The first round of the 2024 NFL Draft is behind us, and while some selections went as expected, there were some major surprises Thursday night. Quarterbacks went 1-2-3 to kick things off, starting with Caleb Williams to the Bears, followed by Jayden Daniels to the Washington Commanders and Drake Maye to the New England Patriots. Three teams desperate for an offensive leader got their guy.
On the latest episode of CBS Sports' "With the First Pick" podcast, NFL Draft analyst Ryan Wilson and former Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Spielman gave grades for some of the top picks and selected their winners and losers of the night.
The two gave the first three picks an "A" grade. They were not as impressed with the Atlanta Falcons, who signed Kirk Cousins this offseason, adding another quarterback in the draft. The Falcons took Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 pick, leaving many people confused, including Spielman, who gave the move a "D." He noted that the grade has nothing to do with the quality of the player and is instead about the situation for the team.
"I think he will be a real good player, but it's a questionable move," he said.
The Vikings received a B+ for adding J.J. McCarthy, because the team only had to move up one spot to get him. Overall, the Vikings got an "A" for their first round after adding Dallas Turner and McCarthy while keeping their 2025 first-rounder.
As for the Denver Broncos, Spielman gave them a "C" for taking quarterback Bo Nix at No. 12. While he saw what head coach Sean Payton did with Drew Brees, he also saw what the coach did with Russell Wilson, which was far less positive. Since this is a player Payton is selecting himself, however, Rick and Ryan agree there will likely be a better result than there was with Payton's last QB.
The two then gave their winners and losers of the night. Here is who they had as the best and worst picks.
Losers
Falcons
"This is curious," Wilson said of the Falcons pick, saying the moment it happened Spielman was out of the room and thought it was a joke when they came back and told him. The two agreed that they can begin to understand the explanation that the team does not expect to be picking in the top 10 again any time soon, so they wanted to lock down another quarterback for the future in a league so driven by the position. Even with that reasoning, however, they are still perplexed at the choice, calling it "puzzling."
It was "hard to wrap around what they were thinking," Spielman said, summing up their thoughts.
Spielman believes Cousins will handle the situation with class, despite the reports that the starter found out right when the pick was made. He added that Cousins is very competitive, so making sure he remains the starter will be on his mind. The former Vikings GM also questioned the move, saying, if Penix was going to be the Falcons choice, why did they pay Cousins so much money? Out of all the quarterbacks in the draft other than Williams, Spielman thinks Penix is the most ready to start as a rookie.
Panthers
Wilson brought the Panthers up as a potential loser, but Spielman disagreed. Wilson saw the Panthers as a loser because last year, they took Bryce Young with the No. 1 overall pick, giving up what turned out to be this year's No. 1 overall pick to do so. Young did not see immediate success in the league and the team could have had C.J. Stroud, who did see immediate success. If they did not give up the No. 1 pick this year, they could have been in position to draft Williams on Thursday night.
Spielman frowned on looking back on the past with regret, saying that is behind us and we need to move onto the future. He added that the team got a good wide receiver in Xavier Legette, who he said could be like a Mike Evans.
Defensive players
This draft was historic with the number of offensive players taken, accounting for the first 14 picks, the longest stretch of its kind at any point in the draft. Wilson said defensive players were loseres because they were not off the board until No. 15.
The later picks are typically filled with the better teams, unless trades occur, so the majority of defensive players are going to teams that had winning records last season. Spielman noted that many playoff teams got better on defense and got these solid players for a great value.
For more draft coverage, you can hear in-depth analysis twice a week on "With the First Pick" -- our year-round NFL Draft podcast with NFL Draft analyst Ryan Wilson and former Vikings general manager Rick Spielman. You can find "With the First Pick" wherever you get your podcasts: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, etc.
Winners
J.J. McCarthy
Wilson asked whether McCarthy was a loser in this situation, going at No. 10 to the Vikings, to which Spielman emphatically answered "no."
"That's a stupid statement," Spielman said, holding back from saying anything stronger.
The situation McCarthy is going into with the Vikings makes him a winner, as Spielman sees it. The offense having a lot of playmakers and Kevin O'Connell being an offensive-minded head coach will help set him up for success. McCarthy does not have to play right away, so he will not be rushed and pushed into a situation he is not ready for.
Giants
There were rumors that the Giants would be looking to trade up to take a quarterback, or take a quarterback with the No. 6 pick, but they did not force the quarterback situation. If you are Giants quarterback Daniel Jones, Wilson said you should be happy with taking wide receiver Malik Nabers.
They fixed the No. 1 issue the team had, Spielman said, and given that they addressed the offensive line in free agency, he feels that now we can truly see what Jones has to offer. Spielman called Nabers the "most explosive" receiver in this year's draft and added that he will be a solid piece to an offensive puzzle that needed help. The team had to give Jones the best chance to win after committing to him.
Rams and Lions
The Rams and Lions are two teams that got players at an incredible value, Wilson and Spielman agree.
The Rams finally had a first-round pick and took edge rusher Jared Verse at No. 19. The Lions took cornerback Terrion Arnold at No. 24 and filled a "desperate need." He did not test very well, but plays a lot faster.
49ers
The 49ers got wide receiver Ricky Pearsall at No. 31, the second-to-last pick in the first round. Spielman gave a long list of positives for Pearsall, saying he has the versatility to play inside or outside, is "tough as nails" and can make contested catches. He added that Pearsall is better after the catch than people give him credit for.
This pick makes it seem like the team may not get an extension done Brandon Aiyuk, but as far as the 49ers process, Spielman trusts it because they have the wins to back it up. The team is continually in the Super Bowl conversation, so whatever they are doing in San Fran, Spielman is not going to question it.
