First-Round Draft Grades

Think of this article like a little time capsule. You’re most likely reading this on Friday morning with the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft in the rearview mirror from last night. But right now as I write this intro, I’m sitting down a few hours before the whole thing waiting with anticipation like the rest of the football world for the first round to finally unfold.

There have been months of speculation and millions of words written about the possibilities of tonight, particularly this year. I wouldn’t say it feels as wide-open as it has in some previous years, but there is a definite possibility for things to go completely off the rails. 

By the end of this article, I’ll have the names for all 32 picks and answers to the big questions we’ve been asking the last several weeks. How many quarterbacks will go in Round 1? Who is trading up for whom? Who got better and who got worse? All the uncertainty will feel far away. The smokescreens will lift, and the answers will have seemed obvious all along. 

Then in a year, we can revisit the grades handed out here. Plenty of people argue you have to wait three years to grade a draft pick. In one sense, they’re right. No one knows how these players will pan out, especially not even the teams picking them. 

But there are some general maxims to follow.

• We can grade a team’s process in making a pick, including whether they traded up or down. More often than not, trading down is the optimal move given the draft’s uncertainty to give a team more chances to hit on picks.
• Players eventually become eligible for new contracts and there’s a positional pecking order, so using premium picks on premium positions is usually the optimal path. Getting a high-value player on a cheap rookie deal is a major advantage for a team. 
• Every team’s board is different and no one knows how each individual player will pan out. But as a broad rule, the media consensus is directionally right more often than not. Teams that “reach” for a player are gambling that they’re smarter than other teams. Sometimes they are. Often they’re not. 
• “Needs” matter for teams. The goal is to pick players who make the squad better. But the window is much larger than people think, and positions that don’t seem like a need now can quickly become pain points. Every general manager will say they pick the best player available on the board. Some follow through better than others. 

Well, here we go. Without further ado…

1 – Chicago Bears (CAR): USC QB Caleb Williams

No surprise with the first pick. Chicago selects Williams and cashes in the lottery ticket they plucked from the Panthers a year ago. They’re hoping for a jackpot. Williams has the kind of talent to back up all of the highest hopes and dreams Bears fans might have. There’s polish needed to his game, but he’s a brilliant thrower of the football and an improvisational playmaker. 

Can he transcend the organizational limitations that have dragged down others? It can be done. Joe Burrow is Cincinnati is proof, even if there’s still work to do. One way or another, I can’t wait to watch. 

Grade: How can this be anything other than an A+?

2 – Washington Commanders: LSU QB Jayden Daniels

The Commanders were running a tight ship throughout the predraft process and there were almost zero leaks from the building about their intentions. That allowed for speculation about whether Daniels was as locked-in to this pick as a lot of people thought. But the consensus opinion around the NFL was that Daniels was the second-best quarterback in this class, and that’s evidently an opinion Washington shared. Time will tell of course if that’s correct. 

In the meantime, the Commanders are getting a dynamic quarterback through both the air and on the ground. In our deep dive into this quarterback class earlier this year, I compared him to Tyrod Taylor — and that should not be taken as a negative. Had Taylor entered the NFL a decade later, his story might be different. Daniels is a threat to score every time he takes off, and can bomb it down the field with accuracy. What Daniels will have to improve the most is attacking over the middle of the field with anticipation, as he left too many opportunities on this part of the field even last year when he was shredding college football en route to a Heisman Trophy. 

In the right circumstances, Daniels has the talent to be a quality starting quarterback. We’ll see if Washington can put together the protection, weapons and play-calling to get the best out of him. 

Grade: B+

3 – New England Patriots: North Carolina QB Drake Maye 

It sounds like the Patriots left the door open until they were on the clock for trade offers, but in the end, the potential of Maye was too good for New England to pass on. Every year there’s a prospect that gets picked apart a little bit, and this year that guy was Maye. His 2022 season wasn’t as productive as his 2023 season, and there are parts of his game that undoubtedly need polishing. When I watched him, I thought he missed too many easy opportunities, whether it was obvious reads he should have made or easy throws he misfired on. 

Still, Maye has prototypical size and arm strength. He is fearless at hanging in the pocket and attacking down the field, and there’s a long tape of throws that you could pull together that would easily translate to the NFL. The Patriots have the luxury of not rushing Maye into the lineup right away with veteran QB Jacoby Brissett. He can start while Maye learns, or while the Patriots beef up the supporting cast to be ready to support the rookie. 

Without knowing the details of the offer the Patriots turned down, it’s tough to knock them for that. Most teams will take the potential franchise starter if they see an opportunity. While there’s some definite downside to Maye’s game, he has a ton of potential, arguably as much as anyone in this class. The Patriots just have to do a better job of developing this first-round passer than they did their last one. 

Grade: A-

4 – Arizona Cardinals: Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr

Chalk so far. This was also the expectation back in late February, which is just a good reminder of how things can come full circle after we spend weeks exploring all the different possibilities and while the teams obfuscate their intentions. While the Cardinals fielded interest in this pick hoping to get a godfather offer from a team desperate to trade up for a quarterback, ultimately getting a receiver like Harrison to be the top target for QB Kyler Murray was too good to pass on. 

Grade: A+

5 – Los Angeles Chargers: Notre Dame OT Joe Alt

The drumbeats had been steady in connecting the Chargers to an offensive tackle despite their glaring need at wide receiver. That’s the Jim Harbaugh effect of how he wants to play. In the last few days, there had been a lot of smoke around Alabama RT JC Latham as an option since it was a cleaner fit at right tackle with LT Rashawn Slater. But Alt is just on another level as a prospect. As I pointed out in my mock draft, both Alt and Slater are capable of playing right tackle, and both are premium positions in the modern NFL. 

It’s hard to ding the Chargers too much for taking a player who looks like a future top-ten tackle. There’s a lot of depth at receiver for them to address their need here later on in the draft and I’d be shocked if they didn’t. But this is a good point to revisit my grade of the Harbaugh hire that ran a little counter to the consensus. Harbaugh is building a throwback offense that’s going to be built around the running game. It worked in 2014, it worked at Michigan. Will it work in the NFL in 2024? 

Grade: A

6 – New York Giants: LSU WR Malik Nabers

I was leaning toward Odunze with this pick but it was truly 50-50 between him and Nabers with the expectation that quarterback would not be an option, despite the persistent buzz to the contrary that lingered this week. I don’t think Daniel Jones is a viable option for the future but the remaining options are big projections at this point in the draft for New York. There’s not nearly as much projection with Nabers, who’s right up there with Harrison Jr. as one of the best players, period, in this class. He will be compared to another former LSU receiver, Odell Beckham Jr., and Nabers has a real shot to live up to those comparisons. 

Grade: A

7 – Tennessee Titans: Alabama RT JC Latham

Late in the process, I began having serious doubts that Alt was going to be available for the Titans this low despite it being one of the most popular mock picks over the past two months. Fortunately for the Titans, there’s still a lot of talent in this offensive line class. Latham is a massive, road-grading right tackle who says he has the flexibility to swap to the left side. The Titans might agree with legendary OL coach Bill Callahan now on the staff. In my opinion, the Titans passed on a better player in Odunze, but Latham fills a big, immediate need and is projectable as an impact player as well for Callahan. 

Grade: B+

8 – Atlanta Falcons: Washington QB Michael Penix Jr.

I did not buy the first-round hype for Penix at all. A lot of people didn’t even though there was strong buzz coming from the league about the possibility. CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones deserves credit for highlighting this specific fit a week ago in his mock draft. 

There’s a lot to get into. Obviously the Falcons made one of the biggest moves of the offseason to date by signing veteran QB Kirk Cousins which was supposed to solve their major need at the position. But Cousins is turning 36 this year, so this pick provides the Falcons a potential long-term solution at the position. It’s clear team owner Arthur Blank did not want a repeat of the past two years when the Falcons had to scramble for second-rate plans at quarterback following the trade of Matt Ryan. So they took a page out of the Packers’ playbook with Jordan Love. 

The thing is, the Packers used the No. 26 pick on Love after a trade up. That’s vastly different than a top-ten selection. Top-ten picks are drafted to start sooner rather than later, and the Falcons passed on impact players who could have helped them at wide receiver, edge rusher, defensive tackle and cornerback. To make things worse, Atlanta apparently did not tell Cousins this was a possibility until minutes before they turned in the pick. 

Cousins’ guarantees lock him onto the roster for at least two years and he was playing at a high level before tearing his Achilles last season. The return prognosis for a pocket quarterback like Cousins is strong, so there’s a good chance Cousins can keep Penix on the bench for multiple years. Penix is already 24 years old and could be 27 or 28 before he has his first season as a starter. 

Penix could benefit from not being rushed into the starting lineup immediately. He has an intriguing skillset with the best arm in this class and outstanding downfield accuracy. Penix is like a three-point shooter who can heat up and make throw after throw. He can also get cold and miss throws he shouldn’t. While Penix tested like a great athlete and had one of the best pressure-to-sack ratios of any quarterback prospect in recent memory, he’s a pocket passer, not a dual-threat player. As a second-round option, he was fascinating. As a top-ten pick, he’s terrifying. 

If Penix ends up being a legitimate starter worthy of a contract extension, the Falcons will be the winners in the end. But they’re passing on the opportunity to add a difference-maker that could help push them back into contention in 2024, and undercutting their $180 million veteran starter. It’s safe to say this is the most unconventional and risky pick we have seen a team make in a long time. 

Grade: C

9 – Chicago Bears: Washington WR Rome Odunze

The Falcons’ decision had huge ripple effects that we’re going to be discussing for a few picks. First is pushing Odunze to the ninth pick when on pure talent, he could have easily been a top-five selection. The Bears reap the benefits, landing another receiver to surround their No. 1 pick with talent. 

Odunze joins a receiving corps that already includes D.J. Moore and Keenan Allen. Moore is coming off of a career year with 1,364 yards receiving and eight scores. Allen had a similar statline albeit for the Chargers. But at least as a prospect, Odunze is a more complete player than either of them. There will be a learning curve, but the foundation of Odunze’s game as a route runner is better than Moore, and he’s a much better athlete with his blend of size and speed than Allen. Odunze could be a true, No. 1 receiver who becomes Williams’ best friend and go-to target in clutch situations. It’s hard to draw it up much better for the Bears. 

Grade: A

10 – TRADE: Minnesota Vikings (NYJ): Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy

With Penix coming off the board in the top ten instead of late in the first round or early in the second, there was even more pressure on the Vikings to secure a quarterback after failing to trade up to the No. 3 pick. They traded a fourth and fifth-round pick this year to swap one spot with the Jets and pay for peace of mind to secure McCarthy and box out any other teams lurking down the board. 

So now the Vikings have their quarterback, and they had to give up far less to get him than a lot of people thought they might. McCarthy has been one of the most polarizing prospects in this entire process, as the NFL was much higher on him than the outside consensus. He has the lowest number of pass attempts of any prospect in this class as Michigan was able to rely on its defense and running game to dominate the past two years, including winning the championship this past season. McCarthy’s accuracy left something to be desired at times. 

That said, there were flashes on tape of quick reads and great throws that got NFL evaluators excited. McCarthy was an easier projection to a pro-style offense than other prospects as well with his experience at Michigan. He’s a good athlete who can pick up yards on the ground if there’s an opening, though he’s not big enough to be a consistent rushing threat. 

Basically you can make whatever case you want when it comes to McCarthy. The biggest thing in his favor in terms of long-term outlook might be landing in Minnesota with great skill position talent and HC Kevin O’Connell, who has established himself as one of the NFL’s better offensive architects. Surrounding talent can make or break a young quarterback, and in that department, McCarthy seems to have landed in the best possible spot. 

Grade: B

11 – TRADE: New York Jets (MIN): Penn State OT Olu Fashanu

The Jets were able to squeeze two mid-round picks out of the Vikings and still select the player they would have at No. 10 overall. Excellent process for GM Joe Douglas. And after a ton of speculation linking them to Georgia TE Brock Bowers, Douglas stuck to his philosophy, ate his vegetables and took a tackle. 

Bowers is a great player but getting a potential high-end left tackle like Fashanu is a coup for the Jets. The position has been a pain point for years and while the Jets landed two quality veterans in LT Tyron Smith and OT Morgan Moses for a bargain this offseason, they got them out of the metaphorical scratch and dent section. New York needed a long-term solution at left tackle, and “long-term” easily could have been Week 3 given Smith’s injury history. 

Fashanu may or may not start out of the gates but the chance to learn from a future Hall of Famer like Smith will almost certainly pay dividends for the Jets down the road. 

Grade: A+

12 – Denver Broncos: Oregon QB Bo Nix

The Vikings were always the odds-on favorite to be the McCarthy team. So once the Falcons took Penix, the Broncos were painted into a corner with Nix. Denver didn’t have another pick until the third round, and if they passed on Nix or tried to trade down, they were playing with fire. 

Then again, if HC Sean Payton liked Nix as much as Adam Schefter says he did, invoking his story about how much he loved Patrick Mahomes in 2017, then it was always going to be Nix at No. 12. Every year, there’s always a ton of hype about potential first-round quarterback prospects. Usually the reality of where they’re picked doesn’t match. But this year it did, and the record of six first-round quarterback was matched with Nix’s selection here. 

Nix might have come off the board sixth in this class, but I’m personally high on how well he’ll translate to the NFL, especially now that he’s landed with Payton. Nix doesn’t have a single elite trait relative to some of the other top quarterback prospects this year but he does nearly everything you want from a quarterback at at least a competent level. Nix’s most impressive trait on film is his ability to break the defense down for quick completions with his presnap read. He doesn’t get bored of taking a completion but he also has above-average physical traits to create when the play breaks down.

That mental acuity likely stood out to Payton and as long as the veteran coach still has his fastball, Nix should be set up to succeed. This might be a big reach on paper, but I’m bullish about Nix as a player and his fit with the Broncos.  

Grade: B+

13 – Las Vegas Raiders: Georgia TE Brock Bowers

Most mocks zeroed in on tackle or cornerback for the Raiders. Most of them didn’t have Bowers being available at this selection, and the Raiders clearly felt Bowers was the best player on the board and superseded other needs. Las Vegas just used a second-round pick on TE Michael Mayer last year but Bowers is a different kind of player even though he plays the same position. Mayer is big enough to play inline while Bowers is a little smaller and fits as a wing tight end who can move around, even into the slot. 

The Raiders want to be a run-heavy offense so having the ability to run multiple tight end sets is important. Still, even teams who are heavy on tight ends still run 12 and 13 personnel less than 50 percent of the time. That makes the resource allocation with Mayer last year and Bowers this year with a high first-round pick less than ideal, particularly with glaring needs at important positions like right tackle and cornerback. Bowers is so good that I have a hard time being too harsh on this pick but I do think we’ll look back at this pick and see ways the Raiders could have worked the situation more to their advantage. 

Grade: B-

14 – New Orleans Saints: Oregon State OT Taliese Fuaga

The Saints were always taking a tackle with this pick, it was just a matter of who. Fuaga was one of the best options left on the board and should give the Saints a long-term starter at a position that is very much in flux. Former first-rounder Trevor Penning looks like a bust, though the Saints won’t give up on him just yet, and RT Ryan Ramczyk has a potentially career-threatening knee injury that didn’t respond as well this offseason as the Saints would have hoped.

Fuaga played right tackle in college, so this could be seen as a bad omen for Ramczyk. But the Saints do have some options to shuffle players around and find the best five. They’ll almost certainly leave the door open for Ramczyk if he is able to play. 

Grade: A

15 – Indianapolis Colts: UCLA DE Laiatu Latu

After being linked to a cornerback or offensive playmaker, especially in the last week, Colts GM Chris Ballard pitched a curveball and also took the first defensive player off the board. Latu’s stock was hard to pin down because of a neck injury that forced him to medically retire while at Washington. He transferred to UCLA and got clearance, then became one of the nation’s most productive pass rushers the past two years. Latu tested pretty well but his best asset is how technically proficient he is as a rusher. 

The Colts have sunk a lot of resources into the defense end position, using first and second-round picks on Kwity Paye and Dayo Odeyingbo. Both players flashed last year but neither is the kind of high-end rusher who’s capable of double-digit sacks annually or taking over a game. Latu could be, and if he is that would only help the rest of the defensive line. The injury risk is real and it could curtail Latu’s career but it’s easy to see Ballard’s thinking here. 

Grade: B

16 – Seattle Seahawks: Texas DT Byron Murphy II

The run on quarterbacks and offensive players pushed defense way down the board. That resulted in Murphy being available here for the Seahawks, and despite significant investment already into the defensive line, Seattle dipped back in for more. Murphy joins a front that already includes Leonard Williams, Dre’Mont Jones and Jarran Reed. Murphy gives HC Mike Macdonald a similar player to DT Justin Madubuike, who just had a career year leading Macdonald’s No. 1 defense in Baltimore with 13 sacks. Fixing the defense was one of the biggest reasons Macdonald was hired, and the Seahawks should be able to address needs along the offensive line later. 

Grade: B+

17 – TRADE: Minnesota Vikings (JAX): Alabama DE Dallas Turner

I have some mixed feelings about this for the Vikings. On the one hand, they reaped the benefits of not needing to trade their second first-round pick in a move up for a quarterback, allowing them to further address the defense. Turner was the top-rated defensive player for most draftnik’s this cycle and was widely expected to go in the top ten picks to the pass rush-needy Falcons or Bears. The Vikings also need help at edge rusher, so getting arguably the top one in the class is a coup. 

However, Minnesota didn’t get him for cheap. They surrendered a fifth-round pick this year along with third and fourth-round picks in 2025 to swap six spots with the Jaguars. When you factor in the initial trade with the Texans to acquire the No. 23 pick, it looks like this: 

Vikings give: 

• 2024 2nd (No. 42)
• 2024 5th (No. 167)
• 2024 6th (No. 188)
• 2025 2nd
• 2025 3rd
• 2025 4th

Get:

• Dallas Turner
• 2024 7th (No. 232)

That is a lot. It’s more than what the Vikings received back when they traded WR Stefon Diggs. By some trade value charts, it’s equivalent to the value of the No. 1 overall pick, and using the Jimmy Johnson chart it’s equal to the 12th pick. It also knocks Minnesota down to just three picks in next year’s draft. Turner’s a good prospect but the Vikings are leveraging themselves hard here as opposed to letting the board come to them and perhaps getting a player like Chop Robinson or a top cornerback at No. 23. 

Grade: C+

18 – Cincinnati Bengals: Georgia OT Amarius Mims

The Bengals land a prospective right tackle of the future and once again their preference for a player with size shows. Mims is a mammoth player at 6-8 and 340 pounds. But he moves extraordinarily well for his size and is the definition of athletic freak. The biggest hangup with him is he only had eight starts in college due in part to injuries. He’s a massive projection, but NFL offensive line coaches love players like that. The Bengals signed Trent Brown to a one-year deal to hold the fort down until Mims is ready. There’s a boom-bust factor to this pick but undeniable upside for a player picked 18th. 

Grade: B

19 – Los Angeles Rams: Florida State DE Jared Verse

After plenty of trade speculation and prognosticators pointing out HC Sean McVay has mostly gotten offensive players with the first pick of the draft in Los Angeles, the Rams sat tight and addressed the defense like most people up until this week expected them to. Verse was the top pass rusher left on the board and someone who likely would have been a first-round pick had he declared early last year as well.

He’s a powerful and explosive rusher who plays with limitless effort from snap to snap. Verse doesn’t have a lot of bend necessarily, which could cap his upside. But the Rams need to start adding as many good defensive players as possible in the post-Aaron Donald era, and Verse represents a start. 

Grade: B+

20 – Pittsburgh Steelers: Washington OL Troy Fautanu

Pittsburgh was clearly targeting the trenches for an upgrade this draft season and was ready to take the top offensive lineman on their board at this pick. It just so happened to be Fautanu. Some teams were projecting Fautanu to move inside to guard since he’s a bit shorter than the average tackle but he played left tackle for the Huskies and has the athleticism and length to stay outside. Most likely that’s where he’ll stay for the Steelers, who now have bookend tackles from back-to-back first-round picks. 

Grade: B+

21 – Miami Dolphins: Penn State DE Chop Robinson

I was a little surprised the Dolphins skipped on the chance to take the first cornerback off the board after losing Xavien Howard this offseason but pass rusher was a need too. Both Bradley Chubb (ACL) and Jaelan Phillips (Achilles) are coming off of major season-ending injuries. They signed Shaquil Barrett to replace Andrew Van Ginkel who left in free agency but with Chubb and Phillips potentially not 100 percent to start the season, depth was still a need. If there’s one position where you can’t have enough depth, it’s pass rusher. 

Robinson is undersized and his lack of production is a little startling. That first step off the edge can make you overlook a lot of things, though. Robinson is fast and twitchy enough to play off the ball if necessary and is quick as lightning off the line of scrimmage. 

Grade: B

22 – Philadelphia Eagles: Toledo CB Quinyon Mitchell

There was persistent buzz this past week that the Eagles were trying to move up the board for Mitchell. In the end, they stayed put and let him come to them. 

I’m not quite sure why Mitchell and all the corners slid this far. Mitchell looked to be about as clean a prospect as you could want coming into the process aside from playing for non-Power Five school. He dominated at Toledo, dominated at the Senior Bowl and dominated at the Combine. This cornerback class has some interesting mid-round options but relatively few players with No. 1 corner potential. I thought that would lead to an early run but the NFL prioritized other positions instead, continuing a trend from the past year or so of the league as a whole devaluing the position. 

Still, the Eagles needed a cornerback bad and got the top one in the class without parting with extra draft capital. That’s a massive win. 

Grade: A

23 – Jacksonville Jaguars (CLE via HOU & MIN): LSU WR Brian Thomas Jr.

Jacksonville picked up a sweet package of picks, including another fifth this year and a fourth and a third next, in exchange for falling six slots and still getting a player who would have been first or second in all likelihood on their board at No. 17. Jaguars GM Trent Baalke gets a lot of hate but he’s quietly made some shrewd moves the past two drafts. 

Receiver shot up the Jaguars’ list of priorities after they were outbid for Calvin Ridley in free agency. Thomas is exactly who they needed as a potential No. 1 target to stretch the field and create room for guys like WR Christian Kirk and TE Evan Engram to operate underneath. He’s tall, rangy and fast, and a major threat with his speed and size down the field. 

Grade: A

24 – TRADE: Detroit Lions (DAL): Alabama CB Terrion Arnold

Most prognosticators assumed the top cornerbacks would be long gone by the time the Lions had a chance to pick late in the first round. But they slipped, and it opened up a chance for Detroit to move up the board. The Lions gave up a third-round pick at No. 73 overall and got back a seven to move up for Arnold. It’s a steep cost for just a five-pick jump. Our trade calculator widget says the Lions gave up a premium in the range of a late third or early fourth in the move. 

The Lions have shown they want to get their guys, hell or high water and damn the cost. Arnold was one of their guys and one of the top cornerback prospects per most draft analysts. Detroit gets positive marks for filling a need and getting a well-regarded prospect. The Lions get dinged a bit for paying a slight premium to get him, though. 

Grade: B

25 – Green Bay Packers: Arizona OT Jordan Morgan

The Packers took a tackle in the first round for the first time since 2011. Not coincidentally, this is also the first year in a while they won’t have David Bakhtiari manning the blind side. I would hazard a guess that the Packers envision Morgan as the leading candidate to unseat Rasheed Walker as the starting left tackle when he’s ready, and failing that to find a home somewhere along the interior. It’s not a flashy pick but this was arguably the team’s biggest need, and this is about the range Morgan was projected for. 

Grade: B

26 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Duke C Graham Barton

One way or another, the Buccaneers should be getting an upgrade up front with Barton. He was announced as a center and that could indicate he’s ticketed to supplant Robert Hainsey at the pivot in Tampa Bay. That could let Hainsey move back to guard which was his initial position. Barton can play all five positions, though, giving the Buccaneers a ton of options with their front five. One way or another, he should be starting and giving the team an upgrade up front before too long. 

Grade: B+

27 – Arizona Cardinals (HOU via ARI): Missouri DL Darius Robinson

The Cardinals keep chipping away at adding talent as they rebuild the team. With their second first-round pick, they get back to addressing the line of scrimmage. Arizona spent a decent amount of money on mid-level free agents to shore up the defensive line and just raise the competency of the group from a D to at least a C this year. Robinson is the attempt at adding some upside and a building block long-term. He was one of the standouts at the Senior Bowl this year as a long and powerful interior lineman. It’ll be interesting to contrast Robinson with Illinois DT Johnny Newton as another interior disruptor who the consensus seemed to like a little bit more. 

Grade: B

28 – TRADE: Kansas City Chiefs (BUF): Texas WR Xavier Worthy

The Bills and Chiefs swapped around three draft picks apiece, with the Chiefs dropping from No. 95 in the third and No. 221 in the seventh to No. 133 in the fourth and No. 248 in the seventh in exchange for moving up four spots from 32 to 28. The swap is pretty fair on paper. 

What’s fascinating about it is that Worthy seemed like a potential target for the receiver-needy Bills. Instead, they served him up on a platter for their AFC rivals. They improved their draft position in the middle rounds and likely wouldn’t have taken Worthy anyway if they were willing to trade down, but optically this sets up to potentially bite the Bills in the rear down the road if Worthy turns into a headache. 

With his record-setting speed, Worthy could do just that after landing in Kansas City’s offense. On pure speed alone, the Chiefs now have a Tyreek Hill replacement, even if Hill had more to his game than just his speed. Worthy will have to prove he’s more than just a one-trick pony too but there are promising components of his game from college that suggest he has that potential. 

Grade: B+

29 – TRADE: Dallas Cowboys (DET): Oklahoma OT Tyler Guyton

The Cowboys traded down and still landed one of the players in their cloud of prospects at No. 24. Guyton gives them a successor at left tackle with the same athletic upside former LT Tyron Smith. The former converted tight end is still quite raw and there could be some growing pains if he’s thrust into the lineup right away. That was also said about Cowboys OL Tyler Smith, though, and he hit the ground running. If Guyton can’t do that, Smith represents a solid insurance policy at left tackle, with the Cowboys likely to add some more help on the offensive line this weekend. 

Grade: A-

30 – Baltimore Ravens: Clemson CB Nate Wiggins

The Ravens are annually one of the best-drafting teams because they sit patiently and let the board come to them. They have no problem taking the best player available and it regularly results in a roster with lots of talent that can withstand injuries and personnel losses. They stuck to the formula with Wiggins, a talented, speedy and competitive cornerback who slid because of concerns about his weight. However, the Ravens always seem to need quality corners and Wiggins has the skills and athleticism to be a strong man-to-man cover corner. 

Grade: B+

31 – San Francisco 49ers: Florida WR Ricky Pearsall

This might have been the most surprising pick of the first round outside of Penix to the Falcons. Pearsall had risen throughout the pre-draft process to the point where he was widely expected to go in the second round, perhaps even the top 50. This is still a sizable jump, and the 49ers chose Pearsall over several other receivers who received more love in the draft analyst community. 

Pearsall is also a much different type of receiver than the 49ers have typically drafted. He’s a slot receiver and perhaps only a slot receiver. The last player the 49ers went after like this was Trent Taylor — and Christian McCaffrey. Even though he and Brandon Aiyuk were both first-round picks, Pearsall is not really a replacement for Aiyuk (ironically the two played together at Arizona State). 

There’s still some stuff to like about his game and there’s a reason he was a major riser during the pre-draft process but this is a major reach and a bit of a weird pick from the 49ers. 

Grade: C

32 – TRADE: Carolina Panthers (KC via BUF): South Carolina WR Xavier Legette

Carolina sacrificed 59 spots of draft position on Day 3, going from No. 141 to No. 200, to swap picks with the Bills and get the fifth-year option on Legette, who seemingly would have been the pick at No. 33 anyway. Turns out the team was telling the truth with all the love for Legette during the pre-draft process. 

As a Panthers fan, it’s been a rough few years in the draft, and I can’t say I’m terribly optimistic this will pan out much better. Legette was practically invisible in his first four years at South Carolina, topping out at 167 receiving yards in 2022. He returned for a fifth season and had a monster year, averaging over 100 yards receiving a game. At the Combine, Legette ran a 4.39-second 40 at 6-1 and 221 pounds along with a 40-inch vertical jump. The Panthers seem to envision Legette as a ball-winning, downfield X receiver, something they don’t have on the roster right now. 

The track record of receivers with minimal production before a major late-career breakout is not good, however. I get similar vibes to last year’s early second-round selection, WR Jonathan Mingo, who the Panthers fell in love with because of his workout numbers and toughness. Mingo was in over his head as a rookie and has a long way to go to not be a liability on the field. Legette is a different player but there are some parallels. 

Grade: C