At long last, the NFL Draft has finally begun from the city of Detroit.
The first round is officially in the books, and each of the 32 picks brings a renewed sense of hope to the franchises that made those selections. But there is much work to do. Rounds 2 and 3 will take place on Friday night, followed by Rounds 4-7 on Saturday.
It will take some time to see how these picks turn out, but that won’t stop us from reacting and analyzing.
We’re taking a look at the winners and losers of the first round.
Winners
Field Marshals – Quarterbacks flew off the board Thursday night with six of them going in the first 12 picks. Caleb Williams (Bears, first), Jayden Daniels (Commanders, second), Drake Maye (Patriots, third), Michael Penix Jr. (Falcons, eighth), JJ McCarthy (Vikings, 10th) and Bo Nix (Broncos, 12th) combined to tie the historic 1983 QB draft class for the most sacks in the first round. But six have never come off the board as quickly as they did Thursday night. Some of these quarterbacks will likely start right away. Others can sit for a while. But for now, they serve as symbols of hope that better days are ahead for their new franchises.
Offensive players – Each draft reflects a different trend, and this year has a strong offensive flavor because it took 14 picks before the first defensive player came off the board. That player was UCLA running back Laiatu Latu, who arrived 15th in Indianapolis. In total, 23 offensive players were selected in the first round, while only nine defensive players were selected.
GO TO THE BOTTOM
NFL Draft opens with record 14 consecutive offensive picks
Kyler Murray— The Arizona Cardinals quarterback last season returned from reconstructive knee surgery, but returned to a talent-less offense to change the game. But Cardinals management used the fourth pick in the draft to acquire Marvin Harrison Jr., considered by many to be the best wide receiver in the draft. Harrison gives Murray and the Cardinals a polished route runner who also has good size and speed.
Philadelphia Eagles – The Eagles needed cornerback help, and even made calls about moving up in the draft so they could better position themselves to take the corner of their choice. But neither team ahead had a pressing need at corner and Quinyon Mitchell landed his laps at the 22nd spot without Philadelphia having to part with additional assets.
Daniel Jones— The New York Giants did a lot of homework on quarterbacks in the draft. There was talk that they could have used the sixth pick on a quarterback, which could have signaled the end for Jones, who has largely disappointed since New York selected him sixth in 2019. However, the Giants used the sixth pick on LSU wide receiver. Malik Nabers, and that means Jones will likely get another chance to establish himself.
LSU wide receivers – First Nabers in sixth place, and then Brian Thomas Jr. came in 23rd in Jacksonville. It’s the first time LSU has had two first-round wide receivers. Now, Nabers and Thomas will look to join Ja’Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson, DJ Chark and Odell Beckham as LSU’s next great wide receivers. It was a big night for wide receivers, as a total of seven came off the board in the first round.
(Photo: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Losers
Cousins Kirk— Just months after signing him to a four-year, $180 million contract, the Atlanta Falcons surprised Kirk Cousins by selecting Penix. Cousins, who didn’t learn of the team’s plans until the Falcons hit the clock, is coming off a torn Achilles tendon, but his recovery from surgery is going well and he was eager to return home to Atlanta. But now, Cousins could be looking for another opportunity sooner than he anticipated (most of the guaranteed money in his deal is for the first two seasons). Penix will likely sit back and learn this year, and if Cousins falters in 2025, the Falcons could hand things over to the kid.
GO DEEPER
Cousins surprised the Falcons selected Penix Jr. in the first round
Las Vegas Raiders – The Raiders needed to find their long-term answer at quarterback and were believed to have interest in moving up in the draft to ensure they were in position to select one. Well, the Raiders failed to move up, and by the time they got on the board at No. 13, all six quarterbacks seen as potential franchise saviors had been selected. For now, Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew remain the Raiders’ only options at quarterback. They could look for a quarterback in the second or third round, but that player would probably be a project.
Zach Wilson— The Broncos took Wilson off the Jets’ hands just a few days ago, and it looked like Wilson might get a chance to reset, learn from Sean Payton and potentially save his career in Denver. But then the Broncos used the 12th pick to select Nix. Now, the best Wilson can hope for is a slow learning process for Nix and the struggles of Jarrett Stidham, who started two games in Denver last season, so he can somehow work his way onto the field. Otherwise, his practice reps and playing opportunities will be severely limited.
Defensive defenses – The cornerbacks endured a long wait Thursday night as 21 players came off the board before Mitchell left for the Eagles. Mitchell, a Toledo product, lands in a good spot on a defense with a strong front. But he could have done it without waiting. However, Mitchell’s wait was not the longest. Two picks later, Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold finally got the call when the Lions moved up to take him to No. 24. It was the longest wait among cornerbacks since 1995, when Tyrone Poole went No. 22 to Carolina and Ty Law in the 23rd against New England.
Buffalo Bills – Buffalo’s brass scratched their heads when they fell back in the first round after a pick swap with the Chiefs. Kansas City used that pick to select speedy Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy. Buffalo needs help at wide receiver, and the Chiefs are the only team Buffalo will never know how to beat in the playoffs. So passing up an opportunity to help themselves and then help strengthen a top adversary could really backfire on the Bills. Then, to make matters worse, the Bills turned around and traded the 32nd pick, going back to 33rd. The Panthers, who took that spot, used that pick to select South Carolina wide receiver Xavier Legette, another player that really could have helped Buffalo.
Required reading
(Photo: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
