NFL Player News

The Eagles selected Mitchell in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, 22nd overall.

Mitchell (6-feet, 195 pounds) was the best player in a dominant Toledo secondary, a group that gave up only 29 passing touchdowns over their last 28 games. Mitchell has a fairly downhill game for a corner, boasting 4.33 speed and a willingness to dive headfirst into whatever is in his way, and with Philadelphia's pass rush that could make Mitchell a ballhawking threat. Mitchell intercepted five passes in 2022, returning two for touchdowns. Darius Slay is 33 and James Bradberry will soon be 31, so Mitchell might need to step up as the team's top corner soon depending on when Slay or Bradberry lose too many steps.

The Dolphins selected Robinson in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, 21st overall.

Christian Wilkins' departure may have made defensive tackle an obvious need for the Dolphins, but Bradley Chubb (knee) and Jaelan Phillips (Achilles) both suffering season-ending injuries late in the year necessitated some edge help if the right player was available. The Dolphins landed on Robinson, a disruptive pass-rusher out of Penn State who had 9.5 sacks and 17.5 tackles for loss in two seasons at Happy Valley. Miami will have to tailor its scheme to get Robinson in the right alignment as he is just a touch under 6-foot-3 and 254 pounds. He has a motor and explosive athleticism (4.48 40-yard dash) but Robinson will need to develop his pass-rush moves as merely winning on athleticism will be difficult at his size.

The Steelers selected Fautanu in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, 20th overall.

Fautanu was a dominant left tackle at Washington but he slipped in the draft order due to measuring in slightly under 6-foot-4 at the combine (6-foot-3 and 3/4). Fautanu will still be listed at 6-foot-4 and more importantly boasts above-average arm length (34 and 1/2 inches). Fautanu may very well be Pittsburgh's eventual left tackle of the future depending on where the career of incumbent left tackle Dan Moore goes from here, but in the meantime Fautanu should provide Pittsburgh with a major upgrade at guard.

The Rams selected Verse in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, 19th overall.

Defense was a huge need for the Rams coming into the draft and with the way the board fell, they managed to get one of the top edges in the class without trading up. Verse took a unique route to becoming a first-rounder, beginning his career at Albany and playing his way onto Florida State's radar in 2022. He collected 18 sacks and 29 tackles for loss during his time with the Seminoles. Verse played in a 4-3 defense but is scheme versatile and his pass-rushing ability can work in Los Angeles. He's not the Aaron Donald replacement, but taking Verse is a step toward backfilling his pass-rush impact.

The Bengals selected Mims in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, 18th overall.

Mims (6-foot-8, 340 pounds) is almost entirely raw material after starting just eight games in his Georgia career, but it's the kind of raw materials that can yield uniquely high upside. Although he's enormous like few linemen in NFL history, Mims moves like someone smaller than himself, boasting an 111-inch broad jump that grades close to elite by offensive tackle standards. While it's true that Mims might need some development time the Bengals are prepared to grant him that for 2024 at least, as one-year free agent pickup Trent Brown should probably be considered the favorite to start at right tackle for the Bengals in Week 1.

The Vikings selected Turner in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, 17th overall.

Minnesota traded up with the Jaguars to get one of the top edge rushers in the class in Turner. An All-American at Alabama, Turner racked up an SEC-leading 11.0 sacks as a true junior in 2023, but he's far from a late bloomer. Turner burst onto the scene as a freshman in 2021 and racked up 8.5 sacks alongside Will Anderson to create a fierce pass-rushing tandem. Athletically, Turner is rather light for an NFL edge at 246 pounds but the athletic tools (4.46 40, 40.5-inch vertical, 34.38-inch arms) are loud. With Danielle Hunter now in Houston, Turner will be relied upon right away to create havoc in the Vikings' front seven.

The Seahawks selected Murphy in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, 16th overall.

The Seahawks had more pressing needs on the offensive line and passed up at least two premier prospects there (Troy Fautanu and Graham Barton) for the chance to take Murphy out of Texas, demonstrating a firm commitment to the Best Player Available approach. The Seahawks have trended toward more proper 3-4 looks in recent times after running something more like a lopsided 4-3 in the Legion of Boom days, so with Leonard Williams and Dre'Mont Jones an already costly duo at the end spots it would seem like Murphy would have to earn the nose tackle role or play off the bench in 2024. At 6-feet, 297 pounds Murphy is built like a gap-splitting tackle rather than the two-gap tasks that usually come with a nose tackle role. Despite the lack of clarity around his role, Murphy should make an impact for the Seahawks when he is on the field, wherever that might be. He was the best lineman on a strong Texas defense, and with a 4.87-second 40-yard dash Murphy should be able to make plays behind the line of scrimmage in the NFL.

The Colts selected Latu in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, 15th overall.

Latu becomes the first edge rusher off the board in this class and adds more firepower to a pass-rush that generated the fifth-most sacks in the NFL in 2023. He took an interesting path to get to this point and will play his rookie season at age 23. Latu began his career at Washington in 2019 and actually medically retired in the 2021 season. He returned to football the following year and starred at UCLA, earning All PAC-12 honors in the next two seasons and registering double-digit sacks in both years. Able to play standing up or with his hand in the ground, Latu will be a force off the edge in Indianapolis.

The Saints selected Fuaga in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, 14th overall.

The Saints have a desperate need at left tackle and Fuaga doesn't conventionally project as an option there, but be it at guard or right tackle Fuaga should provide immediate and considerable improvement to the Saints offensive line. At 6-foot-6, 324 pounds the former Oregon State star is built like a tank but accesses the second level as quickly as a tight end would. Fuaga clobbers what he gets his hands on and can run down those who attempt to evade him, but with just 33 and 1/8-inch arms he might be a tad better at guard than tackle.

The Raiders selected Bowers in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, 13th overall.

Despite investing a high second-round pick in tight end Michael Mayer in 2023, the Raiders couldn't pass up on Bowers in the first round. Bowers is the highest-drafted tight end since Kyle Pitts in 2021 and has an impressive prospect profile. Athletic enough to run from the slot and split defenders down the seam but physical enough to play in-line and block, Bowers is the complete package. He led Georgia in receiving in all three of his seasons in Athens and left school with the second-most touchdown catches (26) in program history. A hamstring injury prevented Bowers from testing at the combine and his measurements (6-3, 243) are not that of a prototypical tight end. However, the film and standout production paint Bowers as a weapon in the passing game and that will be his primary function in the Raider offense. Given Bowers' skill set and high draft capital, he projects to be the primary tight end over Mayer right away.