Continuing from last week, several NFL teams prospered significantly from the latest NFL draft. But there was only enough time to spotlight teams from the NFC. Now, here are teams from the AFC that saw significant upside after the conclusion of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Biggest AFC Winners of the 2024 NFL Draft
New York Jets
It seems that everything that could go wrong, well, went wrong for Gang Green. From Aaron Rodgers going down with a torn Achilles in the opening drive of the season to an ill-fated Hail Mary attempt on Black Friday, 2023 was a year that many a Jets fan would want to forget. But with a clean slate and some calculated moves over free agency, New York is looking to return to the gridiron with a vengeance.
The first order of business was reinforcing an uninspiring offensive line, with long-time Dallas Cowboy Tyron Smith and drafting Penn State product, Olu Fashanu with the 11th pick. Let’s not forget about the late-round picks, such as running backs Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis. Hopefully, the Jets will bounce back from the cavalcade of mishaps from the previous campaign.
New England Patriots
When one is at the bottom of their division, the only way to go is up. But the 2024 outing will be a massive culture shock to the NFL landscape. With no Tom Brady and now no Bill Belichick, the New England Patriots have officially entered the rebuilding phase. Needless to say, they have their work cut out for them. But New England quickly got to work, drafting North Carolina quarterback, Drake Maye, and Washington wide-receiver, Ja’Lynn Polk.
They needed to hit several key picks made in the later rounds of the draft, including for the offensive line. Now, Patriots fans need to understand that the rebuilding process is just part of the game, and things are going to have to get worse before they get better.
Los Angeles Chargers
The Los Angeles Chargers had a lot of retooling to do, with the exits of playmakers, Keenan Allen, Austin Ekeler, and Mike Williams. But the Bolts opted to select Notre Dame tackle, Joe Alt, with their opening pick in the draft. It would make sense when you consider who they brought Alt in to protect. Los Angeles also added some significant depth to the wide receiver position, drafting Georgia’s Ladd McConkey and USC’s Brendan Rice (Jerry Rice’s son).
It will take time for Justin Herbert to build chemistry with the new kids in class, not to mention the new coaching staff. But the upcoming summer training and preseason should start getting the rookies warmed up and ready for the 2024 outing.
Las Vegas Raiders
Las Vegas was in the right in naming Antonio Pierce their new head coach after the latter turned the Raiders season around and started his coaching career at 5-4. But more work still had to be done, especially on offense. After Jimmy Garoppolo failed to get anything done in Raider Nation, Aiden O’Connell took the reigns and did as well as he could, albeit not enough to get into the postseason.
This past April, the Raiders began their drafting efforts by selecting Georgia tight end, Brock Bowers, in an effort to expand the passing game. The offensive line core got some much-needed help in later picks. But the Raiders will have to dig deeper this time around, with their division rivals reloading on talent at the same time they are. The fight for the AFC West title will only get tougher from here on out.
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