After three eventful days in Detroit, the NFL draft has officially come to an end. 257 athletes heard their names called and lived out their childhood dream of being selected to play professional football. This year saw Detroit crush the draft attendance record, amassing over 775,000 people over the three-day spectacle. Here are the winners of this year’s draft.
The Pittsburgh Steelers arguably got the biggest steal of the draft when they selected NC State linebacker Payton Wilson in the fourth round. They also bolstered their offensive line by taking Troy Fautanu and Zach Frazier, who will both make significant contributions to the trenches. Michigan wide receiver Roman Wilson replaces Diontae Johnson, who they traded earlier this offseason. The Steelers play in the toughest division in football, but this draft could help them stay competitive.
Howie Roseman does it again. The Eagles GM traded EIGHT different times throughout the draft, gaining significant amounts of picks for years to come. The Eagles selected cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell of Toledo and Iowa’s Cooper DeJean, who will both try to help fix their dreadful secondary from a season ago. The Birds selected Clemson linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr in the fifth round, whose father, Jeremiah Trotter, is in the Eagles Hall of Fame. The icing on the cake was the selection of NC State’s Dylan McMahon, whose nickname is “Baby Jason Kelce.” The Eagles also extended star receiver A.J. Brown just hours before the draft started. Things are looking good in the City of Brotherly Love.
The Minnesota Vikings arguably had the best first round of any team. Questions on if they would trade into the top five circulated all offseason, but the Vikings didn’t make a move. Instead, with the 11th pick, they picked their franchise quarterback in J.J. McCarthy out of Michigan. McCarthy led the Wolverines to a National Championship and is a proven winner. They also owned the 23rd pick, which they used to take Alabama’s Dallas Turner. Turner was viewed as one of the best defensive prospects in this year’s draft, so getting him in the 20s is a massive steal for the Vikes. Late round picks like Oregon corner Khyree Jackson and Alabama kicker Will Reichard will look to make an impact in Minnesota, who looks to bounce back after a disappointing 2023 season.
The Jim Harbaugh era has officially started in Los Angeles, and if the draft is any indicator on how things will go, Chargers fans should be excited. The Bolts selected Notre Dame tackle Joe Alt with the fifth pick of the draft, stabilizing their line for the foreseeable future. They traded up in the second round to take Georgia wide receiver Ladd McConkey, who will try to help replace the departures of Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. Harbaugh and company took a familiar face in the third round in Michigan linebacker Junior Colson, who Harbaugh coached in Ann Arbor. The Chargers still have a lot of work to do to catch up to their division rival and reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, but the draft was a big step in the right direction.
