It was an NFL draft that will be remembered mostly for the drop of quarterback Shedeur Sanders from early-first-round hopeful to fifth-round pick.

There was a big-splash trade early Thursday night. Beyond that, things unfolded in relatively routine fashion. It was not a draft overflowing with marquee players. But it was a draft filled with its share of starting-caliber players. Most teams took full advantage of that and did relatively well. Very few teams made particularly bold moves or did much that could be immediately regarded as a major blunder.

As always, nobody can properly evaluate an NFL draft in real time. No one knows which of the hundreds of draft choices will become stars and which will be remembered as busts. But it is possible to attempt to evaluate which teams made the most of what they had available to them and which didn’t. Here’s an early look at how the 32 NFL teams fared.

The Cowboys showed restraint. They didn’t trade up into the top 10 for Ashton Jeanty. They didn’t jump in to end Shedeur Sanders’s draft plummet. They made a decidedly unglamorous choice at No. 12 overall: guard Tyler Booker. But it was the proper pick, particularly after Zack Martin’s retirement. The Cowboys also did well by getting pass rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku in the second round and cornerback Shavon Revel Jr. in the third round. This is a solid draft class.

There’s much to like about what the Giants did, staying put at No. 3 to take Abdul Carter and then trading back up into the first round to get Jaxson Dart. Carter is a defensive difference-maker as a pass rusher. He and Travis Hunter were widely regarded as the best players in this class. Dart becomes the team’s quarterback of the future. It was a trade the Giants had to make, and targeting Dart as their preferred quarterback is justifiable. Getting running back Cam Skattebo in the fourth round was a good value and an intriguing pick. Whether it’s enough to turn around the franchise and save the jobs of General Manager Joe Schoen and Coach Brian Daboll remains to be seen. But the Giants did the right things during this draft, at least.

General Manager Howie Roseman can do no wrong. Or at least it seems that way after he pushed all the right roster-construction buttons to assemble the team that won last season’s Super Bowl. Roseman may have gotten another steal by trading up one spot to get linebacker Jihaad Campbell with the second-to-last pick of the opening round. He remained focused early on the defense, including with the second-round choice of safety Andrew Mukuba. That comes after the offseason trade of C.J. Gardner-Johnson and the release of James Bradberry. The Browns traded ahead of the Eagles in the fifth round to take Shedeur Sanders. But Roseman did get a quarterback, selecting Kyle McCord in the sixth round. At this point, it’s better not to question anything that Roseman does.

General Manager Adam Peters addressed major needs by taking offensive tackle Josh Conerly Jr. in the first round and cornerback Trey Amos in the second. The addition of Conerly further fortifies the offensive line following the trade earlier in the offseason for tackle Laremy Tunsil. This wasn’t a franchise-altering draft like last year’s, which produced quarterback Jayden Daniels. But the Commanders have spent the offseason acting like the Super Bowl contenders they are, with the seize-the-moment trades for Tunsil and wide receiver Deebo Samuel. Peters added to that with some wise draft moves.

This was all about the team’s offensive-minded first-year coach, Ben Johnson, and its second-year quarterback, Caleb Williams. The Bears had four picks in the opening two rounds and devoted the first three of them to their offense, with first-round tight end Colston Loveland and the second-round duo of wide receiver Luther Burden III and offensive tackle Ozzy Trapilo. It’s debatable whether the Bears should have taken Loveland over fellow tight end Tyler Warren, but both are well regarded. Burden represented great second-round value. Second-round defensive tackle Shemar Turner also should help considerably. This draft class is a sizable step in the proper direction.

Taking defensive tackle Tyleik Williams late in the first round was a bit too soon for him. The Lions did better with second-round guard Tate Ratledge and third-round wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa.

The draft hosts delighted the big hometown crowd Thursday night by using a first-round choice on a wide receiver for the first time since 2002, with the selection of Matthew Golden. It was a move that undoubtedly delighted Packers quarterback Jordan Love and, if he was watching somewhere, perhaps chagrined Love’s predecessor in Green Bay, Aaron Rodgers. There also was a good moment on the final day when pass rusher Barryn Sorrell stayed around long enough to get his chance to walk across the draft stage. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell made a fourth-round appearance to announce the pick.

The Vikings’ most consequential move during draft weekend may have been trading for quarterback Sam Howell as a prospective backup to projected starter J.J. McCarthy. They made only five picks over seven rounds, beginning by getting guard Donovan Jackson at No. 24.

This was an interesting mixed bag. The Falcons have had a perpetual need for pass-rush help, and they addressed that in a major way by taking Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. in the first round. They’re promising players worthy of the early picks. Even so, spending so much draft capital on a single need was curious. Trading a first-round choice next year to the Rams as part of the package to move up for Pearce, in a draft filled with pass-rush talent, was questionable. The Falcons may regret the cost of that trade. The focus on defense continued with the third-round selection of safety Xavier Watts.

The Panthers made Tetairoa McMillan the first pure wide receiver taken at No. 8 overall, six spots after dual threat Travis Hunter came off the board. That was a bit early for McMillan, but not egregiously so. Carolina did reasonably well with the values of pass rusher Nic Scourton in the second round and running back Trevor Etienne and safety Lathan Ransom in the fourth round.

The Saints waited until the second round to make the quarterback move that they needed, given the uncertainty over Derek Carr’s shoulder injury. Getting Tyler Shough with the eighth pick of Round 2 was sound. So was taking offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. at No. 9 overall.

The Buccaneers added some youth to a wide receiver group that includes veteran mainstays Mike Evans and Chris Godwin by choosing Emeka Egbuka in the opening round. That’s a move that should benefit quarterback Baker Mayfield. The Buccaneers doubled up on cornerbacks with Benjamin Morrison in the second round and Jacob Parrish in the third.

The Cardinals focused on their defense and may have gotten one of the best values of the entire draft when they took cornerback Will Johnson in the second round, if he’s right that the reported concerns over his knee were unjustified. First-round defensive tackle Walter Nolen was well worth the 16th pick.

The Rams added a first-round pick next year in their trade with the Falcons, moving entirely out of Thursday night’s opening round. They got a good second-round value with tight end Terrance Ferguson, potentially providing quarterback Matthew Stafford with another reliable target. They added to their collection of young pass rushers with third-rounder Josaiah Stewart. But they may regret not making a move to put a quarterback of the future in place behind Stafford.

The 49ers devoted their first five choices to their defense, beginning with first-round pass rusher Mykel Williams. He should serve as a capable complement to Nick Bosa. But there are issues on offense, arising in part from age and injuries, which mostly were not addressed. As the 49ers negotiate a contract extension with quarterback Brock Purdy — which probably will be worth more than $50 million per season — it’s questionable at this point whether they can put a championship-caliber team around him.

The most intriguing pick in this class was the third-round choice of quarterback Jalen Milroe. The Seahawks signed Sam Darnold to a three-year, $100.5 million contract in free agency, so Milroe will have time to develop without the burden of immediate expectations. That’s a desirable set of circumstances. The Seahawks did very well with their selections of offensive lineman Grey Zabel in the first round and safety Nick Emmanwori and tight end Elijah Arroyo in the second.

The Bills clearly believed they needed to upgrade their defense if they’re going to break through and reach a Super Bowl. Their first five picks came on that side of the ball. They did very well with first-round cornerback Maxwell Hairston and second-round defensive tackle T.J. Sanders.

The Dolphins didn’t trade cornerback Jalen Ramsey during the draft after acknowledging they are exploring that possibility. The early focus was the defensive and offensive lines. They added defensive tackle Kenneth Grant in the opening round. The 13th pick might have been a bit early, but that was not a glaring overreach. The same could be said about taking offensive lineman Jonah Savaiinaea with the fifth choice of the second round. He can play guard or tackle. The Dolphins got quarterback Quinn Ewers in the seventh round. That was a sensible low-cost move with a potential upside, given the team’s sizable offensive issues whenever Tua Tagovailoa has been out of the lineup.

Coach Mike Vrabel and the front office clearly were focused on helping second-year quarterback Drake Maye, using the Patriots’ first four picks on offensive players. They fared well, particularly by taking offensive tackle Will Campbell at No. 4 overall and getting running back TreVeyon Henderson early in the second round. The Patriots used a sixth-round choice on a kicker, Andres Borregales. There’s a long way to go as Vrabel gets started after succeeding Bill Belichick’s successor, Jerod Mayo. But the Patriots took a step toward on-field respectability.

Aaron Rodgers is gone, and the franchise’s new general manager, Darren Mougey, and new coach, Aaron Glenn, did what they could to assist the quarterback they signed in free agency, Justin Fields. The Jets got offensive tackle Armand Membou in the first round and tight end Mason Taylor in the second. Those were solid moves.

Put aside the propriety of whether the Ravens should have drafted pass rusher Mike Green despite his off-field issues — particularly given that their longtime kicker, Justin Tucker, is being investigated by the NFL under its personal conduct policy. Both players have denied wrongdoing. Purely on football considerations, the Ravens fortified their defense meaningfully by getting safety Malaki Starks in the first round and Green in the second. They did far less to help quarterback Lamar Jackson and the offense. The selection of kicker Tyler Loop in the sixth round gives the Ravens a potential alternative to Tucker.

The Bengals didn’t trade star pass rusher Trey Hendrickson, the NFL’s leader in sacks last season. But they still haven’t reached a contract resolution with him. Whether Hendrickson stays or not, upgrading the defense is the main issue after the Bengals spent big money in the offseason to keep their offense intact at the behest of quarterback Joe Burrow. The selections of pass rusher Shemar Stewart in the first round and linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. in the second represented some progress in that regard. But it’s debatable whether it was anywhere close to enough.

The Browns finally ended Shedeur Sanders’s plummet by trading up to take him with the sixth pick of the fifth round, the 144th choice. It made for the oddity of a two-quarterback draft class, after the Browns took Dillon Gabriel late in the third round. No matter. The Sanders pick was more than worth it at that point. It’s not outlandish to think that Sanders could even be the starter, given the state of the roster. The Browns ended up making five picks in the first three rounds after trading down three spots near the top of the draft, passing up the chance to take two-position standout Travis Hunter, to select defensive tackle Mason Graham at No. 5. Graham is a great addition to the defensive front, and adding a first-round choice next year in the trade is significant. But if Hunter becomes a major NFL star, the move will represent a missed opportunity. Getting running back Quinshon Judkins in the second round was meaningful.

Should they have taken Shedeur Sanders? Perhaps. Even if the Steelers sign Aaron Rodgers, as still seems likely, having Sanders on the roster as a developmental quarterback could have been desirable. Coach Mike Tomlin could have made it work. And if they’re spurned by Rodgers, not taking Sanders will have been regrettable. They did add a quarterback by taking Will Howard in the sixth round. Putting all of that aside and assuming they address their starting quarterback situation adequately, the Steelers did extremely well by getting defensive tackle Derrick Harmon in the first round, running back Kaleb Johnson in the third and pass rusher Jack Sawyer in the fourth.

The Texans traded out of the first round in the deal that allowed the Giants to move up for Jaxson Dart. Houston bolstered its wide receiver corps with second-rounder Jayden Higgins and third-rounder Jaylin Noel. This draft class is fine but does not appear to significantly elevate the team’s level. The Texans used a sixth-round selection on quarterback Graham Mertz, a bit of a curious choice with Quinn Ewers still available.

The Colts may have benefited when Tyler Warren fell to them at No. 14. Many draft analysts considered Warren the top tight end in the class, but the Bears opted for Colston Loveland over Warren four picks earlier. That may have been good fortune for whichever quarterback, Daniel Jones or Anthony Richardson, emerges as the Colts’ starter. Fifth-round running back DJ Giddens should be a contributor. The Colts used a sixth-round choice on a developmental quarterback, Riley Leonard.

The Jaguars’ new football brain trust, including General Manager James Gladstone, made the draft’s biggest and boldest move by trading up three spots to take Travis Hunter, the Heisman Trophy-winning cornerback and wide receiver from Colorado, at No. 2 overall. Hunter has undeniable star power. He’s capable of being a game-changing player at both positions. And if the Jaguars landed what amounts to two Pro Bowl players with a single choice, the trade is justified, no matter the cost. But they had to surrender quite a bit, including a first-round pick next year, to move up three spots. They had better hope it works out. The Jaguars, at the very least, were unafraid.

New general manager Mike Borgonzi did the proper thing by taking Cam Ward first overall. Travis Hunter and Abdul Carter may be better players, positional considerations aside. But the first rule of NFL roster building is that if you don’t have a franchise quarterback, you must do everything you can to try to get one. Now it’s up to Coach Brian Callahan and his staff to make it work. Borgonzi made other consequential picks, including the second-round selection of pass rusher Oluwafemi Oladejo after trading down and the fourth-round choice of wide receiver Elic Ayomanor. But the success of this class will be judged almost solely on whether Ward becomes the player he was selected to be.

The Broncos had good first-round luck when cornerback Jahdae Barron fell to them at No. 20. He should help considerably opposite Patrick Surtain II. Second-round running back RJ Harvey and third-round pass rusher Sai’vion Jones also should fill roles on a team coming off a playoff appearance under Coach Sean Payton. It certainly helps to enter a draft with the franchise quarterback already in place, a year after the Broncos got Bo Nix.

Addressing their offensive line situation was imperative. The Chiefs wasted no time doing that, selecting offensive tackle Josh Simmons after trading down a spot to the final pick in the opening round. That move alone made for a positive draft. The Chiefs added to their defense from there by getting defensive tackle Omarr Norman-Lott in Round 2, then taking pass rusher Ashton Gillotte and cornerback Nohl Williams in the third round.

The Raiders, in taking Ashton Jeanty at No. 6, used the loftiest pick that any NFL team has devoted to a running back since the Giants took Saquon Barkley second in 2018. That worked out well, although far more so for Barkley than for the Giants. Running back no longer is a devalued position, and Jeanty is a gifted runner who could be the centerpiece of the Raiders’ offense as a rookie, even after their trade for quarterback Geno Smith. The Jeanty selection was the opening maneuver of a series of good picks. The new football decision-making regime of part-owner Tom Brady, General Manager John Spytek and Coach Pete Carroll is off to a decent start, although progress should be measured in incremental steps.

The Chargers improved on offense by taking running back Omarion Hampton in the opening round and wide receiver Tre Harris in the second. Hampton, in particular, could make a difference as the Chargers seek to build on last season’s playoff appearance in Year 1 under Coach Jim Harbaugh.