The 2024 NFL Draft class is one year into their NFL careers and in today’s video we will be going back and grading picks 1-16. This class had 6 quarterbacks taken in the top 12 picks, and had both current – and future superstars taken in the first round like Jayden Daniels, Malik Nabers, and Brock Bowers to name a few. We will be going in reverse order so we will be starting with the Seahawks selection of defensive tackle Byron Murphy – and finishing with the selection of Bears quarterback Caleb Williams. We released the video on picks 17-32 last week and that will be linked at the end. This is a continued serious that I hope you enjoy and we all know why we’re here so let’s dive right in!
16 – Byron Murphy was just the second defensive player taken in the 2024 draft and I thought Byron Murphy had a solid rookie season for what should be expected from a first year defensive tackle. He played his rookie year at just 22 years old and what doesn’t get discussed as much as it should by the media is – not every first round defensive tackle is going to be Jalen Carter or Aaron Donald in their rookie year. And we bring that up because it creates unrealistic expectations for guys like Murphy. I still thought Murphy held his own despite what were probably unfair expectations and I do think he will be a good player for a long time. He drew a lot of attention on the interior and that was noticed when watching the Seahawks play and he had 21 pressures on 244 pass rushing snaps. We often talk about guys needing a year or two to develop along the trenches to really get accustomed to playing at the NFL level and I think Byron is a good example of this, while showing flashes in his rookie year. Sure you can be disappointed with the fact he only had half a sack as a rookie, but I think he has a lot of potential that showed in year 1. A C+ grade
15 – Laiatu Latu was the first defensive player taken in the 2024 draft and would be the first edge rusher of 3 taken in a span of 5 picks – with the other two being Dallas Turner at 17, and Jared Verse at 19. Latu had a pretty solid rookie season all things considered and finished 2nd on the team in pressures with 38. The Colts usage of Latu throughout his rookie season was interesting and when Latu was on the field I thought he played pretty solid for a rookie. One thing that I do think needs to be remembered not just with Latu, but with most other pass rushing prospects – is – it takes time. The flashes were there from Latu as a rookie and I am also a believer that the Colts defense was set up to fail quite a bit in 2024 and there’s a reason Gus Bradley is no longer the teams defensive coordinator. The Colts team frustrated me as a whole in 2024 and unfortunately some of the mismanagement from the top down trickled down to Latu – who I don’t think was put in a position to maximize his success. I bring this up because I really like Latu as a player, and think he can be a guy who can get 50 pressures and 7 or 8 sacks in a year – if not more. For now, this is a B.
14 – Taliese Fuaga is up and Fuaga had a really good rookie season all things considered. He actually started out with back to back shutouts against the Panthers and Cowboys in weeks 1 and 2, and actually had 6 games without allowing a pressure in all of 2024 which was tied for 5th most in the league. That’s not to say his rookie season was perfect because it wasn’t, but I think the Saints have their left tackle of the future one year later. Every player is going to get welcomed to the NFL at some point and unfortunately Fuaga was welcomed to the NFL in week 7 against Denver in which he is credited with allowing 3 sacks. What’s kind of funny about that is he only allowed 6 sacks all year with 3 in one game. And aside from one bad game – there were so many good games from Fuaga including a shutout of the Browns all world pass rusher Myles Garrett in week 11. He’s a good pass protecter, he’s an athletic tackle and a great player in the run game and he did all of this at 22 years old. The Saints have their problems and we often discuss them with how they build their football team – but left tackle isn’t one. An A grade.
13 – Brock Bowers was the first tight end selected in the 2024 draft and one year later he has the most receptions in the class with 112. Bowers had nearly 1,200 yards in his rookie year and was one of the few bright spots on the Raiders. This may be a trivia question one day – but the 2024 Raiders actually had two 1,000 yard receivers – Brock Bowers of course, and teammate Jacob Meyers. Everyone knew Brock was going to be a really good prospect at the tight end position from the time he stepped on the field at Georgia back in 2021, but the only question was how good. And once we got to that point – it was – just how productive can he actually be in his rookie year? And now we know. And what I think is one of the more crazy things about Brock Bowers at this point is his career – is he just turned 22 years old – and he did this with poor quarterback play throughout most of his rookie season. You would like to think the quarterback play will improve as his career progresses as it’s hard to imagine it gets worse. Bowers was one of the best tight end prospects we’ve seen over the past 10 years and he more than played like it. He’s a franchise cornerstone at 22 years old. Don’t over think the easy ones. An A+ grade
12 – Bo Nix was the 6th quarterback taken in the first 12 picks and when this pick was made – I thought there was a chance Bo Nix could put up good numbers in his rookie year – but in a much different way than he did. I thought there was a chance the Broncos would finish the year 5-12 or 6-11 and that they may be a few scores in the 4th quarter – and that Bo Nix would be able to really pad his stats and make his numbers look good. Especially with the supporting cast he had outside of Courtland Sutton. But Bo’s rookie year was anything but that. The Broncos won both – 10 games and made the playoffs for the first time since 2015 – and Bo Nix had 34 total touchdowns. And one year later – Bo actually leads the 2024 class in completions, passing yards, and passing touchdowns. Going through adversity is huge for any young player and Bo certainly went through his fair share as Denver started out 0-2 and he threw 4 interceptions in those games. But like we always say – it’s not how you start – it’s how you finish. And Bo Nix had the best rookie season imaginable for Broncos fans after that. And they most certainly Bolieve – and this is an A+ grade
11 – The Jets traded back one spot with the Vikings so they could get JJ McCarthy and the Jets could still get the player they wanted all along in Penn State Tackle Olu Fashanu. I really liked this draft process by former General Manager Joe Douglas even though he has been since fired – because they acquired extra draft capital and drafted a really good offensive tackle in the process. Olu didn’t turn 22 until December and a common theme with young offensive lineman is going through growing pains – and Olu was no exception. He gave up his fair share of pressures early and Olu actually allowed 11 pressures in his first 142 pass blocking snaps – but allowed just 12 pressures on his final 230 pass blocking snaps of the season. Unfortunately he suffered plantar fasciitis in week 16 and missed the final two games of the year – but the strides Fashanu made over the course of his rookie season was notable. He initially started out at right tackle and even played a game at right guard before playing his final 6 games at left tackle. Fashanu was dealt a fair share of adversity in his rookie season and I think he did a pretty good job. A B grade that should go up as his career progresses.
10 – JJ McCarthy was the Vikings first first round pick of the night as the other was used on pass rusher Dallas Turner just 7 picks later. Unfortunately McCarthy suffered a knee injury in the pre season and missed his entire rookie year. I do think his situation is extremely favorable for him to succeed in and he will start the 2025 season at just 22 years old. I think he has a bright future ahead of him, but one year later this grade is incomplete
9 – Rome Odunze was the third receiver taken in the first 9 picks and Odunze would go on to finish his rookie season with 54 receptions for 734 yards and 3 touchdowns. I’ll be honest – I loved Odunze as a prospect and I think there is a big difference between how people talk about Marvin Harrison Jr – and how he actually played and we’ll get to MHJ in a minute – but the reason I bring that up is because if there is a player to talk about the way people do with MHJ – it’s Odunze. Rome only caught 54 passes on 101 targets in his rookie season for a catch percentage of 53.5%. He played all 17 games as a rookie and had 6 games with 25 receiving yards or less. And I don’t think Rome is on his way to being a draft bust by any means – but I do think his rookie year was slightly underwhelming all things considered. He had 2 100 yard games as a rookie and Rome will be just 23 years old at the start of the 2025 season. Make no mistake about it, I loved this pick when it was made, and I think him and Caleb Williams will be a good duo in the future – I was just a little underwhelmed with Rome in his rookie season. For now, a C+ grade
8 – The Falcons selecting quarterback Michael Penix was a shock to everyone when the pick was made, and one year later I really like the pick. Unfortunately for Falcons fans – Penix only started 3 games and played in 5 games total. He entered the Seahawks and Broncos games down double digits and only threw 5 total passes within those games – so he has a really limited sample size from his rookie year. He only threw 105 passes in 2024 and threw 3 touchdowns to 3 interceptions. One of his interceptions bounced off of Kyle Pitts hands directly into a defenders arms which obviously wasn’t on him and I do think that’s worth noting because that is at this point – a third of his career interceptions. I thought Penix flashed down the stretch and especially during the Panthers game as it was a good duel between young quarterbacks in Michael Penix and Bryce Young. I personally would grade this incomplete because of how limited of a sample size this is – but for the people who want a grade on this pick – I would probably give it a B
7 – JC Latham was the second tackle off the board and like you would expect from most rookie tackles – he went through his ups and downs as a rookie. There were times where he legitimately looked like a franchise tackle and that the Titans could pencil this pick in as a hit and go ahead and focus on improving the rest of the roster. Unfortunately there were a lot of downs for Latham as the season went on which was kind of surprising because I thought Latham did such a good job early on. If anything – I thought it would have been the opposite – start out slow and end the year strong. But JC played his entire rookie year at just 21 years old and I am optimistic about his future. If any trench player shows the flashes Latham did at 21 years old in the first few starts of their NFL career – then naturally – I will be optimistic about their future. Latham allowed 47 pressures as a rookie and even allowed 7 sacks and I think his rookie season can best be described as a rollercoaster. I am really excited to see how he plays in 2025 in which he will be just 22 years old, but the struggles he had do need to be documented especially because he was the 7th overall pick. One year later this gets a B-
6 – Malik Nabers was the second receiver selected behind Marvin Harrison Jr and in Nabers rookie year he had 109 receptions for 1,204 yards and 7 receiving touchdowns. One of the biggest things with Malik Nabers that I liked especially in his rookie year – was how high of a floor he had. He played in 15 of the 17 possible games and had 60 or more yards in 12 of the 15 games he played. And even in the games he didn’t have 60 yards – he had 59, 50, and 41 yards and he really didn’t have any downright bad games. He had 3 100 yard games, and him and fellow rookie teammate Tyrone Tracy were two of the lone bright spots on the 2024 Giants offense. Nabers had 170 targets as a rookie and it was due in large part to the supporting cast not being as good as Nabers is, and also given the fact the Giants were losing in a lot of their games. Nabers best game by far was against the Colts in week 17 where he had 7 receptions for 171 yards and 2 touchdowns in a game where the Giants put up 45 points for the first time in several years. I think Nabers is a future superstar and I think you can legitimately argue he is now. Like with Brock Bowers – I can’t wait to see how he plays when he has a legitimately good quarterback. Regardless, this is an A+
5 – I really thought Joe Alt was the best tackle prospect since Penei Sewell back in 2021 and he played like it during his rookie season. Alt was the definition of a blue chip prospect and he is already one of the better right tackles in all of football. If both Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater can stay healthy for the next few seasons – then there is a very real possibility the Chargers have their tackle duo set for the next several years. I loved this selection from the minute it was made because of the possibility of that. And any time you can have a good wall in front of your quarterback for not just one or two years – but for several – that is a winning move by the organization. Now the Chargers have to work on the interior part of the offensive line – but not having to worry about Slater and Alt – and having Joe Alt be a plug and play guy for the next several years – and having him play at a pro bowl level at 21 years old just a few years after transitioning from tight end is pretty insane all things considered. I really think Alt has the potential to be a several time pro bowler and multiple time all pro if he stays healthy. Jim Harbaugh loves the trenches and Joe Alt proved him right. An easy A+
4 – Marvin Harrison Jr was the 4th player taken in the 2024 draft and the first non quarterback. Expectations were enormously higher for Harrison Jr coming out of Ohio State and rightfully so. He was the best receiving prospect I’ve ever evaluated and the one thing that I think gets blown entirely out of proportion with Harrison Jr at the moment is – people act like he had a bad rookie season. He didn’t. He had 62 receptions for 885 yards and 8 touchdowns and was a good player for the Cardinals. You can certainly argue his rookie season was slightly underwhelming relative to the expectations he had set entering his rookie year – but there are people out there who legitimately think he disappointed in his rookie season and that’s certainly not the case. He will be just 23 years old at the start of the 2025 season and I would be pretty surprised if he doesn’t go for over 1,000 yards in year 2. He was credited with only one drop for his entire rookie season and ironically his worst game probably came in his debut against the Bills in which he had one catch for 4 yards. He responded with a 130 yard 2 touchdown game the following week against the Rams. Marvin is a great player and he will be fine. And 885 yards and 8 touchdowns is not a bad season for any rookie. An A- grade
3 – Drake Maye was the third quarterback taken in the first 3 picks and I’ll be honest – I thought Drake Maye had a pretty solid rookie season all things considered. The one big drawback of going to the Patriots in the 2024 draft – was pretty much exactly how Drake Maye’s rookie season played out. There was not a lot of options for Maye to throw the ball to and the offensive line was also pretty bad and we saw that week after week after week. Maye’s number do not look all that good especially when you factor in that he played 13 of 17 possible games – but he only threw a single pass in the final game of the year, he came in late against the Jets on a Thursday night game, and left another game early due to injury. And when you take his numbers from the Houston game in week 6 – through the Chargers game in week 17 and put them on pace for a 17 game season – Maye would have been on pace for over 4,000 yards and 26 total touchdowns with a not great supporting cast. I loved Maye as a prospect and thought he was routinely asked to go above and beyond what should be required for a 22 year old rookie and I think the sky is the limit for him in 2025. Just get him some help. One year later this is an A-
2 – Jayden Daniels was the second player drafted in the 2024 NFL draft and all he would go on to do during his rookie season is go for over 4,400 total yards, have 31 total touchdowns, and lead the Washington Commanders to their first NFC championship game since the early 1990’s. I think what makes Jayden’s rookie season even more impressive is – he technically played all 17 regular season games, but left the Panthers game early due to injury, and only played a couple of series against the Cowboys in week 18 due to the team already having a playoff berth secured. Daniels is the epitome of what you want when you are selecting a quarterback in the top 5 of an NFL Draft. This franchise had not won a playoff games since all the way back in 2005, and in Jayden’s rookie year – they not only won a playoff game, but also went into the number one seed’s stadium and won by two scores. Jayden helped change a franchise around that desperately needed it and Washington’s future looks very bright. There’s a very good chance free agents want to go to Washington now because they have a good chance at competing for a championship. Unfortunately because they lost by 32 points in the NFC Championship we are going to bring this down to an A grade … – and all jokes aside you guys know this is an easy A+
1 – Caleb Williams was the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft and expectations for Caleb entering his rookie year were sky high and rightfully so. He had 3 good options to throw the ball to in DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, and Rome Odunze and it wasn’t an unreasonable take for Caleb to throw for 4,000 yards in his rookie year and to throw for 25 touchdowns too. One big thing when discussing Caleb’s rookie year that a lot of people like to do is – make this an entire thing of Jayden Daniels vs Caleb and basically say that because Caleb didn’t have the year Jayden did – he is basically a draft bust and that’s simply not the case. This also isn’t a CJ Stroud Bryce Young situation either where Bryce didn’t look good for most of his rookie year and CJ Stroud was of course – CJ Stroud. Williams rookie season was much better than Bryce Young’s rookie season and I legitimately think the Bears future is bright especially with Ben Johnson. With as much pre draft hype as there was around Caleb Williams, I think some people want him to fail but he didn’t play bad in his rookie year. He had over 4,000 total yards and looked pretty solid for a rookie. And one year later this is a B. I hope you enjoyed today’s article and hope you had a great rest of your day!
