The NFL Draft is all about trying to find players who can help your team as soon as possible. Sure, there are developmental picks, particularly at quarterback, but finding guys who can contribute right away often leads to successful classes.
Teams often aim to have at least two rookie starters each year – if not starters, key contributors – but these seven franchises may have landed much more than that. They had great hauls in the draft and will likely have as many as four rookie starters this season.

Indianapolis Colts
Count ‘em. Not one, not two, not three, not four, but five of the Colts’ draft picks have a good chance of starting this season. Malik Hooker and Quincy Wilson will be in the starting lineup without question, while Tarell Basham will push Jabaal Sheard for snaps at outside linebacker. Zach Banner has an opportunity to win the starting right tackle job, too, while Marlon Mack will bring a shiftiness to the backfield that Frank Gore doesn’t have. You’ll see in training camp how quickly those five players rise up the depth chart, and don’t be surprised if all five are starting at some point this season.

Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys had a terrific draft – maybe the best of any team. While they probably could have gotten a more dynamic pass rusher than Taco Charlton, they landed four or five potential rookie starters. Charlton will be one of them, as will cornerbacks Chidobe Awuzie and Jourdan Lewis – assuming Lewis is cleared in his domestic violence case.
Ryan Switzer will be a No. 4 receiver and punt returner, but arguably the best value of any of their selections came at 191 in safety Xavier Woods. He’ll compete right away for the starting job next to Byron Jones.
The Cowboys nailed their top draft picks, improving a defense that lost five starters on that side of the ball.

Cleveland Browns
With three first-round picks, it’d be sad if the Browns weren’t among the teams with the most rookie starters. Myles Garrett will certainly be one, as will Jabrill Peppers and David Njoku – especially with Gary Barnidge out of the picture. Those three will be immediate impact players, which is something the Browns needed to come away with.
DeShone Kizer will obviously compete for the starting job, too, though I’m reluctant to believe he’ll win it from the get go. Larry Ogunjobi, on the other hand, could contribute right away at defensive tackle. He was a nice pick in the third round.
The Browns may not be any good next season, but at least they have a solid foundation of young players to build upon.

Jacksonville Jaguars
In Tom Coughlin’s first year as the personnel man, it’s no surprise the Jaguars came away with a good haul. They added instant-impact players in Leonard Fournette, Cam Robinson and Dawuane Smoot, all of whom will play valuable snaps right off the bat. And that’s without getting to their Day 3 picks of Dede Westbrook and Blair Brown.
It’s possible that the Jaguars could have five rookie starters by the end of the season, which would be evidence of just how great their class was in 2017. Coughlin did a great job with his first draft at the helm in Jacksonville. He found some real tone-setters on the offensive side of the ball.

Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins went heavy on the defense early in the draft, and it’ll pay dividends right away. Charles Harris will start opposite Cam Wake, while Raekwon McMillan will step in at middle linebacker in Week 1 next to Kiko Alonso. At cornerback Cordrea Tankersley has the size to play boundary corner on the other side of Byron Maxwell, as well as nickel when Xavien Howard is on the field.
Isaac Asiata will also get a chance to start at guard on an offensive line that struggled at that spot last season. The Dolphins nabbed a number of starting-caliber players at positions of need.

Cincinnati Bengals
Although the Bengals didn’t draft any replacements for Andrew Whitworth or Kevin Zeitler, they did add players who will provide a spark on offense. John Ross will start at wide receiver and make big plays from the start, while Joe Mixon will likely take the starting running back job from Jeremy Hill in training camp. Then when you look at the other side of the ball, Jordan Willis and Carl Lawson will both compete for valuable snaps at defensive end. Ultimately, I think Willis wins out relatively early in the season and becomes a reliable pass rusher. The Bengals took chances with their draft picks, but they’ll pay off in Year 1.

Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers had holes all over the place, particularly on the offensive line. They addressed those needs by drafting Forrest Lamp and Dan Feeney on the second night, both of whom will likely win starting jobs at either guard or center. Their first-round pick, of course, was Mike Williams – a big receiver who has a chance to become Philip Rivers’ favorite target right away. He gives the Chargers a different type of receiver than that of Keenan Allen, which they’ve been missing since Vincent Jackson left. Desmond King may not win a starting job, but he’ll compete at the other spot and play valuable snaps in Nickel and Dime packages.