When this article has been published the NFL draft has already happened, and while you may think that makes this article pointless, I beg to differ. While everybody is going to be covering the next generation of players, and how well they might do on their favorite teams. But I want to go back to last year and give every single pick in the first round of the 2024 draft an A to F grade.
Pick 1: Chicago Bear select Caleb Williams, QB, USC
Pre-draft, Williams was touted as the most complete QB prospect in the draft, and with Chicago getting rid of former QB Justin Fields, the door was wide open for the bears to get their guy for the future. William’s first season was laced with ups and downs throughout, being sacked more than any other QB in the NFL, but he showed some potential late in the season, Chicago is hoping for the best here.
Final Grade: C
Pick 2: Washington Commanders select Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU
Personally, I had many concerns about Daniels, his odd throwing motion combined with his reckless running style gave me the belief that any team that drafted him was going to have to refine his game quite a bit before really seeing results. I was proven very wrong, Daniels took one of the worst teams in the NFL to the NFC championship, he works phenomenally well with offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury and their offense pushed Daniels into the OROY (offensive rookie of the year) race, which he would win without much contention.
Final Grade A++
Pick 3: New England Patriots select Drake May, QB, UNC
Maye was my top QB going into the 2024 draft, His size, strength, and great athleticism looked like the prototype for a Josh Allen or Aaron Rodgers type, that could lead whatever franchise he was drafted too. But New England had more problems than the young QB could handle. Being surrounded by some of the worst starting skill players in the NFL and one of the most dysfunctional coaching staff makes a difficult environment for a young QB to strive in, despite these constraints, Maye still showed flashes of a franchise QB.
Final Grade: B
Pick 4: Arizona Cardinals select Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, OSU
The undisputed top receiver in the class, the cardinals were looking for a serious WR1 to lead their offense and give Kyler Murray a true number 1 receiver. While he didn’t look like the star that many were hoping for, he still showed plenty of flash in his first season.
Final Grade C+
Pick 5: Lost Angeles Chargers select Joe Alt, OT, ND
Many hoped the Chargers would use their early pick to give QB Justin Herbert a number 1 receiver, but Jim Harbaugh went to his roots with this pick and got an anchor player in Joe Alt. The young tackle showed plenty of promise in pass protection and with proper development should be a top player on this Chargers offense.
Final Grade: A-
Pick 6: New York Giants select Malik Nabers, WR, LSU
Despite the merry-go-round of QB’s and questionable leadership for the offense lead many to believe that Nabers might struggle to find a role as an NFL receiver. Nabers caught 109 passes for 1,204 yards. Great pick.
Final Grade: A
Pick 7: Tennessee Titans select JC Latham, OL, ALA
There are not a lot of positive things to say about the 24-25 Titans, but their offensive line continues to be the team’s strength and Latham is another solid piece to a great offensive line.
Final Grade: A-
Pick 8: Atlanta Falcons select Micheal Penix Jr, QB, WSH
Given that Penix only started a few games for the falcons, it’s hard to give him as accurate of a grade than the other players mentioned before. In the 3 games he did start, he showed some serious spark and despite a disappointing 2024 season, the falcons can hope for continued development for the young QB.
Final Grade: B-
Pick 9: Chicago Bears select Rome Odunze, WR, WSH
The bears were hoping to grab Caleb Williams, another star receiver to add to their already loaded WR core, Odunze proved to be a valuable addition to a team that didn’t really need another wide receiver when looking back on their season.
Final Grade: B-
Pick 10: Minnesota Vikings select JJ Mccarthey, QB, MICH
This might be the hardest one to grade…. Maccarthy suffered a season-ending injury during the preseason, he only played in one preseason game where he showed some flashes.
Final Grade: C
Pick 11: New York Jets select Olumuyiwa Fashanu, OL, PSU
When Fashanu was healthy, he held his own against good NFL pass rushers. The problem is injuries ruined hindered his ability to play in the back end of the season. While Fashanu’s play looked good when he was on the field, he needs to do a better job staying on the field for the whole season. (more of a Jets problem though)
Final Grade: B
Pick 12: Denver Broncos select Bo NIx, QB, ORE
I wasn’t very high on Nix as a prospect going into this draft, I thought his inability to make plays out of structure was going to make for a rough transition into the NFL game especially after being drafted to a Broncos offense that was nothing short of abysmal the season prior. Despite my doubts Nix did a pretty good job in his rookie year, leading the broncos to a playoff appearance against the Bills. Despite the good rookie season, I still have the same issues with Nix that I did last season. If Nix can’t become a play maker, I don’t think the broncos are going to make it past the first round of the playoffs for the next few seasons.
Final grade: B+
Pick 13: Las Vegas Raiders select Brock Bowers, TE, UGA
Coming out of Georgia, Bowers had many raving about his performances, some seeing him as the next big tight end in football. And it’s safe to say that Bowers didn’t disappoint, catching 112 passes for 1,194 yards and 5 touchdowns. Bowers will become the engine of a raiders’ offense that desperately needs some star power.
Final grade: A
Pick 14: New Orleans Saints select Taliese Fuaga, OT, ORE
Going into the draft the saints needed protection for their new QB Derek Carr and some help securing the outside in the running game. Which lead them to making the relatively straightforward decision of drafting Taliese Fuaga. In his first season, he excelled with run blocking and stood solid against top edge rushers in pass protection, he was one of the only bright spots in a saint’s season plagued by injury and defeat.
Final grade: B-
Pick 15: Indianapolis Colts select Laiatu Latu, ED, UCLA
Going out of the draft, I loved this pick from Indianapolis, adding a physical rusher to their 4-3 defense should have helped the Colts push into playoff contention, while Latu had his moments, they seemed to far separate to really affect the flow of any important game.
Final grade: B-
Pick 16: Seattle Seahawks select Byron Murphy II, DT, TEX
The high upside defensive tackle had an up and down rookie season, starting 9 of the 14 games he played, he only racked up 12 tackles and half a sack. While his stats leave a lot to be desired from a first rounder. When watching his tape, there is some potential for a game wrecking tackle, but the Seahawks are going to have to start working on his development over this offseason.
Final grade: C+
Pick 17: Minnesota Vikings select Dallas Turner, ED, ALA
Turner has had a tough time really breaking into Minnesota’s pass rush rotation, he still needs time to develop until we really start seeing the value of this pick, but his rookie season left little to be desired.
Final grade: C-
Pick 18: Cincinnati Bengals select Amarius Mims, OT, UGA
The Bengals attempted to address a huge need in the poor offensive line play that lead to Joe Burrow’s season ending injury and the end of the Bengals season. Mims had only started 8 games in college but had the frame and potential to be a day one starter for the Bengals. Mims has yet to show the consistency of an all-pro talent, but over time I think he can develop into a solid starter.
Final Grade: C+
Pick 19: Los Angeles Rams select Jarde Verse, ED, FSU
Only a couple weeks past the retirement of Aaron Donald, the Rams were searching for someone to rejuvenate their pass rush for the coming seasons, and they hit the nail on the head. While Verse’s stats aren’t anything to gawk at, his presence is felt on every play that he’s on the field for, which gave him the edge in a tight DROY race. Slam dunk pick by LAR.
Final Grade: A+
Pick 20: Pittsburgh Steelers select Troy Fautanu, OG, WSH
Like JJ Mccarthey, Fautanu suffered early, season-ending injuries. While injuries are out of a player’s control, I still believe that availability is the best ability.
Final Grade: C
Pick 21: Miami Dolphins select Chop Robinson ED, PSU
Going into the draft, Robinson was seen as a high risk, high reward prospect with all the pieces needed to become an all-pro level player, the only downside being how raw and undeveloped of an athlete he was. Miami drafted Robinson as a backup to star edge rushers Bradley Chubb and Jaelen Phillips. But when both players came down with season-ending injuries that would rush Robinson into the spotlight. Robinson would start slow, but he would break out during the month of November. Robinson finished as a defensive rookie of the year finalist.
Final Grade: B+
Pick 22: Philadelphia Eagles select Quinyon Mitchell, CB, TOL
Quinyon Mitchell looks like a keeper for the Eagles. Finished the season as a defensive rookie of the year finalist, great piece on a loaded defense.
Final Grade: B+
Pick 23: Jacksonville Jaguars select Brian Thomas Jr, WR, LSU
Trevor Lawrence needed a number 1 target going into 2024, and they certainly found one. Thomas was the one of the few bright spots of a miserable 2024 season for the Jags. He finished as an offensive rookie of the year finalist.
Final Grade: A-
Pick 24: Detroit Lions select Terrion Arnold, CB, ALA
Arnold had a tough time transitioning to playing cornerback at the NFL level. He eventually found his footing and put together a solid season, but I wouldn’t put him on the level as the last few picks.
Final Grade: C
Pick 25: Green Bay Packers select Jordan Morgan, OT, ARI
Another player with a season disrupted by injury, I’m just going to give him the default grade as I have for the other two players who had injury problems.
Final Grade: C
Pick 26: Tampa Bay Buccaneers select Graham Barton, C, DUKE
Barton has penalty issues as he was flagged in the double digits for this season, but he only allowed one sack in the regular season. A fair trade off.
Final Grade: B-
Pick 27: Arizona Cardinals select Darius Robinson, ED, MO
Yet another player who had his season ruined by injury. Had to give him the default grade.
Final Grade: C
Pick 28: Kansas City Chiefs select Xaivier Worthy, WR, TEX
Another underrated find from the Chiefs. While Worthy is not going to be the next Tyreek Hill or Travis Kelce, he’s going to play a key role for seasons to come.
Final Grade: B+
Pick 29: Dallas Cowboys select Tyler Guyton, OT, OK
Guyton showed a lot of promise throughout a rough Cowboy’s season. The only thing holding him back was a whopping sixteen penalties called on seventeen starts. With some adjustments this can be a great pick.
Final Grade: C
Pick 30: Baltimore Ravens select Nate Wiggins, CB, CLEM
Wiggins has the misfortune of being a great player in a great defensive draft class, while Wiggins shined throughout the season, there were a handful of other players that overshadowed Wiggins. Raven’s fans should be happy with another great piece added to their defense.
Final Grade: B
Pick 31: San Francisco 49ers select Ricky Pearsall, WR, FL
Yet ANOTHER player who missed significant time due to unfortunate circumstances, I think you all know the drill for how we grade these players.
Final Grade: C
Pick 32: Carolina Panthers select Xaivier Legette, WR, SC
Legette showed flashes throughout the season of what he could become, only problem was that the panther’s passing offense was incredibly dysfunctional for the first 10 weeks of the season. Hopefully, Legette can continue to develop with Bryce Young to create a functional offence for the panthers.
Final Grade: C-
