From draft hosts to Super Bowl champs? How the local teams have fared afterward
-
Kalan Hooks, ESPN
The NFL draft, in the ninth year of its tour across the nation since leaving its longtime home of New York, is making its 2024 stop in Detroit.
The draft was held in cities such as Philadelphia and Chicago dating back to 1936, but in 1965 the Big Apple became its home for 50 years. As the years went by and the draft began to expand, it evolved from one day to two in 1988 before eventually becoming a three-day event in 2010. The expanded event grew out of the New York City site in 2015 in an effort to engage with more fans nationwide.
In 2022, the NFL announced that the draft would land in Detroit. The Detroit Lions went on to a historic 2023 season, going to the NFC Championship Game for the first time since 1991, where their bid for the Super Bowl came up short in a 34-31 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
Detroit set a Day 1 record for the NFL draft on Thursday with over 275,000 fans in attendance.
Here is a look at other NFL draft hosts and how they have fared the following season.
Kansas City, 2023
Wide receiver Kadarius Toney couldn’t grasp multiple dimes from Patrick Mahomes, and the Kansas City Chiefs began their season on a down note by dropping their opener to the Lions. Travis Kelce stepped up in the receiving room to lead the team to a six-game winning streak, but offensive struggles triggered Kansas City midway through the regular season.
The Chiefs still made an appearance in the postseason in freezing cold temperatures, and their journey to the Super Bowl looked like a breeze.
The Super Bowl appeared to be going the 49ers’ way, but San Francisco’s 10-3 halftime lead morphed into an overtime thriller. In the extra period, Mahomes connected with Mecole Hardman for a walk-off touchdown and back-to-back Kansas City Super Bowl victories.
Philadelphia, 2017
The Philadelphia Eagles made franchise history in the 2017 season, winning their first Super Bowl.
After the Eagles finished the 2016 season 7-9, Doug Pederson changed the offensive game plan to let their string of quarterbacks maximize their potential. Philadelphia got off to a 10-1 start before losing to the Seattle Seahawks as Russell Wilson had three passing touchdowns.
The Eagles completed the season with a franchise-record 13 wins. Quarterback Carson Wentz threw for 3,296 yards before suffering a season-ending torn ACL, leading Nick Foles to anchor Philadelphia in its Super Bowl victory over Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.
Nashville, 2019
The Tennessee Titans hadn’t been to an AFC Championship Game since 2002, but 2019 was a turnaround after missing the 2018 playoffs. The Titans drafted wide receiver A.J. Brown in 2019 as the No. 51 overall pick. He made an immediate impact by leading Tennessee with 1,051 receiving yards and eight touchdowns.
And Derrick Henry was unstoppable during the Titans’ playoff run, leading them to the AFC Championship Game, but they failed to get past Kansas City for a Super Bowl berth.
Arlington (Dallas), 2018
The Dallas Cowboys hadn’t had a playoff victory since 2015. Though their season had a rocky start defensively, the offense sparked a five-game winning streak. Dak Prescott’s 80% rate completion in Week 16 helped the Cowboys beat the Buccaneers 27-20, clinching the NFC East Division title before losing to the Los Angeles Rams in the postseason.
Las Vegas, 2022
The Raiders began their season 2-7. Though Las Vegas running back Josh Jacobs led the league in rushing yards that season with 1,653, it didn’t add enough momentum to help the Raiders do a 180 from the rough start. Las Vegas finished with a 6-11 record, missing the playoffs.
The following season, the Raiders got off to a 3-5 start under Josh McDaniel, which led to a coaching change. Las Vegas appointed Antonio Pierce as interim head coach, immediately boosting locker room morale.
Cleveland, 2021
The Cleveland Browns had earned their first playoff berth since 2002 in the 2020 season. Though Cleveland lost to the Chiefs in the divisional round, the Browns were expected to carry their momentum over into the 2021 season and be Super Bowl contenders.
That didn’t quite happen.
In Week 2 against the Houston Texans, then-quarterback Baker Mayfield suffered a shoulder injury that would ultimately lead the Browns to finish the season 8-9.
Chicago, 2015
After kicking off their season at Soldier Field, the Bears suffered a three-game losing streak against the Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks. Their 26-0 loss to Seattle appeared to help the Bears build character, leading to wins in their next two games and close competition the rest of the season.
Quarterback Jay Cutler had one of his best seasons with Chicago. After throwing 18 interceptions in 2014, he cut back in 2015 with 11 picks even though the Bears’ wide receivers room was decimated by injuries.
The Bears finished the season 6-10.
Chicago, 2016
After taking a couple of steps forward in the 2015 season, the Bears took multiple steps backward in 2016 — posting a record of 3-13.
In their second season under John Fox, the Bears faced a number of health challenges with 19 players on the injured reserve list. Cutler was in and out during the season, causing Matt Barkley and Brian Hoyer to step up.
The following year, the Bears earned the No. 1 pick in the 2017 NFL draft.
