2024 NFL Draft grades for every team: Patriots, Chiefs with awesome hauls; Cowboys, others receive poor marks

by 24USATVApril 29, 2024, 11 a.m. 20
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The 2024 NFL Draft has concluded, which means only one thing -- draft grades are here. Below you will find the full draft classes for all 32 teams with individual grades, analysis for every class and a final overall grade. This is my seminal analysis every year.

The first-round grades are from Pete Prisco. Just about all of the individual grades were from me starting in Round 2 through Mr. Irrelevant at the end of the draft. Any grades with an asterisk were from my guy Josh Edwards.

For these team grades, I'm not utilizing an intricate formula, but I am taking the average of each individual grade with more weight given to the earlier picks. And factoring in my own grades for Round 1 picks.

Let's get to it.

Holy gigantic class for the Cardinals. But I love it. The more rolls at the table, the better. Harrison is an instant 1,000-yard "X" receiver, Robinson can make noise Year 1 if he's deployed inside more than on the edge, and Trey Benson was my RB1 in this class. So fast and elusive.

Reiman is enormous and provided glimmers of receiving prowess, and the Melton and Jones pairing gives the Cardinals two highly explosive outside cornerbacks. Thomas can be a useful situational outside rusher, and Jones has starter upside. Arizona added athletic specimens at a variety of positions to a roster that desperately needed an infusion of sheer talent. Go have a beer, or two, Monti Ossenfort. On me. You crushed this draft.

There's no one right way to build a team, and let's such say my drafting philosophy doesn't jive with Falcons GM Terry Fontenot. And that's fine. The Penix pick makes my head hurt, and a sizable trade up for a defensive tackle in Round 2? Don't get me wrong, Orhorhoro was one of my favorite interior rushers -- he's big, strong, and explosive -- but trading multiple picks to get him?

Trice and Dorlus have a distinct possibility to become the two best value selections from this class. They're so diverse in how they can get to the quarterback from their respective positions, and Dorlus can align anywhere. Bertand is heady but misses too many tackles for my liking, and Washington is an inflexible back-shoulder type. And no cornerback?!

Even with trusty right-hand man Joe Hortiz now GM'ing the Chargers, Ravens shot-caller Eric Costa once again proved why he's one of the shrewest GMs in the league with this draft haul.

Wiggins absolutely flies and has serious man-to-man coverage capabilities. Rosengarten is another high-caliber athlete at a vital position. Isaac was a bit of a gamble, but the payoff could be massive, and the same is true for Walker. If nothing else, he can be a serious vertical threat in a sizable frame. This offense needs that. Tampa is a little stiff but plays with that classic Ravens physicality at the line of scrimmage.

Samac gives me major Bradley Bozeman vibes. Late-round selection with awesome balance and run-game mastery. Leary has a strong arm and can connect on anticipatory throws. Not a super sexy class. But a job well done.

Coleman didn't do it for me on film. For his size and athletic profile -- and he's not stiff, just doesn't routinely get open -- I expected him to be more dominant in traffic tracking the ball deep. Buffalo then countered with a stellar selection -- Bishop in Round 2. He's going to be a star with Sean McDermott.

Carter is high-floor rusher, and the Bills had a sneaky need at defensive tackle because Ed Oliver was previously the only upfield interior rusher on the roster. I would've gone in many other directions instead of Davis. After that, Van-Pran Granger can be a high-caliber starter in time, and Ulofoshio is a smooth operator, another with a high floor. Solomon is the exact type of smaller, bendier outside rusher this roster has desperately needed, and Hardy is uber-talented at cornerback. My disagreement with the first selection sinks this grade a bit, and I'm surprised they didn't double-dip at receiver.

I'm afraid the Panthers drafted Jonathan Mingo 2.0 with Legette in Round 2. Brooks is a premier talent -- although I think the hype went a little out of control late in the process. I would've liked to see a better pure separator for Bryce Young, even after signing Diontae Johnson in free agency.

Wallace is a fun, active linebacker but has some rawness to his game, and Sanders' film wasn't as tremendous as I expected for a former top recruit with quality production at Texas. Smith-Wade can be the best player from this class because of his twitch and feistiness as a tackler.

Small but impactful class from Ryan Poles, and he added a pick late by trading a fourth-round pick in 2025 to get a high-upside outside rusher, which was a clear need.

Williams and Odunze can be a tremendous duo at the two most vital positions in the game today, and Amegadjie can be a powerful tackle or guard thanks to his girth, length, leg churn, and, simply, how much nastiness exudes off his body when he's getting after it.

Wasn't a gigantic fan of a punter -- never am in the draft -- but Taylor was clearly the most talented punter in the class.

The Bengals attacked their needs with authority in this class. Defensive tackle. Tight end. Edge rusher. Even added a pair of offensive linemen, and started with Mims who, if healthy, can eventually be the best blocker from this class.

Jenkins and Jackson are two different defensive tackle types. Jenkins was the finest run defender in the class. Jackson is a nose tackle by frame and has three-technique talent getting up the field after the quarterback. I am a tick concerned about his poor workout.

Burton is not your classic Round 3 receiver -- he has borderline first-round talent as one of the truly premier vertical threat. All and McLachlan are two reasonable talented pass-catching tight ends, and keep an eye on Johnson as an ascending rusher who can climb the depth chart because of his explosiveness and glimpses of hand work.

I hardly noticed the Browns didn't have a first-round pick in this draft because of the fine job GM Andrew Berry and Co. did. Hall has the goods to eventually become the finest defensive tackle from this class. Oh yeah, Zinter. I didn't love that pick. He's very stiff and coming off an injury.

After that, Thrash was spectacular at Louisville at all three levels because of his twitch, route-running nuance, and run-after-the-catch creativity. Watson is a towering off-ball linebacker who rarely misses a tackle in the box, and Harden is a magnificent athlete who can outplay his draft position. Briggs has an athletic frame and penetrating style. Sneaky-good class from Cleveland.

I, personally, am not sure what the Cowboys are doing. Ok, well I do know they stood by their word and attempted to rebuild the offensive line. I commend that. I loved Beebe in Round 2 and particularly Thomas in Round 7.

Guyton is very much a project who doesn't quite play to his workout. Kneeland is another project-y type who never came close to dominating in the MAC. Liufau plays with his hair on fire. I like that. Minimal coverage chops beyond following crossers, and he misses tackles at too high a rate for my liking.

Flournoy can be the gem of this class. Size, burst, long speed, and power through contact. It's all there with him, and the receiver group did need a little jolt.

The Broncos did admirable work even without a second-round pick, although I don't have as much confidence in Nix as Sean Payton.

Elliss is a supercharged edge rusher with untapped potential around the corner. Franklin, and particularly Abrams-Draine, have the refined skill sets to be stars as Day 3 selections. Estime has unusual wiggle for being a crazy-wide powerful rusher. This was a class in which the Broncos had to add weapons beyond getting a quarterback, and they did that. Plus, they didn't mortgage the future in landing said quarterback,

The Lions were ultra aggressive in this draft, which aligns with the demeanor of Dan Campbell. Not a brilliant idea team-building wise, however the Lions are clearly very close. Rakestraw plays with similar chippiness.

Arnold is squeaky clean and has upside because of his complete game. Vaki is such an energetic safety who can do everything in any defensive back position. He's just small. Wingo can get up the field from the inside. For as much as I love what the Lions have done over the past three years, especially in the draft, after the back-to-back cornerback picks, I didn't love what Detroit did in this draft.

Packers GM Brian Gutekunst has become my draft spirit animal. Loads of picks every year. Always takes fliers on athletic offensive linemen in the middle of the draft and Day 3 and constantly swings trades to move up and down the board.

Morgan was picked a tick early, while Cooper needs to improve in coverage but has freaky athleticism ranging to the football. Lloyd is the perfect add to Matt LaFleur's zone-blocking scheme because he's thick with elite burst and wiggle. Williams is one of the most active safeties in the class, and Oladapo is a true specimen at the same position. Matchup with tight end type.

After going skill-position heavy the past few years in the draft, Gutekunst prioritized the trenches and building out the secondary.

Nothing incredibly flashy here from GM Nick Caserio, but the flash came earlier this offseason, didn't it? Lassiter is your classic, well-coached Georgia cornerback. Fisher is a tremendous combo blocker and Bullock has ridiculous middle-of-the-field range.

Stover will be a useful tight end for a decade. The next few picks after that were questionable, but I am fascinated to see if Byrd plays as athletically as he looked on the field or to his epically bad workout.

GM Chris Ballard has a thing for athleticism, and I dig that. But in the past he's picked extreme athletes who weren't actually good football players. Latu has an incredibly high ceiling because of his pass-rush arsenal, Mitchell was a fantastic find at No. 52, and Goncalves can be a quality swing tackle or guard.

Bortolini has potential because of his athletic chops, and Gould ab-so-lutely flies down the field. Carlies and Simpson are two totally different safeties. I love adding the blend of a rangy middle-of-the-field type and an in-the-box masher.

After Thomas Jr. in Round 1, which happened after a trade back, I liked but didn't love what the Jaguars did. Smith has immense upside but never quite put it together at LSU, and Jones was one of the better nickel corners in the class. Foster has girth to play with power consistently. After that, their Day 3 picks left a lot to be desired in my estimation. Just minimal upside with those selections.

GM Brett Veach went on a heater with this draft class. Worthy and Suamataia were two awesome additions, even if the latter has some rough edges to his game right now. Wiley can really separate at the tight end position, and I think the Chiefs know a thing or two about that type of tight end.

Hicks had no business going in Round 4. He's an intimidating do-everything safety. Nourzad is a true battler at center, and Hanson gave me Cole Strange vibes when I watched his Holy Cross film. With some huge offensive line contracts upcoming for the Chiefs, this was a smart class.

Rollercoaster draft for the Chargers. I wasn't as high on Alt as everyone else but certainly understood him going at No. 5. McConkey is a fun separator with deceptive run-after-the-catch talent. But then, I didn't see it with Colson outside of how stellar of a tackler he was.

After that, it took until the Round 6 selection of Vidal for me to get back on board with this draft. And Vidal can eventually become the RB1 there in Los Angeles. You heard it here first. Rice and Johnson are essentially the same receiver, but Rice has more downfield juice. They aren't get-open pass catchers but Linear downfield assets.

Les Snead is one of the most underrated GMs in the NFL. He proved that again with this draft. The Florida State duo with the first two picks -- spectacular. Older but instant-impact types. Neither Corum nor Kinchens are premier athletes; they just handle their jobs at a high level. Jackson has some upside as a thick but sleek edge rusher, and Davis is one of the preeminent run-stopping defensive tackles in this class.

Oh, and Limmer is an eventual starter given his time destroying worlds in the SEC as an explosive and powerful pivot.

GM Tom Telesco got another opportunity to run a draft and did not squander it. Bowers fell into their lap, and everyone thought Powers-Johnson would be a first-round pick. Glaze is a smooth athlete who can stay at tackle, and Richardson is a long plus athlete, which is precisely what this defense desperately needs to add. Eichenberg already plays like he's a five-year veteran, and, vitally, makes plays in coverage with good regularity.

Laube will outplay his draft position because of his receiving talent and deceptive side-to-side juking skill. Taylor and Devonshire have the athleticism to outplay their respective draft positions.

I like many of the prospects the Dolphins picked, but their plan was somewhat confusing. Robinson was my EDGE1. Sensible. Paul is the opposite of a scheme fit for what McDaniel asks of his blockers. Wright is a rocket when given space, which is fun, but now the running back room is super crowded.

I'm all about adding more weapons at receiver today, but two slot types? Although Malik Washington was a second-round talent on my board, which is why I gave that a perfect grade.

We have to applaud the Vikings for not having to trade the farm to get a quarterback in this class. Essentially, McCarthy fell into their lap. Turner's upside is through the roof. But the trade up was expensive, especially considering what they traded to originally obtain the No. 23 pick.

Jackson is the ideal long, press-man cornerback for Brian Flores to deploy, and Rouse can eventually become a powerful tackle. Reichard will represent an upgrade at kicker.

The first non-Bill Belichick draft in 20-plus years for the Patriots went... amazingly. I'm serious. Maye at No. 3. Spectacular. Polk is a fun, versatile piece who tracks the ball awesomely, as does the fourth-round pick Baker, who has future No. 1 wideout upside.

Robinson has a tremendous burst and power combination at guard, and Bell was the steal of the seventh-round. I have no idea how he lasted this far into the draft. He's a chiseled and athletic yards-after-the-catch weapon.

The Saints needed offensive tackle badly and added two big, powerful ones with their first and last picks in this draft. The McKinstry trade up was costly, but he is a first-round talent with a high floor. Rattler is a nice roll of the dice in Round 4, and Means can be another downfield weapon for Derek Carr in this offense. That was needed beyond Rashid Shaheed.

The Giants' theme was pinpointing big-time athletes in this class. Nabers was my WR1, so fine start there. Phillips was one of the most impressive plant-and-drive corner in the class, and Johnson was the most athletic tight end with his best football in front of him.

Tracy can threaten Devin Singletary for the RB1 and, if he can shore up his tackling, Muasau's play-recognition skills are spectacular. He beats blockers with relative ease, too.

Fashanu and Corley to start -- magnificent. Allen is the best pass protection back in this class and has effortless power through contact given his supreme size. I didn't understand why New York would then add another running back a round later. Travis is an ascending quarterback with improvisational skill who can throw with anticipation.

GM Howie Roseman knows how to balance the draft as well as any GM in the league. Sometimes he's ultra aggressive, other times he trades back multiple times and lets the draft come to him. Either way, it always feels like quality prospects fall into his lap, doesn't it?

Mitchell AND DeJean? HELLO. Hunt has immense upside based on what he showed in 2023 at Houston Baptist, which came after a switch from safety at Cornell. Smith and Wilson are two divergent specimens but both experienced productive collegiate careers at marquee programs. And Trotter has the coverage ability and range to be a star in Philadelphia, just like his dad.

The Steelers absolutely needed to address the offensive line in this draft, and did exactly that. Fautanu didn't do it for me on film because of his lack of strength, but his mobility unquestionably jumped off the film. Frazier is an instant starter at center, and the Wilson duo in Round 3 perfectly filled needs.

McCormick feels like a future starter at guard because of his athletic gifts, power, and awareness.

Scattered draft here from Seattle. Murphy was the finest, most explosive rusher in the class with run-stopping prowess. Haynes is a rocket at guard in an ideal guard frame with length. Barner has the dynamic movement skill and reliable hands to be a better pro than he was in college. Laumea is another masher on the interior. James' feet are lightning quick, and he plays the ball aggressively on a routine basis.

Very 49ers draft here. Pearsall feels like a future boundary weapon who'll get open with great regularity in Kyle Shanahan's system. Puni can play anywhere along the offensive line, and Mustapha is a chippy, split-field safety. Green is one of the steadiest cornerbacks in the class -- I mean that -- and Cowing has the juice to uncover at all three levels.

I liked the Braswell pick much more than the Barton selection, and McMillan will be a favorite target of Baker Mayfield because of his route-running skill, speed, and ball-tracking talent. Irving has the inherent elusiveness to outplay his draft position and poor pre-draft workout. Smith is a powerful rocket of a safety who tackles like a veteran.

The Latham pick was a bit surprising, yet it wasn't a brutal selection. Sweat in the top 40 was. After that, GM Ran Carthon pieced together a rock-solid haul. Gray is one of the younger but polished off-ball linebackers in the class, and Jackson can really get down the field with elite burst and long speed.

Williams finds the football frequently because of his length and movement skill. Don't sleep on Harrell, either. He's young and really flashed as a pure outside rusher with a diverse set of pass-rush moves at Michigan.

GM Adam Peters began his tenure in Washington with a bang. Daniels, Newton, Sainristil, Sinnott, Coleman, McCaffrey. My word. Those are all plus athletes with clean film who excel in their specific roles. Magee is a bendy off-ball linebacker with serious juice, and Hampton, while older, has as much athletic prowess as anyone in the class.

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