Winners
Chicago Bears. Anybody with an web connection may have drafted Southern California quarterback Caleb Williams with the primary choose. However Williams’ arrival is a victory unto itself for the Bears, who’ve been within the QB wilderness for many years. Chicago followers will count on Williams to be the staff’s greatest quarterback ever, and it gained’t even be so unreasonable of them given his elegant expertise and the staff’s barren historical past on the place. Normal supervisor Ryan Poles has additionally completed properly to encompass Williams with among the best teams of receivers in soccer. Poles traded for Los Angeles Chargers star Keenan Allen earlier this yr, and he then used the ninth choose so as to add Washington’s Rome Odunze to a fold that already included the proficient and productive DJ Moore. Possibly the Bears gained’t win massive in 2024, however they need to be extra enjoyable to observe than they’ve been. And for the primary time in ages, there’s a basis in place upon which the membership may construct a Tremendous Bowl staff.
Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings misplaced their quarterback, Kirk Cousins, to the Atlanta Falcons in free company. They have been poised to spend 2024 in distress, with veteran disappointment Sam Darnold sliding in as a stopgap. Now if Vikings followers have to observe Darnold, it ought to solely be for just a few video games. Michigan’s JJ McCarthy fortuitously slid to the tenth choose, and the Vikings traded as much as nab him as their signal-caller of the longer term. McCarthy is a hotly debated prospect. He gained the nationwide championship at Michigan, however the Wolverines have been dedicated to having him throw the ball little or no in a run-obsessed offense. When he did throw, he was extra good than nice. However he’s simply 21 and has a bushel of athletic upside, and Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell has a stable monitor report together with his QBs; McCarthy turns into his newest pupil. And after buying and selling into one other first-round choose, Minnesota acquired a extremely succesful edge rusher in Alabama’s Dallas Turner at No 17. McCarthy would be the future, however Turner needs to be NFL participant immediately.
Pittsburgh Steelers. Talking of excellent fortune in how the draft unfolded, the Steelers acquired a great deal of it when Washington offensive deal with Troy Fautanu was obtainable for them with the twentieth choose. Pittsburgh have two gaping holes on their offensive line, one at heart (the place they’ve virtually nobody) and the opposite at left deal with (the place they begin one of many league’s worst gamers). In Fautanu, they acquired a proficient and critically versatile massive man who can add some nastiness to what has typically been an underachieving line. Including somebody like Fautanu was a prerequisite if the Steelers hoped to provide new quarterback Russell Wilson an opportunity, and different groups’ selections allowed Pittsburgh to deal with its downside. The Steelers’ good draft continued when West Virginia heart Zach Frazier was there for the taking within the second spherical. In the meantime, Michigan receiver Roman Wilson, a third-round alternative, may play loads as a rookie able group the place the Steelers lack depth.
Losers
Atlanta Falcons. Spending the eighth general choose on a QB most projected to not be taken till the late first and even second spherical? Hey, all of us make daring selections generally. However doing it instantly after guaranteeing $100m to a longtime veteran who performs the identical place? And with out speaking to that quarterback beforehand? The Falcons’ choice to take Washington’s Michael Penix Jr, a 24-year-old with a giant left arm and a equally massive damage historical past, seems more strange in that context. Cousins’ will play this season at 36 years previous, so it’s not unreasonable to plan for 3 years down the road. However for the Penix choice to repay, the Falcons might want to have been the neatest guys within the room. That has not traditionally been true of the lads operating this explicit franchise, which can clarify why long-suffering Atlanta followers appeared perturbed by the Cousins-Penix two-step.
Denver Broncos. Grabbing Oregon quarterback Bo Nix at No 12 was a bit much less bizarre than what the Falcons did with Penix, however solely a bit. Nix is one other previous prospect at 24 himself. He developed into a superb faculty QB by the tip of his five-year profession, however that’s simply the difficulty: It took Nix a very long time (and a pleasant age benefit over his competitors) to develop into helpful at Oregon, the place the teaching workers helped him succeed with a barrage of fast, brief throws that allowed his teammates to make performs with the ball. How a lot growth he has left in entrance of him within the NFL is an affordable query, and it’s why most thought he would, like Penix, stay undrafted till later within the first spherical and even the second. It’s not straightforward to see Nix changing into an above-average starter, however now the Broncos want that from him. In the meantime, they are going to pay Wilson almost $40m whereas he performs elsewhere this season. It smells like questionable asset administration from a staff that has missed the playoffs eight instances operating.
Defensive gamers. The primary 14 names referred to as in Thursday’s first spherical all belonged to offensive prospects. The drought didn’t break till UCLA edge defender Laiatu Latu joined the Indianapolis Colts at No. 15. That marked by far the worst stretch of draft futility for defenders within the post-1970 merger NFL, as 2021 (when the primary defender taken was the No 8 choose) represented the earlier low level. Why was 2024 so distinctive? A league-wide thirst for even satisfactory quarterback play contributed, as six QBs have been off the board within the first 12 picks. Additionally taking part in a task was an unusually robust class of large receivers (led by Marvin Harrison Jr, now of the Cardinals) and the presence of an elite tight finish, Brock Bowers (who went to the Las Vegas Raiders). The run on offensive gamers was principally a run on throwers and catchers. However that gained’t make the misplaced earnings any higher for defenders who slid down draft boards.
