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Day 1 of the 2024 NFL Draft is in the books.
It was an eventful evening across the board, with 6 quarterbacks being taken in the first 12 picks — a new record in the modern era. A total of 14 offensive players were selected to begin the night, shattering the previous record.
Here’s a look at some of the winners and losers from the first round of the draft:
Winner: Chicago Bears
Anytime you can take a generational quarterback prospect, you’re going to be in good shape — at least in the aftermath of draft night.
But the Bears didn’t just take Caleb Williams, they also landed former Washington star wideout Rome Odunze with the 9th overall pick. In a lot of years, Odunze would have been the first wide receiver off the board — and perhaps could have been a top-5 pick in this year’s draft. Instead, he falls to Chicago at No. 9 as the Bears look to supercharge their offense for the 2024-25 season.
Chicago is now armed with a new quarterback and an elite WR prospect to go with an already-talented roster. The Bears have not advanced in the playoffs since 2010, but after Thursday night, they seem poised to end that drought sooner rather than later.
Loser: Defensive players
It was a long night if you were a defensive player waiting to hear your name called.
The 2024 NFL Draft began with a record-breaking 14 consecutive offensive players. With the 15th overall pick, the Indianapolis Colts finally selected a defensive player in former UCLA edge Laiatu Latu. The previous record of offensive players to begin a draft was 7, set back in 2021.
In total, there were 23 offensive players selected in the first round of the draft. That also broke the previous record of 19 offensive first-rounders, which happened 3 times previously (1968, 2004 and 2009).
As a result on the run on offense, there are still some highly-touted defensive players on the board as Day 2 gets underway on Friday. The list includes former Alabama cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry, former Texas A&M linebacker Edgerrin Cooper and former Iowa cornerback Cooper DeJean, amongst others.
Winner: Detroit Lions
The 2024 NFL Draft ended up being an incredible showcase for the city of Detroit.
An estimated 275,000 people poured in to watch the draft unfold, creating an electric atmosphere for the event. The high-point of the night for Lions fans was when Detroit selected former Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold with the No. 24 overall pick.
Not only does Arnold fit a major need for the Lions, but getting arguably the top cornerback prospect in the draft at No. 24 represents one of the biggest steals of the night.
Here’s the moment Arnold was picked by Detroit:
Warm welcome for Terrion Arnold in Detroit ? #NFLdraft pic.twitter.com/sXcoPguyYM
— ESPN (@espn) April 26, 2024
Loser: Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons entered Thursday night’s draft with an opportunity to take the best defensive player on the board.
Despite being linked to Alabama edge Dallas Turner throughout the process, the Falcons shocked the NFL world by taking former Washington quarterback Michael Penix with the No. 8 overall pick.
It was a stunning pick for multiple reasons. For one, Penix will be 24 years old by the time he starts his rookie campaign in Atlanta. He was also selected ahead of 2 other quarterbacks — JJ McCarthy and Bo Nix — that many scouts believed to be better prospects, particularly McCarthy.
Second, Atlanta invested a great deal into free agent quarterback Kirk Cousins this offseason. The Falcons signed Cousins to a 4-year, $180 million contract this offseason. The first 2 years of Cousins’ contract are fully-guaranteed, meaning Cousins and his humongous cap hit are locked in through at least the 2025-26 season.
It also represents a very questionable trend of draft strategy by Atlanta. The Falcons have now selected offensive skill players in the top-8 of 4 consecutive drafts. Previous selections include tight end Kyle Pitts, wide receiver Drake London and running back Bijan Robinson. Per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, it’s the first time in the common draft era that a team has done this.
Via @NFLResearch: The #Falcons are the first team in the common draft era to select skill-position players in the Top 8 in four consecutive drafts: Kyle Pitts, Drake London, Bijan Robinson and Michael Penix Jr.
The 2002-04 Lions and 2007-09 Raiders did it three straight drafts. pic.twitter.com/nCdtvTgZPn
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) April 26, 2024
For both the Lions and Raiders, this drafting strategy contributed to lengthy playoff droughts. The Lions didn’t make it back to the postseason until the 2011 season after this string of picks. The Raiders didn’t reach the playoffs again until the 2016.
Winner: the Pac-12
As it often does, the SEC led the way with 11 first-round picks on Day 1 of this year’s draft.
However, the Pac-12 wasn’t far behind with a stunning 8 first-round selections. In the final year of the Pac-12 as we know it, the league delivered as many first-rounders as the Big Ten (4) and ACC (4) combined.
Michael Penix Jr., Bo Nix and Rome Odunze were the headliners, but the Pac-12 had draft picks sprinkled throughout the first round. This draft caps off a remarkable final season for the Pac-12 that will hopefully leave a positive, lasting memory in the minds of fans from across the country.
However, the result is a reminder of what the Pac-12 is losing — and how much the college football landscape is set to change this fall. Six of the Pac-12’s 8 first round picks played at programs who will be representing the Big Ten in 2024 and beyond.
Round 2 of the 2024 NFL Draft will begin at 7 p.m. ET on Friday evening.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
