Steals are the most fun element of the NFL Draft. And when you grade an entire draft class, those steals are relatively easy to pinpoint on draft night. And there were plenty in the first round of the 2024 draft.
I've highlighted my favorites below.
Disclaimer: the selections will be based on my own individual Big Board, not the aggregate CBS Sports prospect rankings.
No. 11: New York Jets -- Olu Fashanu, OT, Penn State
Fashanu ticked all the boxes for me and I never watched another offensive tackle quite as clean as him on film. At 6-foot-6 and 312 pounds with 34-inch arms, this Penn State star is built like a future All-Pro left tackle. He enjoyed had back-to-back fantastic seasons in pass protection at Penn State and won't turn 22 until early December.
I, personally, did not see a drop-off in his game from his breakout 2022 to his final season in the Big Ten, and statistically they were close. As a sophomore, Fashanu allowed a pressure every 42 pass-blocking snaps. That figure was a 38 in 2023. Essentially a negligible difference. Does he need to add some weight and play with a touch more patience at the second level? Absolutely. But that's easily coachable. Vitally, Fashanu has unshakable balance and has the athleticism and wherewithal to recover when beaten. Plus, he won't have to play instantly for Gang Green because of the presence of Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses as the wily veteran bookend tackles the Jets added in free agency.
The Jets snagged Fashanu, even after a trade back, a young, high-upside blocker at a premium position, and got him outside of the top 10. Steal City.
No. 16: Seattle Seahawks -- Byron Murphy II, DT, Texas
Murphy is one of those rare cats at defensive tackle with the goods to eventually be a 50-plus pressure, double-digit sack type on the inside. And as we've seen with some of the deals veterans at that position have gotten over the past calendar year, that unusual ability is critical in today's NFL with quarterbacks getting the ball out of their hands faster than ever.
Despite not being a hulking 315-plus pounder, Murphy converts speed to power and will shock interior blockers on a routine basis when he's not slipping past them on pure quickness alone. While not a gigantic steal, I had Murphy graded higher than this, and for the Seahawks to be able to land him without trading up is quite the get for new defensive-minded head coach Mike Macdonald. Murphy can be a star next to Dre'Mont Jones in Seattle.
No. 21: Miami Dolphins -- Chop Robinson, EDGE, Penn State
The Dolphins got my EDGE1 at No. 1. Yes, that would categorize a monstrous steal. I'll start with the one consensus "ding" on Robinson -- that he wasn't productive at Penn State. Come on, now. We all know that disruption is production at any defensive line position, and we can't solely judge pass rushers on sacks alone.
Robinson generated a quarterback pressure on 17.5% of his pass-rushing snaps across three seasons at Maryland and Penn State. Anything above 15% is awesome for an edge rusher. And I like when Robinson wins, it's in a flash. As referenced above, passers get the ball out so quickly in today's NFL, defenses need those twitched-up rushers around the corner. Robinson flattens to the quarterback better than anyone in the class.
And with Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb nursing late-season injuries, this is a smart pick for Miami.
No. 22: Philadelphia Eagles -- Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Toledo
There were probably 500 mock drafts on the internet that had the Eagles trading into the teens or maybe right outside the Top 10 pick Mitchell. Instead, GM Howie Roseman, who typically likes to wheel and deal, stood pat and got the Toledo legend at No. 22. And the book on Mitchell is that it was simply too easy for him in the MAC. He had 45 pass breakups and six interceptions in his final three seasons for the Rockets, and when you have that much ball production, you're doing a lot of things right.
He's over 6-foot and right around 190 pounds with quality length, awesome recovery skills if he doesn't mirror perfectly, and, yeah, amazing ball skills with plus awareness as it's arriving. For a club in desperate need for youthful cornerbacks to play on the boundary, this was a perfect pick. Mitchell was my CB1 in this class.
