravens were introduced to the city of Baltimore in 1996, they have rarely whiffed when it comes to the NFL Draft. After all, their first ever picks were Jonathan Ogden and Ray Lewis, two of the greatest players at their position in the history of the sport. Baltimore did not have too much to address in the 2024 offseason, but if you look at their first five picks, they already were one of the key winners in this draft. With their first-round pick, they drafted cornerback Nate Wiggins out of Clemson, a man with tremendous speed and instincts to complement veteran Marlon Humphrey. Later in the fourth round, Baltimore went with another cornerback in TJ Tampa, somebody that can play extremely physical and contest well in man coverage. Another key defensive position that the Ravens needed to add was their edge, and they did so successfully by taking Adisa Isaac in the third round. I was really surprised that he fell that late in the draft, but with some of their guys not panning out very well, it made too sense for the Ravens to go with him. All three of them will join an already stacked Baltimore defense, and while Mike MacDonald will no longer be the coordinator, it is still a unit with so many playmakers that can turn it on at any given moment.
Of course, Baltimore needed to add some younger studs on the offensive end, and they found a couple of guys that could step up sooner rather than later. In the second round, they drafted tackle Roger Rosengarten out of Washington to replace Morgan Moses, and the team could switch the rookie over if Ronnie Stanley gets hurt again. They also found a decent wide receiver in the fourth round, Devontez Walker, somebody that could replace Odell Beckham Jr. with his blazing speed and ability to make tough contested catches. If he turns out to be a steal, then the Ravens will easily have one of the most dangerous passing attacks in the National Football League, with a reigning MVP quarterback and a usual steady offensive line.
I would give the Baltimore Ravens an easy A for how their draft went because they reloaded on both sides of the ball in needed areas. You know that as long as the nucleus stays there, this team is going to be an AFC Championship contender barring any injuries or unfortunate setbacks. This is not throwing all of their eggs into one basket, but looking towards the future and adding extra reinforcements to make sure that this team stays in playoff contention for many more years to come.
BUFFALO BILLS
On the surface, the Bills did not have a terrible draft weekend, but the way they went about it was really confusing. The obvious reason why is because they decided to trade down with the Kansas City Chiefs because that worked out SO WELL for Buffalo in 2017, when they let their biggest AFC rival take the best quarterback in football with the tenth spot. Now, the Bills moved down eight spots so that Kansas City could take the fastest receiver in the draft, which I’ll talk about later. To double down, Buffalo traded down AGAIN, this time with the Carolina Panthers so that THEY could take a wide receiver! Even though the Bills ended up drafting a solid wideout in Keon Coleman with their first pick in the second round, they could have just stayed at pick number twenty-four to draft him, and that would not be an issue whatsoever. Maybe general manager Brandon Beane did not want to have to worry about a fifth-year option in the contract, but either way, it was just really sketchy at first.
Outside of that, the Bills did nothing that many would consider ludicrous or idiotic. They drafted their future center Sedrick Van Pran-Granger out of Georgia to replace Mitch Morse, and the rest of their spots were really more depth needs than anything. I will say that I love that they drafted guard Travis Clayton out of England to compete for a roster spot because players that come from the International Pathway Program deserve every single opportunity that they are given! At least Buffalo got their biggest need taken care of, which was get a number one receiver to appease the team of letting Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis go in the offseason. They might win the AFC East since they have the fewest questions to answer, but their playoff future is left to be determined. They are going to need Josh Allen to replicate what Patrick Mahomes did in the last couple of seasons, and with a bleak future, it is going to be insanely challenging for Buffalo to accomplish exactly that.
CAROLINA PANTHERS
I cannot believe that I am saying this but the Carolina Panthers actually had a decent draft! Never mind the fact that David Tepper found himself in the news once again for the wrong reasons, but that fan did have a point when he asked for the general manager and head coach to run the draft. The Panthers ended up getting a first round pick after the disastrous Bryce Young trade and they used it to take a pretty solid wide receiver, Xavier Legette from South Carolina. Scouts have compared him to AJ Brown since he has plenty of size that has exceptional body control with a promising catch radius that Bryce Young could take advantage of in what needs to be a lights-out sophomore season. Carolina gave him two more reliable offensive weapons that could give this team so much juice that was lacking the year before, both of them coming from the University of Texas. They were the first team to draft a running back and got a pretty damn good one in Jonathon Brooks in the second round, somebody that could get a better chance to start than you would expect. They also took the second best tight end with Ja’Tavion Sanders in the fourth round, so Carolina is already doing whatever they can to make sure that Bryce Young grows into that franchise quarterback. Now that they signed two offensive linemen to huge contracts and that the skill-position depth is at least better than the year before, it will be interesting to see how this offense will perform in 2024.
The Panthers used their remaining four picks to add depth to the defense, including a potential Shaq Thompson successor in Trevin Wallace with their third-round selection, or maybe it is Michael Barrett in the seventh round. Either way, all the Panthers can ask for is that Dave Canales and Dan Morgan change life in Carolina and that this team is at least no longer a laughing stock. Any record better than last year is going to be considered a successful season, which is flat out depressing, but this is what happens when David Tepper is the owner of your franchise.
CHICAGO BEARS
The Bears might have only had five picks in 2024 but they won the NFL Draft just with their first two selections overall. They took the expected generational quarterback in Caleb Williams, nobody was surprised whatsoever. But with their ninth overall spot, they drafted the best wide receiver available and snatched up Rome Odunze out of Washington. They can thank the Chargers a bit for tacking a tackle instead of a game-changing wide receiver, because if this went the other way around, who knows what they would have done at that point? This Chicago offense is already a lot better than what it was last year because now you have three number-one options as a receiving trio: Odunze, DJ Moore, and Keenan Allen! All for the best quarterback in this 2024 class as of right now. The offensive line is still a concern, especially with running back D’Andre Swift expected to be your focal running back, but there is at least more hope with Caleb than there ever was with Justin Fields.
Their final three picks were pretty interesting ones, mainly just for depth need than anything. They drafted a decent offensive lineman in the third round to compete for a roster spot, but the Bears also drafted a future punter Troy Taylor and a fifth-round edge rusher that could get plenty of opportunities in Austin Booker. I am not expecting the Bears to come right out of the gates and win the NFC North, since you have an unproven coaching staff that is going to be fighting like hell for job security, but the talent alone should at least make you a respectable football team. Their division is insanely challenging for Chicago to win, but if Caleb Williams ends up being the next Patrick Mahomes, then there might not be a contest in the first place. This organization is not exactly the destination spot for quarterbacks, so either that narrative gets shut down in a heartbeat or that trend is going to carry them over for the next century.
CINCINNATI BENGALS
For the Cincinnati Bengals, this offseason was all about getting healthy and just adding extra reinforcements to come back stronger in 2024. Unfortunately, with Tee Higgins and Trey Hendrickson asking for trades, it might take a little longer for them to regain their cache and fortitude. Still, they had a really solid draft. It shocked me a little when Cincinnati drafted Amarius Mims in the first round, but then again, they needed a right tackle to make sure that Joe Burrow does not have yet another season-ending injury. Their next two draft picks were really solid additions that can definitely make an early impact in their rookie seasons. BJ Hill has been an incredible interior defender and run-stuffer for Cincinnati, but because he is on an expiring contract, it was time for the Bengals to explore their options and Kris Jenkins Jr. can be a solid second-round pick!
I also like that they drafted wide receiver Jermaine Burton in the third round because if there is any question that needs to be answered, it is how they are going to operate this brand new offense. With Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase as the obvious first two options, it is going to be interesting how they will utilize everyone else. Trenton Irwin and Andrei Iosivas were pretty decent last year, and with Burton now on the roster, all three of them are going to be competing for a pretty significant role.
But even with these additions, I cannot even say that the Bengals will be overwhelming favorites. They have plenty of talent on both sides of the ball to make a playoff push, but their secondary is still weak and their offense has not really hit its peak since they made the Super Bowl a few seasons ago. They need Burrow to stay 100% healthy, or else it is going to be another wasted year for what is supposed to be a turned-around franchise.
CLEVELAND BROWNS
The Browns were one of the only teams that did not have a first round pick, and to be quite honest, they do not have any pressing needs to address. The only one that is considered the closest would be drafting guard Zak Zinter in the third round because Cleveland absolutely needs to boost their interior line. Hopefully, they can get their two tackles back fully healthy and this offensive line will once again be one of the most dominant units in the league. Other than that, it feels like the Browns just added some extra depth on the defensive side of the ball. We all know that their success is going to predicate upon their quarterback Deshaun Watson, whose contract just looks worse and worse with every passing week. The good news is that Nick Chubb will most likely be back, Amari Cooper and David Njoku will be the two featured targets, they will have a chance to see what Jerry Jeudy can bring to the table, and their defense did not lose any notable pieces from the year before. The ceiling for this team is not too high because the Browns are in a really tough division in a stacked conference, so at best they will be a Wild Card contender. They need to make sure that Watson bounces back strongly and puts the team on his back because Joe Flacco is not going to come back to save them this time.
DALLAS COWBOYS
To the Cowboys fans that did not like how their draft went this year, for what it’s worth, you at least got your center back. That’s right! Ezekiel Elliott is back in Dallas, so at least you won’t have to worry about picking another one or even a running back! But in all seriousness, I think that they had a pretty decent draft. Some preferred Graham Barton, others Jackson Powers-Johnson, but Tyler Guyton can absolutely be a promising fit for this football team! If there is one thing about the Dallas Cowboys and Jerry Jones, it’s that they do not miss when it comes to offensive linemen. People thought that Travis Frederick, Zack Martin, and Tyler Smith were unnecessary draft picks at the time. Look at how they turned out! Guyton was definitely a big need due to the departure of Tyron Smith, and while it is way too early to say he will have a Hall of Fame career, I doubt that the rookie will be seen as a liability. Again, some did not like Terrence Steele after his rookie season, and now he is one of the best right tackles in football! Time will tell to see how Guyton pans out, but given that he is a Dallas Cowboy, I think he will play well. I can’t say the same about third-round pick Coober Beebe just yet because I just don’t know how they are going to use him, so we’ll find out in the next few months.
As for their defensive picks, I am just hoping that Mike Zimmer replicates what Dan Quinn did over the last few years and make them a top ten unit. The key difference between the two is Zimmer’s defense is more physical and aggressive, so Dallas’ front seven is going to be extremely interesting to watch. In the second round, they drafted Marshawn Kneeland out of Western Michigan to complement Micah Parsons and to replace Dorance Armstrong, who left in free agency for the Washington Commanders. This defense has plenty of talent on paper to not suffer any setbacks, but if they want to maintain any consistency, their secondary really needs to step up. Tre’Von Diggs is coming off a torn ACL, DaRon Bland does not have the best coverage skills, and Stephon Gilmore is a free agent. It’s a unit where if they don’t get any pressure, they might get exposed in the long run.
Apparently, this is what it means to go “All In” for Jerry Jones. Do little to nothing in free agency, take low-risk guys in the draft, keeping an uninspired coaching staff in place, while coming to an impasse with your franchise quarterback in contract negotiations. Will they be back in the playoffs? Absolutely. But we all know how this story ends, it is usually both hilarious yet a little sad at the same time.
DENVER BRONCOS
I remember back in 2004 when the Chargers drafted Eli Manning, the Giants took Phillip Rivers, and the Steelers drafted Ben Roethlisberger. San Diego and New York ended swapping their picks, but the Buffalo Bills were also in dire need of a quarterback. All of the best guys were taken off the board, yet general manager Tom Donahoe still decided to take JP Losman in the first round. Fast forward 20 years later, and the Broncos were literlaly in the exact same situation. They were a team that needed a quarterback, yet they were shocked that the top five guys at that position were off the board, so Sean Payton became desperate and just decided to take Bo Nix with their first-round pick. I am not saying that Nix is going to be garbage or terrible like he was at Auburn. But I also know that we’re not seeing the same quarterback that we saw at Oregon. Realistically, we’re going to see some hopeful flashes yet so many growing pains based on the situation that the Broncos are in right now.
The Broncos are nowhere near playoff contenders, yet they are not terrible to fall into a top five pick. My best assessment is that they are right in the middle. They are a team that should be competitive on paper, especially with the talent that they have on both sides of the ball. I love the fact that they drafted Troy Franklin in the third round to pair him up with Nix, along with their second-round pick Jonah Ellis to give Denver some more edge depth. But if they decide to trade Courtland Sutton and not give him at least a reasonable contract extension, then this offense is going to be mediocre and their defense will be exhausted by the end of the season. I want to have a lot of faith in this team since they have the pieces to surprise a lot of people, but this was the same franchise that decided to take on over $80 million in dead money so that they could release Russell Wilson, so I cannot honestly determine what their vision is for this upcoming season. If they make the playoffs, good for them. If not, then they deserve that.
DETROIT LIONS
Per usual, the biggest need for the Detroit Lions was getting somebody on the defensive side of the ball, and they succeeded by taking the highly-rated cornerback out of Alabama Terrion Arnold. After the departures of both Cameron Sutton and CJ Gardner-Johnson, Detroit knew that the secondary was going to once again be a lingering weakness. They were able to get Carlton Davis and Amik Robertson in free agency, and now they have a rookie that can steal one of those starting spots in a matter of months. I would normally say that this secondary got better, but that’s what we said last year, and it was unfortunately their biggest liability once again. I am now of the firm belief that the scheme that Aaron Glenn has been using is just not working, and if I want to think that this year is truly different, I will have to see it myself.
What surprised me the least was that the Lions did not try to add more to their offense because they already had a top five unit last year, so why try to change that with everybody else coming back for a shot at revenge? As of right now, they should be the favorites to win the NFC North, and it is very possible that they can make it back to the conference championship. But Dan Campbell said it himself that last year might have been their only shot, so it is up to the team itself to prove that they can come back with more aggression and grit than ever before.
GREEN BAY PACKERS
This was another team that I thought had a really solid draft because they addressed a lot of glaring needs based on a lot of departures during the offseason. Because the Packers released David Bakhtiari and let Jon Runyan Jr. walk in free agency, they decided to invest in the offensive line with their first-round pick by drafting tackle Jordan Morgan out of Arizona! I am shocked myself that Green Bay did not go with a defensive player, but tackle was a big need and they picked the right time to go with the right fit. For Jordan Love, the most important thing he needs heading into a contract year is a blindside protector, so that is where Morgan will get a heavy share of his snaps. Not the best pick, but a smart one nonetheless.
The next three picks for the Packers will also be just as critical to their success. De’Vondre Campbell is getting older and had to be released because of the cap? Well they can draft Edgerrin Cooper in the second round to pair him up with Quay Walker, that should be a really interesting linebacker duo! The Packers snatched Xavier McKinney away from the Giants, but they need another safety to complement him, so that stud out of Georgia named Javon Bullard should be an outstanding fit! Finally, they signed Josh Jacobs to a big four-year deal himself, but drafting MarShawn Lloyd in the third round will be a good insurance plan in case Jacobs or even AJ Dillon are not fully healthy.
My one problem that I have with this draft is that they only took one cornerback and it was in the seventh round. This is not to replace their top guy Jaire Alexander, but somebody that can complement them, especially since Eric Stokes had his fifth year option declined. Green Bay must be that confident that their secondary can turn the corner with Jeff Hafley at defensive coordinator, but that will remain to be seen. Last year, the Packers overachieved. Now it is time for them to take that next step the way that Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers did before Jordan Love.
HOUSTON TEXANS
Last year, the Houston Texans were trying to fully rebuild their team. Now, they are in a position to reload. They did not have a first round pick this season thanks to a draft trade from the year before, but Houston made sure that they did not have a wasted offseason, that’s for sure. With their second-round pick, they found a potential complement to Derek Stingley Jr. by drafting Georgia corner Kamari Lassiter, a strong and physical corner that can hold his own in man coverage. Jeff Okudah has not lived up to his third overall pick status in 2020 and Stingley Jr. is coming off of a breakout season, so Lassiter is a strong fit in DeMeco Ryans’ scheme that is going to unleash hell in 2024.
I also like that the Texans drafted right tackle Blake Fisher later in that same round. Tytus Howard might have gotten a big contract extension, but he is really inconsistent, and Fisher might steal his job if he somehow proves to be a quality NFL starter. Drafting tight end Cade Stover in the fourth round is pretty interesting, especially since they just gave Dalton Schultz a contract extension, but it is at least going to be a little bit of a nice reunion with his former college quarterback. Other than that, there were not really a lot of names that popped out to me, but the future is so bright with the Houston Texans.
Not only is this team positioned to make another playoff push, but this team has a realistic chance of making the AFC Championship if they stay on the right track. CJ Stroud has proven to be a franchise quarterback, they just added Joe Mixon and Stefon Diggs in free agency, their offense is going to get healthier, and their defense has fully reloaded. The draft was not a huge concern for Houston because it was a chance for them to get a little bit stronger than they were a year ago.
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
The Colts were very fortunate to be the first team to draft a defensive player in 2024, and they went with an interesting choice, edge rusher Laitu Latu out of UCLA. I don’t mind him the player because I think he would have been a stud wherever he landed, but I thought that Indianapolis should have gone with a defensive back. As a matter of fact, they only drafted one corner in the seventh round and two safeties in the fifth, so that might be an issue heading into the 2024 season. Nonetheless, Latu is still an explosive edge rusher and he will be a tremendous addition to an Indianapolis defensive front that had no trouble getting to the quarterback last year. They needed a defensive player and they got one, so I have no complaints whatsoever.
My favorite pick that the Colts made was them snatching up wide receiver Adonai Mitchell in the second round, who surprisingly fell all the way to the forty-seventh spot of the whole draft. I don’t know what it was that made a lot of teams pass on him, but Indianapolis got Anthony Richardson and Shane Steichen a tremendous receiving asset. You pair him with Michael Pittman and Josh Downs, along with Jonathan Taylor in the backfield, this is an incredibly dangerous offense to watch out for this upcoming year. The only thing you can hope for is Richardson to bounce back strong from that shoulder injury.
I don’t think that they are going to win the AFC South since the Texans have the better roster, but I believe that the Colts can absolutely make the playoffs if everybody is fully healthy. Shane Steichen did a hell of a job last year, leading a team with a backup quarterback to a 9-8 record, coming one drop away from making a postseason berth themselves. They still have some things to clean up defensively, but I have a lot of faith in Indianapolis this year because officially have their swagger back.
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
Reports surfaced that the Jaguars were trying to trade up in the first round for a pass-catcher, and the good news is that they did not have to do that because they stayed at pick number eighteen to draft Brian Thomas Jr. out of LSU. I personally thought that secondary was their biggest issue, but it was not a stupid move to go with the best receiver available, since both Calvin Ridley and Zay Jones will not be on the roster for 2024. I think Thomas is going to be a great fit in Jacksonville because he has tremendous toughness, great speed, and the overall package to become a number one receiver. You add him with Christian Kirk and Gabe Davis, it is a solid receiving trio, not to mention that you still have Travis Etienne and Evan Engram as reliable options for Trevor Lawrence.
Other than that, however, they had a pretty below-average draft. They didn’t go for too many defensive players, they drafted a kicker in the sixth round, and they did not draft any other players that are going to have an immediate impact right away. The Jaguars can absolutely be competitive because they have the talent to do so, but I feel like that they are going to stumble into the postseason as a Wild Card team and then find themselves one-and-done. If Lawrence can make that mental leap to overcome the adversities and obstacles needed out of a franchise quarterback, this offense will be in fantastic shape. Defensively, the secondary is still their biggest issue because not only do they not have veteran leadership, but they do not have any standout guys that can make a difference. I know that they have a strong and solid front seven, but if they are not generating pressure, then this defense is going to be a liability once again.
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
I don’t think that anybody was surprised when the Kansas City Chiefs drafted the fastest receiver in the draft Xavier Worthy with their first-round pick. They could have gotten him if they stayed at pick thirty-two, but they still traded up with Buffalo to get the speedster out of Texas. The ceiling and floor is pretty obvious. He is either going to be the next Tyreek Hill and become a superstar or revert to the next John Ross and turn into nothing. Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes knew they needed more speed on the offense, especially at the wide receiver position, and both are going to make sure that Worthy gets his targets and catches early in the year. Yet, he is not even my favorite draft pick from this team.
That would have to go to their second-round selection, tackle Kingsley Suamataia out of BYU. The Chiefs absolutely needed tackle help with the departure of Donovan Smith in free agency, so by giving Mahomes a blindside protector that can develop into a consistent starter, that Kansas City offensive line is not going to regress one bit.
Let’s be honest, as long as the Chiefs have the nucleus in place, it does not matter who they draft. Travis Kelce just signed a two year contract extension, Andy Reid and Brett Veach are locked in until 2029, and Mahomes is essentially there for the rest of his life. When a team is that great for this long, you know you have to keep adding extra help to sustain it for a period of time, and that is exactly what Kansas City did in this draft.
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS
Michael Penix Jr. going to the Falcons was the biggest stunner, but honestly, the Chargers drafting Joe Alt with the fifth overall pick was a bit of a surprise as well. The only difference was that LA made a wise decision by improving the offensive line. Jim Harbaugh saw that they needed another tackle to complement a rising star in Rashawn Slater, so by taking the best one in the draft, they can ensure that Justin Herbert has a very clean pocket to work with. Would Malik Nabers have made this offense even better? Absolutely. However, football starts in the trenches, and the Chargers ended up making the right decision.
What makes it even better was that LA made sure to add some extra receivers as additional help for Justin Herbert. They traded up with New England in the second round to draft a superb route-runner in Ladd McConckey, they reunited Michigan man Cornelius Johnson with his former head coach, and they even drafted Jerry Rice’s son Brenden in the seventh round! Quentin Johnston is entering a pivotal sophomore season, Joshua Palmer has always been a reliable target, and they just signed DJ Chark to a one-year deal to add some veteran presence. The offense seems set, and with Jim Harbaugh and Justin Herbert leading the way, there should be expected improvement and more heart than there has been in the last five years.
LA did not add too much defensively, besides drafting Michigan linebacker Junior Colson in the third round along with a few depth additions, which could be a big factor heading into the 2024 season. We all know that if the Chargers want to make a push, that side of the ball needs to be better than ever before. Defensive coordinator Jesse Minter is going to be in a very tough spot to try to develop a lot of young and inexperienced talent into quality NFL starters, especially in the secondary where your only capable veterans are Asante Samuel Jr. and Derwin James. I have been on record saying that they never live up to expectations, so this has to be the year where they prove me wrong and shock a lot of people.
LOS ANGELES RAMS
I think that we all know that after Aaron Donald retired and Raheem Morris left to take the head coaching job in Atlanta, the biggest priority for Les Snead and Sean McVay was to reload on the defensive side of the ball. Their first two picks did exactly that because they are both Florida State defensive linemen: Jared Verse and Braden Fiske. The former is an explosive player off the edge that can become the standout player that the Rams needed in the post-AD era. The latter will exactly replace Donald, a 292 pound linemen that ran the fastest 40 yard dash out of any player in his position, so this is going to be somebody that can make an immediate impact. The Rams defense had a lot of surprising young playmakers including Kobie Turner, Byron Young, Ernest Jones, and Micahel Hoecht. Adding those two will make this defensive front even stronger, plus it eases up a young secondary that just added some quality veterans to provide plenty of leadership.
What was really interesting was that they drafted Blake Corum in the third round, one of the top running backs in this draft, to pair him with Kyren Williams. I personally do not want one to get more snaps over the other because this deserves to be an explosive running back tandem. My only concern is their depth at the tackle position, which is where I thought that they should have gone in the first round, but I have no problems with their approach in this draft.
The Rams knew that they had plenty of offensive firepower to make another run into the postseason, but for them to get past the first round, they needed to get stronger defensively. Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp are not getting any younger, so it’s up to a lot of these younger players to really step up the way that they did last year. I doubt that they will win the division since they play against the 49ers twice a year, but I have a lot of faith in Los Angeles to get back into the playoffs and make some noise.
LAS VEGAS RAIDERS
After free agency, I honestly did not understand what type of vision the Raiders had heading into 2024. Now that the NFL Draft has concluded, I still don’t know what they are doing. Just because they promoted Antonio Pierce to be the full-time head coach doesn’t mean they will be ten times better than the year before. I have no issues with Brock Bowers at all because he is hands down the best tight end coming out of the draft, but did the Raiders really need him? I get that he will be a valuable option to whomever the starting quarterback will be, but it is between Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell, so this team is going to already be between mediocre and below average. My favorite pick was them getting center Jackson Powers-Johnson in the second round and Delmar Glaze in the third because Vegas definitely needed offensive linemen that they could develop into thorough-bred starters. However, it’s also an offense that lacks a strong offensive coordinator and a powerful run game. They might have Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers, but they also have Luke Getsy and Alexander Mattison.
One thing I will say about the Raiders is that they must feel really confident about the direction their defense will head towards into 2024. Now that they have Christian Wilkins to pair up with Maxx Crosby and Tyree Wilson, all they really needed to do was draft linebacker Tommy Eichenberg and not do much else in the secondary. They must believe that Jack Jones and Nate Hobbs can be a solid one-two punch at cornerback, and they are pretty good players, but Patrick Graham has a lot to depend upon as the defensive coordinator. This might not be a terrible draft, but they did not make any decisions that was going to instantly put the Raiders over the top.
MIAMI DOLPHINS
If there was any team that needed to reload in this NFL Draft, it was the Miami Dolphins. Their first round pick Chop Robinson is a good start because with Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips suffering season-ending injuries last year, it was critical that Miami got younger when it came to their edge rushers. I was surprised that Robinson got picked this early in the draft but he is a tremendous player that can really play anywhere on the line, so for a team that is going through another defensive identity change, this guy can be viewed as a bigger plus than a minus without question. The same goes for their second-round pick Patrick Paul, who might not be an immediate starter, but could be a potential successor to Terron Armstead whenever the veteran tackle decides to hang it up. Those were two key areas that Miami needed to improve upon to make sure that they were not a fraudulent one-and-done team in the playoffs because they have too much talent to even have that status in the first place. They are not going to be able to do a lot in free agency because of their messy cap situation, so adding extra help in the draft was at least a good start to making sure that the Dolphins would at least stay in postseason contention.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS
The Bears might have won the NFL Draft, but their division rival Minnesota Vikings were not completely far behind. They traded up in the first round twice to take the players that they absolutely needed the most to make sure that this team did not have another wasted season. The first was moving up one spot with the New York Jets to take their quarterback of the future JJ McCarthy. To be honest, I think that he is in the perfect situation and I believe he will do extremely well in Minnesota. They have a hell of an offensive mind at head coach in Kevin O’Connell, they have the best receiver in football with Justin Jefferson, so much receiving talent featuring Jordan Addison and TJ Hockenson, and they just signed Aaron Jones to become the lead running back. With the right amount of confidence and development, McCarthy is going to turn out to be a pretty promising quarterback in this league.
Trading up in the first round is a sign that the team wants to get better, but doing it twice means that you are trying to get back into the playoffs. That is exactly what the Vikings did when they moved up six spots with the Jacksonville Jaguars so that they could get a new face for the defense, edge rusher Dallas Turner out of Alabama. He is automatically going to be the replacement for Danielle Hunter and an even more solid complement to standout player Jonathan Greenard, who had recently just signed a huge four-year contract with the Vikings. I was really shocked that Turner fell all the way down to pick number seventeen because I personally believed that he was the best defensive player coming out of the draft. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores always prides his units to create tremendous amounts of pressure to blow up the offensive gameplan, so bringing Turner to fill in some pretty big shoes will be a pretty exciting and interesting transition.
The rest of the draft for Minnesota was honestly really solid. They needed cornerback help badly and ended up taking a steal in the third round with Oregon product Khyree Jackson, so he will absolutely have a chance to compete for a starting spot on what is still a relatively young secondary. They also took a couple of offensive linemen late in the sixth and seventh rounds, two guys who will also have a chance to fight for a spot on the team, especially for an offensive line that has given up a lot of hits and pressures over the last couple of years. My personal favorite, however, was them drafting Will Reichard, the all-time FBS scoring leader. The NFC North is officially stacked with at least three potential playoff contenders, but for the Vikings to earn their way in, they really need their quarterbacks to lift them up and not bring them down like last year.
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
As soon as Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels were off the board, I think it was pretty obvious that the Patriots were going to draft Drake Maye with their third overall pick. While there are a couple of things to clean up with his game, many scouts say that he has the arm of Justin Herbert and Josh Allen, so at least he has more confidence to push the ball down the field than Mac Jones ever did during his time with the organization. It might be a while before Maye gets his first opportunity since they signed Jacoby Brissett to be the bridge quarterback, but with the right amount of development and teaching, Maye can definitely turn this franchise around the minute that he steps onto the field. He might have a lot of pressure riding on his shoulders, but this new coaching staff has a big challenge as well because they cannot set him up to fail.
The thing that stuck out to me the most when it came to the Patriots draft was that they only took one defensive player, cornerback Marcellas Dial out of South Carolina in the sixth round. They did what I wanted them to do in the first place, which was overhaul the entire offense and address the most serious concerns. They drafted two physical and creative wide receivers, Ja’Lynn Polk out of Washington and Javon Baker from UCF, guys that can win their routes off the line of scrimmage and make incredibly contested catches. Baker has gone on record to say that he can make people out of wheelchairs stand up, so the Patriots drafted a couple of guys with so much confidence to take their games to the very next level. I also loved that they selected two prominent offensive linemen in the third and fourth rounds. Tackle Caedan Wallace only gave up one sack in his college career and Layden Robinson will definitely serve as a strong plug at the right guard because that was a huge issue the year before. The Patriots knew that they had three huge weaknesses: quarterback, wide receiver, and offensive line. New England found players that could step up to the plate and I have to give so much credit to the front office for actually recognizing that.
This is not to disrespect Bill Belichick in any way possible, but this Patriots team is going to have more swagger and confidence than I think it has had in a very long time. I doubt that they will make the playoffs since this is still a rebuilding period, but I believe that they regained the respectability that a lot of fans lost over the last couple of years.
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
I cannot say anything negative about what the Saints did in this draft either. The biggest issues from this football team stemmed on the offensive side of the ball, and with Ryan Ramczyck possibly not playing another snap of football, I think it was a smart decision to take tackle Taliese Fuaga with their first-round pick. New offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak is taking over a pretty talented offense that just has not had any structure, but by taking Fuaga, their offensive line is already a lot stronger than the year before. Derek Carr is not a terrible quarterback and they have plenty of reliable skill-position players, so now it is up to all of them to at least finally unlock the potential that we all knew that they had.
My favorite pick was them drafting Kool-Aid McKinstry in the second round. I did not think that cornerback was the biggest need for New Orleans since they have Marshon Lattimore and a couple of decent players in Alontae Taylor and Paulson Adebo, but Kool-Aid is not a bad fit for what has usually been one of the more consistent defenses in all of football. The big surprise though was them drafting Spencer Rattler. It’s honestly amazing that he went from being the number one college recruit in the whole country to a fifth-round pick. No, there is not going to be a quarterback competition, otherwise it just makes that Derek Carr contract look worse for Mickey Loomis and Dennis Allen.
There is absolutely a strong chance that the Saints could win one of the weakest divisions in all of football because they have the talent on offense and their defense is always a sturdy unit, but as I said earlier, they need to unlock that potential themselves before anybody can believe that this team can make the playoffs. Otherwise, this team is going to have to go through a blow-up, and both Loomis and Alllen will most likely be fired.
NEW YORK GIANTS
The Giants tried to trade up in the top three to take their quarterback, but knowing that they were not going to be able to match any package the Patriots wanted, they just stood pat with the sixth pick. They can thank the Chargers that they decided to go for offensive line, because New York easily took one of the best receivers in the draft with Malik Nabers. He is only twenty years old and is somebody that has the total package as a number one receiver. He has great speed, he is a tremendous route runner, he consistently wins matchups, and he is a huge security blanket. I know that this offense does not have a great quarterback room and that Saquon Barkley is no longer there, but at least Giants fans can feel comfort that Nabers can be a valuable piece to their offense for many years to come.
Outside of that, none of their picks were too crazy but they were absolutely reasonable. They got the best safety prospect in the second round, Tyler Nubin out of Minnesota to make up for Xavier McKinney leaving in free agency, so that will at least avoid a huge setback when it comes to their secondary. It was also not shocking that they took a cornerback in the third round, but I feel that Andru Phillips will be more of a depth piece than anything, so I won’t make too big a deal out of it just yet.
Overall, I thought it was a pretty decent draft for the Giants. They still have a lot of glaring flaws with their offense, especially when it comes to their quarterback and offensive line, but it could have been a lot worse. This team is definitely not going to make the playoffs, but Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll knew what type of situation they put themselves in, so they tried to salvage whatever dignity they had left by just focusing on the short-term problems first.
NEW YORK JETS
Clearly, the New York Jets think that they are in a reasonable position to be a contender now that Aaron Rodgers is fully healthy, and they wisely fixed most of their issues when it came to the offensive line. They already signed Tyron Smith, John Simpson, and Morgan Moses in free agency to make sure it did not all apart once again. But drafting Olu Fashanu in the first round was a very wise and tactical pick because you knew that Smith has had a long injury history, so if Fashanu can learn and develop from a future Hall of Fame blindside protector, he can absolutely be a home run pick for this franchise.
The rest of this draft for the Jets was pretty solid. They took underrated wide receiver Malachi Corley in the third round, they took FSU quarterback Jordan Travis in the fifth round to at least give him a shot to prove himself, and they had the final pick in the whole draft to take safety Jaylen Key. On paper, this team should absolutely be a playoff contender, but it all comes down to health and productivity. Rodgers is coming off of a torn achilles near the age of 40 years old, the offensive line has been a trainwreck for who knows how long, and Mike Williams has an injury history of his own. Robert Saleh and Joe Douglas have their jobs on the line for this season, and if everything comes back to blow up in their face once again, then it is over for this football team. Not that they have been anywhere near this point in the last decade.
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
I don’t think that the Eagles had the best draft, but Howie Roseman just keeps finding ways to get the players that he wants. He might have had a series of whiffs between 2019 and 2020, but he has been nothing but near the top of his craft in every other year. After last year’s collapse, it was time for this team to reload and at least gain back some credibility, so the first thing that they needed to fix was their god-awful secondary. Darius Slay and James Bradberry might be a strong one-two punch on paper, but they are both starting to get older and more inefficient, so Philly went to work finding their successors. Not only did they land Quinyon Mitchell in the first round, but they stole Cooper DeJean in the second, two of the top cornerbacks coming out of the draft. It will be interesting to see how they will work in Vic Fangio’s scheme, but the Eagles were super fortunate that they got two highly rated cornerbacks that could solve a lot of the issues that went wrong for that defense.
To be quite honest, it did not shock me in the slightest that the Eagles took Jeremiah Trotter Jr. in the fifth round. His father was an incredible linebacker in Philadelphia for a long period of time, so it was great that everything came full circle not just for the franchise, but the entire Trotter family as well. Nonetheless, the Eagles are under tremendous pressure for this upcoming season.
The way that everything ended last year was an absolute travesty, and if they do not exceed expectations once again, then it is very possible that Nick Sirianni might not be the only one that is in danger of losing his job. Many will question if Jalen Hurts is really the guy moving forward, if they hit their peak way too early, and more importantly if the franchise went completely ahead of themselves. There has not been a repeat winner of the NFC East for several years, so it is up to Philadelphia to make sure that trend continues and take back the crown.
PITTSBURGH STEELERS
It is really rare when the Steelers mess up with an NFL draft, so if any of their selected players do not work out, it will be an absolute stunner. Pittsburgh filled in their biggest needs to make sure they were no longer going to be a mediocre team in the future, especially with the offensive line. They used their first-round pick to draft tackle Troy Fautanu, somebody that could be a Day-1 starter with second-year standout Broderick Jones, but the only question is where to play either of them. In Round 2, they went with another potential week one starter, center Zach Frazier out of West Virginia. The offensive line needed to be rebuilt for the next few years now, and with Najee Harris’ fifth year option declined, it is all or nothing for this running back to really prove his value to this football team. I also loved that they landed wide receiver Roman Wilson in the third round because with Diontae Johnson traded, the Steelers needed somebody to complement George Pickens, who has everything to prove heading into his third season. Whether it’s Russell Wilson or Justin Fields leading this team, it’s time for this offense to really show what it’s all about, because they have plenty of talent on paper to be a decent unit.
One of the biggest steals of the draft, in my opinion, was Pittsburgh drafting Payton Wilson in the fourth round. I am super surprised that he fell this far, but if anybody needed him, it was the Steelers. Their interior linebacker room was decimated due to a plethora of injuries, and while signing Patrick Queen was a solid move, they need somebody that is going to help him out in the middle of the field.
Because Mike Tomlin is the head coach of this football team, I think it’s automatic that the Steelers are going to finish with somewhere between eight or nine wins. The only way for them to completely overachieve is for the defense to stay healthy and that either Wilson or Fields put the team on their backs to the postseason. Other than that, I think that things have stabilized for the time being, and it’s good to see that this team is moving forward instead of standing stuck in the mud.
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
Now that Pete Carroll has stepped down and Mike MacDonald has taken over, it is time for the Seahawks to start a new era with a different vision. Because Geno Smith is in the second year of a front-loaded contract extension, Seattle was not going to look for a replacement quarterback right away, but pieces that can keep this team in playoff contention in the long run. They were in an interesting position with their first-round pick because they could have easily traded down for future assets, but they stood pat at number sixteen and took defensive tackle Byron Murphy II. That Seahawks defense did not improve the way we all thought that it would last year, so the main goal for this unit is to get younger and more energized. I have no issue with the pick whatsoever because I think boosting up the defensive line was definitely something that Seattle needed to do, and I believe that they have good enough players on their secondary to make sure that they do not completely crumble into a shell down the stretch.
Outside of that, the Seahawks mainly focused on drafting low-end guys that could become potential starters in the future, but will need more time and development to see what they can become. The offensive line has been an issue for who knows how long, so it did not hurt drafting Christian Haynes, one of the highest-graded guard prospects in the second round. Linebacker Tyrice Knight could develop into something interesting if he fits well into the scheme that Mike MacDonald wants to run, and it is a need that the Seahawks needed to address since Jordyn Brooks and Bobby Wagner left in free agency.
The Seahawks can absolutely be a playoff contender because Geno Smith is a capable starting quarterback and they have plenty of talent on both sides of the ball to make a promising run. I know I’ve said that for a lot of teams but there is no way in hell that you could be good on paper, but not show it when you take the field. However, if they cannot take that next step, then Seattle is going to look towards the future and that is not going to be good for a lot of players on their roster.
SAN FRANCISCO 49ers
If it was not for the Atlanta Falcons drafting Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth overall pick, I would honestly say that the San Francisco 49ers had the worst NFL Draft. For those freaking out, they just made the Super Bowl because of their veteran core on both sides of the ball, so don’t take this the wrong way. What I mean is that because San Francisco did not have the cap space to do much in free agency, this draft could have been a great opportunity for them to clean up some issues that needed to be fixed. They did not do that in the first round. Instead of going with a defensive back, they drafted wide receiver Ricky Pearsall out of Florida. I get that he's a promising wide receiver and I know that he’ll do extremely well in San Francisco, but I did not get the thought process behind that pick. Either they thought that they could trade Brandon Aiyuk or Deebo Samuel and find their eventual replacement, or general manager John Lynch just did not want to pass on him while he was on the board. I’m going to say it’s the latter, but it was definitely interesting to say the least. I know that they drafted cornerback Renardo Green in the second round, but he only had one interception in fifty-two college careers game played, and he is joining a defense that is run by Brandon Staley.
I’m not completely thrilled to tell you the truth. You know that this team has all of the pieces in the world to make it back to a Super Bowl, but we all know that the most realistic scenario for them is that they get there and get exposed by the Kansas City Chiefs or any other top AFC contender that they go up against. Their draft approach just tells me that San Francisco is completely comfortable with the roster that they have, as they should, because they have one of the most loaded rosters in the league. The only way they can prove me wrong is if they actually win a championship this year, period and end of story.
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
I personally love what the Tampa Bay Buccaneers did with their draft strategy because the number one priority that they have to accomplish is make sure that Baker Mayfield keeps growing and hope that he does not revert to what happened to him between 2021 and 2022. The first thing that they did was draft Graham Barton in the first round, finally solidifying their center position. After Ryan Jensen had to retire due to a career-ending knee injury, I think it was wise for Jason Licht and Todd Bowles to put Robert Hainsey back into his natural position at guard, and make sure that Barton develops into a quality starting center. Mayfield had a pretty solid offensive line last year, so for them to maintain that consistency, it was smart for them to take Barton while they had the opportunity.
But of course, when Todd Bowles is your head coach, you have to make sure that you have to keep adding to the defense. With Shaq Barrett no longer on the team, the Bucs drafted a decent edge rusher in the second round, Chris Braswell out of Alabama that can really develop into a quality rotational piece. They also drafted a reliable safety to complement Antoine Winfield in the back of the secondary, Georgia product Tykee Smith that is just as aggressive and instinctive. Follow that up with a couple of offensive skill position players in Bucky Irving and Jalen McMillan, and you can ensure that this offense is not going to solely run through Mike Evans.
Winning the NFC South this season is going to be ten times harder than it was the year before. All three teams in their division have improved in different ways, and the Bucs need to make sure that last year was the continuation of success rather than just a lucky fluke. They might not be near the elite of the league, but they still have a lot of capable playmakers that have the playoff experience and mental fortitude to have another successful season.
TENNESSEE TITANS
Entering this NFL Draft, it was pretty obvious that the Tennessee Titans were going to draft a tackle since their offensive line was in such disarray over the last couple of years. However, after the Chargers took Joe Alt with the fifth overall pick, it was time for Tennessee to go to Plan B and take JC Latham out of Alabama. He was mainly a right tackle in college, but it will be interesting to see how head coach Brian Callahan will utilize him because there is a good chance that they might switch him over to the left side of the line. Either way, I think it was a really smart pick from the Titans because they have a decent amount of skill-position players, but Will Levis is going to crumble if he does not have the right protection in front of him.
I also love how Tennessee took defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat in the second round, because even though they still have a solid front seven, they need some extra strength to make sure that Jeffery Simmons and Harold Landry hold their ground to create as much pressure as possible. I could have easily said to go with a defensive back, but they traded for L’Jarius Sneed for a reason, so it makes a little more sense to me.
It’s going to be a long shot for the Titans to make the playoffs because their division is extremely stacked and the conference is even more challenging, so this team is going to run through a lot of bumps over the course of a few months. However, the future is definitely bright in Nashville because the offense has completely upgraded and the defense is at least starting to re-stabilize.
WASHINGTON COMMANDERS
I did say at the beginning of the draft that the Washington Commanders were going to determine the direction of this draft. Playing with house money, they could have either selected the reigning Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels or take the hot-shot Drake Maye. They went with the former, considering that his skill-sets best fit the offense that Kliff Kingsbury wants to run this year. It is going to take a lot of development and learning for him to become a promising franchise quarterback, even though I am rooting like hell for him. They have a decent amount of talent on offense for him to unlock his talents, but the question is how he will fare up with the offensive line. After all, they only drafted one player within that unit and it was in the third round, so I do not have a lot of faith when it comes to that subject. This seems like a boom-or-bust pick for Washington because while I love the game that Jayden Daniels brings to the table, he might not be able to see his potential given the situation around him.
Their defense is also something that Washington needs to see instantly improve because it was so god-awful last year that both Ron Rivera and Jack Del Rio got fired. That is what they hired Dan Quinn to do, and if he does not work out here, then this will be the last time he will ever be a head coach in the National Football League. I love that they drafted Jer’Zhawn Newton in the second round and I was quite surprised that he fell that far to begin with. For the most part, Quinn has been known for turning defenses around, so I will be cautiously optimistic until I see otherwise.
This is the exact reason why I am not putting the Commanders in the playoff picture, because while some of the pieces might work out, I just don’t know if the rest of the team will follow their lead. I would say that this is a rebuilding year, but it has been that way for the last thirty years. I know that the new ownership wants to build a new winner in DC, but this roster is not built for that right now. This isn’t Philadelphia anymore, so saying “Trust the Process” is not going to win anybody over when it comes to this football team.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse