NFL

2024 NFL Draft 1st Round Reaction

It was an unprecedented night for the offensive side of the ball in the NFL Draft. Fourteen consecutive offensive players were drafted to kick off the night, and a staggering 23 of the 32 picks were on that side of the ball. This influx of offensive talent will undoubtedly impact fantasy football drafts, with fourteen of those names being eligible for dynasty drafts and eight being top-ten picks from Thursday night. The implications for dynasty drafts are even more profound this year, with the NFL’s clear emphasis on offense. Our analysis of the NFL Draft will begin at the top with Caleb Williams.

Caleb Williams: Pick 1 to the Chicago Bears

There is no need to spend much time on this as this has been seemingly penciled in for months. Justin Fields going to the Steelers cemented what most of us already knew. The pick is a slam dunk and one of the best situations we have seen for a rookie quarterback in recent history.

Grade: A+

Landing Spot: A+

Jayden Daniels: Pick 2 to the Washington Commanders

This pick was also the consensus for quite some time, except for some recent pushback by the oddsmakers suggesting it could be Maye. However, the consensus was correct. Daniels now finds himself in Washington with plenty of weapons and staff to help him reach his potential, which could be the middle to upper first round in Superflex drafts, where Lamar and Joe Burrow go now. I had Maye higher on my board, but I can not fault the staff in Washington for this pick.

Grade: B+

Landing Spot: B+

Drake Maye Pick 3 to the New England Patriots

This pick will be the first spot where the grades will differ; Maye was my QB2 in the class but went to an absolutely brutal landing spot in terms of talent on offense. Maye has all of the tools to be successful and will get to sit behind Brissett for some time, but this offense desperately needs a wide receiver. Whether that is a trade for Deebo, Aiyuk, or Higgins, at the bare minimum, they have to select a guy at pick 34 Friday night. I wish he had landed in Minnesota, but that was not the case. I hope the Patriots improve on offense and fast to not mess with Maye’s development.

Grade: A

Landing Spot: C (With the hope they address WR)

Marvin Harrison Jr. Pick 4 to the Arizona Cardinals

This pick was a forgone conclusion once Hollywood left in free agency and even before that. Kyler Murray has a new alpha wide receiver and will receive plenty of targets in his first year. Marvin has all of the makings of a superstar receiver in this league and is firmly a dynasty WR1 before even playing a snap.

Grade: A+

Landing Spot: A

Malik Nabers Pick 6 to the New York Giants

I will not lie, this pick bummed me out. I would have liked to see the stud receiver drafted to a better situation. The Giants made a great pick, and Nabers will hopefully thrive, but it is hard to get excited about that offense based on what we saw last year. He will step right in as Daniel Jones’s number-one receiver, but will that significantly impact our fantasy teams? We will have to wait and see.

Grade: A

Landing Spot: D

Michael Penix Jr. Pick 8 to the Atlanta Falcons

The Penix love by many teams was hidden, according to reports, but the Falcons are the ones that took the Washington quarterback in the most puzzling pick of the night. Again, like with Nabers, this is not about the player but the spot he went to. Why pay Kirk Cousins and pick a quarterback to sit behind him in the top ten? This team could have used an impact player on defense and could have accomplished that goal while accumulating more picks. Will Atlanta be stripped of a future first for tampering? Is the Achilles injury for Kirk not healing correctly? These will be some of the many questions asked leading up to the start of the season. Penix is a talented quarterback, and it is a shame that he was put into the worst situation from a media standpoint.

Grade: F (Biggest draft shock I have had in my years watching the draft)

Landing Spot: F (See Rodgers/Love)

Rome Odunze Pick 9 to the Chicago Bears

Congratulations to Chicago for crushing night one with two of their four total picks in this year’s draft. I would be lying if I said I didn’t love their draft. You now pair your rookie quarterback with an alpha receiver he gets to grow with while said receiver also learns from Keenan Allen and D.J. Moore. Take a bow, Chicago, you’ve earned it. The same is true for Ryan Poles, who could book a tee time for the end of round four, and no one would notice. It may take some time for Rome to put up big fantasy numbers, but it will be worth the wait, especially being paired with Caleb in what should be a high-powered offense.

Grade: A

Landing Spot: B (Only because of the crowded room in year 1)

J.J. McCarthy Pick 10 to the Minnesota Vikings

They got one of their guys and did not have to break the bank. McCarthy will also have the luxury of sitting a fair amount in his rookie year behind Sam Darnold. He will also have the luxury of throwing to Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, which is something some quarterbacks do not have; I am so sorry, Justin Herbert. In this offense with those receivers, McCarthy is easy to get excited about, and I hope we see him at some point this season, but I would not be surprised if we don’t. However, Minnesota has a quarterback for the long haul.

Grade: B

Landing Spot: A+

Bo Nix Pick 12 to the Denver Broncos

I always thought Bo would be a Bronco, not at this pick, but a Bronco nonetheless. Bo is truly in a tough spot with the trade of Jerry Jeudy and the lack of picks this year. If Sean Payton is sold and reverts to his old coaching methods, he will get the most out of Bo, but he needs more talent around him to flourish in a talented AFC West.

Grade: C

Landing Spot: D+

Brock Bowers Pick 13 to the Las Vegas Raiders

It was another shocker after the Raiders drafted Michael Mayer last year, but that was a different regime. The Raiders are getting an exceptional talent, but it remains to be seen how much usage Bowers will get with Minshew and O’Connell at the helm with Adams and Meyers still at receiver. This pick felt like a plan b after Penix went to Atlanta. It is a good one, but there are a lot of mouths to feed in Las Vegas. But who knows, we may get lucky and see Bowers get 100 targets in his rookie year, but that is just how good of a prospect and player he is.

Grade: B

Landing Spot: B-

Brian Thomas Jr. Pick 23 to the Jacksonville Jaguars

Our next fantasy football-relevant player after defensive players finally started coming off the board. Brian Thomas Jr. is the perfect player for this team based on what they wanted Calvin Ridley to do last year. Ridley was never that level of a vertical threat, but Thomas Jr. was at LSU a perfect fit in what feels like a make-or-break year for Trevor Lawerence.

Grade: A

Landing Spot: A

Xavier Worthy Pick 28 to the Kansas City Chiefs

Did the Bills really let this happen? The team that has been looking for a speedy wide receiver ever since Tyreek Hill left was just handed the man who broke the 40-yard dash record by the team that consistently knocked them out of the playoffs for what feels like years. The Chiefs finally found themselves their young promising receiver. At the same time, the Bills find themselves kicking off round two on Friday night. It would be a mistake if they could not land a veteran, and it might prove to be a mighty mistake for Buffalo. Worthy will fit in in Kansas City, and I can not believe it happened. Worthy might go higher than some are willing to take him during rookie draft season, but it might not matter with Patrick Mahomes.

Grade: A for the Chiefs, Pending for the Bills

Landing Spot: A++

Ricky Pearsall Pick 31 to the San Francisco 49ers

Well, this will surely accelerate those rumors for the current receivers in San Fransisco. Given the rumors, the Niners were always a sneaky spot for a receiver, but I did not think it would be with this pick. I always thought the second day would be perfect for them, but here we are. For a team that doesn’t play “11” personnel all that much, it all but guarantees that Deebo or Aiyuk will be on a new team by Friday night. Pearsall will benefit from a productive offense in San Fransisco, granted he does not land in the coach’s dog house. However, that story has ended quite well. Pearsall will be a value if he ends in the early seconds of your rookie drafts, which is where it looks like he will land, especially if neither receiver gets traded.

Grade: B-

Landing Spot: C (For now, a trade turns this into an A)

Xavier Legette Pick 32 to the Carolina Panthers

The guy they told they would pick at 33 goes to the same team at 32. Legette was always their guy, and they now secure a fifth-year option on the receiver. In his rookie year, he will have a substantial opportunity to produce across from Diontae Johnson to help Bryce Young’s development. I look forward to seeing what Legette can do with Bryce Young, as I believe this offense will be significantly better than last year, even with the bar being close to the floor. It is refreshing to see this franchise step in the right direction, even if it is baby steps. I am comfortable with Legette in the mid-second of rookie drafts, with many players still having to find their homes on offense.

Grade: C

Landing Spot: C+

Superflex Rookie Board After Round 1 of the NFL Draft:

1.01: Caleb Williams

1.02: Jayden Daniels

1.03: Marvin Harrison Jr.

1.04: Drake Maye

1.05: Malik Nabers

1.06: Brock Bowers

1.07: Rome Odunze

1.08: J.J. McCarthy

1.09: Xavier Worthy