The absolute best draft pick is sometimes the most obvious pick. For example, taking Peyton Manning first overall is a no-brainer, and the best pick the Indianapolis Colts could have made at that time. The obvious picks aren’t what we are looking at in this article. Good general managers make the good obvious picks, but great organizations find the best picks that others might not make.
Today we are looking at the best pick in each round of the NFL draft. We are talking about the value of the pick the player was taken at. In a perfect world, the first pick in each round is the best pick, but that isn’t always the case. In this case study we are looking at teams’ needs as well as where the player was drafted.
I do believe that you can’t truly grade a draft or a pick until a couple of years down the road, so this article is full of some conjecture, projections, and scout notes.
The Best Draft Picks of Each Round of the 2024 NFL Draft
Round 1: Dallas Turner, Edge, Alabama
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After losing their starting quarterback and their top defensive player, the Minnesota Vikings were able to replace both in the first round of the draft. Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy might have been a reach at 10, but Turner at 17 is a steal. Many had Turner as the top edge rusher in the draft. Admittedly, this was one of the weaker EDGE draft classes in recent years, but getting one of the top two edge rushers in the top of the second half of the first round is a huge win.
Turner had the game tape and combined stats to be a top-10 draft pick. He should be able to step into a hole created by Danielle Hunter leaving in free agency and fill a very similar role. With speed, instincts, a strong hand game, and the ability to bend around the edge or break to the inside, Turner is a real possibility to be a rookie defensive player of the year.
Round 2: Cooper DeJean, DB, Iowa
DeJean was an interesting prospect. A tweener between cornerback and safety, plus a fractured fibula in November, had him fall to the second round. He is a complete first-round talent though with the likelihood to be a day one starter. DeJean makes plays happen on the football field. He has a knack for finding the endzone after he picks off passes and has the instinct to read routes before they are run.
This is a perfect example of a pick matching a need. The Eagles were hurt in the passing game and exposed over the middle by teams late in the season. DeJean will help eliminate that area of the field from opposing offenses. There were several defenders taken in the second round who had first-round talent, but this pick looks like the most advantageous.
Round 3: Junior Colson, LB, Michigan
The value of a solid linebacker group seems to be increasing, with teams needing linebackers to be able to tackle running backs and defend tight ends in space. The Chargers lost two starting linebackers to free agency (Eric Kendricks and Kenneth Murray Jr.) and Colson looks to be a day-one starter. He was ranked as the number two linebacker in the draft and a second-round talent, so getting him at pick 69 is a steal.
Colson is more of a run-stopper and probably won’t be picking off many passes, but he has a knack for finding the ball carrier or receiver and stopping them dead in their tracks. He led the Wolverines in tackles the past two seasons, and being reunited with his college coach in the NFL is a sweet proposition.
Round 4: Ja’Tavion Sanders, TE, Texas
Tight end is becoming a very important position in football. It isn’t a surprise that the top two tight ends in the NFL found themselves in the Super Bowl last year. At 6’4” and 245 lbs, Sanders has the size to be a big target in the middle of the field for Carolina Panthers’ quarterback Bryce Young. His athleticism also sets him up to be a big YAC producer, which has become the name of the game. Sanders has the hands of a top wide receiver, making one-handed catches on the regular, and his size will help keep safeties and linebackers from dislodging the ball at the point of contact.
The Panthers used three of their first four picks on the offense (wide receiver, Xavier Legette; running back, Jonathan Brooks; and Sanders), but Sanders might have the biggest impact on the team and Young’s development. Ranked as the second-best tight end behind Brock Bowers, who went in the middle of round one, the Panthers got a real steal at the top of the fourth round. He’s a big playmaker down the seam just waiting to happen.
Round 5: Spencer Rattler, QB, South Carolina
After six quarterbacks were picked in the first twelve picks of the first round, Rattler had to wait until pick 150 to be the seventh. The Saints found their current backup quarterback and possible quarterback of the future in the fifth round. Rattler had great production in college and thought it was a long and winding road to the NFL and his combine workout was less than impressive, he has the game film to back up benign drafted as a developmental quarterback.
He has already beat out Kellen Mond, who was cut post-draft, to be the Saints’ primary backup, but even if he spends year one as a third-stringer, this is a good pick. There were several good picks in the fifth round, but getting a quarterback who graded out as a round-three pick in the middle of the fifth round is a big steal. Rattler won’t unseat starter Derek Carr this season, but if he develops a little more, his ability to drive the ball downfield and his quick release on shorter throws could make Carr and his big contract unneeded in 2025.
Round 6: Malik Washington, WR, Virginia
Washington had 110 catches, 1,420 yards, and nine touchdowns in his final season of college football and was graded as the 99th-best prospect in the draft. Miami got him with pick 184. With the Dolphins already having Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, this is the rich getting richer. He should be a day-one slot receiver starter, and getting that value in the sixth round is incredible.
He’s a bit on the smaller side at 5’9” and 191 lbs, but this size of receiver has become more accepted in the NFL lately. I view Washington as a more athletic Wes Welker or Julian Edelman. He is fast, which is a trait the Dolphins obviously covet, has great hands, is shifty, and even though his size isn’t prototypical, he makes contested catches look easy. Watch his college film and you’ll see a player who doesn’t shy away from contact and fights for extra yardage. I’m not sure why he lasted to the sixth round.
Round 7: Brendan Rice, WR USC
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Being Caleb Williams’ favorite target in college, I expected Rice to go three rounds earlier than he did. He was ranked as the 14th-best wide receiver and 81st-best prospect overall. The Chargers picked him with the 225th pick. I am usually wary of prospects who ball out the last season of their college careers, and this might have led Rice to fall to the seventh round. Everyone should know who his father is, but this isn’t about a bloodline.
Rice averaged 17.6 yards per catch and had 12 touchdowns last season. His routes are crisp, he has good size and finds the ball well. With the Chargers losing Mike Williams and Keenan Allen this offseason, they had to reload the wide receiver room, so spending their last two picks on WRs made sense. Rice has a path to be WR4 on this team as a seventh-round pick. Rice’s ability to stretch the field and open up underneath routes might be too much for coach Jim Harbaugh to pass up on.
