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Winners and losers from Day 1 of the 2024 NFL Draft
Caleb Williams poses with fans after being selected by the Chicago Bears as the No. 1 pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Winners and losers from Day 1 of the 2024 NFL Draft

A wild first round of the 2024 NFL Draft is in the books. The league broke the record for most offensive players selected to start a draft (14), most offensive players drafted overall (23) and the fewest amount of picks needed for six quarterbacks to come off the board (12).

Here are our winners and losers from Day 1.

WINNER

Chicago Bears: The Bears have never had a 4,000-yard passer, but with quarterback Caleb Williams and wide receiver Rome Odunze joining wideouts D.J. Moore and Keenan Allen in Chicago, they have the potential pieces for the most explosive passing offense in franchise history. For one of the most storied franchises in the league, it's about time Chicago entered the 21st century.

LOSER

Atlanta Falcons: No one knows what the Falcons are doing, least of all their starting quarterback, Kirk Cousins, who signed a four-year, $180 million contract this offseason. Atlanta could have used its No. 8 overall pick on an edge-rusher, which is the team's most glaring need, but instead brass wasted the pick on quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who won't play meaningful snaps for as long as Cousins is on the roster.

WINNER

Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy: No rookie quarterback enters the NFL in a better position than McCarthy. He has the best wide receiver in football, Justin Jefferson, plus promising second-year pro Jordan Addison. Head coach Kevin O'Connell received praise last season for keeping the Vikings afloat after Cousins' season-ending Achilles injury forced backups Jaren Hall, Joshua Dobbs and Nick Mullens to start the final nine games. It's impossible to know this early if McCarthy is a future franchise quarterback, but he'll have every tool a young quarterback needs to succeed.

LOSER

Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers: Once the excitement of being drafted No. 6 overall wears off, Nabers will be hit with the reality that he's about to experience a massive drop-off in quarterback quality. Last season at LSU, he had Heisman Trophy-winner Jayden Daniels throwing him the football. In New York, he'll be saddled with Daniel Jones, who had two touchdowns and six interceptions in six starts last season.

WINNER

Jacksonville Jaguars: The Jaguars acquired three draft picks from the Vikings to move down six spots, and they still landed a top player at a position of need. After watching wide receiver Calvin Ridley depart for the Titans in free agency, Jacksonville added former LSU wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr., who led the NCAA with 17 touchdowns last season. He ran a 4.33 40-yard dash at the scouting combine, and his blazing speed will make him a favorite target for quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

LOSER

Buffalo Bills: Do the Bills know they're competing against the Chiefs? Buffalo curiously threw Kansas City a lifeline at the end of Round 1, trading down from No. 28 overall and allowing the Chiefs to draft Xavier Worthy, the fastest player in NFL scouting combine history and the potential next Tyreek Hill. For their illogical move, the Bills only received the paltry reward of a third-round pick, a seventh-round pick swap and many more years of being Kansas City's little brother.

WINNER

Teams that needed a cornerback: The Eagles got arguably the best cornerback in the 2024 class, Quinyon Mitchell, and didn't have to trade up to do so. The Lions made an aggressive move by sending Nos. 29 and 73 to the Cowboys for No. 24 and a 2025 seventh. Detroit was rewarded with Terrion Arnold, who NFL Next Gen Stats credited with the highest production score among cornerback prospects in this year's class.

LOSER

Las Vegas Raiders: The Raiders might not have a quarterback, but at least they have the deepest tight end room in the league. A year after spending its No. 35 pick on former Notre Dame tight end Michael Mayer, Las Vegas doubled down on the position and chose former Georgia tight end Brock Bowers at No. 13. While undoubtedly one of the top talents in this year's class, the Raiders are still one of the draft's opening night's biggest losers after missing out one of the six quarterbacks drafted in the first round.

WINNER

Nick Saban: It will be years before we know how the 2024 class pans out, but we're already certain ESPN nailed its draft pick. Following his retirement from Alabama, Saban made his debut as an ESPN analyst during the network's draft coverage and crushed it.

The seven-time college football national champion was obviously insightful about his own former players, but also articulated football concepts in a clear, engaging way. Saban was also exceptional at explaining the intangibles necessary for players to succeed in the NFL.

"It's the hard-wiring, the elite-wiring guys that can stay focused on what they need to do to develop and improve, that makes the difference," Saban explained during one segment. 

He called out "The guys that feel entitled and can't go to work and be a blue-collar kind of guy when you get in the opportunity to work and make the team," noting, "You're not going to walk in an NFL team and be the best guy on the team. So what are you gonna do to try to make yourself better?"

We're already looking forward to the start of the college football season and Saban dropping even more knowledge.

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