David Helman
NFL Reporter
There’s a fun irony to this time of year. We know the draft is unpredictable. We know a lot of opinions thrown around immediately after it ends are going to age poorly. It’s smart to bite your tongue and wait to see how it all plays out.
At the same time, we know how much the draft can matter — and how quickly. The Eagles’ rookie class helped launch them to a Super Bowl championship last season, while the Commanders’ first-round pick spurred them on a Cinderella run.
Not every pick is going to work out, but at least a few teams made franchise-altering decisions over the weekend. Feels like a perfect opportunity to assess how this year’s draft affected the NFL pecking order.
Here’s a look at the NFL power rankings heading into the summer.
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I really liked the safe, smart pick of Kelvin Banks Jr. at No. 9 overall. Everything else in New Orleans feels like a mess. We have no clue what’s going on with Derek Carr and his shoulder injury. The Saints might be starting Spencer Rattler or newly-drafted Tyler Shough at quarterback. The defense is aging, and some key players are coming off major injuries. If we’re trying to guess who might be picking at the top of next year’s draft, the Saints feel like as good a guess as any.
I’m mainly just fascinated to see how the Browns manage this quarterback competition. It’s tough enough to find practice reps for two or three quarterbacks, let alone four. Myles Garrett and the defense should give the Browns a chance, but I need to know a lot more about the QB situation before I feel optimistic.
Could Shedeur Sanders be the Cleveland Browns’ starting QB?
If Aaron Rodgers signs with Pittsburgh, we can adjust this ranking accordingly. All we know right now is that the Steelers have the worst quarterback room in the league. There’s talent all over the roster, and that could keep this team competitive. But it’s hard to take them seriously without an upgrade under center.
I’m just happy the Jets are going about this reboot the right way. They aren’t moving like a team that thinks it needs to win big in 2025, and that’s important. Drafting Armand Membou gives them the chance to develop into a really strong offensive line, and Mason Taylor looks like he could be a 10-year pro. I like this as a sensible jumping off point for the Aaron Glenn era.
Common sense won out for the Giants. Drafting one of this year’s few elite prospects in Abdul Carter was a no-brainer, and it’s a relief that quarterback desperation didn’t stop them from doing something silly. New York’s defense looks sneaky good on paper, and I honestly think Russell Wilson can give this team a fighting chance. There’s still a lot of work to do, but I think the Giants can be far improved from last year’s disaster.
The Colts clearly trust that their in-house options can fill the holes on the offensive line, and I trust them. That explains why they’d continue to add resources to the skill positions, which look strong at this point. There’s more than enough for Anthony Richardson to work with. It’s time to see if he can do the job — or if Daniel Jones winds up starting instead.
I don’t know for sure that the Titans are better than the Colts today, but I know I’d rather be in Tennessee’s situation. Cam Ward brings franchise-changing potential with him, and the Titans have done an admirable job of putting solid talent around him. If — big if, I know — Ward hits, Tennessee could be relevant instantly.
All eyes will be on Bryce Young and his new weapon, Tetairoa McMillan. That is fun, but clearly Carolina’s priority in the draft was beefing up a defense that had embarrassingly little talent last year. A draft like this can raise a team’s floor if the picks pan out.
The Dolphins added to their lines in the draft, but is it enough? Terron Armstead has retired since we last did this exercise, and both Tyreek Hill and Jalen Ramsey might still be traded this offseason. I can’t shake the feeling that Miami is stuck in neutral for the time being.
The potential is intoxicating. Drake Maye had a solid rookie season, and now the Pats have surrounded him with exciting young blockers, an explosive running back and a new cast of pass-catchers. It’s possible the Patriots just laid the foundation for a return to glory — but first, we have to see if all these gifted young prospects can deliver on that potential.
If they win the division for the first time in nine years, maybe it’ll all be worth it. But trading away a future first-round pick for a non-quarterback just doesn’t sit right with me. Ultimately, Atlanta’s future will be decided by how Michael Penix Jr. develops, but they need Jalon Walker and James Pierce Jr. to both hit, as well. There’s very little margin for error if they don’t.
It’s hard to even guess how much Travis Hunter is going to impact the Jags. Do you plug him into the receiving corps, or the cornerback room, or both? If he plays both sides of the ball, which side will feel the bigger impact? One way or another, he should make Jacksonville a better team.
Geno Smith is good enough to raise the Raiders’ floor all on his own. Give him Ashton Jeanty and a couple new receiver options, and we could really have some fun. I am still concerned about the overall strength of Vegas’ defense, but at least this team looks like it’ll be entertaining. Baby steps.
I thought the Cowboys had a fantastic overall draft for the long-term health of their roster. The problem is, it didn’t fix their problem spots for 2025. Dallas still needs another receiver in the worst way, and adding a veteran cornerback wouldn’t be a bad idea, either.
It all looks good in the aftermath of the draft. Houston managed to restock the receiver room and add a new offensive tackle in one weekend. After the initial excitement, though, is it enough? What are the odds all these rookies hit their stride quickly enough to make the Texans a better team than they were in 2024? It’s possible, but I have my doubts.
The Seahawks did what most of us expected and invested in the offensive line. Maybe Grey Zabel can’t stabilize things all by himself, but it gives me more optimism about what’s in front of Sam Darnold. I love what this Seattle defense could look like in Mike MacDonald’s second year, though I wish the Seahawks had done a bit more to upgrade the receiver room.
I want to put the Vikings so much higher than this. The roster is loaded, as we know from last year’s 14-3 record. They’re plugging a first-round pick into the offensive line. They even traded for a 4,000-yard passer in Sam Howell as insurance for J.J. McCarthy. There’s so much potential here, but I just can’t move them any higher until I’ve seen more of McCarthy.
With six of seven draft picks spent on the defensive side of the ball, the Cardinals’ mission felt obvious. We don’t know if they’ll be any good yet, but you can’t say they haven’t spent resources on their defensive front. All of a sudden, this looks like a well-rounded roster. Though, if I’m being honest, I’d love to see Arizona add one more quality pass-catcher to the mix.
Getting excited about a Bears offseason is a sucker’s move, and I’m starting to feel like a bit of a sucker. What’s not to like? The offensive line has been retooled, the skill players are exciting, the defense has more than enough talent. Ben Johnson was hired to get the most out of Caleb Williams. If he can do it, the sky is the limit.
I was somewhat surprised the Broncos didn’t make a bigger splash on offense during the draft, but I think it’s offset by what they’ve done with their defense. Adding Jahdae Barron, Dre Greenlaw and Talanoa Hufanga to a unit that was already good is an exciting thought. Maybe Bo Nix would appreciate an elite defense even more than another weapon.
I didn’t love the Bengals’ draft, but the good news is they have the least amount of work to do among any of the non-playoff teams. The offense is going to average 28 points per game. New defensive coordinator Al Golden just has to have his unit be decent for this to be a playoff team.
The 49ers were so happy to have Robert Saleh back, they made their first five picks on the defensive side of the ball. That feels like the right way to play it. San Francisco’s issues on offense are mainly health-related. It’s the defense that needed an infusion of young talent if the Niners are going to get back to contending.
Matthew Golden is a fun first-round pick, but I’m not convinced the Packers improved any of their other problem spots over the weekend. The pass rush still seems like it needs some juice, and the cornerback depth chart looks perilously thin.
Emeka Egbuka landing in Tampa is one of the most fun fits of the first round. He should make the Buccaneers’ offense better right away, while also being a long-term successor to Chris Godwin. The Bucs also threw resources at corner and pass rusher, which is never a bad idea.
No more complaining about Justin Herbert’s supporting cast. This might not be the best skill group in the league, but adding Omarion Hampton and Tre Harris to go with Ladd McConkey, Mike Williams and Najee Harris is plenty good enough. Combined with a strong offensive line, the Chargers are well-positioned to get even more out of their star quarterback.
Tough to make a big impact in the draft when you trade out of the first round, but I’m not sure the Rams needed to. If Matthew Stafford’s healthy, we already know this roster can go toe-to-toe with the best in the league. And that’s before factoring in Davante Adams is in the mix, too. Adding another pass-catcher in the second round (TE Terrance Ferguson) will hopefully give Stafford a deeper group of weapons to work with.
I was so impressed by the value the Commanders found despite picking at the back of each round of the draft. I could be wrong, but I expect Josh Conerly Jr. and Trey Amos both to push for starting jobs. I know they could use some pass rush help, but I think this team is in good shape to take a step forward.
It feels almost sacrilegious to have the Chiefs ranked this low, but I’m curious to see how they handle this transition in the team-building process. I think Josh Simmons is a phenomenal pick. But after his knee injury in college, how quickly can he be expected to work his way into the starting lineup? And while I love Day 3 picks Jalen Royals and Brashard Smith, how big of an impact are they going to make as rookies?
The Ravens were already contenders, and then they added a draft class that might have the biggest potential for an immediate impact in the league. Malaki Starks is a particularly exciting pick, given the number of other stars in the Ravens secondary that can help him shine.
Bills general manager Brandon Beane spent his weekend throwing draft picks at a defense that has been plagued by injury over the years, and I totally get it. As fun as it would be to draft a young receiver for Josh Allen, Buffalo has plenty of options on offense. A healthier, more talented defense could go a long way toward getting over the hump.
If you had any doubts about how the Lions got to this point, look at their top priority in this draft: the line of scrimmage. Attrition up front is inevitable in this game, so it made perfect sense to see Detroit improve the talent level on its defensive line, while also creating competition for the vacant guard job. The Lions will remain in contention as long as they’re dominant up front, and I’m glad they recognize that fact.
I’m not sure this Eagles draft class will be as impactful as last year’s, but it doesn’t need to be. When you’re the world champs and you retain several key players in free agency, the draft can be about maintaining your depth. That appears to be what Philly has done, while adding a possible star in linebacker Jihaad Campbell. The rich got richer.
David Helman covers the NFL for FOX Sports and hosts the NFL on FOX podcast. He previously spent nine seasons covering the Cowboys for the team’s official website. In 2018, he won a regional Emmy for his role in producing “Dak Prescott: A Family Reunion” about the quarterback’s time at Mississippi State. Follow him on Twitter at @davidhelman_.
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