Eric Risberg/Associated Press
The 2014 NFL rookies won't play a snap until the preseason begins in August. But with a knowledge of all 32 teams' needs and an examination of their draft strategies, we can determine which teams have improved the most through the draft.
Each NFL team had up to four widely recognized needs heading into Round 1 on Thursday. Franchises that draft using the best-player-available strategy, not need, weren't penalized when their picks were considered for this list, but they also must have satisfied a majority of their needs without reaching or sacrificing too many future draft picks.
Naturally, franchises that had more holes to fill after free agency had more opportunity to improve through the draft, so many of the following six teams either finished near the bottom of the league in 2013 or didn't make many moves in free agency.
Thus, it was difficult for teams like the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks—which were relatively complete heading into draft weekend—to make the list.
It's also important to distinguish between most improved teams and best drafts; if this were an evaluation of the best drafts, the San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers would be included.
The following six teams, ranked in ascending order, satisfied a majority of their needs with astute value selections. Many of their draft picks should be Week 1 starters and, given what we know about them now, become important contributors in 2014
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