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.
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.
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.
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…
This article was originally published by a theathletic.com . Read the Original article here. .