NFL Draft live updates and analysis (2024)

NOTE: For updates from the second day of the NFL Draft, go here.

The first round of the 2024 NFL Draft began with a quarterback and ended with a wide receiver. Fitting for a night that was all about the offenses.

With their first No. 1 pick in 77 years, the Chicago Bears selected USC quarterback Caleb Williams, hoping to finally find their franchise QB. Williams set off a record run of six quarterbacks over the first 12 picks, including Jayden Daniels (Commanders, No. 2), Drake Maye (Patriots, No. 3), Michael Penix Jr. (Falcons, No. 8), J.J. McCarthy (Vikings, No. 10) and Bo Nix (Broncos, No. 12).

A record 23 offensive players were taken over 32 picks, including seven wide receivers. The first defender did not come off the board until No. 25.

The full first-round results:

1. Chicago Bears (from Carolina): Caleb Williams, QB, USC
2. Washington Commanders: Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU
3. New England Patriots: Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina
4. Arizona Cardinals: Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State
5. Los Angeles Chargers: Joe Alt, OT, Notre Dame
6. New York Giants: Malik Nabers, WR, LSU
7. Tennessee Titans: JC Latham, OT, Alabama
8. Atlanta Falcons: Michael Penix Jr, QB, Washington
9. Chicago Bears: Rome Odunze, WR, Washington
10. Minnesota Vikings (from N.Y. Jets): J.J. McCarthy, QB, Michigan
11. New York Jets (from Minnesota): Olu Fashanu, OT, Penn State
12. Denver Broncos: Bo Nix, QB, Oregon
13. Las Vegas Raiders: Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia
14. New Orleans Saints: Taliese Fuaga, OT, Oregon State
15. Indianapolis Colts: Laiatu Latu, Edge, UCLA
16. Seattle Seahawks: Byron Murphy II, DT, Texas
17. Minnesota Vikings (from Jacksonville): Dallas Turner, Edge, Alabama
18. Cincinnati Bengals: Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia
19. Los Angeles Rams: Jared Verse, Edge, Florida State
20. Pittsburgh Steelers: Troy Fautanu, OL, Washington
21. Miami Dolphins: Chop Robinson, Edge, Penn State
22. Philadelphia Eagles: Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Toledo
23. Jacksonville Jaguars (from Minnesota through Cleveland and Houston): Brian Thomas Jr., WR, LSU
24. Detroit Lions (from Dallas): Terrion Arnold, CB, Alabama
25. Green Bay Packers: Jordan Morgan, OL, Arizona
26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Graham Barton, OL, Duke
27. Arizona Cardinals (from Houston): Darius Robinson, Edge, Missouri
28. Kansas City Chiefs (from Buffalo): Xavier Worthy, WR, Texas
29. Dallas Cowboys (from Detroit): Tyler Guyton, OT, Oklahoma
30. Baltimore Ravens: Nate Wiggins, CB, Clemson
31. San Francisco 49ers: Ricky Pearsall, WR, Florida
32. Carolina Panthers (from Buffalo through Kansas City): Xavier Legette, WR, South Carolina

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Here are the top 10 players available after Round 1:

1. Oregon C Jackson Powers-Johnson (No. 23 overall)
2. Iowa CB Cooper DeJean (No. 27)
3. Illinois DT Johnny Newton (No. 28)
4. Alabama CB Kool-Aid McKinstry (No. 30)
5. Georgia WR Ladd McConkey (No. 31)
6. Western Michigan edge Marshawn Kneeland (No. 32)
7. Texas WR Adonai Mitchell (No. 33)
8. West Virginia C Zach Frazier (No. 34)
9. Michigan DT Kris Jenkins (No. 36)
10. Florida State WR Keon Coleman (No. 37)

LSU, Alabama and Washington each had three first-round picks tonight, while Penn State, Georgia and Texas had two.

The updated list of the most first-round picks in the modern NFL Draft era since 1967:

• Ohio State 78
• USC 75
• Alabama 72
• Miami 62
• Florida 56
• Florida State 47
• Notre Dame 46
• Michigan 44
• Georgia 43
• Tennessee 41
• LSU 40
• Penn State 39
• Oklahoma 39
• Texas 36
• Clemson 36

Why would Atlanta use their eighth pick in the draft on a QB?

The team believes they won’t have a top pick with Kirk Cousins under center the next few years, and now is the time to get a great one.

Conference breakdown for the first round: SEC 11; Pac-12 8; ACC 4; Big Ten 4; Big 12 3; MAC 1; Independent 1

Positional breakdown: OL 9; WR: 7; QB 6; Edge: 5, CB: 3; DT: 1; TE: 1; RB 0; LB: 0; Safety: 0; ST: 0.

The Panthers move up one spot, entering the first round to snag help for Bryce Young in the form of big South Carolina X-receiver Xavier Legette. A 6-1, 222-pounder with 4.39 speed and a 40-inch vertical, Legette is a powerful blend of speed and explosion who looks and runs a lot like Seattle star DK Metcalf.

There are concerns, however. He made 71 catches for 1,255 yards and seven touchdowns last year. In his previous four years of college, Legette made 42 catches. He’s 23 and not a consistent route runner. Legette is a credible deep threat who will provide help as a returner, but there were better receivers here for Carolina in my opinion. Texas' Adonai Mitchell and Georgia's Ladd McConkey are two that come to mind.

Grade: C+

One of the main takeaways of the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft is that no running backs were selected.

From a fantasy football perspective, this may seem like a downgrade for the ground game, but the reality is that nine of the first 29 picks of this draft were offensive linemen. In addition, Jayden Daniels is cut from a similar rushing quarterback mode as Lamar Jackson or Jalen Hurts and thus adds another potential dual-threat QB1 candidate.

Combine that with the heavy emphasis on upgrading offensive lines and it shows that NFL teams are still likely to continue the recent transition towards leaning on the ground game more and more often. Fantasy managers should keep this in mind when building teams, as RB values have increased recently due to this and are still likely to ascend.

The Carolina Panthers drafted South Carolina wide receiver Xavier Legette with the No. 32 pick after a trade with the Buffalo Bills.

The Athletic NFL Draft expert Dane Brugler on Legette: A four-year starter at South Carolina, Legette was an inside/outside receiver in offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains’ scheme (64.6 percent wide, 34.0 percent slot in 2023). A quarterback out of necessity as a senior in high school, he was raw when he joined the Gameco*cks and didn’t break out until his fifth season (he and Malik Nabers were the only two SEC players to average more than 100 yards receiving per game in 2023).

Legette is at his best on runway routes (verticals, posts, crossers) or sweeps and end-arounds that get his long-striding acceleration going. He doesn’t consistently shake tight man coverage, but he will use his size to play strong through contact.

Overall, Legette needs to continue developing his route proficiency and tempo, but his film gives off DK Metcalf vibes, and he has the explosive speed and physicality to be a matchup weapon. He should be an immediate contributor on special teams before competing for starting reps outside.

This feels like either a reach or an insurance policy in case Brandon Aiyuk ends up getting dealt. Florida receiver Ricky Pearsall will make some tough catches and could wind up running plenty of interior routes alongside tight end George Kittle.

A five-year veteran with three seasons at Arizona State and his final two at Florida, Pearsall (6-1, 189) has built a reputation for his toughness and ability to haul in difficult catches. Last year with the Gators, Pearsall caught 65 balls for 965 yards (14.8 yards per catch) and four scores. As a junior, Pearsall averaged 20.0 yards per catch (33-661) with five scores. At the combine, Pearsall ran a 4.41-second 40 and had a 42-inch vertical jump.

Grade: B-

The Buffalo Bills will not pick in the first round.

The Carolina Panthers — who did not have a pick entering the night — have moved up a pick to No. 32.

The Bills received pick Nos. 33 and 141 for Nos. 32 and 200.

The San Francisco 49ers selected Florida wide receiver Ricky Pearsall with the No. 31 pick.

The Athletic NFL Draft analyst Dane Brugler on Pearsall: A two-year starter at Florida, Pearsall was schemed across the formation in head coach Billy Napier’s offense, doing most of his work (62.0 percent) from the slot. After three seasons at Arizona State, including time spent learning from Brandon Aiyuk in 2019, he moved on to Gainesville in 2022 and had a career season in ‘23, leading the Gators in receiving.

With his play speed and footwork, Pearsall earned the nickname “Slick Rick,” because of the rhythmic movements he uses to shake free in his routes or make a defender miss in the quick game. Though he can be outmuscled at times versus press or at the top of routes, he has Velcro hands and never shies from attacking throws that lead him into impending contact.

Overall, Pearsall wasn’t a home-run hitter on tape, but he is a reliable receiving option with the route quickness and ball skills to quickly become a favorite target for an NFL quarterback. He has the skill set and toughness to work inside or outside and return punts at the next level.

Nate Wiggins was the top-ranked corner on the Football GM Podcast, ahead of Quinyon Mitchell. He lands in Baltimore, which is a very good place for defensive players to land.

The Baltimore Ravens selected Clemson cornerback Nate Wiggins with the 30th pick.

The Athletic NFL Draft analyst Dane Brugler on Wiggins: A two-year starter at Clemson, Wiggins was an outside cornerback in defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin’s scheme. An ascending player throughout his time with the Tigers, he combined for 25 passes defended in 23 games over the last two seasons and allowed just 43.9 percent completions when targeted in 2023. (Two of his three career interceptions came against Drake Maye).

Wiggins moves with quiet, controlled feet/hips to seamlessly transition out of breaks and accelerate to top gear (allowed only one catch of 20-plus yards on 41 targets in 2023). Though he needs to improve his consistency as a run defender, he shows tremendous effort in pursuit and had two chase-down forced fumbles that saved touchdowns in 2023 (Miami and North Carolina).

Overall, Wiggins’ slight frame and suspect play strength are legitimate concerns, but he is a fast and fluid athlete with the cover awareness and on-ball production to be a starting perimeter corner in the NFL. He projects as a longtime NFL starter with tools like those of Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.

Dallas had a big hole at two spots — center and right tackle — and the Cowboys opted to fill the hole on the outside with Oklahoma tackle Tyler Guyton. It’s an upside move with Guyton, who could start at right tackle and perhaps flip to left tackle within time. Or, if he reaches his potential, he could form a solid tandem with Tyler Smith.

Still raw and developing, Guyton earned 15 career starts at TCU and Oklahoma before declaring for the draft. He started 13 games at right tackle and one at left tackle for the Sooners, while opening one game at tight end for TCU. Guyton (6-7 ½, 322) has the requisite body for an NFL tackle with 34 1/8-inch arms. It might take him some time, but his upside is immense,

Grade: B

With three picks to go in the first round, here are Dane Brugler's 10 best available players:

1. Oregon C Jackson Powers-Johnson

2. Clemson CB Nate Wiggins

3. Iowa CB Cooper DeJean

4. Illinois DT Jer'Zhan Newton

5. Alabama CB Kool-Aid McKinstry

6. Georgia WR Ladd McConkey

7. Western Michigan edge Marshawn Kneeland

8. Texas WR Adonai Mitchell

9. West Virginia C Zach Frazier

10. Florida State WR Keon Coleman

The Dallas Cowboys selected Oklahoma offensive tackle Tyler Guyton with the No. 29 pick.

The Athletic NFL Draft analyst Dane Brugler on Guyton: A two-year starter at Oklahoma, Guyton was the starting right tackle in former offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby’s inside-zone, gap-focused scheme. A basketball-focused athlete much of his life, he moved to the offensive line while at TCU and later developed into a starter for the Sooners, protecting Dillon Gabriel’s blindside at right tackle.

A nimble big man, Guyton stays square to pass rushers with balanced lateral steps to easily redirect, and he does a great job working into open space with remarkable range (NFL scout: “The OU coaches just marvel at him. They call him different than everyone else they’ve had.”). He stays controlled with his punch to be a sticky blocker, although his accuracy and fit entry are underdeveloped, and his overall timing is not yet a strength to his game.

Overall, Guyton is a work in progress in several areas and a steep learning curve should be expected for his rookie season, but he has the athletic tools and fundamental skills to develop into a high-level offensive tackle. He has the talent to play left or right tackle, although his comfort level is clearly on the right side. As long as he stays motivated and healthy, he will continue on an upward trajectory.

Patrick Mahomes has yet to meet a player he can overthrow. We’ll see if Xavier Worthy gives him a run for his money. The Chiefs moved up from 32 to 28 to snag the fastest player in the draft in the form of the former Texas receiver. Worthy set the combine record with a 4.21 40-yard dash earlier this spring and will enter Kansas City’s offense with electric speed from the get-go.

This feels like a very good fit for Kansas City’s offense and for Mahomes in general, as Worthy is very dynamic with the ball in his hands. However, he’s also very small at just 165 pounds. Whether or not he’ll be able to hold up with a high catch volume deep into a season is a fair question. He can be inconsistent with his hands and his play strength will limit some of what he can do a the next level. It’s fair to wonder if Worthy was a first-rounder in this draft, especially with some of the talent on the board. But also tough to hate the fit.

Grade: B