At 8 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on April 25, the 89th annual National Football League draft began. The event was held around Campus Martius Park and Hart Plaza in Detroit, Michigan. The draft concluded after three days, with 257 players being recruited into the league. 

The Chicago Bears had the first pick of the draft through a trade with the Carolina Panthers, and drafted University of South Carolina quarterback Caleb Williams. Williams was one of the top picks of the draft following his impressive performance over the past three years. In 2023 he threw for 3,633 yards, 30 touchdowns and only five interceptions. He has a 6.74 prospect grade, a production score of 98 and a athleticism score of 89. His combined score puts him in rank one and is a year one starter. 

The second pick of the draft went to the Washington Commanders who selected Louisiana State University quarterback Jayden Daniels. Daniels was also one of the top picks with a 6.73 prospect grade. He has a production score of 97, an athleticism score of 90, ranking him first and a total score of 92. He is a year one starter.

The New England Patriots had the third pick of the draft with University of North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye. Maye has a prospect grade of 6.50 with “boom-or-bust potential.” He has a production score of 88, the fourth-highest combined quarterback score and an athleticism score of 86. 

Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. was the fourth pick and was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals. Harrison comes from a family of NFL players, with his father being Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison. He has a prospect grade of 6.83, a production score of 94, an athleticism score of 73 and a combined score of 88. He is a year one starter. Harrison will add much-needed depth to the Cardinal wide receiver position.

The fifth pick of the draft was Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt to the Los Angeles Chargers. Alt also comes from a family of professional athletes, with his father John Alt, being a Pro Bowl NFL tackle player and his brother Mark Alt playing in the National Hockey League. He has a prospect grade of 6.49 and “will become good starter within two years” according to his NFL draft profile. Alt has a production score of 85 and an athleticism score of 85. Many analysts were taken aback after the Chargers did not pick a wide receiver, but incumbent coach Jim Harbaugh foreshadowed this decision when he said the offensive line is “not relying on any other position group to be good. They go out, yet every other position group relies on the offensive line to be good.” Hopefully, Alt will contribute to quarterback Justin Herbert’s rise to superstar playmaker.

The New York Giants chose LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers as the sixth draft of the round one. Nabers is a year one starter with a prospect grade of 6.86. He has a production score of 96 and an athleticism score of 85. Nabers will hopefully allow the Giants to reignite playoff aspirations after a disappointing 2023 season. He has drawn comparisons to fellow former LSU superstar receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson. However, only time will tell if he lives up to those lofty comparisons.

Alabama State University’s JC Latham, offensive tackle, was the seventh pick of the draft going to the Tennessee Titans. Latham has a prospect grade of 6.71 and is a year one starter. He has a production score of 87 and an athleticism score of 79. 

The eight pick was the most contentious out of the first top 10. This controversial pick is the Atlanta Falcons selecting Washington State University’s quarterback, Michael Penix Jr.. In May, the Falcons signed Kirk Cousins, veteran quarterback, to a four year contract for a $180 million deal. The high cost of this extension resulted in much surprise as the Falcons drafted a quarterback as their first pick of this draft season. Cousins was left blindsided by this pick, according to his agent Mike McCartney. 

“Yes, it was a big surprise. We had no idea this was coming,” McCartney told NFL Media. “We got no heads up.” Penix's age also raised questions by many analysts considering if Cousins were to play his full contract, Penix will be near 27 by the time he becomes a regular starter. Penix has a prospect grade of 6.25 and “will eventually be [an] average starter” according to his NFL draft profile. He has a production score of 82 and an athleticism score of 89.

The Chicago Bears had the ninth pick, their original slot in the draft, and picked Washington University’s Rome Odunze, wide receiver. Odunze has a prospect grade of 6.74 and is a year one starter. He has a production score of 91 and an athleticism score of 85. His draft profile highlights his ability to lead. The Bears’ other first round pick, Caleb Williams, was ecstatic to find out his new team drafted Odunze saying "we got our guy" in a clip posted to X shortly after the pick. Hopefully Williams and Odunze alongside key offseason signings of star receiver Keenan Allen and running back D’Andre Swift will have this historic franchise back to perennial playoff threats.

The tenth pick of the draft was University of Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy, going to the Minnesota Vikings. McCarthy has a prospect grade of 6.40 and “will become good starter within two years” according to his NFL draft profile. He has a production score of 84 and an athleticism score of 83. McCarthy, originally projected to be a mid second round pick at best, shot up draft boards after Michigan's historic championship run and McCarthy’s impressive performance at the NFL combine.

The most common picks of the top 12 in the 89th NFL draft were quarterbacks, with a record number six quarterbacks drafted in round one. A number this high has not been seen since the 1983 draft. For the most part the results of the 2024 NFL draft followed general predictions of analysts and the public; however, it will be entertaining to see how the 2024 NFL draft class affects the game next season.