It will be years until we know which NFL franchise won the first round of the 2024 draft. These picks, while being paid millions of dollars, are just kids, and it is an impossible task to determine which ones will develop into high-impact NFL players.
That said, teams can make good or bad choices simply based on how they approach the board. Take a player too highly, or value the wrong position, and history can look very poorly on you within only a few years. Let’s take a look and see which teams may have put themselves into a better situation during the 2024 NFL Draft.
Winners:
#1 Chicago Bears:
The Bears continue benefiting from their trade with Carolina last year, as they essentially deferred their #1 overall pick to this year selecting USC’s Caleb Williams. Considered to be a generational talent, Williams is walking into a situation Justin Fields could only have dreamed of, with three potential high-upside receivers in D.J. Moore, newly acquired Keenan Allen, and newly drafted Rome Odunze. The Bears are on paper making the right moves, and should soon join the Packers and Lions as legitimate contenders in the NFC North.
#2 Philadelphia Eagles:
Addressing your biggest need is a great way to win in my book, and the Eagles did just that by drafting Toledo’s Quinyon Mitchell at 22. Projected to go much earlier, Mitchell fell due to the onslaught of early offensive players, including 6 quarterbacks in the first 12 picks. Philly projects to roll through their division yet again, and Mitchell will join and hopefully make an immediate impact on this team in 2024.
#3 Kansas City Chiefs:
The rich get richer. With Rashee Rice facing a potential suspension, the Chiefs desperately needed to supplement Kelce and Marquise Brown with another legitimate receiving weapon. In steps Xavier Worthy, who may just be the second coming of Tyreek Hill after breaking the combine 40-yard dash record. Logical pick that keeps the league’s best franchise in play for another Super Bowl.
Losers:
#1 Carolina Panthers:
A team that desperately needed an infusion of talent traded up to take Xavier Legette. Bryce Young may still be worthy of that 1st overall pick, but we may never see him thrive in Carolina if this team doesn’t start making significant strides to improve their roster, and I don’t believe they did enough tonight to inspire confidence. Legette is certainly better than Mingo and Shenault, but I have serious doubts based on his production and potential talent that he’ll be the true difference for this offense. Carolina may have set them back a full decade by moving up for Bryce Young and did themselves no favors with this first-round selection.
#2 Atlanta Falcons:
I’m fascinated to see how this pick will age in the next four years. On one hand, the quarterback is the most important position in professional sports. It’s critical to get that right, and Penix has the potential to be among the most talented young players in that position.
However, by signing Kirk Cousins to a 9 figure deal this offseason, Atlanta pushed their proverbial chips into the center of the table to compete for a Super Bowl this year. Hedging their bet by taking out an insurance policy on their 38-year-old QB coming off an Achilles tear may help them in case of an injury, but it does not help them capitalize on their “open” Super Bowl window. Additionally, Penix is already injury prone and 24 years old, and will likely be 27 by the time Kirk Cousins is willing to relinquish the reigns on the starting job. I’m adding Penix to Bijan Robinson and Kyle Pitts as the latest misguided and suboptimal picks for this Atlanta Falcons franchise. This is clearly the easiest pick to point to as a mistake, and we hope the next lefty mobile QB named Michael to play in Atlanta proves us wrong.
#3 Las Vegas Raiders:
I LOVE Brock Bowers, but feel this pick was indicative of a team that will try to, but never, catch the Kansas City Chiefs. Unless LV plans to run an insane amount of 12 personnel, I imagine one of Michael Meyer or Brock Bowers will fail to see the field more often than they should given their draft capital. LV could have capitalized on this spot with another pass rusher, corner, or tackle, but instead opted for a talented guy at a lower priority position. Hopefully, he becomes their Kelce for 10+ years, but even the best TE can only get you so far. LV will now likely go into the year without a true starting QB, potentially three holes in the offensive line, and a lack of depth in the defensive backfield.
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All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests. The contents contained in this article do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups.