2024 NFL Draft Report

 

    The first round of the NFL draft is in the books and it is time for the draft report of the first 32 picks. I have done this in the past for the NBA draft but now time for the NFL draft. This draft consisted of offensive players which led to defensive guys falling. Saw some splashes and 5 quarterbacks in the top 10.  The first 14 picks were offensive players. Let's get in the reaction. 

1. Chicago Bears - Caleb Williams - QB - USC

The pick everyone knew for months, the Bears finally have their quarterback. One of the best prospects to come out since Andrew Luck. Chicago is filled with joy as Williams has the chance to become the first Bears quarterback EVER to throw for 4,000 yards. Jordan, Payton, Thomas, Banks, Kane, Pippen, Toews, Sayers, Sosa, Hull, Urlacher, Rose, and now Williams.  

2. Washington Commanders - Jayden Daniels - QB - LSU

Feels like 2012 again in Washington DC. The Dan Quinn era starts off with a bang in snagging their quarterback of the future. Daniels gets a great WR1 in Terry McLaurin and a creative offensive coordinator with Kliff Kingsbury. Daniels is in a great spot in Washington and going to be a beast in fantasy football during his first year. Just don't look at his elbow. 

3. New England Patriots - Drake Maye - QB - North Carolina

The Mayeflower is moving from Plymouth to Foxborough. Maye is the Will Smith meme when he comes back and the room is completely empty. The Patriots are terrible and have nobody on their roster at all. Patriots have their quarterback of the future but need way more around him. Maye gets to learn behind or next to Jacoby Brissett which will be great for his development. 

4. Arizona Cardinals - Marvin Harrison Jr - WR - Ohio State

One of the best wide receiver prospects ever, not sure if you ever heard of Marvin Harrison Jr. Harrison pairs up with one of his former buckeye teammates, Paris Johnson Jr. The Cardinals were lacking that WR1 for Kyler Murray ever since DeAndre Hopkins left and never replaced him. The receiving options look great with Marvin Harrison Jr, Michael Wilson, and Trey McBride. Kyler Murray needs to put that Call Of Duty down and start hooping with this core that is being built around him. 

5. Los Angeles Chargers - Joe Alt - OT - Notre Dame

Jim Harbaugh said “Offensive Linemen we look at as weapons. When we talk about attacking on offense… Offensive Line is the tip of the spear.” HARBALL is all about being physical and dominating the line of scrimmage play. Harbaugh has been the head coach at University of San Diego, Stanford, 49ers, and Michigan while keeping the same philosophy every stop on the way. Alt is 6'8 and weighs 321 pounds, he is a unit. Looks like a giant in this seat and just a hilarious scene at the draft party. 

6. New York Giants - Malik Nabers - WR - LSU

Speed, speed, and more speed for the Giants here. The Giants have not had a 1,000-yard receiver since 2018 when Eli Manning and Odell Beckham were in every other commercial on my TV. There's a huge issue when Darius Slaton is leading your team in yards and Darren Waller is talking about retiring before the season even kicks off. Brian Daboll wants speed for his offense and Nabers brings that. Daboll wants his team like Ricky Bobby and wants to go fast. Daniel Jones gets a WR1 and great news for my dynasty fantasy football team. 

7. Tennessee Titans - JC Latham - OT - Sweet Home Alabama

The Titans made moves all offseason for the offensive playmakers and now it was time for the offensive line. Latham is going to be great for Tony Pollard having a bounce-back year in this Titans system. Not much to say here and the Titans fill a need at offensive line.

8. Atlanta Falcons - Michael Penix Jr - QB - Washington

There's always one pick that you just say "What The Hell Just Happened?" One of the biggest smoke screens in NFL history and it might not even be close. Michael Penix Jr. did not take a top-30 visit with the Falcons. The Falcons only attended a 45-minute workout and met with him at the Combine. Raheem Morris came out and said "The Green Bay model was something that we talked about. It's been proven to be right, last year. Hopefully, we'll be right with them." But the thing is, this is totally different than Green Bay when they drafted Aaron Rodgers and Jordan Love. The Falcons brought in Kirk Cousins and signed him to a 4-year deal worth $180 million with $100 million guaranteed. This also is not similar to when the Chiefs bought in Alex Smith and then drafted Patrick Mahomes. It blows my mind that the Falcons are talking about a 24-year-old sitting behind Kirk Cousins. When Cousin's contract is officially over, Penix will be 28 years old. I like Penix as a prospect but sitting him makes no sense. He played 6 years of college football, you want to sit McCarthy or Maye due to their age or not having enough reps. One of the craziest picks I have ever seen due to circumstances around Kirk Cousins. 

9. Chicago Bears - Rome Odunze - WR - Washington

The Bears knocked this draft out of the water getting Odzune here at 9. Keenan Allen has 1 year left on his deal and is currently 32 years old. Odzune has no pressure on him during his rookie year as he will be a WR3 in this system. He can learn next to Allen and Moore without having a huge role as a rookie. Odzune will basically be Jaxon Smith-Njigba in his rookie year. 

10. Minnesota Vikings - JJ McCarthy - QB - Michigan

One of the best situations for a rookie quarterback to walk into. Weapons like Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, TJ Hockenson, and Aaron Jones are all to throw to. Kevin O'Connell gets his QB1 of the future by keeping his first-round pick next year by not trading up to get him. McCarthy will be in a great spot in the offense of KOC and sitting behind Sam Darnold who was in the system last year in San Francisco. 

11. New York Jets - Olu Fashanu - OL - Penn State

Just makes sense here, Aaron Rodgers is turning 41 in December and only played 3 snaps last season. Robert Saleh is coaching for his job this year so protecting Aaron Rodgers is his best. The Jets have had one of the best defenses the last couple of years so had to go offense here.

12. Denver Broncos - Bo Nix - QB - Oregon

Bo Nix is going on a generation run here for uniforms. Starting at Auburn and transferring to Oregon, Nix has had the chance to put on some sick uniforms during his college career. The Bronco's new uniforms stink but Nix will look SICK in the throwbacks for the Broncos. I am getting tired of whenever Sean Payton gets a new quarterback the Drew Brees comparison starts to come in. Bo Nix will have some competition with Zach Wilson. Sean Payton has a type when it comes to quarterbacks. 

13. Las Vegas Raiders - Brock Bowers - TE - Georgia 

Nobody had a clear grasp of what the Raiders wanted to do when it came to the draft. If that was drafting a cornerback, edge, or even wide receiver. Nobody saw the Brock Bowers pick coming but I don't hate it. Bowers teams up with Michael Mayer who was drafted in the 2nd round last year. Gardner Minshew was hooping for the Colts last year and now gets to throw to Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers,  Michael Mayer, and now Brock Bowers. Bowers can play more than TE, playing various spots on the offense which allows for flexibility among this core. 

14. New Orleans Saints - Taliese Fuaga - OT - Oregon State

The Saints offensive line has struggled with Ramczyk's injury and Trevor Penning never living up to expectations. Taliese Fuaga can succeed at tackle or guard, a great all-around football player that the Saints just picked up. You can never go wrong with a linemen from the island. 

15. Indianapolis Colts - Laiatu Latu - DE - UCLA

The first defensive player off the board at 15. The Colts sneaky have one of the best rosters in the NFL without a lot of holes to fill (pause). The Colts had 51 sacks last season which was the 5th highest in the NFL. Latu has the best chance to win Defensive Rookie of the Year in my opinion due to his situation. Deforest Buckner and Kwity Paye will free up Latu to not get all the attention and double teams coming his way, 

16. Seattle Seahawks - Byron Murphy II - DT - Texas

The buzz was high on Murphy going into the draft with many people saying he could go in the top 10. He fell just like every defensive player in this draft. The Seahawks wanted to win the trenches in this draft class and got one of the best interior defensive linemen in this class.

17. Minnesota Vikings - Dallas Turner - DE - Alabama

The Vikings move up again and similar to Murphy, a top 10 pick in a lot of mock drafts within everyone in the business. The Vikings don't have DUDES on this defense. The meme of the half-drawn horse comes to my mind. The left side of the horse is this defense in Minnesota and the right side is the offense. Harrison Smith is getting up in age and out of his prime. Danielle Hunter left in free agency as well. Turner can be a beast and falling to 17 is criminal.

18. Cincinnati Bengals - Amarius Mims - OT - Georgia

Joe Burrow has major injury concerns dating back to the days when Urban Meyer called him a "D2 Quarterback" at practice one day. The Bengals go far in the playoffs when the team is healthy. The Bengals signed Trent Brown this offseason and picked up Amarius Mims in the draft. Mims is raw but his ceiling is one of the highest in the class. He was limited with reps and starts in college but when he was healthy and on the healthy, beast at tackle.

19. Los Angeles Rams - Jared Verse - DE - Florida State

The Rams haven't picked in the first round since Jared Goff and have not picked in the first round under Sean McVay. Aaron Donald retired and was one of the biggest factors for this Ram team for years. Kobie Turner was a beast next to Donald but still needed a force next to him. Verse is a powerful defensive end who will be a great fit and fill a need for the Rams. 

20. Pittsburgh Steelers - Troy Fautanu - OT - Washington

The Steelers got an offensive lineman in back-to-back years when they drafted Broderick Jones last year. Fautanu is a home run pick for the Steelers as he can play every single position on this line. Steelers are great in drafting the best available and beefing up the trench to give more time for Russell Wilson back there slinging it for the black and gold. This also is a great pick for Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren. You can never go wrong with a linemen from the island. 

21. Miami Dolphins - Chop Robinson - DE - Penn State

The Dolphins were raided with departures in free agency across the offensive and defensive line. The Dolphins saw a bunch of tackles off the board and saw value in taking a defensive edge at 21. How could you be mad with a defensive first-round pick named Chop? Great name and matches him well. He also killed it at the combine. He scored a  9.79 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 36 out of 1685 DE from 1987 to 2024.

22. Philadelphia Eagles - Quinyon Mitchell - CB - Toledo

The first defensive back taken off the board and not until 22. The Eagles had their pick of all the defensive backs available and might not have seen that at the start of the draft. The Eagles always draft guys early when they have aging veterans at the position. Mitchell will get to replace James Bradberry that most bird fans want to see go as it is right now. And let's not forget when Nick Saban is admitting to tampering in while in college Saban said, "He was our No. 1 guy in the portal last year to try to get him to come out of the portal, and he would never get in the portal."

23. Jacksonville Jaguars - Brian Thomas Jr - WR - LSU

A huge need for the Jaguars was the receiver position after losing Calvin Ridley in free agency. Thomas is a raw football player who started playing in high school. A home run threat whenever he touches the ball and led college football in touchdowns with 17 touchdowns last year. Thomas can be a WR1 in his rookie year with Gabe Davis and Christian Kirk fighting for targets. Not physically fighting but you get the idea hopefully. 

24. Detroit Lions - Terrion Arnold - CB - Sweet Home Alabama

One of the best trade-ups in the draft. The Lions need defense and only defense. So cornerback and edge across from Hutchinson are the biggest needs for the Lions. Terrion Arnold unites with his former teammate Brian Branch in the defensive back group. With Justin Jefferson, DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, and Christian Watson all in the NFC North, the Lions need a guy to drop his nuts and guard these guys 6 times a year. Nick Saban had huge praise for Arnold and will fit in the Dan Campbell culture well. When Detroit traded up and drafted Arnold, the crowd went ballistic. No better feeling for Arnold than hearing the crowd when he got his name called. 

25. Green Bay Packers - Jordan Morgan - OT - Arizona

Yeah, typical Packers pick when they reach for a guy to go for a positional need rather than best available. The Packers did not have huge needs when they brought in Josh Jacobs and Xavier McKinney during free agency. Morgan is projected to be moved inside to guard which is surprising that they did not draft Graham Barton, Jackson Powers-Johnson, or Zach Frazier with this pick. (Morgan will probably be an All-Pro offensive lineman for 15 years)

26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Graham Barton - IOL - Duke

The Buccaneers got their replacement for Ryan Jensen. Can play guard and center which is great flexibility for this offense. Barton can play right away and have a huge impact on this Buccaneers team. The NFC South is wide open every single year and the Buccaneers will look to win the division again with a guy to protect Baker Mayfield. 

27. Arizona Cardinals - Darius Robinson - DE - Missouri

This Cardinals defense needs help with Budda Baker leading the way for this defense. The Cardinals also brought in Sean Murphy-Bunting to help out this defense. The Cardinals have 6 picks in the first 105 picks so the Cardinals went the best available defensively with this pick. Robinson went crazy in the senior bowl leading to his draft stock rising. Robinson can inside and outside but will be a huge edge piece for this defense moving forward.

28. Kansas City Chiefs - Xavier Worthy - WR - Texas

The Chiefs are trying to make the fastest show on turf 2.0. They called themselves the Legion of Zoom back when Tyreek Hill was on the squad. Now they have Xavier Worthy and Marquise Brown who both run in the 4.2s. Rashee Rice was looking to be WR1 for the future but things look very blurry after his arrest and possible suspension. The Chiefs landed their Tyreek Hill 2.0 on a rookie contract after he broke the 4.21 combine record everyone knew he was bound to be a Chief. The Chiefs are acting like SpongeBob when he runs around the rock and says "Wanna see me do it again?" The Chiefs got a fast guy who is asking the same question. Get Worthy the ball in space and utilize him with motion, future pro bowl WR with the Chiefs. Basically a faster Kadarius Toney with hands. 

29. Dallas Cowboys - Tyler Guyton - OT - Oklahoma

The Cowboys have been killing it with offensive line talent for a very long time now. Jerry Jones said this team was all in during the offseason but has yet to make a splash in free agency. Then during the draft, they trade back from their pick. I think this is a great pick but the Cowboys are gonna Cowboys.

30. Baltimore Ravens - Nate Wiggins - CB - Clemson

The Ravens were going to draft a need at 30 with cornerback, tackle, or wide receiver. Nate Wiggins showed his speed at the combine when running a 4.28 and everyone was wondering if he was a first-round pick or not. This defensive back core gets even better with Wiggins alongside Kyle Hamilton, Marlon Humphrey, and Marcus Williams. The Ravens got hit hard in free agency with guys leaving but will look to address those needs later. address

31. San Francisco 49ers - Ricky Pearsall - WR - Florida

Slick boy Rick. Billy Napier now has 4 top 60 draft picks in 2 years. Anthony Richardson, Gervon Dexter, O’Cyrus Torrence, and now Ricky Pearsall. Florida has had to win an SEC championship and multiple playoff appearances right? Ouch. But Pearsall is a scrappy and high-motor kind of receiver. Sneaky athletic guy that is a gamer when the pads come on. He's also gritty and has a high football IQ on the field. Lunch pail kind of guy that plays the game the right way. 

32. Carolina Panthers - Xavier Legette - WR - South Carolina

Carolina moves back into the first round to go get Xavier Legette for the 5th year option down the line. I don't think I have seen a guy stick at a school and not break out until his 5th year of college. Normally it is a transfer and not staying at the same school. The Panthers keep Legette local and get a guy for Bryce Young. You got to hear him talk turn on an interview and listen to him talk. It is not something I thought would be awesome about him but here we are. 

As Always Ya Boy,

Jake "Monstah" Lynch