The NFL Draft is the biggest part of the off-season for most teams in the league.
One bad draft could lead to years of failure for one team, and every year mistakes are made and teams draft the wrong players.
The team that had the first overall pick was the Chicago Bears. Considering that they traded their quarterback earlier in the off-season, it was obvious that they were going to take quarterback Caleb Williams. Williams was the biggest draft prospect all year and had a great season at USC.
While Williams does have a lot of potential to become a good NFL quarterback, things could still backfire for the Chicago Bears.
“Expectations are high surrounding Williams heading into his rookie season. He’s entering arguably the best situation for a No. 1 pick quarterback ever,” says writer Alyssa Barbieri.
Another team that had a good draft is the New England Patriots. In the first round, they selected quarterback Drake Maye. They are going to need time to put things together with their staff changes and young team, but once this team gets the little things down they can be very good.
“The Patriots didn’t overthink it and took the quarterback prospect who fell into their laps. Maye has all the same tools as the elite quarterbacks in the game today, with a much higher floor than people give him credit for,” says NFL writer Charles McDonald.
One team that arguably had the best draft out of the entire league is the Pittsburgh Steelers. In the early rounds, they strengthened their Offensive Line and had two great picks in the 3rd and 4th rounds.
The Steelers had a big offseason full of good changes, and they have potential to be one of the best teams in the league.
“The Steelers looked at their offensive line from last year and emphatically said ‘never again!’ Their two first draft picks were on the o-line, and then they came back for a third time to kick off the fourth round. Payton Wilson has his concerns in terms of injury, but he was a great playmaker for NC State,” says McDonald.
Some of these teams had great off-seasons and have very bright futures ahead of them, but only time will tell which ones.