In the aftermath of the 2024 NFL Draft, there are some early winners and losers to examine.
The 2024 NFL Draft is officially in the books! After seven rounds of picks, the 32 NFL teams have their rookie classes and will now start their offseason programs in short order. But before the draft season officially concludes, it is time to look at the early winners and losers of the NFL Draft. There were some great classes, setting up teams for consistent success and returns to relevancy. And while early, some classes were slightly head-scratching and confusing.
It is very early, meaning the full impact of these decisions will likely not be felt until the fall. Truthfully, it will be tough to determine what the actual draft grades are for at least a year or two.
Yet, examining selections shortly after the draft is always a fun exercise. Let’s examine the winners and losers of the 2024 NFL draft without further ado.
Winner: Philadelphia Eagles
One of the constant winners in past NFL drafts, the Philadelphia Eagles put together a great draft class once again in 2024.
Heading into Thursday with a gigantic need to upgrade their secondary, the Eagles landed arguably the best defensive player in the draft in Toldeo’s Quinyon Mitchell. A day later, Philadelphia traded up for Iowa’s Cooper DeJean, one of the other top cornerbacks in the 2024 class. By snagging both Mitchell and DeJean, the Eagles revamped their secondary with youth and high-upside talent.
In addition to the two cornerbacks, the Eagles added Jayx Hunt as a talented developmental edger rusher and Clemson’s Will Shipley as a versatile running back option. They also added the explosive Ainias Smith and the contested catch threat Johnny Wilson at wide receiver. Philadelphia acquired Trevor Keegan and Dylan McMahon as offensive line options and Jeremiah Trotter Jr. as a linebacker.
Ultimately, the Eagles addressed their secondary need in a big way, added more depth along the offensive line, and added potential developmental options at positions of strength without reaching. That constitutes a winning draft strategy and a positive draft grade.
Winner: Chicago Bears
While not having an extensive draft class, the Bears made the most of their draft selections.
Chicago hit a home run with their first two picks, Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze. Willaims is one of the most gifted quarterback prospects to come out of college in recent seasons and seems poised to immediately become a star at the NFL level. Odunze is an all-around weapon who can win as a receiver in multiple ways.
Outside of Williams and Odunze, Chicago nailed the majority of their picks. They have a great depth option in Yale offensive tackle Kiran Amegadjie, who has the potential to serve as a critical piece of the Bears’ offense going forward. Additionally, they selected Kansas edge rusher Austin Booker as a high-upside player.
The only questionable decision was picking Iowa punter Tory Taylor in the fourth round. Otherwise, Chicago should be considered one of the draft’s biggest winners.
Winner: Indianapolis Colts
Choosing the Colts as an outright winner may not be a widespread belief. However, there is no doubt that Indianapolis improved multiple positions of need.
UCLA’s Laiatu Latu is arguably one of the best edge rushers in the 2024 class, if not the best edge rusher. Texas wide receiver Adonai Mitchell, who fell to the second round, has the talent to emerge as one of the best offensive weapons in football if he hits his ceiling. University of Pittsburgh offensive tackle Matt Goncalves and Wisconsin center Tanor Bortolini provide upside and potential starting options along the offensive line.
Many of the Colts’ picks could be knocked for their upside and lack of potential immediate production. However, with a blossoming star in Anthony Richardson, adding potential that their quarterback could elevate is a very acceptable option. The Colts addressed their positions of need and are banking on their evaluations being successful; whether that occurs or not remains to be seen.
Winner: Kansas City Chiefs
The best teams stay the best for a reason.
Coming off a Super Bowl victory, the Chiefs had one of the best draft hauls in the NFL. They snagged the explosive Xavier Worthy in the first round, creating a dream pairing with quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Kansas City then added BYU’s Kingsley Suamataia as a potential starting tackle in the second round after many saw him as a potential first-round option.
The champs also added TCU tight end Jared Wiley as a possible Travis Kelce understudy with upside and Washington State defensive back Jaden Hicks as a versatile secondary chess piece. Kansas City also added more depth at offensive line and secondary on day three in Penn State’s Hunter Nourzad, Tennessee’s Kamal Hadden, and Holy Cross’s C.J. Hanson.
It can be very hard to find value and meaningful additions at the back half of the draft. If their class pans out to its potential, though, the Chiefs will once again buck the trend of good teams missing out on good talent.
Loser: Atlanta Falcons
Not every team is an explicit winner in the draft. Occasionally, teams have drafts that are considered questionable and must be proven to be positive or negative in future seasons.
In 2024, the Atlanta Falcons will be one of those teams.
Atlanta’s negative grade comes mainly from their first two selections of the draft. They selected Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth pick of the first round. While considered a great player, Atlanta already signed Kirk Cousins to a deal with over $100 million guaranteed. Already an older prospect, Penix was not seen as a sit-and-wait player either; by the time Cousins’s contract guarantees are up, the Washington product will be approaching 27 years old.
Additionally, Atlanta passed on star Illinois defensive prospect Johnny Newton to select Clemson’s Ruke Orhorhoro. Trading up to make the selection, it was another head-scratching move to take a developmental player instead of one that could make an instant impact.
The Falcons did make up for their early woes later in the draft, as Bralen Trice and Brandon Dorlous could make instant impacts on defense.
However, early misses can sink an entire draft class, and the Falcons’ 2024 class is in danger of suffering that fate.
Loser: Cleveland Browns
Finding a second “loser” in the early stages of evaluating the 2024 NFL draft is difficult.
Overall, most teams in the draft did very well. They addressed their needs, added players that fit specific roles, and did not reach for players. Ultimately, it will not be until the game action starts that the true “losers” can be determined.
However, if there was another underwhelming draft, it would be for the Cleveland Browns. No holding a first-round selection, the team’s first pick was Ohio State’s Michael Hall in round two. Hall should immediately serve as a rotational piece for Cleveland but was a highly debated prospect pre-draft.
Outside of Hall, the majority of the selections were role players. Whether Michigan’s Zak Zinter or Louisville’s Jamari Thrash, these players are more high-floor selections than upside picks.
Cleveland should be in a very good spot to compete in 2024, but based on their draft class, their production will likely come from veterans rather than rookies.
