The NFL Draft, ideally, is for teams to bring in long-term, foundational pieces to put their roster in a good spot for the present and future, but these teams still seem to have some work to do. It'll be years until we can all fairly judge the team's draft classes, but the positions taken cannot be disputed. Ideally, teams answer some long-term needs during the draft, but when teams do draft for need, they can often overdraft players.
Or, conversely, teams just are not able to address a certain position of need during a given NFL Draft. It's not an easy time for teams, and these three clubs still have a good bit of work to do before the 2024 NFL Season begins.
3 teams who still have a ton of work to do after the 2024 NFL Draft
1. New England Patriots
Eh. It's hard to like the New England Patriots draft class besides Drake Maye. They overdrafted WR Ja'Lynn Polk and OT Caedan Wallace, and stil have some huge questions marks. Wallace isn't likely going to be their solution at left tackle, and how the heck did the team pick Polk over Adonai Mitchell?
On paper, the Patriots roster is still quite poor, and with no long-term solution at left tackle especially, New England needs to figure out that situation before the regular season begins.
2. Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys might have some shuffling to do still along their offensive line, and their RB room was left in the dust during the 2024 NFL Draft. The team took a sixth-round flier on WR Ryan Flournoy, so their WR room also still needs a boost. It wasn't a great draft as of now for Dallas, who clearly has no choice but to go all-in for 2024.
Their first-round draft pick, Tyler Guyton, was predominantly a right tackle in college, so is Dallas comfortable moving their new rookie to the left side? Even if they'd put Tyler Smith at left tackle, where would Guyton go? Terence Steele is still under contract at right tackle, so it's a weird situation.
The Cowboys also still need to further address their RB room, as that unit is quite poor on paper.
3. Atlanta Falcons
Most mock drafts had the Atlanta Falcons taking a pass rusher with their first-round pick, and for good reason. The Falcons outside rushers are subpar, and with the investment they made on offense in free agency, including Kirk Cousins and Darnell Mooney, it was very logical for them to target defense early.
Them taking Michael Penix Jr at the 8th pick was downright inexcusable, and yes, while they did address their defensive front later on, the position still needs a boost. While the Falcons aren't going to win a Super Bowl with Cousins, they can still win a ton of games, as the NFC South isn't great and their roster is actually talented.
But it would have taken a huge step forward with someone like Dallas Turner in the first round, not a player who isn't going to see the field for years.