After three exciting days filled with tons of action, the 2024 NFL Draft is now officially history.
Over the next few days, teams will add undrafted free-agent signings to complete their rosters. However, the puzzles have mostly been solved. When minicamps and offseason activities start in a few weeks, the experimentation will get underway. And until training camp and the preseason, there are still some unsolved questions.
For the time being, though, we’re assessing which teams seem to have benefited themselves the most from the draft and which ones didn’t quite manage to put themselves in a competitive position.
Winners
Philadelphia Eagles
On Saturday, general manager Howie Roseman carried out five more trades, bringing his total number of draft week transactions to a record nine. Quinyon Mitchell, the cornerback, was a lucky loser for the Eagles in Round 1. Subsequently, Roseman executed a deal that set up the Eagles to select Cooper DeJean, another cornerback, in the second round. From then on, Roseman and colleagues kept adding players to their squad and accumulating draft choices until 2025. The Eagles currently own nine picks in the draft of the following year. This provides Philadelphia with wiggle room in the event that the NFL’s probe into potential tampering with Saquon Barkley uncovers any misconduct and the Eagles lose one or two draft picks.
Pittsburgh Steelers
The goal of the Steelers’ draft strategy was to strengthen their line of defense, and they accomplished this by adding Russell Wilson and Justin Fields to their collection of quarterbacks this offseason. The goal was achieved. Three of their first five selections were tackle Troy Fautanu, center Zach Frazier, and guard Mason McCormick. By choosing defensive tackle Logan Lee and linebacker Payton Wilson, the Steelers strengthened their defensive line.
Washington Commanders
Adam Peters, the rookie general manager of the Commanders, certainly didn’t seem to find the moment particularly significant. In addition to choosing Jayden Daniels to be the team’s franchise quarterback, he also signed offensive and defensive playmakers. Following Daniels, Peters filled openings at tight end, within the offensive line, in the secondary, and along the defensive front with his eight picks.
Los Angeles Chargers
As they reconstruct, Jim Harbaugh and the Chargers have a lot of holes to fill going into the draft. They responded with a sound board that included defensive lineman Justin Eboigbe, linebacker Junior Colson, and offensive tackle Joe Alt—three big, strong, powerful building bricks. Along with these intriguing offensive prospects, the Chargers added Brenden Rice (Jerry’s son), and running back Kimani Vidal, who could be sleepers.
Kansas City Chiefs
The wealthy prosper further. After Texas’ Xavier Worthy, was selected in the first round, Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes added another quick wide receiver to their roster. They then added two more offensive linemen to improve their depth after snatching BYU tackle Kingsley Suamataia in the second round. Another interesting selection in the fourth round is tight end Jared Wiley, who might make an immediate impact before taking on a bigger role after Travis Kelce starts to falter.
Michigan Wolverines
This weekend, the names of a staggering 13 players from the national champions were called. All schools are in the lead with that (Texas followed with 11 players picked). Leading the way was quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who went to the Minnesota Vikings with the 10th overall pick. After that, the Wolverines were swept up round after round. Four more as undrafted free agents right away. In fact, Harbaugh got back together with wide receiver Cornelius Johnson and Colson, two of his former teammates.
Losers
Atlanta Falcons
After selecting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8 just a few weeks after guaranteeing Kirk Cousins $100 million, the Falcons came under intense scrutiny. Yes, it makes sense to select a quarterback early in the draft, as the Green Bay Packers have demonstrated. However, the Falcons aren’t close enough to the race to make such a luxury acquisition. To lessen the pain of passing up an immediate impact player in the top 10, they absolutely need third-round outside linebacker Bralen Trice and second-round defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro to perform well as rookies.
Dallas Cowboys
The quality and depth of the Cowboys’ offensive line will be enhanced by the acquisitions they made. However, it’s difficult to conclude from this week’s choices that Dallas has gotten closer to the division foe Eagles. The Cowboys have a huge hole when they come out of the draft. Despite having plenty of opportunities throughout the selection, they failed to choose a running back, despite the fact that they were in without selecting one.
Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins had seven picks in the draft, despite losing their third-round pick due to improper contact with Tom Brady and Sean Payton’s agent. But none of the big stars seemed to be interested in them. Chop Robinson, an edge rusher, shows potential, but development will take time. Patrick Paul, a second-round offensive tackle, will also. A club that wanted to close the distance with the Buffalo Bills needed to make more easy choices.
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders had to select a quarterback who would be a long-term solution before the draft. They missed the opportunity to select passers in the second, third, and fourth rounds after failing to complete a deal to advance in the first round. Some analysts think Spencer Rattler has the ability to become a starter. He was available until the New Orleans Saints took him in the fifth round.
It’s clear that the Raiders disagreed, therefore Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew will fight it out. Brock Bowers, a tight end selected in the first round, is a promising addition to the team. With the arrival of safety Trey Taylor, linebacker Tommy Eichenberg, cornerback M.J. Devonshire, and cornerback Decamerion Richardson on Saturday, the Raiders defense seemed to improve. However, it’s unsettling to start another season without a franchise quarterback in a division that includes Justin Herbert and Mahomes.