Breitbart Sports 2024 NFL Draft LIVE BLOG

Welcome to the Breitbart Sports 2024 NFL Draft live blog!  This is a running narrative/stream of consciousness as we navigate our way through the NFL’s annual draft bonanza.

Caleb Williams of USC is widely expected to be taken #1 overall by Chicago. Cameras caught Williams making his way to the draft earlier today with his girlfriend.

It’s not often that you have a situation where a quarterback might have better nail polish than his girlfriend, but that is the situation we find ourselves in now.

Honestly, there aren’t many quarterbacks who have more red flags than Williams. Not only because of the nails, pink phone, and lip gloss. But then you have to look at all the other concerns: His crying in his mother’s arms during his final game at USC. The fact that his teammates seemed genuinely happy to win without him in the bowl game. It’s just a huge risk for the Bears as they gamble their future on a player who has shown serious character and emotional maturity concerns.

Taking a step away from the draft talk for a second, look at this crowd in Detroit. Over 150,000 are expected to attend, and this video makes it look like they might exceed that number.

Seriously, how many sports in the world can unite 150,000 people for a game, much less a draft?

In any event, it appears Caleb Williams answered the Bears’ call on a pink phone. He might be the first quarterback to find out he just got drafted on a pink phone. Let’s hope he’s the last.

Here’s the pick.

So, obviously no surprise here. Williams will have an assortment of weapons in Chicago, including Keenan Allen, DJ Moore, and others. There are definitely worse places Williams could have gone. However, the pressure will be on. Chicago invited exactly one QB for an interview: Caleb Williams. It was always all about him. Now, it truly is all about him.

The Commanders are now on the clock.

And here it is, as expected.

Daniels was listed as a +1000 favorite to land with the Commanders. So, this is also not a surprise. The Commanders did like North Carolina’s Drake Maye. However, Maye has only been a two-year starter and the Commanders (correctly, in my opinion) came to the conclusion he needs more time to develop.

The comparison for Daniels is Lamar Jackson. To be clear, Jackson is a better runner than Daniels. But Daniels is excellent on his feet and is also excellent at the very important NFL quality of eluding pressure while looking downfield and finding open receivers.

He’ll need that in Washington behind a porous offensive line.

The Patriots are on the clock.

And just like that, the pick is in.

Let’s be real about this: there was zero chance the Patriots weren’t going to take a quarterback. This is why the Patriots turned down numerous lucrative trade proposals from teams like the Vikings and Broncos.

Maye is good. However, as mentioned earlier, he is not ready for primetime right away. The Patriots will likely need to be careful about when they decide to play him. All that being said, the arm talent and upside are all there.

Man, this is moving fast! The fourth pick is in, and the Cardinals take Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr.

Another no-brainer, right? The Cardinals lost DeAndre Hopkins and Hollywood Brown over the last year. If Kyler Murray is going to be a success, they need a big target wide receiver. Marvin Harrison Jr. is that guy.

And yes, he is the son of THAT Marvin Harrison.

He is the best non-quarterback in this draft and maybe pound-for-pound the best player in the draft. He has that kind of talent.

The Chargers and new head coach Jim Harbaugh are now on the clock with pick 5.

The Chargers take Notre Dame’s Joe Alt.

We’ve heard it for weeks: This is a tackle-heavy draft. Here is the first and best tackle to come off the board. A lot of speculation that the Chargers would take a receiver after losing Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. However, they also have a much-maligned offensive line, and Joe Alt is an absolute monster. With Alt protecting Justin Herbert from one side and Rashawn Slater from the other, good luck trying to get to the quarterback.

Would the Chargers have drafted Marvin Harrison Jr. if he had been available? Maybe. However, they really couldn’t go wrong with either of these players.

The New York Giants are on the clock.

The Giants take LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers.

There was so much drama surrounding this pick.

The Giants were the most talked about team in terms of trading up for a QB. Their extreme dissatisfaction with Daniel Jones was well-advertized. Yet, despite having J.J. McCarthy still available, the Giants decided to build around Jones as opposed to getting a new QB. That is legitimately shocking. Could they still draft a QB later? Sure. However, it is doubtful that whoever they take later will be viewed as a successor to Jones.

The Tennessee Titans are on the clock.

The Tennessee Titans select Alabama’s J.C. Latham with the 7th overall pick.

Had the Titans not taken Joe Alt, the Titans would have. Instead, they work on their porous offensive line by taking a bona fide badass in Latham. In the NFL, Latham will likely end up at right tackle. Alt is better, but Latham is no slouch and would have been the top pick in most normal tackle drafts.

The Atlanta Falcons are on the clock with pick #8.

The Falcons select Michael Penix Jr.

Wow. Not many people had Michael Penix Jr. going before J.J. McCarthy, but here we go. This is more than a little shocking. The Falcons signed Kirk Cousins to a $100 million deal and now you draft a QB? In the first round?!

There is definitely a case for drafting a QB. Cousins is older and has had injury issues. However, why would they do this this early? What if Cousins plays another three years? The Packers did something like this with Jordan Love. However, Love was not the 8th overall selection. Love was the 26th overall pick. That is a huge difference in money.

Again, I don’t hate the thought process. But I do not see how the Falcons can justify taking a quarterback this early. Wow. Shocker.

The Bears are on the clock with the ninth pick.

The Bears select Washington’s Rome Odunze with the ninth pick.

That makes sense, right? You draft Caleb Williams? Get him someone to throw to! Odunze is a big target and an excellent route runner. The Bears already had a stacked wide receiving corps. Now, with this pick, they’re showing that they’re committed to scoring and hopefully packing that lakefront stadium they’re trying to get built.

The Jets would have been on the clock at pick #10. However, the Vikings traded them a fourth and fifth-round pick to move up.

This has to be for J.J. McCarthy, right? Right.

This is a huge move for Minnesota. Justin Jefferson had to be crying big tears after losing Cousins. To keep Jefferson happy and start preparing for the future, the Vikings had to take a QB.

And this isn’t just any QB. This is a national champion who gives me serious Tom Brady vibes in terms of his football IQ and…well…just being a winner. Here’s the difference, though: McCarthy is infinitely more athletic than Brady. For that matter, he’s more athletic than any other quarterback in the first round, other than possibly Daniels.

His accuracy, grit, clutch performances, and leadership are huge intangibles that make him the complete package. He could be the best QB in the draft—a huge win for Minny.

The Jets are on the clock at pick #11.

With the 11th pick in the NFL Draft, the Jets take Olu Fashanu from Penn State.

Another big man off the board! Fashanu is a pure left tackle, which is exactly what the Jets need. Will he play right away? That’s something that will need to be determined. Veteran Tyron Smith is there now. It would be asking a lot to expect Fashanu to displace the wily veteran. However, it is a great situation for Fashanu to learn behind one of the greats and then eventually take over.

The Denver Broncos are on the clock with the 12th overall pick.

The Broncos select Oregon’s Bo Nix with pick #12.

If there is one sleeper QB in this draft who could sneak around and have the best career of anyone in this draft, it’s Bo Nix.

He has all the tools. He is super athletic. He is a quarterback’s kid. He has tremendous downfield accuracy and is probably a better Tua Tagovaiooa than Tua Tagovaioa. Tua is his comp, but Nix probably does the things that Tua does better than Tua.

And honestly, with Zach Wilson as his competition in Denver, Bo Nix could end up starting.

The Raiders are on the clock with the 13th overall pick.

The Las Vegas Raiders take Georgia’s Brock Bowers with the 13th pick.

Wow. So now the Bowers will have former Notre Dame tight end Michael Mayer and the top tight end in this draft – Brock Bowers – in the same tight end room. Bowers is a stud. He is exceptionally powerful, runs great routes, and is a sure-handed receiver. The only question is, who is going to throw to these guys? Aidan O’Connell?

Had Bo Nix been available, they probably would have taken him. With the 6th best QB off the board, the Raiders decided to stick their already stocked tight end room. With this pick, you have to wonder if the other AFC West teams will start moving safeties and cover LBs up their draft boards to counter this Siver & Black onslaught…

The New Orleans Saints are on the clock with the 14th pick.

The Saints select Oregon State’s Taliese Fuaga with pick #14.

So, basically, quarterbacks and tackles are flying off the board like crazy. The Saints need to solidify their offensive line, this does it. Fuaga is a finisher. He weighs 325 pounds and has the mobility of a player in the low 300s. The Saints want to be physical, this pick makes a ton of sense.

An update on the Falcons situation, the NFL Network now reports that the Falcons did not tell Kirk Cousins that they were drafting a QB in the first-round. So, that should go over well.

Also, this little bit of history was made.

The Colts are now on the clock at pick #15.

And as soon as Adam Schefter posts that…the Colts take a defensive player!

The Indianapolis Colts take Laiatu Latu from UCLA. This is a dynamic defensive end who led college football in sacks in addition to having 34 tackles for loss. This is precisely the kind of player the Colts need to put pressure on CJ Stroud, Anthony Richardson, and every QB they face.

Solid pick.

The Seahawks are on the clock at pick 16.

The Seahawks take Texas’ Byron Murphy with the 16th overall pick.

Not a shocker. Murphy is a big, physical menace on the interior defensive line, and that fits exactly into the style that head coach Mike McDonald likes to play.

The Vikings have traded up…again! They now pick in place of the Jaguars at #17.

The Vikings select Alabama’s Dallas Turner with the 17th pick.

The Vikings are clearly all in on this draft. There were only two trades in the draft, and the Vikings have been the team moving up both times.

The NFC North is now littered with quarterbacks who can move, and Turner is exactly the kind of guy who can do that.

The Cincinnati Bengals are on the clock with the 18th overall pick.

The Bengals take Georgia’s Amarius Mims.

The run on tackles continues. The dude is a massive 6’7, 340 pounds. He’s a great pass protector, but more importantly, he’s a physical presence in a division where you need big, physical bodies. The fortunes of the Bengals rise and fall with Joe Burrow. Mims should help keep him healthy.

The Rams are on the clock with pick #19.

The Rams take Jared Verse with the 19th overall pick. No one can make up for the loss of Aaron Donald. Jared Verse can make up for a lot of it, though. Though he plays a different position, Verse is similar to Donald in terms of raw physicality. He plays with an edge and likes to throw people around as well.

The Steelers are on the clock with the 20th overall pick.

The Steelers select Washington’s Troy Fautanu.

Fautanu fits the Steeler mold perfectly—a big, physical tackle who plays with grit and doesn’t expose his quarterbacks to undue danger. A good part of Michael Penix’s success was made possible by Fautanu. He’s 6’4 but plays with a lower center of gravity that can sometimes lead people to believe he’s not that tall. Injuries have always been a concern with Fautanu. They will continue to be. However, obviously, the Steelers feel good about his recovery. This is the second year in a row that the Steelers have gone to work on their offensive line.

Russell Wilson should be well-protected.

The Miami Dolphins are on the clock.

The Dolphins take Penn State’s Chop Robinson with pick 21.

Great pick for the Dolphins! His stat sheet will not impress you, but Chop Robinson is a supreme disruptor. Anyone who watches games loves Chop Robinson. Miami has had injury issues with much of their defense, especially their pass rushers. Robinson should bring much stability and productivity to that defense.

The Eagles are on the clock.

The Eagles select Toldeo CB Quinyon Mitchell.

Philly gets the first corner off the board. It’s very hard to find anything wrong with this guy. This is a player who could easily have played Power 5 ball and had opportunities to do so. He runs a 4.33 and isn’t rail thin, either. Mitchell is a very stout player. Good pick.

The Jaguars are on the clock.

The Jaguars select LSU WR Brian Thomas Jr.

The Jags had to fill the productivity gap left by Calvin Ridley, and they did so with a touchdown machine in Thomas Jr. There were 17 touchdowns on the year for Thomas Jr. Much will be made by the fact that he had Malik Nabers distracting defenders on the other side. And yes, that is certainly a factor. However, if you look at Thomas Jr.’s one-on-one matchups, he beat his defender consistently, and he may be the best receiver in the draft when it comes to high-pointing the ball.

Trevor Lawrence should love this pick.

The Cowboys traded pick 24 to the Lions, and Detroit is on the clock.

The Lions take Alabama’s Terrion Arnold with the 24th overall pick. Detroit is going to have an amazing secondary. Arnold had six picks and 20 pass breakups in his career. This charismatic leader isn’t a typical DB and is unafraid to come up and tackle. Arnold fits the mold of Lions draft picks under Dan Campbell, gritty football nerds.

The Green Bay Packers are on the clock.

The Packers take tackle Jordan Morgan from Arizona with pick #25.

The Packers attempted to replace David Bakhtiari with this pick. Morgan is not necessarily a similar player to Bakhtiari. While Bakhtiari had great footwork and complimented it with power, Morgan is not known for power. Instead, he tends to rely on athleticism and footwork to male plays. Morgan has been dependable, though; he has only allowed three sacks since 2022.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are on the clock.

The Buccaneers select Duke lineman Graham Barton.

The Buccaneers drafted a 315-pound Swiss Army knife. Barton can play any position on the offensive line. He has uncommon hand strength that leaves defenders defenseless, and he combines that with mobility that is unmatched by most. It was an excellent pick for the Bucs.

The Arizona Cardinals are on the clock.

The Cardinals take defensive tackle Darius Robinson from Missouri at pick 27.

Another Swiss Army knife. Robinson has the speed, size, and physicality to play anywhere on the D line. Arizona’s defense kept them competitive last year but did it without many big-name playmakers. Robinson should help with that.

The Kansas City Chiefs are on the clock. 

The Chiefs traded with the Bills and took a playmaking wide receiver from Texas in Xavier Worthy.

This is an excellent move for the Chiefs, who were let down by their receiving corps in a big way last year and will likely be without Rashee Rice for the entire season.

Worthy brings a blend of talent and speed that leads to big plays, as he showed at Texas last year; Pat Mahomes will find Worthy early and often.

And he likes the pick.

The Dallas Cowboys are on the clock.

The Cowboys select Oklahoma tackle Tyler Guyon with the 29th pick.

Guyton is the replacement for Tyron Smith. As a former tight end, Guyton has tremendous athletic ability and footwork that will help him against speed rushers. However, by the same token, as a former tight end, he still needs coaching and tends to get too upright.

The Baltimore Ravens are on the clock. 

The Ravens select Clemson CB Nate Wiggins with pick #30.

This is a big need pick for Baltimore, which has become entirely too dependent on Marlon Humphrey. Wiggins brings incredible speed (4.28) and playmaking ability to a secondary that needs it. Tackling has been an issue, but the Ravens have great defensive coaches who can work on that. Solid pick.

The 49ers are on the clock.

The 49ers select Florida receiver Ricky Pearsall with the 31st pick.

https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1783704907792728448

I mean, watch the video. What else needs to be said? Ricky Pearsall is what the kids call a DAWG. He is consistently open, consistently makes great catches in traffic, and is a highly dependable receiver. You have to wonder what this pick means for 49ers receivers Brendan Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel. The 49ers were shopping the receivers around to teams before the draft. Heading into Day 2, the 9ers could move one of those receivers in a bid to move higher up in the second round.

The Panthers are on the clock.

The Panthers select South Carolina WR Xavier Legette with the final pick in the first round.

Xavier Legette is a BIG wide receiver. It’s no secret things didn’t go well in Bryce Young’s first season with the Panthers. With their trade up late in the first Carolina shows, they are committed to making sure year two goes much better.

And this move was predicted by none other than newly-minted sportscaster Bill Belichick.

Great night. The Michale Penix Jr. move and the decision by the Bills to hand their nemesis Xavier Worthy are the real head-scratchers of the night, and those conversations will continue well into tomorrow and the weeks to come.

But the Chiefs, Bears, and Vikings, in particular, definitely helped themselves tonight.