Mar 11, 2023; Metairie, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis looks on at Ochsner Sports Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images Even in the exercise of adding players to the roster, some NFL teams are better than others.
Whether they did not solve glaring problems on their roster or were consistently reaching on players that aren’t as talented as others, these four teams just did not live up to the potential this draft had.
New Orleans Saints
When you’re the one team in the league that’s in salary cap hell, you really have to hit on your draft picks to make up for it. Unfortunately, the Saints whiffed at almost every turn. Their first pick was serviceable, although a bit of a reach on Kelvin Banks, but all picks after were completely wasted.
The Saints set themselves up for the Brandon Weeden experience by selecting Tyler Shough at the beginning of the second round, an overaged and overrated prospect, then didn’t add picks to support him until the very latest rounds. It seems like the Saints are content to throw Shough into the fire, which greatly worries me.
New York Giants
Nov 9, 2024; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart (2) passes the ball during the second half against the Georgia Bulldogs at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images Taking Dart in the first on its own seems ridiculous to me; trading up to do it got me legitimately red in the face. Dart is an okay quarterback playing in the most QB-friendly system this side of the option, and when asked to make a second read, he often panics and forces himself into pressure.
The Giants have a decent offensive line but aren’t running the offense Dart executed well, so he may be learning behind Wilson for longer than expected. Beyond that, I’m not convinced Alexander can bring production to the NFL when he couldn’t do it consistently at Toledo, and while Skattebo is hard to tackle, he’s slow enough where it might not matter. Lots of low upside here for a leadership unit that needs to save themselves.
Los Angeles Rams
Apr 25, 2024; Detroit, MI, USA; A Los Angeles Rams logo at the 2024 NFL Draft at Campus Martius Park and Hart Plaza. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Maybe I just don’t vibe with their drafting style even though McVay seems to make it work, but this year was even worse than usual. The Rams didn’t take a player I truly liked until the fifth round, instead adding Terrance Ferguson with their first pick, someone who just never stood out to me at Oregon and was pushed up by testing.
They followed it up with Josaiah Stewart, an edge rusher who is too small, doesn’t have any length and ran a 4.8 40, showcasing limited burst and explosiveness. While snagging Chris Paul Jr. in the fifth was cool, it isn’t enough to headline a group that didn’t pick up any true studs in a very deep class.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Nov 17, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney II walks the field before the game against t he Baltimore Ravens at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images The Steelers just didn’t solve the problems I wanted them to solve. They ended the draft with a QB, sure, but it was an add in the sixth round. I like Will Howard enough, but Tom Brady he is not. They needed more speed in the backfield but added Kaleb Johnson, who is powerful and has good vision but lacks that second gear the Steelers have been missing.
No wide receivers were added to the rotation, but they picked up another edge rusher in an already crowded room, as well as two DTs. I found that odd for a team whose best unit is their defensive line. They just aren’t set up to continue Mike Tomlin’s streak of win percentages above .500, even if they do manage to reel in Aaron Rodgers after a drama-filled offseason.
