The 2024 NFL Draft is officially in the books after three days of intrigue and plenty of action.
Teams will spend the next few days rounding out their rosters with unsigned free agents. But the puzzles are often linked together. Testing will begin in a few weeks when minicamps and offseason practices begin. And some questions will remain unanswered until training camp and the preseason.
But for now, we evaluate which teams seem to have helped themselves the most following the draft and which teams failed to make themselves contend.
Winners
Philadelphia Eagles
General manager Howie Roseman continued his wheeling and dealing on Saturday, pulling off five more trades to end draft week with a record nine. The Eagles had some good luck with cornerback Quinyon Mitchell falling in Round 1. Roseman then pulled off a trade to position the Eagles to take another cornerback, Cooper Dejean, in Round 2. From there, Roseman and company continued to improve. The depth of their roster while stockpiling picks for 2025. As of now, the Eagles have nine picks in next year's draft. It gives Philadelphia a cushion if anything goes wrong with the NFL's investigation into potential damage with Saquon Barkley and the Eagles pick one or two.
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers overhauled their quarterback group this offseason by acquiring Russell Wilson and Justin Fields and entered the draft with the intent of strengthening in the trenches. The target has been achieved. Tackle Troy Fatanu, center Zach Frazier and guard Mason McCormick were three of the top five picks. The Steelers added toughness on defense by selecting linebacker Payton Wilson and defensive tackle Logan Lee.
Go deeper
The Steelers — even Mike Tomlin — are happy with their draft class (as they should be).
Washington generals
The moment certainly didn't look great for Commanders new general manager Adam Peters. Not only did he select Jaden Daniels as the team's franchise quarterback, but he also added playmakers on offense and defense. Peters used his eight picks after Daniels to plug holes in the defensive front, secondary, tight end and interior of the offensive line.
Los Angeles Chargers
Jim Harbaugh and the Chargers entered the draft with plenty of holes to fill while they revamped. In return, they provided a sounding board of big, tough, physical building blocks in offensive tackle Joe Alt, linebacker Junior Colson and defensive tackle Justin Eboigbe. The Chargers added intriguing offensive prospects in running back Kimani Vidal and wide receiver Brendan Rice (Jerry's son), who could be sleepers.
Kansas City Chiefs
The rich gets richer. Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes have another speedy wide receiver following Texas' first-round pickup of Xavier Worthy. They then took BYU tackle Kingsley Sumataya in the second round before adding two more offensive linemen to bolster their depth. Tight end Jared Wiley (fourth round) is another intriguing pick who could contribute now before taking on a bigger role once Travis Kelce starts to decline.
Michigan Wolverines
A whopping 13 players from the defending national champions heard their names called this weekend. That leads all schools (followed by Texas with 11 players drafted). Quarterback JJ McCarthy led the way, taken 10th overall to the Minnesota Vikings, and then all around, the Wolverines were snagged. Four more They immediately signed as undrafted free agents. Harbaugh reunited with two of his former players: Colson and wide receiver Cornelius Johnson.
losers
Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were heavily scrutinized following their selection of quarterback Michael Benix Jr. at No. 8 just weeks after guaranteeing Kirk Cousins $100 million. Yes, as the Green Bay Packers have shown, it's smart to draft a quarterback before you need one. But the Falcons aren't close enough to compete to make such luxury picks. They really need second-round defensive tackle Ruck Orhoro and third-round linebacker Bralon Trice to shine as rookies to facilitate immediate impact talent in the top 10.
Go deeper
Which quarterbacks landed in the best spot to win? Sorting out the landing spots of the historic draft class
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys made additions to help improve the quality and depth of their offensive line. But it's hard to look at this week's picks and feel like Dallas got the rival Eagles. The Cowboys emerge from the draft with a glaring hole. They needed a quality running back and went the entire draft without selecting one, despite having plenty of prospects.
Miami Dolphins
Despite losing their third-round pick due to impermissible contact with agents for Tom Brady and Sean Payton, the Dolphins still finished the draft with seven picks. But they don't seem to have hit any big-time stars. Edge rusher Sob Robinson has upside, but he will need time to develop. So Patrick Ball will handle the second round attack. A team that needed to close the gap between itself and the Buffalo Bills needed more slam-dunk picks.
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders had to leave the draft with a long-term answer at quarterback. They couldn't pull off a trade to advance in the first round and then had the opportunity to draft passers in the second, third and fourth rounds. Spencer Radler remained on the board until the New Orleans Saints took him in the fifth round, and some scouts believe he has the potential to develop into a starter.
The Raiders apparently disagreed, so Aidan O'Connell and Gardner Minshew will hash the matter out. First round tight end Brock Bowers is a promising addition to the offense. Cornerback Dekamarion Richardson, linebacker Tommy Eichenberg, safety Trey Taylor and cornerback M.J. By including Devonshire on Saturday, the Raiders excelled in defence. But entering another season without a franchise quarterback in a division that featured Mahomes and Justin Herbert is perplexing.
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(Photo: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)
