Will anybody stop the Kansas City Chiefs in their bid for a third straight Super Bowl championship in 2024? A pair of potential new AFC contenders emerged as potential contenders after a strong 2024 NFL Draft.
The Steelers made an offseason splash by adding quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, and they followed that up by being among the biggest winners at the 2024 NFL Draft this weekend.
The Chargers might be the best competition within the AFC West with new coach Jim Harbaugh. Los Angeles took advantage of its draft spot and showed they are in the process of building a winner around franchise quarterback Justin Herbert.
A few contenders also left some major question marks. Miami and Dallas were not aggressive, and Atlanta became the talk of the draft for the wrong reasons. By the way, the Chiefs improved, too.
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This draft will be remembered for the run of six quarterbacks in the first round, which included the Bears taking USC's Caleb Williams (No. 1), the Commanders selecting LSU's Jayden Daniels (No. 2), and the Patriots getting North Carolina's Drake Maye (No. 3).
It did not stop there. Washington's Michael Penix Jr. (No. 8) was the surprise pick of the first round to the Falcons, and Michigan's J.J. McCarthy (No. 10) and Oregon's Bo Nix (No. 12) went to Vikings and Broncos, respectively. A quarterback was not drafted until the fifth round after that.
Here's a closer look at the biggest winners and losers from the 2024 NFL Draft.
2024 NFL Draft winners
Pittsburgh Steelers
Every pick made sense for general manager Omar Khan and coach Mike Tomlin, and that's good news with Wilson and Fields coming in as upgrades at quarterback.
Pittsburgh beefed up its offensive line with Washington tackle Troy Fautanu (No. 20) in the first round. West Virginia center Zach Frazier (No. 51), a second-round pick, is a close-to-home grinder who will be an instant fan favorite. South Dakota State guard Mason McCormick (No. 119) was a solid fourth-round addition.
The rest of the picks were good, too. Michigan receiver Roman Wilson (No. 84) will emerge as a playmaker in the slot, and linebacker Payton Wilson (No. 98) – the Butkus Award winner from NC State – fell to Pittsburgh late in the third round amid injury worries. Sixth-round defensive tackle Logan Lee (No. 178) will get snaps, too.
The Steelers are in the toughest division in football, and if the QBs come through, they could win it.
Los Angeles Chargers
If Harbaugh's first draft with the Chargers is an indicator, then Los Angeles is going to be in the AFC championship hunt sooner rather than later.
This was predictably predictable, just like L.A.'s first pick — Notre Dame tackle Joe Alt at No. 5.
Every pick afterward made sense in the Harbaugh-build-a-team-model. Georgia's Ladd McConkey (No. 34) is a second-round slot receiver who could form a quick connection with Herbert. Michigan linebacker Junior Colson (No. 69) is a familiar face who averaged 98 tackles over the past two seasons with the Wolverines. Day 3 landed Alabama defensive tackle Justin Eboigbe (No. 105), Notre Dame cornerback Cam Hart (No. 140), and Troy running back Kimani Vidal (No. 181), who rushed for 4,010 yards and 33 TDs the past four seasons. Even USC's Brenden Rice (No. 225), son of NFL legend Jerry Rice, could be a seventh-round sleeper.
Harbaugh is following the plan that made him successful at San Francisco the first time around, and new general manager Joe Hortiz deserves credit, too. It's a solid draft.
Harbaugh also watched Michigan, where he coached last season, produce the most picks in the draft with 13. The final Michigan pick was Cornelius Johnson (No. 253), fittingly to the Chargers.
NFC North
The AFC North was the best division in the NFL last season. The NFC North is coming for that soon. This was the only division that had two teams in the divisional round of the playoffs last season, and Detroit and Green Bay made significant upgrades.
The Lions addressed their secondary with a pair of potential Pro Bowl cornerbacks in Alabama's Terrion Arnold (No. 24) and Missouri's Ennis Rakestraw Jr. (No. 61). Arnold ranked fifth in the FBS with 13 pass breakups in 2023, and Rakestraw will compete for a starting role right away. Detroit added Utah safety Sione Vaki (No. 132) in the fourth round and Boston College guard Christian Mahogany (No. 210) in the sixth. General manager Brad Holmes continues to impress.
Green Bay addressed needs on offense with Arizona tackle Jordan Morgan (No. 25) and USC running back MarShawn Lloyd (No. 88) and on defense with Texas A&M linebacker Edgerrin Cooper (No. 45) and Georgia safety Javon Bullard (No. 58). Bullard was the defensive MVP of the 2022 College Football Playoff championship game and could work into a starting role opposite free-agent pickup Xavier McKinney. General manager Brian Gutekunst has navigated the post-Aaron Rodgers era to this point.
Chicago and Minnesota have a chance at closing the gap, too. The Bears and Vikings took franchise quarterbacks in Williams and McCarthy, respectively. The Bears gave Williams another receiver in Rome Odunze (No. 9) and the Vikings traded up to get Alabama edge rusher Dallas Turner (No. 17), widely considered the best defensive player in the draft. How many playoff teams will come out of this division in 2024? Two or three?
Patrick Mahomes II
Mahomes, 28, is a three-time Super Bowl champion and two-time NFL MVP. What quarterback would not love what the Chiefs did?
Kansas City traded up with Buffalo, of all teams, to get Texas receiver Xavier Worthy with the No. 28 pick. Worthy ran a 4.21 in the 40-yard dash. According to Pro Football Focus, Worthy caught 15 of 67 targets on passes of 20 yards or more last season. That rate will improve drastically with Mahomes.
BYU tackle Kingsley Sumataia (No. 63) was the second-round pick. Sumataia, a 6-5, 326-pounder, had a first-round projection throughout the mock process. Fourth-round TCU tight end Jared Wiley (No. 131) had 12 TDs over the past two seasons and could be a possible successor to Travis Kelce.
😎
— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) April 26, 2024
Nick Saban
Retirement suits the legendary Alabama coach. The Crimson Tide had three first-round picks and seven picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, which increased Saban's totals to 47 first-round picks and 130 draft picks during his time at Alabama. That is the final tribute to the most-reliable football factory of the 21st century.
One of the biggest revelations from Nick Saban on Friday night during the NFL Draft, is that despite providing tons of free publicity for Little Debbie Snack Cakes, McKee Foods Corporation hasn't sent him even one complimentary box of Oatmeal Creme Pies. I'm still trying to… pic.twitter.com/MOe7N59F1o
— Gary L. Harris (@garyharris_wvua) April 27, 2024
Saban was a welcome addition to the draft analysis on ESPN and ABC through the first two nights of the draft, too. He offered a mix of draft speak, X's and O's, and humor. When Saban got excited about a player he faced last season – Texas' T'Vondre Sweat and Michigan's Mike Sainristil were examples – the animated version of the coach took over. In other words, those players will be good in the NFL. It was exceptional and a preview of what's to come on ESPN's "College GameDay" in the fall. Can we get a Little Debbies commercial, please?
Texas Longhorns
Texas was second to Michigan with 11 picks. It's a nod to the quick work by coach Steve Sarkisian. The Longhorns did not have a draft pick in 2022.
Texas has had at least five draft picks each of the past two seasons, but this class featured a pair of first-round picks in No. 16 pick Byron Murphy and Worthy. The Longhorns had three Day 2 picks and six Day 3 picks, and that builds momentum ahead of joining the SEC.
By the way, we’ll be talking about quarterbacks Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning in the next drafts. Yes, it’s safe to say Texas is back.
2024 NFL Draft losers
Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta general manager Terry Fontenot will have to justify taking Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8 in the first round for the rest of his tenure.
To be clear, this is nothing like the Packers' succession plan from Aaron Rodgers to Jordan Love. Penix Jr. is 24. Atlanta brought in veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins on a four-year contract this offseason. Atlanta traded Desmond Ridder – a 2022 third-round pick – after just two seasons. "Succession" had less drama in its final season.
The first draft of the Raheem Morris era will be judged by the first-round pick, even if this team might win the NFC South. The Falcons selected Clemson defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro (No. 35) in the second round and Washington edge rusher Bralen Trice (No.74) in the third round, which should help on that side of the ball.
A self-created quarterback controversy, however, will be the talk in Atlanta if things go South in 2024.
FALCONS DRAFTING MICHAEL PENIX:
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Miami Dolphins
Did the Dolphins improve enough to take a run at Buffalo and hold off the Patriots and Jets in 2024?
Miami added depth at positions in the first two rounds. Penn State edge rusher Chop Robinson (No. 21) will develop behind Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb, but how soon will Robinson be in that rotation? Miami added Houston tackle Patrick Paul (No. 55) in the second round and grabbed Tennessee running back Jaylen Wright (No. 120) in the fourth round, a luxury pick given the depth at the position.
Keep in mind Miami forfeited its third-round pick as a result of a tampering investigation in 2022. Which one of those picks will be an impact player right away? There is an element of wait-and-see here, but given the competition in the division, it better be soon.
Miami did have a nice value pick in the fifth round with Colorado State edge rusher Mohamed Kamara, who had 21.5 sacks the past two seasons.
San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco is the defending NFC champion, but this is their second straight year on the wrong end of the list. The weekend began with trade speculation involving receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, and 49ers general manager John Lynch seemingly sent a mixed message by reaching for Florida receiver Ricky Pearsall (No. 31) in the first round. San Francisco also added Arizona’s Jacob Cowing (No. 135). Are those luxury picks for the 49ers and quarterback Brock Purdy?
Second-round pick Renardo Green (No. 64), who had 13 pass breakups last season at Florida State, will turn out to be the best pick in this class.
Dallas Cowboys
Who is feeling the most pressure in Dallas right now? Jerry Jones and Mike McCarthy combined for a draft that did address issues on the offensive line with Oklahoma tackle Tyler Guyton (No. 29) and Kansas State guard Cooper Beebe (No. 73) in the third round.
The rest of the draft left question marks. Dallas did not address the running back position amid rumors veteran Ezekiel Elliott could be in the mix for a return. It would have made more sense to address the position early in the draft, and the Cowboys passed on Texas running back Jonathon Brooks. Second-round pick Marshawn Kneeland (No. 56) will need time to develop, too.
For a team trying to punch through in the NFC contender hunt, this was not an overly impactful draft. To answer the question, McCarthy will be feeling the most pressure as a result.
Second- and third-day QBs
There was a 137-pick gap between Nix at No. 12 to Denver and the next quarterback selected in the 2024 NFL Draft.
South Carolina's Spencer Rattler had to wait until the fifth round (No. 150) to be selected by the New Orleans Saints, where he will compete for the backup job with Taysom Hill, Nathan Peterman, and Kellen Mond. It was a surprising slip for Rattler, who appeared to be a Day 2 quarterback after a strong Reese's Senior Bowl performance. Rattler had a 68.5-percent completion percentage through a five-year career with Oklahoma and South Carolina.
Florida State's Jordan Travis (No. 171), who will be a backup option behind Rodgers with the New York Jets, was the other quarterback taken in the fifth round. New England selected Tennessee's Joe Milton (No. 193) and Baltimore took Kentucky's Devin Leary (No. 218) in the sixth round, and Michael Pratt (No. 245) went to Green Bay in the seventh.
Keep an eye on this trend in 2025. Right now, Ewers, Colorado's Shedeur Sanders, and Georgia's Carson Beck are projected as first-round picks. The next tier is wide open heading into the 2024 college football season.