|
|
|
Will anybody stop the Kansas City Chiefs in their bid for a third straight Super Bowl championship in 2024?A pair of potential new AFC contenders emerged as potential contenders after a strong 2024 NFL Draft.The Steelers made an offseason splash by adding quarterbacks Ru sell Wilson and Justin Fields, and they followed that up by being among the biggest winners at the 2024 NFL Draft this weekend.The Chargers might be the best competition within the AFC West with new coach Jim Harbaugh. Los Angeles took advantage of its draft spot and showed they are in the proce s of building a winner around franchise quarterback Justin Herbert.A few contenders also left some major question marks. Miami and Dallas were not aggre sive, and Atlanta became the talk of the draft for the wrong reasons. By the way, the Chiefs improved, too.SN's NFL DRAFT HQ: | | This draft will be remembered for the run of six quarterbacks in the first round, which included the Bears taking USC's Caleb Williams (No. 1), the Commanders selecting LSU's Jayden Daniels (No. 2), and the Patriots getting North Carolina's Drake Maye (No. 3).It did not stop there. Washington's Michael Penix Jr. (No. 8) was the surprise Roberto Perez Jersey pick of the first round to the Falcons, and Michigan's J.J. McCarthy (No. 10) and Oregon's Bo Nix (No. 12) went to Vikings and Broncos, respectively. A quarterback was not drafted until the fifth round after that.Here's a closer look at the biggest winners and losers from the 2024 NFL Draft.Pittsburgh SteelersEvery pick made sense for general manager Omar Khan and coach Mike Tomlin, and that's good news with Wilson and Fields coming in as upgrades at quarterback.Pittsburgh beefed up its offensive line with Washington tackle Troy Fautanu (No. 20) in the first round. West Virginia center Zach Frazier (No. 51), a second-round pick, is a close-to-home grinder who will be an instant fan favorite. South Dakota State guard Mason McCormick (No. 119) was a solid fourth-round addition.The rest of the picks were good, too. Michigan receiver Roman Wilson (No. 84) will emerge as a playmaker in the slot, and linebacker Payton Wilson (No. 98) the Butkus Award winner from NC State fell to Pittsburgh late in the third round amid injury worries. Sixth-round defensive tackle Logan Lee (No. 178) will get snaps, too.The Steelers are in the toughest division in football, and if the QBs come through, they Michael Brantley Jersey could win it.Los Angeles ChargersIf Harbaugh's first draft with the Chargers is an indicator, then Los Angeles is going to be in the AFC championship hunt sooner rather than later.This was predictably predictable, just like L.A.'s first pick Notre Dame tackle Joe Alt at No. 5.Every pick afterward made sense in the Harbaugh-build-a-team-model. Georgia's Ladd McConkey (No. 34) is a second-round slot receiver who could form a quick connection with Herbert. Michigan linebacker Junior Colson (No. 69) is a familiar face who averaged 98 tackles over the past two seasons with the Wolverines. Day 3 landed Alabama defensive tackle Justin Eboigbe (No. 105), Notre Dame cornerback Cam Hart (No. 140), and Troy running back Kimani Vidal (No. 181), who rushed for 4,010 yards and 33 TDs the past four seasons. Even USC's Brenden Rice (No. 225), son of NFL legend Jerry Rice, could be a seventh-round sleeper.Harbaugh is following the plan that made him succe sful at San Francisco the first time around, and new general manager Joe Hortiz deserves credit, too. It's a solid draft.Harbaugh also watched Michigan, where he coached last season, produce the most picks in the draft with 13. The final Michigan pick was Cornelius Johnson (No. 253), fittingly to the Chargers.NFC NorthThe AFC North was the best division in the NFL last season. The NFC North is coming for that soon. This was the only division that had two teams in the divisional round of the playoffs last season, andDetroit and Green Bay made significant upgrades.The Lions addre sed their secondary with a pair of potential Pro Bowl cornerbacks in Alabama's Terrion Arnold (No. 24) and Mi souri's Ennis Rakestraw Jr. (No. 61). Arnold ranked fifth in the FBS with 13 pa s breakups in 2023, and Rakestraw will compete for a starting role right away. Detroit added Utah safety Sione Vaki (No. 132) in the fourth round and Boston College guard Christian Mahogany (No. 210) in the sixth. General manager Brad Holmes continues to impre s.Green Bay addre sed needs on offense with Arizona tackle Jordan Morgan (No. 25) and USC running back MarShawn Lloyd (No. 88) and on defense with Texas A&M linebacker Edgerrin Carlos Carrasco Jersey Cooper (No. 45) and Georgia safety Javon Bullard (No. 58). Bullard was the defensive MVP of the 2022 College Football Playoff championship game and could work into a starting role opposite free-agent pickup Xavier McKinney. General manager Brian Gutekunst has navigated the post-Aaron Rodgers era to this point.Chicago and Minnesota have a chance at closing the gap, too. The Bears and Vikings took franchise quarterbacks in Williams and McCarthy, respectively. The Bears gave Williams another receiver in Rome Odunze (No. 9) and the Vikings traded up to get Alabama edge rusher Dallas Turner (No. 17), widely considered the best defensive player in the draft. How many playoff teams will come out of this division in 2024? Two or three?Patrick Mahomes IIMahomes, 28, is a three-time Super Bowl champion and two-time NFL MVP. What quarterback would not love what the Chiefs did?Kansas City traded up with Buffalo, of all teams, to get Texas receiver Xavier Worthy with the No. 28 pick. Worthy ran a 4.21 in the 40-yard dash. , Worthy caught 15 of 67 targets on pa ses of 20 yards or more last season. That rate will improve drastically with Mahomes.BYU tackle Kingsley Sumataia (No. 63) was the second-round pick. Sumataia, a 6-5, 326-pounder, had a first-round projection throughout the mock proce s. Fourth-round TCU tight end Jared Wiley (No. 131) had 12 TDs over the past two seasons and could be a po sible succe sor to Travis Kelce. Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) Nick SabanRetirement suits the legendary Alabama coach. The Crimson Tide had three first-round picks and seven picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, which increased Saban's totals to 47 first-round picks and 130 draft picks during his time at Alabama. That is the final tribute to the most-reliable football factory of the 21st century.One of the biggest revelations from Nick Saban on Friday night during the NFL Draft, is that despite providing tons of free publicity for Little Debbie Snack Cakes, McKee Foods Corporation hasn't sent him even one complimentary box of Oatmeal Creme Pies. I'm still trying to Gary L. Harris (@garyharris_wvua) Saban was a welcome addition to the draft analysis on ESPN and ABC through the first two nights of the draft, too. He offered Josh Tomlin Jersey a mix of draft speak, X's and O's, and humor. When Saban got excited about a player he faced last season Texas' T'Vondre Sweat and Michigan's Mike Sainristil were examples the animated version of the coach took over. In other words, those players will be good in the NFL. It was exceptional and a preview of what's to come on ESPN's "College GameDay" in the fall. Can we get a Little Debbies commercial, please?Texas LonghornsTexas was second to Michigan with 11 picks. It's a nod to the quick work by coach Steve Sarkisian. The Longhorns did not have a draft pick in 2022.Texas has had at least five draft picks each of the past two seasons, but this cla s featured a pair of first-round picks in No. 16 pick Byron Murphy and Worthy. The Longhorns had three Day 2 picks and six Day 3 picks, and that builds momentum ahead of joining the SEC.By the way, well be talking about quarterbacks Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning in the next drafts. Yes, its safe to say Texas is back.Atlanta FalconsAtlanta general manager Terry Fontenot will have to justify taking Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8 in the first round for the rest of his tenure.To be clear, this is nothing like the Packers' succe sion plan from Aaron Rodgers to Jordan Love. Penix Jr. is 24. Atlanta brought in veteran Cody Allen Jersey quarterback Kirk Cousins on a four-year contract this offseason. Atlanta traded Desmond Ridder a 2022 third-round pick after just two seasons. "Succe sion" had le s drama in its final season.The first draft of the Raheem Morris era will be judged by the first-round pick, even if this team might win the NFC South. The Falcons selected Clemson defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro (No. 35) in the second round and Washington edge rusher Bralen Trice (No.74) in the third round, which should help on that side of the ball.A self-created quarterback controversy, however, will be the talk in Atlanta if things go South in 2024.FALCONS DRAFTING MICHAEL PENIX: | | |Miami DolphinsDid the Dolphins improve enough to take a run at Buffalo and hold off the |
|
