Expert Analysis
11/27/24
12 min read
Ranking The 14 Biggest Steals From 2024 NFL Draft
Rookie starters are of immense value to NFL teams in terms of roster building and salary cap management, especially players selected after the first round who have lower initial cap hits.
As is the case every year, many rookies are making a big impact on their teams and the league and, in most cases, exceeding expectations. Here are 14 such draft steals that I have ranked in accordance with their first-year production.
1. Bo Nix, QB, Denver Broncos 
Since quarterback is the game’s most important position and Bo Nix was the sixth QB taken in this year’s first round (No. 12 overall), his fine overall play this season puts him at the top of my draft steals list.
The Broncos started the season with losses to Seattle and Pittsburgh as Nix struggled with four interceptions. He and the team have gone 7-3 in the last 10 games to put themselves squarely in the AFC wild card hunt. Nix has thrown 16 TD passes and only two picks in that stretch. He has eight TD passes and no interceptions over the last three weeks, including a close loss at then-unbeaten Kansas City and convincing wins over Atlanta and Las Vegas. In the Falcons game, he passed for 307 yards and four TDs in the 38-6 victory.
Among the first-round rookie QBs, Nix ranks second to No. 2 overall pick Jayden Daniels in passing yards with 2,548 yards and a passer rating of 89.9. He’s ahead of top pick Caleb Williams in both categories despite lacking a dominant receiver other than Courtland Sutton. Nix also has rushed for 300 yards and four TDs to rank second on the team.
While Nix has won his last two starts, Daniels and the Commanders have dropped three in a row, and Williams is on a five-game losing streak despite some better recent play. Nix is not at their talent level, but he’s proving himself worthy of his draft position when many draft analysts thought he was picked too early.
Denver Coach Sean Payton was high on Nix from the start, and he has coached him well.
2. Ladd McConkey, WR, Los Angeles Chargers
McConkey was the Chargers’ second-round pick and joined a team that was replacing starting receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. McConkey has helped balance Jim Harbaugh’s offense as Justin Herbert’s top target and the team’s leading receiver with 49 catches for 698 yards and four touchdowns.
He was the ninth wide receiver selected in the 2024 draft, yet he leads all rookie WRs in receiving yards. He’s playing a big role for the much improved 7-4 Chargers, who are in good position for a wild card berth.
Herbert is looking McConkey’s way more and more as the season unfolds. The Georgia product has good speed, acceleration, hands, and route running ability.
3. Cooper DeJean, CB, Philadelphia Eagles
DeJean is the Eagles’ starting nickel corner and has contributed 30 tackles and five passes defensed to the team’s top-ranked defense. He was picked in the second round (No. 40 overall) as the fourth cornerback off the board.
DeJean is one of the big contributors (along with first-round corner Quinyon Mitchell) to the massive improvement in Philadelphia’s pass defense that is ranked third after falling to 31st last season when they were a major cause of the team’s late-season collapse.
The Eagles' defensive rise is a huge part of the team’s current seven-game winning streak (15 points per game allowed over this stretch) that has taken them to the top of the NFC East.
4. Mike Sainristil, CB, Washington Commanders
The Commanders have slipped recently, but at 7-5 and in solid wild card contention in the NFC, the team’s performance is among this season’s biggest surprises.
The significant improvement in pass defense from last ranked in 2023 to No. 4 this season has played a major role in the team’s rise from a four-win team last year.
Sainristil was a second-round pick (No. 50) and is a starting corner with 61 tackles, one interception and nine passes defensed. He’s a versatile player with excellent speed and ball skills and will be a future leader for the Commanders as he was a team captain on Michigan’s national champs last year.
5. Bucky Irving, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Irving is a definite steal as a fourth-round pick and as the sixth running back taken. He quickly moved into a role of splitting time and carries with Rachaad White in the Bucs’ backfield.
Irving leads all rookie backs with 831 combined yards (579 rushing yards to rank second among rookies and 252 yards on 32 catches). He has scored five touchdowns to help the Bucs remain in contention for the NFC South title or a wild card spot.
He shows great moves and the ability to evade tacklers with his balance and acceleration.
6. Dominick Puni, OG, San Francisco 49ers
Puni was an excellent third-round pick for the 49ers, who has started every game at right guard. He has helped protect Brock Purdy with only one sack allowed this season and is playing a big role with his run-blocking skills for the 49ers’ seventh-ranked rushing attack.
He’s a versatile and athletic lineman who played left tackle and left guard at Kansas for the last two seasons and allowed no sacks.
7. Braden Fiske, DT, Los Angeles Rams
The Rams rookie receiving the most praise and Defensive Rookie of the Year buzz is first-round OLB Jared Verse. But defensive end Braden Fiske’s six sacks lead the team (along with Byron Young), ahead of his college teammate (at Florida State) in Verse, who has 4.5 sacks.
Fiske also has contributed 33 tackles, eight tackles-for-loss, and two forced fumbles for the Rams’ young defense. He was a second-round pick who defends the run and pass well with his strength and movement skills.
8. Evan Williams, S, Green Bay Packers
The Packers’ 11th-ranked defense has been aided by the play of several rookies, including fourth-rounder Williams, who has been a part-time rookie starter and has 38 tackles, one interception, and three passes defensed.
Williams’ fellow rookies on D—safety Javon Bullard and linebacker Edgerrin Cooper—have also been productive, but they are second-round picks, so they are less of a steal compared to Williams.
Williams's versatility is impressive. He played both safety spots and nickel corner at Fresno State and Oregon. He’s a physical run defender and shows good instincts in pass defense.
9. Roger Rosengarten, RT, Baltimore Ravens
Rosengarten was the Ravens’ second-round pick, and he joined a team that needed to replace three starters on the offensive line. When he became the starter at right tackle in Week 3 (after the Ravens lost their first two games), he helped the line to solidify and improve.
He excels in run blocking and has helped Derrick Henry to a tremendous season as the league’s second-ranked rusher. The Ravens have the top-ranked offense and No. 2 rushing attack, with Rosengarten’s toughness and athleticism helping the run game and in pass protection for Lamar Jackson (he’s only been sacked 16 times).
10. Malik Mustapha, S, San Francisco 49ers
Mustapha is a fourth-round starter and a great find by Niners GM John Lynch, who knows safeties as a Hall of Famer at the position.
Mustapha has 52 tackles, one interception, and four passes defensed this season for the 49ers, who have been injury-riddled and are trying to stay in the playoff chase.
He is a physical safety who tackles well and has a burst in coverage.
11. Zach Frazier, C, Pittsburgh Steelers
Frazier is a second-round pick (No. 51 overall) who filled a big need at center for the Steelers this season and has been one of the league’s best at the position for the AFC North leaders. He also has the versatility to play guard.
Frazier is a strong and tough player who was a state wrestling champion in high school in West Virginia. He’s been an excellent pass protector for Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, with only one sack allowed.
He’s also helped lead Pittsburgh’s rushing attack, which ranks eighth. And he’s a smart player who has only been penalized once this season.
12. Tyrone Tracy, RB, New York Giants
Tracy, a fifth-round rookie starter and the team's rushing leader, is one of the few bright spots in the G-Men's dismal season.
He has 587 rushing yards to lead all NFL rookie backs, and his 5.1 yard average is impressive compared to Devin Singletary (4.1 yards per carry and 326 rushing yards), who was supposed to replace Saquon Barkley when he left for the Eagles in free agency.
Tracy has supplanted Singletary as the starter and most productive back on the team.
13. Beanie Bishop, CB, Pittsburgh Steelers
It’s a cliché but so true that the NFL Draft is an inexact science. I think it’s great to see players who get passed up in the draft emerge as NFL rookie starters. I always want to include such a player among my list of draft steals, and Bishop is that player for me this year.
The undersized but speedy corner led the FBS in passes defended for West Virginia last year. Kudos to the Steelers for signing him and utilizing him as the starter at nickel corner on the league’s ninth-ranked defense, and he has helped lead the team to an 8-3 start.
Bishop has rewarded Mike Tomlin and the Steelers with three interceptions, six passes defensed, 34 tackles, and a half-sack. He was the defensive star of the Week 7 win over the Jets with two interceptions of future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers.
14. Will Reichard, K, Minnesota Vikings
I also want to include a special teams star on my draft steals list, and Reichard, the Vikings' sixth-round pick, does the job. He didn’t miss a field goal or extra point in his first eight games.
Reichard was 14 for 14 on field goals, including four from 50-plus, and 20 for 20 on extra points before he pulled his quad and missed two field goals in a Week 9 win over the Colts (he still made all three of his extra points in that game).
Reichard’s big leg also produced a touchback rate of 89 percent on his kickoffs. He was placed on injured reserve after the Colts game and is eligible to return following this Sunday’s game against the Cardinals. Parker Romo has been an excellent replacement, converting all eight of his field goal attempts and 5 of 6 extra points in his three games.
We’ll see if Reichard is healthy and returns in Week 14 or if Kevin O’Connell sticks with Romo, but regardless, Reichard was a draft steal and should be a top NFL kicker for many years to come, which is fitting for the all-time FBS scoring leader while he kicked at Alabama.
