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With the first round of the 2024 NFL draft starting Thursday, it’s time to flip from projection mode to an assessment mindset.
Analyzing the draft shortly after the picks are made is always an imperfect exercise. Breaking down teams’ moves on a pick-by-pick basis is even trickier. But with franchises making their long-awaited decisions on their potential stars of tomorrow, it’s time to provide some snap judgments while still accounting for the bigger picture for each team.
USA TODAY Sports will provide grades on each pick on Day 1 as they are made. Check back here throughout the evening as the selections come in.
2024 NFL draft grades: Every pick in first round
1. Chicago Bears (from Carolina Panthers): Caleb Williams, QB, USC – Grade: A
GM Ryan Poles pushed back on the narrative about the Bears’ QB history by saying “we were hired to break a cycle.” Too early to say mission accomplished, but it’s hard to argue with the steps that got Chicago here. Yes, much of this good fortune comes back to the Panthers’ helplessness last season. But Poles enacted an impressive plan to get the right setup in place for Williams ahead of this selection. With a solid offensive supporting cast, it’s now on coach Matt Eberflus and offensive coordinator Shane Waldron to help Williams play on schedule while still harnessing his creativity. But all the hype is warranted for a singular player who has the poise, accuracy and arm strength to become a top NFL signal-caller in short order.
2. Washington Commanders: Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU – Grade: B
Make no mistake, this is a plenty exciting move for Washington to kick-start a new day under Dan Quinn and Adam Peters. But this might not necessarily be the safe pick some deem it to be. Yes, the Heisman Trophy winner can be an electric presence behind center. Still, Daniels needs to speed up his processing and learn to attack the middle of the field. Above all, it’s on the Commanders to leverage his scintillating running skills and ability to pick apart defenses from the pocket while keeping him off a Justin Fields-like trajectory in the early portion of his career.
3. New England Patriots:
4. Arizona Cardinals:
5. Los Angeles Chargers:
6. New York Giants:
7. Tennessee Titans:
8. Atlanta Falcons:
9. Bears:
10. New York Jets:
11. Minnesota Vikings:
12. Denver Broncos:
13. Las Vegas Raiders:
14. New Orleans Saints:
15. Indianapolis Colts:
16. Seattle Seahawks:
17. Jacksonville Jaguars:
18. Cincinnati Bengals:
19. Los Angeles Rams:
20. Pittsburgh Steelers:
21. Miami Dolphins:
22. Philadelphia Eagles:
23. Vikings (from Cleveland Browns via Houston Texans):
24. Dallas Cowboys:
25. Green Bay Packers:
26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers:
27. Cardinals (from Texans):
28. Buffalo Bills:
29. Detroit Lions:
30. Baltimore Ravens:
31. San Francisco 49ers:
32. Kansas City Chiefs:
