Every year the NFL Draft is wild, producing plenty of drama and theatrics. The 2024 installment was no exception; in fact, it was historic. Six quarterbacks went in the first 12 picks. After that there 137 selections made before another QB went off the board – an all-time record for that position.
With the draft now in the rearview mirror, it’s time to recap what transpired in Detroit. Although it’s always dangerous to grade picks before players have ever stepped onto a professional football field, let’s take a look at the current perceived winners and losers of the 2024 selection process.
Bears get their QB, their QB gets a WR
The Chicago Bears played this draft perfectly all the way back to the 2023 NFL Draft. Last year they traded the No. 1 overall pick to Carolina, a deal that saw them recoup all kinds of assets – including a first-round pick in the 2024 draft. That pick ended up being the top one, which Chicago used to select USC quarterback Caleb Williams.
Williams’ selection was never in much doubt. The real question was what the Bears would do with their own pick at No. 9. As a result of some surprising choices by other teams elsewhere in the top 10, Washington receiver Rome Odunze was still available and Chicago jumped at the opportunity to give its new franchise QB a pass-catching weapon.
The rebuilding process still has a way to go, but it is without question going in the right direction.
Back-to-back cornerbacks have Eagles flying high
It’s not often that a team targets the exact same position with its first two picks in a draft, but that is exactly what the Philadelphia Eagles did last week. And you can’t blame them for it. They got Toledo cornerback Quinyon Mitchell at No. 22 before Iowa cornerback Cooper DeJean fell to them at No. 40.
Mitchell had a chance to be selected in the top 10 according to various mock drafts, while DeJean was widely assumed to be a first-round pick. Philadelphia seemingly got outstanding value with both guys while also addressing its most glaring area of need.
Mix in some potential late-round steals such as WRs Ainias Smith and Johnny Wilson plus LB Jeremiah Trotter Jr. and you have to like what the Eagles did with their draft across the board.
A successful first draft in L.A. for Harbaugh
Many thought that the Los Angeles Chargers would go with a skill-position player at No. 5 overall, but they instead opted to address their offensive line in the form of Notre Dame tackle Joe Alt. New head coach Jim Harbaugh noted that he considers offensive linemen “weapons” -- and he is right. A bruising left tackle of both the present and the future is exactly what quarterback Justin Herbert needs.
Having passed on a receiver in round one, Los Angeles satisfied that need when Georgia WR Ladd McConkey fell into its lap in round two (No. 34 overall). McConkey was a projected first-round pick by more than a few draft analysts.
The Chargers picked another receiver in USC’s Brenden Rice in the seventh round. Their draft call to Jerry Rice’s son was one of the week’s best. Give it a listen on social media.
Falcons turn the draft upside down
Only time will tell which team had the worst draft in 2024, but the Atlanta Falcons certainly made the most inexplicable selection. Having just signed quarterback Kirk Cousins to a contract up to four years and worth $100 million guaranteed, Atlanta picked Washington QB Michael Penix at No. 8 overall.
What?!?! Even for a stacked team with no holes and seemingly poised to win a Super Bowl, that would have been a bizarre choice. For the Falcons – who have plenty of glaring needs and haven’t made the playoffs since 2017 – it's borderline irresponsible.
When healthy, Penix is great; there’s no doubt about it. The simple fact is that the Falcons needed major help at edge rusher and cornerback. They did not take a single cornerback in the entire draft.
Raiders can't find their quarterback
Ironically, the Falcons’ first-round pick was bad enough to have zero positive impact on their team for at least the next two years (unless Cousins gets hurt) but good enough to negatively impact at least one team picking behind them. After all, Penix isn’t the problem. Other teams coveted him – most of all the Las Vegas Raiders.
With the Giants having passed on a quarterback at No. 6, it seemed almost certain that one of the top-six signal-callers would be available for the Raiders at No. 13. That all changed, however, when Atlanta shockingly went with Penix. Denver followed with Bo Nix at No. 12 and thus the six highly-touted QBs were gone.
The Raiders settled for Georgia tight end Brock Bowers, which is an awesome value pick at that point. Bowers is one of the best players in the 2024 class. Still, who is going to throw him the ball? With no additions at the most important position in sports, Las Vegas’ QB room remains Gardner Minchew, Aidan O’Connell and Anthony Brown Jr.
Bills' lack of a brain is rivals’ gain
The Buffalo Bills probably should not be in the business of helping the Super Bowl-winning Chiefs. No, those two teams are not in the same division; but they are both in the AFC and have become fierce rivals during the Josh Allen-Patrick Mahomes era. It’s safe to say that Kansas City is Buffalo’s nemesis – and that’s an understatement.
Nonetheless, the Bills traded out of the first round and did so with none other than the Chiefs. With the No. 28 pick, the defending champions snagged speedy wide receiver Xavier Worthy out of Texas. Just what opponents don’t want to see: Mahomes with another dynamic weapon at his disposal!
As for the Bills, they did pretty well to get Florida State WR Keon Coleman in round two. Coleman is clearly awesome behind the microphone, but he doesn’t seem like a game-changer on the field. None of Buffalo’s later selections do, either.
The general consensus is that the Bills’ Super Bowl window has come and gone. This draft did nothing to change that notion.
