NFL draft retention rates reveal the best and worst teams at keeping picks

Building a team through the draft is a consistent mantra from almost every NFL team because getting cost-controlled young players in a salary-capped league is crucial to success.

Pulling that off isn't as easy with the draft often looking like a crapshoot, with some widely heralded prospects taken in the first round flaming out each year and the league filled with later-round gems who were overlooked coming out of college.

That can be because of bad evaluation, poor development, injuries or bad fortune but the teams that do the best to avoid it are often the ones playing deep into January.

Evaluating drafts in the immediate aftermath each spring is often foolhardy as it often takes a year or even more to see if picks worked out.

Leaguewide, 55% of all players drafted from 2021-24 were still on the active roster or an injured list of the team that picked them, according to data compiled by Sportradar after rosters were reduced to 53 players last week. That ranged from 85% of players picked in the first round, 68.8% picked in the second and third rounds on day two of the draft, and 42.6% in the final four rounds on day three.

In all, eight teams have less than half of their 2021-24 draft picks still on the active roster or injured lists but that's doesn't necessarily translate to a lack of on-field success. Minnesota has the lowest retention rate at 32.4% and made the playoffs with 14 wins last season, while Washington is fourth lowest at 41.2% and made it to last season's NFC title game.

Eight other teams have retained more than 63% of their 2021-24 draft picks, with five of those teams making the playoffs last season, two others finishing with winning records and only the New York Giants lacking success with just nine wins the past two seasons under general manager Joe Schoen and coach Brian Daboll.

Seven of those eight teams had the same coach and general manager since at least 2022 as the stability in leadership and scheme typically leads to fewer roster overhauls.

The only two teams near the bottom who had not changed their coach since the start of the 2022 season are the Vikings and San Francisco 49ers, who made up for several notable draft whiffs made by general manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan by finding a franchise quarterback in Brock Purdy with the final pick of the 2022 draft.

Here's a look at the three best and worst teams when it comes to retaining picks.

Cincinnati Bengals, 73.5%

The Bengals faced a tough decision in the 2021 draft when they had to choose whether to pick Penei Sewell to protect Joe Burrow or Ja'Marr Chase to give him a playmaker. While both choices would have been good, picking Chase has worked out as good as they could have hoped with four Pro Bowl seasons and a receiving Triple Crown in 2024.

The next three first-rounders — Dax Hill, Myles Murphy and Amarius Mims — haven't been nearly as impactful but are still in place. That's been a bit of a theme for the Bengals as the stability in the front office and coaching has kept draft picks in place but few have been difference-makers in recent years.

Cincinnati has retained the highest percentage of day three picks during this period at 66.7%, with the biggest hit being 2025 fifth-round pick Chase Brown.

Kansas City Chiefs, 73.3%

Kansas City has kept 11 of its 12 picks in the first three rounds on the roster with several being key contributors to the team's back-to-back Super Bowl titles in the 2022-23 seasons.

The Chiefs got two players who have earned All-Pro honors in center Creed Humphrey in the second round in 2021 and cornerback Trent McDuffie in the first round in 2022. Among the other early-round hits have been linebacker Nick Bolton, receiver Skyy Moore and edge rusher George Karlaftis, and additional starters in linebacker Leo Chenal and safety Bryan Cook.

There have also been some big day three wins like guard Trey Smith in the sixth round in 2021, tight end Noah Gray in the fifth round in 2021, and running back Isiah Pacheco and cornerback Jaylen Watson in the seventh round in 2022.

Detroit Lions, 72.4%

GM Brad Holmes and coach Dan Campbell have engineered one of the best turnarounds in recent memory in the NFL, turning one of the worst franchises into a perennial contender thanks to some sharp draft picks.

Helped by two extra first-rounders gained when Detroit traded Matthew Stafford to the Rams for Jared Goff, the Lions added several difference-makers in the first round led by Sewell, Aidan Hutchinson and Jahymr Gibbs.

The Lions also got their No. 1 receiver on day three of the 2021 draft in Amon-Ra St. Brown and several key contributors with day two picks, like All-Pro safety Kerby Joseph in the third round in 2022, and versatile defensive back Brian Branch and productive tight end Sam LaPorta in the second round in 2023.

Minnesota Vikings, 32.4%

Perhaps no team has overcome poor drafts as well as the Vikings in recent years under GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and coach Kevin O'Connell.

Outside of star left tackle Christian Darrisaw and depth receiver Jalen Nailor, Minnesota has almost nothing left from the 2021 and '22 draft classes after whiffing on high picks in 2022 on first-round safety Lewis Cine, second-round cornerback Andrew Booth and third-round guard Ed Ingram.

The verdict on the 2024 draft remains unknown after first-rounder J.J. McCarthy missed his rookie season with a knee injury and fellow first-rounder Dallas Turner made little impact as a rookie.

The team has hit on several undrafted free agents, led by linebacker Ivan Pace Jr.

New England Patriots, 36.8%

Poor picks at the end of the Bill Belichick regime followed by a one-year run with Jerod Mayo as coach have contributed to the Patriots moving on from most of their picks from 2021-24 as they enter their first year under coach Mike Vrabel.

The 2022 draft class might have been the worst as only third-round slot cornerback Marcus Jones remains after the team cut first-round guard Cole Strange last week. Second-round receiver Tyquan Thornton had 39 catches in three seasons before being cut last season.

New England had two hits from 2021 in second-round defensive tackle Christian Barmore and fourth-round running back Rhamondre Stevenson after first-round QB Mac Jones lasted only three seasons with the team.

Drake Maye is the only projected starter this season from last year's draft class.

New England did well at the top of the 2023 draft with cornerback Christian Gonzalez and defensive Keion White.

The Pats have only 6 of 26 (23.1%) of day-three picks over those four years still on the roster.

Tennessee Titans, 40%

The Titans have gone through three GMs since the start of the 2022 season as a roster that was good enough to earn the top seed in the AFC in 2021 fell so much that the Titans ended up with the No. 1 pick in this year's draft.

Cornerback Caleb Farley started just two games in two seasons after being picked in the first round in 2021 and receiver Treylon Burks — picked to replace A.J. Brown in 2022 — will finish his rookie contract with 53 catches and one TD after going on season-ending IR.

Tennessee has just four day two picks and five day three picks from 2021-24 left on the roster after missing on picks like Dillon Radunz, Elijah Molden, Nicholas Petit-Frere and Malik Willis.

The Titans used a second-round pick in 2023 on quarterback Will Levis, who went 5-16 in his first two seasons and is on IR this year.

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