Biggest Winners: Pittsburgh Steelers
In just his 2nd draft at the helm of the Steelers front office, Omar Khan made quite the impression. What the Steelers pulled off in 2024 was effectively the white whale of draft goals: Consistently adding players at positions of need while getting tremendous value throughout. Troy Fautanu and Zach Frasier are Day 1 starters that should considerably elevate an offensive line that has been slowly but steadily been improving over the past few years. Roman Wilson's craftiness and toughness in the slot should allow him to serve as a great complement for the home run-hitting outside threat George Pickens. Payton Wilson would've been in contention to be a 1st round pick if he didn't have medical red flags and the instinctive thumper of an inside linebacker has star potential if his body can hold up to the rigors of the NFL, which makes him the ideal guy to take a chance on at the end of the 3rd round. Mason McCormick is a freakishly athletic mauler with experience starting at guard and center who could turn into a great player if he can clean up his blocking fundamentals. And finally, guys like Logan Lee and Ryan Watts who earned a ton of playing time at power conference schools but never put up monster numbers are ideal late round fliers. They have the whole Russell Wilson as QB1 and Najee Harris as RB1 in an Arthur Smith offense thing working against them at the moment, but this draft class provides plenty of reasons for Steelers fans to get excited about what this team could become in the coming years with or without Wilson, Harris and/or Smith.
Honorable Mentions: Philadelphia Eagles, Chicago Bears, New Orleans Saints
Biggest Losers: Atlanta Falcons
Remember when the concern about Bill Belichick coming in and blowing up the Falcons player personnel operation played a key factor in him not landing their HC job a few months back? Well, maybe their current front office needs to be blown up after all. What Terry Fontenot and co. did here has the potential to morph into the kind of disaster that sets a team back several years. Much of the criticism they've received has been for their selection of Michael Penix Jr. with the 8th overall pick and rightfully so. A team that was so committed to winning now that they inked Kirk Cousins to a 4-year deal this offseason drafting a 24-year old QB with an alarming injury history in the top 10 not even 2 months later is an indefensible move that defies any sort of logic or reason. But somehow the Penix pick was only the first in a series of head-scratching moves. Moving up 8 picks in the 2nd round to select the raw, polarizing Ruke Orohororo-who likely would've been available at their original slot of #43-when expected 1st round pick Jer'Zhan Newton was still on the board made zero sense and while I like the tough yet exceptionally raw Bralen Trice more than most, making him the top edge target on a team that desperately needed an immediate impact pass rusher is a questionable choice. Even the Day 3 picks like slow, undersized linebacker JD Bertrand and another f'n RB in Jase McCellan (was say over one last draft pick part of Arthur Smith's severance package?) were total head-scratchers. Hell, the selection of DT Brandon Dorlus in the 4th round was the only picked of theirs that I truly liked and he's a rotational piece at best! If the Falcons do indeed miss the playoffs again in 2024, Fontenot will surely be packing his bags and his handling of this draft will be at the top of the list of reasons why he's out of a job.
Dishonorable Mentions: Cleveland Browns, Tennessee Titans, Carolina Panthers
Best Value Pick: Cooper DeJean to the Eagles (40th overall)
Another year, another potential home run steal for Howie Roseman. DeJean is a versatile chess piece whose combination of elite ball skills, instincts and athleticism should allow him to play just about any position in the secondary at the next level. Thinking about how new DC Vic Fangio can use both him and C.J. Gardner-Johnson this season is a really fun exercise for anybody who doesn't have to play against them.
Honorable Mentions: Jer'Zhan Newton to the Commanders (36th overall), Dallas Turner to the Vikings (17th overall), Terrion Arnold to the Lions (24th overall)
Worst Value Pick: Michael Penix Jr. to the Falcons (8th overall)
Beating out Sean Payton's hilarious overdrafting of Bo Nix for this honor is really something special. As hard as it is to envision a scenario where Nix finds success in Denver, at least he's an old rookie QB who's going to get the chance to play right away. Penix, on the other hand, is going to need Kirk Cousins' Achillies to explode again to see the field anytime in the near future. Treating a 24-year-old QB who suffered multiple ACL tears in college as some kind of Jordan Love-type guy who can sit and develop for multiple years while the high-priced veteran starter runs the ship is football malpractice and, the fact that they used a top 10 pick in a pretty stacked draft where they effectively could've had any non-QB they wanted to make it happen is just astonishing.
Dishonorable Mentions: Bo Nix to the Broncos (12th overall), Xavier Worthy to the Chiefs (28th overall), Ruke Orhorhoro to the Falcons (35th overall)
Top Undrafted Free Agent: Blake Watson, running back (signed by the Denver Broncos)
Watson was actually the last RB from this class that I evaluated, and he ended up becoming one of my favorites. His speed and elusiveness pop off the tape and his pass-catching skills are considerably ahead of most of his peers that had their names called on Friday or Saturday. Don't be surprised if he ends up carving out some playing time in a Broncos RB room that lacks a proven RB1.
Honorable Mentions: Gabriel Murphy, edge rusher (signed by the Minnesota Vikings), Isaiah Williams, wide receiver (Signed by the Detroit Lions) Beanie Bishop Jr., cornerback (Signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers)
Draft Grades (Full Draft Classes Can Be Found Here: https://www.nfl.com/news/2024-nfl-draft-final-quick-snap-grades-for-all-32-teams
Arizona Cardinals: B+
Atlanta Falcons: D
Baltimore Ravens: A-
Buffalo Bills: B-
Carolina Panthers: C
Chicago Bears: A
Cincinnati Bengals: C+
Cleveland Browns: C
Dallas Cowboys: C+
Denver Broncos: B-
Detroit Lions: B+
Green Bay Packers: B
Houston Texans: B-
Indianapolis Colts: B+
Jacksonville Jaguars: B-
Kansas City Chiefs: B-
Las Vegas Raiders: B
Los Angeles Chargers: B+
Los Angeles Rams: B-
Miami Dolphins: B
Minnesota Vikings: B+
New England Patriots: B
New Orleans Saints: A
New York Giants: A-
New York Jets: B+
Philadelphia Eagles: A
Pittsburgh Steelers: A
San Francisco 49ers: B
Seattle Seahawks: B
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: B+
Tennessee Titans: C
Washington Commanders: B+
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