How about that Round 1? The 2024 NFL draft began with quarterbacks going in the top three -- Caleb Williams to the Bears, Jayden Daniels to the Commanders and Drake Maye to the Patriots -- and there were several intriguing picks after that, along with a handful of trades. It was an amazing night in Detroit.
Which fan bases should be thrilled after what their favorite team did on Day 1? Which should be scratching their heads? It's time to break down what happened with my annual review of the best and worst of what I saw from the top 32 picks.
Let's get into the selections I liked and didn't like from Round 1. There were a few I loved, a few that shocked me (you might be able to guess which ones) and a few more where I would have gone a different direction. My thoughts are based on my Big Board rankings and grades for each prospect, along with whether teams got value with their selections. I'm also going to scrutinize trades -- both up and down -- to see which teams gave up too much and which picked up valuable capital, in this draft and in 2025.
As usual, come back late Saturday night for my post-draft grades for all 32 teams. That's where I'll review as many of the 257 picks as I can. We'll be back for Rounds 2 and 3 on Friday (7 p.m. ET on ESPN, ABC and the ESPN App).
Here are my best available prospects heading into Round 2, based on my Big Board: CB Cooper DeJean (No. 14 overall), LB Edgerrin Cooper (26), WR Keon Coleman (33), CB Kool-Aid McKinstry (35), WR Adonai Mitchell (36).
NFL draft coverage:
Kiper's final Big Board: Top 150
Experts' consensus rankings
Scouting reports | DraftCast | More
