NFL Draft 2024 Day 3 Results: Winners and Losers
The NFL Draft 2024 ended with the 257th pick by the Jets on Day 3 and as always not everyone went home happy. Some franchises will feel as if they have done a great job and are ready for a Super Bowl tilt. Others will imagine that they could have done better.
Here is a list of the winners and losers from Day 4 of NFL Draft 2024.
NFL Draft 2024 Day 3 Winners
Winner: New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints waited and Spencer Rattler fell into their laps. Originally expected to be a second-round or third-round pick, he brings tremendous potential at a late round. The South Carolina quarterback, who eventually went in the fifth round, could be a great backup to Derek Carr and can take over if it does not work out with the former Raiders quarterback.
Winner: New York Jets
The Jets lucked out as well, just like the Saints, by getting Florida State quarterback Jordan Travis in the fifth. The player was in conversation to be a top pick before a gruesome injury derailed his chances. Now back fit, he could be an ideal understudy to Aaron Rodgers and take over from him when the future Hall-of-Famer retires. It is a succession plan that worked for the Jets' current quarterback when he was in Green Bay behind Brett Favre.
Winner: Tua Tagovailoa
Tua Tagovailoa already had Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle as his wide receivers. Mike McDaniel got Malik Washington and Tahj Washington on the third day of the NFL Draft 2024 to add to his options. That was not all as they added running back Jaylen Wright by trading up and he joins a room that contains De'Von Achane and Raheem Mostert. All of them run a sub-4.40 40-yard dash.
Winner: Ryan Poles
Ryan Poles did not have much to work with on the final day of the NFL Draft 2024 except a fourth-round pick. But he ended up getting a fifth-rounder by trading away a fourth-round selection next year to the Bills. And using that they selected edge rusher Austin Booker from Kansas. The way he shapes up against first-round caliber players shows how much of a steal this was.
Winner: City of Detroit
The City of Detroit has faced a lot of NFL heartbreak over the years. But fortunes seem to be changing. After their team made the NFC Championship last season after decades of underachievement, the city hosted a perfect NFL Draft 2024. More than 700,000 fans came over three days and by the last day, they had set the all-time record for draft attendance.
NFL Draft 2024 Day 3 Losers
Loser: Quarterbacks
After six quarterbacks went in the first 12 picks, another one was not taken until pick 150 in the fifth round. That is a gap of 137 places and the biggest ever between consecutive quarterback picks. This shows that franchises are willing to pay for the position at the top but nothing in the middle because they see more value in an underpaid quarterback later who might come good like Brock Purdy and leave them with a lot of cap space.
Loser: Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders entered the draft needing a quarterback and exit the draft in the same situation. That they had the likes of Spencer Rattler and Jordan Travis available on the third day of the NFL Draft 2024 but refused to take it is baffling. Gardner Minshew might yet pull a Geno Smith and resurrect his career in Las Vegas but they should have been more proactive in that position, one suspects.
Loser: USC wide receivers
When your quarterback is the first pick of a draft, the wide receivers might get undervalued. General managers might look at their numbers and conclude that it came due to great quarterback play. Even then seeing Brenden Rice, son of GOAT wide receiver Jerry Rice, and Tahj Washington fall to the seventh round before being picked was jarring.
Loser: Michael Pratt
Spencer Rattler and Jordan Travis landed in teams where they have a genuine chance of succession because of doubts about the existing starters' performance and age, respectively. Meanwhile, Michael Pratt, the Tulane record-holder for both passing yards and touchdowns, fell to the seventh round and was picked by the Green Bay Packers in the NFL Draft 2024. His pathway to starting is blocked by Jordan Love who is unlikely to be budged anytime soon.
Loser: T.J. Tampa
T.J. Tampa was supposed to be one of the best corners in this year's draft class along with the likes of Nate Wiggins and Kool-Aid McKinstry. Instead, he tumbled into the fourth round of the NFL Draft 2024 and must now fight Wiggins for a place in a loaded Baltimore Ravens secondary.
While others in his position selected earlier in this draft are likely to be immediate starters, the Iowa State recruit might have to prove himself all over again.