Now that the dust has settled on the first round of the NFL draft, I wanted to put together some superlatives for the events of last night. Of course, Caleb Williams came off the draft board early, but beyond that, there were relatively few surprises as the majority of teams leaned into the consensus rankings, picking up players in positions of need and eschewing trades (for the most part).
Personally, I felt like this year's draft was one of the least exciting for a long time, with the first four picks pretty nailed on before the draft even began. My own predictions were correct for the first six picks, and there were very few players who came off the board that weren't projected to. It's a testament to the strength in depth of the class that so many offensive linemen were selected (9), as well as a record-breaking number of offensive players in total in the first round (14 in a row to start the draft, 23 total).
Fingers crossed the rest of the draft throws up some surprises, and I for one can't wait to see where the likes of Luke McCaffrey, Spencer Rattler, and Jacob Cowing land over the next two days.
Big Winners - Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings, Arizona Cardinals, Detroit Lions
Three of the NFC North teams fall into this category for me, which I suppose makes the Green Bay Packers one of the losing teams from the opening night, but the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings both added two playmakers, each getting their prospective quarterbacks of the future.
The Vikings had to jump up one place to do so, for fear of another team leapfrogging the New York Jets, but came away with a National Championship winning quarterback, and one of the best edge rushers in the class. That will stand them in good stead for chasing down the new addition in Chicago.
Speaking of Chicago, they now have one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL, at least on paper. Caleb Williams is a generational talent with unlimited upside, the likes of which we've only really seen with Trevor Lawrence, Andrew Luck, and Peyton Manning in the last 30 years, while Rome Odunze is the most polished receiver in the class, and will be eased into life in the Windy City alongside fellow new arrival Keenan Allen. Even if the defense fails to show up this season, the O should be capable of putting up enough points to keep games competitive.
Similar to the Bears and Vikings, the Arizona Cardinals stood pat with their two first round selections and went and got themselves the most pro-ready receiver in the shape of Marvin Harrison Jr., and a difference maker on the defensive line in Darius Robinson. Harrison could well be the second coming of Larry Fitzgerald in the desert, with the size, speed, and catch radius to make an immediate impact, while the addition of Robinson will go some way to ensuring the defense is somewhat less overrun than it was at times last season.
Finally, the Detroit Lions needed to trade up to get their man, but did so by taking the best cornerback in the entire draft. Terrion Arnold played for one of the biggest college programmes at Alabama, and was a consistent performer on the back end of a Nick Sagan defense which regularly converts multiple players to the pros every year. With that being the one major hole on the Lions roster, it's entirely feasible that they just catapulted themselves into the conversation for Super Bowl contenders after just one selection.
Big Losers - Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills, Tennessee Titans
What are the Atlanta Falcons doing?! You've just signed Kirk Cousins to a huge contract, and now you go and draft a quarterback with the 8th overall pick. Not only that, but by the time Cousins' contract gets to a point where you can get him off the roster, Michael Penix Jr. will be 28 years old. I know that quarterbacks have more longevity in their careers these days, but stepping into the fold at 28 is too much, even by modern QB standards. There were other positions of need on the roster which could have been filled at 8, or they could even have traded back and likely still picked up their man. Instead, they pulled the trigger on a project quarterback that may set the franchise back a step.
I didn't hate the Titans' selection of J.C. Latham. It was definitely their biggest need coming into draft day, but with the depth of the offensive line talent, and only Joe Alt having gone off the board before the Titans were on the clock, they literally had the pick of the bunch. Fautanu, Fuaga, and Fashanu were all rated higher on most draft boards, and some have even argued that Tyler Guyton (pick 28 to Dallas) has a higher ceiling. This looks like it could have been another case of a team which could have traded back and still got their guy.
The Buffalo Bills meanwhile, managed to be one of the biggest losers on draft day, despite twice adding extra picks by trading back, first with the Kansas City Chiefs, and then with the Carolina Panthers. The reason they fall into this category is because their glaring need is at wide receiver and they allowed the Kansas City Chiefs, one of their biggest rivals in the AFC, to jump above them and select the man who will likely fill the Tyreek Hill role in the form of Xavier Worthy. The Texas burner ran a record 4.21 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, and will now line up against the Buffalo Bills for at least the next five seasons. I've got little doubt that pick 33, which now belongs to the Bills, will turn out to be a wide receiver, but they could have stayed where they were and not directly strengthened a rival.
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