The 2024 NFL Draft came and went, and now all that is left is the aftermath of what to make of it all. We’ll start with our 2024 NFL Power Rankings post-draft edition, looking at all 32 teams and their whereabouts. Some likely won’t surprise you, such as the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, while others, including the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys, may be in unfamiliar places.
1. Kansas City Chiefs
Could there be anyone else in the No. 1 spot in the NFL Power Rankings besides the winners of the last two Super Bowls? I think not. What’s crazy is that the Chiefs may have gotten better.
Last year, Patrick Mahomes and his receivers often found themselves not on the same page. To fix that, the team went out and signed Hollywood Brown in free agency, then moved up in the draft to select Texas Longhorns speedster Xavier Worthy, who ran the fastest 40-yard dash time at the NFL Combine. Add on top of that a few additions to the offensive line, and the Chiefs are primed yet again to make it back to the Super Bowl for the third straight season.
2. Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens have been one of the best drafting teams over the last decade or so, and they continued that trend in the 2024 NFL Draft. Having cornerback Nate Wiggins out of Clemson just fall into their laps at No. 30 was almost unfair. Then adding TJ Tampa in the fourth should only bolster their secondary for next season.
This team was likely playoff-ready without their draft additions, but giving Lamar Jackson more protection on the line with Roger Rosengarten, who was part of the Joe Moore award-winning offensive line at Washington, is significant. Plus, you have to like the upside of wide receiver Devontez Walker. Let’s not forget that Baltimore went out and grabbed Derrick Henry in free agency.
3. Detroit Lions
It’s been a big offseason for the Lions. They signed their popular and productive receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and talented tackle Penei Sewell to big deals. But as talented as this roster was last year, they had to go out and shore up some needs on the back end of their defense in the 2024 NFL Draft. It seems they did just that.
The Lions got three new pieces to add to their secondary, starting with first-round pick Terrion Arnold, then the very next round got Ennis Rakestraw Jr., finishing up in the fourth round with safety Sione Vaki. This now makes the Lions one of the best teams talent-for-talent in the entire league. After last season, they knew they were close, and now they hope they can make the next leap.
4. San Francisco 49ers
Speaking of one of the most talented teams in the league, the 49ers definitely crack the top 10 in these NFL Power Rankings. With their first-round pick, they did make a bit of a surprise selection, picking Florida receiver Ricky Pearsall. That could be a telling sign of what’s to come with their current receivers in Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel.
As talented as this team is, it’s one that is starting to get older, and now they have everybody wanting to get paid, which isn’t possible in this league with the salary cap. With Kyle Shanahan still at the helm, this is still one of the NFC’s best teams and overall teams in the league. They’re not going anywhere… for now.
5. Philadelphia Eagles
General Manager Howie Roseman did it again, making the Eagles roster even better than what it was with the 2024 NFL Draft. With their first two picks, the Eagles landed two of the best corner prospects in the entire draft with Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, both who were expected to be first-rounders. These rookies will now join free agent pickup CJ Garnder-Johnson in the secondary.
Speaking of free agency, don’t forget the Eagles acquired Saquon Barkley, who hopes to take some of the load off Jalen Hurts in the run game for Philadelphia this upcoming season. But how will this offense perform under new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, one of the two new coordinators on staff?
Ultimately, it’s hard to keep this team out of the top five because they’re two years removed from a Super Bowl. And even though they faltered badly at the end of last year, they are one of the teams to beat in the NFC.
6. Houston Texans
It’s hard not to like pretty much anything roster-related that the Texans have done going back to last year’s NFL Draft. That draft earned them both offensive and defensive rookies of the year from last season in CJ Stroud and Will Anderson Jr. And all the Texans did since is add guys like receiver Stefon Diggs and pass rusher Danielle Hunter.
No doubt this was the surprise team from last season, and you add on another year worth of draft picks like cornerback Kamari Lassiter, tackle Blake Fisher, and even tight end Cade Stover, and this team just continues to round itself out into a real contender in the AFC.
Expectations will be high for Houston in 2024, but they’re deserving of a top-10 ranking in the NFL Power Rankings.
It was difficult ranking the Bills in these early NFL Power Rankings. Buffalo lost so much in free agency due to cap space problems that it definitely made them less of a contender. But this team should always be in the running as long as they have Josh Allen behind center.
In a hopeful replacement for Stefon Diggs, the Bills made their first selection in the second round by getting Florida State receiver Keon Coleman. The big-bodied receiver could be a great weapon for Allen, but he also might need some development.
It’s also hard not to like the Ray Davis pick, the running back out of Kentucky, with the Bills still looking to improve their run game. This draft was a step in the right direction for them, but is it good enough to make up for their losses? Again, this is still a contending team, but they did take a step back this offseason.
8. Cincinnati Bengals
Similar to Allen, it’s hard not to have a team in the top 10 that has Joe Burrow at quarterback for them. Burrow was sidelined with injury most of last season but should be back healthy this year. He’ll be losing just one of his receivers in Tyler Boyd — for now — but Tee Higgins could also be on his way out if the Bengals do trade him like he wants.
Perhaps Alabama wide receiver Jermain Burton, the Bengals’ third-round pick, could make up for either Boyd or Higgins to some degree. The main focus for the Bengals in the 2024 NFL Draft, however, was beefing up both of their lines. In three out of their first four picks, they concentrated on the tackle positions on both lines. We’ll see how well this approach does for them in time, but the Bengals should still be a good team in 2024.
9. Green Bay Packers
The Packers may have made it clear what their priority is with most of their 2024 NFL Draft selections, starting with first-rounder, offensive tackle Jordan Morgan. It’s about protecting their quarterback Jordan Love.
Love, though starting slow, came into his own last season and was one of the best quarterbacks in the league. It’s his team now. The drafting of Morgan is hope that now the Packers have someone reliable to protect his blind spot at left tackle.
For added weaponry, the Packers selected running back MarShawn Lloyd out of USC to bolster the running back room that already had free agent Josh Jacobs in it. This young team is now a step better than they were last year when they shocked everybody by blasting the Cowboys in the playoffs.
10. Los Angeles Rams
Yes, Matthew Stafford is getting older. Yes, they lost Aaron Donald to retirement, who they are essentially trying to replace with four defensive line picks. But they still have head coach Sean McVay and a young team that’s brimming with talent ready to break out even further in 2024.
McVay saw how talented the Seminoles d-line was last season and grabbed Jared Verse and Braden Fiske with the Rams’ first two picks. But one interesting pick is that of Blake Corum, who should be a nice complement for Kyren Williams at running back. The Rams should be right back in the playoff hunt again, challenging the 49ers for the divisional top spot.
11. New York Jets
Look, this is all assuming that Aaron Rodgers is at least 90 percent of the Rodgers we knew before his Achilles injury. But the Jets have made seemingly all the right efforts in hopes of protecting him for this upcoming season, unlike they didn’t last year.
In free agency, they got former Cowboy offensive tackle Tyron Smith, and to add to that in the draft, they got another tackle in Penn State’s Olu Fashanu. The Jets have the weapons in place now, from running back to wide receiver and now at the line to protect their veteran quarterback. It’s go time.
12. Dallas Cowboys
It’s hard to like anything that the Cowboys have done during this offseason. They lost five starters to free agency because of cap issues caused by the franchise quarterback Dak Prescott. This is somewhat understandable as Dallas is in — even if they’re not admitting it — a bit of a rebuild/reset.
“We’re in a situation where these young players whether they’re first, second, or third-year guys, they’ve got to start carrying the mail for the Cowboys,” owner and general manager Jerry Jones said, via Athlon Sports.
One of the not-so-young guys will be running back Ezekiel Elliott, who’s coming back to the team after a one-year departure to New England. Elliott’s return is likely due to the Cowboys not drafting a single running back in the 2024 NFL Draft.
While overall their draft wasn’t horrible, it still did nothing to make me believe this is a legitimate Super Bowl-contending team.
13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
This team is doing seemingly enough of the right things post-Tom Brady to be a relevant team in the league. Signing Baker Mayfield last year, only to then re-sign him to an extension this offseason, along with Mike Evans, gives this team a chance to run it back. It also helps they’re in the NFC South, with only the Falcons being their only real challenger now.
Adding one of the best centers in the draft in Graham Barton out of Duke, plus an edge rusher with Alabama’s Chris Braswell, hits some necessary needs. As long as the Mayfield/Evans connection continues, this team is still a playoff contender.
14. Cleveland Browns
Besides getting younger in some areas, there wasn’t anything exciting about what the Browns did in this year’s draft. First of all, they didn’t pick until No. 54, which was going to be an uphill battle to begin with. Second of all, they completely ignored getting a running back to complement Nick Chubb, who will be 28 coming off a major knee injury that ended his season last year.
What keeps the Browns in the top 15 in these NFL Power Rankings is that they still do have enough pieces in places to win their division and make the playoffs. Deshaun Watson will not only have to stay healthy but also prove it wasn’t just about the magic of Joe Flacco last season.
15. Los Angeles Chargers
One team that usually makes their way high in a lot of people’s NFL Power Rankings is the Chargers. But then they disappoint early and often as the season progresses and quickly drop. Jim Harbaugh, the biggest addition to the team by far this offseason, keeps them right inside the top 15 teams.
Having to account for salary cap restrictions, the Chargers had to wave goodbye to some key starters in free agency, which does change the dynamic of the team a bit, particularly offensively. But if you’re a fan of the Bolts, you have to like a lot of what they did in their draft selections. Offensive tackle Joe Alt should become an immediate starter, and wide receivers Ladd McConkey and Brenden Rice were also nice additions for Justin Herbert to throw to in replacement of Keenan Allen and Mike Williams.
With Harbaugh and his new philosophy infused to the team, the Chargers could make their way in as a wild card team in 2024.
16. Jacksonville Jaguars
After becoming the surprise of the 2022 season, taking it to the Chiefs on their home turf in the playoffs, the Jaguars failed to live up to expectations in 2023, missing the postseason entirely. Granted, that was mostly due to the never-ending array of injuries to key starters that likely accounted for the losses piling up. Trevor Lawrence was in that group.
The Texans pulled the division out from under them last year, making for what could be an interesting race in the AFC South this upcoming season. The Jaguars stayed mostly inside the SEC to complete their draft, including LSU’s Brian Thomas Jr. Defensive tackle Maason Smith was a bit of a risky pick given his injury history and lack of playing time, but his upside is tremendous.
Maybe a healthy Jaguars team can make it back to the postseason.
17. Miami Dolphins
Speed. Mike McDaniel loves speed. He made that blatantly obvious again in the 2024 NFL Draft. McDaniel and the Dolphins went out and grabbed some of the fastest players in the entire draft. In the first round, they got edge rusher Chop Robinson who ran a 4.48 40-yard dash, the second fastest for the position at the NFL Combine. They also added one of the fastest running backs to their room in Tennessee’s Jaylen Wright, who ran a 4.38 40.
Will that be enough to finally take the AFC East from the Bills? Eh, that remains to be seen. This team was gutted in free agency, losing some key starters that they may not have fully made up for in free agency or the draft.
18. Pittsburgh Steelers
You have to admire the offseason that the Steelers have had so far. They made a major overhaul to their quarterback room, adding not only one starter but potentially two in Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. Plus, on top of that, they signed linebacker Patrick Queen from their rivals in the Ravens.
The 2024 NFL Draft was also kind to them, starting with their first-round pick Troy Fautanu, a versatile offensive lineman that should be a day one starter. One pick that Pittsburgh should really be excited about, however, is linebacker Payton Wilson. Sure, his injury history is a concern but he was a machine at NC State, and one of the best players in the ACC conference.
For the Steelers, it will just come down to the quarterback position again. Yeah, they improved the room, but they also may have given themselves a quarterback competition that will be critiqued all year long.
19. Indianapolis Colts
The Colts made some risky picks in this year’s draft. While you have to love the potential and skill sets of guys like pass rusher Laiatu Latu out of UCLA and Adonai Mitchell out of Texas, each could also be a bust, although for different reasons. But as we know, general manager Chris Ballard will be the first to defend his picks, like that of Mitchell.
The biggest question for the Colts will be is quarterback Anthony Richardson ready for Year 2, where they hope he stays healthy. He’ll have to adjust his game quite a bit if so, not relying on his running to get him out of a jam.
20. Atlanta Falcons
If you look at what the Falcons did during free agency, it pretty much put them right in as a competitor in the NFC South, which isn’t to say much, but still. Kirk Cousins, $100 million guaranteed and all, was worth the price after years of subpar quarterback play. But what the Falcons chose to do in the 2024 NFL Draft left many stunned, as their first-round pick of Michael Penix Jr. does nothing to help the team now.
Penix is not a bad pick whatsoever. But again, how does he help the team in 2024? It’s likely he doesn’t, unless there’s a catastrophe with Cousins. Outside of Penix, it was mostly about building their defensive front. Some of those like Brandon Dorlus, could be promising, while others, like Ruke Orhorhoro, felt like reaches where they were drafted.
21. Tennessee Titans
The Titans also had a nice offseason in free agency. New head coach Brian Callahan put a lot of emphasis on rebuilding the identity of the offense, with guys like Calvin Ridley, Tony Pollard, and center Lloyd Cushenberry joining the team.
Cushenberry will now be joined by JC Latham on the offensive line with the attempt to completely revamp what was one of the worst lines in the league last season. They’ll want to protect last year’s second-round draft pick, quarterback Will Levis, who looks to build off what was a promising first season before he got hurt.
22. Arizona Cardinals
Monti Ossenfort is attempting to build something sustainable with the Cardinals. After already two solid draft classes, the Cardinals looked to have had another this year. They’re bringing in arguably the best receiver in this year’s draft class in Marvin Harrison Jr., which should make Kyler Murray jump for joy.
Harrison wasn’t the only notable pick that Ossenfort made. You could nearly go down the Cardinals’ 12 picks and not find a lot to complain about. They hit upon pretty much every need they had. This could be the surprise team of 2024, making their way into the playoffs.
23. New Orleans Saints
It could be an interesting year for the Saints. They have a coach that is likely on the hot seat, have a shaky offensive line, and have tons of uncertainty at the quarterback position — even with Derek Carr — and now are positioned to place third at best in the lowly NFC South. Taliese Fuaga out of Oregon State hopes to help at the offensive tackle position.
But the Saints did make one interesting pick in the fifth round with quarterback Spencer Rattler out of South Carolina. It was the first pick New Orleans made since No. 41 in the second round. Rattler is an interesting prospect, though. He was wildly inconsistent in college but definitely had some moments that made scouts perk up.
Overall, this feels like a 7-10, 8-9 team next season.
24. Seattle Seahawks
Geno Smith made everyone forget about Russell Wilson in 2022 and parlayed it into a nice contract extension. However, he tailed off again last season and left the Seahawks as a middle-of-the-road team at 9-8.
New head coach Mike Macdonald will be coming in right off making the Ravens the league’s top-ranked defense last season. It’s no surprise then that the Seahawks made their first-round pick defensive tackle Byron Murphy II. But a lot of this draft was about the trenches for Seattle. We’ll see how that makes them in 2024.
25. Las Vegas Raiders
Once Penix was taken by the Falcons, it basically curtailed any plans the Raiders had of drafting a quarterback. For a consolation prize, they drafted Georgia tight end Brock Bowers, who could be one of the most talented in this year’s class. However, that still doesn’t answer the pressing need first-year head coach Antonio Pierce has on his hands at quarterback. It looks to be between Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew.
Las Vegas did make some reaches, however, with guys like offensive tackle Delmar Glaze or cornerback Decamerion Richardson. But it is hard not to get excited about center Jackson Power-Johnson.
This isn’t a Super Bowl-contending team by any means, with a roster still with a couple of holes in it. We’ll see how Pierce looks with a full season under his belt as head coach before we give him his flowers.
26. Minnesota Vikings
There’s plenty of reason that the Vikings should be much higher than this. But in a division that now has the rising Packers and the uber-talented Lions, that helps put Minnesota near the back of these NFL Power Rankings.
However, this Vikings team still has a lot of talent on it with the likes of Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison for new rookie quarterback JJ McCarthy to throw to. But McCarthy entered the 2024 NFL Draft with lots of questions. Thankfully, he has one of the best offensive minds in the league in Kevin O’Connell to guide.
Their new pass rusher, Dallas Turner, should be a big help to replace Danielle Hunter and go alongside Jonathan Greenard who they picked up in free agency. However, this team isn’t quite ready to make the next step, but they do seem to be heading in the right direction.
27. Chicago Bears
Starting with four picks, two of which were first-rounders, the Bears finished with five picks for the 2024 NFL Draft weekend. That’s still a fairly small haul, but most of what they selected was quite significant.
Thanks to last year’s trade with the Panthers and their subpar season, the Bears were able to get two of the absolute best prospects this year’s draft had to offer. The result could be a franchise-altering effect if No. 1 pick Caleb Williams becomes “the guy.”
This Bears team now has the capability to be a legitimate offensive juggernaut given all its pieces. But that may not all come together in Year 1. Its progression getting there could be fascinating to watch, though.
28. Denver Broncos
The onus now is all on Sean Payton to deliver for the Broncos. That was made apparent with the release of Russell Wilson at the start of the new NFL season. Payton has a vision that George Paton is adhering to and believing in. That will now start with what they believe is their franchise quarterback in Bo Nix.
Most believe that Nix was drafted way too high at No. 12. But what other choice did Denver have? That quarterback room wasn’t exactly in the best shape, and believe it or not, Nix could, even without a single NFL start, be the best option now due to his wealth of college experience.
To make Nix more comfortable in his transition into the NFL, they got one of his favorite pass catches in Troy Franklin. Plus, fifth-round pick running back Audric Estime could be a nice addition. But overall, this team is still a ways away from truly competing, unless Nix just lights it up early.
29. New York Giants
Daniel Jones looks like he gets to keep his job for at least one more year. Then, who knows, both he and head coach Brian Daboll could both be gone. But, in the meantime, the Giants did at least shore up one vital need in drafting a lethal pass catcher.
Adding tight end Theo Johnson was also a nice touch given the uncertainty with Darren Waller. But perhaps the most shocking thing the Giants did was not selecting a single offensive lineman in this year’s draft? Sure, they signed John Runyan Jr. and Jermain Eluemunor in free agency, but it feels after the season this unit had last year that more pieces could have been added in this draft.
With still a ton of holes to fill and jobs on the line, tensions will likely be high all season. The Giants may stay low in these NFL Power Rankings for a while.
30. Washington Commanders
We all know it’s a new era for the Commanders that goes from ownership to a new coaching staff led by Dan Quinn. We also know that the Commanders had a heck of an offseason thanks to having the most cap space of any team in the league. And finally, we know they are potentially looking at their new franchise quarterback in LSU’s Jayden Daniels.
Daniels isn’t the only pick to like about the Commanders draft, though. With the Falcons going with another defensive tackle, Jer’Zhan Newton was basically handed to them. Plus, guys like Michigan cornerback and Kansas State versatile tight end might become household names eventually.
There’s a lot to like about where the Commanders are headed, but they will have a lot to make up for in 2024, with experience being the main thing.
31. New England Patriots
The Patriots could have easily been placed in at the last spot in these NFL Power Rankings. Even through free agency and their eight draft picks, it’s still not enough to make this team a real threat to anybody in the AFC, or the league for that matter.
There’s a massive lack of starters on this team, especially offensively. Those in New England likely want to get excited about Drake Maye but his lack of experience is a little concerning, not to mention he virtually has nothing around for an arsenal. Rookie wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk could end up being his go-to receiver.
There were needs that this draft did address, but the Patriots could have used another seven rounds.
32. Carolina Panthers
It looks as if Bryce Young will be getting new weapons in 2024. Three of the Panthers’ first four picks were a wide receiver, running back, and tight end. All of those, like receiver Xavier Legette have tons of upside to them, but they also may require tons of development.
Carolina boasts still one of the worst rosters in the league, albeit with yet another new head coach this season in Dave Canales. Like the past two coaches, he’ll have his work cut out for him. The question is, will he make it a whole season if the Panthers don’t put enough in the win column?
