Tag: 2024 NFL Draft

Falcons miss out on Michael Penix Jr. in 2024 NFL re-draft

Falcons miss out on Michael Penix Jr., take defensive star in NFL.com’s 2024 re-draft

When the Atlanta Falcons selected quarterback Michael Penix Jr. in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft, many around the league were highly critical of the pick. While Penix was projected to go somewhere in the first round, Atlanta wasn’t on anyone’s radar as a landing spot.

It’s been less than a year since the Falcons drafted the former Washington Huskies QB and the criticism has mostly turned to optimism. Penix played well enough over the final three games of the year to justify being the No. 8 overall pick.

Despite a strong year from this year’s crop of rookie quarterbacks, there’s a good chance that Penix would go even higher if the 2024 NFL draft were to be held today.

In NFL.com’s 2024 re-draft, the Falcons rookie didn’t even make it out of the top five. Instead, the New York Giants moved up to pick No. 5 to snag Penix out from under Atlanta:

The Giants use their mulligan to trade up one spot for Michael Penix Jr., securing their franchise QB and overwriting the disastrous Daniel Jones/Drew Lock/Tommy DeVito/Tim Boyle debacle of 2024. Giving up Malik Nabers is certainly not ideal, and we did consider a scenario where New York kept the elite WR and then targeted its new franchise passer with the third overall pick in the 2025 draft. — NFL.com’s Ali Bhanpuri & Tom Blair

With Kirk Cousins’ sudden decline putting his future with the team in doubt, Penix gives the Falcons stability at the game’s most important position. However, Atlanta still made out okay in NFL.com’s 2024 re-draft. 

At pick No. 8, the Falcons land a dominant defender in Jared Verse. The Florida State edge rusher was just awarded the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year following a stellar rookie season for the Los Angeles Rams:

The Falcons would surely love to re-draft Penix — their original pick, whose selection would seem a lot less unorthodox now that we know he ended up taking the QB reins from Kirk Cousins during the season — but the promising youngster is gone. So Atlanta jumps on Jared Verse, whose Pro Bowl efforts helped the Rams do what the Falcons could not: climb out of the NFC’s middle class and reach the postseason. — NFL.com’s Ali Bhanpuri & Tom Blair

Hindsight is 20/20, but the Falcons have to feel vindicated after so many criticized their decision to double up at the quarterback position. Cousins may have been an expensive mistake, however, Penix’s promise makes it easier to digest.

The Falcons will likely attempt to upgrade their defense in the 2025 NFL draft, assuming they don’t take a wide receiver in Round 1.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1360]

Cowboys shipped Super Bowl starting WR, different OT in ESPN’s 2024 redraft

In a 2024 NFL draft do-over, Dallas lands an exciting playmaker from in state and then circles back around on OT.

The 2024 NFL season comes to a close on Sunday evening, once the final whistle is blown on Super Bowl LIX. For the Dallas Cowboys, who missed the playoffs for the first time in four years, it was a disappointing campaign to say the least. Part of the issue with the Cowboys is that they haven’t gotten the kinds of contributions from their recent draft classes that they are used to.

Both the 2023 and 2024 classes failed to contribute impact players, with the club not getting much of any traction with either classes first or second-round picks. DT Mazi Smith is on the precipice of the club designating him as a bust after two years and redrafting the position, and LT Tyler Guyton was oft-injured and oft-benched in his rookie season. TE Luke Schoonmaker hasn’t done much and DE Marshawn Kneeland missed a chunk of time with a knee injury. But what if things went a different way?

ESPN conducted a 2024 redraft recently, going through 64 picks and giving teams chances at do-overs based on the performance of the rookie class. Instead of picking Guyton in a first-round trade down, Dallas stayed put and took an explosive rookie, and then circled back on the OT position instead of drafting Kneeland.

24. Dallas Cowboys

Original pick: Terrion Arnold, CB, Alabama (DET traded up)
New pick: Xavier Worthy, WR, Texas

I contemplated Olu Fashanu and Troy Fautanu at this spot to keep with the offensive line theme, but I kept coming back to the lack of explosive plays on offense. With CeeDee Lamb and Worthy, the Dak Prescott-led offense could get back to the playmaking it had in 2023, even if Worthy might not fit the size profile the Cowboys like in receivers. Worth had 59 catches for 638 yards and 9 total touchdowns with the Chiefs. — Todd Archer

Worthy, the University of Texas product, is of course a starting wideout for the Super Bowl participating Kansas City Chiefs. He’s started 13 of 17 games in the regular season and his dazzling speed would’ve been exactly what Dallas wanted to get out of Brandin Cooks and Kavontae Turpin.

56. Dallas Cowboys

Original pick: Marshawn Kneeland, EDGE, Western Michigan
New pick: Kingsley Suamataia, OT, BYU

The Cowboys had Suamataia in for a visit before the draft, and he was in the mix when they took Tyler Guyton in the first round. Guyton would have been the pick had he lasted to this spot. Suamataia started the first two games at left tackle for the Chiefs, but he did not answer their issues. Still, the potential remains as he’s just 22 years old. — Todd Archer

Rams defensive lineman wins DROY

The Rams had two defenders in the top three vote getters for Defensive Rookie of the Year.

The 2024 NFL draft was absolutely loaded with defensive playmakers. On Thursday night at the NFL Honors, they handed out the Rookie of the Year Awards and had to choose among some very talented players.

On offense, Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels won the away going away after having the best rookie season of all time. But on defense, it was more contested with four players getting first-place votes. In the end, Los Angeles Rams edge defender Jared Verse beat out teammate Braden Fiske and Lions cornerback Quinyon Mitchell to get the honor.

Here is how the voting broke down for the top seven.

Jared Verse 37-10-2-0-1: 427
Quinyon Mitchell 9-23-10-1-2: 239
Braden Fiske 1-5-11-11-6: 96
Cooper DeJean 0-5-14-8-8: 91
Chop Robinson 0-4-6-16-4: 74
Edgerrin Cooper 0-1-3-4-8: 30
Tarheeb Still 1-0-3-2-4: 27

Verse started 16 of 17 games for the Rams last season. He finished with 66 total tackles, 4.5 sacks, 11 tackles for loss and forced two fumbles.

A strong case can be made that Fiske, a fellow Ram had a much better season. Fiske finished with 8.5 sacks as an interior defensive lineman and only eight starts in 2024.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Where did Colts’ picks Laiatu Latu and AD Mitchell end up in ESPN’s 2024 NFL redraft?

In a 2024 two-round redraft by ESPN, where did Colts’ picks Laiatu Latu and AD Mitchell end up going?

Knowing what we now know about the 2024 NFL season, if we could go back in time, how would those results impact last year’s draft and who the Indianapolis Colts selected?

ESPN recently tried to figure that out. Each of their 32 beat reporters recreated the first two rounds of the 2024 NFL draft.

Instead of the Colts taking Laiatu Latu at 15th overall, they addressed cornerback instead. And rather than trading down in Round 2 to then take AD Mitchell, the Colts stayed put at pick 46 and drafted a safety.

So where did Latu and Mitchell end up going?

Latu ended up being taken at 27th overall by the Arizona Cardinals, who originally selected Missouri defensive end Darius Robinson.

Latu totaled 38 pressures, which was the second-most on the Colts, and four sacks. He steadily won his matchups, ranking 28th among all defensive ends in PFF’s pass rush win rate metric and he improved as a run defender as the season progressed.

Among the rookie class, Latu was third in pressures, third in win rate, and was second in run stops.

Mitchell, meanwhile, was not drafted in the first two rounds of this exercise by ESPN.

He had a rocky rookie year catching just 45% of his targets and, at times, was the fifth receiver on the Colts’ depth chart from a playing time perspective.

With that said, what we did see was an impressive ability by Mitchell to create separation with his combination of speed and route running. Now it’s about channeling that consistency so that ability to generate space turns into production.

Who did Jaguars select in first two rounds of ESPN’s 2024 NFL redraft?

Who did the Jaguars end up selecting in the first two rounds of ESPN’s 2024 NFL redraft?

After seeing how the season played out, how would things have gone differently for the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first two rounds of the 2024 NFL draft knowing what we know now?

ESPN recently tried to figure that out. Each of their 32 beat reporters recreated the first two rounds of the 2024 NFL draft.

In the first round for the Jaguars, they still ended up with wide receiver Brian Thomas, but took him at their original draft position of 17th overall, rather than trading down to pick 23 where Jacksonville selected him last April.

Thomas put together a huge rookie season. In what was a loaded wide receiver draft class, Thomas was not only the most productive of the bunch, but he was one of the most productive receivers in all of football as well.

He finished 2024 catching 67% of his 129 targets, averaging 14.7 yards per catch. Thomas ended the year with 1,282 receiving yards, good for the fourth-most among all receivers, along with scoring 10 touchdowns.

With his speed and route running ability, Thomas is a threat at all levels of the field, and perhaps the most impressive part of his production is that defenses knew he was getting the ball and still couldn’t slow him.

Then in the second round, the Jaguars passed on defensive tackle Maason Smith and instead selected safety Calen Bullock, who was originally the 78th overall pick by Houston.

Bullock filled the free safety role in Houston as a rookie and had terrific ball production with five interceptions and five pass breakups.

He also allowed a completion rate of just 45% and held opponents to just 12.2 yards per catch and graded out quite well as a run defender by PFF’s metrics.

As we all know, the Jaguars’ secondary was often picked on last season, ranking 24th in completion rate and in the bottom three in passer rating, interceptions, and yards per pass attempt. Safety will be arguably the team’s biggest need this offseason.

“If the Jaguars knew safety play would have been a major issue in 2024 (a league-high 14 pass plays of 40 or more yards), they would have taken Bullock, who led all rookies with five interceptions to go along with 51 tackles,” wrote ESPN’s Michael DiRocco.

Smith, meanwhile, played 384 snaps as a rookie and totaled 14 pressures and three sacks. Smith ranked 133rd in PFF’s run defense grade and was 100th among defensive tackles in pass rush win rate.

Texans DB Calen Bullock named breakout candidate for 2025 season

Calen Bullock could be in an All-Pro season in 2025 with the Houston Texans.

One season into his career and Houston Texans defensive back Calen Bullock is already meeting expectations.

When drafted out of USC last April, the Texans were banking on the 6-foot-3 defensive back’s coverage skills and ability to create turnovers. By the season’s end, he was tied with All-Pro cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. with a team-leading five interceptions while posting 11 pass breakups.

Bullock blossomed into a solid run defender and open-field tackler, which was viewed as a weak point in his game coming from Alex Grinch’s system. Surprisingly, his man coverage skills took somewhat of a when asked to cover explosive plays downfield.

Pro Football Focus recently released its breakout player for every team next season. For the Texans’ Bullock’s consistency in coverage earned him the accolade.

“Even as a rookie, Bullock played the second-most snaps on Houston’s defense and stood out as a run defender, with a 75.2 PFF grade during the regular season. While his PFF coverage grade (43.9) is underwhelming, he permitted only 135 yards in coverage while procuring five interceptions and a 45.0 passer rating when targeted — the fourth-lowest mark of any qualified cornerback or safety,” PFF wrote. “Knowing Houston’s defensive prowess, Bullock could easily join Derek Stingley Jr. and Kamari Lassiter as a top-tier defensive back come 2025.

Bullock recorded 54 total tackles,  including two tackles for loss. He also saw the most snaps by a Texans’ rookie defensive back since Daunta Robinson in 2004.

With Eric Murray potentially heading for free agency, Bullock likely pairs with Jimmie Ward as the duo on the backend for 2025. If he can improve in man coverage, perhaps the Texans have found their own Marcus Williams or Kevin Byard at NRG Stadium for the long haul.

Saints given different rookie tackle in 2024 first round re-draft

The New Orleans Saints got a talented rookie tackle in the 2024 NFL draft, but would they do the same if given another choice?

The New Orleans Saints had some success with their first round pick Taliese Fuaga last season, but would they still go with him if given another chance today?

That’s the hypothetical that Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport looked at in his recent re-do of the 2024 NFL draft. For the Saints, they now decided to go with Olu Fashanu out of the Penn State Nittany Lions.

Here is what Davenport had to say about the pick:

Fashanu didn’t play as much as some of the other Round 1 tackles after being drafted 11th overall by the Jets. But in 534 snaps per Pro Football Focus, Fashanu surrendered just a single sack.

Fashanu was originally off the board, but the New York Jets now selected J.J. McCarthy this time around. While Fashanu was certainly a more highly-touted prospect than Fuaga at the time, there is an argument to be made that it would be the other way around right now. Fuaga fell to the No. 18 pick (Cincinnati Bengals) in this do-over.

For someone that didn’t play the position in college, Fuaga did a nice job at left tackle for New Orleans. It wasn’t perfect, but there was plenty to like about his performance. He allowed two or less pressures in 11 games, flashing some real talent at times. It’s not that Fashanu was bad, it’s just that there is no reason for the Saints to be unhappy with their original selection.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

DeShaun Foster shouts out UCLA linebacker at Shrine Bowl

Kain Medrano improved his NFL draft stock at the Shrine Bowl.

The NFL Draft is still many months away, but the road to the big leagues has begun. At the East-West Shrine Bowl, one of college football’s biggest talent showcases, former UCLA linebacker Kain Medrano made his presence known. In a video on X, Medrano is lined up in man-to-man coverage. Reading the quarterback’s eyes perfectly, he undercut the route and made the interception. The play caught the eye of UCLA head coach DeShaun Foster, who wrote, “I’ve seen that before!!!”

Medrano finished his 2024 senior season with 50 tackles, three forced fumbles, 1.5 sacks, and, fittingly, two interceptions. Though Medrano’s highlight was only in practice, many believe the practices at the Shrine Bowl are more important than the game itself.

Practices allow coaches and scouts to get crucial one-on-one time with players and assess their ability and character. For Medrano, who is unlikely to go on Day 1 or 2 in the NFL draft, making big plays in practice can be a surefire way to make a good impression.

With private workouts and pro days still to come, Medrano could see an uptick in interest across the NFL as he hopes to hear his name called during draft weekend.

Titans select QB Bo Nix in 2024 NFL re-draft

Bleacher Report believes the Tennessee Titans should have taken a different direction in the 2024 NFL draft — at least in hindsight.

The Tennessee Titans had a miserable 2024 season that saw them finish 3-14 and earn the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL draft.

With this being Championship Sunday and having only four teams remaining, it is a great time for everyone to look back and play “what-if” for the NFL in 2024.  The first focus is usually the NFL draft and how the prized rookie picks panned out in their new homes.

The Titans had a solid draft in 2024, selecting some players who appear to have a bright future in the NFL. The question really is, could it have been better?

The team over at Bleacher Report just did an exercise and did a complete re-draft of the first round which saw the Titans go in a completely different direction.

New Selection: Bo Nix, QB, Oregon
Original Selection: JC Latham, OT, Alabama

The Tennessee Titans used their first pick in 2024 to build around quarterback Will Levis. That turned out to be a mistake—so now the team is going to use its first pick to start over at the position.

Nix won 10 games as a rookie, passing for 3,775 yards and 29 touchdowns with a passer rating of 93.3. Denver offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey told reporters the Broncos knew early on that they had found their quarterback of the future.

“We all came out of training camp knowing this guy was going to be special,” McGlinchey said. “You joke about [how] rookies should be seen and not heard and all that, but he just showed up tough, smart, and I’ve said — put together. And that’s how he was all season.”

This is where the re-draft “what-ifs” start piling up. With Nix under center, the Titans probably won’t wind up with the first pick in 2025. But if the team did have that first pick and a quarterback already in hand, trading back becomes a lot more palatable for Tennessee—and the haul they could get from a QB-needy team eyeing Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward could go a long way toward making Tennessee a factor in the AFC South once again.

This is an interesting scenario and one that does warrant some discussion. By all accounts, Nix outperformed all expectations in 2024 and does appear to be poised to become a solid quarterback in the league. But this fails to address one of the biggest issues with Tennessee, and in fact, drafting Nix instead of Latham would have decimated a bad offensive line.

Latham came in and stabilized the left side and proved to be a valuable selection with an upside. Yes, he wasn’t perfect, but without him, that line would have been even worse. There is no way that Nix would have performed up to the level he did in Denver behind a line anchored by Nicholas Petit-Frere, likely at left tackle.

There is no doubt that these exercises can be fun and interesting, but at the same time, they often overlook the issues that arise when they remove the player selected. Would Nix have been a better selection? Possibly. But without Latham, there is no doubt the offensive line would have been worse.

[lawrence-related id=156545,156543,156492]

Bengals steer away from Amarius Mims in 2024 NFL re-draft

The Bengals go a different direction in the first round of a re-draft.

The Cincinnati Bengals took Amarius Mims in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft with the hopes he could be a quality starter for a long time in front of Joe Burrow.

Mims’ story is very much in progress after a solid rookie year — but one NFL re-draft already has the Bengals going away from him.

Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport re-drafted the entire 2024 NFL first round and had the Bengals instead pick current New Orleans Saints tackle Taliese Fuaga:

Taliese Fuaga was thrown into the fire as a rookie, playing 1,070 snaps in 2024 for the New Orleans Saints. It wasn’t a flawless first season, but former Saints offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak was impressed by what he saw from the youngster in 2024.

RELATED: Bengals’ contract extension with Ja’Marr Chase gets stunning $145M projection

Fuaga, by all accounts, had a super-strong rookie year at left tackle and could surely kick to right tackle, where the Bengals would need him.

But the Bengals should hardly feel bad about Mims. He seemed to have the right tackle job secured going into Week 1 before an untimely injury.

Mims wound up playing in 15 games as a rookie and showed serious flashes of being a franchise player on the right side. The big concern coming out of college — availability — remains, but it’s hard to imagine the Bengals would go a different direction if given the chance.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1]