The NFL Draft is in the rearview, and now the long, slow summer awaits as the NFL world waits for the opening of training camp.
The draft did not bring many huge changes to these rankings, but there were definitely winners and losers coming out of draft weekend.
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Super Bowl 59 odds in parentheses
The 49ers were forced to move on from Arik Armstead and lost Chase Young in free agency, but they also added the underrated Leonard Floyd and took several other shots along the defensive line. The real remaining questions are at receiver. The 49ers reportedly do not plan to move Brandon Aiyuk or Deebo Samuel, but they also spent first- and fourth-round picks on receivers.
The Chiefs kept Chris Jones and Drue Tranquill, but L’Jarius Sneed was traded to the Titans. Kansas City did add much-needed help at receiver in Marquise Brown and No. 28 overall pick Xavier Worthy. Despite their athletic profiles, neither player has been a hyper-effective downfield threat, but quarterback play has been an issue for both. That will not be a problem with Patrick Mahomes.
The Lions understandably focused on the defense this offseason, and that continued in the draft with the team drafting corners with each of their first two picks. Even after an extremely successful 2023, this roster had questions. Those are beginning to disappear.
The Ravens did not have a ton of room to make moves in free agency, but they spent big to re-sign Justin Madubuike and brought in Derrick Henry to revamp the run game. Baltimore did what they always do in the draft, sitting back and letting talent fall to them, and they were able to address positions of need throughout. The offensive line is still a concern, though.
The Bengals lost two key defenders in Chidobe Awuzie and D.J. Reader, but they also added Sheldon Rankins, Geno Stone, and Vonn Bell. On offense, they shook things up at running back by trading away Joe Mixon and signing Zack Moss off his solid season with the Colts. The one outstanding issue is with Tee Higgins, who is franchised but remains the source of trade rumors. While the draft might not have returned many immediate impact players, this is a good roster getting back a healthy Joe Burrow.
After a disastrous end to the season and watching a couple of franchise cornerstones retire, the Eagles reloaded in free agency. Saquon Barkley and Bryce Huff are the headliners, but bringing home C.J. Garnder-Johnson and taking a shot on Devin White could also end up being big moves. Then they added three more defenders with their first three picks, getting value on both Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean in the first and second rounds.
The Texans lost some big names on defense, but they arguably replaced them with better players, landing Danielle Hunter, Denico Autry, and Azeez Al–Shaair. While Joe Mixon is probably not a huge upgrade at running back at this point in his career, they traded peanuts for him, and they took a bunch of cheaper shots on defense including some draft picks. This roster is ready to make noise if C.J. Stroud continues to build on his spectacular rookie season.
The salary cap demon came for the Bills this offseason. Six players who played at least 50% of the snaps are gone, and that does not include names like Dane Jackson and Tre’Davious White. Given those roster constraints, it should not have been surprising the Bills traded out of the first round, and they still landed a much-needed receiver at the top of the second. Will Keon Coleman be enough? Is the secondary good enough? Time will tell.
While replacing Aaron Jones with Josh Jacobs might not be a real upgrade, Green Bay’s offense is filled with young players with upside, and they added much-needed defensive help with Xavier McKinney in free agency and two of their first three picks. Green Bay is on the rise.
The Cowboys spent two of their first three picks at offensive line and brought back Ezekiel Elliott to help fill some holes on offense, but both spots as well as receiver remain concerning for an offense that finished first in points per drive last season and is second in that metric over the last three seasons.
The Jets attacked where they needed to this offseason, adding several offensive linemen including Olu Fashanu at No. 11 overall and taking a swing on Mike Williams. If Williams returns at close to the level he was before getting injured last year, New York will finally have a worthy No. 2 for Garrett Wilson. The roster is there. Now they just need Aaron Rodgers to deliver.
Like the Bills, the Dolphins watched several key players walk out the door including Christian Wilkins. They also have both Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips recovering from serious injuries. This team is still talented, has a very good coach, and added players at positions of need early in the draft, but the roster looks to be in a worse spot than it was in 2023.
We know how good Deshaun Watson can be. He has not been that thus far in Cleveland. Outside of him, the roster is ready to compete with the top teams in the division, especially if a change of scenery is the cure for Jerry Jeudy’s struggles and Nick Chubb can come back healthy.
The Michael Penix pick will be debated to death, and it is certainly possible the Falcons come out looking like geniuses in the long term. In the short term, however, they gave up the chance at an impact defensive player, something that is likely to hurt them this season. This team is still good and the favorites in their division, but the defense will need to prove it can hold up its end of the bargain.
As expected, Caleb Williams was the pick at No. 1 overall. Chicago did their best to welcome the rookie quarterback into a good situation, adding D’Andre Swift, Keenan Allen, and No. 9 overall pick Rome Odunze to an already solid array of weapons. This roster was better than it was given credit for last year, and it improved this offseason. It all comes down to Williams.
The Rams nailed everything last season and made a couple of good additions in free agency, but the biggest March storyline was Aaron Donald hanging up his cleats. Unsurprisingly, the Rams used their first two picks on a pass rusher and defensive lineman, both from Florida State. There is no replacing Donald, but the Rams appear to have added some talent.
The Steelers got an on-paper boost to their quarterback room, but it does come with some caveats. Russell Wilson has not been a quality quarterback for a while, and Justin Fields has had his own struggles thus far in his career. Pittsburgh had to take a swing, but there is a decent chance they find themselves once again in quarterback purgatory at this time next year. The good news is they by all accounts nailed the draft including getting underrated Roman Wilson in the third round.
Indy mostly focused on re-signing their own players in free agency, which makes some sense for a young team on the rise. They also landed one of the best defensive players in the draft at No. 15 overall and followed that up with a wide receiver many expected to go in the first round. The development of Anthony Richardson will go a long way to determine whether this team can be a real threat in 2024.
This time last year, the Jaguars were the clear favorites in the division, and it looked like that would be the case for a while to come. Now? They are in a battle to be the second-best team, and they better hope Will Levis is not the Titans’ savior. Losing Calvin Ridley is a big blow, and it remains to be seen if Gabe Davis and No. 23 overall pick Brian Thomas Jr. can pick up the slack.
The Seahawks are in an interesting position. They have a solid roster that arguably underperformed last season, especially on defense where they added Byron Murphy to the mix in the draft. That should not be a problem with Mike Macdonald taking over, so the real question is at quarterback. Seattle will need more from Geno Smith to be real competitors in the division.
The Chargers always get offseason buzz, so I guess their current Super Bowl odds are not a shock, but the roster simply does not support that number. That said, they still have Justin Herbert, Jim Harbaugh simply wins wherever he goes, and they had a very Harbaugh draft including No. 5 overall pick Joe Alt. Perhaps this is the year the Chargers outperform rather than under.
The Vikings bluffed and won, passing on trading up into the top six and still landing J.J. McCarthy in a much smaller trade up to No. 10. They also traded up later in the round to add Dallas Turner, who many thought was the best defensive player in the draft. McCarthy and Turner still have to work out, and they gave up a lot of draft capital to get them. Still, there is no way they expected to get both of those players heading into draft night.
The Bucs brought back Mike Evans, Antoine Winfield, Baker Mayfield, and Lavonte David, and they drafted some much-needed offensive line help in the first round. That in itself is a pretty successful offseason, but they have the same problem as the Saints below. The Falcons are a lot better than they were in 2023, and the Bucs do not seem to be even without considering some possible regression for Mayfield.
The Saints did not lose a ton and brought in both Chase Young and Willie Gay to help on defense. In the draft, they helped out the offensive line and got good value on Kool–Aid McKinstry in the second round. Ultimately, though, the offensive line remains a question, the receiver group could still use some help, and the division-rival Falcons got a lot better this offseason.
Arizona quietly had a solid outing in free agency, and while they perhaps did not get the most value out of their draft picks, they added a lot of talent in the first three rounds including a desperately needed No. 1 receiver. Given how bare the cupboard was at this time last year, it would be a tall task for Arizona to compete this season, especially in their division. That said, they were better than expected in 2023, and the roster will be better in 2024.
I remain skeptical about Will Levis based on everything he showed in college, but he was given an impossible job in last season’s version of the Titans offense. Tennessee is doing their best to make sure that will not be the case this season, signing Calvin Ridley, Tony Pollard, and Lloyd Cushenberry in free agency and drafting OT JC Latham at No. 7 overall. Tennessee also brought in Chidobe Awuzie and traded for L’Jarius Sneed. Fair play to them for giving Levis as much help as possible to prove he can be the guy.
The Raiders went big in free agency by adding Christian Wilkins, giving them a formidable combo on the front line, but the real story continues to be at quarterback. Las Vegas did bring in Gardner Minshew, who had the Colts on the brink of the playoffs last year, and they have expressed some optimism about Aidan O’Connell. After being locked out of the quarterback frenzy at the top of the draft, they will need one of them to hit.
The Commanders caught some flak for some of the older names they signed in free agency, but they also added Frankie Luvu, Tyler Biadasz, and Dorance Armstrong. Those are solid players still in the right part of the age curve. They also drafted Jayden Daniels at No. 2 overall and landed a lot of value throughout the draft. This team still might not be good, but it looks like they had a solid offseason.
The Patriots have a talented defense that did not take any big hits in free agency, and they landed Drake Maye at No. 3 overall. New England did what they could around the young quarterback, drafting two receivers and two offensive linemen with their next four picks, but the situation around Maye remains an issue.
The Giants made a big splash with Brian Burns and a solid addition with Jon Runyan, but they also watched easily their best offensive player walk out the door. To add insult to injury, Saquon Barkley ended up with the Eagles. New York tried to address that offensive talent vacuum with Malik Nabers at No. 6 overall, at least giving them a shot at a real No. 1 receiver. The Giants are where they are with Daniel Jones’ contract. Now they need to figure out how to make it work.
It was not surprising to see the Broncos draft Bo Nix at No. 12 overall given the smoke before the draft, but that does not make the pick any less questionable. That said, perhaps Nix turns into the quarterback Denver clearly believes he is, and he is a key cog in their rebuild. Even if that happens though, this remains a rebuild.
The Panthers had to overpay in the free agent market, but they at least added some decent players including a trade for Diontae Johnson. Of course, none of it will matter if Bryce Young does not take a step forward in his second season, so it should not be a surprise the Panthers spent three of their first four picks on offense including trading into the first round for Xavier Legette.
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