Five teams that improved the most in 2024 NFL Draft

The 2024 NFL Draft is in the books, and that means it is time to start looking at which teams did the most to improve.

While every team is going to walk out of this weekend happy with their picks and think they won every round, we will not really know for sure for a few years. We still have a good idea of who took big steps based on needs and who was picked, so let's take a look at five teams that may have improved the most this weekend. 

Chicago Bears. It would probably be a bad sign if the team with the No. 1 overall pick didn't improve, so the Bears were definitely at an advantage here. Even more when you consider they also had the No. 9 overall pick in the draft. The Bears used those two top-10 picks to completely revamp their offense, adding USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the top pick and then giving him another big-time playmaker in Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze. 

Adding Odunze to a wide receiver room that already has D.J. Moore and Keenan Allen is a great job by the front office to surround Williams with the type of playmakers he needs to succeed. The Bears also gave him some offensive line protection in the third round with Kiran Amegadjie. 

Upgrading the offense and passing game was a must for the Bears this offseason, as was finding a franchise quarterback. They may have done all of that.

Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles needed to make significant upgrades to their secondary and ended up getting two of the defensive back talents in the draft in cornerback Quinyon Mitchell (Toledo) and defensive back Cooper DeJean (Iowa). 

Mitchell fell all the way to the Eagles at the No. 22 overall pick, and he figures to be an instant starter opposite Darius Slay in their secondary. After selecting Mitchell, they made a big move to trade up 10 spots in the second round to land DeJean, a player who figured to go in the first round and would have been a strong pick at No. 22 overall. 

Along with two potential defensive starters, the Eagles also made several trades that already landed them three additional picks (third, fourth and fifth-round picks from Miami, Detroit and Houston) in the 2025 class that is anticipated to be an extremely deep class. 

Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers completely overhauled their offensive line by landing Washington tackle Troy Fautanu at No. 20 overall and West Virginia center Zach Frazier with the No. 51 overall pick. Both players could be immediate starters and help give the Steelers a powerful offensive line, especially when added to 2023 first-round pick Broderick Jones and guards Isaac Seumalo and James Daniels. It has the potential to be an elite offensive line, and an especially powerful one in the running game which should be perfect for new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.

The Steelers also nabbed a potentially outstanding slot wide receiver in Michigan's Roman Wilson in the third round and then followed that up by taking a chance on North Carolina State linebacker Payton Wilson who ran the fastest 40-time of any linebacker in the draft. They added power and athleticism to both sides of the ball. 

Los Angeles Chargers. The name of the game for the Chargers was getting quarterback Justin Herbert help, both in terms of pass protection and pass catchers. The Chargers did both. 

They opened the draft in the first round by adding one of the top linemen in the draft in tackle Joe Alt from Notre Dame and then selecting George wide receiver Ladd McConkey early in the second round. After parting ways with veterans Allen and Mike Williams in the offseason, the Chargers needed to get younger (and better) at wide receiver while also making sure Herbert can stay upright. With a new head coach, an improved line and a revamped wide receiver room Herbert and the Chargers might be out of excuses. 

Washington Commanders. The Commanders had the No. 2 pick and selected a potential franchise quarterback in Jayden Daniels. Then every pick after that seemed to be another win. They added another impact defensive tackle in Johnny Newton and then landed one of the draft's best slot corners in Mike Sainristil to help rebuild the defense. 

Overall the Commanders had six picks in the first three rounds and not only came away with a potential franchise-changer at quarterback, but they also started to rebuild their defense for first-year head coach Dan Quinn.