theathletic.com Open in urlscan Pro
2606:4700::6813:f71d  Public Scan

Form analysis
0 forms found in the DOM

Text Content

NFL

Teams
NFL Draft
Scores & Schedule
Super Bowl 2024
Standings
Podcasts
• • •
Log In
Subscribe for €1

Draft pick trackerNFL Draft live‘The Beast’ Team Draft Guides Scoop City, Our
NFL Newsletter
CHA
9:00pm
QPR
WLDLW
LEE
WLDLW
Sat, 4:00pm
SOU
WWWLL
STO
DDLDW
Sat, 4:00pm
NOR
LWDWD
SWA
LLWWW
Sat, 4:00pm
BBR
WDLWL
COV
LWLLL
EPL
FT,
Apr. 25
BHA
0
MCI
4
Sat, 1:30pm
WHU
LDWLL
LIV
WDLWL
Sat, 4:00pm
NEW
WDWWL
SHU
LDLLL
Sat, 4:00pm
MUN
DLDDW
BUR
DDLDW
SP
Sat, 4:00pm
STJ
DLLWL
HIB
DWLLD
Sat, 4:00pm
LIV
DLLDL
ROS
DWLLW
Sat, 4:00pm
ABE
LWWDD
MOT
WLDWD
Sat, 4:00pm
KIL
DWDWW
HEA
WLDWW
LEO
Sat, 1:30pm
LIN
WDLWW
POR
DWDWL
Sat, 1:30pm
REA
LDWDL
BLA
DWWWW
Sat, 1:30pm
WYW
DWWWD
CHA
DWDDD
Sat, 1:30pm
PET
WLWWL
BOL
WWDDW
LET
Sat, 4:00pm
GIL
DLLWL
DON
WWWWW
Sat, 4:00pm
COL
LWWLL
CRE
LDWLL
Sat, 4:00pm
WIM
DLWLL
WAL
WLLWL
Sat, 4:00pm
WRE
LWWWW
STO
WWWWW




WINNERS AND LOSERS FROM ROUND 1 OF 2024 NFL DRAFT: EAGLES FIND THEIR CB, KIRK
COUSINS GETS SLIGHTED


By Mike Jones
Apr 26, 2024

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

At long last, the NFL Draft finally has gotten underway from the city of
Detroit.

The first round is officially in the books, and each of the 32 selections bring
a renewed sense of hope to the franchises that made those picks. But plenty of
work remains. Rounds 2 and 3 take place Friday night, and then Saturday features
Rounds 4 through 7.

Advertisement



It’ll take some time to see how these picks pan out, but that won’t stop us from
reacting and analyzing.

We’re taking a look at the winners and losers of the first round.


WINNERS

Quarterbacks — Quarterbacks flew off the board Thursday night with six of them
going in the first 12 selections. Caleb Williams (Bears, first), Jayden Daniels
(Commanders, second), Drake Maye (Patriots, third), Michael Penix Jr. (Falcons,
eighth), J.J. McCarthy (Vikings, 10th) and Bo Nix (Broncos, 12th) combined to
tie the historic 1983 QB draft class for the most taken in the first round. But
never have six gone off the board as fast as they did Thursday night. Some of
these quarterbacks will likely start right away. Others may sit for a bit. But
for now, they serve as symbols of hope of brighter days ahead for their new
franchises.

Offensive players — Each draft reflects a different trend, and this year has a
strong offensive flavor to it because it took 14 picks before the first
defensive player came off the board. That player was UCLA edge rusher Laiatu
Latu, who went 15th to Indianapolis. In all, 23 offensive players went in the
first round while only nine defensive players were drafted.

GO DEEPER

NFL Draft opens with record 14 straight offensive picks

Kyler Murray — The Arizona Cardinals quarterback last season made his comeback
from reconstructive knee surgery but returned to an offense short on
game-changing talent. But Cardinals officials used the fourth pick of the draft
to acquire Marvin Harrison Jr., who is regarded by many as the best wideout in
the draft. Harrison gives Murray and the Cardinals a polished route runner that
also boasts good size and speed.

Philadelphia Eagles — The Eagles needed cornerback help, and they even made
calls about potentially moving up in the draft so they could better position
themselves to take the corner of their liking. But none of the teams ahead of
them had a pressing need at corner and Quinyon Mitchell landed in their laps at
No. 22 without Philly having to part with additional assets.

Advertisement



Daniel Jones — The New York Giants did a lot of homework on the quarterbacks in
the draft. There was talk that they could have used the sixth pick on a passer,
which could have signaled the end for Jones, who has largely disappointed since
New York drafted him sixth in 2019. However, the Giants instead used the sixth
pick on LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers, and that means Jones will likely get
another chance to establish himself.

LSU wideouts — First Nabers at sixth, and then Brian Thomas Jr. went 23rd to
Jacksonville. It’s the first time that LSU has had two first-round wide
receivers. Now, Nabers and Thomas will look to join Ja’Marr Chase, Justin
Jefferson, D.J. Chark and Odell Beckham as the next great wide receivers from
LSU. It was a big night as a whole for wide receivers as a total of seven came
off the board in the first round.


(Photo: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)


LOSERS

Kirk Cousins — Just months after they signed him to a four-year, $180 million
contract, the Atlanta Falcons stunned Kirk Cousins by drafting Penix. Cousins,
who didn’t learn of the team’s plans until the Falcons were on the clock, is
coming off of a torn Achilles, but his recovery from surgery is going well, and
he was looking forward to making Atlanta home. But now, Cousins could be looking
for another opportunity sooner than he anticipated (most of the guaranteed money
in his deal is in the first two seasons). Penix will likely sit and learn this
year, and if Cousins falters in 2025, the Falcons could turn things over to the
kid.

GO DEEPER

Cousins stunned Falcons drafted Penix Jr. in first round

Las Vegas Raiders — The Raiders needed to find their long-term answer at
quarterback and were believed to have interest in moving up in the draft to
ensure they were in position to take one. Well, the Raiders didn’t manage to
move up, and by the time they got on the board at No. 13, all six of the
quarterbacks viewed as potential franchise saviors had been taken. For now,
Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew remain the Raiders’ only options at
quarterback. They could look for a passer in the second or third round, but such
a player would likely be a project.

Zach Wilson — The Broncos took Wilson off of the Jets’ hands just a few days
ago, and it looked as if Wilson might have a chance to reset, learn from Sean
Payton and potentially salvage his career in Denver. But then the Broncos used
the 12th pick to draft Nix. Now, the best Wilson can hope for is a slow learning
process for Nix and struggles from Jarrett Stidham, who started two games in
Denver last season, so he can somehow work his way on the field. Otherwise, his
practice reps and playing opportunities will be severely limited.

Advertisement



Defensive backs — Cornerbacks endured a long wait Thursday night as 21 players
came off the board before Mitchell went to the Eagles. Mitchell, a Toledo
product, does land in a good spot on a defense with a strong front. But he
could’ve done without the wait. Mitchell’s wait wasn’t the longest, however. Two
picks later, Alabama corner Terrion Arnold finally got the call as the Lions
traded up to take him 24th. It was the longest cornerback wait endured since
1995 when Tyrone Poole went 22nd to Carolina and Ty Law 23rd to New England.

Buffalo Bills — Buffalo brass delivered a head-scratcher as they moved back in
the first round after a trade of picks with the Chiefs. Kansas City used that
pick to draft the speedy Texas wideout Xavier Worthy. Buffalo needs help at wide
receiver, and the Chiefs are the one team Buffalo can never figure out how to
beat in the playoffs. So, to pass up on a chance to help themselves, and then to
help strengthen a chief adversary could really come back to haunt the Bills.
Then, to make matters worse, the Bills turned around and traded out of the 32nd
pick, moving back to 33rd. The Panthers, who moved into that spot, used that
pick to take South Carolina wide receiver Xavier Legette — another player that
really could have helped Buffalo.


REQUIRED READING

 * NFL Draft 2024 grades for all 32 picks in Round 1: Williams an A, Penix earns
   a C
 * Best available players remaining in 2024 NFL Draft: Cooper DeJean, Johnny
   Newton and more
 * NFL Draft 2024 trade tracker: Vikings trade up twice for J.J. McCarthy,
   Dallas Turner

(Photo: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)




National
Boxing
Bundesliga
Champions League
Championship
College Football
College Sports
Copa America
Copa del Rey
Culture
Europa League
European Championship
FA Cup
Fantasy Baseball
Fantasy Basketball
Fantasy Football
Fantasy Hockey
Fantasy Premier League
Formula 1
Gaming
Golf
International Football
La Liga
League Cup
League One
League Two
LNH
Men's College Basketball
Men's World Cup
Mixed Martial Arts
MLB
MLS
Motorsports
NASCAR
NBA
NFL
NHL
NWSL
Olympics
Opinion
Premier League
Scottish Premiership
Serie A
Soccer
Sports Betting
Sports Business
Tennis
UK Women's Football
WNBA
Women's College Basketball
Women's Euros
Women's Hockey
Women's World Cup
The Athletic Ink
Podcasts
Headlines
US
Arizona
Atlanta
Baltimore
Bay Area
Boston
Buffalo
Carolina
Chicago
Cincinnati
Cleveland
Columbus
Dallas
Denver
Detroit
Houston
Indiana
Jacksonville
Kansas City
Las Vegas
Los Angeles
Memphis
Miami
Minnesota
Nashville
New Orleans
New York
Oklahoma
Oregon
Orlando
Philadelphia
Pittsburgh
Sacramento
San Antonio
San Diego
Seattle
St. Louis
Tampa Bay
Utah
Washington DC
Wisconsin
Canada
Calgary
Edmonton
Montreal
Montréal (français)
Ottawa
Toronto
Vancouver
Winnipeg
Partners
Tickets by Viagogo
Subscribe
Start Subscription
Group Subscriptions
HQ
About Us
Careers
Code of Conduct
Editorial Guidelines
Business Inquiries
Press Inquiries
Support
FAQ
Forgot Password?
Redeem Gift
Contact Us
Terms of Service
Newsletters
The Pulse
The Bounce
The Windup
Prime Tire
Full Time
Until Saturday
Scoop City
The Athletic FC
©2024 The Athletic Media Company, A New York Times Company
Privacy Policy
Manage Privacy Preferences
Support
Sitemap