The 2024 NFL draft wrapped up over the weekend and it will go down as a historic one in league annals with an unprecedented run of offensive players as the first 14 picks were all on that side of the ball.
But if we are being honest, the main reason that happened was because of what the Atlanta Falcons did with the No. 8 pick, selecting Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and shocking the entire league in the process.
You might already see where this is going in regard to how Atlanta did, but we have our top 2024 NFL draft winners and losers listed below from a draft we won’t be forgetting any time soon.
As we delve into the aftermath of the draft, it’s also worth considering how these picks might shape up according to the NFL betting odds at the top sportsbooks, as they can significantly influence the upcoming NFL season.
Draft Winner – Pittsburgh Steelers
Notable players drafted:
- OT Troy Fautanu, Washington (1.20)
- C Zach Frazier, West Virginia (2.51)
- WR Roman Wilson, Michigan (3.84)
- LB Payton Wilson, NC State (3.98)
General manager Omar Khan is getting rave reviews for what he did in his 2nd draft as the main shot caller in Pittsburgh. He didn’t even have to manipulate the draft board as the Steelers stayed put on their first few picks and still locked up good values that were in positions of need too.
Khan does not know if Russell Wilson or Justin Fields will be the long-term answer at quarterback for the Steelers, but he has to know they better beef up the offensive line with the way those players hold the ball and take sacks.
Whether it’s for their benefit or the next quarterback in 2025, Khan used this draft to beef up the offensive line with what should be a pair of long-term starters in Troy Fautanu and Zach Frazier. While Fautanu is versatile, he can slide in at right tackle, putting last year’s top pick, Broderick Jones, back to left tackle where he belongs. The Steelers will look to Frazier as their center for hopefully the next decade.
Pittsburgh is arguably the best team in the NFL at identifying talent in Day 2 wide receivers. George Pickens was one of those finds in 2022, and now he’ll have a new teammate in Roman Wilson, who can make up for the loss of Diontae Johnson. Some thought Wilson had 2nd-round potential and the Steelers got him with the 84th pick.
Finally, the Steelers added their 3rd Wilson of the offseason when they got Payton Wilson from NC State late in the 3rd round. Some had him ranked right up there with Edgerrin Cooper as the best off-ball linebacker in the 2024 NFL draft. He could be an eventual starter next to Patrick Queen from the Ravens at an inside linebacker position the Steelers have had a lot of injuries at with veterans in recent years.
Draft Loser – Atlanta Falcons
Notable players drafted:
- QB Michael Penix Jr., Washington (1.8)
- DT Ruke Orhorhoro, Clemson (2.35)
- OLB Bralen Trice, Washington (3.74)
- DT Brandon Dorlus, Oregon (4.109)
Let’s set aside the worst pick of the draft (Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8) for a moment. This is a very uninspiring haul all around. In a draft loaded with wide receivers, the Falcons decided to load up with 3 defensive tackles.
Worse, they were a bit fixated on Pac-12 defenders, a conference not exactly known for its defensive prowess. But the next cardinal sin the Falcons made after Penix was trading up to the No. 35 pick to take Clemson’s Ruke Orhorhoro. He was only the 6th-ranked defensive tackle prospect, and Jer’Zhan Newton (1st-round grade) was still on the board. In fact, he went a pick later to Washington, which was probably in shock that the Falcons moved up for this guy.
Orhorhoro is the classic “great athlete, minimal production, high potential” prospect. Those rarely work out in the NFL. We say he’s a low-production prospect as he had just 12 sacks in 5 seasons in the ACC. His scouting report weakness from NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein, who had him graded as a 3rd-round pick, reads “hasn’t learned to convert his speed to power.” That does not sound like someone you should ever be trading up to the No. 35 pick for.
At least Bralen Trice was a more reasonable pick at edge rusher with the 74th pick, but this takes us back to blowing the start of the draft with Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8.
The Falcons had their choice of any defender in the draft. They could have added a starting wide receiver in Rome Odunze. Atlanta might have taken Brock Bowers at tight end. They had the option to choose from a number of offensive tackles to protect Kirk Cousins and get Bijan Robinson more run-blocking.
Instead, they chose to draft an eventual replacement for Cousins, who received a 4-year deal worth $180 million in free agency. Not only did they reach for a quarterback some projected for the 2nd round with the No. 8 pick, but they took a 24-year-old passer who may not go into a season as their starter until he is 26 or 27 years old.
It makes zero sense for the Falcons to have drafted a quarterback after signing Cousins to the expensive deal they did. Atlanta could have gone with Dallas Turner and Jer’Zhan Newton if it wanted to boost the pass rush and defense with top prospects.
Instead, they are going to waste years of a rookie quarterback contract as they pay Cousins handsomely and watch Penix ride the bench for a few years.
This was the worst draft any team had this year, and it’s a shame because the team was set up to have a nice defensive haul and improve that side of the ball. Cousins’ presence is supposed to elevate the offense, but he still needs competent defense if he is ever going to win a Super Bowl or even get past the divisional round of the playoffs.
In the end, it felt like the Falcons forgot they signed Cousins and were still going into the season with Desmond Ridder as QB1. That’s about the only logical explanation for drafting Penix the way they did.
The nicest thing we can say about the pick is that at least they didn’t trade up for it.
Draft Winner – Philadelphia Eagles
Notable players drafted:
- CB Quinyon Mitchell, Toledo (1.22)
- CB Cooper DeJean, Iowa (2.40)
- DE Jalyx Hunt, Houston Christian (3.94)
- LB Jeremiah Trotter Jr., Clemson (5.155)
We’re not going to pretend the Eagles were great offensively during last year’s collapse following a 10-1 start. But the defense was the season-long issue in Philly, and the offense is where the team is already spending so much of its cap space.
GM Howie Roseman needed to hit on defense in this draft and he did it wisely. He came away with 2 of the top 3 corner prospects in Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, and he didn’t even need to make a trade in the 1st round to do it. The round was so offensively driven that all the corners were available at No. 22.
The Eagles saw a serious decline from the veteran duo of Darius Slay and James Bradberry last year. By going for Mitchell and DeJean, they doubled their chances of landing a top corner in this draft. Maybe both will be a hit and they have a new duo for years to come. DeJean can also return punts.
The Eagles dipped into a Senior Bowl star in Jalyx Hunt from Houston Christian. He was 1-of-4 FCS players to get a Senior Bowl invite this year, and he has potential as a situational pass rusher.
Philadelphia also added Jeremiah Trotter Jr. in the 5th round, the son of the former linebacker and 4-time Pro Bowler who was drafted by the Eagles in 1998. He should be properly motivated to make his own legacy in Philly.
Draft Loser – Cleveland Browns
Notable players drafted:
- DT Michael Hall Jr., Ohio State (2.54)
- OG Zak Zinter, Michigan (3.85)
- WR Jamari Thrash, Louisville (5.156)
We can only judge a draft by the players the team picked that year. The Browns only had 3 picks in the top 200 selections due to a litany of trades, including their 23rd and 123rd picks going to Houston as part of the Deshaun Watson trade from 2022. They also lost the 136th pick in the 5th round as part of their trade to Denver for wide receiver Jerry Jeudy.
Both of those trades raise an eyebrow, to say the least, but let’s just make this about the players the Browns drafted. It doesn’t look like much impact at all will come from this class for them. They used their top picks on interior linemen; one on each side of the ball.
Michael Hall Jr. was the 5th-ranked defensive tackle among consensus draft boards, though the middle of the 2nd round was about where he was projected to go. Zak Zinter on the other hand was the 11th-ranked interior offensive lineman at NFL Mock Draft Database, and he was projected to be a late 4th-round pick at best. That feels like a reach by Cleveland, who will start veteran Joel Bitonio at left guard.
Jamari Thrash had one big year at Georgia State in 2022, but his numbers went down last year with Louisville where he had 858 yards and 6 touchdowns against better competition. The 5th-round prospect might be WR5 at best for the Browns this year.
Don’t expect much to be written about this rookie class this season as the Browns try to return to the playoffs.
Draft Winner – Washington Commanders
Notable players drafted:
- QB Jayden Daniels, LSU (1.2)
- DT Jer’Zhan Newton, Illinois (2.36)
- CB Mike Sainristil, Michigan (2.50)
- TE Ben Sinnott, Kansas State (2.53)
- OT Brandon Coleman, TCU (3.67)
- WR Luke McCaffrey, Rice (3.100)
We rarely have reasons to speak positively about the Washington Commanders, so let’s give them some props and optimism for their 2024 draft class that saw them draft 6 players in the top 100 picks.
Quarterback Jayden Daniels certainly comes with a high bust factor as he was a bit of a one-year wonder in a 5-year college career, and his running style is going to have to adapt better to NFL speed if he wants to stay healthy. But the team needed a playmaker at the ultimate position, so it is understandable why they opted for him over Drake Maye to run a Kliff Kingsbury offense.
Jer’Zhan Newton had a 1st-round grade by many and was considered the No. 2 defensive tackle in this class. Getting him with the No. 36 pick was good value.
The Commanders had the worst pass defense in the league last year, so new coach Dan Quinn had a lot of work to do, especially in the secondary. They picked up a solid Michigan corner in Mike Sainristil, who had a top-40 ranking overall. Again, this was a case of Washington drafting defenders at good value who slid a little in a draft overloaded with offense.
But the Commanders did not neglect the offense for Daniels. They picked up Ben Sinnott at tight end. He can learn from Zach Ertz at a position the Commanders have seen a lot of injuries at with Logan Thomas over the years.
Brandon Coleman could start at tackle or guard on the offensive line, and they only used a high 3rd-round pick on him. Finally, the Commanders also drafted Christian McCaffrey’s brother Luke, a quarterback converted to a wide receiver from Rice where he caught 12 touchdowns last year. We know football is in his genes between his brother and father Ed. They can stick him in the slot to go with Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson.
Draft Loser – Carolina Panthers
Notable players drafted:
- WR Xavier Legette, South Carolina (1.32)
- RB Jonathon Brooks, Texas (2.46)
- LB Trevin Wallace, Kentucky (3.72)
- TE Ja’Tavion Sanders, Texas (4.101)
We are not going to crucify the Panthers for this draft like their division rivals from Atlanta. But after a 2-15 season, this team had a lot of big holes to fill, and it’s hard to say this draft did much to fill them.
Wide receiver was obviously a need, but the Panthers made the curious decision to trade up from No. 33 to No. 32, dropping about 60 spots down later in the draft with a pick they sent to Buffalo. In the end, they drafted Xavier Legette from South Carolina while the Bills wanted Keon Coleman from Florida State, so it’s not like the Panthers were going to lose out on their guy here. The only edge from going at No. 32 is getting a 5th-year option on Legette, but if he’s a very good player, he’s likely going to earn a contract extension before that.
But was Legette even the right choice? He really only had one good year at South Carolina, and while it was 2023, he didn’t have a pattern of consistent play that you’d expect from a receiver you may want to shape into your No. 1 going forward.
On top of that, the Panthers twice passed on Texas wideout Adonai Mitchell, who went No. 52 to the Colts after many had a 1st-round grade on him. There were rumors about his diabetes being difficult to control, but the Colts dismissed that story and called it rubbish.
But Mitchell at No. 32 or even No. 33 (staying put) may have been the better move for Carolina. We’ll see how that shakes out.
With the No. 46 pick, the Panthers took the 1st running back off the board in Jonathon Brooks, who many thought the Cowboys would take about 10 picks later. Carolina was one of the few teams who had a need to get better at running back in this draft, but you could argue there were far more pressing needs at No. 46 than getting a running back coming off a major injury.
Likewise, the Panthers used the No. 72 pick on inside linebacker Trevin Wallace (Kentucky). Maybe he’s a future replacement for Shaq Thompson, who was drafted in 2015. But that’s a quality pick used on a backup at a non-crucial position for a team that lost Brian Burns from the pass rush and isn’t loaded at the corner either.
A pick that could work out is starting the 4th round with tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders, who slid to the 101st pick after many had him as the No. 2 prospect in this draft behind Brock Bowers. But he fell to the 4th tight end taken, and he also went one spot ahead of Oregon wide receiver Troy Franklin, who also slid significantly from a 2nd-ground grade. Again, did the Panthers take the right wideout when they could have ended up with Mitchell and Franklin at the start of the 2nd and 4th rounds? Time will tell, but this is not a team that has earned the benefit of the doubt in its decision-making.
Calculators
