The NFL Draft represents hope for teams and their fans. However, most of the time that is false hope.
Teams get many more draft picks wrong than right. It is fun to debate how a team did immediately after the draft, but the truth is it often takes years to see how a draft actually went for a team. That is what we are here for. This is The Post’s sixth annual examination of how teams did in the past five drafts (2015-19). Who is doing it right? Who can’t get out of their own way?
The rankings are based on: how many games the draft pick has played, Pro Bowl appearances, first-team All-Pro selections and awards such as MVP and Rookie of the Year. We also factored in how much the team has won during the five years, because players on losing teams tend to have an easier path to playing time.
Here are the rankings from best to worst, with last year’s ranking in parentheses:
1. Baltimore Ravens (13)
Pro Bowlers: 7
Best Pick: Lamar Jackson (2018, first round)
Worst Pick: Breshad Perriman (2015, first round)
Baltimore is one of two teams that drafted an MVP in the past five years, and the Jackson pick is a big reason why they top our list. But Ozzie Newsome and Eric DeCosta have gotten plenty of other picks right, starting with Ronnie Stanley and Marlon Humphrey.
2. Kansas City Chiefs (1)
Pro Bowlers: 7
Best Pick: Patrick Mahomes (2017, first round)
Worst Pick: KeiVarae Russell (2016, third round)
The Super Bowl champs have done an amazing job in the draft, and that was on display during their run to the Lombardi Trophy. Mahomes is a generational talent. Taking a chance on Tyreek Hill in the fifth round has paid off immensely.
3. New Orleans Saints (11)
Pro Bowlers: 4
Best Pick: Alvin Kamara (2017, third round)
Worst Pick: Stephone Anthony (2015, first round)
The Saints have done some amazing work outside of the first round, taking Kamara in the third round and Michael Thomas in the second round in 2016. They have had just 33 picks over five years. Just four teams have had fewer.
4. Dallas Cowboys (2)
Pro Bowlers: 5
Best Pick: Dak Prescott (2016, fourth round)
Worst Pick: Randy Gregory (2015, second round)
The 2016 draft class duo of Ezekiel Elliott and Prescott is one of the best of the past five years. They also took Jaylon Smith, who made the Pro Bowl that year. The past few drafts have not been as strong, but they have built a core through the draft.
5. Los Angeles Rams (3)
Pro Bowlers: 3
Best Pick: Todd Gurley (2015, first round)
Worst Pick: Gerald Everett (2017, second round)
The Rams have not had a first-round pick since 2016 after trading them away, so to be ranked this high is a feat. Signing Gurley to an extension was not smart by the Rams, but drafting him was.
6. Atlanta Falcons (7)
Pro Bowlers: 5
Best Pick: Austin Hooper (2016, third round)
Worst Pick: Jalen Collins (2015, second round)
The 2016 draft produced three Pro Bowl players in Keanu Neal, Deion Jones and Hooper. Atlanta has had just 32 picks, tied for the fewest in the NFL. Vic Beasley made a Pro Bowl, but then faded.
7. Chicago Bears (4)
Pro Bowlers: 4
Best Pick: Eddie Jackson (2017, fourth round)
Worst Pick: Kevin White (2015, first round)
They scored two All-Pro players in the middle rounds in 2017 with Jackson and Tarik Cohen. The story of their drafts will ultimately be told with how the Mitchell Trubisky pick works out.
8. Jacksonville Jaguars (6)
Pro Bowlers: 4
Best Pick: Jalen Ramsey (2016, first round)
Worst Pick: Leonard Fournette (2017, first round)
Jacksonville has picked in the top 10 in four of the past five years. They should have a good draft record. It probably is not even as good as it should be. Only the Browns have lost more games than the Jaguars over this time.
9. Seattle Seahawks (17)
Pro Bowlers: 4
Best Pick: Tyler Lockett (2015, third round)
Worst Pick: Malik McDowell (2017, second round)
Seattle was one of the best teams in the draft earlier in the decade. They have dropped off, but are still respectable. They have had 49 picks over this time, the second most.
10. Los Angeles Chargers (19)
Pro Bowlers: 3
Best Pick: Joey Bosa (2016, first round)
Worst Pick: Forrest Lamp (2017, second round)
Melvin Gordon, Derwin James and Bosa are some of the home runs they have hit in the first round. They also have found some good starters, if not stars, later in the draft.
11. San Francisco 49ers (21)
Pro Bowlers: 4
Best Pick: George Kittle (2017, fifth round)
Worst Pick: Reuben Foster (2017, first round)
The 49ers’ 2017 draft shows just how much of a crapshoot drafting can be. They landed a great player in Kittle in the fifth round after taking Solomon Thomas, who has been disappointing, and Reuben Foster, a total miss, in the first round. There is no science to drafting.
12. Indianapolis Colts (22)
Pro Bowlers: 3
Best Pick: Darius Leonard (2018, second round)
Worst Pick: Phillip Dorsett (2015, first round)
The 2018 class carries the Colts, with Leonard in the second round and offensive lineman stud Quenton Nelson in the first round. GM Chris Ballard had this team in position to do big things last year before Andrew Luck’s retirement.
13. Minnesota Vikings (12)
Pro Bowlers: 3
Best Pick: Eric Kendricks (2015, second round)
Worst Pick: Laquon Treadwell (2016, first round)
Minnesota has dropped in our rankings over recent years, but they still have made a number of good picks. Their 2019 class had a strong rookie year with several contributors.
14. Cleveland Browns (10)
Pro Bowlers: 4
Best Pick: Joe Schobert (2016, fourth round)
Worst Pick: Corey Coleman (2016, first round)
The Browns are a tough evaluation. They have had a lot of draft picks become contributors, but is that because the players were good or the team was desperate for starters? They have the most picks over the past five years (52) and the fewest wins (17).
15. Miami Dolphins (14)
Pro Bowlers: 4
Best Pick: Minkah Fitzpatrick (2018, first round)
Worst Pick: Charles Harris (2017, first round)
The Dolphins’ talent drain last year was not because of drafting. They have selected some good players. The problem is they dumped most of them. Fitzpatrick was a star in Pittsburgh last year.
16. Arizona Cardinals (24)
Pro Bowlers: 2
Best Pick: David Johnson (2015, third round)
Worst Pick: Josh Rosen (2018, first round)
Their daring decision to draft quarterback Kyler Murray No. 1 overall last year, one year after drafting Rosen, looks like the right one. Murray won Offensive Rookie of the Year and could be a star.
17. Pittsburgh Steelers (15)
Pro Bowlers: 3
Best Pick: T.J. Watt (2017, first round)
Worst Pick: Senquez Golson (2015, second round)
The Steelers had a really strong draft in 2017 — landing Watt, JuJu Smith-Schuster and James Conner. They did fare as well in the other years.
18. Tennessee Titans (9)
Pro Bowlers: 2
Best Pick: Kevin Byard (2016, third round)
Worst Pick: Dorial Green-Beckham (2015, second round)
Tennessee has been able to overcome some whiffs in the draft — most notably Marcus Mariota, the No. 2-overall pick in 2015. Derrick Henry has blossomed into a star for them. They took Henry in the second round in 2016, followed by Byard — a good pair of picks.
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (20)
Pro Bowlers: 3
Best Pick: Chris Godwin (2017, third round)
Worst Pick: Roberto Aguayo (2016, second round)
Tampa Bay should be much better than this after picking in the top 12 in four of the past five years. Missing on Jameis Winston with the No. 1 pick in 2015 is a killer, and the Aguayo pick might be the worst pick by anyone in the past five years.
20. New York Giants (8)
Pro Bowlers: 2
Best Pick: Landon Collins (2015, second round)
Worst Pick: Ereck Flowers (2015, first round)
The Giants drop 12 spots this year with Odell Beckham Jr. coming off the books. The Giants’ 29 wins in this period are better than just one team — the Browns. Daniel Jones looks like a keeper and could boost this score in the coming years.
21. Green Bay Packers (18)
Pro Bowlers: 1
Best Pick: Kenny Clark (2016, first round)
Worst Pick: Jason Spriggs (2016, second round)
Green Bay has done a poor job of surrounding star quarterback Aaron Rodgers with talent, and it has hurt them. They have drafted some decent starters, but not many impact players.
22. Washington Redskins (26)
Pro Bowlers: 1
Best Pick: Brandon Scherff (2015, first round)
Worst Pick: Su’a Cravens (2016, second round)
The Bruce Allen era is finally over in Washington. Maybe Ron Rivera can get them on the right track.
23. Buffalo Bills (32)
Pro Bowlers: 2
Best Pick: Tre’Davious White (2017, first round)
Worst Pick: Reggie Ragland (2016, second round)
Things have improved greatly since Brandon Beane replaced Doug Whaley as GM. White and Tremaine Edmunds look like they will be stars on their defense for many years.
24. New York Jets (27)
Pro Bowlers: 2
Best Pick: Jamal Adams (2017, first round)
Worst Pick: Christian Hackenberg (2016, second round)
The Jets have drafted in the top 10 in four of the five years, but have many more whiffs than home runs. Their entire 2015 draft class is no longer with the team. Adams is the only pick keeping the Jets out of the bottom of these rankings.
25. New England Patriots (31)
Pro Bowlers: 0
Best Pick: Trey Flowers (2015, fourth round)
Worst Pick: Cyrus Jones (2016, second round)
New England is one of two teams not to have drafted a Pro Bowl player in the past five years. In their defense, they did not have a first-round pick in two of the years and drafted 32nd in two others. Still, it is amazing that Bill Belichick’s drafting batting average has been low recently.
26. Houston Texans (16)
Pro Bowlers: 2
Best Pick: Deshaun Watson (2017, first round)
Worst Pick: Kevin Johnson (2015, first round)
There is a reason Bill O’Brien has been trading like a madman since he took over as GM last year. The Texans have missed on way too many picks recently. Watson’s prime could be wasted if they do not improve.
27. Detroit Lions (25)
Pro Bowlers: 1
Best Pick: Kenny Golladay (2017, third round)
Worst Pick: Teez Tabor (2017, second round)
Bob Quinn keeps on surviving as Detroit’s GM despite not much to show for his four drafts. This could be it for Quinn and coach Matt Patricia if the Lions don’t improve greatly this season.
28. Las Vegas Raiders (5)
Pro Bowlers: 1
Best Pick: Amari Cooper (2015, first round)
Worst Pick: Mario Edwards (2015, second round)
Las Vegas plummets 23 spots in our rankings this year after the 2014 class with Khalil Mack and Derek Carr comes off the books. Mike Mayock built a strong class in 2019, which could get the Raiders moving up next year.
29. Denver Broncos (3)
Pro Bowlers: 1
Best Pick: Courtland Sutton (2018, second round)
Worst Pick: Paxton Lynch (2016, first round)
When John Elway first took over football operations for the Broncos, he had some very good drafts. But it’s been a long time since then. Drew Lock could be the quarterback Denver has been looking for … or he might be another Elway miss.
30. Carolina Panthers (23)
Pro Bowlers: 1
Best Pick: Christian McCaffrey (2017, first round)
Worst Pick: Devin Funchess (2015, second round)
The Panthers are tied for the fewest picks over this time with 32. They are now beginning to rebuild with Matt Rhule after allowing the team to deteriorate following their Super Bowl run in 2015.
31. Cincinnati Bengals (29)
Pro Bowlers: 0
Best Pick: Tyler Boyd (2016, second round)
Worst Pick: John Ross (2017, first round)
One of two teams to not have drafted a Pro Bowler over this time, the Bengals have gone from a pretty good team at drafting to abysmal lately. It is hard to identify any true impact players they have selected.
32. Philadelphia Eagles (28)
Pro Bowlers: 1
Best Pick: Carson Wentz (2016, first round)
Worst Pick: Eric Rowe (2015, second round)
The Eagles have taken just 32 players, tied for the fewest, and they have missed on plenty of those. Wentz is their only player to make a Pro Bowl, and there are lots of questions about their other recent top picks.
Best pick in:
2015: Todd Gurley, Rams
2016: Tyreek Hill, Chiefs
2017: Alvin Kamara, Saints
2018: Lamar Jackson, Ravens
2019: Nick Bosa, 49ers