The 2024 NFL Draft wrapped up on Saturday with the three-day festivities providing plenty of moments to enjoy and things to celebrate. However, not everyone came out looking great, with a few standout losers from the 2024 NFL Draft.
Being declared a ‘loser’ of the NFL Draft doesn’t always necessarily apply to a team or even a drafted player. Sometimes, different circumstances result in NFL veterans, coaches, or an entire position being impacted negatively. We’re keeping all of that in mind with our list for the 2024 NFL Draft.
Here are the biggest losers from the 2024 NFL Draft.
Rookie running backs, except Jonathon Brooks
It proved to be a rough 2024 NFL Draft for many running backs and plenty of dynasty fantasy football managers. Jonathan Brooks, the only running back selected in Round 2, landed in a Carolina Panthers backfield where he should be the main guy once he’s fully recovered from an ACL tear. Most of Brooks’ peers weren’t as fortunate. Trey Benson will be sharing a backfield with James Conner, while Blake Corum (Kyren Williams), MarShawn Lloyd (Josh Jacobs), Jaylen Wright (Raheem Mostert and De’Von Achane), Will Shipley (Saquon Barkley) and Ray Davis (James Cook) are all backing up top running backs. There are going to be some very, very quiet rookie seasons.
Related: 10 worst picks of the 2024 NFL Draft
Denver Broncos
The 2024 NFL Draft certainly wasn’t a complete disaster for the Denver Broncos. Wide receiver Troy Franklin and running back Audric Estime were Day 3 steals. However, Denver reached for edge rusher Jonah Elliss and it way overdrafted quarterback Bo Nix with the 12th overall pick. Nix was a second-round talent from a gimmicky college offense and he has average arm strength. Denver needed to trade down to address all the holes on its roster, instead, it overpaid for Nix. Maybe the third time (Russell Wilson and Sean Payton) will be the charm in that regard.
Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys’ season ended with Jerry Jones saying the team would go ‘all in’ this offseason. In NFL free agency, Dallas lost significant depth from its roster. Not to worry, the Cowboys would address all of those needs in the 2024 NFL Draft. Except, on draft weekend, Dallas emerged with the seventh-lowest consensus draft grade, and seemingly ignored needs at wide receiver and running back. To make matters worse, the costs of contract extensions for Dak Prescott, Micah Parsons and CeeDee Lamb are climbing by the week and one of the most important Cowboys’ executives might leave the team in 2025.
Also Read: NFL defense rankings 2024
Atlanta Falcons humiliate themselves and Kirk Cousins
When Kirk Cousins left the Minnesota Vikings for the Atlanta Falcons, he admitted one of the reasons for the decision was feeling wanted by Atlanta and getting the sense he could ‘retire a Falcon.‘ He always heard the rumors about not being Minnesota’s quarterback of the future, Atlanta’s commitment was a sign of true appreciation. Weeks later, with zero communication until the pick was being made, the Falcons drafted Cousins’ eventual replacement. The same quarterback Atlanta tampered with – facing a huge penalty for doing so – was immediately humiliated on a national stage. We get the Falcons had a high grade on Michael Penix Jr., but they burned a top-10 pick on a backup quarterback for at least two years, robbing from the present even with uncertainty for the future.
Related: 2024 NFL Draft results
Antonio Pierce loses a shot at patience from the Las Vegas Raiders
Drafting a rookie quarterback buys time. It’s one of the benefits of spending a first-round pick on a passer and then immediately starting him, a coach and general manager can point and say patience is needed. That’s not a benefit Antonio Pierce will have with the Las Vegas Raiders. Instead, he’s relying entirely on a team led by either Gardner Minshew or Aidan O’Connell in a fast-improving AFC. Players loved Pierce as an interim coach, but if the Raiders go 5-12 or 6-10 next season and Las Vegas is in no better shape long-term, Pierce could be on the hot seat. Unfortunately for him, six quarterbacks were all picked before Las Vegas was on the clock in Round 1.
Also Read: Best undrafted players in NFL history
Spencer Rattler pays the price for immaturity as a 17-year-old
Spencer Rattler was a terrible teammate in high school. With cameras in front of him and a chance to build a brand in Netflix’s QB1 series, he decided to play that up even more as a teenager. That apparently is the reason NFL teams didn’t draft him until Round 5. In the same 2024 NFL Draft where T’Vondre Sweat was selected in Round 2 just weeks after a DWI arrest when he swore to teams at the NFL Combine that his behavioral issues were behind him, Rattler’s immaturity as a teenager was too problematic for teams despite his South Carolina teammates and coaches raving about his leadership and personal growth. NFL teams will trade for players with allegations of domestic violence, reckless driving that plays a role in the death of two people and other off-field issues. Yet Rattler must pay the price for how he acted on camera as a teenager.
Also Read: Highest-paid NFL players
Brandon Aiyuk forced to wait
The entire week surrounding the 2024 NFL Draft didn’t go how Brandon Aiyuk hoped. Wide receivers got paid – Amon-Ra St. Brown and A.J. Brown are now signed to deals worth more than $30 million per year – but not Aiyuk. The San Francisco 49ers spent their first-round pick on wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, taking away more targets from Aiyuk in a contract year, yet still refusing to trade him. As of now, it seems like a contract extension isn’t coming and Aiyuk is stuck in San Francsico. To make matters worse, he’ll almost certainly be stopped from hitting NFL free agency in 2025 because of the franchise tag, giving San Francisco control over his future.
Related: Biggest draft busts of all time
Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper
Before the 2023 NFL season, only Carolina Panthers fans viewed David Tepper as one of the worst owners in sports. He only made things worse from there. Tepper reportedly ‘destroyed team chemistry‘ and undermined the Panthers’ head coach. Still, that’s only enough to make you loathed by the fan base. Tepper followed that up by disgracing himself nationally, throwing a drink at a fan which received a fine from the NFL. If anyone thought he would turn things around, compose himself and handle criticism better, the 2024 NFL Draft proved otherwise. When he saw a sign in a Charlotte bar that fairly criticized his draft strategy, Tepper went inside and wanted the sign taken down. It’s hard to imagine at this point how Tepper could damage his reputation even further, but he might find a way.
Related: NFL QB Rankings 2024
2025 quarterback prospects
Teams weren’t high on the 2025 quarterback class months before the 2024 NFL Draft began. If reports weren’t enough, actions proved it. Six quarterbacks being taken within the first 12 picks is a sign general managers don’t like what’s coming next year. That’s even clearer now, especially with recent reporting. Things can certainly change in a year, but it seems safe to say right now that no quarterback prospect would get to pick which team drafts him, no matter what Deion Sanders says.
Related: 2025 NFL Draft prospect rankings
The future of off-ball linebackers, safeties for the NFL
Football has changed in so many ways over the years, with one of the clearest examples being the difference in defenses between the NFL and college football. While the NCAA develops quarterbacks and wide receivers, all that matters at positions like off-ball linebacker and safety is speed. It’s part of the reason why not a single player at either position was drafted in Round 1. Sadly, it’s not going to get any better in the near future. We’re not sure what NFL teams are going to do about their pipeline effectively shutting off player development at two key positions, but it’s definitely a problem.