It is next to impossible to predict the future of every draft pick. Every pick will have high hopes and the teams will have high expectations, but these players rarely reach their expected potential. So while it may be easy to say, this is all a guessing game on who is a bad pick, and who is a great pick. Still, making an educated guess is still on the table. Regardless of what everyone’s initial reaction is, the only way to find out for sure is by watching week in and week out when football season finally rolls around. But today is not that day so, without further ado, here are the WAY TOO EARLY Day one winners and losers!
WINNER: Caleb Williams/Rome Odunze – Chicago Bears
This is not an earth-shattering take, but Caleb is the best QB prospect since Andrew Luck, and pairing him with a wide receiver in Rome Odunze would be unfair to begin with. Add on that DJ Moore AND Keenan Allen can mentor both of these guys in different facets of the game, the Bears will be a problem for the next decade.
LOSER: Michael Penix JR. – Atlanta Falcons
I was already very low on Penix and had him dropping out of round 1. His going on day one was not only surprising to me, but going top 10 might be the most confusing pick in the last
couple of years. The Falcons have already signed Kirk Cousins to a four year/$ 180 million contract and were in a prime spot to pick the best defensive player on the board or trade down with a QB-needy team. Instead, they took a lefty QB who does not help Cousins at all, and he will be twenty-eight when Cousins’ contract is up. Not to mention, grabbing an injury-prone QB to back up an injury-prone QB is a terrible idea.
WINNER: J.J. McCarthy/Dallas Turner – Minnesota Vikings
It’s easy to say grabbing two stud players makes a great draft, but the Vikings were able to do so without making any crazy trades. Ensuring J.J. at ten while also getting one of the best defensive players in the draft at a position of need is always going to be a plus. It will be interesting to see how they handle next year’s draft!
LOSER: Brock Bowers – Las Vegas Raiders
It’s hard to say that getting the best TE to ever play college football is a losing situation, but the one thing the Raiders do not need is a playmaker. They should have been more aggressive in trading up for a QB, grabbing the best pick for them in the trenches, or trading down to accumulate more draft capital. Choosing to go Best Player Available (BPA) is always a good idea, but for certain teams that cannot afford that luxury, it can definitely hurt more than help.
WINNERS: Quinyon Mitchell/Terrion Arnold – Eagles/Lions
Getting CB one/two in the draft while picking in the twenties may have been the most impressive thing all night. Both CBs can boost their team into becoming an actual force in the secondary, something the Eagles and the Lions have struggled with. Not to mention that this is BPA at a position of need for both of these teams. Expect both players to be in the early running for Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Loser: Xavier Legette – Carolina Panthers
I am a HUGE Legette fan and I love seeing him stay in the Carolinas, but trading up to get him was a risky move that may not work out well for them. Between his late breakout age and how many great receivers were still left on the board, it makes no sense why they would give up fifty-nine spots on day three to make the trade happen. I still love Legette, and hopefully, it works out!
Winner: Brian Thomas Jr. – Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars getting a fifth this year, and a 2025 third and fourth while still getting a great player at a position of need was huge. A lot of people thought picking Brian Thomas Jr. at pick seventeen was going to be the plan, but still getting him at twenty-three while securing valuable future picks is a huge win for the Jaguars. Thomas Jr. comes in as a replacement for Calvin Ridley Jr. and the Jaguars WR room still remains as one of the biggest strengths of the young team.
LOSER: Teams That Need a QB – Giants/Rams/Raiders
With six QBs going in the first twelve picks, teams that were looking for a QB in one of the best QB classes in years jumped on them very quickly. The Giants, Rams, and Raiders now have to gamble on a day two QB in Spencer Rattler, Michael Pratt, or Jordan Travis, or they can elect to look to next year’s class. With how low the success rate of day 2/3 QBs is, I find it hard that teams will want the runt of the litter, but crazier things have happened! If it’s the former, we can see up to ten QBs go by day two!
Day one proved to be the fun and exciting day we were all hoping it would be, and now we look to day two to bring us the same satisfaction! Be on the lookout for WR, OT, and CB to go off of the board as fast as possible, and it may be a bit of time before TE, RB, and LB are called on the podium. While day one is always the most fun, day two is where franchises draft to win Super Bowls! I cannot wait to see what it has in store for us!
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