The New York Jets fit right into the thick of the NFL Power Rankings now that the 2019 NFL Draft has concluded. The 2019 NFL Draft has concluded which means we now understand the depth charts much more intently. Not until free agency and the draft conclude can anybody claim to have a feel for the upcoming season. It’s as impossible as an Odell Beckham Jr. Met Gala outfit. Now that kilts are donned and each squad’s 53-man is clearer, it’s time to serve the power ranking tradition at the table. 32. Miami Dolphins This offseason presents an extremely different feel pertaining to the bottom of the rankings; there really isn’t a clear-cut worst team in the land. The Miami Dolphins get the nod due to hierarchical changes and the incoming Josh Rosen, but nobody would be surprised if they surprised to the tune of 5-7 wins. 31. Cincinnati Bengals With Marvin Lewis out and Zac Taylor in, the Cincinnati Bengals are a tough team to measure. A.J. Green is clearly on the back-nine of his career and Andy Dalton remains firmly on the franchise quarterback hot seat. From top to bottom, the roster is in the early stages of needing an overhaul. 30. Arizona Cardinals The worst 2018 team bumps up two spots purely due to hype. With Kyler Murray and Kliff Kingsbury in tow, the new Arizona Cardinals era officially begins. Incredibly, the Cards didn’t use the draft to improve their horrid offensive line. It’ll hold them back in year one of the new regime. 29. Washington Redskins Dwayne Haskins, Montez Sweat and company brought rave reviews for the Washington Redskins during the draft. In the eyes of ESNY, the Ohio State product will have to prove it first. Simply talking a little smack after feeling slighted does nothing in the grand scheme of things. 28. Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills may be disrespected in the 28-hole a little bit, but again, they’ll have to prove it first. Ed Oliver, Josh Allen, Cody Ford and Josh Brown make for an interesting group for Josh McDermott in year two. 27. Detroit Lions Matt Patricia’s influence is forcing the Motor City to focus on defense. Matt Stafford is still capable but pieces are needed. Rookie tight end T.J. Hockenson could provide substance immediately. 26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers It doesn’t matter who you are, the Bruce Arians hire is legit. If he can’t get the best out of Jameis Winston, nobody will. The defense still needs major work, even after Devin White. The offensive line does as well. 25. Denver Broncos Don’t sleep on Joe Flacco; the man is a Super Bowl MVP. Still, what’s John Elway done, post-Peyton Manning? The O-line and edge draft strategy deployed in recent years is an excellent one. Bradley Chubb, Garett Bolles and Dalton Risner is the proper way to build from the trenches-out. But the secondary is hurting and the quarterback situation is still uncertain. 24. New York Giants The narrative surrounding the New York Giants this offseason is so completely ridiculous that it rivals the 0-16 Jets predictions from a couple of seasons ago. Nobody believes the Giants are playoff-bound, but to call them the laughingstock of the league is short-sided. Talent remains and the offensive line, which is most critical, will be improved. Leave it to Eli Manning to put together a filthy season as soon as the organization drafts his replacement. It’d be such an Eli thing to accomplish. If Lorenzo Carter takes the next step and secures one of the two edges, the defense will be alright. 23. Oakland Raiders The Antonio Brown addition is not what’s important here. Instead, the Oakland Raiders filling in key depth spots up and down the depth chart ring truer. With Kolton Miller and Trent Brown as the bookends, Derek Carr has the opportunity to step it up in 2019. 22. Tennessee Titans The Marcus Mariota experiment is nearly over. With an upgraded wide receiving group, there will be few excuses this coming season. Defensively is where the Tennessee Titans remain solid. 21. San Francisco 49ers The Jimmy Garoppolo show resumes; will it be enough? Nick Bosa should lift the production of the entire defense and offensively, if the kid can progress, 8-8 is not out of the question. 20. New York Jets Mike Maccagnan’s outside-in building of the franchise defies football 101. For the third straight year, the New York Jets entered the offseason with desperate needs at O-line and edge. For the third straight year, little was done about it. Kelechi Osemele replacing James Carpenter and third-round selection Jachai Polite account for the additions. It doesn’t get much better than Sam Darnold, the weaponry is content (especially with Le’Veon Bell), the middle of the defense is nasty with Quinnen Williams, Leonard Williams, C.J. Mosley and Jamal Adams, but if the offensive line ranks near the bottom of the league again and the edge presence isn’t there, not much improvement will be put forth. 19. Minnesota Vikings Minnesota’s defense remains legit. The team’s skilled positions remain excellent. Kirk Cousins is still extremely solid (during the mundane parts of the regular season). So why does it feel like the Vikings are heading backward? Cousins’s bloated salary doesn’t allow for improvement. It’s a blessing they were able to snag Garrett Bradbury in the draft. That alone will help the cause for a horrid O-line. 18. Baltimore Ravens Year two is when Lamar Jackson will really show us if he’s legitimate, and I have my doubts. We saw what a good defense in the playoffs can do to the kid. Can he figure it out from the pocket? Can he make every throw on the field when required? The Terrell Suggs loss may not feel like a major hit in productivity, but it’ll certainly hurt the locker room and overall feel of the culture. 17. Cleveland Browns Temper your enthusiasm for the Cleveland Browns. Shiny toys are better left for the NBA. The NFL is a value league, not a superstar one. Odell Beckham Jr. will help, but the offensive line still remains shaky.<doc-sep>Free agency has mostly run its course, trades have been made, and the 2019 NFL draft has concluded. So it's a perfect time for another edition of the NFL Power Rankings. We're doing things a bit differently this time. Rather than compiling rankings from our throng of reporters and experts, we're using this edition to unveil the first set of ESPN's Football Power Index (FPI) ratings. Each team's rating is composed of a predicted offensive, defensive and special teams efficiency, as measured by expected points added per play, and that rating is the basis for FPI's game-level and season-level projections. The FPI has established the 1-32 order that follows, with our NFL Nation reporters giving their takes on where their teams improved the most in the offseason. So enjoy as you get ready for OTAs and minicamps to start. Projected wins: 10.3 Chance to make playoffs: 80.3 percent Where the team improved this offseason: Young blood on defense. The major defensive acquisitions (safety Tyrann Mathieu and end Frank Clark) are 26 and 25, respectively. Similarly, the Chiefs' other significant defensive additions should have their best football ahead. That should help resuscitate a unit that had relied on older players such as Eric Berry and Justin Houston, both 30 and recently released by Kansas City. -- Adam Teicher Projected wins: 10.1 Chance to make playoffs: 76.9 percent Where the team improved this offseason: Pass-catchers. This was arguably the Saints' biggest weakness by the end of last season. But adding tight end Jared Cook in free agency and getting receiver Ted Ginn Jr. back healthy for a full season will definitely help. And ideally the Saints will get more out of their backups, with Cameron Meredith now two years removed from a major knee injury, and young guys such as Tre'Quan Smith, Keith Kirkwood, Dan Arnold and Austin Carr continuing to develop. -- Mike Triplett Projected wins: 10.1 Chance to make playoffs: 76.4 percent Where the team improved this offseason: Pass rush. The Rams re-signed outside linebacker Dante Fowler Jr. after he proved himself as a playmaker in only half a season under Wade Phillips. Fowler's production took a significant step forward in the playoffs, and that trend is likely to continue after his first training camp with the team. The Rams also added veteran pass-rusher Clay Matthews. Despite a drop in production last season, it's likely that Matthews' savvy will help a young group that also includes third-year pro Samson Ebukam. -- Lindsey Thiry Projected wins: 10.5 Chance to make playoffs: 85.8 percent Where the team improved this offseason: Cornerback. When a team selects cornerbacks with second-round picks at 45 and 56, it should be a boost to the position, and that's essentially what the Patriots have going for them in 2019. They traded up to No. 45 this year to select Vanderbilt's Joejuan Williams, who at 6-foot-3⅝ and 211 pounds has unique size and can match up against bigger receivers and possibly tight ends. And then their 2018 second-round pick -- Florida's Duke Dawson at No. 56 overall -- is healthy and ready to go after spending the first half of his rookie season on injured reserve and then not appearing in a game after that. So that's two highly regarded second-rounders joining an already crowded depth chart. -- Mike Reiss play 1:23 Woody: Patriots had the best overall draft Damien Woody evaluates the players New England added in the draft, including wide receiver N'Keal Harry. Projected wins: 9.2 Chance to make playoffs: 57.9 percent Where the team improved this offseason: A plan to improve the defense as a whole. It started with the signing of defensive end Justin Houston, who has 78.5 sacks in his career, and continued through the draft last month. The Colts, who finished 11th overall in total defense last season, used seven of their 10 draft picks on defensive players. Rock Ya-Sin, the team's first draft pick (34th overall), will push hard for one of the starting cornerback spots. The Colts also selected four linebackers, as at least one of the three starting spots at that position is wide-open. -- Mike Wells Projected wins: 8.8 Chance to make playoffs: 49.7 percent Where the team improved this offseason: Pass defense. The Chargers struggled in coverage and open-field tackling at times last season, particularly in the team's humbling playoff loss to the Patriots. On defense, the Chargers gave up nine passing plays of 15 yards or more against New England. The Bolts addressed that issue by adding athletic, veteran linebacker Thomas Davis in free agency, and using five of their seven draft picks on defensive players, including interior pass-rusher Jerry Tillery in the first round and rangy free safety Nasir Adderley in the second. -- Eric D. Williams Projected wins: 9.1 Chance to make playoffs: 55.6 percent Where the team improved this offseason: Running back. This might not be a popular opinion, seeing as how Jordan Howard (traded to the Eagles) rushed for 3,370 yards over three seasons with the Bears. But Chicago's front office did a better job collecting running backs who fit head coach Matt Nagy's scheme, signing veteran Mike Davis and drafting Iowa State's David Montgomery in the third round. Combining Davis and Montgomery with explosive all-purpose threat Tarik Cohen gives the Bears more flexibility and pass-catching ability in the backfield. -- Jeff Dickerson Projected wins: 8.5 Chance to make playoffs: 44.2 percent Where the team improved this offseason: A plan to protect Deshaun Watson. The Texans used two of their three picks in the first two rounds on offensive tackles: Alabama State's Tytus Howard (No. 23) and Northern Illinois' Max Scharping (No. 55). It remains to be seen whether they will be impact players in 2019, but Houston took a step in the right direction by drafting two players it hopes will protect its franchise quarterback for the foreseeable future. -- Sarah Barshop Projected wins: 8.4 Chance to make playoffs: 41.8 percent Where the team improved this offseason: Offensive line. The Falcons really invested in the line both through the draft and via free agency. They drafted Chris Lindstrom No.<doc-sep>There are certain websites who love to rock the boat. Why? Because they know it will create discussion. It is a solid business model for a site trying to drive traffic to their website, and ESPN, among others, is atop the heap when it comes to this style of online journalism. One of the things ESPN does so well are their periodical Power Rankings articles. They don’t just put them out weekly during the season, but also throughout other parts of the calendar year. Pre-Free Agency Power Rankings Post-Free Agency Power Rankings Post-NFL Draft Power Rankings You get the picture, but while we all recognize these rankings are meaningless, it is a good place to take a look at how your favorite team, in this case the Pittsburgh Steelers, stack up against their peers in the NFL. For the beloved black-and-gold, it seems like ages ago when they were considered a Top 5 team on rankings like this one. They always applauded the offensive line, franchise quarterback and the ‘Killer B’s’. While the quarterback and line remain the same, plenty of other aspects have changed. After the 2019 NFL Draft, and the Steelers adding 9 players to their current roster, the folks at ESPN have decided the Steelers are nothing more than a middle-of-the-road team. Take a look at their latest rankings below, and let us know what you think in the comment section below! 1. Kansas City Chiefs 2. New Orleans Saints 3. Los Angeles Rams 4. New England Patriots 5. Indianapolis Colts 6. Los Angeles Chargers 7. Chicago Bears 8. Houston Texans 9. Atlanta Falcons 10. Philadelphia Eagles ... 15. Cleveland Browns 16. Pittsburgh Steelers “Projected wins: 8.5 Chance to make playoffs: 45.8 percent Where the team improved this offseason: Pass coverage. The Steelers have shown a commitment to improving their pass defense over the past three months. The signing of free agent Steven Nelson gives Pittsburgh a legitimate starting corner alongside Joe Haden. The franchise drafted linebacker Devin Bush No. 10 overall in part because of his speed and coverage ability, areas in which free-agent linebacker Mark Barron also will help. Third-round cornerback Justin Layne was considered one of the most aggressive press corners in the draft. The back end looks stronger, which is necessary for a team that has struggled drafting cornerbacks in recent years.” 17. Baltimore Ravens<doc-sep>NFL free agency, aside from a stray signing or two, has been over for a while. The draft is behind us. Rookie minicamps have started and mandatory veteran camps are around the corner. So it's time for another batch of Power Rankings, now that we know all the rookies on each team coming out of the draft two weeks ago. Some teams had what I considered to be great drafts, but they might not be as impactful this season as they will be in the future. That means those teams and those players could still be a year or so away. But for the good teams, those impressive drafts can play key roles in 2019. One of those teams that had a good draft to help its roster was the Green Bay Packers. The Packers have had a great offseason all the way around – at least when it comes to adding to the roster -- which is why they are in the No. 2 spot in my Power Rankings. After loading up on defense in free agency by landing pass rushers Za'Darius Smith and Preston Smith, as well as safety Adrian Amos, the Packers came back and had a good draft. They added edge player Rashan Gary and safety Darnell Savage in the first round, while third-round tight end Jace Sternberger should help Aaron Rodgers in the middle of the field. The Packers are much better now than a year ago – at least on paper. Oh, and they still have Aaron Rodgers. Yes, he's learning a new offense under first-year coach Matt LaFleur, but that could be a good thing. It's fresh. The Packers got stale on that side of the ball. Green Bay still needs some young players to step up at receiver, but I think the talent is there. The offense will be dynamic again. And I think the improvements on defense make Green Bay the team to beat in the NFC. The Patriots are still atop the rankings right now as the defending champs. They've suffered some hits in free agency -- losing pass rusher Trey Flowers being the biggest -- and they also saw tight end Rob Gronkowski retire. But as long as they have Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, they will be just fine -- and should feel comfortable in the top spot in any Power Rankings.<doc-sep>
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - JANUARY 20: Reggie Ragland #59 of the Kansas City Chiefs intercepts a pass in the second quarter against the New England Patriots during the AFC Championship Game at Arrowhead Stadium on January 20, 2019 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) The Kansas City Chiefs are losing ground in the minds of NFL analysts as post-draft NFL power rankings have them falling after the NFL Draft. The Kansas City Chiefs boast the NFL’s reigning MVP as their starting quarterback and were only a play or two away from representing the AFC in the Super Bowl, but this offseason has generated more believers in other teams as the Chiefs wrestle with major questions on both sides of the ball. In the latest run of NFL Power Rankings after the 2019 NFL Draft, the Chiefs have fallen behind even other AFC contenders beyond just the New England Patriots. It’s easy to understand some of the questions. The Chiefs have completely remade the defense, which raises a number of concerns even for fans. The team dumped Justin Houston and traded Dee Ford only to bring in Frank Clark and Alex Okafor. Is that enough for the pass rush? They released Eric Berry but added Tyrann Mathieu and Juan Thorhill in free agency and the draft, respectively. Is the new safety tandem enough to cover for cornerback concerns? And what about that lackluster linebacking corps? Is a switch to Steve Spagnuolo as coordinator going to cure all ills? On the offensive side, the Chiefs led the league in total offense last season, but they’ve already lost Kareem Hunt and could also watch Tyreek Hill do the same, either via release or suspension. Are the Chiefs nearly as dangerous without two of their Pro Bowl skill position players? These questions are why the Chiefs have taken a hit this offseason. NBC Sports has the Chiefs at No. 7 overall and they surmise that “K.C. will be more reliant on their superstar quarterback than a year ago.” Ouch. Over at NFL.com, the Chiefs have fallen to No. 8 behind other AFC teams like the Patriots, Colts, and Chargers. That’s quite a stretch for a team so close to the big game. At least the folks at Sports Illustrated are still believers. The Chiefs are No. 3 overall behind the Pats and Saints. The staff writes, “Obviously Tyreek Hill’s status is a major question that’s yet to be answered. Even with the possibility that we might not see him at all in 2019, the Chiefs remain a top team in our poll—with two votes in the No. 1 spot, even.” Fans know there are plenty of reasons to believe. The defense was already poor last season overall in its effectiveness, so changes should be a good thing here. In addition, the team added Mecole Hardman, a speedy wideout from Georgia. Mahomes should be that much better in his second stating in the league and he’ll still have Sammy Watkins, Travis Kelce, Hardman and a loaded running backs corps at his disposal. Plus the stability and creativity of Andy Reid should count for more than he gets credit.