The National Football League draft is an opportunity for teams to improve their rosters. In 2024, the Philadelphia Eagles did a tremendous job, drafting defensive back Cooper DeJean with the 40th overall pick. DeJean would go on to intercept three-time Super Bowl Champion Patrick Mahomes and return it for a touchdown in the Super Bowl, setting the tone for the rest of the game.
Overall, the Eagles progressed from an 11-6 record and losing in the NFC wild-card round in 2023 to a record of 14-3 and winning Super Bowl 59 in New Orleans.
Will one of the other 31 teams have such a successful draft that they win Super Bowl 60? Time will tell. What we do know is that some teams made more progress than others. In my opinion, the “winners” of the draft are the Cleveland Browns, the New York Giants and the Tennessee Titans.
The Cleveland Browns’ draft success primarily comes from drafting Shedeur Sanders with the 144th pick in the fifth round. Sanders played two seasons at Jackson State University and two seasons at the University of Colorado. In 2021, Sanders won the Jerry Rice Award, as he was the best freshman in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision. In 2022, he was named Southwestern Athletic Conference — SWAC — offensive player of the year. Transferring to Colorado and leveling up to NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision was no problem for Sanders, throwing 27 touchdowns and only three interceptions in his first year there. The following season, Shedeur Sanders had an incredible completion percentage of 74% and threw for 37 touchdowns, both school records. Acquiring such a player in the first round is good. Acquiring him in the fifth round is fantastic, so the Cleveland Browns and their fans should be very excited.
The New York Giants also did well in the draft. With the third overall pick, they selected edge Abdul Carter out of Pennsylvania State University. While they already have Kayvon Thibodeaux and Brian Burns on the edge, the Giants did the right thing by taking advantage of the opportunity to get such a dominant player.
The New York Giants now have the potential to develop one of the best defensive lines in the league. On the other side of the ball, the Giants’ 25th overall pick, Jaxson Dart, out of the University of Mississippi, can become their quarterback of the future. Dart also has the opportunity to learn from veterans Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston. As a team known for their recent quarterback struggles, New York has a real opportunity to change that narrative.
The Tennessee Titans had the most to look forward to going into the draft. They did the right thing by selecting Cam Ward out of the University of Miami. Ward knows how to handle adversity. He was a zero-star high school prospect with just one offer from the University of the Incarnate Word. He ended his college football career with a tremendous season, throwing for 4,313 yards and 39 touchdowns, both school records. The Titans’ new quarterback needs receivers, so in the fourth round, the Titans acquired both Chimere Dike and Elic Ayomanor. Chimere Dike has a great 40-yard dash time of 4.34 seconds and vertical jump of 38.5 inches. Elic Ayomanor is almost as fast with a 40-yard dash time of 4.44 seconds and an identical vertical jump.
While many teams made spectacular additions, the Cleveland Browns, New York Giants and Tennessee Titans are the teams that stood out from the rest. Having performed poorly last year, they now have an opportunity to prove themselves to the rest of the league.