NFL Draft First Round Reactions and Hot Takes

By Mike Patch | April 26, 2024

The first round of the NFL Draft took place in Detroit last night for a prime-time event, and wow, did the people show up! An estimated 275K people were watching the event. Here are my quick thoughts from last night’s NFL Draft event

Eminem & Goodell 

I thought the commercials leading up to the NFL draft were great. Eminem was a good sport as he knew this event was big in the city of Detroit. He’s a diehard Lions fan, and it showed. 

Michael Penix Jr at 8?

A lot of youngsters don’t know this, but this is the old-school way of drafting quarterbacks. You draft for the future instead of throwing a rookie into the fire. I don’t hate the idea of having Penix learn behind Cousins for a year or two to prepare him for the pros. Mahomes sat his first year, and Aaron Rodgers sat a few years, but to pick Penix at 8 is a mistake.

If the Falcons had traded back, stockpiled picks, and taken Penix in the late 20s, they would’ve played the draft correctly. Thinking about the future is a great way to build a franchise, but if the Falcons don’t go to the playoffs this season, fans will be wondering why they passed on offensive line help or defensive playmakers. 

The goal should always be to win a Super Bowl, regardless of the best player available. Penix does not help the Falcons win this season, and footage of GM Terry Fontenot trying to explain his move to owner Arthur Blank seemed awkward. 

Penix has some red flags on his resume, too, as he had to deal with tearing his ACL twice while he was at Indiana during his freshman and sophomore years. After transferring to Washington and recovering from his injuries, Penix led the Huskies to two 10+ win seasons. Under Penix in his first season in 2022, the Washington Huskies would finish with an 11-2 record while Penix threw for 4,641 passing yards, leading the FBS passing yards per game, and also became the Huskies all-time single-season passing leader during the Alamo Bowl. Penix would also be awarded the AP Comeback Player of the Year in the same season. The icing on the cake would be his 32:8 touchdown to interception ratio in 2022. 

The Bears Are Loaded With Offensive Talent

Drafting Wide Receiver Rome Oduze at pick 9 to team up with Keenan Allen, DJ Moore, and Cole Kmet is something Bears fans have never seen before. Caleb Williams has everything he needs, and while I know there are some haters out there who want to see the first overall pick bust, I wouldn’t overlook the surrounding talent when it comes to fantasy or sports betting this season. 

Bo Nix Hate Seems Unjustifeld

The comment section is correct: an F for Nix but an A+ for J.J. McCarthy? Seems strange. 

After starting his career at Auburn, Bo Nix transferred to Oregon, where he found a lot of success as we watched him mature before our eyes.  Nix was named Third-team Associated Press All-American and Pac-12 Conference Offensive Player of the Year. He also won the William V. Campbell Trophy (aka “Academic Heisman”) and finished third in the voting for the Heisman Trophy.  On top of those achievements, Nix was a finalist for the Maxwell Award, which is given to the nation’s top player, as well as the Davey O’Brien and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Awards, each for the nation’s top QB.  A simple cursory glance at his production makes it easy to see why.  Nix set an NCAA single-season record for completion percentage (77.4, 364-470) and led the FBS with 45 passing TDs (a school record) and 4,508 passing yards (another school record.)  On top of those numbers, Nix also had just three interceptions and added 54 rushing attempts for 234 yards and six TDs.  He has also proven to be highly durable by setting an NCAA record for a QB with 61 career starts.  Watching tape from his Auburn days may give one pause on predicting his NFL potential as he often looked overwhelmed and not ready for primetime.  But watching more recent tape tells a different tale of a QB who appears more than ready to take his game to the next level with all the potential of being a solid NFL-caliber signal caller.

As a Ducks fan and someone who watched him take every snap for Oregon, I think he is a perfect fit for a Sean Payton-led offense. He gets the ball out quickly, is good at reading defenses, and can take off and run if needed. 

What are the Raiders Doing?

The Penix pick overshadowed the Raider’s puzzling selection at 13. The Raiders had needs in many areas but chose to double down on the Tight End Position by drafting Brock Bowers despite taking Michael Mayer last year in the 2nd round, 35th overall.

However, I will give the Raiders the benefit of the doubt here. Maybe they want to run a heavy 12-personnel set this season, keeping both tight ends on the field at all times. It would be an old-school power running game with a play-action pass. I actually thought maybe the Eagles could do something similar with Saquan Barkley. I don’t hate the pick if they figure out a way to get both guys on the field simultaneously.

If any other team had done this, stockpiling big pass-catching tight ends, I think we would have been excited to see what was coming, but because it was the Raiders, people are quick to judge. I’m curious to see this play out. 

Eagles Don’t Trade Up Yet Still Land Top Corner

The Eagles’ luck in the past two drafts with their team needs and how the draft board has shaken up is ridiculous. The Eagles were rumored to want to trade up all week but ended up staying put at 22. After six quarterbacks in the first 12 picks were selected, the defensive talent was pushed down the board, making the section of Quinyon Mitchell a very easy pick for Howie Roseman. 

Fantasy Football Will Love Brain Thomas Jr. 

This Jaguars replace Calvin Ridley, who was lost in free agency, with LSU stud Brain Thomas Jr.  At 6’3, 209lbs and running a 4.33, the Jaguars have something special for their franchise quarterback Trevor Lawerence. 

The Bills Get Dog Walked

For me, the most puzzling, borderline idiotic move of the night was the Bills trading back with the Chiefs and allowing them to select Xavier Worthy.

The Bills traded Stefon Diggs to the Texans last month. Fans weren’t happy, but they understood the situation. Last night, the Bills had a chance to replace Diggs with a young, talented prospect who ran a 4.21 40 time at the NFL combine. Instead, they traded back with the team they can’t seem to beat in the AFC Championship and let the Chiefs select him. Not only did they not fix their problem of replacing Diggs, but they helped their arch nemesis get stronger. 

If I were a Bills fan, I would be furious. 

Mike Patch
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