Every football fan, coach, and player knows it’s unfair to judge an NFLer fully by their rookie season.
John Elway, Troy Aikman, and Peyton Manning are the golden standards of bouncing back from a horrific rookie year to carve out a Hall of Fame career. So, it’s a little premature to call anyone from the 2024 NFL Draft a “superstar” or “bust.” But based on what we’ve seen from the rookie class, it’s safe to say that NFL GMs would do something much different with their first-round pick if they had a do-over.
With that, we present 10 do-overs for the biggest mistakes in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Which rookies would have been better choices for these teams in the 2024 NFL Draft?
Tennessee Titans: Brock Bowers Over JC Latham
Nothing has gone right for the Titans this year. They sent DeAndre Hopkins to the Kansas City Chiefs ahead of the trade deadline, and $92 million free agent signing Calvin Ridley has been a giant flop up to this point.
We thought Alabama offensive tackle JC Latham was a bit of a reach at No. 7, but we also liked the idea of trying to secure another cornerstone bookend to complement 2023 first-rounder Peter Skoronski.
Hindsight is 20/20, but Latham has had a mediocre rookie season on a Titans offense that hasn’t done a whole lot of anything. So in this 2024 NFL re-draft exercise, we have them taking Brock Bowers instead.
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Bowers was regarded as a top-five prospect entering the draft, but most people figured a tight end wouldn’t go that early. If there were a re-draft, he’d go much earlier than 13th overall to the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Raiders have one of the league’s worst QB rooms in Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell, and yet Bowers has still posted Super Star-like numbers. So now imagine what Will Levis would do with Bowers as his lead pass-catcher?
It would certainly make up for Hopkins’ departure and Ridley’s nightmarish 2024 season. The Titans don’t have any young stud offensive weapons, and Bowers would have been the ideal piece to build around with Levis….or Tennessee’s next starting QB in 205.
Imagine a Bowers-Shedeur Sanders tandem? Or a reunion in the pros with Georgia QB Carson Beck? What could have been!
Atlanta Falcons: Jared Verse Over Michael Penix Jr.
So, since Kirk Cousins has come as advertised and looks like he’ll be Atlanta’s long-term QB, everyone can finally agree that the Michael Penix Jr. pick at No. 8 overall was a mistake…right?! Right?!
A win-now team like Atlanta needed to draft a player who could start right away, not a hit-or-miss quarterback who may or may not play in four years. Sure enough, that problem has been perfectly evident in the first half.
While Atlanta’s offense has gotten better through the course of the year, Raheem Morris’ defense has been a disappointment. Over Atlanta’s first seven games, no player even had two sacks — with Grady Jarrett and Matt Judon leading the way at 1.5 apiece.
So what if Atlanta addressed an organizational need and took another edge rusher? More specifically, Los Angeles Rams defensive end Jared Verse, who’s proven to be a steal at No. 19 overall.
Verse ranks among the NFL’s best in the pass-rush and run-stop win rate departments for edge rushers, according to ESPN’s data. Through Week 7, his pass-rush win rate was higher than the likes of Maxx Crosby, Will Anderson Jr., Brian Burns, and Nick Bosa.
So yeah, think a team with playoff aspirations like Atlanta would prefer an elite pass-rusher over a backup QB? So do we!
New Orleans Saints: Brian Thomas Jr. Over Taliese Fuaga
You know how the Saints offense has been a disaster all year? Yeah, maybe having more receivers to help Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed could have made a difference.
New Orleans used the No. 14 pick on Oregon State offensive tackle Taliese Fuaga. But their o-line has been a disaster all season, and that largely stems from Fuaga’s struggles at left tackle.
Thomas, who went 23rd to the Jacksonville Jaguars, has been the NFL’s best rookie wide receiver this season. Could you imagine if a healthy Derek Carr had Thomas, Olave, and Kamara? The rookie especially would have been critical after Shaheed’s season-ending knee injury.
Now, the Saints are left with Olave and Kamara as their only playmakers. To think that they could have had a special receiver duo of Olave and Thomas to build around for years to come…
Minnesota Vikings: Cooper DeJean Over Dallas Turner
The Vikings took a risk by trading for an extra first-round pick in a blockbuster move with the Texans. They made another deal with the Jaguars to move up and select Alabama edge rusher Dallas Turner – widely regarded as the best one in the 2024 NFL draft – at No. 17 overall.
Even though Brian Flores’ defense has been a top-notch unit this season, Turner isn’t a reason why. He’s playing about a quarter of their defensive snaps and hasn’t been able to consistently generate pressure whatsoever.
Luckily for Turner, he’s being bailed out by the three-headed monsters Andrew Van Ginkel, Jonathan Greenard, and Patrick Jones II.
That said, the Vikings’ pass D has been a problem at times — especially against top offensive units. So…what if Minnesota addressed its real current weakness back in April by selecting cornerback Cooper DeJean instead?
The Iowa product somehow fell to the Philadelphia Eagles in round two at the No. 40 spot. Sure enough, DeJean has played like a veteran All-Pro corner alongside fellow rookie Quinyon Mitchell, giving Philly one of the league’s best secondaries.
The Vikings haven’t had a star-level shutdown corner since an in-his-prime Xavier Rhodes. DeJean looks like he’ll be a top-five corner for years to come, and this Minny defense would challenge for football’s best with his presence.
Turner can become a star, sure. But edge rushing help isn’t Minnesota’s issue. It’s a shutdown corner, which they passed on in DeJean.
Carolina Panthers: Keon Coleman over Xavier Legette
After acquiring star wideout Diontae Johnson from the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Panthers tried to further bolster their offense by moving up for South Carolina wide receiver Xavier Legette at No. 32 overall.
While Johnson and running back Chuba Hubbard have had strong 2024 campaigns, the rest of Carolina’s offense has been a mess. 2023 first-overall pick Bryce Young was benched after two games in favor of Andy Dalton, and Carolina’s other offensive weapons have had little to no impact.
That includes Legette, who will be lucky to even hit the 50-catch and 500-yard marks this season. And right after the Panthers took Legette, the Buffalo Bills selected Florida State wideout Keon Coleman at No. 33 overall. Guess which one has actually produced?
Before the Bills traded for Amari Cooper, Coleman had made his case as the team’s No. 1 receiver over Khalil Shakir. We’ll see how Coleman produces with Cooper now in the fold, but the Bills’ rookie standout was threatening with a 1,000-yard season before the blockbuster move.
If Coleman could produce those numbers on a “let everybody feast” Buffalo offense, imagine what he’d do on a Carolina team that has little in the passing game outside of Johnson? Surely, Coleman would at least be more impactful than Legette.
Miami Dolphins: T'Vondre Sweat Over Chop Robinson
Robinson was viewed as one of the ultimate boom-or-bust prospects of 2024. Unfortunately for Miami, his rookie season falls into the “bust” category.
A win-now team like Miami had to ace their 2024 first-round pick. The Dolphins have gotten practically no meaningful production out of Robinson, who’s been used in a rotational role under Anthony Weaver.
Though the Dolphins’ pass D has been among football’s best all year, the rushing D has been a major problem against top-flight offenses. So, with the benefit of hindsight, let’s put T’Vondre Sweat down as Miami’s first-round pick in a do-over.
The hulking defensive tackle was drafted in round two at No.38 overall, joining a dangerous Jeffery Simmons-led front seven. Though the Titans have been a mess offensively, their D has kept the team in games.
It starts with Simmons and Sweat, whose elite run-stopping defense could have solved Miami’s problem in the ground game. And maybe their defense would be a top-five unit, instead of a one-dimensional group.
Seattle Seahawks: Calen Bullock Over Byron Murphy II
It was no surprise that the Seahawks addressed the defensive side of the ball with their first-round pick. Big Texas defensive tackle Byron Murphy II felt like a logical pick at No. 16 overall, seemingly shoring up a need on the defensive line.
But Murphy hasn’t done a whole lot of anything in Mike Macdonald’s defense. As a rotational player, he’s been suspect against the run and hasn’t been able to generate much pressure on the quarterback.
The Seahawks run D has been atrocious all season long, and the leaky secondary could certainly use one more piece to complement the likes of Devon Witherspoon, Riq Woolen and Julian Love.
Enter Caleb Bullock, who was picked up by the Texans at No. 78 overall.
The ex-USC star has been a unicorn for DeMeco Ryans’ defense. He’s been borderline elite in coverage and is challenging for the league lead in interceptions. Bullock is a rookie but seems well on his way to becoming an all-pro safety in this league.
Cincinnati Bengals: Quinyon Mitchell Over Amarius Mims
The Bengals’ slow start is due to a defense with more holes than Swiss Cheese. Lou Anarumo’s usually-stingy unit gave up 24-plus points in four straight games from Weeks 2 to 5, a clear-cut indicator that they just don’t have enough pieces to get by on defense.
Well, what if the Bengals didn’t reach for Georgia offensive tackle Amarius Mims at No. 18 overall? They already had Pro Bowler Orlando Brown Jr. and Trent Brown — though there was obviously no predicting the latter’s season-ending injury in advance.
Mims has been a merely average-to-below-average starter on the Bengals’ o-line. MEANWHILE, the Philadelphia Eagles have enjoyed the rise of rising star shutdown corner Quinyon Mitchell — who was taken four picks later at No. 22 overall.
The Toledo product has been pure lockdown in coverage and dangerous as a ball-hawker. This advanced stats and Pro Football Focus darling has helped Philly’s defense return to elite form under new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.
You just can’t help but wonder how much better the Bengals’ record would be if they had a game-changing corner like Mitchell. We’re sure they would have beaten the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 2 instead of losing by one point. They probably beat the Baltimore Ravens in Week 5 instead of allowing a 41-burger in a tough overtime loss.
Maybe Mims becomes a rock on the o-line someday. But for now, the front office should be kicking themselves for choosing Mims over a future All-Pro corner.
Dallas Cowboys: Zach Frazier Over Tyler Guyton
Jerry Jones usually hits well on his first-round picks, but Tyler Guyton’s play has left a lot to be desired in 2024. The Oklahoma product has been awful in coverage and finds himself near the league lead in penalties committed and sacks taken.
Not great, Bob.
Additionally, Dallas has started No. 73 pick Cooper Beebe at center. His play, too, has been lackluster, and the Cowboys’ offensive line has been a giant weakness this year. Dak Prescott barely has time to throw, and, uh, it’s not ideal when Rico Dowdle is your lead running back.
Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh Steelers struck gold by snagging Virginia center Zach Frazier with the No. 51 selection. Before suffering an ankle injury in Week 6 that wound up sidelining him, Frazier was graded at 82.2 by PFF — placing him in the top five — without a single sack allowed.
Guyton and Beebe haven’t cut it in Big D. Frazier looks like a future superstar in Steel City. We know Jerry hates being criticized and told what to do, but a mulligan with the No. 29 pick would have to be Zach Frazier.
New York Jets: Dominick Puni Over Olu Fashanu
Aaron Rodgers’ Jets have been the biggest disappointment of the first half. You can point the finger at whomever, but it feels like more criticism should go toward Joe Douglas for rebuilding an offensive line that’s hardly better than the disastrous 2023 group.
The Jets used the No. 11 selection on Penn State offensive tackle Olu Fashanu. The player and fit made sense at the time. If only Fashanu was playing better than a replaceable-level rotational player.
While Fashanu has spent most of his rookie year on the sidelines — and providing poor blocking when on the field — the San Francisco 49ers have embraced the home run pick that was Kansas guard Dominick Puni in round three at No. 86 overall.
Puni has been a rockstar at the guard position for the 49ers, but he also played offensive tackle in college. The Jets could have lined Puni up anywhere, and he would have done more than the disappointing bookend duo of Morgan Moses and Tyron Smith.
