Every year, all 32 NFL teams have the opportunity to completely flip their programs in the draft by bringing in new talent. Some teams find gems hidden all throughout the draft that complement each other perfectly. Others completely blow up and overshoot on their picks. This year’s draft was unpredictable, with star Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders ending up sliding all the way down to the fifth round, a prank call, and lots of trades shaking up draft orders. Nevertheless, there were still some major winners and losers leaving this year’s draft.

Winner: Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens were by no means dealt a strong hand regarding draft picks. They picked from the 27th spot in the first four rounds, and then a trade granted them some extra, later-round picks. However, the Ravens were able to turn lemons into lemonade throughout the draft, picking up key players. Their first pick, Malaki Starks, is a safety out of Georgia. Starks was arguably the best safety in college football last year and was a three-year starter at Georgia. He is NFL-ready, and his flexibility at the position perfectly pairs with current Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton. Hamilton and Starks will likely assert themselves as one of the best safety pairs in football next year. Their second-round pick was an absolute robbery, picking up edge Mike Green from Marshall. Green somehow fell out of the first round, and the Ravens were able to pick him up to fill a gaping edge rusher hole in their defense. Green is quick and led the FBS in sacks last year. The pick was a no-brainer for Baltimore. In the third round, the team picked up Emery Jones Jr. offensive tackle for LSU. Jones is nothing too crazy, but a great value pick for the third round to fit in the position of a solid backup lineman is never a terrible idea. The Ravens continued to draft very strongly throughout the rest of the draft, filling out their team needs. Junior and lifetime Ravens fan Cole Riordan says that, “The draft was the best case scenario for the Ravens. Needed defense … and they got it.”

Loser: New Orleans Saints

The Saints completely butchered their draft. Unlike the Ravens, they were given the 9th pick in the first round, followed by top 10 picks in all of the other rounds. A trade netted them a couple of more picks, but all in later rounds. For the 9th pick in the draft, the Saints decided to go with Kelvin Banks Jr., a tackle from Texas. Banks is not a terrible pick, but the Saints should have picked up a fifth year for their current tackle, Trevor Penning. Not only did they not resign Penning, but they wasted their best draft pick trying to replace him. Banks is good, there is no getting around it, but his small arms raise questions. The Saints definitely could have picked up a guy later in the draft, like Ozzy Trapilo or even Josh Simmons; both players are similar, if not better than Banks. Next, the Saints decided to take Tyler Shough, a quarterback from Louisville. When asked about the pick, Junior Charlie Peak claimed it was a “classic saints blunder” and he would have preferred them to wait and “taken either Sanders or McCord in the fifth round.” Unlike some draft analysts, Charlie believes that Shough is both injury and bust-prone. Charlie isn’t wrong; Shough is an unpopular pick in the second round because he is 25 years old and has spent seven years in college. Waiting to take a chance on either McCord or Sanders in the later rounds definitely would have been more worthwhile; both other quarterbacks show potential, while Shough’s ceiling is likely a bottom-tier starter at best. The Saints continued to fumble their position, taking defensive tackle Vernon Broughton out of Texas in the third round. Broughton was certainly a reach at a position that the Saints do not need. The team also notably did not fill major holes at wide receiver or cornerback. While they did end up picking a corner back in the fourth round, chances are that he won’t fill that team hole for a while. Currently, the draft leaves the Saints as a team going nowhere, and fans are down to about their last straw with current GM Mickey Loomis, who may find himself in hot water pretty soon.