2024 NFL Draft: Bills & Kirk Cousins Among Biggest Losers as Patrick Mahomes Leads the Biggest Winners From the 1st Round

The 2024 NFL Draft’s first round was quite an action-packed thriller. It had surprise picks, smart moves, and also some questionable decisions.

It was a big night focused on offense, starting and ending with the selection of a quarterback and wide receiver.  For some teams’ focus on rebuilding offenses was quite clear with their smart moves. While others took major risks, hoping their gambles pay off. Now analysts are praising Patrick Mahomes’ team’s draft choices but are likewise worried about Kirk Cousins’ Falcons. With all the consensus insights we have come up with some winners and losers from today’s first round of the draft. 

Winners: Teams that made the smartest picks

Now the obvious winner is Chicago Bears who made history by selecting USC quarterback Caleb Williams with their first No.1 pick in 77 years. The Minnesota Vikings also pulled off a surprising yet brilliant move, trading up to grab QB J.J. McCarthy and bolster their offense. They weren’t done yet – the Vikings also leaped six spots to secure Alabama’s dynamic rusher Dallas Turner at No.17.

Meanwhile, the reigning champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, added a new partner for Patrick Mahomes in the offense. They drafted the Combine record-breaker, Xavier Worthy by making a trade move with Bills just like how the Vikings did. Meanwhile, the Arizona Cardinals also managed to grab their much-needed offensive firepower with the coveted wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. Finally, Jim Harbaugh, the man known for his strategic thinking, made a logical choice for the Los Angeles Chargers by selecting Joe Alt.  Harbaugh wanted the Chargers to mirror the structure of his old Michigan team, so he drafted an offensive tackle.

Losers: Teams that should work on their trading game

Now coming to the draft losers, the consensus pick is Kirk Cousins’ Atlanta Falcons. They surprised everyone by selecting Michael Penix Jr. at No.8. While Penix is talented, this pick ignored major needs on their defense and translated as a risky gamble early in the draft. Meanwhile, the San Francisco 49ers made an even more baffling decision. They passed up top-tier receivers only to settle for Ricky Pearsall at 31 which feels like a huge missed opportunity. Similarly, the Tennessee Titans addressed their offensive line with JC Latham. While it sounds like a safe pick, it might not make the biggest impact on the team.

Worst of all we have the Buffalo Bills who made a move that could haunt them for years. Earlier in 2017, they let Patrick Mahomes to the Kansas City Chiefs. Now in a similar move, they traded with the Chiefs and let go off the speediest wide receiver in the NFL: Xavier Worthy. Amidst this chaos let’s not forget the New York Jets, who traded with the Vikings for an offensive tackle – a questionable use of their early pick. Now what according to you was a “surprising move” in the 2024 draft? Let us know in the comments below.