The Athletic: NFL Post-Draft Power Rankings - Chiefs, Saints rise after answering questions

Cotton

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By Lindsay Jones 2h ago

Welcome back to our second offseason NFL Power Rankings. Now that the NFL is through the draft, we know just about what every roster is going to look like this fall (whenever and however games start). We have quarterback answers where two months ago there will still questions. A couple of teams (hello, Green Bay and Philadelphia) have new quarterback issues to address.

You’ll see a theme in these newest rankings that our panel has confidence in teams with veteran quarterbacks and returning head coach/offensive play callers. Only one team in the top 11 (the Cowboys) has a new head coach.

As always, a reminder that these rankings are a composite for votes from our national staff, with GIFs selected by NFL editor Amy Parlapiano. Questions? Complaints? Hit us up in the comments.

1. Kansas City Chiefs (End of regular-season ranking: 2)
If any other team had drafted a running back in the first round, this would not be a nice blurb. But the Chiefs are the champs, and taking Clyde Edwards-Helaire at No. 32 only makes that offense more dangerous. He seems to be an ideal back for Andy Reid’s offense, in which he’ll be asked to catch the ball and play in space, and we wouldn’t be surprised to see him starting early in the season.



2. Baltimore Ravens (End of regular-season ranking: 1)
The Ravens were widely praised for their draft performance, especially in taking linebacker Patrick Queen, who fills an obvious need, in the first round. Now they appear to have few holes, outside of experience and depth questions at wide receiver. (Bonus points here for one our favorite draft videos, as we learned that GM Eric DeCosta and coach John Harbaugh are backyard neighbors, which feels delightfully quaint.)



3. New Orleans Saints (End of regular-season ranking: 4)
Since we last checked in on the Saints, New Orleans added two quarterbacks: the No. 1 pick in 2015 and five-year Tampa Bay starter Jameis Winston and rookie Tommy Stevens, a seventh-round pick out of Mississippi State. Neither should have too much of a bearing on the Saints’ immediate status (or ranking) beyond an added layer to the Week 1 game between the Saints and Buccaneers. But the reconstituted group, with the new guys joining Taysom Hill, leads to interesting questions about who will replace Drew Brees.



4. San Francisco 49ers (End of regular-season ranking: 3)
The rest of the 49ers’ offseason plan came into focus during the draft when, in the first round, they picked defensive lineman Javon Kinlaw to replace DeForest Buckner and wide receiver Brandon Ayuk to step in for Emmanuel Sanders. It would be unrealistic to expect either rookie to be as good as the guys they are replacing right away, but at least the 49ers’ plan is clear.



5. Seattle Seahawks (End of regular-season ranking: 7)
We think a theme of this season — and within these rankings — is going to be offensive continuity and confidence in the quarterback. For the Seahawks, their top-five spot has to be attributed to the latter. The Seahawks are contenders because of Russell Wilson, and while we could quibble over pass rush additions (or lack thereof), our panelists clearly believe Wilson will make the Seahawks competitive.



6. Buffalo Bills (End of regular-season ranking: 9)
It’s a pretty great time to be the Bills. The AFC East has dramatically changed this spring thanks to the departure of Tom Brady from New England, and the offense they’re building around Josh Allen looks deeper and stronger. The Bills seem to have had a smart plan in the draft — and came out of it with a first-round talent in defensive end A.J. Epenesa in the second round.



7. Philadelphia Eagles (End of regular-season ranking: 12)
It’s been more than three weeks and we’re still thinking about the selection of Jalen Hurts in the second round (and this excellent film breakdown by Ted Nguyen helps give a glimpse into how the Eagles could use him). The question we’re trying to answer, though, is after free agency and the draft, are the Eagles better than the Cowboys? Our panel still seems to think so.




8. Green Bay Packers (End of regular-season ranking: 5)
If you thought Aaron Rodgers’ body language and sideline interactions were scrutinized before, get ready for it to be multiplied. The rules of Hot Sports Takes require you to pick a side: You either have to love the Jordan Love pick or hate it. If we’re looking strictly at today and slightly more broadly at the season, we hate it. It’s reasonable (and actually responsible) to plan for the future at quarterback, but it also feels like disaster waiting to happen.



9. Indianapolis Colts (End of regular-season ranking: 20)
The Colts continue to be one of our darlings of the offseason after a free agency haul that netted Buckner and Philip Rivers. Similar to our thoughts about the Chiefs, we usually don’t get too excited about running back draft picks, but Jonathan Taylor to Indianapolis in the second round makes so much sense and he should be an immediate asset.



10. Tennessee Titans (End of regular-season ranking: 9)
Despite knocking off the No. 1 seed and advancing to the AFC Championship Game last year, it’s hard to know exactly what to make of the Titans this offsesason: Re-signing Ryan Tannehill was the logical move, but at a hefty price tag, he’ll need to be even better than he was late last season. And the lack of in-person offseason workouts has, so far, made Derrick Henry’s contract status a non-issue. We’ll see how much drama is there come July.



11. Dallas Cowboys (End of regular-season ranking: 14)
It’s a slight climb since our last rankings, in which the Cowboys were No. 12 after free agency, after what was widely considered to be a very good draft by the Jones family. None of us could have imagined CeeDee Lamb falling into the Cowboys’ laps, and while wide receiver wasn’t a pressing need for the Cowboys, the reality is that it looks like their best chance to win this year is going to be through a loaded, high-scoring offense. And things are as optimistic as ever in Dallas.



12. Minnesota Vikings (End of regular-season ranking: 8)
It was exhausting trying to keep up with the Vikings during the draft as they made 15 selections over the three days as part of their biggest roster overhaul in years. Change can be scary, but we think there should be plenty of things to like about it, starting with a revamped group of cornerbacks and fresh blood at wide receiver, notably with first-rounder Justin Jefferson. Still, we won’t be surprised if Vikings fans aren’t pleased to see their team once again outside of the top 10.



13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (End of regular-season ranking: 16)
The draft and addition of tight end Rob Gronkowski since our last rankings didn’t move the needle much as the Bucs stand pat at No. 13. Honestly, this feels about right until we see anything happen on the field. Once the NFL says OK, the Bucs will be the team most of us want to watch most closely.



14. Pittsburgh Steelers (End of regular-season ranking: 15)
In case we needed something to get us through these super slow times, here comes James Harrison and a story about an envelope of cash. Is it true? It is embellished? What does Mike Tomlin have to say? Why did Tomlin shave his head? There are so many unanswered questions, but now we all have something to talk about that isn’t Ben Roethlisberger’s elbow.



15. Los Angeles Rams (End of regular-season ranking: 13)
Did the Rams fall a spot since our free-agency rankings because of their meh draft performance or because of the reaction to the new uniforms? Who can say? All we know is that we’re going to be seeing a lot of the Rams — in those new uniforms — in prime time this season so they better play as well as they think they look.



16. Houston Texans (End of regular-season ranking: 10)
The Texans are the third AFC South team in our rankings, and it’s hard to remember that they are the reigning division champs. That’s what another mind-boggling offseason will do. Our lasting memory of the Texans’ draft isn’t picking defensive lineman Russ Blacklock in the second round. It’s Bill O’Brien angrily storming away from his computer after a trade attempt with the Lions fell through.



17. New England Patriots (End of regular-season ranking: 6)
There you have it: The Patriots have shown us their quarterback plan and it’s Jarrett Stidham (and Brian Hoyer). No veteran additions, no highly drafted rookies. (And somehow, this plan didn’t change our thoughts about the Patriots, who, despite a massive fall after Brady’s departure, remain steady at No. 17 since our post-free agency rankings.)



18. Arizona Cardinals (End of regular-season ranking: 23)
If you would have told the Cardinals in January they would come out of this offseason with DeAndre Hopkins, Isaiah Simmons and a viral picture of Kliff Kingsbury’s living room, I think they would have been pretty excited about it. Here we are in mid-May and we’re not sure if anyone had a better offseason than Arizona.



19. Atlanta Falcons (End of regular-season ranking: 18)
The Falcons have generated the least amount of buzz of any NFC South team this offseason, and maybe that’s good since they were so up and down in 2019. Will the Falcons win nine games? Will they win four? Will Todd Gurley’s knees hold up? Will Matt Ryan return anywhere close to an MVP level?



20. Las Vegas Raiders (End of regular-season ranking: 21)
Last time, we wrote that we were waiting to see if the Raiders could land a big-time wide receiver in the draft. And what do you know, the Raiders had their pick of the class and took the burner, Henry Ruggs III. It’s a move that would have made Al Davis proud. Now we get to wonder exactly how the Raiders will use him, since we have yet to see Gruden’s offense with an elite wide receiver.



21. Chicago Bears (End of regular-season ranking: 19)
The Bears didn’t have much to work with in the draft and picking tight end Cole Kmet is fine —Matt Nagy’s offense will rely plenty on the tight ends. It does make us wonder about the investment in Jimmy Graham, though, when Kmet should be the tight end of the future. Still, we think the Bears have come out of this period better than last year … if only slightly.



22. Denver Broncos (End of regular-season ranking: 17)
Broncos general manager John Elway appeared to divide his offseason plan into two phases: spend a ton to revamp the defense via free agency and the veteran trade market, and get young and fast on offense through the draft. Are the Broncos any closer to catching the Chiefs? Maybe not, but they should be closer to competing for a wild card spot if their changes mean they can score more points.



23. Cleveland Browns (End of regular-season ranking: 25)
The biggest problem with the Browns last season was pretty clear, and the once-again overhauled front office knew it: They needed to come out of the offseason with better offensive tackles. Enter Jack Conklin in free agency and first-round pick Jedrick Wills, otherwise known as Baker Mayfield’s two new best friends.



24. Carolina Panthers (End of regular-season ranking: 28)
We’ll give the Panthers credit for knowing what they wanted out of the draft and going after it. The Panthers used all seven of their draft picks on defensive players — two defensive tackles, one edge rusher and four defensive backs. In a division in which they’ll have to face Brady, Brees, Ryan and a host of the best wide receivers, it’s not a bad strategy.



25. Los Angeles Chargers (End of regular-season ranking: 26)
At least we don’t have to wonder anymore about what the Chargers’ plan is at quarterback. It was never going to be just Tyrod Taylor, and now, after the draft, we know it’s going to be Taylor and No. 6 pick Justin Herbert. We’ll pencil Taylor in as the Week 1 starter — could Joe Burrow be on the only rookie starter in September? — and see what happens from there.



26. Miami Dolphins (End of regular-season ranking: 24)
What’s really impressive is that the Dolphins didn’t technically tank and they still landed Tua Tagovailoa at No. 5. He’s the headliner of a massive draft class of 11 players, but the most important immediate selection might be their second first-round pick, offensive tackle Austin Jackson, who will need to play — and be decent — right away.



27. New York Jets (End of regular-season ranking: 22)
The Jets, with their offseason commitment to adding as many offensive linemen as possible, are setting themselves up for a no excuses type of season for quarterback Sam Darnold. The latest addition is massive left tackle Mekhi Becton. Our only regret from the at-home draft was not getting to see Becton on a boat by the Bellagio fountain in Las Vegas.



28. Detroit Lions (End of regular-season ranking: 24)
Dare we say we liked this Lions draft? Short of moving back in the first round, it all seems to have played out as good as could be expected for the Lions. Don’t tell anyone else in my fantasy league but I’m almost certainly going to draft DeAndre Swift, who should be just the latest in the line of Georgia tailbacks to arrive ready to play.



29. Cincinnati Bengals (End of regular-season ranking: 29)
The Burrow Era is underway and it’s the most exciting thing to happen to Cincinnati since someone decided to dump meat sauce on spaghetti noodles and call it chili. (Ducks) But seriously, we’re happy for you, Bengals fans. Burrow is as good a quarterback prospect the NFL has had in years, and you get him.



30. New York Giants (End of regular-season ranking: 29)
In a move that should have surprised no one, the Giants took an offensive tackle, Andrew Thomas, with their first-round pick. It’s a classic Dave Gettleman move, but one the Giants needed to make as they build around Daniel Jones. What does it mean for Nate Solder? Well, that’s a question for another day. (One other question that’s been bothering us since the draft: Why couldn’t Joe Judge have brought his dog Abby with him to his apartment for the draft?)



31. Washington Redskins (End of regular-season ranking: 30)
Washington bookended its draft with a pair of edge rushers: Chase Young, the consensus best defensive player in the class, at No. 2 and seventh-rounder James Smith-Williams. You probably know plenty about Young by now, so we’re going to recommend taking a moment to get to know Smith-Williams through this story by The Athletic’s Rhiannon Walker about his work as the NFL’s first “Set the Expectation” ambassador.



32. Jacksonville Jaguars (End of regular-season ranking: 27)
The Jaguars ended last season just outside our bottom five but have spent both offseason rankings at the bottom. Even what appears to be a solid (and very large, with 12 players!) draft class doesn’t change our outlook that this is going to be a very long, very difficult season in Jacksonville.
 

Smitty

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If the gulf between McCarthy and Garrett is what we think it is, then this list has them highly underrated and the league simply isn't factoring in the coaching change at all.

The Cowboys should be 11th on this list if Garrett was still the coach.
 

Cotton

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If the gulf between McCarthy and Garrett is what we think it is, then this list has them highly underrated and the league simply isn't factoring in the coaching change at all.

The Cowboys should be 11th on this list if Garrett was still the coach.
I would agree. But, I'm not sure if I might be overrating them this year simply because of all of the sweeping coaching changes and killer draft, or if I'm right to think they are being underrated by this ranking.
 

ravidubey

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Hilarious that the Eagles climbed after FA and the draft solely because the Cowboys climbed :lol

Totally non-credible.
 

Smitty

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Hilarious that the Eagles climbed after FA and the draft solely because the Cowboys climbed :lol

Totally non-credible.
Yeah, seems to be the case that the "panel" just wanted to keep the Eagles ahead of the Cowboys.

If Wentz has an MVP year it's possible. He'd have to play like 2017 Wentz. Possible, but he didn't in 2019.
 

Cowboysrock55

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Hilarious that the Eagles climbed after FA and the draft solely because the Cowboys climbed :lol

Totally non-credible.
There was EXCELLENT film breakdown of Jalen Hurts though!

Seriously I don't care much. Moving teams up and down a power ranking during the offseason seems like an exercise in futility. It's just something for fans to squabble about.
 
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