The 2024 NFL Draft can be summarized with the title of one of Clint Eastwood’s most iconic movies: “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.”
Jayden Daniels, Malik Nabers, and Jared Verse headlined the long list of rookies who came as advertised. Other rookies completely surpassed expectations, while others flopped to the point where they were already nearing “bust” territory.
With that, let’s dive into five 2024 NFL Draft picks that already look like massive steals and five that look like big-time busts.
Who are the stars and the obvious busts in the 2024 NFL Draft?
Steal: Cooper DeJean
The standout corner from Iowa was widely projected to be a first-round pick. Fast forward one year later, and we bet he’d be a top-10 selection in a 2024 NFL draft do-over.
DeJean, Toledo’s Quinyon Mitchell, and Alabama’s Terrion Arnold were the consensus top-three corners in the class. The Philadelphia Eagles took Mitchell 22nd overall, with Arnold going to the Detroit Lions two picks later.
But Eagles GM Howie Roseman wasn’t happy with one of the “big three” corners. He wanted TWO, so the savvy executive traded up via with the NFC East rival Washington Commanders to take DeJean 40th overall.
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DeJean immediately emerged as a shining star in Philly’s defense, recording six pass breakups and three fumble recoveries. He finished with a Pro Football Focus grade of 82.7, which is the fourth-best at the position. His 90.8 run defense grade also ranked second among all corners.
And to put a cherry on top of it all, DeJean had a 38-yard pick-six off of Patrick Mahomes in Super Bowl 59 that basically put the game away early for Philly. The Eagles went on to win 40-22, which just happened to mark the birthdays of DeJean and Saquon Barkley.
With DeJean and Mitchell leading the way, the Eagles’ secondary is well-positioned to continue dominating for years to come.
Bust: Dallas Turner
Considering what the Minnesota Vikings gave up to get Dallas Turner, he had to produce like a Pro Bowler in year one. Narrator: He didn’t.
The Vikings made a blockbuster trade with the Houston Texans to acquire the No. 23 pick in the draft. Minnesota then made another deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars to move up six spots so they could take the Alabama edge rusher with the 17th pick.
As calculated by ESPN analytics expert Seth Walker, Minnesota basically gave up two mid-first-round picks to get Turner in the 2024 NFL draft.
Turner played less than a third of Minnesota’s defensive snaps and had just three sacks in 16 games. His 63.9 overall grade at PFF also placed Turner 90th among 211 graded edge defenders. The 55.2 pass-rush grade was 149th at the position, too.
To make matters worse, the Vikings didn’t even need Turner. They had the No. 5 scoring defense and finished with 49 sacks, tied for fourth in football.
The Vikings also moved quickly to sign ex-Washington Commanders star defensive tackle Jonathan Allen in 2025 free agency to bolster their pass-rush. With Allen, Andrew Van Ginkel, and Jonathan Greenard leading the way, Minnesota’s front seven is set up nicely long-term WITHOUT Turner.
Factor this in along with the price that Minnesota paid to get him. And yeah, Turner better somehow emerge as an All-Pro-caliber talent down the stretch.
Steal: Ladd McConkey
Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers, and Rome Odunze headlined the 2024 wide receiver NFL draft class. The former, the son of Indianapolis Colts legend and Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison, was even regarded as a generational prospect.
But instead, it was Nabers, Jacksonville Jaguars star Brian Thomas Jr. and Ladd McConkey who emerged as the top rookie receivers in 2024. If the NFL ever held a re-draft, Thomas and McConkey would have gone much earlier.
The Los Angeles Chargers used the No. 34 pick on McConkey, having traded up via the New England Patriots to get their man. And boy, did the Bolts ever hit the jackpot with the McConkey pick following the risky decision to cut ties with both Keenan Allen and Mike Williams.
New head coach Jim Harbaugh prioritized running the ball with new RBs Gus Edwards and JK Dobbins. That meant a lesser workload for superstar quarterback Justin Herbert, and it paid dividends.
The Bolts rode their ground game and the league’s No. 1 scoring defense to 11 wins and the club’s first playoff berth in three years. But they might not get to the postseason in the first place without McConkey, who finished with 82 catches for 1,149 yards and seven touchdowns.
McConkey finished in the top four among rookies in each of those categories. Now, if the Chargers could just find a legitimate No. 2 receiver to take the pressure off the Georgia product…
Bust: Byron Murphy II
It was a bit of a surprise when the Seattle Seahawks used the No. 16 pick on Texas defensive tackle Byron Murphy II – no relation to the Minnesota Vikings’ star cornerback.
With Leonard Williams, Boye Mafe, Dre’Mont Jones, and Derick Hall in the fold, the Seahawks didn’t need more defensive linemen. Sure enough, Murphy didn’t make the impact Seattle needed under new head coach Mike Macdonald.
Murphy played just under 50 percent of Seattle’s defensive snaps in the 14 games he suited up for, recording just half a sack, no takeaways, and zero pass breakups. His 58.2 overall grade at PFF ranked 91st among interior defensive linemen. Hardly inspiring, we know.
Of course, Murphy is going to need more playing time in 2025 if he’s to hit his ceiling. The Seahawks’ run D was leaky at best, allowing 120.8 rushing yards per game. So, the kid needs the chance to succeed and shed his early “bust” label.
Steal: Dominick Puni
Just about nothing went right for the San Francisco 49ers in 2024. Christian McCaffrey and Brandon Aiyuk combined to play 11 games. Brock Purdy, Trent Williams, Nick Bosa, Javon Hargrave, Charvarius Ward, and Talanoa Hufanga all missed significant time as well.
All the injuries were too much for Kyle Shanahan’s squad to overcome, as the defending NFC champs limped to an ugly 6-11 record and last-place finish in the NFC West.
But there was one silver lining that many folks overlooked: The emergence of rookie guard Dominick Puni, a Kansas product who fell to them in round three at No. 86 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Per Pro Football Focus, Puni allowed just three sacks on 656 pass-blocking snaps. His 80.5 grade at PFF ranked 11th among guards, highlighted by an 81.5 run-blocking grade that ranked ninth at the position.
With better health, the 49ers should be a contender again in 2025. They can at least be excited about a Puni-Trent Williams offensive line duo that should be among football’s best.
Bust: Terrion Arnold
Not every highly-touted cornerback can produce like Patrick Surtain or Sauce Gardner right away…but the Lions still expected better from Terrion Arnold.
Yes, it was unfair pressure on the rookie. But the Lions needed more from him, considering the ridiculous number of injuries they dealt with on defense.
The Lions traded up via the Dallas Cowboys to select the promising Alabama cornerback with the No. 24 pick. Arnold was joining a Detroit secondary featuring veteran stalwart Carlton Davis and rising star Brian Branch Jr., so he was in a position to produce right away.
According to Pro Football Reference, Arnold allowed 660 receiving yards and four touchdowns in coverage. Arnold also allowed a woeful 93.7 passer rating when targeted.
Arnold was no better in the Lions’ stunning Divisional Round loss at home to Jayden Daniels Washington Commanders, allowing six completions on eight targets for 91 yards and a touchdown.
PFF graded Arnold at 51.5 for the season, including a terrible 50.4 coverage grade that placed him 176th among 223 graded corners. Ultimately, Detroit’s inability to stop the passing game against Washington led to their undoing – and Arnold’s struggles were a key reason why.
Lots of time to turn it around, but boy, he may be better off looking away from all rookie game films and starting afresh in 2025.
Steal: Zach Frazier
There’s just something about the Pittsburgh Steelers finding stud players on the offensive side of the ball after round one. In this case, say hello to their hidden gem find of 2024.
With the No. 51 selection, Steelers GM Omar Khan took a flier on West Virginia center Zach Frazier. The starting center job opened up following the release of veteran Mason Cole, but Frazier was expected to back up Nate Herbig on the depth chart.
A season-ending injury to Herbig in the summer, however, forced the Steelers to put Frazier in the starting center spot. Lo and behold, the Black and Gold found their new rock on the o-line.
Per PFF, Frazier only allowed one sack and finished with a 76.8 overall grade and a run-blocking grade of 79.7 — both sixth among centers. Additionally, he finished 17th in ESPN’s pass-blocking win rate among interior offensive linemen.
And to think that highly-touted 2024 first-round pick Troy Fautanu hasn’t become a starter yet. Amid long-term uncertainty at quarterback, the Steelers at least have a beautiful long-term outlook on the o-line.
Bust: Xavier Legette
After the Buffalo Bills traded down with the Kansas City Chiefs into the No. 32 spot, GM Brandon Beane dealt that pick to the Carolina Panthers to move down into the 33rd slot.
With the No. 32 pick in the 2024 NFL draft, Panthers GM Dan Morgan selected promising South Carolina speedster and wideout Xavier Legette. Having also acquired ex-Steelers Pro Bowler Diontae Johnson via trade, a DJ-Legette-Adam Thielen receiving trio suddenly looked really promising for Bryce Young. Well, the No. 1 pick of 2023 showed immense improvement last season, which is amazing considering that none of those receivers really made significant impacts anyway.
Legette was awfully inconsistent as a rookie, finishing with only 49 catches for 497 yards and four touchdowns. He only finished with at least 60 receiving yards once and with 50-plus yards three times.
The Legette pick stings more because Carolina passed on more productive players like fellow wideouts Keon Coleman, Ladd McConkey, Braden Fiske and Cooper DeJean.
It’s not too late for Legette to grow into a WR1, but the early returns certainly aren’t inspiring.
Steal: Bucky Irving
Nobody paid much attention when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted Irving in the fourth round at No. 125 overall. And it wasn’t necessarily because he was a late-round pick, but rather because Tampa Bay already had a stud RB1 in Rachaad White.
The Bucs’ 2022 third-round pick was coming off a breakout season that saw him rack up 990 rushing yards, 1,539 yards from scrimmage, and nine total touchdowns. Surely, this little-known fourth-round pick out of Oregon wasn’t gonna do much…right?
Both running backs got off to a slow start, but Irving started putting it all together when the calendar flipped to Week 6. He emerged as Tampa’s lead running back and exceeded 100 yards rushing three times in the second half, leading the Bucs to a fourth straight NFC South division crown.
Irving finished his rookie year with 1,122 rushing yards, eight rushing touchdowns, and 1,514 total yards of offense. He also had a receiving touchdown in the Bucs’ Wild Card Round loss to the Washington Commanders.
Tampa looked doomed when they lost superstar wideout Chris Godwin for the season with a gruesome ankle injury. Instead, Irving, Baker Mayfield and Mike Evans rose to the occasion and propelled Todd Bowles’ team to yet another division title — also thanks in large part to the Atlanta Falcons’ second-half collapse.
The Bucs offense was scary enough in 2023. Aside from having to gameplan against a top-five receiving duo, opposing defenses now must focus on the lethal Irving-White running back tandem.
Bust: J.C. Latham
It felt like quite the reach when the Tennessee Titans used the No. 7 pick on Alabama offensive lineman JC Latham in the 2024 NFL draft. There were better value picks and more polished prospects on the board, including Rome Odunze, Brock Bowers, and JJ McCarthy.
Sure enough, Latham was disappointed mightily as a rookie and hardly looked like someone worthy of being a top-seven pick. The selection was a little baffling at the time since Tennessee had also used a 2023 first-round pick on Peter Skoronski, and there were other positions of need here.
Per Pro Football Focus, Latham allowed seven sacks and committed 10 penalties on 1,095 snaps. He finished with a mediocre PFF grade of 61.8, which ranked 70th among 141 qualified offensive tackles. His 57.0 run-blocking grade ranked 92nd in the position, too.
