As the 2025 NFL regular season now nears a close, the 2024 draft class has two years of experience under its belt. This was a highly anticipated class, with many teams selecting key positions, including quarterbacks and other star offensive pieces. Given the significant faith placed in their success, these athletes have been watched closely since the start. But who has succeeded under such immense pressure?
For this analysis, I want to look at the key draft rounds and name my picks for the best players taken in each round. This will be based primarily on their role on the team and on how they have developed offensive/defensive or overall team performance since the year preceding their draft.
In the first round, many of these players were named to their teams' starting lineups, and they have all made positive contributions. However, when we look at overall team performance and improvement, the three best picks who have improved the most since their first season, in my opinion, are Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, and Brock Bowers.
Caleb Williams was the most talked-about player in the 2024 draft class. Much of the discussion centered on drama over close-to-the-draft pick trading, signing agreements, and speculation about his ability to translate his college experience to the major leagues. Williams’ start in Chicago was rougher than expected. After ending his first game with just 93 passing yards and a 48% completion rate, the Bears would struggle offensively for the majority of the season. Although there were some brighter performances, including four 300+ yard passing games and multiple touchdown passes toward the end of the season, they did not translate into team success, as the Bears finished just 5-12 in a tough NFC North division. Williams ended the year averaging 208 passing yards and over a little over a touchdown per game, which is solid considering the difficult situation he was brought into, but fell partially short of the high expectations placed on the first overall pick. This season, however, has seen a massive shift. Though his completion percentage has taken a slight dive (62.5% down to 58.1%), his touchdown percentage, success rate, and average yardage gain have all improved, and he is projected to beat his rookie year passing yard and touchdown totals. Most of all, his improvement has contributed significantly to a successful season. Currently, the Bears are 9-3 and atop the NFC, marking significant progress from a 5-12 season just one year earlier.
Unlike Williams, Drake Maye did not start every game in the first season. Taken with the 3rd overall pick, Maye began his first game in Week 6 of the 2024 season after playing for a short time in the Week 3 Patriots' loss to the New York Jets. Maye’s performance was good, all things considered. In 12 games (excluding his partial first game), he averaged 187 yards passing and about a touchdown per game. Yet, as with Williams in Chicago, Maye’s numbers did not lead to success for the team, as the Patriots ended the season 3-10. That improvement would come this season. In the same number of games as last season, Maye has increased his completion percentage (66.6% to 71.5%), passing yards (2276 to a whopping 3412), and touchdowns (15 to 25). Maye is a frontrunner for the NFL MVP this season, an incredible development from a previous mediocre season on a losing team.
Despite being picked later in the first round at the 13th overall pick, Brock Bowers has made a substantial contribution to his team in Las Vegas. Unlike Williams and Maye in Chicago and New England, Bowers got off to a hot start as a tight end, ending the season with 1194 receiving yards and five touchdowns. This performance, however, was insufficient to support a struggling team, as the Raiders would finish the year at 4-13. Although the team hasn’t improved much (currently 4th in the AFC West at 2-10), Bowers’ numbers have remained positive, with slightly lower receiving yards and catches per game, but with a projected increase in touchdowns and success rate. Bowers remains a bright spot at the tight end position on a rebuilding team.
The second round was similarly strong, but the decisive best selection from the round was Ladd McConkey at Pick 34. As a starting wide receiver for the Los Angeles Chargers, McConkey has amassed a total of 140 catches for 1832 yards and 12 touchdowns, an excellent performance for a player in the midst of his second season. His success has also contributed to the development of the Chargers as a team, who finished 11-6 last year and are currently 8-4, poised to make the playoffs both seasons.
The most interesting pick of the draft, however, came late in the 4th round at Pick 125 for Tampa Bay: Bucky Irving. Set to back up Rachaad White in the starting lineup for the Buccaneers, Irving quickly became a powerful piece for their offense. In the latter half of the 2024 season, he had three games with 100+ rushing yards, averaging 12 carries per game, and scored eight touchdowns. This would be a great year for any running back in the league, let alone a rookie. Though various injuries have sidelined Irving for the majority of this season, he played his first game since week 4 this past Sunday and is likely to see more of the workload in the weeks to come.