5 Teams That Performed Badly In The 2024 NFL Draft

The 2024 NFL Draft is a crap shoot. For every player chosen who goes on to become a star, hundreds of others will fail and never play in the NFL.

Given these conditions, it may appear unfair to criticize a team’s draft just hours after it has concluded. However, it might be difficult to overlook how badly some people drop the ball.

With that in mind, here are five teams that fumbled the 2024 NFL Draft.

5 Teams That Performed Badly In The 2024 NFL Draft

1. Buffalo Bills

Unsurprisingly, the Bills provided QB Josh Allen a much-needed wideout weapon early in the 2024 selection by selecting FSU’s Keon Coleman in the second round (No. 33). They did, however, pass on more established alternatives, such as Adonai Mitchell and Xavier Worthy, the quickest player in the NFL Combine ever, who the Kansas City Chiefs were able to get after moving down from number 28. Coleman, who recorded the second-slowest 40-yard sprint time in Indianapolis, is expected to be Buffalo’s top choice right away. On Sunday, general manager Brandon Beane stated, “There’s no trade coming,” referring to one of many proven pass-catchers who may be available on the market.

For a club wanting to compete at the top of the AFC, you’d expect them to add as much top-tier talent in the draft as possible, but that’s not what the Bills did. Instead, after strangely ignoring the top-end talent in a mediocre draft class, their roster isn’t significantly stronger than it was at the outset of the week.

2. Denver Broncos

In desperate need of a future quarterback, the Broncos appeared to reach for Bo Nix at No. 12, as all the top signal-callers fell off the board. While he ended up being the sixth quarterback off the board, as many projected, it’s easy to argue that Denver could have taken him much later, with South Carolina’s Spencer Rattler not going off the board until the fifth.

Having the determination to get the guy you want is great, but in the Broncos’ situation, choosing Nix appears to be overthinking things at best and a terrible error at worst. A trade-down to obtain assets while retaining their QB would have been the better option.

3. Atlanta Falcons

You knew it was coming. Despite just agreeing to a four-year, $140 million contract with veteran Kirk Cousins, the Falcons made perhaps the most talked-about decision in the 2024 draft on Day 1 by selecting Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8 overall. To make matters worse, general manager Terry Fontenot stated that the former Huskie might not start for “three or four years,” a scenario he appeared to be comfortable with. Congratulations to the GM for acquiring a player he believes in, but if you have to place that player in the top ten before acknowledging he will be a backup for the near future, it may not have been the best decision.

4. San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers didn’t have much to work with in the first round, drafting just at No. 31. However, they made some unusual judgments early in the draft.

With their first-round pick, they selected Florida wideout Ricky Pearsall. While Pearsall has the potential to be a good pro, many consider him a second-round choice at best and outside the top ten at his position. But San Francisco made him the sixth receiver off the board. Then, in the second round, they moved back to get cornerback Renardo Green, who some analysts ranked as a third or fourth-round choice. Furthermore, they waited until the third round to address the team’s biggest position of need, offensive line, passing over multiple choices before picking Dominick Puni.

5. Carolina Panthers

To provide weapons for inexperienced quarterback Bryce inexperienced, the Panthers utilized their first two draft selections on offensive players. However, they might have chosen both options.

First, Carolina moved back in the first round to choose late-bloomer wide receiver Xavier Legette (No. 32), who only produced as a redshirt senior at South Carolina after spending his first four seasons mostly on special teams. Then, in the second round, they moved up to take the first running back off the board, Texas’ Jonathon Brooks (46th). The ex-Longhorn may fit a need, but he does not play a premium position and is coming off an ACL rupture sustained in 2023. Not exactly the finest value for a squad that has just 2-14 season.