NFL Draft winners & losers 2024: Bears, Chargers make right Round 1 picks, Falcons puzzle with QB plan

Bill Bender

NFL Draft winners & losers 2024: Bears, Chargers make right Round 1 picks, Falcons puzzle with QB plan image

The first round of the 2024 NFL Draft featured three quarterbacks in the first four picks for the second straight season. 

Caleb Williams to Chicago, Jayden Daniels to Washington, and Drake Maye to New England were part of the expected script for the first round of the draft in Detroit on Thursday. 

The rest of the story was even more interesting.

Atlanta shocked at No. 8 by selecting Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. in one of the biggest Round 1 surprises. Then, Minnesota traded up with the Jets to get Michigan's J.J. McCarthy with the No. 10 pick.

That marked the most quarterbacks taken in the first 10 picks in NFL Draft history. Denver made it six first-round quarterbacks by taking Oregon's Bo Nix with the No. 12 pick. 

Quarterbacks were clearly the most visible winners in Round 1, but who had the best night on Day 1? Who left a few questions?

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2024 NFL Draft winners: Round 1

Chicago Bears

What have been the two leading criticisms of the Bears in recent seasons? Quarterback and receiver. 

The Bears answered both needs in the first round. USC's Caleb Williams is the best bet for a franchise-altering quarterback in this draft, and Chicago was willing to trade its last stab at a long-term answer, Justin Fields, to take that chance. Williams will be the franchise's 30th starting quarterback since 2000. The Bears did not overthink it. They took the best player on the board. 

Then, they gave Williams a no-doubt future No. 1 receiver in Rome Odunze, who was one of the best contested-catch receivers at Washington. Odunze can ease into that role with Keenan Allen, DJ Moore, and tight end Cole Kmet, and Williams can lean on a running game that added D'Andre Swift. That gives Chicago, who was 16-32 the past three seasons, hope of becoming a true contender in the NFC North. General manager Ryan Poles had a good night. 

Los Angeles Chargers

Harbaugh, who has a knack for the unpredictable, did the most predictable thing possible. He took a complete player in Notre Dame tackle Joe Alt, who was the best combination of pass blocker and run blocker in college football last season. Alt allowed just one sack and two quarterback hits last season, and he has the NFL pedigree from his father John, who played 13 NFL seasons. 

That is how you protect a franchise quarterback like Justin Herbert. 

Giants, Cardinals help their QBs

Neither Arizona nor New York selected a quarterback. Instead, they gave their quarterbacks help. 

The Cardinals selected Marvin Harrison Jr. at No. 4, and the Giants took Malik Nabers with the No. 6 pick. That gives Kyler Murray and Daniel Jones go-to No. 1 receivers for the future.

Murray, the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, now has the most-talented receiver on the roster since Larry Fitzgerald retired after the 2020 season. Marquise Brown was the Cardinals' top receiver last season with 574 receiving yards and four TDs. Harrison, who might be the most talented player in this draft, had 17 TDs in the red zone the past two seasons at Ohio State. He will be a no-doubt WR1 from Day 1 with the Cardinals. 

There was some speculation the Giants would go with J.J. McCarthy at No. 6, but instead, they gave Daniel Jones a top-shelf receiver in Nabers, who had 89 catches for 1,568 yards and 14 TDs last season at LSU. Nabers can be utilized out wide or in the slot, and he will give Jones, who suffered a torn ACL last season, a game-breaker on the perimeter. 

Packers-Lions rivalry

Detroit and Green Bay took turns making need-based picks that were on brand in the first round. 

Detroit, who made the NFC championship game last season, traded up five spots to No. 24 with Dallas and took Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold, who was arguably the top cornerback in this year’s draft after compiling five interceptions and 12 pass breakups last season. Lions general manager Brad Holmes continues to build a Super Bowl contender with a best-player-available philosophy. 

One pick later, Green Bay addressed a need at offensive tackle with Jordan Morgan, a three-year starter who should provide more protection for Jordan Love. The Packers went with an offensive player in the first round for the first time since Love in 2020. Green Bay has four Day 2 picks to work with. General manager Brian Gutekunst is making good moves, too. 

While the Bears and Vikings made headlines with quarterbacks, Detroit and Green Bay are Super Bowl contenders in the NFC North. 

SEC leads with 11 first-round picks 

The beat goes on. The SEC led all conferences with 10 first-round selections, and that included three players apiece from Alabama and LSU. 

LSU flexed with Daniels at No. 2, Nabers at No. 6, and receiver Brian Thomas to Jacksonville at No. 23. Alabama had three first-round picks. Turner and Arnold were joined by Tennessee tackle JC Latham at No. 7. Georgia also had a pair of first-round picks in Bowers and tackle Amarius Mims, who went to the Bengals at No. 18. 

Arizona took Missouri defensive tackle Darius Robinson at No. 27, and San Francisco grabbed Florida receiver Ricky Pearsall at No. 31. Carolina closed the first round with South Carolina receiver Xavier Legette.

2024 NFL Draft losers: Round 1

Atlanta Falcons 

This is only a loser if the Falcons' quarterback plan does not work out. Atlanta went off the script with Penix at the No. 8 pick, and this comes after signing veteran Kirk Cousin to a four-year contract in the offseason. 

FALCONS DRAFTING MICHAEL PENIX: 
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How long will Atlanta stay committed to the 35-year-old Cousins after taking a quarterback with a top-10 pick? That is one of many questions Atlanta will have to negotiate in a 2024 season where it might be the NFC South favorite. 

This marks the fourth consecutive draft where Atlanta took a skill-position player with a first-round pick. That run includes tight end Kyle Pitts (2021), receiver Drake London (2022), and running back Bijan Robinson (2023). Those three players combined for 10 TDs last season. 

Atlanta could have gone with an impact defensive player like Alabama's Dallas Turner, but instead it generated a quarterback controversy it will have to sell as a competition. It's a weird pick. 

Las Vegas Raiders

The Raiders have new leadership with general manager Tom Tolesco and coach Antonio Pierce, and they made a surprising first pick at No. 13. 

Las Vegas took tight end Brock Bowers, which on its own is not a bad idea. Bowers dominated at Georgia the past two seasons and was arguably the best pass-catcher in college football when healthy. 

However, the Raiders took tight end Michael Mayer in the second round last year, and they avoided a defensive game-changer or quarterback in the first round. This was not the expected twist from Las Vegas, who has been known for those since the Al Davis heyday. This means the Raiders will be content with Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew at quarterback in 2024 and perhaps beyond. Is that really the best path toward chasing the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West?

Buffalo Bills 

Buffalo traded Stefon Diggs in the offseason. Now, the Bills made a strange late first-round move by trading their first-round pick to defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City. 

The Chiefs used that pick to give quarterback Patrick Mahomes a wide receiver in Texas’ Xavier Worthy, who ran a 4.21 at the NFL Scouting Combine. The optics alone are going to follow Buffalo, who is trying to catch Kansas City in the AFC, especially if Worthy is a factor in a future playoff matchup. 

The Bills traded that pick from the Chiefs to Carolina to end the first round, and the Panthers took a receiver in Xavier Legette. 

First-round defensive players  

It took nearly two hours of real time for the first defensive player to be drafted. UCLA's Laitau Latu went with the No. 15 pick to Indianapolis, which ended a historic run of 14 straight offensive players that were selected to start the draft. 

Turner was among the draft-day slides, and Minnesota rescued him with the No. 17 pick after trading up with Jacksonville. There was not a defensive back selected until the No. 22 pick when Philadelphia selected Quinyon Mitchell. 

What does that mean? It's one thing to overvalue quarterbacks, tackles, and receivers, but this draft took that to the extreme. It's clear which way teams are leaning to build a contender. Eight tackles were selected in the first round. 

Big 12 least first-rounders among Power 4 

The Big 12 had three players selected in the first round, which was the fewest among Power 4 conferences. 

The problem? Those three players were from Texas and Oklahoma, which are headed to the SEC in 2024. Texas had a pair of first-rounders. Seattle took defensive tackle Byron Murphy at No. 16, and Worthy went No. 28 to Kansas City. Dallas selected Oklahoma tackle Tyler Guyton at No. 29. 

What's the solution for the Big 12? It will come in the form of Colorado in 2025 when Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter will both vie for top-five status.

Bill Bender

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Bill Bender graduated from Ohio University in 2002 and started at The Sporting News as a fantasy football writer in 2007. He has covered the College Football Playoff, NBA Finals and World Series for SN. Bender enjoys story-telling, awesomely-bad 80s movies and coaching youth sports.