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USATSI

Back in March, shortly after the first wave of free agency, CBSSports.com explored how much and how little draft capital was controlled by each team. Using the trade value chart of SportsLine's R.J. White, we ranked the teams based on the cumulative value of each team's picks. 

It is time to look back at how teams used that draft capital and what they were able to accomplish strategically. 

Top five 

1. Chicago Bears

1364.16 points on March 13 (entered draft with four picks)

  • QB Caleb Williams, USC (Round 1, No. 1 overall)
  • WR Rome Odunze, Washington (Round 1, No. 9 overall)
  • OT Kiran Amegadjie, Yale (Round 3, No. 75 overall)
  • P Tory Taylor, Iowa (Round 4, No. 122 overall)
  • EDGE Austin Booker, Kansas (Round 5, No. 144 overall)

Chicago finished the draft with 1375.69 total points after adding the No. 144 overall selection in exchange for a 2025 fourth-round pick. The Bears dipped into future resources to add developmental pass rusher Austin Booker. The organization's plan was otherwise simple, adding pieces to the offense in support of incoming rookie quarterback Caleb Williams. 

2. Washington Commanders 

1236.73 points on March 13 (entered draft with nine picks)  

Washington traded back from No. 40 overall, but picked up Nos. 50 and 53 overall in the process. When all was said and done, the Commanders had 1250.62 points in value. The draft results were a scatterplot, hitting nine different positions with its nine selections. In a separate column, I explored what new general manager Adam Peters accomplished in his first draft. 

3. Arizona Cardinals

1149.57 points on March 13 (entered draft with 11 picks)  

It would have been wise to wager that Arizona would not make its 11 selections, but it made even more. The Cardinals traded back twice and picked up an additional sixth-round pick. The trade back from No. 35 overall allowed them to add another selection in the top 100 overall. The team had 1169.47 points in value. Eight positions were addressed as the team doubled down on premium positions, such as edge rusher, wide receiver and cornerback.

4. New England Patriots

935.25 points on March 13 (entered draft with eight picks)  

New England traded back three spots in the second round and the differential was negligible. The Patriots had eight picks worth 934.74 points. Seven of New England's eight selections, including the first five, were used on the offensive side of the ball to aid quarterbacks Drake Maye and Jacoby Brissett. 

5. Los Angeles Chargers

803.20 on March 13 (entered draft with nine picks)  

Outside of offensive tackle Joe Alt and defensive tackle Justin Eboigbe, Los Angeles' draft class was rather flashy. Five of the team's nine picks were used on the cornerback and wide receiver positions as the Chargers look to rebuild both units. Keenan Allen and Mike Williams are no longer around to make plays in that offense. New general manager Joe Hortiz made just one trade: moving up three spots to No. 34 overall. The final point total was 803.72. 

Bottom five 

28. Miami Dolphins

334.65 points on March 13 (entered draft with six picks)

Miami added points over the course of the weekend, but it was not as impressive as it may sound. A 2025 third-round pick was the collateral damage in a trade with the Eagles as the Dolphins took sole possession of the No. 120 overall selection, which was used on Tennessee running back Jaylen Wright. It suggests that the franchise has big plans for Wright, though the vision may prove to be short-sighted as next year's class of running backs looks even stronger. The franchise had 353.29 total points. 

29. Buffalo Bills

332.90 points on March 13 (entered draft with 11 picks)

Buffalo's draft strategy was similar to Chris Berman's call of the MLB All-Star Home Run Derby -- back, back, back. The Bills traded back three times and sent a fifth-round pick to the Bears in exchange for a 2025 fourth-round selection. They were the wide receiver merchants, allowing two other teams to take players at the position before grabbing their own at No. 33 overall. General manager Brandon Beane finished with 328.44 points of value, as well as the pick in next year's draft. 

30. Kansas City Chiefs

309.27 points on March 13 (entered draft with seven picks)  

Kansas City traded up from each of its initial two picks to select targeted players. Neither trade was lopsided, however, as the Chiefs had just as many points (309.27) as they did nearly two months earlier. 

31. Houston Texans

296.74 picks on March 13 (entered draft with eight picks)

Houston gained one selection, but lost less than two points in value. The Texans traded up twice and back once before securing a monopoly on seventh-round selections. Three of the final 19 picks belonged to the defending AFC South champions. 

32. Cleveland Browns

153.37 points on March 13 (entered draft with five picks)

  • DT Michael Hall Jr., Ohio State (Round 2, No. 54 overall)
  • OG Zak Zinter, Michigan (Round 3, No. 85 overall)
  • WR Jamari Thrash, Louisville (Round 5, No. 156 overall)
  • LB Nathaniel Watson, Mississippi State (Round 6, No. 206 overall)
  • CB Myles Harden, South Dakota (Round 7, No. 227 overall)
  • DT Jowon Briggs, Cincinnati (Round 7, No. 243 overall)

Cleveland did not make any trades over the course of the draft but it did send reserve offensive tackle Leroy Watson to the Titans weeks earlier in exchange for a seventh-round selection, which became Myles Harden. The Browns took Michael Hall Jr. and Zak Zinter on Day 2 of the NFL Draft as they look to get younger and cheaper at those positions. Their final point value was 155.60.