The highly anticipated NFL Draft excites and terrifies NFL insiders, reporters, and analysts. They compare player statistics with areas each team lacks to guess where each college athlete will land. Tradition holds strong as NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is booed as he walks across the stage to announce the first draft pick. This year’s draft on April 25-27 had some expected picks but also a few controversial ones that made fans question what their favorite General Managers were thinking
The Chicago Bears had a successful draft by solving their quarterback problems and getting more targets to throw to on the field. With the highly anticipated first pick, the Bears drafted Caleb Williams, a well-built quarterback out of the University of South California. Fans have drawn comparisons between Williams’s strong arm and Super Bowl Champion and MVP Patrick Mahomes. The Chicago Bears also took wide receiver Rome Odunze from the University of Washington at ninth overall, giving their new QB a versatile weapon on the field.
Quarterbacks Jayden Daniels from Louisiana State University and Drake Maye from the University of North Carolina were selected off the board at picks two and three. Both of these picks coming in behind Williams were predictable, but there are always questions about which quarterback will end up being the most successful. Looking back to the 2023 NFL Draft, second-overall pick C.J. Stroud won Rookie of the Year, outperforming first-overall pick Bryce Young.
The New York Giants drafted Malik Nabers from Louisiana State University at the sixth overall pick, a solid target to add to the team. The Giants made a statement by selecting a wide receiver over a quarterback, showing that they would be taking the risk and sticking with current QB Daniel Jones. Nabers, who has elite separation and speed skills, will be a solid target for the Giants to have on the field. The New York Jets traded down to land the eleventh pick, which they used on offensive lineman Olu Fashanu from Penn State. Fans had previously made predictions that the Jets would select tight end Brock Bowers because of speculations from NFL Insiders. Although many fans were shocked, this was a solid pick that will provide additional support for Aaron Rodgers.
As always, the NFL Draft had its shocks. The Atlanta Falcons took quarterback Michael Penix Jr. from the University of Washington at eight, which was the biggest shock of the draft considering they signed QB Kirk Cousins to a 4-year, 180 million dollar contract this offseason. The San Francisco 49ers drafted wide receiver Ricky Pearsall from the University of Florida as their first-round pick. However, with wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk already on the roster, it was strange to add another player to the same position.. There were speculations that Samuel or Aiyuk would be traded for draft picks later on in the draft, which would explain why the 49ers took Pearsall. However, this never happened.
The NFL Draft kept fans on their toes as both expected and shocking players were taken off the board. Come September, these rookies will be able to showcase their talent for their new team and their fans, proving that they deserve the role they have been selected for.
