NFL draft 2024 winners and losers: Chicago shine as Denver disappoint
Chicago Bears. Anyone with an internet connection could have drafted Southern California quarterback Caleb Williams with the first pick. But Williams’ arrival is a victory unto itself for the Bears, who have been in the QB wilderness for decades. Chicago fans will expect Williams to be the team’s best quarterback ever, and it won’t even be so unreasonable of them given his sublime talent and the team’s barren history at the position. General manager Ryan Poles has also done well to surround Williams with one of the best groups of receivers in football. Poles traded for Los Angeles Chargers star Keenan Allen earlier this year, and he then used the ninth pick to add Washington’s Rome Odunze to a fold that already included the talented and productive DJ Moore. Maybe the Bears won’t win big in 2024, but they should be more fun to watch than they have been. And for the first time in ages, there’s a foundation in place upon which the club could build a Super Bowl team.
Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings lost their quarterback, Kirk Cousins, to the Atlanta Falcons in free agency. They were poised to spend 2024 in misery, with veteran disappointment Sam Darnold sliding in as a stopgap. Now if Vikings fans have to watch Darnold, it should only be for a few games. Michigan’s
JJ McCarthy fortuitously slid to the 10th pick, and the Vikings traded up to nab him as their signal-caller of the future. McCarthy is a hotly debated prospect. He won the national championship at Michigan, but the Wolverines were devoted to having him throw the ball very little in a run-obsessed offense. When he did throw, he was more good than great. But he’s just 21 and has a bushel of athletic upside, and Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell has a solid track record with his QBs; McCarthy becomes his latest pupil. And after trading into another first-round pick, Minnesota got a highly capable edge rusher in Alabama’s Dallas Turner at No 17. McCarthy may be the future, but Turner should be a good NFL player right away.
Pittsburgh Steelers. Speaking of good fortune in how the draft unfolded, the Steelers got loads of it when Washington offensive tackle Troy Fautanu was available for them with the 20th pick. Pittsburgh have two gaping holes on their offensive line, one at center (where they have practically no one) and the other at left tackle (where they start one of the league’s worst players). In Fautanu, they got a talented and critically versatile big man who can add some nastiness to what has often been an underachieving line. Adding someone like Fautanu was a prerequisite if the Steelers hoped to give new quarterback Russell Wilson a chance, and other teams’ decisions allowed Pittsburgh to address its problem. The Steelers’ good draft continued when West
Virginia center Zach Frazier was there for the taking in the second round. Meanwhile, Michigan receiver Roman Wilson, a third-round choice, could play a lot as a rookie in a position group where the Steelers lack depth.
Losers
Atlanta Falcons. Spending the eighth overall pick on a QB most projected not to be taken until the late first or even second round? Hey, we all make