2024 NFL Draft: 10 biggest winners, including Philadelphia Eagles and Minnesota Vikings

By Andrew Buller-Russ

·April 27, 2024

There’s no event quite like the 2024 NFL Draft. This year, we saw a whopping six quarterbacks selected in the first round, tying an NFL record. While the QBs will have a heavy hand in future success or failure, several other prospects can make an early impact too.

While we won’t know the true results of this draft class for at least a few years, our early reactions point to these ten teams having the best NFL Draft so far. Here are our biggest winners this year.

Washington Commanders

Not only did the Washington Commanders find their QB of the future in Jayden Daniels, they also got a high-upside defensive tackle in Jer’Zhan Newton in the second round. Hyped as a fringe first-round prospect and after the Commanders lost several members of their defensive line, Newton will be a big help for Dan Quinn. We also like adding Mike Sainristil, Ben Sinnott, and Luke McCaffrey on Day 2. This team has added a lot of youth.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive overhaul continues, picking offensive linemen with their first two selections. Troy Fautanu and Zach Frazier should be able to grab immediate starting roles, and Roman Wilson and Payton Wilson should see the field early on too.

New York Giants

Not only did the New York Giants address their biggest needs by getting one of the most electric receivers in the draft, they also added to their secondary by picking up arguably the best safety too. Malik Nabers and Tyler Nubin will both have big roles as rookies.

New Orleans Saints

Knowing they needed to bring more stability to the offense, the New Orleans Saints focused on the trenches with the selection of Taliese Fuaga. He brings a mean streak to the offensive line, improving the passing and rushing offense. Then, Kool-Aid McKinstry brings first-round talent to a Saints cornerback group that doesn’t have much outside of Marshon Lattimore.

Las Vegas Raiders

Some might say the Las Vegas Raiders are draft losers, but not me. Sure, they didn’t get the quarterback they needed, but they showed that you could still greatly improve the roster by selecting the best players available. Credit to the Raiders; they didn’t overthink, overpay, or get cute, but they did get a lot better. Brock Bowers can be a superstar, and Jackson Powers-Johnson brings much-needed versatility to the interior. If nothing else, the Raiders made their offense a lot more attractive for their QB of the future.

Kansas City Chiefs

Credit: Sara Diggins / USA TODAY NETWORK

It almost seems unfair for the NFL to allow the Kansas City Chiefs to pair Patrick Mahomes with Xavier Worthy, the fastest player in the NFL Draft. Then, the Chiefs addressed their biggest need by drafting Kingsley Suamataia, an offensive tackle who could develop into Mahomes’ blindside protector in due time. Not bad for a team set to pick last in every round after winning the Super Bowl.

Indianapolis Colts

Coming into the three-day event, the Indianapolis Colts were one of the most unpredictable teams involved. But they ended up being the first team to select a defender, adding versatile edge rusher Laiatu Latu in the first round. Then, the Colts came back and found a slipping Adonai Mitchell to make lifer easier on Anthony Richardson. Two first-round talents? Sign me up.

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Chicago Bears

When you have two first-round picks, there’s a strong chance you’ll end up as a winner, but not always. This time, there’s no doubt. The Bears did exactly what they needed to provide Caleb Williams with a plethora of talent; whether it was drafting Rome Odunze or another offensive tackle, the Bears are trending up.

Philadelphia Eagles

Before the draft began, many were projecting the Eagles to select a cornerback with their top selection, where the likes of Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean were commonly mocked to Philadelphia. Somehow, the Eagles ended up with both first-round talents, injecting a ton of young talent into a secondary in need of an overhaul.

Minnesota Vikings

Most thought the Vikings would have to pay through the nose to land their QB of the future, possibly parting with future picks to do so. While the Vikings tried to leap up the board, they ended up with the youngest developmental quarterback in the draft in J.J. McCarthy and may have gotten the best pass rusher too. An argument could be made that they paid too much to do so, but the Vikings still have their future first-round pick, and now have two top talents to develop today instead of next year.