Motor City royalty was on show in the NFL draft's host city, Detroit, as former Lions great Barry Sanders and Eminem joined NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on stage to kick off proceedings.
An extraordinary night saw the NFL tie the record for the number of quarterbacks taken in the first round, with six off the board by pick 12, when Denver selected Oregon passer Bo Nix. Wilder still was the selection of Michael Penix, Jr at No.8 by Atlanta, who had recently signed former Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins to a $180 million contract.
Eight offensive tackles and seven wide receivers were taken in the first round, here's how it all unfolded...
NFL Draft 2024 Round 1 picks in full:
1. Chicago Bears - Caleb Williams - QB, USC
After months of speculation, the Bears officially anointed the USC junior as their quarterback of the future. The 6'1", 214lb passer walks into a great situation in Chicago, who added running back D'Andre Swift (Eagles) and receiver Keenan Allen (Chargers) in the off-season to an offense already containing D.J. Moore and Cole Kmet. Williams could give the Bears a team to be excited about for the first time since the 1986 Super Bowl winners led by Jim McMahon and Walter Payton.
2. Washington Commanders -Â Jayden Daniels - QB, LSU
The 2023 Heisman Trophy winner joins new offensive coordinator and quarterback whisperer Kliff Kingsbury in Washington. Daniels had an exceptional 2023 season, passing for 40 touchdowns and 3,812 yards. He is a smooth, precise passer and elite running talent who will have the keys to the Commanders' offense straight away following Sam Howell's trade to Seattle.
3. New England Patriots - Drake Maye - QB, North Carolina
Three quarterbacks off the board in the first three picks. North Carolina's Maye joins the new-look Patriots in the post-Belichick era under new head coach Jerod Mayo. With Mac Jones traded to Jacksonville, New England's top pick can ease into the professional ranks learning from presumed bridge quarterback Jacoby Brissett.
4. Arizona Cardinals - Marvin Harrison, Jr. - WR, Ohio State
"A Maserati is about to hit the floor in the Motor City" quipped NFL Network's Rich Eisen as the 6'3" Marvin Harrison, Jr. began his walk from the Green Room to accept his Cardinals jersey from the NFL Commissioner. The latest in the line of a recently rich pool of Ohio State receiver talent including Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave and Jaxson Smith-Njigba is a fluid route runner with over 1,200 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns in each of the last two seasons. He might prove to be the best of them all. Kyler Murray will certainly be hoping so.
5. Los Angeles Chargers - Joe Alt - OT, Notre Dame
A no-nonsense selection for Jim Harbaugh's first pick as Chargers head coach. The former Michigan coach has a history of building from the trenches. The 6'8", 320lb Alt, some of former Pro Bowl tackle John Alt, will likely move to right tackle, complimenting previous first-round pick Rashawn Slater to protect quarterback Justin Herbert.
6. New York Giants - Malik Nabers - WR, LSU
Nabers is a blisteringly quick receiver who can line up anywhere across the field. The Giants feel the need for speed on offense and the LSU wideout will join the pacy Jalin Hyatt giving Daniel Jones another quality target, and a sigh of relief as a number of mock drafts had predicted a quarterback landing in New York at No.6.
7. Tennessee Titans - J.C. Latham - OT, Alabama
The second offensive tackle taken is the enormous Alabama lineman J.C. Latham, who joins Peter Skoronski to form the nucleus of a talented line to protect second-year passer Will Levis and give the Titans a brand of smash mouth football.
8. Atlanta Falcons – Michael Penix, Jr. - QB, Washington
Wow. A baffling pick from the Falcons, who many predicted might make a defensive pick here. No criticism of Penix or his prodigious talents, but this seemed an odd choice given Atlanta recently signed Kirk Cousins to a massive contract. Penix, who passed for 96 touchdowns and over 13,000 yards in college, could flourish when given the opportunity to start under center, with a supporting cast including Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Kyle Pitts.
9. Chicago Bears - Rome Odunze - WR, Washington
A slam dunk pick at No.9 for the Bears who act immediately to help their No.1 pick, Caleb Williams. Odunze was a 1st Team All-American wide receiver at Washington. The 6'2", 212lb receiver will line up opposite Keenan Allen and offer Williams a fast, competitive pass-catching option.
10. *Minnesota Vikings (from New York Jets) - J.J. McCarthy - QB, Michigan
Minnesota swaps first round picks with the Jets to move up and take J.J. McCarthy, fresh from leading Michigan to the national championship, as the fifth quarterback off the board. McCarthy is a competitor and proven winnner with a 66-3 record in high school and college football who should add some fire to the Vikings and will have the opportunity to sit behind Sam Darnold as he learns Minnesota's offense.
11. *New York Jets (from Minnesota) - Olumuyiwa Fashanu - OT, Penn State
A natural left tackle out of Penn State, the 21-year old Olu Fashanu offers long term stability along the Jets' offensive line where he can learn from Tyron Smith to protect Aaron Rodgers, who lasted just four snaps last season before succumbing to injury.
12. Denver Broncos - Bo Nix - QB, Oregon
For 2024 Denver, read 2019 Auburn. Oregon quarterback Bo Nix, formerly of Auburn, joins his former college team mate Jarrett Stidham in the Broncos quarterback room. Nix started 61 games in college and impressed NFL scouts with his accuracy, competitiveness and versatility. The Pac-12 offensive player has drawn comparisons to Drew Brees, which will have appealed to head coach Sean Payton.
13. Las Vegas Raiders - Brock Bowers - TE, Georgia
The Raiders keep it simple and take the best player available. The 6'3", 243lb Georgia tight end Bowers is a steal at No.13 and whose talent arguably makes him one of the top five players in the draft. Bowers, an adept pass-catcher who runs like a tailback, joins Davante Adams and last year's tight end draft pick Michael Mayer on offense in Las Vegas.
14. New Orleans Saints - Taliese Fuaga - OT, Oregon State
Oregon State's huge right tackle impressed at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama and adds instant physicality to a Saints team where Trevor Penning has struggled to impose himself at left tackle. He will add some edge to the New Orleans run game, opening up channels for Alvin Kamara.
15. Indianapolis Colts - Laiatu Latu - EDGE, UCLA
The first defensive player taken and a new chapter in the extraordinary career of Laiatu Latu, who was medically retired in 2020 following a neck injury at the University of Washington. Having transferred to UCLA in 2022, he had two outstanding seasons, culminating in a 13-sack season last year.
16. Seattle Seahawks - Byron Murphy II - DT, Texas
The best defensive tackle in college football takes his disruptive run defense game from Austin to Seattle, who were in desperate need of help in the trenches.
17. *Minnesota Vikings (from Jacksonville) - Dallas Turner - EDGE, Alabama
The second trade from Minnesota, who move up from No.23 to snap up the outstanding Alabama edge rusher, Dallas Turner. The SEC Defensive Player of the Year with 10 sacks has 4.46 40-yard speed and an 83-inch reach. Look out NFC North.
18. Cincinnati Bengals - Amarius Mims - OT, Georgia
With their star quarterback missing seven games through injury last season, Cincinnati's priority was to protect Joe Burrow. Mims, a raw but promising 6'7", 340lb prospect allowed no sacks in 377 pass-blocking snaps. He plugs in at right tackle opposite the even bigger Orlando Brown.
19. Los Angeles Rams - Jared Verse - EDGE, Florida State
An explosive edge rusher likened to NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Will Anderson, Jr., the Seminoles' defensive end Verse adds some juice to a Rams' defense missing the retired Aaron Donald.
20. Pittsburgh Steelers - Troy Fautanu - OT, Washington
Another offensive lineman off the board. Back-to-back tackle first round picks for Pittsburgh, who took Georgia's Broderick Jones with their opening pick last year. Fautanu has the potential to play all five positions along the offensive line.
21. Miami Dolphins - Chop Robinson - OT, Penn State
Penn State's explosive edge rusher Robinson joins a menacing looking Dolphins defense that includes Bradley Chubb, Jaelen Phillips, Jalen Ramsay and Jevon Holland.
22. Philadelphia Eagles - Quinyon Mitchell - CB, Toledo
The Eagles swoop for the first cornerback to be taken. Toledo's Quinyon Mitchell has electric speed, demonstrated with his 4.33 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. He is a twitchy, aggressive corner who has been compared to Jaire Alexander.
23. *Jacksonville Jaguars (from Minnesota) - Brian Thomas Jr. - WR, LSU
Another great receiver from LSU joins former Tigers receivers Justin Jefferson, Ja'Marr Chase and this year's No.6 pick Malik Nabers in the NFL. Thomas Jr. is a pacey receiver with 17 touchdowns and 1,177 yards to his name last season. He is a great replacement for Calvin Ridley, departed for Tennessee, and an ideal target for Trevor Lawrence.
24. *Detroit Lions (from Dallas) - Terrion Arnold - CB, Alabama
A strong pick for the Lions, who trade up five spots to grab Arnold, another great cornerback out of Alabama, who joins former Crimson Tide team-mate Brian Branch in Detroit. 63 tackles last year for the fluid corner who will look to shut down the talented receiving corps in the NFC North.
25. Green Bay Packers - Jordan Morgan - OT, Arizona
David Bakhtiari's replacement at left tackle is selected by the Packers. Green Bay passed on Graham Barton and Tyler Guyton to draft the experienced Morgan, who made 37 career starts in Arizona and make an immediate impact protecting Jordan Love's blind side.
26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Graham Barton - OL, Duke
The versatile offensive lineman from Duke can play tackle, guard or center - a rare quality. Barton started 34 games at left tackle, and 5 at center, where he is expected to play in Tampa Bat, in his college career at the Blue Devils.
27. Arizona Cardinals - Darius Robinson - EDGE, Missouri
Arizona's second pick in the first round sees them bolster their defensive line with the talented hybrid Robinson, who switched from the interior to defensive edge at Missouri.
28. *Kansas City Chiefs (from Buffalo) - Xavier Worthy - WR, Texas
I joked on our most recent Across The Pond College Football podcast, that it would be amazing to see Worthy, the fastest man ever at the N|FL Combine with a 4.21 40-yard time, lining up to catch passes from Patrick Mahomes. It's happening. The Chiefs trade up to pick the lightening fast Texas receiver who could finally be the replacement for Tyreek Hill.
29. Dallas Cowboys (from Detroit) - Tyler Guyton - OT, Oklahoma
Good move for the Cowboys who traded back five spots and still landed the help on offensive line they needed. Oklahoma's Guyton is an athletic 6'7", 322 lb former tight end who moved to tackle. Inexperienced but has a high ceiling. The eighth tackle taken.
30. Baltimore Ravens - Nate Wiggins - CB, Clemson
A quick, smooth corner, Wiggins will add pace to the Ravens' defense. Watch his chase down and forced fumble of Omarion Hampton in Clemson's game against North Carolina down as an example of his relentless pass and ball-hawking ability.
31. San Francisco 49ers - Ricky Pearsall - WR, Florida
Florida wideout Pearsall joins a 49ers offense loaded with playmakers in Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel and George Kittle. Does this pick signal the end of Brandon Aiyuk's career in San Francisco? Pearsall is an outstanding athlete with 4.41 speed and a 40" vertical jump who can play in the slot or out wide.
32. *Carolina Panthers (from Buffalo) - Xavier Legette - WR, South Carolina
An intriguing trade up for Carolina who could have taken Legette with the first pick of the second round. Compared to Eagles star receiver A.J. Brown, South Carolina's 6'2", 221 lb receiver had 1,255 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns last season.